A Study on Antioxidant Capacities and Fatty Acid Compositions of TwoDaphneSpecies from Turkey: New Sources of Antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids

Anti-Anemic Effect of Antioxidant-Rich Apple Vinegar against Phenylhydrazine-Induced Hemolytic Anemia in Rats

This study aims to examine the ability of apple vinegar on phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced hemolytic anemia in Wistar rats. In vitro, phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were determined. In vivo, phenylhydrazine (10 mg/kg) was injected intravenously into rats for 4 days and then treated with apple vinegar daily by gavage (1 mL/kg) for five weeks. high level of polyphenols and flavonoids (90 ± 1.66 mg GAE/100 mL and 7.29 ± 0.23 mg QE/100 mL, respectively) were found in the apple vinegar which gives it a good ability to scavenge free radicals (TAC = 4.22 ± 0.18 mg AAE/100 mL and DPPH, IC₅₀ = 0.49 ± 0.004 µL/ml). The phytochemical composition of apple vinegar revealed the presence of numerous bioactive compounds including arbutin, apigenin, sinapic, ferulic and trans-ferulic acids. The major antioxidant components in apple vinegar were ferulic and trans-ferulic acids (40% and 43%, respectively). PHZ treatment induced changes in platelets, blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, hemoglobin concentration and mean capsulated hemoglobin. However, the co-administration of apple vinegar revealed its capacity to ameliorate the changes induced by phenylhydrazine. Therefore, apple vinegar use could have a positive impact on the prevention of hemolytic anemia induced by phenylhydrazine due to the antioxidant properties of its major components.

Effect of a Combination of Rosa canina Fruits and Apple Cider Vinegar against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Toxicity in Experimental Animal Models

Oxidative stress is the trigger of several diseases. It is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and antioxidants. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant capacity and the protective property of Rosa canina fruits and apple cider vinegar combined or not against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced toxicity in Wistar rats. The experiment included five groups: group 1 received distilled water (10 mL/kg b.wt), group 2 received H2O2 10% (10 mL/kg b.wt), group 3 received H2O2 10% (10 mL/kg b.wt) and apple vinegar (2 mL/kg b.wt); group 4 received H2O2 10% (10 mL/kg b.wt) and apple vinegar supplemented with Rosa canina fruits extract (300 mg/kg b.wt); group 5 received H2O2 10% (10 mL/kg b.wt) and extract of Rosa canina fruits (300 mg/kg b.wt). The doses were given once daily via a gavage. The antioxidant capacity of apple vinegar and Rosa canina extract was analyzed, and AST, ALT, PAL, urea, and creatinine were determined on day 22 of the experiment. In addition, the kidney and the liver tissues were analyzed. The results showed that H2O2 caused a significant elevation of blood urea, blood creatinine, and transaminases. The histopathology examination revealed that H2O2 caused congestion, hemorrhage, and Bowman’s space enlarged. On the other hand, the results clearly showed that apple vinegar and Rosa canina fruits counterbalance the biochemical and histological changes induced by H2O2. In conclusion, the two natural products studied in this work are effective against the harmful effect of oxidative stress, which explains their use in traditional medicine.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Effects of Pollen Extracts on Human Multidrug-Resistant Pathogenic Bacteria

The present work was designed to search the possible antibacterial effect of the ethanolic extract of pollens from six botanical origins, Punica granatum, Quercus ilex, Centaurium erythraea, Coriandrum sativum, Ruta graveolens, and Citrus aurantium, against multidrug pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. The content of phenolic compounds, flavones, and flavonols was measured. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using four assays: total antioxidant capacity, DPPH, ABTS, and reducing power. Antibacterial activity was studied using the agar disk diffusion method, and the MIC and MBC were determined. Results obtained showed a positive correlation between the antioxidant content of pollen extracts and the antibacterial capacity, Punica granatum and Quercus ilex pollen extracts were the most efficient against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and Centaurium erythraea, Coriandrum sativum, and Ruta graveolens had a moderate effect, while Citrus aurantium had no antibacterial effect. It is concluded that pollens can be a good source of bioactive molecules that exhibit potent antioxidant effects and strong antibacterial activities.

