Chemical compounds from Phoenician juniper berries (Juniperus phoenicea)

Effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis and Ulva lactuca seaweed extract on growth, carbon/nitrogen metabolism, and antioxidant response in cadmium-stressed sorghum plant

In our study on the effect of cadmium (Cd) toxicity (200 µM) on the growth of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench plants, cultivated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Glomus intraradices) and/or under seaweed treatment (3% Ulva lactuca extract) (U. lactuca), we found that AMF increased the tolerance of sorghum to cadmium stress, either alone or in combination with the seaweed treatment. Morphological parameters were higher in these two culture conditions, with increased chlorophyll content. AMF reduced Cd accumulation in roots and inhibited its translocation to the aerial part, while seaweed treatment alone significantly increased Cd accumulation in leaves and roots without affecting plant growth compared to stressed witnesses. Treatment with AMF and/or U. lactuca attenuated oxidative stress, measured by activation of superoxide dismutase, and resulted in a significant decrease in malondialdehyde and superoxide ions (O2-) in treated plants. Furthermore, it induced significant alterations in carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathways, with a significant increase in the activity of enzymes such as glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase (GOGAT), glutamate dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, aspartate aminotransferase and isocitrate dehydrogenase in the leaves of each treated plant. These results confirm that AMF, U. lactuca algae extract and their combination can improve the biochemical parameters of sorghum under Cd stress, through modification of the antioxidant response on one hand, and improved nitrogen absorption and assimilation efficiency on the other.

Biomass-Derived Plant Extracts in Macromolecular Chitosan Matrices as a Green Coating for PLA Films

Due to the growing problem of food and packaging waste, environmental awareness, and customer requirements for food safety, there is a great need for the development of innovative and functional packaging. Among these developments, the concept of active packaging is at the forefront. The shortcoming in this area is that there is still a lack of multifunctional concepts, as well as green approaches. Therefore, this work focuses on the development of active chemical substances of natural origin applied as a coating on polylactic acid (PLA) films. Biopolymer chitosan and plant extracts rich in phenolic compounds (blackberry leaves-Rubus fruticosus, needles of prickly juniper-Juniperus oxycedrus) obtained from plant biomass from Southeastern Europe were selected in this work. In order to increase the effectiveness of individual substances and to introduce multifunctionality, they were combined in the form of different colloidal structural formulations. The plant extracts were embedded in chitosan biopolymer particles and dispersed in a macromolecular chitosan solution. In addition, a two-layer coating, the first of a macromolecular chitosan solution, and the second of a dispersion of the embedded extracts in chitosan particles, was applied to the PLA films as a novel approach. The success of the coatings was monitored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and the wettability was evaluated by contact angle measurements. Scanning electron microscopy SEM tracked the morphology and homogeneity of the coating. Antioxidation was studied by DPPH and ABTS spectrophotometric tests, and microbiological analysis of the films was performed according to the ISO 22196 Standard. Desorption of the coating from the PLA was monitored by reducing the elemental composition of the films themselves. The successful functionalization of PLA was demonstrated, while the XPS and ATR-FTIR analyses clearly showed the peaks of elemental composition of the extracts and chitosan on the PLA surface. Moreover, in all cases, the contact angle of the bilayer coatings decreased by more than 35-60% and contributed to the anti-fogging properties. The desorption experiments, due to decrease in the concentration of the specific typical element (nitrogen), indicated some migration of substances from the PLA's surface. The newly developed films also exhibited antioxidant properties, with antioxidant ABTS efficiencies ranging from 83.5 to 100% and a quite high inhibition of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, averaging over 95%. The current functionalization of PLA simultaneously confers antifogging, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties and drives the development of a biodegradable and environmentally friendly composite material using green chemistry principles.

Scat piling and strong frugivory of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi (Günther, 1874)

Background

In lacertid lizards from Mediterranean islands, frugivory is common, particularly under prey scarcity, a characteristic of small islands. In several populations, the diet of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, is extremely variable and includes fleshy fruits. However, frugivory is sporadic and there are very few examples of dominant fruit consumption.

