Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns Against Four Phytopathogenic Fungi of Citrus sinensis

Antioxidant Activity and Phytopathogenic Control of Extracts and Fraction from Struthanthus calophyllus A.C.Sm. (Loranthaceae)

Phytopathogenic microorganisms cause oxidative stress in host plants, thus affecting agricultural crops. Such stress could be controlled by antioxidant compounds from parasitic plants, given their antioxidant power. This article reports an evaluation of Struthanthus calophyllus antimicrobial activity and antioxidant mechanism by testing different polarity extracts. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against phytopathogens bacteria (e. g., Erwinia, Pectobacterium, Xanthomonas) using the agar diffusion method. Pectobacterium and Xanthomonas presented growth inhibition zones similar to streptomycin control. Antioxidant activity was determined by measuring total phenol content, DPPH⋅, and ABTS⋅+ radicals-scavenging inhibition percentage (IP). Most polar extracts presented 76,9-95,9 % IP, which correlates with its phenolic content. Besides, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in a V14-1 sub-fraction from stem ethanolic extract, chose one for highest yield percentage, highest metabolites presence, and antimicrobial activity, showed triterpenic compounds mixture (α-amyrin, β-amyrin and 24-methylenecycloartanol). Findings in this study are among the first reports for S. calophyllus, even the chemical characterization, that confirm its strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Further molecular composition research about parasitic plants could show how unknown compounds may combat pathogenic microorganisms.

Thymus musilii Velen. Methanolic Extract: In Vitro and In Silico Screening of Its Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Anti-Quorum Sensing, Antibiofilm, and Anticancer Activities

Thymus musilii Velen. is a rare plant species cultivated in the Ha'il region (Saudi Arabia) under greenhouse conditions. In this work, we described, for the first time, the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-quorum sensing, and anticancer activities of T. musilii methanolic extract using both experimental and computational approaches. The obtained results showed the identification of eight small-like peptides and eighteen phyto-compounds by using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HR-LCMS) dominated mainly by compounds belonging to isoprenoid, fatty acyl, flavonoid, and alkaloid classes. The tested extracts exhibited high antifungal and antibacterial activity with the mean diameter of growth inhibition zones ranging from 12.33 ± 0.57 mm (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853) to 29.33 ± 1.15 mm (Candida albicans ATCC 10231). Low minimal inhibitory concentrations were recorded for the tested micro-organisms ranging from 0.781 mg/mL to 12.5 mg/mL. While higher doses were necessary to completely kill all tested bacterial and fungal strains. Thyme extract was able to scavenge DPPH^•, ABTS^•+, β-carotene, and FRAP free radicals, and the IC₅₀ values were 0.077 ± 0.0015 mg/mL, 0.040 ± 0.011 mg/mL, 0.287 ± 0.012 mg/mL, and 0.106 ± 0.007 mg/mL, respectively. The highest percentage of swarming and swimming inhibition was recorded at 100 µg/mL with 39.73 ± 1.5% and 25.18 ± 1%, respectively. The highest percentage of biofilm inhibition was recorded at 10 mg/mL for S. typhimurium ATCC 14028 (53.96 ± 4.21%) and L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 (49.54 ± 4.5 mg/mL). The in silico docking study revealed that the observed antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the constituent compounds of T. musilii are thermodynamically feasible, notably, such as those of the tripeptides (Asn-Met-His, His-Cys-Asn, and Phe-His-Gln), isoprenoids (10-Hydroxyloganin), and diterpene glycosides (4-Ketoretinoic acid glucuronide).

Bio-priming with a consortium of Streptomyces araujoniae strains modulates defense response in chickpea against Fusarium wilt

Wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc) is one of the major diseases of chickpea affecting the potential yield significantly. Productivity and biotic stress resilience are both improved by the association and interaction of Streptomyces spp. with crop plants. In the present study, we evaluated two Streptomyces araujoniae strains (TN11 and TN19) for controlling the wilt of chickpea individually and as a consortium. The response of Foc challenged chickpea to inoculation with S. araujoniae TN11 and TN19 individually and as a consortium was recorded in terms of changes in physio-biochemical and expression of genes coding superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase, and catalase. Priming with a consortium of TN11 and TN19 reduced the disease severity by 50–58% when challenged with Foc. Consortium primed-challenged plants recorded lower shoot dry weight to fresh weight ratio and root dry weight to fresh weight ratio as compared to challenged non-primed plants. The pathogen-challenged consortium primed plants recorded the highest accumulation of proline and electrolyte leakage. Similarly, total chlorophyll and carotenoids were recorded highest in the consortium treatment. Expression of genes coding SOD, peroxidase, and catalase was up-regulated which corroborated with higher activities of SOD, peroxidase, and catalase in consortium primed-challenged plants as compared to the challenged non-primed plants. Ethyl acetate extracts of TN11 and TN19 inhibited the growth of fungal pathogens viz., Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris. Macrophomina phaseolina, F. udum, and Sclerotinia sclerotiarum by 54–73%. LC–MS analyses of the extracts showed the presence of a variety of antifungal compounds like erucamide and valinomycin in TN11 and valinomycin and dinactin in TN19. These findings suggest that the consortium of two strains of S. araujoniae (TN11 and TN19) can modulate defense response in chickpea against wilt and can be explored as a biocontrol strategy.

Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Thymus capitatus, a Medicinal Plant Collected from Northern Morocco

Thymus capitatus is a Mediterranean endemic plant commonly known as "Zaïtra" in northern Morocco. As T. capitatus is widely used in traditional medicine and food, this present work aims to investigate the chemical compositions and biological activities of the T. capitatus leaves essential oil (TcLEO), acetonic (TcLAE), and methanolic extract (TcLME). The spectrophotometric determination demonstrated that T. capitatus is a natural source rich in phenolic contents (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) and that TcLME revealed the highest TPC and TFC than TcLAE and TcLEO. The LC-MS analysis of phenolic compounds showed that paraben acid was predominant in both TcLME and TcLAE, followed by cinnamic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. GC-MS analysis of the TcLEO revealed the presence of a total of 10 compounds, which were predominated by carvacrol. The antioxidant activity by ORAC was observed to be significantly higher in TcLEO and TcLAE than in TcLME. All samples used to assess DNA degradation effectively prevented DNA oxidation and, at the same time, had a prooxidant effect. The genotoxicity test showed that the T. capitatus were devoid of any mutagenic activity. Concerning antifungal activity, all samples were able to inhibit the growth of all microorganisms tested at low concentrations. TcLAE showed higher activity than TcLME, and in general, dermatophytes were more susceptible, being Microsporum canis the most sensitive one. Overall, the results obtained from this study confirm the wide uses of T. capitatus. Furthermore, the finding results suggest that the T. capitatus essential oil and extracts can be highly useful for pharmaceutical industries.

Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Various Propolis Samples Collected from an African and an Asian Region and Their Impact on Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

The biological activities of propolis samples are the result of many bioactive compounds present in the propolis. The aim of the present study was to determine the various chemical compounds of some selected propolis samples collected from Palestine and Morocco by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Photodiode Array Detection (HPLC-PDA) method, as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of this bee product. The chemical analysis of propolis samples by HPLC-PDA shows the cinnamic acid content in the Palestinian sample is higher compared to that in Moroccan propolis. The results of antioxidant activity demonstrated an important free radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and reducing power assays) with EC₅₀ values ranging between 0.02 ± 0.001 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Additionally, all tested propolis samples possessed a moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Notably, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) values ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL for Gram-negative bacterial strains and from 0.09 to 0.125 mg/mL for Gram-positive bacterial strains. The S2 sample from Morocco and the S4 sample from Palestine had the highest content of polyphenol level. Thus, the strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties were apparently due to the high total phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents in the samples. As a conclusion, the activities of propolis samples collected from both countries are similar, while the cinnamic acid in the Palestinian samples was more than that of the Moroccan samples.

AlZain M, M. Alzamel N, Mohamed Al kamaly O, Bouyahya A, Benoutman A, Imtara H. Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Pollen Extracts from Micromeria fruticosa, Achillea fragrantissima, and Phoenix dactylifera

Pollen is a male flower gametophyte located in the anthers of stamens in angiosperms and a considerable source of compounds with health protective potential. In the present work, phytochemical screening was carried out as well as analysis of the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of pollen extracts from Micromeria fruticosa, Achillea fragrantissima, and Phoenix dactylifera growing wild in Palestine. Phytochemical screening examined the total flavonol, flavone and phenolic content. The DPPH (1,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) methods were used to assess antioxidant propriety, and disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration tests were used to test the pollen extract's antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical isolates. The highest level of total phenolic was found in the extract of Micromeria fruticosa (56.78 ± 0.49 mg GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalent)/g). The flavone and flavonol content of samples ranged from 2.48 ± 0.05 to 8.03 ± 0.01 mg QE (Quercetin Equivalent)/g. Micromeria fruticosa pollen with IC50 values of 0.047 and 0.039 mg/mL in the DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively, showed the greatest radical scavenging action. In addition, this pollen showed a mild antibacterial action against the microorganisms studied, with MICs varying from 0.625 to 10 mg/mL and inhibition diameters ranging from 13.66 ± 1.5 to 16.33 ± 1.5 mm.

Ecological and Plant Community Implication on Essential Oils Composition in Useful Wild Officinal Species: A Pilot Case Study in Apulia (Italy)

The study focused on the effects of ecology (plant communities and topographical data) on composition of essential oils (EOs) of some officinal wild plant species (Lamiales): Clinopodium suaveolens, Salvia fruticosa subsp. thomasii, Satureja montana subsp. montana, and Thymbra capitata, in different environments of Apulia (Italy). C. suaveolens and S. fruticosa subsp. thomasii are rare species of conservation interest, while S. montana subsp. montana and T. capitata, have a wide distribution and are used in traditional medicine or as spices. Results showed that the ecological context (phytosociological and ecological features) may influence the composition of EOs of the studied species. High differences in the compound composition have been found in S. montana subsp. montana, whereas minor effects were observed in C. suaveolens, S. fruticosa subsp. thomasii, and T. capitata accessions. The understanding of such aspects is necessary for providing optimal conditions to produce EOs rich in compounds known for their biological activities. The results are of great interest also for EOs producers and at the same time to improve our knowledge and valorize wild officinal plants.

Ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and food benefits of Thymus capitatus

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Thymus capitatusHoffm. et Link. is an endemic medicinal plant to the Mediterranean region. It is used in folk medicine to treat various diseases including diabetes, flu, cough, flatulence, dermatitis, indigestion, respiratory disorders, asthma, rheumatic, diarrhea, and influenza. It is also used as antiseptic, analgesic, stimulant, and sedative.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

In this review, previous reports on T. capitatusconcerningits taxonomy, botanical description, geographical distribution, ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, pharmacological properties, and food benefits were critically summarized.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Scientificsearch engines including PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley Online, Scifnder, and Google Scholar were consulted to gather data on T. capitatus. The data presented in this work summarize T. capitatus phytochemical compounds, ethnomedicinaluses, pharmacological properties, and food value.

RESULTS

In traditional medicine, T. capitatusis used to treat various illnesses including diabetes, dermatitis, and diarrhea. The essential oils and extracts of T. capitatus exhibited several biological properties such as antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, antiparasitic, hypoglycemic, anticancer, antiviral, and hepatoprotective effects. T. capitatus possesses high nutritional value and its essential oil showed promising activity in food preservation. Phytochemical characterization of T. capitatus revealed the presence of several classes of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids.

CONCLUSIONS

Ethnomedicinal surveys indicated the use of T. capitatus for the treatment of various disorders. Pharmacological reports showed that T. capitatus especially its essential oils, exhibited potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic and hepatoprotective effects. These findings confirmed the link between traditional medicinal use and scientific biological results. Moreover, T. capitatus exhibited a potent food preservative effect which justifies its use in traditional medicine as a food additive. In light of these findings, further studies to validate the industrial applications of T. capitatus essential oils as a food additive are required. Further investigations on the in vivo pharmacological properties of T. capitatus are strongly recommended to validate the results of its clinical uses as an antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, and antiviral agent. Toxicological tests and pharmacokinetic investigations are also needed to validate the safety and efficacy ofT. capitatus and its bioactive compounds.

Phytochemical Analysis and Assessment of Biological Properties of Essential Oils Obtained from Thyme and Rosmarinus Species

BACKGROUND

The plant species Thymus algeriensis (TA); Thymus capitatus (TC) and Rosmarinus officinalis (RO), are widely used in traditional medicine in Tunisia. The bioactivities of their essential oils have also been reported previously. The main objective of this work was to assess the phytochemical composition, the antioxidant activity, cytotoxic potential and the antibacterial, antifungal, of the essential oil (EO) of these plants.

METHODS

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify and quantify the constituents of the tested EO. Chemical tests, and spectrophotometric methods were used for antioxidant activities and for the screening and quantification of phytochemicals. The cytotoxic potential of the EO was checked using HCT 116 cultures. The extracts were evaluated for their antibacterial potential by the microdilution method. Antifungal activities were tested using the Poisoned food technique against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.

RESULTS

The EO of tested plants presented several components, mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The results revealed that T. capitatus EO is not toxic compared to the other tested samples. Phenolic compounds were detected and this EO showed excellent antioxidant activity presenting dosedependent relationship. Regarding antimicrobial activity, T. capitatus EO, also had the highest inhibition against all tested bacteria and fungi.

