ESI-MS, ESI-MS/MS fingerprint and LC-ESI-MS analysis of proathocyanidins from Bursera simaruba sarg bark.

Direct flow injection/electrospray ionization/ion trap tandem mass spectrometry was used to investigate the presence of proanthocyanidins (PAs) in the methanolic extract of B. simaruba bark. Additionally, an LC-ESI-MS qualitative study was performed by using a monolithic stationary phase. The fragmentation pattern obtained evidenced the presence in B. simaruba bark of PAs belonging to the series of polymers of epicatechin, along with their glycosilated derivatives

Phenolics in aerial parts of Persian clover Trifolium resupinatum

The nutritional quality of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum), an important pasture crop, depends not only on a high protein content but also on the occurrence of animal health and welfare promoting phytochemicals. Nine phenolic constituents present in the aerial parts of this species were isolated and their structures confirmed by NMR and ESI-MS analyses. The compounds included two chlorogenic acids, four quercetin and two kaempferol glycosides, as well as the isoflavone formononetin-7-glucoside. The concentration of isoflavone was low, not exceeding 1.2 mg/g of dry matter. The concentration of flavonols ranged between 5.9 and 11.8 mg/g, depending on the sampling dates, with the highest concentration occurring in the first cut. A similar trend in the concentration was found for chlorogenic acids, which ranged from 2 mg/g in summer to 7.3 mg/g in spring

Steroidal Glycosides from the Seeds of Hyoscyamus niger L

The investigation of the steroidal glycosides of the seeds of Hyoscyamus niger L. led to the isolation of two new spirostane saponins (2, 6) together with seven known glycosides with either furostane or spirostane aglycones. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence, the structures of 2 and 6 were elucidated as (25 R)-5α-spirostan-3β-ol 3- O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-D-galactopyranoside (2) and (25 R)-5α-spirostan-3β-ol 3- O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-galactopyranoside (6). The given compounds have been found for the first time in the genus Hyoscyamus

Flavone and flavonol glycosides from Astragalus eremophilus and Astragalus vogelii.

Two new rhamnocitrin glycosides (1 and 2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Astragalus vogelii, along with one known rhamnocitrin glycoside (3). Two known flavonol glycosides (4 and 5) and four known flavone derivatives (6-9) were isolated from the aerial parts of Astragalus eremophilus. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods including 1D- (1H, 13C and TOCSY) and 2D-NMR (DQF-COSY, HSQC, HMBC) experiments, as well as ESIMS analysis

Conversion of Organic Dyes into Pigments: Extraction of Flavonoids from Blackberries (Rubus ulmifolius) and Stabilization

The blackberry’s color is composed mainly of natural dyes called anthocyanins. Their color is red–purple, and they can be used as a natural colorant. Anthocyanins are flavonoids, which are products of plants, and their colors range from orange and red to various shades of blue, purple and green, according to pH. In this study, the chemical composition of an extract obtained from blackberries was defined by LC-ESI/LTQOrbitrap/MS in positive and negative ionization mode. Furthermore, we investigated the adsorption process of blackberry extract using several inorganic fillers, such as metakaolin, silica, Lipari pumice, white pozzolan and alumina. The pigments exhibit different colors as a function of their interactions with the fillers. The analysis of the absorption data allowed the estimation of the maximum adsorbing capacity of each individual filler tested. Through thermogravimetric measurements (TGA), the thermal stability and the real adsorption of the organic extract were determine

A New Bloody Pulp Selection of Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera L.): Pomological Traits, Chemical Composition, and Nutraceutical Properties

A new accession of myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera L.) from Sicily (Italy) was studied for the first time for its chemical and nutraceutical properties. A description of the main morphological and pomological traits was created as a tool for characterization for consumers. For this purpose, three different extracts of fresh myrobalan fruits were subjected to different analyses, including the evaluation of total phenol (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and anthocyanin (TAC) contents. The extracts exhibited a TPC in the range 34.52-97.63 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight (FW), a TFC of 0.23-0.96 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g FW, and a TAC of 20.24-55.33 cyanidine-3-O-glucoside/100 g FW. LC-HRMS analysis evidenced that the compounds mainly belong to the flavonols, flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, and organic acids classes. A multitarget approach was used to assess the antioxidant properties by using FRAP, ABTS, DPPH, and β-carotene bleaching tests. Moreover, the myrobalan fruit extracts were tested as inhibitors of the key enzymes related to obesity and metabolic syndrome (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and lipase). All extracts exhibited an ABTS radical scavenging activity that was higher than the positive control BHT (IC50 value in the range 1.19-2.97 μg/mL). Moreover, all extracts showed iron-reducing activity, with a potency similar to that of BHT (53.01-64.90 vs 3.26 μM Fe(II)/g). The PF extract exhibited a promising lipase inhibitory effect (IC50 value of 29.61 μg/mL)

Chemical profile of the polar extract of Paepalanthus microphyllus (Guill.) Kunth (Eriocaulaceae)

Do extrato etanólico dos capítulos de Paepalanthus microphyllus, isolou-se um derivado do ácido cafeico (1). Sua estrutura foi caracterizada por métodos espectroscópicos (RMN mono e bi-dimensionais) e por espetrometria de massas Electrospray. Foram, também, isolados outros três flavonóides (2-4) de interesse taxonômico, os quais foram identificados por métodos espectroscópicos e comparados com dados da literatura.From the ethanolic extract of the capitulae of Paepalanthus microphyllus, one caffeic acid derivative (1) was isolated. The structure of the compound was characterized by spectroscopic methods, mainly 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as ESMS spectrometry. In addition, three flavonoids of taxonomic relevance were isolated and identified by comparison to literature data

