Hibiscus sabdariffa L. as a source of nutrients, bioactive compounds and colouring agents

The nutritional and bioactive composition of plants have aroused much interest not only among scientists, but also in people's daily lives. Apart from the health benefits, plants are a source of pigments that can be used as natural food colorants. In this work, the nutritional composition of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. was analysed, as well as its bioactive compounds and natural pigments. Glucose (sugar), malic acid (organic acid), a-tocopherol (tocopherol) and linoleic acid (fatty acid) were the major constituents in the corresponding classes. 5-(Hydroxymethyl) furfural was the most abundant non-anthocyanin compound, while delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside was the major anthocyanin both in its hydroethanolic extract and infusion. H. sabdariffa extracts showed antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, highlighting that the hydroethanol extract presents not only lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity, but also bactericidal/fungicidal inhibition ability for all the bacteria and fungi tested. Furthermore, both extracts revealed the absence of toxicity using porcine primary liver cells. The studied plant species was thus not only interesting for nutritional purposes but also for bioactive and colouring applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013) and under Programme NORTE2020 for the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289, as also for L. Barros contract. The authors are also grateful to the Interreg España-Portugal for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribution of the phenolic composition to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor potential of Equisetum giganteum L. and Tilia platyphyllos Scop.

Naturally-occurring phytochemicals have received pivotal attention in the last few years, due to the increasing evidence of biological activities. Thus, in the present study, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor potentials of hydroethanolic extracts rich in phenolic compounds obtained from Equisetum giganteum L. and Tilia platyphyllos Scop. were assessed and directly correlated with their content of phenolic compounds, by using HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis. T. platyphyllos showed the higher bioactive potential, evaluated in terms of antioxidant (radical scavenging effects-105 µg mL -1 , reducing power-123 µg mL -1 , ß-carotene bleaching inhibition-167 µg mL -1 , and lipid peroxidation inhibition-56 µg mL -1 ), anti-inflammatory (225 µg mL -1 inhibited 50% of nitric oxide production) and antitumor (breast-224 µg mL -1 ; lung-247 µg mL -1 ; cervical-195 µg mL -1 and hepatocellular-173 µg mL -1 carcinoma cells) activity, without having cytotoxic effects ( > 400 µg mL -1 ). These biological properties were positively correlated with its content and composition of phenolic compounds. Flavonoid contents were markedly higher than the content of phenolic acids, in both samples, being respectively 50.4 mg g -1 and 11.65 mg g -1 for T. platyphyllos, and 21.7 mg g -1 and 4.98 mg g -1 for E. giganteum. Moreover, while in E. giganteum extract, kaempferol-O-glucoside-O-rutinoside was the most abundant flavonoid, in T. platyphyllos extract protocatechuic acid and (-)-epicatechin were the most abundant phenolic acid and flavonoid, respectively. In relation to their content of phenolic acids, protocatechuic and caffeic acids existed in higher abundance in T. platyphyllos and E. giganteum hydroethanolic extracts, respectively. However, it would be interesting to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of both plant extracts to unveil the involved modes of action and to establish effective therapeutic doses.The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (Pest-OE/AGR/UI0690/2015) and to POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 006984 (LA LSRE-LCM) funded by ERDF through POCICOMPETE2020 and FCT. L. Barros and N. Martins thank FCT for their grants (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015 and SFRH/BD/87658/ 2012, respectively). The GIP-USAL is financially supported by the Spanish Government through the project AGL2015-64522- C2-2-R.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring the chemical and bioactive properties of: Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyces from Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

Different external factors influence the chemical characteristics of natural products, varying according to the geographic origin. The present study determined the nutritional and chemical composition of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. dried calyces (Guinea-Bissauan origin), as well as the phenolic composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of its infusion and hydroethanolic extracts. Among the chemical composition, glucose and quinic acid showed the major concentration for sugars and organic acids, respectively. Palmitic acid and α-tocopherol were the most abundant lipophilic compounds. The individual phenolic compounds were analysed through HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. Thirteen compounds were identified in the hydroethanolic extract, while twelve were identified in the infusion, being 3- O-caffeoylquinic acid the major non-anthocyanin compound. Three anthocyanins were identified, being delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside the most abundant. Both extracts showed promising results in all the bioactive assays. This study exhibited beneficial properties of H. sabdariffa and also emphasized the potential applications of this plant in different industrial sectors.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013), as also for L. Barros contract. The authors are also grateful to the Interreg España-Portugal for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289: DeCodE and project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247- FEDER-024479: ValorNatural®, and to the Ministry of Education, Sciences and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, grant No. 173032.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioactive properties and functional constituents of Hypericum androsaemum L.: A focus on the phenolic profile