Influence of Geographic Origin and Plant Source on Physicochemical Properties, Mineral Content, and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Moroccan Propolis

This research is aimed at determining the physicochemical properties (resin, wax, balsams, pH, moisture, ash, and mineral contents) of propolis samples collected from different geographical areas in Morocco, as well as evaluating the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of these samples. The results showed the following values for physicochemical analysis: resin (17.42-58.01%), wax (21.31-70.12%), balsam (0.27-2.12%), pH (3.7-5.3), moisture (1.02-3.65%), and ash (0.72-5.01%). The phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents of samples were ranged between 6.74 mg FAE/g and 149.13 mg FAE/g and between 1.19 mg QE/g and 108.11 mg QE/g, respectively. The sample P3 presented also the strongest radical scavenging activity toward DPPH, ABTS free radicals, and FRAP assay with IC₅₀ values of 0.021, 0.026, and 0.042 mg/mL, respectively. All propolis samples showed significant inhibitory effects against all tested microorganisms with MICs ranging from 0.28 mg/mL to 1.12 mg/mL for Gram-negative strains and from 0.002 mg/mL to 1.12 mg/mL for Gram-positive strains. A strong correlation was found between resin, total phenolic compounds, flavones/flavonols, and antioxidant activity. Linear discriminant analysis revealed that the samples studied were divided into two groups which were differentiated by the data of antioxidant activity, mineral contents, and antibacterial activity. It can be concluded that the physicochemical properties, mineral content, and biological activities of Moroccan propolis depend on their geographical and botanical origin.

The effect of bee bread (Perga) with chemotherapy on MDA-MB-231 cells

Bee bread (BB) is a bee product like propolis and honey. It is the main food for larvae and bees producing royal jelly in the hive. It also known as Perga. As with other bee products, it is increasingly popular due to its antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of BB on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and the effects on these cells when administered together with Doxorubicin (DOX) and Cisplatin (CDDP), used in cancer treatment. The proliferation of the cells was determined by applying 5 mg/mL BB together with different concentrations of DOX and CDDP. In addition to these studies, the effect of DOX+BB and CDDP+BB combinations on the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells was determined by the wound healing method. The expression levels of Bid and Bcl-2 were determined by RtqPCR. According to these studies, as expected, BB did not show a significant toxic effect on MDA-MB-231 cells at different concentrations. BB significantly suppressed the effect of DOX and CDDP on the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. BB with DOX and CDDP suppressed the proapoptotic Bid gene while overexpressing the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene, separately. Interestingly, BB blocked the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells by 50% even after 72 h. As a result, BB significantly reduced the toxicity of DOX and CDDP on MDA-MB-231 cells. The most interesting result of the study is that BB prevented the migration of cancer cells.

Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of Daphne sericea Vahl Flowering Aerial Parts Collected in Central Italy

In this paper, the first phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extract of Daphne sericea Vahl flowering aerial parts collected in Italy and its biological activities were reported. Eleven compounds were identified i.e., α-linolenic acid (1), tri-linoleoyl-sn-glycerol (2), pheophorbide a ethyl ester (3), pilloin (4), sinensetin (5), yuanhuanin (6), rutamontine (7), syringin (8), p-coumaric acid (9), p-anisic acid (10) and caffeic acid (11). To the best of our knowledge, compounds (1-4, 7-8 and 10) were isolated from D. sericea for the first time during this work, whereas sinensetin (5) represents a newly identified component of the entire Thymelaeaceae family. The extract was found to possess radical scavenging against both DPPH^• and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-thylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS^•+) radicals, with at least a 40-fold higher potency against the latter. Moreover, chelating abilities against both ferrous and ferric ions have been highlighted, thus suggesting a possible indirect antioxidant power of the extract. Although the precise bioactive compounds remain to be discovered, the polyphenolic constituents, including phenolic acids, tannins and flavonoids, seem to contribute to the antioxidant power of the phytocomplex. In addition, the extract produced cytotoxic effects in MDA-MB-231 and U87-MG cancer cell lines, especially at the concentration of 625 μg/mL and after 48–72 h. Further studies are required to clarify the contribution of the identified compounds in the bioactivities of the extract and to support possible future applications.

