DNA scission and LDL cholesterol oxidation inhibition and antioxidant activities of Bael (Aegle marmelos) flower extracts

Optimization and Characterization of Interspecific Hybrid Crude Palm Oil Unaué HIE OxG Nanoparticles with Vegetable By-Products as Encapsulants

Interspecific hybrid crude palm oil (HCPO) HIE OxG derived from crossbred African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and American Caiaué (Elaeis oleifera) is prominent for its fatty acid and antioxidant compositions (carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols), lower production cost, and high pest resistance properties compared to crude palm oil. Biodegradable and sustainable encapsulants derived from vegetable byproducts were used to formulate HCPO nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with hybrid crude palm oil and jackfruit seed flour as a wall material (N-JSF) and with hybrid crude palm oil and jackfruit axis flour as a wall material (N-JAF) were optimized using a 22 experimental design. They exhibited nanoscale diameters (<250 nm) and were characterized based on their zeta potential, apparent viscosity, pH, color, and total carotenoid content. The nanoparticles demonstrated a monodisperse distribution, good uniformity, and stability (polydispersity index < 0.25; zeta potentials: N-JSF -19.50 ± 1.47 mV and N-JAF -12.50 ± 0.17 mV), as well as high encapsulation efficiency (%) (N-JSF 86.44 ± 0.01 and N-JAF 90.43 ± 1.34) and an optimal carotenoid retention (>85%). These nanoparticles show potential for use as sustainable and clean-label HCPO alternatives in the food industry.

Antioxidant and ACE-Inhibitory Activity of Protein Hydrolysates Produced from Atlantic Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa)

Atlantic sea cucumber is a benthic marine echinoderm found in Northwest Atlantic waters and is harvested mainly for its body wall. The body wall, along with internal organs and aquaphyrangeal bulb/flower, is a rich source of proteins, where the latter parts are often considered as processing discards. The objective of this research was to produce protein hydrolysates from sea cucumber tissues (body wall, flower, and internal organs) with bioactive properties associated with antioxidants, DNA and LDL cholesterol oxidation inhibition, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory effects. The protein hydrolysates were prepared using food-grade commercial enzymes, namely Alcalase, Corolase, and Flavourzyme, individually and in combination, and found that the combination of enzymes exhibited stronger antioxidant potential than the individual enzymes, as well as their untreated counterparts. Similar trends were also observed for the DNA and LDL cholesterol oxidation inhibition and ACE-inhibitory properties of sea cucumber protein hydrolysates, mainly those that were prepared from the flower. Thus, the findings of this study revealed potential applications of sea cucumber-derived protein hydrolysates in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements, as well as natural therapeutics.

Comparative Metabolomics Analysis of Stigmas and Petals in Chinese Saffron (Crocus sativus) by Widely Targeted Metabolomics

The dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron, are consumed largely worldwide because it is highly valuable in foods and has biological activities beneficial for health. Saffron has important economic and medicinal value, and thus, its planting area and global production are increasing. Petals, which are a by-product of the stigmas, have not been fully utilized at present. We compared the metabolites between the stigmas and petals of C. sativus using a non-targeted metabolomics method. In total, over 800 metabolites were detected and categorized into 35 classes, including alkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids and derivatives, phenols and phenol esters, phenylpropanoids, fatty acyls, steroids and steroid derivatives, vitamins, and other metabolites. The metabolite composition in the petals and stigmas was basically similar. The results of the study showed that the petals contained flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, and other medicinal components, as well as amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and other nutritional components. A principal components analysis (PCA) and an orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed to screen the different metabolic components. A total of 339 differential metabolites were identified, with 55 metabolites up-regulated and 284 down-regulated. The up-regulated metabolites, including rutin, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, isoquercitrin, syringaresinol-di-O-glucoside, dihydrorobinetin, quercetin, and gallocatechin, were detected in the petals. The down-regulated metabolites were mainly glucofrangulin B, acetovanillone, daidzein, guaiazulene, hypaphorine, indolin-2-one, and pseudouridine. KEGG annotation and enrichment analyses of the differential metabolites revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acids biosynthesis, and arginine and proline metabolism were the main differentially regulated pathways. In conclusion, the petals of C. sativus are valuable for medicine and foods and have potential utility in multiple areas such as the natural spice, cosmetic, health drink, and natural health product industries.

