Botanical and Genetic Identification Followed by Investigation of Chemical Composition and Biological Activities on the Scabiosa atropurpurea L. Stem from Tunisian Flora

Scarce information about the phenolic composition of Scabiosa atropurpurea L. is available, and no carotenoid compounds have been reported thus far. In this study the phenolic and carotenoid composition of this plant was both investigated and associated bioactivities were evaluated. Aiming to obtain extracts and volatile fractions of known medicinal plants to valorize them in the pharmaceutical or food industries, two techniques of extraction and five solvents were used to determine the biologically active compounds. Gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization and mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry highlighted the presence of 15 volatiles, 19 phenolic, and 24 natural pigments in Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem samples; among them, the most abundant were 1,8-cineole, chlorogenic acid, cynaroside, and lutein. Bioactivity was assessed by a set of in vitro tests checking for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and allelopathic (against Brassica oleracea L. and Lens culinaris Medik) effects. Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem extracts presented a considerable antioxidant, antibacterial, and allelopathic potential, with less antifungal effectiveness. These results indicate that the volatile fractions and extracts from S. atropurpurea L. stem could be considered as a good source of bioactive agents, with possible applications in food-related, agriculture, and pharmaceutical fields. Genetic investigations showed 97% of similarity with Scabiosa tschiliensis, also called Japanese Scabiosa

Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica: Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of Hydromethanolic Extracts from Aerial Parts

Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica belonging to the Lamiaceae family are well-known for their biological properties. The phenolic composition was characterized using HPLC coupled to photodiode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The antioxidant capacity was assessed by 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by disc-diffusion and broth micro-dilution methods. A total of 53 phenolic compounds were identified in both extracts, with the predominance of caffeoylquinic acid isomers with a content of 2.09 mg/g in A. alpinus extract, while coumarylquinic acid isomers with a content of 17.33 mg/g was determined in Z. hispanica extract. The Acinos alpinus extract displayed the highest radical scavenging activity (IC50 DPPH = 3.226±0.035 mg/mL) and reducing power (EC50 FRAP = 3.792±0.001 mg/mL), followed by Z. hispanica extract with IC50 DPPH value of 7.265±0.209 mg/mL, and EC50 FRAP value of 24.689± 0.106 mg/mL. Furthermore, both A. alpinus and Z. hispanica extracts exhibited a bactericidal effect against six pathogenic bacteria with a MIC value from 4.16 to 33.33 mg/mL. On the basis of the results achieved, the aerial parts of Moroccan Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica might be used as natural agents in the food and pharmaceutical field

Chemical characterization of Anthemis parlatoreana fresh and dried aerial parts by GC and LC chromatographic techniques and evaluation of the antioxidant properties

Anthemis parlatoreana was collected in the north west coast of Sicily. Fresh and dried aerial parts were subjected to distillation procedure for the extraction and isolation of essential oils. In both fresh and dried samples, the most abundant chemical classes were ketones and esters, represented to a greater extent by β-thujone and β-artemisia acetate, respectively. In dried vegetable material, a high content of α-pinene and δ3-carene was also registered. Aqueous, methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of aerial parts were also investigated in terms of polyphenolic content and antioxidant potential. All the extracts tested showed a quite different quali-quantitative profile and in terms of chemical classes, most of compounds belonged to the hydroxycinnamic class (15 compounds) followed by flavonoid one (11 compounds); the rest was comprised of 2 sequiterpenoids, 2 organic acids and 1 hydroxybenzoic acid derivative. Further, the dried methanolic followed by the dried aqueous extracts revealed the best quenching ability, whereas concerning iron chelating capacity, although all of them showed a marked capacity to disrupt or inhibit the formation of iron (II)-Ferrozine complex, a slight difference was observed between the dried and the fresh ones, since the former have a slightly higher chelating power than the latter

Phytochemical characterization and antioxidant activity of the aerial part extracts from two species of Matthiola wild in Sicily: Matthiola sinuata and M. tricuspidata (Brassicaceae)

As part of a project aimed at investigating the specific and intraspecific taxa of Matthiola which grow spontaneously in Sicily (Italy), in this work our research has been focused on Matthiola tricuspidata and Matthiola sinuata. The phenolic and volatile compounds of the hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts of the selected species have been characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS and SPME-GC/MS analyses. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity in vitro (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays) and the toxicity (Artemia salina lethality bioassay) of the extracts were investigated. The phytochemical analyses highlighted quite different phenolic and volatile profiles in the two species. Concerning the antioxidant properties, M. tricuspidata extract resulted the most active both in the DPPH and in the reducing power tests (IC50 = 1.20 ± 0.01 mg/mL and ASE/mL = 11.25 ± 0.97), whereas M. sinuata extract showed better secondary antioxidant properties (IC50 = 1.32±0.02mg/mL). The extracts resulted non-toxic in the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. Our findings indicate that both M. tricuspidata and M. sinuata represent new safe sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential