Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Aerial Part Extracts from Matthiola incana subsp. rupestris and subsp. pulchella (Brassicaceae) Endemic to Sicily

As part of a project aimed at investigating the Matthiola taxa endemic to Sicily (Italy), this study focused on Matthiola incana, an edible species used in the traditional medicine of various countries. Herein, the characterization of phenolic and volatile compounds, the antioxidant capacity in vitro (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays) and the toxicity test (Artemia salina lethality bioassay) of the hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts of M. incana subsp. rupestris from Mt. Pellegrino (Palermo) and Mt. Erice (Trapani), and of M. incana subsp. pulchella are reported. The results are compared with those previously shown for M. incana subsp. incana, to achieve a comprehensive overview of the three subspecies. The HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS and SPME-GC/MS analyses led to the identification of 13 phenolics and 54 volatile compounds. Differences in the qualitative-quantitative profile of these phytochemicals have been highlighted between the M. incana subspecies. The antioxidant tests showed different activity for the extracts, which were found to possess better chelating properties. At last, none of the tested extracts displayed toxicity against brine shrimp larvae. These findings enrich the knowledge on the Matthiola taxa growing wild in Sicily, both from the strictly systematic point of view and for the possible applications as sources bioactive compounds that can be used in the nutraceutical field

Phytochemical Constituents, Antioxidant Activity, and Toxicity Assessment of the Aerial Part Extracts from the Infraspecific Taxa of Matthiola fruticulosa (Brassicaceae) Endemic to Sicily

In a project designed to investigate the specific and infraspecific taxa of Matthiola endemic to Sicily (Italy) as new potential sources of bioactive compounds in this work, the infraspecific taxa of Matthiola fruticulosa were studied, namely, subsp. fruticulosa and subsp. coronopifolia. HPLC–PDA/ESI–MS and SPME–GC/MS analyses of hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of the two subspecies led to the detection of 51 phenolics and 61 volatile components, highlighting a quite different qualitative–quantitative profile. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were explored through in vitro methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays. The results of the antioxidant tests showed that the extracts possess a different antioxidant ability: particularly, the extract of M. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa exhibited higher radical scavenging activity than that of subsp. coronopifolia (IC50 = 1.25 ± 0.02 mg/mL and 2.86 ± 0.05 mg/mL), which in turn displayed better chelating properties (IC50 = 1.49 ± 0.01 mg/mL and 0.63 ± 0.01 mg/mL). Lastly, Artemia salina lethality bioassay was performed for toxicity assessment. The results of the bioassay showed lack of toxicity against brine shrimp larvae for both extracts. The data presented indicate the infraspecific taxa of M. fruticulosa as new and safe sources of antioxidant compounds

Determination of the Phenolic Profile by Liquid Chromatography, Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Toxicity of Moroccan Erica multiflora, Erica scoparia, and Calluna vulgaris (Ericaceae)

This study aimed to investigate the phenolic profile and selected biological activities of the leaf and aerial extracts of three Ericaceae species, namely Erica multiflora, Erica scoparia, and Calluna vulgaris, collected from three different places in the north of Morocco. The phenolic composition of all extracts was determined by LC coupled with photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection. Among the investigated extracts, that of E. scoparia aerial parts was the richest one, with a total amount of polyphenols of 9528.93 mg/kg. Up to 59 phenolic compounds were detected: 52 were positively identified and 49 quantified—11 in C. vulgaris, 14 in E. multiflora, and 24 in E. scoparia. In terms of chemical classes, nine were phenolic acids and 43 were flavonoids, and among them, the majority belonged to the class of flavonols. The antioxidant activity of all extracts was investigated by three different in vitro methods, namely DPPH, reducing power, and Fe2+ chelating assays; E. scoparia aerial part extract was the most active, with an IC50 of 0.142 ± 0.014 mg/mL (DPPH test) and 1.898 ± 0.056 ASE/mL (reducing power assay). Further, all extracts were non-toxic against Artemia salina, thus indicating their potential safety. The findings attained in this work for such Moroccan Ericaceae species, never investigated so far, bring novelty to the field and show them to be valuable sources of phenolic compounds with interesting primary antioxidant properties