An Investigation of Moroccan Vinegars: Their Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

Vinegar is a natural product rich in bioactive compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, and organic acids. Several factors affect the quality of vinegars such as apple origin, environmental conditions, production methods, processing, and storage conditions. We investigated the quality of apple vinegars as well as their physicochemical properties and the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of vinegars collected from different areas in Morocco. For physicochemical properties, the outcomes showed the following values: pH (3.18–3.83), electrical conductivity (2.11–2.90), acidity (0.24–5.6), Brix (3.25–6), and density (1.0123–1.0233). The polyphenols content of samples was 68.91 mg AG/100 mL in sample S6 as the minimum value and 147.54 mg AG/100 mL in sample S2 as the maximum value. The best ability to scavenge the DPPH radical was observed in sample S3 (IC50 = 0.45 ± 0.013 µL/mL). Sample S2 showed moderate antibacterial effect against microorganisms tested with MICs ranging from 0.78 µL/mL to 1.125 µL/mL and with a diameter of inhibition ranging from 15.65 mm to 27.65 mm. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between the antibacterial activity of vinegars and physicochemical parameters (pH and total acidity). These outcomes have shown that our vinegar samples are an excellent source of bioactive compounds with potent antioxidant and antibacterial potentials.

Beneficial Effects of Apple Vinegar on Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia in Hypercaloric-Fed Rats

The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of apple vinegar on the metabolic changes caused by hypercaloric diet in Wistar rats. Apple vinegar was first analyzed to find out the total acidity, the polyphenolic and flavonoid contents, the total antioxidant capacity, and the free radical scavenging activity. In vivo study on adult male and female Wistar rats was conducted by administering a drink containing either 10% D-glucose or water (control) for five weeks. Apple vinegar is administered daily by gavage (2 mL/kg) to rats fed D-glucose for 5 weeks. The results showed that the polyphenolic content in apple vinegar was 148.02 ± 10.16 mg GAE/100 mL, flavonoid content was 22.93 ± 0.73 QE/100 mL, and total antioxidant capacity was 13.4 ± 0.47 mg AAE/100 mL. Free radical IC₅₀ apple vinegar scavenging activity (DPPH) was 0.74 ± 0.154 μL/mL. The total acidity was (3.24 ± 0.02 mg AAE/100 mL). The treatment during five weeks with D-glucose leads to increased plasma glucose, lipid profile, hepatic enzyme levels, urea, and creatinine. Simultaneous treatment with apple vinegar improves the parameters studied. These results clearly show that the daily consumption of vinegar can reduce the rise in blood sugar and lipid profile induced by hypercaloric diet in rats. Therefore, the use of apple vinegar would have a very beneficial effect in the prevention of metabolic disorders caused by high-caloric food.

Antioxidant activity and protective effect of bee bread (honey and pollen) in aluminum-induced anemia, elevation of inflammatory makers and hepato-renal toxicity

Aluminum toxicity might be related to oxidative stress, and the antioxidant activity and protective effect of bee bread, which contains pollen, honey and bees' enzymes, on aluminum induced blood and hepato-renal toxicity was investigated in rats. Chemical analysis and antioxidant capacity of bee bread were conducted. The animal experiment in rats included; group 1: received distilled water (10 ml/kg b.wt), group 2: received aluminum chloride (662.2 mg/kg b.wt), group 3: received aluminum chloride (662.2 mg/kg b.wt) and ethanolic extract of the bee bread (500 mg/kg b.wt), and group 4: received aluminum chloride (662.2 mg/kg b.wt) and ethanolic extract of the bee bread (750 mg/kg b.wt). Doses were given once daily via a gavage. C-reactive protein, transaminases, urea, creatinine, creatinine clearance, sodium and potassium and urine sodium and potassium were determined on day 28 of the experiment. Bee bread contained protein, fat, fiber, ash, carbohydrate, phenol and flavonoids and it exhibited antioxidant activity. Aluminum caused a significant elevation of blood urea, transaminase, C-reactive protein and monocyte count and significantly decreased hemoglobin. These changes were significantly ameliorated by the use of bee bread. Bee bread has an antioxidant property, and exhibited a protective effect on aluminum induced blood and hepato-renal toxicity and elevation of inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, leukocyte and monocyte counts.