Polyphenol composition and in vitro antiproliferative effect of corm, tepal and leaf from Crocus sativus L. on human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2)

25 Páginas, 3 Figuras, 3 TablasSaffron is cultivated for production of the saffron spice. Nevertheless, a huge amount of saffron by-products including corms, tepals and leaves with little or no commercial value are generated during the processing of the spice. This biomass contains bioactive compounds whose exploitation can increase the profitability and sustainability of this traditional crop. A significant amount of polyphenols, mainly glycosides of kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin, have been determined in tepals and leaves of saffron. Proliferation of Caco-2 cells was greatly inhibited by the tepal and leaf extracts (ED50 0.42 mg/ml), while the corm extract caused some signs of toxicity and completely abolished proliferation (ED50 0.05 mg/ml). To our knowledge, these are the first data reporting the inhibition of the proliferation of Caco-2 cells by extracts from tepals and leaves of saffron, and polyphenols could be responsible for this effect.This work has been supported by the grant RTA2013-00005-00-00 (INIA, Spain) and is part of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) carried out in the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) and supported by the grant COST ActionFA1101 (http://www.saffronomics.org). We are grateful to the European Social Fund, Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha and Junta de Andalucía for additional financing.Peer reviewe

Antifeedant effects of common terpenes from Mediterranean aromatic plants on Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Essential oil terpenes are secondary metabolites produced in different biological pathways as pollinator attraction signals, but also as defense mechanisms against insect pests, herbivores, microorganisms, competing plants, etc. In this context, we have evaluated a total of 24 terpenes commonly found in Mediterranean aromatic plants, including 8 monoterpene hydrocarbons, 9 oxygenated monoterpenes, 2 esterified monoterpenes, 3 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and 2 oxygenated sesquiterpenes in order to determine their antifeedant effects on the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say), a major pest of potato crops. Terpene hydrocarbons showed low antifeedant activity, whereas the oxygenated sesquiterpene (-)-α-bisabolol with an inhibition activity of 96.3% was the most active, followed by carvacrol (90.9%), (+)-Terpinen-4-ol (87.1%) and thymol (81.5%). Other terpenes like (1S)-(-)-verbenone (72.9%), (+/-)-camphor (63.4%) and linalyl acetate (60.7%) showed moderate activity. Subsequently, terpenes showing antifeedant activity against this insect were also tested in allelopathic assays to determine potential damage to the crops. Results showed phytotoxic effects for (1S)-(-)-verbenone on Lactuca sativa germination, and for carvacrol on both the seed germination and the leaf and root growth of Lolium perenne. In conclusion, (-)-α-bisabolol is the best option to develop natural antifeedant formulations against L. decemlineata on the basis of its high antifeedant and low phytotoxic activities

Estudio fitoquímico y biológico de endemismos canarios: echium wildpretti subs. wildprettii Pears and Hook fil (Boraginaceae)

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología y Fisiología Vegetal. Fecha de lectura: 12-12-200

Determination of the Neurotoxin 3-N-Oxalyl-2,3-Diaminopropionic Acid and Other Free Amino Acids in Lathyrus cicera and L. sativus Seeds by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York. A method for determination of the neurotoxic non-protein amino acid 3-N-oxalyl-2,3-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP) and other free amino acids in Lathyrus cicera and Lahtyrus sativus is presented. Seed extracts were derivatised by reaction with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate (DEEMM) and analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Calibration curves showed very good linearity of the response. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.15 and 0.50 μM, respectively. The method has a high intra- [relative standard deviation (RSD) < 0.42 %] and inter-repeatability (RSD = 2.01–2.33 %) and a remarkable accuracy with a 99 % recovery in spiked samples. The method yielded similar results in comparison with a previously established colorimetric method. The method is very easy to carry out and allows for ready analysis of large number of samples using very basic HPLC equipment because the derivatised samples are very stable and have very good chromatographic properties.This work was carried out with the financial support of Junta de Andalucía (Spain) to the Laboratory of Bioactive and Functional Components of Plant Products (Instituto de la Grasa, C.S.I.C.) and the project PAI09-0015-7008 (Consejería de Educación y Ciencia, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla—La Mancha). Cristina Megias and Isabel Cortés-Giraldo are, respectively, recipients of a JAE-Doc (C.S.I.C.) contract and a JAE-Pre (C.S.I.C) fellowship from the “Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios” program (cofinanced by the European Social Fund). Thanks are due to María Dolores García Contreras for technical assistance. The authors are indebted to the Banco de Germoplasma Vegetal de Cuenca, BGV-CU (Cuenca, Spain) for supplying the plant material. We are grateful to the European Social Fund and to “Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Albacete” for additional financing.Peer Reviewe

