ABSTRACT
Leonurus cardiaca L. (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb distributed in Asia and Southeastern Europe and has been used in traditional medicine since antiquity for its role against cardiac and gynecological disorders. The polar extracts obtained from L. cardiaca aerial parts contain several compounds among which alkaloids, iridoids, labdane diterpenes, and phenylethanoid glycosides play a major role in conferring protection against the aforementioned diseases. On the other hand, the antioxidant activities and the enzyme inhibitory properties of these extracts have not yet been deeply studied. On the above, in the present study, crude and purified extracts were prepared from the aerial parts of L. cardiaca and have been chemically characterized by spectrophotometric assays and HPLC-DAD-MS analyses. Notably, the content of twelve secondary metabolites, namely phenolic acids (chlorogenic, caffeic, caffeoylmalic and trans-ferulic acids), flavonoids (rutin and quercetin), phenylethanoid glycosides (verbascoside and lavandulifolioside), guanidine pseudoalkaloids (leonurine), iridoids (harpagide), diterpenes (forskolin), and triterpenes (ursolic acid), has been determined. Furthermore, the extracts were tested for their antioxidant capabilities (phosphomolybdenum, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, and ferrous chelating assays) and enzyme inhibitory properties against cholinesterase, tyrosinase, amylase, and glucosidase. The purified extracts contained higher phytochemical content than the crude ones, with caffeoylmalic acid and verbascoside as the most abundant compounds. A linear correlation between total phenolics, radical scavenging activity, and reducing power of extracts has been found. Notably, quercetin, caffeic acid, lavandulifolioside, verbascoside, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and ursolic acid influenced the main variations in the bioactivities found in L. cardiaca extracts. Our findings provide further insights into the chemico-biological traits of L. cardiaca and a scientific basis for the development of nutraceuticals and food supplements.
ABSTRACT
This study was undertaken to evaluate the nutraceutical potential of the Mela Rosa dei Monti Sibillini (MR), an ancient apple variety of the Sibillini Mountains, central Italy. The chemical profile of the apple's polyphenolic-rich extract (MRE) obtained from first- and second-choice samples using the Amberlite® XAD7HP resin was analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array and Mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS) and 21 phytochemicals were quali-quantitatively determined. For comparative purposes, the polyphenol-rich extract of Annurca (ANE), a southern Italian variety, was analyzed. The antioxidant capacity of MREs was evaluated by Folin-Ciocalteu, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays. The inhibitory capacity of MREs for the enzymes α-glucosidase, lipase, monoamine oxidase A, tyrosinase, and acetylcholinesterase was also determined. The MREs showed higher polyphenolic and triterpene profiles than the ANE. Their radical scavenging activity was higher than that of ANE and comparable to the reference trolox. The MRE from the second-choice apples displayed higher contents of the 21 phytochemicals investigated. Either MRE from second-choice or first-choice samples showed enzymatic inhibition with IC50 values higher than those of reference inhibitors but worthy of nutraceutical consideration. Taken together, these results show the potential of MRE as a source of bioactive compounds to be used for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications has been confirmed.
