Physiological responses of native Tunisian grapevines and some rootstocks to direct iron deficiency

Research Not

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction: Effect of Extraction Time and Solvent Power on the Levels of Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Mesembryanthemum edule L. Aizoaceae Shoots

Purpose: To investigate the influence of extraction conditions assisted by ultrasound on the quality of extracts obtained from Mesembryanthemum edule shoots.Methods: The extraction procedure was carried out in an ultrasonic bath. The effect of two solvents (methanol and ethanol) and two extraction times (5 and 10 min) were evaluated on the basis of the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the plant extract.Results: Significant variability in phenolic content and antioxidant activity, depending on the solvent (S), and to a lesser degree, extraction duration (D) and their interaction (S/D) were found. Methanol extract was significantly richer in total polyphenols than ethanol extract, their levels being 104.7 and 74.2 mg GAE.g-1DW, respectively. For the two solvents used, longer extraction duration yielded higher polyphenol content. The ethanol extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity than the methanol extract. Moreover, Also, the longer sonication duration (10 min) yielded extracts with higher antioxidant activities.Conclusion: The antioxidant capacity of M. edule is strongly influenced by the nature of the extracting solvent and the duration of sonication extraction.Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Extraction duration, Mesembryanthemum edule, Polyphenols, Sonicatio

Phenolic nature, occurrence and polymerization degree as marker of environmental adaptation in the edible halophyte Mesembryanthemum edule

AbstractMesembryanthemum edule is an edible medicinal halophyte traditionally used to treat several human diseases. In this study, particular importance was attached to the influence of environmental conditions on phenolic composition and antioxidant activities of two M. edule provenances from contrasting climatic regions (Djerba and Monastir sampled from arid and superior semi-arid bioclimatic stages, respectively). Shoot phenolic content was evaluated using colorimetric method and its composition was identified by HPLC analysis with or without thiolysis. Antioxidant activities were assessed by five in vitro antioxidant systems. Results showed that the two M. edule provenances were significantly different according to their antioxidant activity as well as their polyphenol profiles. Indeed, plants from Djerba (lack of rainfall and long light hour periods) exhibited stronger antioxidant activity together with higher phenolic content. For instance, Djerba provenance shoots showed much lower IC50 (4.8μgml−1) and EC50 (80μgml−1) values for DPPH and Fe-reducing tests, respectively. In addition, the superiority of this provenance (Djerba) was more marked as compared to positive controls (BHT, BHA, and VitC). HPLC identification revealed also an important difference between the two provenances on major flavonoid components. This difference was confirmed by the mean degrees of tannin polymerization (DPn) which was higher in Djerba plants. These data suggest that M. edule adaptation to environmental stresses proceeds through induced particular phenol quality and DPn for the improvement of their antioxidant capacities to protect plant tissues against oxidative stress

Phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of Lavandula dentate extracts

Le but de ce travail consiste à étudier la composition des huiles essentielles et des polyphénols des racines, des tiges et des feuilles de la Lavande dentée et d’évaluer leurs potentialités antioxydantes. L’analyse et la quantification des huiles essentielles a montré que les feuilles sont les plus riches en huiles essentielles (0.89 mg/g MS) suivies par les tiges (0.68 mg/g MS) et enfin les racines (0,23 mg/g MS). Le constituant majeur de l’HE des racines est: le β-ocimène. D’autre part, le limonène représente le composé majeur de l’HE des tiges. Quant à l’HE des feuilles, elle est dominée par le camphre. D’autre part, nos résultats ont montré que les organes de la lavande montrent des teneurs en polyphénols totaux élevées et variables selon l’organe étudié. En effet, les extraits des racines sont caractérisés par le contenu le plus élevé en polyphénols. D’autre part, l’étude de l’activité antioxydante des extraits des différents organes a indiqué que les extraits de la racine sont particulièrement les plus actifs et que leur analyse par RP-HPLC a montré que ces derniers sont riches essentiellement en acide rosmarinique. Finalement, les extraits de la Lavande dentée et particulièrement ceux de la racine peuvent être considérés comme des sources alternatives d’antioxydants naturels puissants qui peuvent être utilisés en industrie agroalimentaire et pharmaceutique.In this study, Lavandula dentata organs (roots, stems and leaves) were investigated for their essential oils, total phenolics, flavonoids contents and antioxidant activities. Essential oil yields were 0.22% in roots, 0.68 % in stems and 0.89 % in flowers. Major components of the oils were β-ocimene, limonene and 1,8 cineol in roots, stems and leaves and flowers, respectively. In all organs, total phenolics content ranged from 42.57 to 16.17 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dry weight (mg GAE/g DW).The antioxidant activities of Lavandula dentata extracts obtained from the three organs were assessed using two tests (DPPH and reducing power). The root extract was strongly effective as DPPH radical scavenger and reducing agent. Thus, the identification of individual target polyphenolic compounds of roots was performed by RP-HPLC. The major phenolic compound detected in roots was rosmarinic acid. This activity was high enough for the plant to be a new and natural source of strongly antioxidant substances for use as natural additives in food and pharmaceutical industry

Antioxidant and antimicrobial phenolic compounds from extracts of cultivated and wild-grown Tunisian Ruta chalepensis

The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of phenolic compounds from cultivated and wild Tunisian Ruta chalepensis L. leaves, stems, and flowers were assessed. The leaves and the flowers exhibited high but similar total polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin content. Moreover, two organs showed strong, although not significantly different, total antioxidant activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging ability, and reducing power. Investigation of the phenolic composition showed that vanillic acid and coumarin were the major compounds in the two organs, with higher percentages in the cultivated organs than in the spontaneous organs. Furthermore, R. chalepensis extracts showed marked antibacterial properties against human pathogen strains, and the activity was organ- and origin-dependent. Spontaneous stems had the strongest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From these results, it was concluded that domestication of Ruta did not significantly affect its chemical composition and consequently the possibility of using R. chalpensis organs as a potential source of natural antioxidants and as an antimicrobial agent in the food industry

Anti-aging activities of extracts from Tunisian medicinal halophytes and their aromatic constituents

Six medicinal halophytes widely represented in North Africa and commonly used in traditional medicine were screened for pharmacological properties to set out new promising sources of natural ingredients for cosmetic or nutraceutical applications. Thus, Citrullus colocynthis, Cleome arabica, Daemia cordata, Haloxylon articulatum, Pituranthos scoparius and Scorzonera undulata were examined for their in vitro antioxidant (DPPH scavenging and superoxide anion-scavenging, β-carotene bleaching inhibition and iron-reducing tests), antibacterial (microdi- lution method, against four human pathogenic bacteria) and anti-tyrosinase activities. Besides, their aromatic com- position was determined by RP-HPLC. H. articulatum shoot extracts exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity and inhibited efficiently the growth of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli. P. scoparius and C. arabica inhibited slightly monophenolase, whereas H. articulatum was the most efficient inhibitor of diphenolase activity. Furthermore, H. articulatum exhibited the highest aromatic content (3.4 % DW), with dopamine as the major com- pound. These observations suggest that shoot extract of H. articulatum, and to a lesser extent of C. arabica, could otic as well as new natural skin lightening agents. Also, possible implication of aromatic compounds in anti-tyrosinase activity is discussed