Antifeedant activity from benzofurane-type compounds

Trabajo presentado en el European Congress on Natural Products and Biocontrol celebrado en Perpignan (Francia) del 24 al 26 de septiembre de 2014.Benzofuranes are characteristic natural compounds in many plant families as Rutaceae, Liliaceae or Ciperaceae, but mostly have been isolated from certain tribes of Asteraceae family.1-2 , Several benzofuranes have shown interesting biological activities3-4 . As part of our research in biopesticide models, we report the isolation of bioactive benzofurane-type compounds from two species of Pericallis, the only genus in the tribe Senecionae endemic of the Macaronesian region. We collected aerial parts and seeds of Pericallis stettzii and P. echinata wild populations and established in vitro transformed root cultures (Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834) for the sustainable production of plant biomass. We obtained derivatives 5 and 6 from the microbiological transformation of the mayor component 1 with Mucor plumbeus. Products 1-12 were identified by RMN as benzofurane-type compounds. Two of them are new natural products (9 and 10). All were bioassayed as insect antifeedants against several pests with different feeding ecologies (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Spodoptera littoralis, Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum padi).Peer Reviewe

Biological Activity of Hybrid Molecules Based on Major Constituents of <i>Cinnammomun verum</i> and <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oils

Plants have been used by humans since ancient times due their antimicrobial and medicinal properties. Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of secondary plant metabolites, including terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and other aromatic compounds. Cinnamomun verum and Thyme vulgaris EOs and their organic extracts exert numerous biological activities because of their major compounds, particularly thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, and benzoic and cinnamic acid. The structural motifs presented by these phytochemicals are responsible for their biological activities. Modification or hybridization of these structures could lead to new bio-based compounds with improved efficacy or multiple modes of action. In this work, we aimed to develop reliable methods of obtaining six hybrid molecules from the major constituents of C. verum and T. vulgaris EOs. For the first time, we tested their efficacy in the inhibition of the mycelium growth and spore germination of two of the most important phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and one opportunistic human pathogen, Aspergillus niger. The cytotoxic activity of the obtained hybrids was assessed using the brine shrimp lethality assay. In addition, we report for the first time a biocatalytic process for the obtention of these bioactive hybrid molecules. The results of this work enable the possibility of using hybrid molecules based on the major constituents of EOs as active ingredients in strategic industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, and pharmaceuticals

In vitro antifungal activity of residues from essential oil industry against Penicillium verrucosum, a common contaminant of ripening cheeses

Essential oil (EO) industry produces a considerable amount of solid residues during the distillation process, which results in pollution, management and economic problems worldwide. However, these wastes are especially rich in high added-value compounds that can be exploited as natural sources of bioactive compounds. In this connection, ethanolic extracts of solid agro-industrial residues from distillation of four Lamiaceae species were chemically and biologically characterized. The phenolic profile of the extracts was tentatively determined by LC-DAD-MS and the antifungal activity against Penicillium verrucosum was established in vitro by means of the broth microdilution M38-A method. Solid residues from the industrial distillation of aromatic plants contain natural substances that may satisfactorily prevent fungal contamination on cheeses as well as providing a commercial and economical opportunity to agricultural by-products.Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA) proyectos RTA2012-00057-C03-03 y RTA2013-00005-00-002.329 JCR (2016) Q1, 32/130 Food Science and TechnologyUE

Biocidal Potential and Chemical Composition of Industrial Essential Oils from Hyssopus officinalis, Lavandula × intermedia var. Super, and Santolina chamaecyparissus

