Influence of Agronomic Practice on Total Phenols, Carotenoids, Chlorophylls Content, and Biological Activities in Dry Herbs Water Macerates

The consumption of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) effectively alleviates type 2 diabetes symptoms in spontaneous diabetic rats

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is described by various beneficial effects as it contains several bioactive substances characterized by antioxidant effects. These effects are closely related to the reduction of oxidative stress that is involved in the development of the disease. One such diseases is Diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of which is growing and is associated primarily with diet, lack of exercise and/or genetics. This study intends to examine the effects of sea buckthorn and metformin on body weight, water and feed intake, glycaemia, insulinemia, sorbitol accumulation and cataract development in Zucker diabetic fatty rats, which represent an animal model of type 2 Diabetes mellitus, as well as to characterize the individual content of bioactive substances and the antioxidant activity of sea buckthorn. Particular concentrations were applied (500 and 1000 mg.kg-1 body weight of sea buckthorn, and combinations with 150 mg.kg-1 body weight of metformin) by gastric gavage. The total antioxidant capacity and bioactive compounds were determined by spectrophotometric analysis. The best results of the study showed suppression of hyperglycaemia, water intake, decreased sorbitol levels in the lens of the eyes after sea buckthorn treatment. Determination of bioactive compounds showed significantly higher values in dry berries when compared to fresh berries of sea buckthorn and high total antioxidant capacity. Our results represent an interest in sea buckthorn and its potential use in the treatment of Diabetes mellitus as well as other experimental studies.

Toxicity evaluation of traditional and organic yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) extracts

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) is an important source of biologically active compounds with pharmacological potential. The aim of this study was to examine the toxicity of different extracts obtained from either traditional or organic cultivated yerba mate in vitro and in vivo. Aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts were obtained from commercial samples of yerba mate and total phenolic content was determined employing Folin-Ciocalteau reagent. The aqueous extracts presented higher content of total phenols, compared to ethanolic and methanolic extracts, and also demonstrated lower cytotoxicity, which is the basis for testing were carried out only using aqueous extracts. The main phenolic acids found in traditional aqueous (TA) extract were chlorogenic, gallic and protocatechuic acids. Gallic and hydroxybenzoic acids were detected in aqueous cultivated organic (OA) extract. Pretreatment with OA extract (100 µg/ml, 1 hr) was cytoprotective against rotenone-induced toxicity (1 µM). For in vivo toxicity assay, zebrafish embryos were exposed to OA or TA extracts (10-160 µg/ml) at 4 hr post fertilization. TA extract decreased embryos survival in a concentration-dependent manner, reduced the hatching rate at 40 µg/ml, increased edema frequency at 80 µg/ml and altered body curvature at 120 µg/ml. Further, TA extract produced locomotor disorders at concentrations equal to or greater than 10 µg/ml. In contrast, OA extract exhibited no apparent toxic effect on organogenesis and behavior up to 100 µg/ml. In summary, the OA cultivated extract showed the lowest cytotoxicity in vitro, enhanced reduction in rotenone-induced toxicity, and produced less toxicity in zebrafish embryos compared to the TA extract.