Hypericum androsaemum L. ethanol:water extract acted as a lipid peroxidation inhibitor and free radical scavenger. A marked inhibition of the growth of breast, lung, cervical and hepatocellular human carcinoma cell lines was also observed, whereas no toxicity was shown against non-tumor porcine liver cells (> 400 ?g/mL). The extract was also effective in inhibiting nitric oxide production, as an indicator of the anti-inflammatory potential. The anti-Candida effects varied among different strains of the same species, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis being the most sensible species with an effect directly related with the extract concentrations tested. A significant anti-biofilm formation potential was also observed, namely for C. glabrata and C. tropicalis (biofilm reduction > 90%). 5-O-Caffeoylquinic and 3-O-caffeoylquinic acids were the most abundant phenolic compounds identified in the extract, and might be related with the observed bioactive effects. Nevertheless, future studies should be carried out to obtain dose-response curves of the isolated active compounds, in order to perform further pre-clinically testing to quantify the presence of the most active compounds in the extract.The authors thank the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013), LSRE (Project UID/EQU/50020/2013), N. Martins (SFRH/BD/87658/2012), S. Silva (SFRH/BPD/109053/2015) and L. Barros (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015) grants. The authors would also like to thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Cnpq), and Fundação Araucária for the financial support received. Flávia Tobaldini-Valerio, acknowledge the financial support of CAPES – Proc. 9469/14-1. The authors also thank FCT for the Strategic Project of the UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, FCT and European Union funds (FEDER/COMPETE) for the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP- 01-0124-FEDER-027462)

HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS phenolic characterization and biological activity of Equisetum giganteum L.

Naturally-occurring phytochemicals have received a pivotal attention in the last years, due to the increasing evidences of biological activities. Equisetum giganteum L., commonly known as “giant horsetail”, is a native plant from Central and South America, being largely used in dietary supplements as diuretic, hemostatic, antiinflammatory and anti-rheumatic agents [1,2]. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant (scavenging effects on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals- RSA, reducing power- RP, β-carotene bleaching inhibition- CBI and lipid peroxidation inhibition- LPI), anti-inflammatory (inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharidestimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages) and cytotoxic (in a panel of four human tumor cell lines: MCF-7- breast adenocarcinoma, NCI-H460- non-small cell lung cancer, HeLa- cervical carcinoma and HepG2- hepatocellular carcinoma; and in non-tumor porcine liver primary cells- PLP2) properties of E. giganteum, providing a phytochemical characterization of its extract (ethanol/water, 80:20, v/v), by using highperformance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD–ESI/MS). E. giganteum presented fourteen phenolic compounds, two phenolic acids and twelve flavonol glycoside derivatives, mainly kaempferol derivatives, accounting to 81% of the total phenolic content, being kaempferol-O-glucoside-O-rutinoside, the most abundant molecule (7.6 mg/g extract). The extract exhibited antioxidant (EC50 values = 123, 136, 202 and 57.4 μg/mL for RSA, RP, CBI and LPI, respectively), anti-inflammatory (EC50 value = 239 μg/mL) and cytotoxic (GI50 values = 250, 258, 268 and 239 μg/mL for MCF-7, NCI-H460, HeLa and HepG2, respectively) properties, which were positively correlated with its concentration in phenolic compounds. Furthermore, up to 400 μg/mL, it did not revealed toxicity in non-tumor liver cells. Thus, this study highlights the potential of E. giganteum extracts as rich sources of phenolic compounds that can be used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields

Evaluation of extra-virgin olive oils shelf life using an electronic tongue-chemometric approach