This work presents the biocidal (insecticidal, ixodicidal, nematicidal, and phytotoxic) effects and chemical compositions of three essential oils obtained from the industrial steam distillation (IEOs) of hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.), lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia or L. × hybrida var. Super), and cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus L.). Their chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry showed 1,8‐cineole (53%) and β‐pinene (16%) as the major components of H. officinalis, linalyl acetate (38%) and linalool (29%) of L. × intermedia; and 1,8‐cineole (10%) and 8‐methylene‐3‐oxatricyclo[5.2.0.02,4]nonane (8%) in S. chamaecyparissus. The biocidal tests showed that L. × intermedia IEO was the most active against the insect Spodoptera littoralis and toxic to the tick Hyalomma lusitanicum, IEO of H. officinalis was strongly active against S. littoralis, and finally, S. chamaecyparissus IEO was a strong antifeedant against the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi, toxic to H. lusitanicum and with moderate effects against Leptinotarsa decemlineata, S. littoralis, and Lolium perenne.This research has been supported by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA, http://inia.es) by the projects RTA2012‐00051‐C03‐03 and RTA2013‐00005‐00‐00, and by the project CTQ2015‐64049‐C3‐1‐R (MINECO / FEDER). Ortiz de Elguea‐Culebras also thanks to the Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla‐La Mancha) and the European Social Fund (ESF) for additional funding. We are really grateful to Alejandro Calvo López and Jesús Serrano Jiménez for their assistance.Peer reviewe

New natural crop protectants from aromatic plants and horticultural crop wastes

European agri- and horticulture is facing serious pest and pathogen problems. Currently, the use of synthetic pesticides is the main method of plant protection. However, the excessive use of pesticides has led to the development of pesticide resistance, environmental pollution, toxicity to non-target organisms, and risks for human health. In this context, natural crop protectants are needed in an increasingly restrictive pesticide market; and they can be obtained from renewable natural resources such as waste products from European agriculture, wild/cultivated spices, and ornamental plants. In the framework of Spanish national CTQ2012-38219-C03-01/RTA2012-00057-C03-03 and European COST Action FA1101 grants, we conducted an extensive chemical and biological bioprospection of essential oils (Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia lavandulifolia, Thymus mastichina, Lavandula x intermedia, Mentha sp.) and their respective solid residues generated during the production process. Wastes from spice production (saffron, Crocus sativus) and flower industry including 20 different species of the genus Crocus, were also studied. Chemical characterization of extracts and essential oils was performed using HPLC-MS / NMR and GC-MS, respectively. Biocidal screening was conducted against selected insect pests (Spodoptera littoralis, Leptinotarsa decemlineata and Myzus persicae) and root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica). We also evaluated their phytotoxic effects on lettuce, tomato and rye grass. Different levels of biopesticide activities were detected depending on the extract and target species. Structure-activity studies (SAR) were also studied. New natural crop protectants sources are suggested and future approaches are discussed

A colorimetric method for determination of γ-glutamyl-S-ethenyl- cysteine in narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.) seeds

A new colorimetric method based on the bleaching of the iodoplatinate ion has been developed for fast and easy determination of γ-glutamyl-S- ethenyl-cysteine (GEC) in narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.) seeds. The calibration curve showed a good correlation (r2 = 0.9959) between absorbance and GEC amounts from 5.5 to 33 μg (10-59.78 μmol/L). The limits of detection and quantification were 1.16 and 3.55 μmol/L, respectively, and no significant interferences from other sulfur-containing compounds were observed. The method showed excellent repeatability (relative standard deviation [RSD] = 0.28%), reproducibility (RSD = 4.4%), and accuracy (94%). Determination of GEC in 20 narbon vetch accessions yielded values that were in agreement with those reported previously using capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography methods. The method could be especially valuable for determination of GEC during the process of production of new low-GEC narbon vetch varieties. Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This study is part of the project PAI09-0015-7008, which is funded by the Consejería de Educación y Ciencia, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla–La Mancha.Peer Reviewe