Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Phenolic Extracts of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. Fruits and Leaves.

Increasing interest in new sources of secondary metabolites as biologically active substances has resulted in an advanced study of many plant species. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. = Rhaphiolepis bibas (Lour.) Galasso & Banfi, Rosaceae family), an evergreen, subtropical fruit tree, native to China and Japan, but cultivated in southern countries of Europe, is a species commonly used in folk medicine and may be an excellent source of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the profile of the phenolic constituents of E. japonica fruits and leaves originating from Tuscany (Italy), as well as their in vitro antioxidant and chemopreventive activities on human cancer cell lines breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2 and HT-29), and glioblastoma (U87MG). Results revealed that the extract of leaves displayed higher antioxidant and anticancer potential than the fruit extract and contained 25 individual phenolic compounds that have been characterized and quantified by the UPLC-PDA-MS method. The antiproliferative activity was correlated with the content of polyphenolic compounds indicating that both fruits and leaves are a good source of antioxidants and may be exploited as nutraceuticals enriching food or as components for the cosmetic/pharmaceutical industry.

Walnut Male Flowers (Juglans regia L.) as a Functional Addition to Wheat Bread.

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of adding dried and ground walnut male flowers to wheat flour on selected physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the obtained wheat bread. The control sample was bread without the addition of walnut male flowers. In the tests, the addition of flowers was used in the amounts of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5% of the weight of the flour used in the control sample. Bread dough was prepared according to the direct method with the use of yeast. The parameters of the baking process of the control bread and of the test bread were calculated. The selected parameters determining the quality of the obtained bread, including the loaf volume, the specific volume, the crumb porosity, the crumb texture and the color were measured. The antioxidant potential and total polyphenol content were tested both in the dough and in the bread. The test results were analyzed statistically. It was found that the partial replacement of wheat flour with walnut male flowers resulted in a significant reduction in the loaves' volume and in the darkening of both the color of the dough and the crumb. The value of the L* parameter decreased with the increasing addition of walnut flowers. The lowest values of this parameter were found to be 53.87 (crust) and 39.94 (crumb) in the sample with 2.5% addition. The average volume of the loaves ranged from 565 cm3 (0.5%) to 675 cm3 (control). The use of the additive in the amount of 2.5% caused significant changes in the values of most of the examined parameters of the bread crumb texture. The addition of walnut male flowers to the flour had a significant effect on the antioxidant potential and the total polyphenol content of the tested doughs and breads. In the case of bread, the total polyphenol content value ranged from 96.90 mg GAE/g dw to 208.08 mg GAE/g dw. Similarly, the antioxidant potential increased with increasing walnut male flower supplementation. The antioxidant potential determined by the ABTS and FRAP methods ranged from 1.42 mmol TE/g dw to 2.02 mmol TE/g dw and from 0.08 mmol TE/g dw to 0.33 mmol TE/g dw, respectively. The obtained research results prove the application potential of walnut flowers in the design of food, with beneficial pro-health properties, and are an example of the use of plant by-products in the process of food enrichment.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Clausena indica (Dalz) Oliv. (Rutaceae) essential oil from Vietnam.

The essential oil obtained from the branches and leaves of Clausena indica (Dalz) Oliv. (Rutaceae) has been analyzed by GC/MS. Fifty-three components of the essential oil, representing 96.9% of the total amount, were identified. The main constituents were myristicin (35.3%), terpinolene (16.7%), and delta-3-carene (11.3%). The essential oil was screened for antimicrobial activity, showing positive results against some bacterial strains. Moreover, a comparison between constituents of C. indica essential oil with the ones reported in the literature for other Clausena ssp. is pointed out and some chemotaxonomic considerations have been identified.

Quali-quantitative analyses of Flavonoids of Morus nigra L. and Morus alba L. (Moraceae) fruits.

Morus nigra L., belonging to the Moraceae family, is a decidious tree widely cultivated in Europe and West Asia. It has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese medicine, as a remedy for many kinds of diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the profile of the phenolic constituents of M. nigra fruits and to compare their content with the fruits of another species of Morus, Morus alba, which is also very well known in folklore medicine. The fruits of black and white mulberries have been studied, and five compounds from the methanol extract have been identified by means of HPLC/PDA/ESI-MS. Four compounds (quercetin 3- O-glucoside, quercetin 3- O-rutinoside, kaempferol 3- O-rutinoside, and 5- O-caffeoylquinic acid) have been isolated by use of Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and HPLC and characterized by means of NMR and ESI-MS. Furthermore, HPLC/PDA/ESI-MS analysis of the red pigment of M. nigra fruits revealed the presence of four anthocyanins recognized as cyanidin 3- O-glucoside, cyanidin 3- O-rutinoside, pelargonidin 3- O-glucoside, and pelargonidin 3- O-rutinoside. All of the compounds were quantified.

Phenolics of Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae) fruits: identification of anthocyanins and gallic acid derivatives.

Arbutus unedo L., the strawberry tree (Ericaceae family), is an evergreen shrub or small tree, typical of the Mediterranean fringe and climate. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the profile of the phenolic constituents of A. unedo fruits. Seven compounds were purified by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography of the MeOH extract followed by HPLC and were characterized as arbutin, beta-D-glucogalline, gallic acid 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 3-O-galloylquinic acid, 5-O-galloylquinic acid, 3-O-galloylshikimic acid, and 5-O-galloylshikimic acid, by means of NMR and ESI-MS analyses. Moreover, LC-PDA-MS analysis of the red pigment of A. unedo fruits revealed the presence of three anthocyanins recognized as cyanidin 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside, delphinidin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and cyanidin 3-O-beta-D-arabinopyranoside. These pigments were also quantified.