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

Special Issue “Saffron (Crocus sativus, L.): Omics and Other Techniques in Authenticity, Quality, and Bioactivity Studies”

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Yield and Composition of the Essential Oil of <i>Clinopodium nepeta</i> subsp. <i>spruneri</i> as Affected by Harvest Season and Cultivation Method, i.e., Outdoor, Greenhouse and In Vitro Culture

Clinopodium nepeta subsp. spruneri is an aromatic herb with a mint-oregano flavor, used in Mediterranean regions in traditional medicine. The aerial parts of the plant are rich in essential oil that has antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties as well as insecticidal activity. The aim of our work was to determine the yield and composition of the essential oil of the plant, in relation to the harvest season and cultivation method, i.e., outdoor, greenhouse and in vitro culture, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as an analytical tool. Essential oil yield fluctuated similarly in outdoor and greenhouse plants during the year (0.9–2.6%), with higher percentages (2.1–2.6%) in the hottest periods June–October (flowering stage) and April (vegetative stage), and was similar to the yield in in vitro plants (1.7%). More compounds were identified in the oil of outdoor and greenhouse plants (35) compared to that of in vitro plants (21), while the main compounds were the same, i.e., pulegone (13.0–32.0%, highest in February–April, 15.0% in vitro), piperitenone oxide (3.8–31.8%, lowest in February, 34.2% in vitro), piperitone epoxide (4.6–16.4%, highest in February, 15.5% in vitro), D-limonene (2.1–8.8%, lowest in February, 10.0% in vitro), isomenthone (2.3–23.0%, highest in February, 4.6% in vitro), germacrene D (1.9–6.5% highest in December-April, 2.9% in vitro) and dicyclogermacrene (2.1–5.3%, highest in December–April, 5.2% in vitro). Therefore, greenhouse and in vitro cultures were equally efficient in yielding essential oil and its constituents as outdoor cultivation, while in outdoor and greenhouse cultivations, the harvest season, mainly due to the prevailing ambient temperatures, affected the essential oil yield and its percentage composition

Study on the Chemical Composition, Enzyme Inhibition and Antioxidant Activity of Ziziphora taurica subsp. cleonioides

Ziziphora is a plant used in Turkish and Iran traditional medicine for its antibacterial activity, sedative and stomach soothing properties. Although the chemical profile of the essential oil of different Ziziphora species is well documented, data regarding plant extracts are incomplete. In this study extracts from Ziziphora taurica subsp. cleonioides were obtained using ethyl acetate, methanol and water and the chemical profile of the aerial part of the plant was elucidated. Among the compounds identified, rosmarinic acid was the most abundant (3375.67 +/- 38.02 mu g/mL), at the extract of methanol, followed by chlorogenic acid (3225.10 +/- 16.44). Enzyme inhibition activity against alpha-amylase and tyrosinase was also estimated. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest alpha-amylase activity (1.95 +/- 0.04 mg/mL), while the best anti-tyrosinase activity was calculated for the methanolic extract (1.25 +/- 0.01 mg/mL). In addition, total phenolic, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were evaluated. According to our results, bioactivity of the plant is of great interest, nonetheless, at the same time, it is strongly depended on the solvent used during the extraction process. Our data suggest that the plant under study may be an important source to consider against metabolic, skin pigmentation and oxidative stress related disorders

Novel application and industrial exploitation of winery by-products

Abstract Grape is the largest fruit crop worldwide and the grape pomace is an important solid waste generated from pressing and fermentation processes in wine industries. Wine industry residues are rich in bioactive compounds and, in this case, the utilization of grape by-products for alternative uses has been a focus of research. The aim of the present project is to present the primary benefits of winemaking by-products to new products focusing on grape pomace, as well as to discover novel applications in food industry, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, agricultural, livestock fields and in energy recovery systems. Moreover, new green technologies for valuable components recovery will be summarized. Recognizing emerging technologies, researchers would have the opportunity to promote development of value-added products and high-quality applications in different markets and sectors recycling of winery by-products or even side streams. This study presents the main bioactive components of grape pomace, along with new current extraction pathways, targeting the decrease of negative environmental impact in parallel to functional added value applications