Phenolic Compounds' Occurrence in Opuntia Species and Their Role in the Inflammatory Process: A Review

Within the Cactaceae family, Opuntia comprises the most widespread species, with a recognized importance in human life, including feeding, domestic use as home natural barriers, and as a traditional remedy for diverse diseases and conditions such asthma, edema, and burns. Indeed, scientific reports have stated that these health benefits may be due to various active compounds, particularly polyphenols, which are ubiquitously found in plants and have proven their pharmacological efficiency by displaying antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, among others. Opuntia species contain different classes of phenolic compounds that are recognized for their anti-inflammatory potential. Among them, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol derivates were reported to greatly contribute to modulate cells' infiltration and secretion of soluble inflammatory mediators, with key implications in the inflammatory process. In this review, we make a summary of the different classes of phenolic compounds reported in Opuntia species so far and explore their implications in the inflammatory process, reported by in vitro and in vivo bioassays, supporting the use of cactus in folk medicine and valorizing them from the socio-economic point of view.

Characterization and Biological In Vitro Screening of Probiotic Yeast Strains Isolated from Algerian Fruits

Interest in Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts as biotechnological agents is growing worldwide. Here, Kluyveromyces marxianus GBC2 and two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains FBZ4 and FBK9 were isolated from pomegranate (Punica granatum) and fig (Ficus carica), respectively, and extensively characterized for their probiotic attributes and health benefits. Overall, these strains were found to be γ-hemolytic, non-cytotoxic against Caco-2 cells, and sensitive to therapeutic antifungals. In terms of probiotic characterization, the strains were able to survive at pH 2 and in 1% bile and had high hydrophobicity and self-aggregation properties, which could explain their ability to form biofilm on a polystyrene and adhere to Caco-2 cells. Adhesion rates of 23.52%, 14.05%, and 9.44% were recorded at 37 °C for K. marxianus GBC2, S. cerevisiae FBK9, and S. cerevisiae FBZ4, respectively. Furthermore, biological screening showed a cholesterol assimilation of 54.32% for K. marxianus GBC2 and almost 33% for both Saccharomyces, more than 73% α-amylase inhibition, and good antioxidant potential for all strains; however, only K. marxianus GBC2 showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. In light of these findings, the strains could be potential candidates for the development of novel functional foods and for probiotic applications.

LC-ESI-UHR-QqTOF-MS/MS profiling and anti-inflammatory potential of the cultivated Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. and the wild Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. fruits from the Algerian region

Opuntia plants are abundant but still underexplored edible resources of the Algerian region. This work chemically characterizes extracts of different parts of the fruit of the commercial Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. and the wild Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. growing in Bejaia, and evaluates their anti-inflammatory potential through different cell and cell-free bioassays. The LC-ESI-UHR-QqTOF-MS/MS analysis enabled the identification of 18 compounds, with azelaic acid and 1-O-vanilloyl-β-d-glucose reported here for the first time. Aqueous extracts of seeds were the most effective in scavenging superoxide anion radical (IC50 = 111.08 μg/mL) and presented the best anti-inflammatory potential in LPS-stimulated macrophages (IC50 = 206.30 μg/mL). The pulp of O. stricta suggested potential for addressing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, with piscidic and eucomic acids predicted with the strongest binding affinity towards tyrosinase, exhibiting higher scoring values than the reference inhibitor kojic acid. This pioneer study brings valuable perspectives for the pharmacological, nutritional and economic valorization of the wild O. stricta for functional foods.