Chemical composition and antiproliferative potential of dried wild apple and pear tea before and after in vitro simulated digestion

Decoctions obtained from dried apple and pear fruits were subjected to in vitro digestion in the presence of a food matrix in order to determine changes in the polyphenol content and antiproliferative activity. The total phenolic and total proanthocyanidins contents were determined using spectrophotometrical methods, and the phenolic compounds were analyzed by RP-HPLC/DAD before and after digestion. Chlorogenic acid and phlorizin dihydrate were the major identified compounds. The addition of a food matrix immediately decreased the contents of individual and total phenolics. After digestion, they were slightly elevated but still lower than in the initial samples. Antiproliferative activity was investigated on human epithelial carcinoma cell line (HeLa), human colon carcinoma (LS174) and human foetal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. The exhibited growth inhibition was not correlated with the content of phenolics in the tested samples, indicating that it could not be explained solely by their content. With the exception of the apple decoction effect on HeLa cells, the digestion process resulted in significant increases in the antiproliferative activity

Phenolic and mineral profile of Balkan indigenous apple and pear cultivars

The aim of this study was the determination of phenolic compounds, and mineral nutrients in the pulp and peel obtained from Balkan indigenous apple and pear cultivars. The phenolic composition, assessed by HPLC-DAD and spectrophotometric methods varied significantly between the cultivars for both peel and pulp. Among the apples, the Mekica cultivar had the highest total phenolic content while Secerlija and Zlatna Parmenka had the lowest. In the case of the pear samples, the maximum total phenolic content was found in Crna Takisa while the minimum content was recorded for Bela Arapka. In most of the investigated samples, chlorogenic acid in apples and arbutin in pears were the major detected polyphenolic compounds. With regard to the mineral analysis, K was the most abundant followed by P, Mg, Ca and S. Iron was the dominant microelement in apple peel and pulp samples, while in pear samples the principal microelement was B. The obtained results provide detailed information on the chemical composition of the tested apple and pear cultivars and thereby, could encourage their wider cultivation and consumption

Chemical Profile, Radical Scavenging and Cytotoxic Activity of Yellow Gentian Leaves (Genitaneae luteae folium) Grown in Northern Regions of Montenegro

LC-ESI-MS and HPLC were used for the identification of the constituents from G. lutea leaves collected at different localities, as well as for quantification of the main compounds. Seven secoiridoids, five C-glucoflavones and three xanthones, were identified. Swertiamarin derivatives, namely eustornorusside (2), eustomoside (3) and septemfidoside (5), were detected in G. lutea for the first time. Concentrations of five constituents (swertiamarin, gentiopicrin, isovitexin, mangiferin and isogentisin) were determined. The relationship between concentrations of gamma-pyrones and altitude was observed with statistically significant correlation (r = 0.94). The extracts were also evaluated for their content of total phenolics, and antiradical and cytotoxic activities. The total phenolics content ranged from 7.7 to 12.7 mg GAE/g, and the IC50 values for DPPH radical scavenging activity varied between 0.45 to 2.02 mg/mL. The leaf extract exhibited moderate cytotoxic effects toward HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 41.1 mu g/mL, while gentiopicrin, mangiferin and isogentisin exerted strong activity against HeLa cells, with IC50 values ranging from 5.7 to 8.8 mu g/mL. The results confirm the traditional usage of G. lutea leaves and also suggest their possible utilization as hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory agents

Phenolic composition and free radical scavenging activity of wine produced from the Serbian autochthonous grape variety Prokupac - A model approach

Phenolic compounds are very important quality parameters of wine because of their impact on colour, taste and health properties. The present study was aimed at evaluating the general phenolic composition and free radical scavenging activity of aqueous and organic fractions obtained using liquid liquid extraction of red wine produced from the Serbian autochthonous grape variety Prokupac. The total phenolic contents in the different fractions ranged from 48.22 to 289.12 mg GAE per g dry fraction. Phenolic acids (mainly hydroxycinnamic acids) and quercetin 3-O-glucuronide were the main components in the EtOAc fraction at pH 2.0; catechins, phenolic acids (mainly hydroxybenzoic acids) and quercetin were found in the EtOAc fraction at pH 7.0, while anthocyanins were identified in the aqueous residue after EtOAc extraction. The major anthocyanin extracted into the aqueous fraction was malvidin-3-glucoside, while the most abundant non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds in the organic fractions were ethyl gallate and trans-caftaric acid. The radical scavenging activities of the fraction differed significantly and the IC50 values were 138.58 mu g mL(-1) for the aqueous fraction, 17.83 and 3.47 ng mL(-1) for the EtOAc fractions at pH 2.0 and 7.0, respectively. As the EtOAc fractions were found to be more potent radical scavengers, it could be assumed that non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds were responsible for such activity in Prokupac wine

Immunomodulatory Properties of Pomegranate Peel Extract in a Model of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Culture

Pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its effect on the adaptive immune system has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, the treatment of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with PoPEx (range 6.25-400 mu g/mL) resulted in cytotoxicity at concentrations of 100 mu g/mL and higher, due to the induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress, whereas autophagy was reduced. At non-cytotoxic concentrations, the opposite effect on these processes was observed simultaneously with the inhibition of PHA-induced PBMC proliferation and a significant decrease in the expression of CD4. PoPEx differently modulated the expression of activation markers (CD69, CD25, ICOS) and PD1 (inhibitory marker), depending on the dose and T-cell subsets. PoPEx (starting from 12.5 mu g/mL) suppressed the production of Th1 (IFN-gamma), Th17 (IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22), Th9 (IL-9), and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6) in culture supernatants. Lower concentrations upregulated Th2 (IL-5 and IL-13) and Treg (IL-10) responses as well as CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+ cell frequency. Higher concentrations of PoPEx increased the frequency of IL-10- and TGF-beta-producing T-cells (much higher in the CD4+ subset). In conclusion, our study suggested for the first time complex immunoregulatory effects of PoPEx on T cells, which could assist in the suppression of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Characterization, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils and Their Encapsulation into Biodegradable Material Followed by Freeze Drying

The study assessed the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of commonly used and commercially available essential oils as an alternative to synthetic preservatives. The plant sources were as follows: lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), bergamot (Citrus bergamia) and peppermint (Mentha piperita). The antioxidant activity of essential oils was tested by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) methods. The microdilution broth susceptibility assay revealed that lavender and bergamot essential oils were more efficient in inhibiting the bacterial growth than other tested oils, with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 5 mu g/mL. This study also reports the successful implementation of an electrostatic extrusion technique for encapsulating essential oils into alginate beads, which enables the essential oils to maintain their free radical scavenging ability over time

Phenolic compounds and carotenoids in pumpkin fruit and related traditional products

Pumpkin fruit is used in a diet since ancient times especially in rural communities. The major contributory factors of nutritional and medicinal value of pumpkins are carotenoids, polysaccharides, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Due to a very large fruit that it is not easy to consume a whole as well as short shelf-life of fresh-cut pumpkin, different ways of conserving and processing are performed. In our study, total carotenoids, total phenolics and individual phenolics in fresh pumpkin and pumpkin traditional products such as sweet in wine, jam and juice, which are typical for northern parts of Serbia, were studied. Total carotenoids ranged from 27.6 mu g/g of pumpkin sweet in wine to 86.3 mu g/g of fresh fruit, while the amount of total phenolics varied between 93.0 mu g GAE/g of pumpkin juice and 905.9 mu g GAE/g of fresh fruit. Eight phenolic compounds were identified in the investigated samples and among them phenolic acids dominated. Among flavonoids, flavanon glycoside hesperidin was detected

Bioactive Compounds of Endemic Species Sideritis raeseri subsp raeseri Grown in National Park Galicica

Collection of Sideritis raeseri subsp. raeseri has a long tradition in local communities in the Ohrid-Prespa region. The aim of the present study was the analysis of bioactive compounds especially those with anti-inflammatory activity. Combination of the UV and MS data allowed the characterization of 17 compounds, which could be classified into flavonoid glycosides or hydroxycynnamic acid derivatives. Six of them were isolated using preparative HPLC: isoscutellarein 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 4'-O-methylhypolaetin 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside, hypolaetin 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-6 ''-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 4'-O-methylisoscutellarein 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside, isoscutellarein 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-6 ''-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 4'-O-methylhypolaetin 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-6 ''-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The presence of phenylpropanoid glycoside martynoside was reported for the first time in the wild growing S. raeseri subsp. raeseri. Hypolaetin derivatives, known for their antiinflammatory activity, dominated and were more abundant in S. raeseri subsp. raeseri grown in NPG in comparison with S. scardica grown nearby the NPG. The type of solvent affected distribution and the amount of bioactive compounds and the advantage was given to less polar extracts which were richer in hypolaetin derivatives

Influence of bunch morphology on quality of wines produced from clones of grape variety Prokupac

Wine quality depends mainly on the characteristics of the grape it is made of, and one of the attributes affecting wine composition is cluster and berry morphology. The aim of this study was to represent variability of the morphological characteristics between different clones of the autochthonous grape variety Prokupac and to perform chemical evaluation of wines obtained from them. Total phenolic content was generally low and it ranged from 33.0 to 114.5 mg GAE/100 mL. Six main anthocyanin compounds including malvidin as the main anthocyanidin were detected. Malvidin 3-O-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin with concentration of 59.8 to 101.7 mu g/mL. Clones 43/5 and 43/4 yielded highest quality wines. According to the results, clonal selection makes a significant difference in Prokupac wine quality. On the other hand, there is a minor dependance of wine quality parameters to variation in morphological attributes of clusters and berries (bunch weight, proportion of stem, berry and seed weight, skin, pulp and seed weight per berry)