Physicochemical quality parameters, olfactory and gustatoryretronasal positive sensations of extra-virgin olive oils vary during storage leading to a decrease in the overall quality. Olive oil quality decline may prevent the compliance of olive oil quality with labeling and significantly reduce shelf life, resulting in important economic losses and negatively condition the consumer confidence. The feasibility of applying an electronic tongue to assess olive oils usual commercial light storage conditions and storage time was evaluated and compared with the discrimination potential of physicochemical or positive olfactory/gustatory sensorial parameters. Linear discriminant models, based on subsets of 58 electronic tongue sensor signals, selected by the meta-heuristic simulated annealing variable selection algorithm, allowed the correct classification of olive oils according to the light exposition conditions and/or storage time (sensitivities and specificities for leave-one-out cross-validation: 8296 %). The predictive performance of the E-tongue approach was further evaluated using an external independent dataset selected using the KennardStone algorithm and, in general, better classification rates (sensitivities and specificities for external dataset: 67100 %) were obtained compared to those achieved using physicochemical or sensorial data. So, the work carried out is a proof-of-principle that the proposed electrochemical device could be a practical and versatile tool for, in a single and fast electrochemical assay, successfully discriminate olive oils with different storage times and/or exposed to different light conditions.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, from Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984—Associate Laboratory LSRELCM funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI)—and by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and under the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit. Nuno Rodrigues thanks FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for the Ph.D. Grant (SFRH/BD/104038/2014).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trammel net catch species composition, catch rates and metiers in southern European waters: A multivariate approach

We identified and quantified the effect of season, depth, and inner and outer panel mesh size on the trammel net catch species composition and catch rates in four southern European areas (Northeast Atlantic: Basque Country, Spain; Algarve, Portugal; Gulf of Cadiz, Spain; Mediterranean: Cyclades, Greece), all of which are characterised by important trammel net fisheries. In each area, we conducted, in 1999-2000, seasonal, experimental fishing trials at various depths with trammel nets of six different inner/outer panel mesh combinations (i.e., two large outer panel meshes and three small inner panel meshes). Overall, our study covered some of the most commonly used inner panel mesh sizes, ranging from 40 to 140 mm (stretched). We analysed the species composition and catch rates of the different inner/outer panel combinations with regression, multivariate analysis (cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling) and other 'community' techniques (number of species, dominance curves). All our analyses indicated that the outer panel mesh sizes used in the present study did not significantly affect the catch characteristics in terms of number of species, catch rates and species composition. Multivariate analyses and seasonal dominance plots indicated that in Basque, Algarve and Cyclades waters, where sampling covered wide depth ranges, both season and depth strongly affected catch species compositions. For the Gulf of Cadiz, where sampling was restricted to depths 10-30 m, season was the only factor affecting catch species composition and thus group formation. In contrast, the inner panel mesh size did not generally affect multidimensional group formation in all areas but affected the dominance of the species caught in the Algarve and the Gulf of Cadiz. Multivariate analyses also revealed 11 different metiers (i.e., season-depth-species-inner panel mesh size combinations) in the four areas. This clearly indicated the existence of trammel net 'hot spots', which represent essential habitats (e.g., spawning, nursery or wintering grounds) of the life history of the targeted and associated species. The number of specimens caught declined significantly with inner panel mesh size in all areas. We attributed this to the exponential decline in abundance with size, both within- and between-species. In contrast, the number of species caught in each area was not related to the inner mesh size. This was unexpected and might be a consequence of the wide size-selective range of trammel nets. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved

Culex pipiens, an Experimental Efficient Vector of West Nile and Rift Valley Fever Viruses in the Maghreb Region

West Nile fever (WNF) and Rift Valley fever (RVF) are emerging diseases causing epidemics outside their natural range of distribution. West Nile virus (WNV) circulates widely and harmlessly in the old world among birds as amplifying hosts, and horses and humans as accidental dead-end hosts. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) re-emerges periodically in Africa causing massive outbreaks. In the Maghreb, eco-climatic and entomologic conditions are favourable for WNV and RVFV emergence. Both viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the Culex pipiens complex. We evaluated the ability of different populations of Cx. pipiens from North Africa to transmit WNV and the avirulent RVFV Clone 13 strain. Mosquitoes collected in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia during the summer 2010 were experimentally infected with WNV and RVFV Clone 13 strain at titers of 107.8 and 108.5 plaque forming units/mL, respectively. Disseminated infection and transmission rates were estimated 14–21 days following the exposure to the infectious blood-meal. We show that 14 days after exposure to WNV, all mosquito st developed a high disseminated infection and were able to excrete infectious saliva. However, only 69.2% of mosquito strains developed a disseminated infection with RVFV Clone 13 strain, and among them, 77.8% were able to deliver virus through saliva. Thus, Cx. pipiens from the Maghreb are efficient experimental vectors to transmit WNV and to a lesser extent, RVFV Clone 13 strain. The epidemiologic importance of our findings should be considered in the light of other parameters related to mosquito ecology and biology