Antioxidant Activity and Content of Phenolic Compounds and Flavonoids from Justicia spicigera

Chemical Characterization of Different Extracts of Justicia secunda Vahl and Determination of Their Anti-Oxidant, Anti-Enzymatic, Anti-Viral, and Cytotoxic Properties

Justicia secunda Vahl. is a traditional medicinal plant in tropical regions, including West Africa. The present study examined the chemical profiles and biological properties of J. secunda extracts obtained with different solvents (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanolic and aqueous: macerated and infused). Chemical components were characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and over 50 compounds were identified, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids. Antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, cytotoxic, and antiviral properties were selected as biological properties. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in methanol (58.07 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 13.07 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g) and water (infused) (36.34 mg GAE/g and 8.52 mg RE/g) were higher than in other extracts. Consistent with the levels of total bioactive components, the methanol and water extracts exhibited stronger antioxidant abilities. However, the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts were more active on α-amylase and α-glucosidase than other extracts. Aqueous extracts exerted selective anticancer properties toward human pharyngeal cancer cell lines, whereas the methanolic extract decreased the human herpesvirus type-1 (HHV-1) infectious titer by 2.16 log and the viral load by 1.21 log. Overall, J. secunda could be considered a multifunctional bioactive raw material in the preparation of potent applications to manage diseases related to oxidative stress, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

Antilipidemic and Hepatoprotective Effects of Ethanol Extract of Justicia spicigera in Streptozotocin Diabetic Rats

Oxidative stress is a factor that contributes to the development of complications in diabetes; however, its effects can be counteracted using exogenous antioxidants that are found in some plants, which is why people turn to traditional medicines in the search for therapeutic treatment. Justicia spicigera has been demonstrated to have the capacity to reduce glycemic levels; however, its effects on non-insulin-dependent organs such as the liver have not been reported. During 30 days of administration of Justicia spicigera ethanol extract, the blood glucose and weight of rats were measured every 5 days. Once the treatment was concluded, the rats were sacrificed. Corporal weight, blood glucose, cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), triglycerides, total lipids, and liver profile were reduced in the diabetic condition and normalized with the application of ethanol extract from J. spicigera (EJS). Additionally, there was a significant increase in catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in the control diabetic rats, a decrease in their activity with the extract administration, and no effect on normoglycemic rats. In conclusion, EJS is considered to be capable of reducing oxidative stress by maintaining diminished lipid and liver function profiles in male Wistar rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

Extraction and Microencapsulation of Bioactive Compounds from Muicle (Justicia spicigera) and Their Use in the Formulation of Functional Foods

Bioactive compounds (BC) present in muicle leaves were extracted using the best extraction conditions obtained with a Box–Behnken experimental design, extracting 95% of BC. Microencapsulation of muicle BC was carried out by spray drying using DE10 maltodextrin (MD) and soy protein isolate (SPI) as encapsulating agents. The best conditions for the ethanolic extraction of BC from muicle were 30 °C, 40% aqueous ethanol, and one extraction for 1 h. The best spray drying encapsulating conditions for BC and antioxidant capacity (AC) using MD as an encapsulating agent were: 160–80 °C and 10% MD in the feeding solution, and for SPI: 180–70 °C and 5% SPI in the feeding solution. Microcapsules were added to yogurt and a sensory evaluation and retention of BC during 15-day storage at 4 °C was performed. Sensory evaluation showed that yogurt with added MD microcapsules had better acceptance than that with SPI microcapsules. Based on this, a jelly with added muicle MD microcapsules was also prepared which obtained better acceptance by the judges. At the end of the storage period, yogurt with SPI microcapsules showed better retention of BC and AC than yogurts with MD microcapsules; however, products with MD microcapsules had better acceptance.

Spectral characterisation of a traditional Mesoamerican dye: relationship between in situ identification on the 16th century Codex Borbonicus manuscript and composition of Justicia spicigera plant extract

Characterisation of vegetal colourants in manuscripts is still a challenging task. Their identification using non-invasive techniques - since sampling is rarely possible - is valid only if there is evidence that the recorded signals are generated by compounds specific to the plant species. Otherwise, more extensive chemical characterisations are required to relate the non-invasive technique signals to the chemical composition of the dye extract and thus avoid misidentification. The case study of a traditional Mesoamerican dye found in the Codex Borbonicus is reported herein. The non-invasive identification of the colourant plant source and chemical characterisation of the coloured molecules were carried out through a multi-analytical technique approach. In situ Raman and UV-Vis emission fluorescence signals suggested the use of Justicia spicigera leaves to produce the brown paint layers of the manuscript. Analysis of the plant extract by liquid chromatography revealed that two compounds are mostly responsible for the colour, and these compounds were successfully isolated. Both contribute to the Raman spectra while only one of them is mainly responsible for the fluorescence recorded on Codex Borbonicus.

In vitro antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of Manilkara kauki

Manilkara kauki L. Dubard is a tropical plant in the genus Manilkara of family Sapotaceae. This study investigated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant and antityrosinase activities in different parts of M. kauki (fruits, leaves, seeds, stem barks and woods) and in fractions of stem barks. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanol and aqueous crude extracts of different parts of M. kauki ranged from 10.87 to 176.56 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalents) per gram of crude extract and 14.33 to 821.67 mg QE (quercetin equivalents) per gram of crude extract, resp. Leaves and stem barks exhibited higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities than fruits, seeds and woods. Stem barks were sequentially extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water and then the fractionated extracts were subjected to antioxidant and antityrosinase activities testing. The ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of stem barks exhibited higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant and antityrosinase activities than the n-hexane and aqueous extracts. Moreover, ethyl acetate extract of M. kauki stem exhibited the highest antityrosinase activity. It may be a potential source of tyrosinase inhibitors for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.

Journal of Food Quality Evaluation of Effect of Extraction Solvent on Selected Properties of Olive Leaf Extract

The quest for natural preservatives and functional foods with health benefits has seen an increasing demand for natural products having therapeutic value. Herein, we investigated the influence of ethanol, methanol, acetone (50%, 70%, and 90% v/v), and distilled water on selected properties of olive leaf extract and determined the yield, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity. Extracts were analyzed for their oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol contents by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest extraction yield of 20.41% was obtained when using 90 vol% methanol, while the highest total polyphenol contents of 232 and 231 mggallic-acid-equivalent/100 g were obtained for 90 vol% methanol and 90 vol% ethanol, respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined using the α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, by determining the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and using the Fe2+-chelating activity assay, which provided the highest values when 90 vol% methanol was used (33.84%, 0.75, and 12.91%, respectively). HPLC analysis showed that the highest oleuropein contents corresponded to the extracts obtained using 90 and 70 vol% methanol (26.10 ± 0.20 and 24.92 ± 1.22 g/L, respectively), and the highest antimicrobial activity was observed for 90 vol% methanol and distilled water. Olive leaf extracts using 90 vol% methanol had high levels of polyphenols and were highly antioxidant and antimicrobial. The results of this study facilitate the commercial applications of natural extracts with antioxidant and antibacterial activities and are expected to establish a foundation for further optimization studies.

Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyl. Extracts from Different Plant Parts: Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Polyphenols play an important role on the health-promoting properties of humans. Plants belonging to Lamiaceae family are known as rich source of phenolic compounds. The current work aimed to evaluate the phenolic compounds, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity of Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyl. ethanolic extracts from leaf, stem, flower, and whole herb. Twelve compounds were identified in ethanolic extracts using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC analysis revealed that chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, and rutin were predominant compounds in ethanolicic extracts. Using HPLC-ABTS (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) post-column assay, avicularin, chlorogenic, and rosmarinic acids were identified as the predominant radical scavengers in all ethanolic extracts. All tested preparations significantly reduced the level of secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and prostaglandin E2 induced by lipopolysaccharide treatment in mouse peritoneal macrophage cell culture. Stem and flower extracts were most efficient in reducing cytokine release, but leaf extract demonstrated stronger effect on prostaglandin E2 secretion. This is the first study exploring antioxidant efficiency by HPLC–ABTS post-column method and investigating anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extracts from E. ciliata different plant parts.

Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from Justicia spicigera leaves

A Box-Behnken design (Extraction-time, pulse-cycle, sonication-amplitude) was employed to extract phenolic compounds from Justicia spicigera leaves by ultrasonic-assisted extraction. The muicle leaves extracts were analyzed measuring total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. According to response surface methodology the optimal conditions of ultrasonic-assisted extraction to obtain the highest soluble phenolic content were 2 min (extraction time) for 0.7 s (pulse cycle) at 55% of sonication amplitude. Under these optimal conditions, the total phenolic content was higher when was used ultrasonic-assisted extraction (54.02 mg/g) than stirring (46.46 mg/g) and thermal decoction (47.76 mg/g); however, the antioxidant capacity from J. spicigera extracts did not increase by ultrasonic-assisted extraction. The extracts or aqueous infusions from J. spicigera leaves are used for therapeutic proposes, therefore the ultrasonic-assisted extraction is a useful technology to improve the extraction of phytochemicals from J. spicigera leaves.

Physicochemical and antioxidant characterization of Justicia spicigera

Extracts with water:ethanol (100:0, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, 0:100) solutions from fresh (F), just dried (JD), dried and stored for one year (DS) Justicia spicigera leaves were obtained using the stirring and ultrasound techniques. Extracts were analyzed in physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics. Identification of chemical compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was also performed. 2.14±0.91, 5.67±1.70, and 8.52±4.97g Gallic acid equivalents/100g dry weight (d.w.) of phenolic compounds were found, in average, for F, JD, and DS J. spicigera, respectively. 2.22±1.31, 2.58±2.11, and 8.48±3.78g Trolox equivalents/100g d.w. were detected with the ABTS method and 0.49±0.33, 1.23±0.87, and 0.88±0.94g with the DPPH method for F, JD and DS J. spicigera, respectively. Eucalyptol, phytol, and azulene were identified as the main compounds. J. spicigera showed colors (green-iridescent, green-yellow, or pink of different intensities) and antioxidant characteristics depending on the solvent concentration. Extracts could be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Anti-depressant-like effect of kaempferitrin isolated from Justicia spicigera Schltdl (Acanthaceae) in two behavior models in mice: evidence for the involvement of the serotonergic system

We evaluated the antidepressant-like effect of kaempferitrin (Km) isolated from the plant Justicia spicigera (Asteraceae), which is used in traditional medicine for relieving emotional disorders, such as "la tristeza" (sadness or dysthymia) and "el humor" (mood changes). The actions of Km were evaluated in a forced swimming test (FST) and a suspension tail test (TST) in mice. We explored the involvement of the serotonergic system and the hypothalamic-hypophysis-adrenal axis (HPA) in the antidepressant-like effect of Km. To evaluate nonspecific effects of Km on general activity, the open field test (OFT) was performed. Km at 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg induced an antidepressant-like effect. Sub-effective dose of Km (1 mg/kg) produced a synergistic effect with imipramine (6.25 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) but not with desipramine (3.12 mg/kg). Pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine methyl ester (PCPA), a serotonin synthesis inhibitor, N-{2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl}-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexecarboxamide (WAY-100635), a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, and 8OH-DPAT, a selective 5-HT1A agonist, but not pindolol (10 mg/kg) blocked the anti- immobility effect induced by Km. Taken together, these results indicate that the antidepressant-like effect of Km is related to the serotonergic system, principally 5-HT1A. This effect was not related to changes in locomotor activity.