Results

We describe the existence of an extraordinary fruit consumption of a single plant species, the juniper, Juniperus phoenicea, by the Balearic lizard, P. lilfordi. In addition, for the first time in Lacertidae, we describe the existence of scat piling in the population of these lizards inhabiting Cabrera Island (Balearic Islands, Spain). Scat piling was detected in an isolated location with hundreds of scats deposited by several individuals at a particular place.

Conclusions

The high population density of lizards at the island of Cabrera and the great versatility of foraging behavior of this species allows us to hypothesize that scat piles could act as an attractor for numerous individuals, that is, as inadvertent social information. If that hypothesis is correct, it would result in the concentration of several individuals foraging on a single or a few ripening plants. We cannot, however, rule out that individuals concentrated due to the scarcity of ripening plants in other areas, without any influence of the presence of several lizards, as attractors to the site. Our findings modify previous descriptions of the diet of the Balearic lizard in Cabrera made with smaller samples. In some places and periods of the year, frugivory on a single plant species can be extremely intense and only large sample sizes of scats allow to find these particular trends in the foraging ecology of insular lizards.

Comparative Study on the Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Grecian Juniper (Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb) Unripe and Ripe Galbuli

Grecian juniper (Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb.) is an evergreen tree and a rare plant found in very few locations in southern Bulgaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical content and antioxidant potential of J. excelsa unripe and ripe galbuli from three different locations in Bulgaria. The essential oil content ranged between 1.9% and 5.1%, while the lipid fraction yield was between 4.5% and 9.1%. The content of total chlorophyll was 185.4-273.4 μg/g dw. The total carotenoid content ranged between 41.7 and 50.4 μg/g dw of ripe galbuli, and protein content was between 13.6% and 16.4%. Histidine (5.5 and 8.0 mg/g content range) and lysine (4.0 and 6.1 mg/g) were the major essential amino acids. The antioxidant potential of the 95% and 70% ethanol extracts was analyzed using four different methods. A positive correlation between the antioxidant potential and phenolic content of the galbuli was found. The results obtained in this study demonstrated the differences in phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of J. excelsa galbuli as a function of maturity stage and collection locality.

Jujube (Zizyphus lotus L.): Benefits and its effects on functional and sensory properties of sponge cake

Jujube (Ziziphus lotus L.) fruit has multiple functional properties and represents an interesting source of bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to improve the functionality and the sensory properties of sponge cake enriched with Z. lotus fruit. The polyphenols and flavonoids levels in the sponge cake and its antioxidant potential increased with the addition of 0–10 g of jujube powder/100 g of wheat flour. The crumb color parameters, L* and b*, decreased with the addition of jujube powder, whereas the a* value increased. In the texture analysis, addition of jujube powder resulted in an increase of the hardness and chewiness, but the springiness was reduced. The sensory evaluation showed that supplementation of jujube powder did not manifest any undesirable organoleptic response and showed satisfactory consumer acceptability. Overall, the addition at 5% jujube powder showed the finest sensory properties of the sponge cake.

LC-ESI-QTOF/MS Characterization of Phenolic Compounds from Medicinal Plants (Hops and Juniper Berries) and Their Antioxidant Activity

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) and juniper berries (Juniperus communis L.) are two important medicinal plants widely used in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries due to their strong antioxidant capacity, which is attributed to the presence of polyphenols. The present study is conducted to comprehensively characterize polyphenols from hops and juniper berries using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF/MS) to assess their antioxidant capacity. For polyphenol estimation, total phenolic content, flavonoids and tannins were measured, while for antioxidant capacity, three different antioxidant assays including the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant assay, the 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation decolorization assay and the ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were used. Hops presented the higher phenolic content (23.11 ± 0.03 mg/g dw) which corresponded to its strong antioxidant activity as compared to the juniper berries. Using LC-ESI-QTOF/MS, a total of 148 phenolic compounds were tentatively identified in juniper and hops, among which phenolic acids (including hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids and hydroxyphenylpropanoic acids) and flavonoids (mainly anthocyanins, flavones, flavonols, and isoflavonoids) were the main polyphenols, which may contribute to their antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the HPLC quantitative analysis showed that both samples had a high concentration of phenolic acids and flavonoids. In the HPLC quantification, the predominant phenolic acids in hops and juniper berries were chlorogenic acid (16.48 ± 0.03 mg/g dw) and protocatechuic acid (11.46 ± 0.03 mg/g dw), respectively. The obtained results highlight the importance of hops and juniper berries as a rich source of functional ingredients in different food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

