Submit to Plants Review for Plants Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 23174

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angélica Román-Guerrero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Biotechnology, Metropolitan Autonomous University Campus Iztapalapa, Mexico City 09340, Mexico
Interests: antioxidants; secondary metabolites; natural colorants; microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of bioactive molecules; ultrasound; microwave-assisted extraction

Dr. Maria Elena Estrada-Zuñiga

E-Mail
Guest Editor

Centro de Investigación en Recursos Bióticos-Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca City 50295, Mexico
Interests: secondary metabolites; bioactive compounds; in vitro and in vivo bioactivities; medicinal plants; plant tissue culture; metabolomics of plants; bioprocess; bio-guided fractionation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research in recent decades has highlighted new roles for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in health and disease. Prolonged exposure to high ROS concentrations has been described as detrimental in several diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative, vascular, and inflammation health troubles, as well as diabetes mellitus and cancer), since it may lead to cellular damage. Although antioxidant supplementation seems to represent a way to reduce the high ROS concentrations, clinical studies have shown ineffective results, an effect probably due to low bioavailability and concentration of the antioxidant compounds. However, antioxidant supplementation has revealed benefits in the prevention of multiple diseases.

The World Plant Reports comprise 391,000 species of vascular plants, of which only 7.2% have been recorded for medicinal purposes. Medicinal and aromatic plants have been used worldwide in folk medicine or as food preservatives throughout human history; however, for most plant species, there is still a scarce scientific basis that relates their chemical composition with specific therapeutic effects, including antioxidant activity. Some scientific advances have allowed the understanding of the functional and medicinal relevance of this type of plant. They include biological, physicochemical, and functional characterization; applying botanical pharmacognosy and statistical tools to optimize the extraction of antioxidant compounds; drug delivery to improve bioavailability; metabolomics to study phytochemicals; and plant tissue culture as a sustainable management strategy. However, despite efforts made throughout the world to scientifically validate the use of medicinal and aromatic plants as a source of antioxidant compounds that help decrease the incidence of such diseases, further work is required.

This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the exploration of medicinal and aromatic plants used in different regions of the world as sources of antioxidant compounds, based on their phytochemistry, metabolomics, plant tissue culture, extraction conditions, drug delivery, and botanical pharmacognosy.

Dr. Angélica Román-Guerrero
Dr. Maria Elena Estrada-Zuñiga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

ROS scavenging
plant metabolomics
phytochemistry
extraction methods of antioxidants
botanical pharmacognosy
secondary metabolites
drug delivery
plant tissue culture

Published Papers (12 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

24 pages, 6475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Monarda didyma L. Growing in Trentino (Northern Italy) for Cosmeceutical Applications

by Antonella Smeriglio, Mariarosaria Ingegneri, Maria Paola Germanò, Luigi Miori, Giulia Battistini, Federica Betuzzi, Paola Malaspina, Domenico Trombetta and Laura Cornara

Plants 2024, 13(1), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010112 - 30 Dec 2023

Viewed by 903

Abstract

Monarda didyma L. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal and aromatic herb native to eastern North America and now is also cultivated in Northern Italy, which shows terminal heads of bright scarlet-red flowers, subtended by a whorl of red-tinged leafy bracts. Starting from 2018, M. didyma flowering tops have been included in the Belfrit List of botanicals. However, to date studies on the crude extract of this plant are still lacking. The aim of the present study was to investigate the morphological and anatomical features of the flowering tops and the phytochemical profile of their ethanolic and hydroglyceric extracts (EE and HGE, respectively). HGE was the richest in total phenols (105.75 ± 5.91 vs. 64.22 ± 3.45 mg/100 mL) and especially in flavonoids (71.60 ± 5.09 vs. 47.70 ± 1.27 mg/100 mL), as confirmed also by LC-DAD-ESI-MS. Fifty-three polyphenols were identified and quantified. Even if they showed a common polyphenolic profile, EE and HGE showed quantitative differences. Flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins were the most expressed metabolites in HGE, whereas flavonols were the most expressed metabolites in EE. These features confer to HGE the highest antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic properties, detected by several in vitro and in vivo assays, highlighting a promising use of this plant extract for skincare applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1949 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Proliferative Properties of Stachys circinata on HepG2 and MCF7 Cells

by Wassila Slimani, Margherita Maioli, Sara Cruciani, Sakina Zerizer, Sara Santaniello, Zahia Kabouche, Donatella Coradduzza, Mario Chessa, Silvia Fancello, Rossana Migheli, Pier Andrea Serra and Guy D’hallewin

