Valorization of European Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus L.) Berry Pomace Extracts Isolated with Pressurized Ethanol and Water by Assessing Their Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Activities

Safety assessment of European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus L.) fruit juice: Acute and subacute oral toxicity

European cranberrybush (ECB) (Viburnum opulus L.) fruits are abundant in phenolic compounds associated with various health benefits. However, the toxicity and safety of ECB juice have not been systematically studied. In the present study, acute and subacute oral toxicities of ECB fruit juice were evaluated on Sprague-Dawley rats and BALB/c mice to establish a toxicity profile. In acute tests, a single administration of 2000 mg/kg body weight of extract to rats exhibited no clinical signs of toxicity or mortality, indicating that the lethal dose (LD50) was over 2000 mg/kg. In subacute tests, repeated administration for 28 days at 0 (control), 500, and 2000 mg/kg doses of extract in mice did not display adverse clinical signs or deaths. However, in the 2000 mg/kg subacute group, platelet counts were significantly high, which correlated with histopathological analyses revealing that ECB extract at 2000 mg/kg was toxic to the kidney, liver, and adipose tissue. The NOAEL value of ECB extract was found as 500 mg/kg/day, but further sub-chronic and chronic toxicity studies are warranted to comprehensively evaluate the long-term safety implications. The study's results emphasize the importance of considering the dosage of dietary supplements containing high levels of phenolic compounds over an extended period to avoid potential cumulative effects from prolonged consumption of high doses.

Flavonoids and Phenolic Acids Content in Cultivation and Wild Collection of European Cranberry Bush Viburnum opulus L

Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus L.) is known for its health benefits. V. opulus contains phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), a group of plant metabolites with wide biological activities. They are good sources of natural antioxidants in human diets owing to their prevention of the oxidative damage responsible for many diseases. In recent years, observations have shown that an increase in temperature can change the quality of plant tissues. So far, little research has addressed the problem of the common impact of temperature and place of occurrence. Towards a better understanding of phenolics concentration that could indicate their potentials as therapeutic agents and towards predicting and controlling the quality of medicinal plants, the aim of this study was to compare phenolic acids and flavonoids content in the leaves of cultivation and wild collection V. opulus, and to examine the impacts of temperature and place of occurrence on their content and composition. Total phenolics were determined using the spectrophotometric method. Phenolic composition of V. opulus was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The following hydroxybenzoic acids there were identified: gallic, p-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, salicylic, benzoic, as well as hydroxycinnamic acids: chlorogenic, caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic, o-coumaric and t-cinnamic. The analysis of extracts from V. opulus leaves has indicated the presence of the following flavonoids: flavanols: (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin; flavonols: quercetin, rutin, kaempferol, myricetin; and flavones: luteolin, apigenin and chrysin. The dominant phenolic acids were p-coumaric and gallic acids. The major flavonoids found in V. opulus leaves were myricetin and kaempferol. Temperature and plant location affected the concentration of tested phenolic compounds. The present study shows the potential of naturally grown and wild V. opulus for the human.

Substantiation of the efficiency of the method for processing viburnum by the method of osmotic dehydration

In the process of any food production, it is important not only to obtain a high quality product, but also to minimize industrial waste, reduce energy costs for the process. Recently, buyers are also paying special attention to the biological value, the popularity of organic and natural products is growing. The search for new types of non-traditional raw materials and the choice of a rational way of processing it is an important task for scientists and manufacturers. The subject of the study was the viburnum fruits (Viburnum opulus). The object is the process of osmotic dehydration. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the effectiveness of the method of processing Viburnum opulus fruits by the method of osmotic dehydration. The process of processing viburnum fruits provides for mandatory pre-freezing, defrosting, osmotic dehydration and drying. A method was developed for waste-free processing of viburnum fruits using the process of osmotic dehydration. Products of viburnum processing (osmotic solution and powders) were studied. Analysis of the mineral composition of powders of their derivatives from the processing of viburnum showed the highest content of potassium (5.74 %). In addition, vitamin C was found in the products of viburnum processing: in powders – 8.28 mg/100 g, in an osmotic solution − 1.12 mg/100 ml. Given that wild berries were used for the study, a study of powders for the presence of microorganisms and heavy metals was carried out. Mesophilic aerobic, facultative anaerobic microorganisms, yeasts and molds were not detected. The content of heavy metals is less than 10 ppm Pb. Thus, viburnum fruits are safe raw materials. When using osmotic dehydration, their biological value and organoleptic properties are preserved.

