Production and Characterization of Sumac PlantCrystals: Influence of High-Pressure Homogenization on Antioxidant Activity of Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.)

Medical physiological perspective to biochemical assays and GC-MS results of corn tassel

Corn tassel (Zea may L.) is rich in phenolic compounds including flavonoids and anthocyanins. The aim of this study is to consider the results of the contents of phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), flavonol (TF), anthocyanins (TAC), alfa-amylase inhibitory activity, and antioxidant activity including FRAP and metal chelating capabilities (MCC) as potential Antiviral and anti-Rheumatoid arthritis. Significantly high levels of antioxidant capacity, total flavonol and alfa-amylase inhibition were found in ethanolic extracts of corn tassels. It was found that their concentrations are TPC= 40 mg GA/g, TFC= 13 mg QE/g, TF= 45 mg R/g, and TAC= 8 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/g based on dry extract. Additionally, the extracts showed relatively higher antioxidant activities due to metal chelating capabilities (MCC) were found to be 217 mg Fe2+/g dry extract. From the GC-MS analysis, corn tassel was found to be good source of arctigenin that has antiviral and anti- rheumatic properties. Further, the extracts of corn tassels showed significantly higher α-amylase inhibitory activity up to 90 %. Thus, it was concluded that extracts of corn tassels may be considered as pharmacological potential in rheumatoid and antiviral treatment.

Cucumber-Derived Exosome-like Vesicles and PlantCrystals for Improved Dermal Drug Delivery

(1) Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered to be efficient nanocarriers for improved drug delivery and can be derived from mammalian or plant cells. Cucumber-derived EVs are not yet described in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce and characterize cucumber-derived EVs and to investigate their suitability to improve the dermal penetration efficacy of a lipophilic active ingredient (AI) surrogate. (2) Methods: The EVs were obtained by classical EVs isolation methods and by high pressure homogenization (HPH). They were characterized regarding their physico-chemical and biopharmaceutical properties. (3) Results: Utilization of classical isolation and purification methods for EVs resulted in cucumber-derived EVs. Their dermal penetration efficacy for the AI surrogate was 2-fold higher when compared to a classical formulation and enabled a pronounced transdermal penetration into the viable dermis. HPH resulted in submicron sized particles composed of a mixture of disrupted plant cells. A successful isolation of pure EVs from this mixture was not possible with classical EVs isolation methods. The presence of EVs was, therefore, proven indirectly. For this, the lipophilic drug surrogate was admixed to the cucumber juice either prior to or after HPH. Admixing of the drug surrogate to the cucumber prior to the HPH resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in the dermal penetration efficacy, whereas the addition of the AI surrogate to the cucumber after HPH was not able to improve the penetration efficacy. (4) Conclusions: Results, therefore, indicate that HPH causes the formation of EVs in which AI can be incorporated. The formation of plant EVs by HPH was also indicated by zeta potential analysis.

Chemical Characterization, Antibacterial Activity, and Embryo Acute Toxicity of Rhus coriaria L. Genotype from Sicily (Italy)

This study reports a full characterization of the Sicilian sumac, Rhus coriaria L. This fruit represents a potential source of fiber (33.21 ± 1.02%) and unsaturated fatty acids, being the contents of linoleic and α-linolenic acids, 30.82 ± 1.21% and 1.85 ± 0.07%, respectively. In addition, the content of phenolic and total anthocyanin was 71.69 ± 1.23 mg/g as gallic acid equivalents, and 6.71 ± 0.12 mg/g as cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalents, respectively. The high content in mineral elements, consisting mainly of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, followed by aluminum, iron, sodium, boron, and zinc, was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Moreover, its antimicrobial activity was evaluated against multidrug resistant (MDR) microorganisms, represented by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from poultry. The activity of seven different sumac fruit extracts obtained using the following solvents—ethanol (SE), methanol (SM), acetone (SA), ethanol and water (SEW), methanol and water (SMW), acetone and water (SAW), water (SW)—was evaluated. The polyphenol profile of SM extract, which showed better activity, was analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The major component identified was gallic acid, followed by quercetin, methyl digallate, pentagalloyl-hexoside, and kaempferol 3-O-glucoside. The non-toxicity of Sicilian R. coriaria was confirmed by testing the effect of the same extract on zebrafish embryos.

Physiological Response of Maize Plants (Zea mays L.) to the Use of the Potassium Quercetin Derivative

Plant production technologies based solely on the improvement of plants themselves face obstacles resulting from the natural limitations of the biological potential of varieties. Therefore, new substances are sought that positively influence the growth and development of plants and increase resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which also translates into an increase in obtained yields. The exogenous application of various phytoprotectants shows great promise in terms of cost effectiveness compared to traditional breeding methods or transgenic approaches in relation to increasing plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Quercetin is a strong antioxidant among phenolic compounds, and it plays a physiological and biochemical role in plants. As such, the aim of this research was to assess the effect of an aqueous solution of a quercetin derivative with potassium, applied in various concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 3.0% and 5.0%), on the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus and biochemical properties of maize. Among the tested variants, compared to the control, the most stimulating effect on the course of physiological processes (PN, gs, ci, CCI, Fv/Fm, Fv/F0, PI) in maize leaves was found in 3.0 and 5.0% aqueous solutions of the quercetin derivative. The highest total antioxidant capacity and total content of polyphenolic compounds were found for plants sprayed with 5.0% quercetin derivative solution; therefore, in this study, the optimal concentration could not be clearly selected.