Profile of lipophilic antioxidants in the by-products recovered from six cultivars of sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Reversed phase HPLC with UHPLC benefits for the determination of tocochromanols in the seeds of edible fruits in the Rosaceae family

Rosaceae family includes several edible fruit species processed in vast quantities and generates large amounts of seeds valuable in tocopherols. In the present study, the composition of tocochromanols in the seeds of 141 samples was determined by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RPLC) with diode array detector (DAD), fluorescence detector (FLD) and confirmed by mass detector (MS). The thirteen species belonging to the Rosaceae family were classified by multivariate statistical analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) into two groups based on tocochromanols content. Group 'A' includes pears (Pyrus communis), sweet cherry (Prunus avium), sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), apricots (Prunus armeniaca), hexaploid plums (Prunus domestica), diploid plums (Prunus cerasifera), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and rose hip (Rosa rugosa); while group 'B' quince (Cydonia oblonga), Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica), strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), dessert apples (Malus domestica), and crab apples (Malus spp.). Two rapid (6-7 min) and low pressure (7.2-8.1 MPa) separation methods were developed and validated using two core-shell columns (i) C18 and (ii) F5. The F5 achieved a separation of β and γ isomers while the C18 column did not.

Raspberry seeds extract selectively inhibits the growth of human lung cancer cells in vitro

This study was focused on in vitro cytotoxicity screening of the raspberry seeds methanol extract towards a number of cancer cell lines of human origin. The tested extract at the preferred concentrations (IC₅₀ <30 µg/mL) inhibited only the growth of the lung cancer A-549 cells (IC₅₀ = 14.07 ± 0.96 µg/mL). At the same time, it was practically inactive (IC₅₀ >300 µg/mL) and non-mutagenic towards normal MRC-5 lung cells. Finally, the extract potently scavenged both OH· (IC₅₀ = 20.11 ± 1.77 µg/mL) and O^2-· (IC₅₀ = 47.23 ± 3.82 µg/mL), the free radicals of proved relevance for cancer pathophysiology. Though seeds were enriched with phenolic compounds (TPC = 5.21 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g), anthocyanins were present in traces only (TAC = 0.07 ± 0.003 mg cyn-3-glu/g), while flavonoids were not detected at all. This is the first report on anti-lung cancer potential of the seeds of any soft fruit.

Exploring the phenolic profile, antioxidant, antidiabetic and anti-hemolytic potential of Prunus avium vegetal parts

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the phenolic profile of leaves, stems and flowers of P. avium and their biological potential. For this purpose, two extracts of each matrix (hydroethanolic and infusion) were prepared. A total of twenty-six phenolics were identified by LC-DAD, including 1 hydroxybenzoic acid, 9 hydroxycinnamic acids, 7 flavonols, 3 isoflavones, 3 flavanones and 3 flavan-3-ols, being the hydroethanolic leaves extract the richest one. 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, hydroxycinnamic derivative 1 and sakuranetin derivative were the major compounds found in leaves, flowers and stems, respectively. The hydroethanolic extracts of stems and leaves proved to be the most active against DPPH^• and O₂^•- (IC₅₀ = 22.37 ± 0.29 μg/mL and IC₅₀ = 9.11 ± 0.16 μg/mL, respectively). On the other hand, the infusion extract of stems showed the highest antioxidant activity against ^•NO (IC₅₀ = 99.99 ± 1.89 μg/mL). The antidiabetic potential was tested using the α-glucosidase enzyme, being the infusion extract of stems the most active, with an IC₅₀ = 3.18 ± 0.23 μg/mL. Finally, the protective effect of the extracts towards human erythrocytes against oxidative damage was also evaluated. The hydroethanolic extract of stems was the most active against lipid peroxidation and hemolysis with an IC₅₀ = 26.20 ± 0.38 μg/mL and IC₅₀ = 1.58 ± 0.18 μg/mL, respectively. On the other hand, the hydroethanolic extract of flowers showed the greater protective effect against hemoglobin oxidation (IC₅₀ = 12.85 ± 0.61 μg/mL). Considering the results obtained in this work, we can consider that leaves, stems and flowers of P. avium are a promising source of bioactive compounds and present health-promoting properties.