Determination of soluble and insoluble-bound phenolic compounds in dehulled, whole, and hulls of green and black lentils using electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS and their inhibition in DNA strand scission

The soluble and insoluble-bound phenolic fractions of hull, whole, and dehulled black and green lentil extracts were identified and quantified using electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS. Several in vitro antioxidant tests and inhibition of DNA strand scission were conducted to assess different pathways of activity. The most abundant phenolics in the soluble fractions were caffeic acid (412.2 μg/g), quercetin, (486.5 μg/g) quercetin glucoside (633.6 μg/g) luteolin glucoside (239.1 μg/g) and formononetin (920 μg/g), while myricetin (534.1 μg/g) and catechin (653.4 μg/g) were the predominant phenolics in the insoluble bound fraction. Hulls of both lentil cultivars had the highest phenolic content and the strongest antioxidant activity followed by whole and dehulled samples. Thus, lentil hulls would serve as an excellent source for the production of functional foods. Moreover, ESI-MS/MS (direct infusion) analysis was the rapid and high-throughput approach for the determination of bioactives in lentils by reducing the analysis time.

Evaluation of Dimer of Epicatechin from an Endophytic Fungus Curvularia australiensis FC2AP on Acute Toxicity Levels, Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cervical Cancer Activity in Animal Models

Cervical cancer, as the most frequent cancer in women globally and accounts almost 14% in India. It can be prevented or treated with vaccines, radiation, chemotherapy, and brachytherapy. The chemotherapeutic agents cause adverse post effects by the destruction of the neighboring normal cells or altering the properties of the cells. In order to reduce the severity of the side effects caused by the chemically synthesized therapeutic agents, the current research developed an anti-cancer agent dimer of epicatechin (DoE), a natural bioactive secondary metabolite (BSM) mediated from an endophytic fungus Curvularia australiensis FC2AP. The investigation has initiated with the evaluation of inhibiting the angiogenesis which is a main activity in metastasis, and it was assessed through Hen’s Egg Test on Chorio Allantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) test; the BSM inhibited the growth of blood vessels in the developing chick embryo. Further the DoE was evaluated for its acute toxicity levels in albino mice, whereas the survival dose was found to be 1250 mg/kg and the lethal dose was 1500 mg/kg body weight of albino mice; hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses were assessed. The anti-inflammatory responses of the DoE were evaluated in carrageenan induced Wistar rats and the reduction of inflammation occurred in a dose-dependent manner. By fixing the effective dose for anti-inflammation analysis, the DoE was taken for the anti-cervical cancer analysis in benzo (a) pyrene induced female Sprague-Dawley rats for 60 days trial. After the stipulated days, the rats were taken for hematological antioxidants, lipid peroxidation (LPO), member bound enzymes, cervical histopathological and carcinogenic markers analyses. The results specified that the DoE has the capability of reducing the tumor in an efficient way. This is the first report of flavonoid-DoE production from an endophytic fungus C. australiensis has the anticancer potentiality and it can be stated as anti-cancer drug.

The impact of boiling and in vitro human digestion of Solanum nigrum complex (Black nightshade) on phenolic compounds bioactivity and bioaccessibility

Solanum nigrum complex (Black nightshade) is a wild leafy vegetable with phenolic antioxidant compounds related to the reduction of oxidative stress. Changes in phenolics and bioactivity due to cooking and gastrointestinal digestion of black nightshade were compared to spinach. Predominant compounds of black nightshade were myricetin, quercetin-3-O-robinoside, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, and rutin, which were improved after boiling but reduced after in vitro digestion. Phenolics were reduced after digestion of black nightshade and spinach; however, bioactivity was still retained, especially in preventing oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells. Hence, indicating their potential to reduce oxidative stress related diseases of the digestive tract.

Bioactive compounds of Aegle marmelos L., medicinal values and its food applications: A critical review

Aegle marmelos L. (bael) is a fruit tree of Rutaceae family, widely grown all over the world. This plant is gaining popularity because of its nutrient-rich fruits and immense traditional medicinal usage and pharmacological properties. The health promotive and protective effect of bael fruit is accounted by fibers, carotenoids, phenolics, terpenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The curative relevance of these compounds has been assessed by various in vivo and in vitro studies. Fruit shows numerous possible health benefits, namely, radio-protective effects, peroxidation, antibacterial, inhibition of lipid, antidiarrheal, gastroprotective, antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-ulcerative colitis, cardioprotective, free-radical scavenging (antioxidant) and hepatoprotective effects. The health benefits of bael are not only limited to edible portion (fruit), but it also extends to nonedible portion (root, trunk, bark, leaf, flower and seed) having comparable biologically active compounds. Increasing awareness about the role of diet among health-conscious consumers for human well-being has increased the interest in functional foods thereby exploration of the functional attributes of various underutilized plants is being reaffirmed and various sources are emerged out as suitable food material for processing industry. The various scientific reports collected from different bibliometric sources suggested that A. marmelos and its bioactive constituents could play a vital role in the prevention of several chronic and degenerative diseases associated with oxidation stress. This review emphasis on recent scientific evidences on nutrition and bioactive profile of A. marmelos, health benefits along with clinical and nonclinical trials of various phytoconstituents and A. marmelos potential in food processing industry for various food products. Our study suggests that this plant does indeed have pharmacological properties of interest, however, further extensive research is needed to establish a potential strategy that can balance the pharmacological and toxic effects of bael.

Phenolic Acids of Plant Origin-A Review on Their Antioxidant Activity In Vitro (O/W Emulsion Systems) Along with Their in Vivo Health Biochemical Properties

Nature has generously offered a wide range of herbs (e.g., thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, basil) rich in many polyphenols and other phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant and biochemical properties. This paper focuses on several natural occurring phenolic acids (caffeic, carnosic, ferulic, gallic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, vanillic) and first gives an overview of their most common natural plant sources. A summary of the recently reported antioxidant activities of the phenolic acids in o/w emulsions is also provided as an in vitro lipid-based model system. Exploring the interfacial activity of phenolic acids could help to further elucidate their potential health properties against oxidative stress conditions of biological membranes (such as lipoproteins). Finally, this review reports on the latest literature evidence concerning specific biochemical properties of the examined phenolic acids.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using methanolic fruit extract of Aegle marmelos and their antimicrobial potential against human bacterial pathogens

Plant-based synthesis of nanoparticles has generated worldwide interest because of cost-effectiveness, eco-friendly nature and plethora of applications. In the present investigation, antimicrobial potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of methanolic extract of Aegle marmelos fruit has been investigated. Agar well diffusion method was used for determining antimicrobial activity of solvent extracts (viz., petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and aqueous), and AgNPs. Among these, methanolic extract of A. marmelos showed highest inhibitory activity against B. cereus (16.17 ± 0.50 mm) followed by P. aeruginosa (13.33 ± 0.62 mm) and E. coli. Phytochemical analysis of methanolic extract of A. marmelos revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and glycosides. AgNPs synthesized using A. marmelos methanolic extract, characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and X-ray diffraction showed a peak at 436 nm and size ranged between 159 and 181 nm. Evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of green synthesized AgNPs recorded the highest inhibitory activity against B. cereus (19.25 ± 0.19 mm) followed by P. aeruginosa (16.50 ± 0.30 mm) and S. dysentriae. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of synthesized AgNPs was found to be in the range of 0.009875-0.0395 mg/100 μl which was quite lower than the MIC of crude extract i.e. 0.0781-0.3125 mg/100 μl. The results obtained indicated that the different crude extracts of A. marmelos plant as well as AgNPs have a strong and effective antimicrobial potential that provide a marvelous source for the development of new drug molecules of herbal origin which may be used for the welfare of humanity.

Increased Phenolic Content and Enhanced Antioxidant Activity in Fermented Glutinous Rice Supplemented with Fu Brick Tea

Glutinous rice-based foods have a long history are consumed worldwide. They are also in great demand for the pursuit of novel sensory and natural health benefits. In this study, we developed a novel fermented glutinous rice product with the supplementation of Fu brick tea. Using in vitro antioxidant evaluation and phenolic compounds analysis, fermentation with Fu brick tea increased the total phenolic content and enhanced the antioxidant activity of glutinous rice, including scavenging of 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical, 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical, and hydroxyl radical, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and ferric ion reducing power and iron chelating capability. Besides, compared with traditional fermented glutinous rice, this novel functional food exhibited a stronger activity for protecting DNA against hydroxyl radical-induced oxidation damage. Quantitative analysis by HPLC identified 14 compounds covering catechins and phenolic acids, which were considered to be positively related to the enhanced antioxidant capability. Furthermore, we found that 80% ethanol was a suitable extract solvent compared with water, because of its higher extraction efficiency and stronger functional activities. Our results suggested that this novel fermented glutinous rice could serve as a nutraceutical food/ingredient with special sensory and functional activities.