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The COVID-19 pandemic continues infecting people causing deaths globally. Although various medicines have been tried to combat with COVID-19, there is no medicine or treatment that has been validated yet. People have been using natural products for centuries against bacterial and viral illnesses. This study aimed to test the effects of the biomolecule oleuropein, whey collected from industrial waste and soaproot extracts obtained from Gypsophila arrostii Guss. var. nebulosa Boiss. amp; Heldr. and Saponaria officinalis L. on the expression of the human ACE2 gene as SARS-CoV-2 receptor on the A549 adenocarcinoma cell-line by Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). According to the cytotoxicity tests, G. arrostii var. nebulosa and S. officinalis extract treatments showed a dose dependent cytotoxic effect on the cells. The EC50 values of G. arrostii var. nebulosa and S. officinalis were found to be 54.3 μg/ml and 17.3 μg/ml, respectively. Oleuropein showed moderate cytotoxic effects with the EC50 value over 250 μg/ml. Whey (fermented and non-fermented) did not show any cytotoxic effect at the applied doses. The qPCR results showed that the ACE2 mRNA level decreased by 89.8% and 35.2% due to the fermented and non-fermented whey extracts, respectively. Similarly, G. arrostii var. nebulosa and S. officinalis downregulated ACE2 by 79.8% and 90.1%, respectively. In contrast, oleropein upregulated ACE2 (102.8%). Our results showed that the natural supporting products produced from soaproot extracts and fermented whey can be used against COVID-19 by both cancer patients and people in potential risk groups.

Context: Hertia cheirifolia L. (Asteraceae), a perennial shrub widely distributed in Northern Africa, is traditionally used to treat inflammatory disorders. Objective: The protective effect of methanol (Met E) and aqueous (Aq E) extracts of Hertia cheirifolia against DNA, lipid and protein oxidation was investigated. Materials and methods: Different concentrations (50–1000 μg/mL) of Hertia cheirifolia aerial part extracts were examined against DNA, lipid and protein oxidation induced by H2O2 + UV, FeSO4, and Fe3+/H2O2-ascorbic acid, respectively. The DPPH•, metal ion chelating, reducing power and β-carotene bleaching tests were conducted. Results: Both extracts were rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins, and were able to scavenge DPPH• with IC50 values of 138 and 197 μg/mL, respectively. At 300 μg/mL, Aq E exerted stronger chelating effect (99%) than Met E (69%). However, Met E reducing power (IC50 = 61 μg/mL) was more than that of Aq E (IC50 = 193 μg/mL). Both extracts protected from β-carotene bleaching by 74% and 94%, respectively, and inhibited linoleic acid peroxidation. The inhibitory activity of Aq E extract (64%) was twice more than that of Met E (32%). Interestingly, both extracts protected DNA against the cleavage by about 96–98%. At 1 mg/mL, Met E and Aq E restored protein band intensity by 94–99%. Conclusions: Hertia cheirifolia exhibits potent antioxidant activity and protects biomolecules against oxidative damage; hence, it may serve as potential source of natural antioxidant for pharmaceutical applications and food preservation. This is the first report on the protective activity of this plant against biomolecule oxidation.

Abstract Plants are the main sources of natural antioxidants in the form of phenolic compounds, which help human beings to deal with oxidative stress, caused by free radical damage. For this reason, the present study was carried out to evaluate the antiproliferative, antioxidant and inhibition of oxidative DNA damage activities of n-butanol extract obtained from aerial parts of Limonium bonduelli. The antioxidant potential was determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assay. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated using xCELLigence RTCA instrument on two tumor cell lines; HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma) and HeLa (human cervix carcinoma). DNA damage inhibition was evaluated using photolyzing 46966 plasmid. Also, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were determined using a spectrophotometric method. Total phenolic (343 ± 0.05 µg/mg) and flavonoid (220.5 ± 0.04 µg/mg) were indicated as gallic acid and quercetin equivalents respectively. The extract exhibited significant IC50 values in lipid peroxidation (IC50= 181.18 ± 0.65 µg/mL) and DPPH radical scavenging assays (IC50= 14.92 ± 0.032 µg/mL). The extract also partially protected 46966 plasmid DNA from free radical-mediated oxidative stress in a DNA damage inhibition assay and showed concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects. n-butanol extract of L. bonduelli is a rich source of natural antioxidants and anticancer agents.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C20H34O2, contains two crystallographically independent molecules (1 and 2) with similar conformations. In both molecules, the cyclohexane rings adopt a chair conformation, while the oxane rings are also puckered. In the crystal, O—H...O hydrogen bonds connect adjacent molecules, forming C(6) helical chains located around a 21 screw axis and running along the crystallographic a axis. The packing of these chains is governed only by van der Waals interactions. Semi-empirical PM3 quantum chemical calculations are in a satisfactory agreement with the structural results of the X-ray structure analysis. The absolute structure was indeterminate in the present experiment.

