Antibacterial activity of Maroccan Zantaz honey and the influence of its physicochemical parameters using chemometric tools

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has prompted the development of alternative therapies, including the use of natural products with antibacterial properties. The antibacterial properties of Zantaz honey produced in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated and analyzed using chemometric tools. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against S. aureus were the lowest (112.5 54.5 mg/mL), revealing that this species was most sensitive to Zantaz honey. P. aeruginosa showed an intermediate sensitivity (MIC= 118.75 51.9 mg/mL), while E. coli was the most resistant to treatment (MIC = 175 61.2 mg/mL). Content of monosaccharides, certain minerals, and phenolic compounds correlated with antibacterial activity (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis of physicochemical characteristics and antibacterial activity indicated that the parameters most associated with antibacterial activity were color, acidity, and content of melanoidins, fructose, epicatechin, methyl syringate, 4-coumaric acid, and 3-coumaric acidinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Potential of Parsley Polyphenols and Their Antioxidant Capacity to Help in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: An In Vivo Subacute Study

Depression and anxiety are major mental health problems in all parts of the world. These illnesses are associated with a number of risk factors, including oxidative stress. Psychotropic drugs of a chemical nature have demonstrated several side effects that elevated the impact of those illnesses. Faced with this situation, natural products appear to be a promising alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of the Petroselinum sativum polyphenols in vivo, as well as its correlated antioxidant properties in vitro. Anxiolytic activity of the extract (50 and 100 mg/kg) was evaluated using the open field and the light-dark chamber tests, while the antidepressant activity was evaluated using the forced swimming test. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical test and the FRAP (iron-reducing capacity) test. The phenolic extract showed very powerful anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects, especially at a dose of 100 mg/kg, decreasing the depressive behavior in mice (decreased immobility time) and also the anxiolytic behavior (tendency for discovery in the center and illuminated areas) better even than those of paroxetine and bromazepam (classic drugs) concomitant with those results the extract also showed an important antioxidant capacity. These preliminary results suggest that Petroselinum sativum exhibits anxiolytic and antidepressant potential for use as a complement or independent phytomedicine to treat depression and anxiety

The Impact of Apple Variety and the Production Methods on the Antibacterial Activity of Vinegar Samples

Apple vinegar is a natural product widely used in food and traditional medicine as it contains many bioactive compounds. The apple variety and production methods are two factors that play a major role in determining the quality of vinegar. Therefore, this study aims to determine the quality of apple vinegar samples from different varieties (Red Delicious, Gala, Golden Delicious, and Starking Delicious) prepared by three methods using small apple pieces, apple juice, and crushed apple, through determining the physicochemical properties and antibacterial activity of these samples. The antibacterial activity was studied against five pathogenic bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli (ATB: 57), Escherichia coli (ATB: 97), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using two methods, disk diffusion and microdilution, for determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations and the minimum bactericidal concentrations. The results of this study showed that the lowest pH value was 3.6 for Stark Delicious, obtained by liquid fermentation, and the highest acetic acid values were 4.7 and 4% for the vinegar of Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, prepared by solid fermentation, respectively. The results of the antibacterial activity showed considerable activity of apple vinegar on the tested strains. Generally, the Staphylococcus aureus strain appears less sensitive and Pseudomonas aeruginosa seems to be very sensitive against all samples, while the other strains have distinct sensitivities depending on the variety studied and the method used. A higher antibacterial activity was found in vinegar obtained by the apple pieces method and the Red Delicious variety, with a low MIC and MBC recorded, at 1.95 and 3.90 µL/mL, respectively. This study has shown that the choice of both apple variety and production method is therefore an essential step in determining and aiming for the desired quality of apple vinegar

An Insight into the Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-Like Proprieties of Carum carvi L. and Their Association with Its Antioxidant Activity

Depression and anxiety are widespread illnesses whose consequences on patients’ social and professional lives are becoming ever more dangerous and severe. The study’s objective is to explore the antidepressant-like and anxiolytic activity of the polyphenolic extract of Carum carvi L. as well as its antioxidant power as they were recently associated. The predictive antidepressant activity was evaluated using the forced swimming and tail suspension test in mice, a preclinical behavioral model widely used to determine the efficacy of antidepressant drugs. As for anxiolytic-like activity, two models were used, namely the light/dark chamber test to measure the animal’s degree of anxiety and the open field test to evaluate both anxiolytic and locomotor activity. The tests results indicate a remarkable antidepressant and anxiolytic-like effect after oral administration of the polyphenolic fraction of C. carvi and interesting antioxidant property. In the extract it has been confirmed the presence of 6 molecules belonging to polyphenols, identified with HPLC analysis. This study confirms and encourages the traditional use of the extract and appeals to further studies to understand its action mechanism

An Insight into the Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-Like Proprieties of Carum carvi L. and Their Association with Its Antioxidant Activity

Depression and anxiety are widespread illnesses whose consequences on patients’ social and professional lives are becoming ever more dangerous and severe. The study’s objective is to explore the antidepressant-like and anxiolytic activity of the polyphenolic extract of Carum carvi L. as well as its antioxidant power as they were recently associated. The predictive antidepressant activity was evaluated using the forced swimming and tail suspension test in mice, a preclinical behavioral model widely used to determine the efficacy of antidepressant drugs. As for anxiolytic-like activity, two models were used, namely the light/dark chamber test to measure the animal’s degree of anxiety and the open field test to evaluate both anxiolytic and locomotor activity. The tests results indicate a remarkable antidepressant and anxiolytic-like effect after oral administration of the polyphenolic fraction of C. carvi and interesting antioxidant property. In the extract it has been confirmed the presence of 6 molecules belonging to polyphenols, identified with HPLC analysis. This study confirms and encourages the traditional use of the extract and appeals to further studies to understand its action mechanism

Chemical Composition and Anti-Urolithiatic Activity of Extracts from Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels Press-Cake and Acacia senegal (L.) Willd

Ethnobotanical studies have reported the traditional medicinal uses of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels against kidney stone formation and other chronic kidney diseases. The present work is undertaken to study the litholytic activity and the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization by bioactive compounds identified in Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels press-cake (residue of Argan oil) and in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. The litholytic activity was studied in vitro on cystine and uric acid stones using a porous bag and an Erlenmeyer glass. The study of the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization, was based on temporal measurements of the optical density, registered at a 620 nm wavelength for 30 min using an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer. The silylation method was performed to identify phytochemicals, followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS) analysis. The results show significant litholytic activity of Argania Spinosa press-cake hydro-ethanolic extract on uric acid and cystine stones, respectively, with dissolution rates (DR) of 86.38% and 60.42% versus 3.23% and 9.48% for the hydro-ethanolic extract of Acacia senegal exudate. Furthermore, the percentages of nucleation inhibition are 83.78% and 43.77% (p ˂ 0.05) for Argania spinosa and Acacia senegal, respectively. The results point to the detection of 17 phytochemicals in Argania spinosa press-cake extract, the majority of which are phenolic acids and have potent anti-urolithiatic action

Chemical Composition and Anti-Urolithiatic Activity of Extracts from Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels Press-Cake and Acacia senegal (L.) Willd

Ethnobotanical studies have reported the traditional medicinal uses of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels against kidney stone formation and other chronic kidney diseases. The present work is undertaken to study the litholytic activity and the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization by bioactive compounds identified in Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels press-cake (residue of Argan oil) and in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. The litholytic activity was studied in vitro on cystine and uric acid stones using a porous bag and an Erlenmeyer glass. The study of the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization, was based on temporal measurements of the optical density, registered at a 620 nm wavelength for 30 min using an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer. The silylation method was performed to identify phytochemicals, followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS) analysis. The results show significant litholytic activity of Argania Spinosa press-cake hydro-ethanolic extract on uric acid and cystine stones, respectively, with dissolution rates (DR) of 86.38% and 60.42% versus 3.23% and 9.48% for the hydro-ethanolic extract of Acacia senegal exudate. Furthermore, the percentages of nucleation inhibition are 83.78% and 43.77% (p ˂ 0.05) for Argania spinosa and Acacia senegal, respectively. The results point to the detection of 17 phytochemicals in Argania spinosa press-cake extract, the majority of which are phenolic acids and have potent anti-urolithiatic action

Chemical Composition and Anti-Urolithiatic Activity of Extracts from Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels Press-Cake and Acacia senegal (L.) Willd

Ethnobotanical studies have reported the traditional medicinal uses of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels against kidney stone formation and other chronic kidney diseases. The present work is undertaken to study the litholytic activity and the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization by bioactive compounds identified in Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels press-cake (residue of Argan oil) and in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. The litholytic activity was studied in vitro on cystine and uric acid stones using a porous bag and an Erlenmeyer glass. The study of the inhibiting activity of calcium oxalate crystallization, was based on temporal measurements of the optical density, registered at a 620 nm wavelength for 30 min using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The silylation method was performed to identify phytochemicals, followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS) analysis. The results show significant litholytic activity of Argania Spinosa press-cake hydro-ethanolic extract on uric acid and cystine stones, respectively, with dissolution rates (DR) of 86.38% and 60.42% versus 3.23% and 9.48% for the hydro-ethanolic extract of Acacia senegal exudate. Furthermore, the percentages of nucleation inhibition are 83.78% and 43.77% (p < 0.05) for Argania spinosa and Acacia senegal, respectively. The results point to the detection of 17 phytochemicals in Argania spinosa press-cake extract, the majority of which are phenolic acids and have potent anti-urolithiatic action.Peer reviewe

Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Various Propolis Samples Collected from an African and an Asian Region and Their Impact on Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

The biological activities of propolis samples are the result of many bioactive compounds present in the propolis. The aim of the present study was to determine the various chemical compounds of some selected propolis samples collected from Palestine and Morocco by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Photodiode Array Detection (HPLC-PDA) method, as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of this bee product. The chemical analysis of propolis samples by HPLC-PDA shows the cinnamic acid content in the Palestinian sample is higher compared to that in Moroccan propolis. The results of antioxidant activity demonstrated an important free radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and reducing power assays) with EC50 values ranging between 0.02 ± 0.001 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Additionally, all tested propolis samples possessed a moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Notably, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) values ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL for Gram-negative bacterial strains and from 0.09 to 0.125 mg/mL for Gram-positive bacterial strains. The S2 sample from Morocco and the S4 sample from Palestine had the highest content of polyphenol level. Thus, the strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties were apparently due to the high total phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents in the samples. As a conclusion, the activities of propolis samples collected from both countries are similar, while the cinnamic acid in the Palestinian samples was more than that of the Moroccan samples

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Potentials, and Calcium Oxalate Anticrystallization Activity of Polyphenol and Saponin Fractions from Argania spinosa L. Press Cake

A wide range of biological properties and a potent therapeutic and prophylactic effect on chronic diseases are all present in Argania spinosa L. press cake. The aim of this research is to valorize the anticrystallization properties against calcium oxalate crystals of Argania spinosa L. press cake fractions and identify its bioactive components. Chemical species identification was performed using GC–MS analysis. The turbidimetric model was used to investigate crystallization inhibition in vitro. Infrared spectroscopy technique was used to characterize the synthesized crystals. Furthermore, both DPPH and FRAP methods were used to assess antioxidant activity. The results show that the fractions are equally important in crystallization inhibition percentages of calcium oxalate crystals. For saponin and polyphenol fractions, the inhibition percentages are in the orders of 83.49% and 82.83%, respectively. The results of the antioxidant activity by DPPH method show that the two fractions are equally important in the elimination of free radicals; the inhibition percentages were 77.87 ± 4.21 and 89.92 ± 1.39 for both polyphenols and saponins, respectively. FRAP method showed that the absorbance increases proportionally with concentration, and the absorbance are almost similar for both fractions and reach maximum values in the orders of 0.52 ± 0.07 and 0.42 ± 0.03, respectively, for saponins and polyphenols. These findings demonstrate that both fractions are rich in bioactive chemicals and have an anticrystallization capacity, allowing them to be employed for the curative and prophylactic effects against urolithiasis