Variation in Flavonoids in Leaves, Stems and Flowers of White Clover Cultivars:

In the present study, the major flavonoids of white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) cv. Sonja were extracted, isolated and identified. The major flavonoids in leaves and stems were the four flavonol glycosides: kaempferol-3- O-{Xyl(1→2)-Gal} (kaempferol-Xyl-Gal), kaempferol-3- O-{Rha(1→6)-[Xyl(1→2)]-Gal} (kaempferol-Rha-Xyl-Gal), quercetin-3- O-{Xyl(1→2)-Gal} (quercetin-Xyl-Gal), and quercetin-3- O-{Rha(1→6)-[Xyl(1→2)]-Gal} (quercetin-Rha-Xyl-Gal). Quercetin-Rha-Xyl-Gal has never been reported before and kaempferol-Rha-Xyl-Gal has not previously been identified in clover aerial parts. Concentrations of those compounds, together with aglyconic flavonoids previously described in white clover, as well as their glycosides, were quantified in leaves/stems and flowers of four white clover cvs Rabani, Klondike, Ramona and Aran using tandem mass spectrometry. There were significant differences in flavonoid concentrations in the two plant parts, with the highest concentrations of most aglycones in flowers and the highest concentrations of most glycosides in leaves/stems. This distribution of compounds may indicate different ways of storage and/or different mechanisms of action of the compounds. The cultivars were selected for genetic diversity, which resulted in distinctly different amounts of flavonoids in the plants. Concentrations of 17 of 24 compounds varied significantly – for some compounds up to a factor of 10 – among cultivars. Total flavonoid concentrations in flowers did not vary greatly among cultivars, at 28.9–35.8 mmol/g dry material (DM). In contrast, in leaves/stems, the cvs Rabani and Klondike had lower concentrations of most flavonoids (total concentrations 10.0 and 12.7 mmol/gDM, respectively) compared to cvs Aran and Ramona (32.3 and 22.1 mmol/gDM, respectively). There is a potential for breeding/selection of cultivars with targeted concentrations of particular flavonoids

modeling potential habitats for pergularia tomentosa using maximum entropy model and effect of environmental variables on its quantitative characteristics in arid rangelands southeastern iran

Predicting the potential habitat of plants in arid regions, especially for medicinal ones, is very important. Although Pergularia tomentosa is a key species for medicinal purposes, it appears in very low density in the arid rangelands of Iran, needing an urgent ecological attention. In this study, we modeled and predicted the potential habitat of P. tomentosa using maximum entropy, and the effects of environmental factors (geology, geomorphology, altitude, and soil properties) on some characteristics of the species were determined. The results showed that P. tomentosa was absent in igneous formation while it appeared in conglomerate formation. In addition, among geomorphological units, the best quantitative characteristics of P. tomentosa was belonged to the conglomerate formation-small hill area (plant aerial parts = 57.63 and root length = 30.68 cm) with the highest electrical conductivity, silt, and CaCO3 content. Conversely, the species was not found in the mountainous area with igneous formation. Moreover, plant density, length of roots, and aerial parts of the species were negatively correlated with soil sand, while positive correlation was observed with CaCO3, EC, potassium, and silt content. The maximum entropy was found to be a reliable method (ROC = 0.91) for predicting suitable habitats for P. tomentosa. These results suggest that in evaluating the plant's habitat suitability in arid regions, contrary to the importance of the topography, some environmental variables such as geomorphology and geology can play the main role in rangeland plants' habitat suitability

Potential Therapeutic Effects of Vitamin E and C on Placental Oxidative Stress Induced by Nicotine: An In Vitro Evidence

There have been a few studies that examined the oxidative stress effects of nicotine during pregnancy and lactation. The adverse effect of prenatal smoking exposure on human fetal development and growth has been a major public health issue. Active or passive smoking during pregnancy can result in a wide variety of adverse outcomes, including intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), prematurity, stillbirth, and the sudden infant death syndrome. Smoking in pregnancy has also been associated with an increased risk of attention deficit and learning problems in childhood. Some studies argued that as a principal component of tobacco smoke, nicotine alone is responsible for the majority of negative reproductive outcomes. Nicotine and its major metabolite cotinine can cross the placental barrier. The level of nicotine in fetal tissues was found to be equal to or greater than the plasma nicotine level in the mothers. The oxidative stress induce by nicotine has been increasingly postulated as a major contributor to endothelial dysfunction. A large body of research has investigated the potential role of antioxidant nutrients in the prevention of endothelial dysfunction in women. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the potential benefit of antioxidant supplementation on markers of placental oxidative stress in an in vitro model of endothelial dysfunction induced by nicotine, since it was previously found that nicotine is able to trigger the placental secretion of stress molecules. In this regard, we evaluated the effects of vitamin C, vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alone or in combination, in placental villi culture after exposure to nicotine. The effect of antioxidant nutrients on trophoblast cells proliferation and vitality was also evaluated. The results obtained suggest that in a patho-physiological condition, such as endothelial dysfunction induced by nicotine, the deleterious effect of reactive oxygen species may be counteracted by an antioxidant therapy, and there is the need to investigate the optimum dosing and timing of antioxidants administration, since an inappropriate antioxidant treatment in pregnant women may have deleterious consequences, reducing placental cells proliferation until to cell death