Our study aimed to characterize the composition of the ethyl acetate extract obtained from Centaurea acaulis L. and assess its dermatoprotective and antioxidant properties. The secondary metabolite composition was established by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity was assessed using four different assays, including DPPH, β-carotene, CUPRAC, and reducing power assays. Furthermore, the in vitro photoprotective effect was evaluated by measuring sun protection. The HPLC-TOF/MS analysis identified the presence of 19 bioactive compounds in the ethyl acetate extract. Major components such as rosmarinic acid and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid were detected, along with other compounds including caffeic acid, cichoric acid, gentisic acid, p-coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, vanilic acid, gallic acid, apigenin-7-glucoside, catechin, kaempferol, and quercetin. The ethyl acetate extract of Centaurea acaulis L. exhibited strong antioxidant activity in DPPH, β-carotene, CUPRAC, and reducing power assays, outperforming standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), tannic acid, and ascorbic acid. Additionally, the extract demonstrated a high ability to absorb UV radiation, with an average sun protection factor of 40.20 ± 0.11. These findings highlight the significant antioxidant and dermatoprotective potential of the ethyl acetate extract from Centaurea acaulis L., suggesting its potential use in cosmetic and dietary additive formulations.

Context: Quercus ilex and Pinus halepensis are largely used in Algerian folk medicine as a remedy for different health problems. Aims: To determine the phytochemical composition as well as to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-hemolytic and genoprotective effects of Quercus ilex root bark extract (QIE) and Pinus halepensis young ovulate cones extract (PHE). Methods: Methanolic extracts were prepared by maceration. Phenolic compounds and flavonoids were quantified spectrophotometrically and identified by HPLC analysis. In vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed by determining the DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging activities and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP). Protective effect of the extracts against AAPH-induced erythrocyte hemolysis was assessed. pBluescript M13 (+) plasmid DNA was used as oxidation target to evaluate DNA protective effect of the extracts. Results: Considerable phenolic compounds and flavonoids contents were found in the studied extracts. Catechin and phenolic acids (4-hydoxybenzoic, caffeic, coumaric, ferulic and gentisic acids) were identified in QIE, while catechin and cinnamic acid were identified in PHE. Both extracts scavenge DPPH radical with IC50 values of 5.67 µg/mL and 18.87 µg/mL, respectively. Antioxidant capacity against ABTS radical was 4.13 and 1.15 mM Trolox equivalent/mg extract. The two extracts also showed a considerable ferric reducing ability with 1.98 and 8.55 mM FeSO4/mg extract, respectively. On the other hand, both extracts exerted a significant protective effect against AAPH-induced erythrocyte hemolysis and DNA protective activities were noticed. Conclusions: Quercus ilex and Pinus halepensis extracts are important sources of bioactive compounds possessing important antioxidants, antihemolytic and genoprotective effects.

The title compound, C20H32O2 (systematic name: 3-ethenyl-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyldodecahydro-9H-benzo[f]chromen-9-one), was isolated from Sideritis perfoliata. In the crystal, molecules pack in helical supramolecular chains along the 21 screw axis running parallel to the a axis, bound by C—H...O hydrogen bonds. These chains are efficiently interlocked in the other two unit-cell directions via van der Waals interactions. Hirshfeld surface analysis shows that van der Waals interactions constitute the major contribution to the intermolecular interactions, with H...H contacts accounting for 86.0% of the surface.

Natural products derived from plants play a significant role in drug discovery due to the revealing a large variety of pharmaceutical effects. Kickxia spuriawas collected from Bingol, Turkey. Aerial parts of the plant were boiled in water for 2 h then extracted with ethyl acetate. After evaporation of the solvent by rotary evaporator, the extract was subjected to column chromatography to yield the compound identified as 6,7-dimethoxy-5-hydroxyflavone by spectroscopic method including 1D-, 2D-NMR, LC-TOF/MS. Antiproliferative activity of isolated compound was tested against HeLa (human cervix carcinoma) cell lines by xCELLigence assay, and found out that the compound exhibited excellent activity.

Various solvents including hexane, CHCl3, EtOAc, and MeOH were used to extract the aerial parts of C. polypodiifolia Boiss. var. polypodiifolia. Hexane extract was analyzed by GC-MS and nonacosane and octacosane were determined as the main constituents. HPLC-TOF/MS analyses were carried out on CHCl3, EtOAc, and MeOH extracts. The main constituents of CHCl3 extract were detected as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanilic acid, and gentisic acid. Gentisic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, and vanilic acid were determined as the main compounds of EtOAc extract. Finally, main constituents of MeOH extract were found as fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-β-D-glucoside, gentisic acid and diosmin.

In this study, we focused on the isolation and identification of the main compounds, triterpene, sterol, phenolic and fatty acid from the aerial parts of Physospermum verticillatum, which has not been previously reported. Dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts led to the isolation of ß-amyrin (1), 3,11-dihydroxy-12-oleanene (2), pentadecanoic acid (3), spina-sterol (4), spinasterol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (5) and saikochromic acid (6). These compounds were determined by means of the combined systems with high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-TOF/MS), 1D NMR (1H NMR, 13C NMR) and 2D NMR(COSY, HSQC and HMBC). Further, the extracts demonstrated significant antibacterial activity.

Abstract Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites is a widely used ethnomedicinal plant in Bangladesh. In this study, we investigated phenolic contents, volatile compounds and fatty acids, and essential oil components of extracts prepared from aerial parts of the plant. The main volatile compounds were methyl ester of oleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid as determined by GC/MS. Phenolic contents of the extracts were determined qualitatively and quantitatively by HPLC/TOF-MS. Six phenolic compounds (syringic acid, morin, gentistic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, and apigenin) were found in the extracts. GC/MS analysis of steam distilled essential oil showed camphor, α-pinene and δ-3-carene as the main constituents. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, the highest free radical scavenging activity was observed for the methanol extract with an IC50 value of 0.48 ± 0.04 mg/mL, whereas, in metal chelating activity on ferrous ions (Fe2+) assay, the highest chelating activity was observed for hexane extract (IC50 = 0.55 ± 0.08 mg/mL). The extracts and essential oil were tested against five severe human pathogenic bacteria using disc diffusion assay and subsequent MIC values were also determined. All the extracts (except methanol extract) and the essential oil were found to possess potential antimicrobial activity with corresponding inhibition zone and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 9-23 mm and 62.5-500 µg/mL. This study has been explored the plant Lasia spinosa can be seen as a potential source of biologically active compounds.

Context: Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) A. Juss. (Euphorbiaceae) is known as ‘dyer’s-croton’ and used to obtain dye substances. Recently, natural antioxidants and colorants have been of interest because of their safety and therapeutic effects. Objective: This study investigates the antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of the various extracts and fractions from C. tinctoria and analyzes their phytochemical contents. Materials and methods: The aerial parts of C. tinctoria were extracted with water, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and methanol/chloroform. Phenolic compounds and other constituents of the extracts were analyzed by HPLC/TOF-MS. The ethyl acetate extract (EA) was fractionated by flash chromatography. The extracts, fractions, and major phenolic compounds were investigated for their antiproliferative activities on human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cell line at the concentrations of 5–100 μg/mL by using BrdU ELISA assay during 24 h of incubation. DPPH radical scavenging activities (5–150 μg/mL) and total phenolic contents of the samples were also evaluated. Results: 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (268.20 mg/kg), apigenin-7-glucoside (133.34 mg/kg), and gallic acid (68.92 mg/kg) were the major components of EA. CT/E-F6 (IC50 = 64.59 ± 0.01 μg/mL) exhibited the highest antiproliferative activity. CT/E-F2 (IC50= 14.0 ± 0.0 μg/mL) and some fractions displayed higher radical scavenging activity compared to synthetic antioxidant BHT (IC50 = 23.1 ± 0.0 μg/mL). Among the main phenolics, gallic acid exhibited the highest antiproliferative and radical scavenging abilities (IC50

The aim of this study was to isolate the phytoconstituents and evaluate the biological activities of Berberis hispanica. Three phenolic compounds (tamarixetin, caffeic acid and rutin) were isolated from B. hispanica. The structures of the pure compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses, including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HPLC-TOF/MS. In addition, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative effects of the extracts, some fractions and isolated compounds were evaluated. The extracts of B. hispanica were evaluated against six bacterial strains and exhibited the highest activity against Klebsiella pneumonia (15 mm at 100 mg/mL). Fraction T36 (IC50

This study was designed to evaluate in vitro the total phenolic, flavonoid content, anti-oxidant activity, oxidative DNA-damage protection and anti-cancer activity of n-butanol extract from Perralderia coronopifolia, endemic plant. DNA protection capacity was performed using 46966 plasmid DNA against UV-photolysis of H2O2-induced oxidative damage. The anti-prolifer-ative effects of extract were performed on HeLa and C6 cells. Experimental results showed that extract had convenient number of phenolic and flavonoids. Furthermore, it provided strong anti-oxidant, reducing power, hydrogen peroxide and higher DPPH· scavenging ability with IC50= 7.02 ± 0.02 µg/mL. As it shown an oxidative plasmid DNA-damage inhibition against UV-photolysis of H2O2, an anti-cancer activity athigher concentrations in cells. The data obtained that P. coronopifolia extract could be useful in human protection against infection and degenerative illness. Video Component of Methodology: Metal chelating activity: 2 min 56 sec Full Screen Alternate

ABSTRACT The protective activity of methanolic (Met E) and aqueous (Aq E) extracts of Globularia alypum L. (G. alypum) against DNA, lipid and protein oxidative damage was investigated. Moreover, the scavenging, chelating, and reducing power activities of the extracts were also evaluated. Phytochemical analysis was performed to determine phenolic compounds. Results showed that Met E and Aq E were rich in phenolic compounds, and were able to scavenge DPPH˙ with IC50 values of 48.61 µg/mL and 51.97 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, both extracts were able to chelate ferrous ions. At 300 μg/mL, the chelating activity was 97.53% and 91.02%, respectively. The reducing power of these extracts was also remarkable and concentration dependent. At 100 µg/mL, both extracts inhibited lipid peroxidatin by only 42.45% and 4.03%. However, the DNA oxidation damage was inhibited dose-dependently in the presence of G. alypum extracts. At 1 mg/mL, both extracts suppressed DNA cleavage by 83%-84%. The protein oxidation was also inhibited by G. alypum extracts. At 1 mg/mL, Aq E and Met E protected BSA fragmentation by 77%-99%. The overall results suggest that G. alypum extracts exerted antioxidant activity and protect biomolecules against oxidative damage; hence it may serve as a potential source of natural antioxidants.

The prevention and treatment of the cancer using plants have attracted increasing interest. The present study was aimed to determine the phenolic compounds of Genista ferox using HPLC-TOF/MS and the anti-oxidant acti-vity associated with anti-cancer activity against human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cell line. Total anti-oxidant capacities of different extracts of G. ferox were assessed by DPPH assay, and their total phenolic and flavonoids contents measured by FolinCiocalteu and aluminum trichloride assays. The amounts of total phenolic (105.2 ± 0.6 308.5 ± 5.7 mg/g) of extract measured as gallic acid equivalent and flavonoids (8.1 ± 0.1 124.0 ± 0.7 mg/g) of extract measured as quercetin equivalent varied from chloroform to n-butanol extract of the two parts of the plant (leaf and stem). The ethyl acetate extract of G. ferox exhibited the most powerful effect on the DPPH scavenging activity with 94% from the leaf and 93% from the stem, while the chloroform extract from the leaf exhibited the most effective anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cell lines. Video Clip of Methodology: 4 min 6 sec Full Screen Alternate

Background: These days, the desire for naturally occurring antioxidants has significantly increased, especially for use in foodstuffs, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products, to replace synthetic antioxidants that are regularly constrained due to their carcinogenicity. Methods: The study in hand aimed to appraise the antioxidant effect of two Euphorbia dendroides extracts using reducing power, anti-peroxidation, and DPPH (1,1 Diphenyl 2 Pycril Hydrazil) scavenging essays, in addition to the anticancer activity against two tumor cell lines, namely C6 (rat brain tumor)cells, and Hela (human uterus carcinoma)cell lines. Results: The results indicated that the ethyl acetate extract exhibited antiradical activity of 29.49%, higher than that of n-butanol extract (18.06%) at 100 µg/mL but much lower than that of gallic acid (78.21%).The ethyl acetate extract exhibits better reducing capacity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity compared to n-butanol extract but less than all tested standards. Moreover, the ethyl acetate extract was found to have an antiproliferative activity of more than 5-FU (5-fluoro-Uracil) against C6 cells at 250 µg/mL with IC50 and IC75 of 113.97, 119.49 µg/mL, respectively, and good cytotoxic activity against the Hela cell lines at the same concentration. The HPLC-TOF-MS (high performance liquid chromatography-Time-of-flight-Mass Spectrometry) analyses exposed the presence of various compounds, among which Gallic and Chlorogenic acids functioned as major compounds. Conclusions: The two extracts exhibited moderate anticancer abilities and behaved somewhat as average antioxidant agents. Based on the total phenolics and flavonoids contents, as well as HPLC results, it could be concluded that antiproliferative and antioxidant activities depend upon the content of different phenolics and flavonoids.

Several species of Centaurea, biennial (or more rarely perennial) plants which belong to the Asteraceae family, possess medicinal properties and are currently used in phytotherapy. In the present study, antiproliferative activity of hexane extract from stems and roots of Centaurea carduiformis DC. subsp. carduiformis var. carduiformis (CCS and CCR) on Vero cells (African green monkey kidney), C6 cells (Rat Brain tumor cells), and HeLa cells (human uterus carcinoma) was investigated in vitro. Antiproliferative effect of the extract was tested at 500 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL using BrDu Cell Proliferation ELISA. The hexane extract was significantly inhibited proliferation of Vero, HeLa, and C6 cancer cell lines with absorbance values. The extract of CCS and CCR showed the highest activity against the Vero, HeLa, and C6 cell lines at 500 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL.

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antiproliferative and inhibition of oxidative DNA-damage activities of n-butanol (n-BuOH) extract of Centaurea sphaerocephala. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and the n-BuOH extracts of this plant were also assayed. To investigate the antioxidant potential, extracts were tested for their capacity to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) and to inhibit lipid peroxidation using the TBARs method. The contents of total phenolics and flavonoids were measured. Additionally, antiproliferative activity and DNA-damage inhibition of the n-BuOH extract was determined using XCELLigence RTCA instrument and photolyzing 46966 plasmid, respectively. The results exhibited that the scavenging abilities of the EtOAc extract were better than the n-BuOH extract with an IC50= 11.59 µg/mL and 16.67 µg/mL for both extracts, respectively. The phenolic and flavonoid contents were found higher in the n-BuOH and EtOAc extracts. Furthermore, our results showed that n-BuOH extract exhibited a remarkable inhibition of lipid peroxidation with an IC50 of 340.94±7.49 μg/mL and had an antiproliferative effect against Hela cells. Extracts of C. sphaerocephala showed antioxidant activity on scavenging DPPH·. In addition, the n-BuOH extract inhibited the lipid peroxidation and exhibited an antiproliferative effect against HeLa cells line (human cervix carcinoma).