Plants 2023, 12(12), 2272; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122272 - 11 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1231

Abstract

According to the WHO, the overall age-standardized cancer rate keeps declining, and the number of cases diagnosed each year increases, remaining among the leading causes of death in 91 out of 172 recorded countries. In this context, novel cancer prediction and therapeutic protocols are compulsory. The effect of a Stachys circinata L’Hér dichloromethane extract (ScDME) on cell redox homeostasis and tumor proliferation was investigated. HepG2 cell feedback mechanisms to oxidative stress exposure were evaluated by determining catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH), following the supply with ScDME (0.0–5.7 µg/µL). Cytotoxicity of ScDME against the human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and two human cancer cell lines (breast: MCF7; liver: HepG2) was evaluated by the MTT assay. H₂O₂-stressed HepG2 cells supplied with the S. circinata extracts exhibited significantly increased CAT and GSH activity as compared to unsupplied ones. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was evaluated by real time-qPCR on IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α expression. As a result, this research points out that S. circinata dichloromethane extract owns anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties against MCF7 and HepG2 cells and activates CAT and GSH of the HepG2 cells’ antioxidant enzyme system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phenolic Compounds from Wild Plant and In Vitro Cultures of Ageratina pichichensis and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Activity

by Elizabeth Alejandra Motolinia-Alcántara, Adrián Marcelo Franco-Vásquez, Antonio Nieto-Camacho, Roberto Arreguín-Espinosa, Mario Rodríguez-Monroy, Francisco Cruz-Sosa and Angelica Román-Guerrero

Plants 2023, 12(5), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051107 - 01 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1994

Abstract

Ageratina pichichensis, is commonly used in traditional Mexican medicine. In vitro cultures were established from wild plant (WP) seeds, obtaining in vitro plant (IP), callus culture (CC), and cell suspension culture (CSC) with the objective to determine total phenol content (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC), as well as their antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS and TBARS assays, added to the compound’s identification and quantification by HPLC, from methanol extracts obtained by sonication. CC showed significantly higher TPC and TFC than WP and IP, while CSC produced 2.0–2.7 times more TFC than WP, and IP produced only 14.16% TPC and 38.8% TFC compared with WP. There were identified compounds such as epicatechin (EPI), caffeic acid (CfA), and p-coumaric acid (pCA) in in vitro cultures that were not found in WP. The quantitative analysis shows gallic acid (GA) as the least abundant compound in samples, whereas CSC produced significantly more EPI and CfA than CC. Despite these results, in vitro cultures show lower antioxidant activity than WP, for DPPH and TBARS WP > CSC > CC > IP and ABTS WP > CSC = CC > IP. Overall, A. pichichensis WP and in vitro cultures produce phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity, especially CC and CSC, which are shown to be a biotechnological alternative for obtaining bioactive compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolite Profiling and Bioactivities of Leaves, Stems, and Flowers of Rumex usambarensis (Dammer) Dammer, a Traditional African Medicinal Plant

by Chiara Spaggiari, Laura Righetti, Costanza Spadini, Giannamaria Annunziato, Aimable Nsanzurwimo, Clotilde Silvia Cabassi, Renato Bruni and Gabriele Costantino

Plants 2023, 12(3), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030482 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1839

Abstract

The comprehensive identification of secondary metabolites represents a fundamental step for the assessment of bioactivities and pharmacological properties of traditional herbal drugs. Rumex usambarensis (Dammer) Dammer has been described as a multipurpose remedy in different African traditional pharmacopoeias, but its phytochemical profile has not been properly investigated. Herein we report a high throughput metabolomic screening, based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-travelling wave ion mobility spectrometry quadrupole time-of-flight (UHPLC-TWINS-QTOF), which was performed for the first time on different R. usambarensis plant parts. By applying high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and chemometric analysis, a complete discrimination of different aerial parts was obtained, with the annotation of 153 significant metabolites in leaves, stems, and flowers, suggesting an easy authentication and discrimination route. Phytochemical data were correlated to antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Flavonoids, benzopyranes, chromones, and xanthones derivatives, along with a richer phytocomplex, might be responsible for the stronger bioactivities obtained from flowers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 4500 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Pedoclimatic Conditions Influence the Morphological, Phytochemical and Biological Features of Mentha pulegium L.