Phytochemical Characterization, Antioxidant and In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity Evaluation of Juniperus oxycedrus Subsp. oxycedrus Needles and Berries

In order to evaluate the antioxidant properties of aqueous and methanol extracts of needles and berries of Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus (Joo) species, various antioxidant capacity assessment tests (free radical scavenging assays (DPPH• and ABTS•+ tests), ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating activity and reducing power assay (FRAP) were conducted. In all of the tests, the extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Furthermore, in-vitro cytotoxic activity assays of the methanolic extracts showed potent cytotoxic effects against two breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7), with no cytotoxicity towards normal cells (PBMCs). Reactive oxygen species generation was presumed to be a potential reason for the observed cytotoxic effects. According to all the above, and considering its appropriate composition of mineral elements and phenolic compounds, Joo could offer a beneficial and natural source of bioactive compounds that can be either used on the preventive side as it could potentially be used in the clinic without toxicity.

The chemistry and biological activities of natural products from Northern African plant families: from Aloaceae to Cupressaceae

Traditional medicinal practices play a key role in health care systems in countries with developing economies.

Pharmacological and phytochemical appraisal of selected medicinal plants from jordan with claimed antidiabetic activities

Plant species have long been regarded as possessing the principal ingredients used in widely disseminated ethnomedical practices. Different surveys showed that medicinal plant species used by the inhabitants of Jordan for the traditional treatment of diabetes are inadequately screened for their therapeutic/preventive potential and phytochemical findings. In this review, traditional herbal medicine pursued indigenously with its methods of preparation and its active constituents are listed. Studies of random screening for selective antidiabetic bioactivity and plausible mechanisms of action of local species, domesticated greens, or wild plants are briefly discussed. Recommended future directives incurring the design and conduct of comprehensive trials are pointed out to validate the usefulness of these active plants or bioactive secondary metabolites either alone or in combination with existing conventional therapies.

Unexploited Acacia cyanophylla seeds: potential food sources of ω6 fatty acids and antioxidants?

BACKGROUND

In order to investigate new sources of dietary phytochemicals, recent studies have focused on underexploited seeds. In this study the total lipid contents, fatty acid profiles and levels of soluble proteins, minerals and antioxidants in seeds from 12 Acacia cyanophylla ecotypes commonly grown in Tunisia were determined.

RESULTS

Total lipids averaged 101.7 g kg(-1) on a dry weight basis. Linoleic (61.11-65.45% of total fatty acid content), oleic (19.67-22.85%) and palmitic (9.18-9.98%) acids were the principal fatty acids. Smaller proportions of stearic (1.49-1.82%), vaccenic (1.13-2.05%) and palmitoleic (0.34-0.58%) acids were also quantified. Proteins (by Kjeldahl assay) averaged 107.2 g kg(-1) on a dry weight basis. Total phenolics averaged 1.91 g gallic acid equivalent kg(-1) dry weight (DW) and total flavonoids averaged 0.40 g rutin equivalent kg(-1) DW. The free radical-scavenging activity determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay averaged 0.59 mmol L(-1) Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), while that determined by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay averaged 0.28 mmol L(-1) TEAC.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study confirm the presence of ω6 fatty acids at high levels in A. cyanophylla seeds. These metabolites could be used as such and/or extracted for the formulation of supplements and/or ingredients to provide a ratio close to the ideal for the ω3/ω6 balance.