Development of hydrosoluble gels with Crataegus monogyna extracts for topical application: evaluation of antioxidant activity of the final formulations

Crataegus monogyna, commonly known as hawthorn, is notorious for having different ethnopharmacological applications. The antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from its flowers and fruits in several stages of development was formerly reported by us. Therefore it is believable that the extracts of its botanical parts might have great potential to be incorporated in innovative pharmaceutical formulations. Accordingly, several paraben free, carbopol 940 based semisolid formulations were prepared with different hawthorn parts extracts. The antioxidant properties of ethanolic and aqueous hawthorn extracts, as well as their corresponding hydrosoluble gels, were screened. Ethanolic extracts proved to be more effective, while flowers and unripe fruits were the most bioactive hawthorn parts. The prepared hydrosoluble gels, that presented an adequate consistency, a pleasant colour and a non greasy texture, kept almost entirely the antioxidant activity exhibited by the extracts from which they were prepared. In addition, the hydrosoluble gels were tested and promptly absorbed by the skin and did not show significant pH alterations during the 90 days of observation. Despite the need of further tests (viscosity, extrudability, spreadability or transepidermal water loss), the prepared formulations demonstrate interesting attributes to be explored as potential dermopharmaceutical products

Flores e frutos imaturos de Crataegus monogyna revelam elevado potencial antioxidante.

A espécie Crataegus monogyna, conhecida vulgarmente como espinheiro, escaramunheiro ou pilriteiro, está entre as plantas do Nordeste de Portugal mais recomendadas pela medicina tradicional. As suas bagas são comumente consumidas por serem consideradas nutritivas e saudáveis, podendo também ser utilizadas como suplemento alimentar, sobretudo para crianças, devido ao seu elevado conteúdo vitamínico [1]. O espinheiro é reconhecido como tendo propriedades bioativas de interesse elevado, em particular na prevenção de doenças cardiovasculares e gastrointestinais. De forma a compreender melhor o potencial terapêutico do espinheiro, a atividade antioxidante de diferentes partes da planta (botões e brácteas florais, flores e frutos) foi avaliada através de diferentes métodos químicos e bioquímicos. Os extratos etanólicos demonstraram maior potencial antioxidante que os extratos aquosos, mas os resultados foram muito satisfatórios em ambos os casos, revelando o potencial do espinheiro para ser incluído em formulações terapêuticas ou produtos dietéticos de referência

Evaluation of the chemical interactions in co-culture elements of Castanea sativa Miller mycorrhization

In the early steps of mycorrhizal associations an oxidative burst might occur through the rapid production of high amounts of reactive oxygen species in response to external stimuli, increasing the production of antioxidants in plant and/or mycelia. Herein, the effect of mycorrhizal association among Pisolithus arhizus or Paxillus involutus and Castanea sativa Miller (stems and roots) was studied for different co-culture periods, defined for a better comprehension of the chemical interactions in the early stages of mycorrhization (6, 24 and 72 h). Knowledge on the specificities of plant-host interaction provided information about the most suitable fungus to be included in the development of new management strategies, and the fungal species that induced the strongest response with increasing antioxidant activity (free radical scavenging activity, reducing power and lipid peroxidation inhibition) and production of antioxidant compounds (phenolics and tocopherols) and sugars. P. involutus seemed to be the most adequate fungus to mycorrhize with C. sativa. Considering bioactive compounds production, P. arhizus was more efficient since allowed an increase in the contents of sugars and tocopherols in all co-culture elements

On the consistent solution of the gap--equation for spontaneously broken λΦ4\lambda \Phi^4-theory

We present a self--consistent solution of the finite temperature gap--equation for $\lambda \Phi^4$ theory beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation using a composite operator effective action. We find that in a spontaneously broken theory not only the so--called daisy and superdaisy graphs contribute to the resummed mass, but also resummed non--local diagrams are of the same order, thus altering the effective mass for small values of the latter.Comment: 15 pages of revtex + 3 uuencoded postscript figures, ENSLAPP A-488/9

Semiclassical thermodynamics of scalar fields

We present a systematic semiclassical procedure to compute the partition function for scalar field theories at finite temperature. The central objects in our scheme are the solutions of the classical equations of motion in imaginary time, with spatially independent boundary conditions. Field fluctuations -- both field deviations around these classical solutions, and fluctuations of the boundary value of the fields -- are resummed in a Gaussian approximation. In our final expression for the partition function, this resummation is reduced to solving certain ordinary differential equations. Moreover, we show that it is renormalizable with the usual 1-loop counterterms.Comment: 24 pages, 5 postscript figure

Evaluation of growth inhibitory activity of Crataegus monogyna Jacq. flower bud extracts against human tumor cell lines

The vast structural diversity of natural compounds found in plants provides unique opportunities for discovering new drugs with possible beneficial effects on human health, including regulation of proliferation and cell death pathways leading to cancer [1]. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. has been studied by our research group to confirm its different alleged health benefits [2-4]. Herein, the antiproliferative activity of phenolic extracts from C. monogyna flower buds was evaluated on four different human tumor cell lines: HeLa, cervical carcinoma; HepG2, hepatocellular carcinoma; MCF-7, breast adenocarcinoma; NCI-H460, non-small cell lung cancer. The antiproliferative activity was measured by calculating Gl50 values (50% of cell growth inhibition) for each cell line, according to the procedure adopted by the National Cancer Institute for in vitro anticancer drug screening, which uses sulforhodamine B assay to assess cell groW1h inhibition [5]. The obtained antiproliferative activity was very similar among the assayed cell lines: HeLa, Gl50 = 63.55±3.56 μg/ml; HepG2, Gl50 = 88.45±8.11 μg/ml; MCF7, Gl50 = 66.96±0.01 μg/ml ; NCI -H460, Gl50 = 67.61±4.29 μg/ml. The lower activity against HepG2 cells might be related with the type of proliferation of this cell line, the only one with a monolayer growth type among the assayed lines . The activity demonstrated by the phenolic extract of C. monogyna might be explained by their high amounts in flavonoids, which are known for modulating a variety of biological events associated with cancer progression and development, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell differentiation and neovascularization [3]. Accordingly, C. monogyna may be considered as a source of important phytochemicals with bioactive properties to be explored for pharmaceutical applications

Qualidade nutricional de agrião armazenado em atmosferas modificadas enriquecidas em gás inerte

O agrião (Nasturtium offidnale R. Br. ) é uma planta de crescimento rápido da família Brassicaceae consumida em sopas e saladas. Contudo, tal como a maioria dos vegetais, é altamente perecível. A utilização de embalagens com atmosfera modificada ou protetora tem aumentado nos últimos anos dado o seu potencial para prolongar a vida útil de vegetais minimamente processados. Esta técnica consiste em alterar a atmosfera dentro da embalagem, com o objetivo de abrandar o metabolismo e de prevenir reações de oxidação, evitando assim alterações de qualidade associadas a processos de maturação e senescência. A utilização de gases inertes tem sido testada, mas os estudos são ainda muito limitados. Neste sentido, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos induzidos por diferentes atmosferas na qualidade nutricional de agrião minimamente processado durante o armazenamento refrigerado e selecionar o tratamento mais eficaz na extensão da vida útil. Amostras silvestres de agrião, recolhidas na região de Bragança, foram lavadas em água corrente e uma porção imediatamente analisada (controlo não armazenado). O restante material fresco foi embalado em atmosferas enriquecidas em azoto, árgon e ar (atmosfera controlo passiva), armazenado a 4°C durante 7 dias e posteriormente analisado. Determinou-se o teor em água, proteínas, lípides, glúcidos e cinzas e o valor energético seguindo métodos oficiais de análise; os perfis em açúcares, ácidos orgânicos, tocoferóis e ácidos gordos foram analisados por técnicas cromatográficas; e as propriedades antioxidantes avaliadas por ensaios químicos e bioquímicos. Tendo em conta a contribuição de todos os parâmetros de qualidade avaliados, foi possível concluir que o embatamento passivo foi o menos eficiente em preservar os atributos de qualidade característicos das amostras controlo não armazenadas. Por outro lado, o embalamento em atmosfera enriquecida em árgon foi a escolha mais acertada para preservar a qualidade global das amostras. Adicionalmente, este estudo destacou as propriedades nutricionais e antioxidantes do agrião, realçando assim o interesse da sua reinclusão nas dietas atuais

Electron beam and gamma irradiation as feasible conservation technologies for wild Arenaria montana L.: effects on chemical and antioxidant parameters

Wild plants are widely recognized as high-potential sources of several bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, these natural matrices require effective decontamination steps before they might be considered for different industrial purposes. Irradiation techniques are being progressively acknowledged as feasible conservation methodologies, either for their high decontamination effectiveness, as well as for their innocuousness on most chemical and bioactive parameters of the material to be treated. Arenaria montana L. (Caryophyllaceae) is recognized for its phytochemical richness, having a relevant geographical distribution in the Southern Europe. Herein the effects of irradiation (gamma and electron beam up to 10 kGy) were evaluated by comparing the nutritional, chemical and antioxidant profiles in A. montana extracts. In general, the assayed parameters showed statistically significant variations in response to irradiation treatment. Furthermore, the performed LDA allowed identifying the antioxidant indicators as the most affected parameters in irradiated samples, especially when using the 10 kGy dose and e-beam irradiation.Ministry of Agriculture, Portugal (Project PRODER/FEADER/EU no. 53514), for financial support of the work and E. Pereira grant; Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014), CTN (RECI/AAG-TEC/0400/2012), L. Barros (BPD/107855/2015) and J.C.M. Barreira (BPD/72802/2010). And to Prof A. Chmielewski, Director of INCT, and Dr A. Rafalski, for e-beam irradiations

Bryonia dioica, Tamus communis and Lonicera periclymenum fruits: characterization in phenolic compounds and incorporation of their extracts in hydrogel formulations for topical application

Plants are being increasingly used in dermatological formulations, since their collateral effects are lower than those caused by synthetic products. Hydrogels represent efficient formulations to incorporate plant extracts, providing good percutaneous absorption, non-greasy texture and easy application. Bryonia dioica Jacq. (white-bryony), Tamus communis L. (black-bryony) and Lonicera periclymenum L. (honeysuckle) fruits have important applications as topical homemade remedies. The phenolic extracts of B. dioica, T. communis and L. periclymenum were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS, and further incorporated into hydrosoluble gels in order to evaluate their antioxidant potential. The hydrogels were prepared with each fruit extract at the EC50 value (obtained herein for each ethanolic extract). The antioxidant activity of extracts and hydrogels was evaluated following different chemical and biochemical assays. Eighteen compounds were identified in honeysuckle (7 flavonols, 7 hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives and 4 anthocyanins), fourteen in white-bryony (9 flavonols and 5 flavones) and twelve in black-bryony (7 flavonols and 5 flavones). Honeysuckle showed the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds, but the antioxidant activity was similar among the three assayed species. The obtained formulations revealed antioxidant activity close to 50% for reducing power, scavenging activity and β-carotene/linoleate assays. The studied fruits might be considered as good source of phenolic compounds that can be used in formulations for topical application, benefiting their antioxidant effects.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011). J.C.M. Barreira thanks to FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for his grant (SFRH/BPD/72802/2010). M. Dueñas thanks to the Programa Ramón y Cajal for a contract. The GIP-USAL is financially supported by the Spanish Government through the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Programme (FUN-C-FOOD, CSD2007-00063)