by Laura Cornara, Federica Sgrò, Francesco Maria Raimondo, Mariarosaria Ingegneri, Luca Mastracci, Valeria D’Angelo, Maria Paola Germanò, Domenico Trombetta and Antonella Smeriglio

Plants 2023, 12(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010024 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1604

Abstract

In this study, Mentha pulegium leaves and flowers harvested in three different Sicilian areas were investigated from a micromorphological, phytochemical and biological point of view. Light and scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of spherocrystalline masses of diosmin both in the leaf epidermal cells and in thin flower petals. Two different chemotypes were identified (I, kaempferide/rosmarinic acid; II, jaceidin isomer A). Phytochemical screening identified plant from collection site II as the richest in total phenolics (16.74 g GAE/100 g DE) and that from collection site I as the richest in flavonoids (46.56 g RE/100 g DE). Seventy-seven metabolites were identified both in flower and leaf extracts. Plant from site II showed the best antioxidant (0.90–83.72 µg/mL) and anti-inflammatory (27.44–196.31 µg/mL) activity expressed as half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) evaluated by DPPH, TEAC, FRAP, ORAC, BSA denaturation and protease inhibition assays. These data were also corroborated by in vitro cell-based assays on lymphocytes and erythrocytes. Moreover, plant of site II showed the best antiangiogenic properties (IC₅₀ 33.43–33.60 µg/mL) in vivo on a chick chorioallantoic membrane. In conclusion, pedoclimatic conditions influence the chemotype and the biological activity of M. pulegium, with chemotype I showing the most promising biological properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Composition of Thymus leucotrichus var. creticus Essential Oil and Its Protective Effects on Both Damage and Oxidative Stress in Leptodictyum riparium Hedw. Induced by Cadmium

by Viviana Maresca, Natale Badalamenti, Vincenzo Ilardi, Maurizio Bruno, Paola Bontempo and Adriana Basile

Plants 2022, 11(24), 3529; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243529 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1047

Abstract

The chemical profile of the essential oil (EO) of the aerial parts of Thymus leucotrichus var. creticus (Lamiaceae), a taxon not previously studied, was investigated by GC–MS analysis, using a DB–Wax polar column. Oxygenated monoterpenes and monoterpene hydrocarbons dominate the EO, with thymol (46.97%) and p-cymene (28.64%) as the main constituent of these two classes, respectively. The ability of the EO of T. leucotrichus to reduce Cd toxicity was studied in aquatic moss Leptodictyum riparium. To study EO-induced tolerance to Cd toxicity, apex growth, number of dead cells, DNA damage and antioxidant response in gametophytes were examined. The exogenous application of the EO yields a resumption of growth rate and a reduction in the number of dead cells; it also reduces the oxidative stress induced by Cd, as demonstrated by the reduction of the ROS content (with a decrease of 1.52% and 5%) and by the increased activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) (with an increase of 1.44% and 2.29%), CAT catalase (1.46% and 2.91%) and glutathione-S-transferase GST (1.57% and 1.90%). Furthermore, the application of the EO yields a reduction of DNA damage. These results clearly indicate the protective capacity of the EO of T. leucotrichus in modulating the redox state through the antioxidant pathway by reducing the oxidative stress induced by Cd. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Various Population of Brassica tournefortii Growing Wild in Tunisia

by Hajer Tlili, Abdelkarim Ben Arfa, Abdelbasset Boubakri, Najjaa Hanen, Mohamed Neffati and Enrico Doria

Plants 2022, 11(23), 3393; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233393 - 06 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1684

Abstract

Brassica tournefortii Gouan, commonly known (Aslooz) in Tunisia, is an annual plant, native to the North Africa and Middle East. Brassica species are used as food, their young leaves can be cooked, providing nutrients and health-giving phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, polyphenols and carotenoids. Phytochemical composition and bioactivity of Brassica tournefortii leaf extracts, collected from four different bioclimatic zones in Tunisia, are investigated in the present study. Results showed that location and climatic variations can alter the phytochemical composition of B. tournefortii. Interestingly, HPLC analysis enabled identifying lutein and beta-carotene at high concentrations, especially in extracts of B. tournefortii collected from Gabes (B2) (344 µg/g of lutein) and B. tournefortii collected from Zarzis (B3) (1364 µg/g of beta-carotene). In particular, the antioxidant activity measured by DPPH assay showed that the extract of the plants collected from the growing region of Zarzis exhibits the highest antioxidant activities (0.99 mg/mL). All the Brassica tournefortii extracts showed a relevant antiproliferative activity, especially toward the Caco-2 cell line. These preliminary data resulted in being useful to correlate growth environmental conditions with different accumulation of metabolites in Brassica species still being poorly studied. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1833 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Agricultural Traits, Phytochemical Contents, and Antioxidant Activities in the Leaves of Amaranth Accessions of Nine Species

by Weilan Li, Eunae Yoo, SooKyeong Lee, Hyung Jun Noh, So Jeong Hwang, Kebede Taye Desta and Gi-An Lee

Plants 2022, 11(13), 1758; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131758 - 01 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1608

Abstract

Amaranthus species are widely cultivated as dietary crops and are promising sources of phytochemical compounds with antioxidant properties. To explore Amaranthus as a potential medical resource, 289 accessions (nine species) were cultivated, and their agricultural characteristics, total phenolic content (TPC), rutin contents, and antioxidant activities [2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)] were studied. Wide variations in agricultural traits, phytochemical contents, and antioxidant activities were observed between the accessions and across species. The effects of agricultural traits were evaluated, and the results indicated that yellow-flowered amaranth genotypes could be important because of their high values of TPC, rutin contents, DPPH, and ABTS. In addition, leaf length, days until 50% flowering, days until 50% heading and days until maturity, showed positive correlations with TPC, rutin contents, DPPH, and ABTS. The whole dataset was subjected to principal component analysis, and distinctive aggregation was observed across the Amaranthus species. In total, 289 accessions were clustered into three groups, and seven genotypes were determined as being good medical resources due to their high phytochemical content and antioxidant activities. Our findings provide important information for the development of new varieties with high phytochemical contents and high levels of antioxidant activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1899 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polyphenols and Flavonoids Composition, Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties of Andean Baccharis macrantha Extracts

by Santiago Rosero, Freddy Del Pozo, Walter Simbaña, Mario Álvarez, María Fernanda Quinteros, Wilman Carrillo and Dayana Morales

Plants 2022, 11(12), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11121555 - 12 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1929

Abstract

This study examined the leaves of Baccharis macrantha to obtain extracts of Baccharis macrantha (EBM) and to determine the total flavonoid content (TFC) and the total polyphenol content (TPC). The main objective of this work was to quantify TPC and TFC of extracts of B. macrantha from Ecuador and evaluate its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The extraction method was optimized with solvents, ethanol, and methanol, at temperatures of 30–60 °C and extraction times of 5–20 min. The optimal TFC extraction conditions were at EtOH25% at 50 °C for 10 min. The optimal TPC extraction conditions were at EtOH50% at 50 °C for 10 min. EBM was characterized by TLC and HPLC with three standards: gallic acid, catechin, and quercetin. EBM-EtOH25% and EBM-EtOH50% obtained at 50 °C for 10 min were used to identify quercetin and evaluate biologicals activities. Quercetin was detected in EBM (EtOH25% and EtOH50%). EBM anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated with the red blood cell stabilization (RBC) method. The RBC model showed values of 49.72% of protection lysis RBC to EBM-EtOH25% and 50.71% of protection lysis RBC to EBM-EtOH50%. The EBM in vitro inhibition of lipid peroxidation showed a protection of 77.00% (EtOH25%) and 73.11% (EtOH50%) when the TBARs method was used. EBM-EtOH25% and EtOH50% showed high antioxidant activity. EBM-EtOH25% presented values of ABTS (1172 µmol TE/g EBM), DPPH (836 µmol TE/g, EBM), and FRAP (85.70 µmol TE/g, EBM). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemometric Analysis Based on GC-MS Chemical Profiles of Three Stachys Species from Uzbekistan and Their Biological Activity

by Haidy A. Gad, Elbek A. Mukhammadiev, Gokhan Zengen, Nawal M. Al Musayeib, Hidayat Hussain, Ismail Bin Ware, Mohamed L. Ashour and Nilufar Z. Mamadalieva

Plants 2022, 11(9), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091215 - 29 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2234

Abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) of Stachys byzantina, S. hissarica and S. betoniciflora growing in Uzbekistan were determined, and their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity were assessed. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 143 metabolites accounting for 70.34, 76.78 and 88.63% of the total identified components of S. byzantina, S. hissarica and S. betoniciflora, respectively. Octadecanal (9.37%) was the most predominant in S. betoniciflora. However, n-butyl octadecenoate (4.92%) was the major volatile in S. byzantina. Benzaldehyde (5.01%) was present at a higher percentage in S. hissarica. A chemometric analysis revealed the ability of volatile profiling to discriminate between the studied Stachys species. The principal component analysis plot displayed a clear diversity of Stachys species where the octadecanal and benzaldehyde were the main discriminating markers. The antioxidant activity was evaluated in vitro using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric reducing power (FRAP), chelating and phosphomolybdenum (PBD). Moreover, the ability of the essential oils to inhibit both acetyl/butyrylcholinesterases (AChE and BChE), α-amylase, α-glucosidase and tyrosinase was assessed. The volatiles from S. hissarica exhibited the highest activity in both the ABTS (226.48 ± 1.75 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/g oil) and FRAP (109.55 ± 3.24 mg TE/g oil) assays. However, S. betoniciflora displayed the strongest activity in the other assays (174.94 ± 0.20 mg TE/g oil for CUPRAC, 60.11 ± 0.36 mg EDTA equivalent (EDTAE)/g oil for chelating and 28.24 ± 1.00 (mmol TE/g oil) for PBD. Regarding the enzyme inhibitory activity, S. byzantina demonstrated the strongest AChE (5.64 ± 0.04 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g oil) and tyrosinase inhibitory (101.07 ± 0.60 mg kojic acid equivalent (KAE)/g) activity. The highest activity for BChE (11.18 ± 0.19 mg GALAE/g oil), amylase inhibition (0.76 ± 0.02 mmol acarbose equivalent (ACAE)/g oil) and glucosidase inhibition (24.11 ± 0.06 mmol ACAE/g oil) was observed in S. betoniciflora. These results showed that EOs of Stachys species could be used as antioxidant, hypoglycemic and skincare agents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 3093 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Antioxidant Phenylpropanoid Glycosides from Ginkgo biloba Fruit and Identification of a New Phenylpropanoid Glycoside, Ginkgopanoside

by Akida Alishir and Ki Hyun Kim

Plants 2021, 10(12), 2702; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122702 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2495

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae), well-known as the oldest living plant species and often referred to as a “living fossil,” is a famous medicinal plant that has been used in multiple countries to improve numerous illnesses, including anxiety, dementia, peripheral artery disease, and eye problems. We conducted a phytochemical exploration of G. biloba fruit, commonly consumed as a functional food as part of an ongoing natural product chemical research for the discovery of bioactive phytochemicals with novel structures. The natural product chemical analysis of the methanol extract of G. biloba fruit using column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography separation under the guidance of a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based analysis identified six phenylpropanoid glycosides (1–6), including one new compound, ginkgopanoside (1). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data and LC/MS analysis, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was established by chemical reactions followed by the application of Snatzke’s method. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities of the isolated compounds 1–6 and the aglycone 1a of 1 were evaluated, and we found that compounds 1–5 exhibited antioxidant activities with IC₅₀ values in the range 32.75–48.20 μM, while the aglycone 1a exhibited greater radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 5.23 μM) comparable to that of ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 2.54 μM), a positive control, implying that the present of glucose may decrease the DPPH scavenging activity. These findings provide experimental information that the active phenylpropanoid glycosides could represent natural antioxidants for use in pharmaceuticals and functional foods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

36 pages, 2223 KiB

Open AccessReview

Hairy Root Cultures as a Source of Polyphenolic Antioxidants: Flavonoids, Stilbenoids and Hydrolyzable Tannins

by Janusz Malarz, Klaudia Michalska, Yulia V. Yudina and Anna Stojakowska

Plants 2022, 11(15), 1950; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11151950 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2750

Abstract

Due to their chemical properties and biological activity, antioxidants of plant origin have gained interest as valuable components of the human diet, potential food preservatives and additives, ingredients of cosmetics and factors implicated in tolerance mechanisms against environmental stress. Plant polyphenols are the most prominent and extensively studied, albeit not only group of, secondary plant (specialized) metabolites manifesting antioxidative activity. Because of their potential economic importance, the productive and renewable sources of the compounds are desirable. Over thirty years of research on hairy root cultures, as both producers of secondary plant metabolites and experimental systems to investigate plant biosynthetic pathways, brought about several spectacular achievements. The present review focuses on the Rhizobium rhizogenes-transformed roots that either may be efficient sources of plant-derived antioxidants or were used to elucidate some regulatory mechanisms responsible for the enhanced accumulation of antioxidants in plant tissues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (12 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI