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Plums are the ubiquitous fruit belonging to genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus, consumed as food and have many health benefits and medicinal effect in the treatment of many diseases. Pulp from plums is also used in different beverages. Plums are the potential source of polyphenolic compounds and bioactive compounds such as phenolic, anthocyanins, and carotenoids and many organic acids such as citric acid and malic acid. Plums are also the abundant sources of many minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, B, K, and C. Plums are the abundant sources of predominant antioxidants and phenolic compounds such as caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, crypto-chlorogenic acid, and neo-chlorogenic acid. These antioxidants and bioactive compounds are effective in the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, bone heath, and cardiovascular diseases and in maintaining the blood glucose level. Plums helps in the heart diseases prevention, as it is low in fat content and high in dietary fiber. It is also effective in the treatment of lung and oral cancer. The consumption of plums boosts human health and prevents many diseases. The review discusses the importance, production, different varieties of plums along with its nutritional profile, availability of bioactive compounds, phytochemical composition, and antioxidants mainly phenolic and flavonoid compounds. It also introduces the beneficial effect of the bioactive compounds in heart, lungs, and cardiovascular diseases, followed by its in vivo human and animal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphaeranthus indicus L. is a medicinal herb having widespread traditional uses for treating common ailments. The present research work aims to explore the in-depth phytochemical composition and in vitro reactivity of six different polarity solvents (methanol, n -hexane, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n -butanol) extracts/fractions of S. indicus flowers. The phytochemical composition was accomplished by determining total bioactive contents, HPLC-PDA polyphenolic quantification, and UHPLC-MS secondary metabolomics. The reactivity of the phenolic compounds was tested through the following biochemical assays: antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelation) and enzyme inhibition (AChE, BChE, α-glucosidase, α-amylase, urease, and tyrosinase) assays were performed. The methanol extract showed the highest values for phenolic (94.07 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid (78.7 mg QE/g extract) contents and was also the most active for α-glucosidase inhibition as well as radical scavenging and reducing power potential. HPLC-PDA analysis quantified rutin, naringenin, chlorogenic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, and epicatechin in a significant amount. UHPLC-MS analysis of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts revealed the presence of well-known phytocompounds; most of these were phenolic, flavonoid, and glycoside derivatives. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest inhibition against tyrosinase and urease, while the n -hexane fraction was most active for α-amylase. Moreover, principal component analysis highlighted the positive correlation between bioactive compounds and the tested extracts. Overall, S. indicus flower extracts were found to contain important phytochemicals, hence could be further explored to discover novel bioactive compounds that could be a valid starting point for future pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]