In Vitro Inhibitory Effects of Viburnum opulus Bark and Flower Extracts on Digestion of Potato Starch and Carbohydrate Hydrolases Activity

One of the effective treatments for diabetes is to reduce and delay the absorption of glucose by inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the digestive tract. Currently, there is a great interest in natural inhibitors from various part of plants. In the present study, the phenolic compounds composition of V. opulus bark and flower, and their inhibitory effects on in vitro potato starch digestion as well as on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, have been studied. Bark and flower phenolic extracts reduced the amount of glucose released from potato starch during tree-stage simulated digestion, with IC50 value equal to 87.77 µg/mL and 148.87 µg/mL, respectively. Phenolic bark extract showed 34.9% and 38.4% more potent inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively, but the activity of plant extracts was lower than that of acarbose. Chlorogenic acid (27.26% of total phenolics) and (+)-catechin (30.48% of total phenolics) were the most prominent phenolics in the flower and bark extracts, respectively. Procyanidins may be responsible for the strongest V. opulus bark inhibitory activity against α-amylase, while (+)-catechin relative to α-glucosidase. This preliminary study provides the basis of further examination of the suitability of V. opulus bark compounds as components of nutraceuticals and functional foods with antidiabetic activity.

Photonics of Viburnum opulus L. Extracts in Microemulsions with Oxygen and Gold Nanoparticles

In this paper, the optical properties of viburnum extract flavonoids in the visible region of the spectrum were investigated and their use as a potential photosensitizer of singlet oxygen for photodynamic therapy was evaluated. The presence of long-lived excited states in the extract molecules was established by spectral methods and time-resolved spectroscopy methods and the dependences of the absorption capacity and luminescence intensity of the extract molecules on the concentrations of oxygen and ablative nanoparticles of the gold in the reverse micelles of AOT (sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate) were established. The plasmonic enhancement of the luminescence of the extract molecules and the processes of their complexation with oxygen were also established. Furthermore, the rate constants of the processes of conversion of exciting energy in complexes were determined.

Preparative separation of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors originating from Saxifraga sinomontana employing medium-pressure liquid chromatography in combination with reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Traditional Tibetan medicines elaborately document the health benefits of Saxifraga sinomontana. However, there have been limited reports on its chemical make-up, presumably because of the complicated separation and purification process. In this work, a methanolic extract of Saxifraga sinomontana was utilized for targeted separation of 4 key 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors employing the medium-pressure liquid chromatography, reversed-phase liquid chromatography in combination with on-line reversed-phase liquid chromatography-1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl detection. Pre-treatment of the sample was carried out by employing medium-pressure liquid chromatography using MCI GEL® CHP20P as the stationary phase, furnishing 2.4 g of fraction Fr3 and 3.4 g of fraction Fr4 (the percentage retrieval was 32.7%). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors contained in fractions Fr3 and Fr4 were subjected to additional separation using a C18 (ReproSil-Pur C18 AQ) column and yielded 106.2 mg of Fr3-1, 246.9 mg of Fr3-2, 248.5 mg of Fr4-1 and 41.8 mg of Fr4-2. The degree of purity, structures and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibition activity of the isolated DPPH inhibitors were determined, and four 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors including two new diarylnonanoids (3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenol-(6'-O-galloyl)-1-O-β-d-glucopyrano side with IC₅₀ of 39.6 μM, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-(6'-O-galloyl)-1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside with IC₅₀ of 46.9 μM, saximonsin A with IC₅₀ of 11.4 μM, and saximonsin B with IC₅₀ of 20.6 μM) were isolated with a percentage purity above 95%. The methodology thus evolved has good efficacy for preparatively isolating high-purity 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors from extracts of Saxifraga sinomontana and could be efficiently utilized for rapidly isolating 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitors from other natural products.