CONCLUSION

This study showed the importance of the bioactivities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, and safety potential) of EOs of the plant species TC, RO, and TA used in traditional medicine.

Essential Oils of Lamiaceae Family Plants as Antifungals

The incidence of fungal infections has been steadily increasing in recent years. Systemic mycoses are characterized by the highest mortality. At the same time, the frequency of infections caused by drug-resistant strains and new pathogens e.g., Candida auris increases. An alternative to medicines may be essential oils, which can have a broad antimicrobial spectrum. Rich in the essential oils are plants from the Lamiaceae family. In this review are presented antifungal activities of essential oils from 72 Lamiaceae plants. More than half of these have good activity (minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) < 1000 µg/mL) against fungi. The best activity (MICs < 100) have essential oils from some species of the genera Clinopodium, Lavandula, Mentha, Thymbra, and Thymus. In some cases were observed significant discrepancies between different studies. In the review are also shown the most important compounds of described essential oils. To the chemical components most commonly found as the main ingredients include β-caryophyllene (41 plants), linalool (27 plants), limonene (26), β-pinene (25), 1,8-cineole (22), carvacrol (21), α-pinene (21), p-cymene (20), γ-terpinene (20), and thymol (20).

Chemical composition, Fatty acids profile and Biological properties of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns, essential Oil

T. capitatus is widely used in traditional medicine in Tunisia. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition, the fatty acids profile, the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities as well as the cytotoxic potential of the essential oil (EO) of this plant. The identification and the quantification of the different constituents of the tested EO was determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant activities were evaluated by spectrophotometric methods and chemical tests. HCT 116 cells were used to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of the EO. The microdilution method was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity. Poisoned food method was used to test the antifungal activities against fungi species such Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The EO presented several components, mainly monoterpenes. Results revealed that T. capitatus EO is not cytotoxic and showed excellent antioxidant activity with a dose dependent manner. Regarding antimicrobial activity, T. capitatus EO was efficient against all tested bacteria and fungi.

The Effect of Edible Chitosan Coatings Incorporated with Thymus capitatus Essential Oil on the Shelf-Life of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) during Cold Storage

The strawberry is a fruit appreciated in the food industry for its high content of bioactive compounds. However, it is considered a highly perishable fruit, generally attacked by pests of phytopathogenic origin, which decreases its shelf-life. Normally, to diminish the losses caused by pathogenic microbes, coatings of polysaccharides in combination with natural products like essential oils are applied. In this work, we describe the effect of edible coatings from chitosan (CT) incorporating Thymus capitatus essential oil (TCEO), applied to strawberries stored under refrigeration conditions (5 ± 0.5 °C). Different concentrations of TCEO were applied to chitosan coatings, with different effects on the physical and microbiological properties of the strawberries. All the products had greater acceptance and quality than the controls, being more effective those with essential oil incorporation. It is noteworthy that all the essential oil treatments lead to an increase in the shelf-life of strawberries of up to 15 days. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the microstructure showed a decrease in compactness with TCEO introduction, but without compromising food preservation after 15 days. In addition, treated strawberries delayed the loss of physicochemical and antioxidant properties, due to protection against the microbial development of aerobic mesophylls, molds, and yeasts.

Evaluation of antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential in Artemisia vulgaris L

Artemisia vulgaris L. (Mugwort or Afsantin) has been used to treat various diseases since ancient times by the inhabitants of Himalayan region-Pakistan. Methanolic fractions (HA1-HA9) obtained from the aerial parts of A. vulgaris were evaluated for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and brine shrimp cytotoxic activities. Fraction HA8 showed substantial phenolics content with value of 26.29±1.4μgEQ/mg and DPPH scavenging (82.84±3.01%). Conversely, total flavonoids content of 7.32±0.07μgEQ/mg was determined in HA1 fraction. Fraction HA1 also showed significant cytotoxic effect with the value LD50 of 144.94μg/mL. Fractions HA7 and HA9 depicted maximum total antioxidant activity and ferric ion reduction (96.25±3.29 and AAE/mg and 176.91±8, respectively). All fractions showed encouraging results against bacterial strains Bordetella bronchiseptica and Micrococcus luteus, while HA2 fraction showed the highest percentage inhibition Mucor species with zone of inhibition of 13.25±0.35mm. A total of 7 fractions showed significant antileishmanial activity with survival percentage ranging 0.00 to 19. To sum up, results of the current study indicated that the plant can be further explored for isolation of antileishmanial and antimicrobial compounds, which could be used for drug development.