Glycoside Hydrolases and Non-Enzymatic Glycation Inhibitory Potential of Viburnum opulus L. Fruit-In Vitro Studies

Phytochemicals of various origins are of great interest for their antidiabetic potential. In the present study, the inhibitory effects against carbohydrate digestive enzymes and non-enzymatic glycation, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds composition of Viburnum opulus L. fruits have been studied. Crude extract (CE), purified extract (PE), and ethyl acetate (PEAF) and water (PEWF) fractions of PE were used in enzymatic assays to evaluate their inhibitory potential against α-amylase with potato and rice starch as substrate, α-glucosidase using maltose and sucrose as substrate, the antioxidant capacity (ABTS, ORAC and FRAP assays), antiglycation (BSA-fructose and BSA-glucose model) properties. Among four tested samples, PEAF not only had the highest content of total phenolics, but also possessed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibition, antiglycation and antioxidant activities. UPLC analysis revealed that this fraction contained mainly chlorogenic acid, proanthocyanidin oligomers and flavalignans. Contrary, the anti-amylase activity of V. opulus fruits probably occurs due to the presence of proanthocyanidin polymers and chlorogenic acids, especially dicaffeoylquinic acids present in PEWF. All V. opulus samples have an uncompetitive and mixed type inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively. Considering strong anti-glucosidase, antioxidant and antiglycation activities, V. opulus fruits may find promising applications in nutraceuticals and functional foods with antidiabetic activity.

Retention of polyphenols and vitamin C in cranberrybush purée (Viburnum opulus) by means of non-thermal treatments

The effects of high pressure processing (HPP; 200-600 MPa for 5 or 15 min) and pulsed electric field (PEF; 3 kV/cm, 5-15 kJ/kg) treatment on physicochemical properties (conductivity, pH and total soluble solids content), bioactive compounds (vitamin C, total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), total anthocyanin (TAC) and chlorogenic acid contents), antioxidant capacities (DPPH and CUPRAC assays) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of cranberrybush purée were evaluated immediately after processing. The results were compared to an untreated purée. According to the results, conductivity increased significantly after PEF (15 kJ/kg) treatment. PEF and HPP treatments resulted in a better retention of bioactive compounds (increase in TPC in the range of ~4-11% and ~10-14% and TFC in the range of ~1-5% and ~6-8% after HPP and PEF, respectively) and antioxidant activity (as measured with CUPRAC method) compared to untreated sample. HPP reduced residual enzyme activity of PPO comparatively better than PEF.

Viburnum opulus L.-A Review of Phytochemistry and Biological Effects

Viburnum opulus (VO) is a valuable decorative, medicinal, and food plant. This deciduous shrub is found in natural habitats in Europe, Russia, and some regions in North Africa and North Asia. The VO is traditionally used to treat aliments such as cough, colds, tuberculosis, rheumatic aches, ulcers, stomach, and kidney problems, among others. Many of the health-promoting properties of VO are associated with antioxidant activity, which has been demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The results of in vitro studies show the antimicrobial potential of VO, especially against Gram-positive bacteria. In cell-based studies, VO demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, osteogenic, cardio-protective, and cytoprotective properties. The applicability of VO in the treatment of urinary tract diseases, endometriosis, and some cancers has been confirmed in in vivo studies. The health benefits of VO result from the presence of bioactive components such as phenolic compounds, vitamin C, carotenoids, iridoids, and essential oils. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the botanical characteristics, chemical compositions, including bioactive compounds, and pro-health properties of VO different morphological parts.