Chitosan films incorporated with Thymus capitatus essential oil: mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity against degradative bacterial species isolated from tuna (Thunnus sp.) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius)

Chitosan-based coatings and films have been widely studied, demonstrating to be an efficient and eco-friendly approach to extend the shelf life of food products. The effect of incorporating Thymus capitatus essential oil (TCEO) at different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% w/w) on physical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties of chitosan films was studied. The antimicrobial activity of the films was evaluated by agar diffusion method, against 23 spoiling microorganisms isolated from tuna and swordfish (ten Shewanella baltica, one S. morhuae, one S. putrefaciens, two Pseudomonas fluorescens, two P. fragi, five Serratia spp., one Aeromonas molluscorum, and one Acinetobacter radioresistens) and Shewanella putrefaciens ATCC 49138. The films exerted antimicrobial activity against all the tested strain, although not proportional to increasing TCEO concentration. In particular, S. baltica was the most sensitive species and the inhibition was stable after 72 h. In general, TCEO incorporation in chitosan films, significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the water permeability (from 0.577 ± 0.060 gmm/kPahm² at 61% R.U. for chitosan to 0.487 ± 0.037 gmm/kPahm² for the film with 1.5% TCEO), the elongation at brake (from 27.322 ± 2.35% for chitosan to 14.695 ± 3.99% for the film with 1.5% TCEO) and increased the tensile strength (from 1.697 ± 0.16% for chitosan to 19.480 ± 2.86% for the film with 1.5% TCEO). Moisture content and water contact angle of the films also showed a similar trend with TCEO introduction, because of crosslinking reaction among the polymer chains and TCEO components. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed structure-properties relationships. These results suggest chitosan films incorporated with TCEO as an alternative treatment to inhibit the growth of degradative bacteria with potential application in the fish industry. The importance of testing more than one strain of the same bacteria species to evaluate the effectiveness of chitosan-essential oils coatings was also demonstrated.

Antifungal, Anti-aflatoxigenic, Antioxidant Activity and in vivo Efficacy of Essential Oil of the Aerial Parts of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns & Link

Aspergillus flavus has been reported to be the most common fungus used as food by human beings. This fungus may have the potential to produce aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which is reported as being the most hepatotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic, and immunosuppressive to humans and other livestock. Therefore, the objective of this work was to study the chemical profile of Thymus capitatus essential oil (EO) and the inhibition of growth of Aspergillus flavus E73 and AFB1 production by the EO. The antioxidant activity and phytotoxicity were also evaluated. The gas chromatography– mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed that the major components of Thymus capitatus EO were thymol (25.82%), linalool (23.40%), geraniol (14.22%), pcymen- 3-ol (8.93%), and p-cymene (6.76%). The results showed that the EO could inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus E73 in the range of 40.72 to 87.00%. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Thymus capitatus EO against Aspergillus flavus E73 was found to be at 1.00 mg/ml. The oil revealed complete inhibition of dry mycelium weight and AFB1 production at 1.00 mg/ml. The EO revealed a broad spectrum of fungitoxicity against some fungi. The antioxidant activity was also assessed where IC50 (when initial concentration is reduced to half) and β- carotene/linoleic acid inhibition percentage of Thymus capitatus EO were 619.16 ± 3.94 μg/ml and 65.55%, respectively, while the total phenolic content was 21.45 μg/mg. The EO showed non-phytotoxicity on two varieties of wheat seeds. These findings demonstrated that EO could be good alternative to protect food.

Study of the antioxidant activity of Thymus sibthorpii Bentham (Lamiaceae)

From the aerial parts of Thymus sibthorpii Bentham (Lamiaceae), five flavonoids apigenin (1), 7-methoxy-apigenin (2), naringenin (3), eriodictyol (4) and eriodictyol-7-glucoside (5), have been isolated together with caffeic acid methyl ester (6), rosmarinic acid (7) and rosmarinic acid methyl ester (8). The structures of the isolated compounds were established by spectroscopic methods. The extracts and the isolated compounds were tested for their free radical scavenging activity using the following in vitro assays: (i) interaction with the free stable radical of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), (ii) inhibition of linoleic acid lipid peroxidation induced by the dihydrochloric acid of 2,2-azobis-2-amidinepropane (AAPH) and (iii) the scavenging activity of enzymatically produced superoxide anion. Their inhibitory activity toward soybean lipoxygenase was evaluated in vitro, using linoleic acid as a substrate. The antioxidant results of the extracts are discussed in terms of their constitution in phenolic compounds, which were determined following the Folin-Ciocalteu method.