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Oleaster (Olea europaea var. sylvestris) is a wild olive tree distributed in the Mediterranean area. It is known to possess several biological activities due to their richness in polyphenols. However, enhanced autophagic activity in human cells by using this plant has not been studied before. The objective of the present study was to determine the phytochemical composition of the fruits paste from Tunisian Oleaster, and evaluate its antioxidant activity using the DPPH• and ABTS•+ methods as well as the evaluation of its effect on autophagy activity. The extraction conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) leading to the best phenolic extract yield. It was noted that ethyl acetate extract presented the highest amount of total phenols and the best solvent for extraction of phenolic compounds. After optimization, the ethyl acetate extract was fractionated into 15 fractions by silica gel column chromatography. The most phenolic components in the fifth and sixth fractions (F5 and F6) were identified using UPLC-ESI(-)-HRMS analysis. Accordingly, F6 was the richer fraction in polyphenols. In vitro antioxidant activity evaluation showed that F6 exhibited a strong ability to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals. Furthermore, this fraction was also the most effective to induce autophagic activity in Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) cells. These results could be presumably due to the presence of oleuropein aglycon in this fraction which is absent in fraction F5. Oleaster fruits paste would be used as a natural source of bioactive compounds useful in various pharmaceutical drugs.

Consumption of olive products has been established as a health-promoting dietary pattern due to their high content in compounds with eminent pharmacological properties and well-described bioactivities. However, their metabolism has not yet been fully described. The present critical review aimed to gather all scientific data of the past two decades regarding the absorption and metabolism of the foremost olive compounds, specifically of the phenylalcohols hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) and tyrosol (Tyr) and the secoiridoids oleacein (Olea), oleocanthal (Oleo) and oleuropein (Oleu). A meticulous record of the in vitro assays and in vivo (animals and humans) studies of the characteristic olive compounds was cited, and a critical discussion on their bioavailability and metabolism was performed taking into account data from their gut microbial metabolism. The existing critical review summarizes the existing knowledge regarding the bioavailability and metabolism of olive-characteristic phenylalchohols and secoiridoids and spotlights the lack of data for specific chemical groups and compounds. Critical observations and conclusions were derived from correlating structure with bioavailability data, while results from in vitro, animal and human studies were compared and discussed, giving significant insight to the future design of research approaches for the total bioavailability and metabolism exploration thereof.

Ruby chocolate was introduced in 2017 as the fourth type of chocolate, in addition to white, milk and dark chocolate. However, until now not much is reported about its phytochemical composition. Therefore, we analyzed ruby chocolate by UPLC-HRMS, together with the three other types of chocolate. Feature-based molecular networking was carried out to aid in the identification, while a set of 51 reference compounds were analyzed simultaneously for targeted quantification. In this way, a total of 54 compounds could be (tentatively) identified in the chocolates, of which 43 were found in the ruby chocolate. Moreover, 19 compounds were quantified, of which 13 in the ruby chocolate. The compounds include flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins and methylxanthines, but also biogenic amines and alkaloids. In general, ruby chocolate contained lower levels of these constituents compared to dark chocolate. However, A-type proanthocyanidins were found to be characteristic for the ruby chocolate.

Methanol and methanol/water extracts of olive stones and seeds from Olea europaea var. meski were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 28 metabolites were identified; among them are hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, phenolic alcohols, flavonoids and flavonoid glucosides, secoiridoids, and terpenes. All the extracts were screened for the inhibitory effect of key enzymes related to diabetes and obesity, such as α-amylase and lipase. An in vitro study revealed that Olea meski stone ethanol (MSE) and methanol (MSM) extracts and Olea meski seed ethanol (MSE1) and methanol (MSM1) extracts exert an inhibitory action against lipase and α-amylase. The most potent activity was observed in the StM extract with IC50 equal to 0.19 mg/ml against DPPH oxidation, 1.04 mg/ml against α-amylase, and 2.13 mg/ml against lipase. In HFFD rats, the findings indicated that the increase of body weight, LDL, TC, and glucose levels and then the decrease in HDL-C were significantly suppressed in the MSM-treated group than those in HFFD rats. Moreover, the MSM extract exhibited a prominent selective inhibitory effect against intestinal lipase and α-amylase activities. The MSM extract was also able to protect the liver-kidney functions efficiently, which was evidenced by biochemicals and histological studies.

The fruit pulp of Crescentia cujete is traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of a variety of respiratory conditions and gastrointestinal disorders. Due to the lack of a comprehensive phytochemical description of the fruit of this plant, its active compounds and rational quality control parameters have not yet been described. An untargeted metabolomics approach combining UPLC-MS/MS-based molecular networking with conventional isolation and NMR methods was carried out for the phytochemical profiling of the fruit pulp of Crescentia cujete. Sixty-six metabolites, including nine n-alkyl glycosides, twenty-three phenolic acid derivatives (such as cinnamoyl and benzoyl derivatives), fifteen flavonoids, four phenylethanoid derivatives and fifteen iridoid glycosides were identified at different levels of confirmation: eighteen confirmed structures (Level 1), six probable structures (Level 2) and forty two tentative candidates (Level 3). Among these, all four phenylethanoid derivatives were described for the first time within this species. In addition, 8-epi-eranthemoside, crescentiol A and crescentiol B were reported as three undescribed iridoid glucosides. The use of molecular networking has resulted in a detailed phytochemical overview of this species. This work provides a useful tool for further development and validation of appropriate analytical methods for routine quality control assessment of commercially available products containing the fruit of this species and further interpretation of their related pharmacological effects.

The genus Curcuma is part of the Zingiberaceae family, and many Curcuma species have been used as traditional medicine and cosmetics in Thailand. To find new cosmeceutical ingredients, the in vitro anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and cytotoxic activities of four Curcuma species as well as the isolation of compounds from the most active crude extract (C. aromatica) were investigated. The crude extract of C. aromatica showed 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 102.3 &mu, g/mL. The cytotoxicity effect of C. aeruginosa, C. comosa, C. aromatica, and C. longa extracts assessed with the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at 200 &mu, g/mL were 12.1 2.9, 14.4 4.1, 28.6 4.1, and 46.9 8.6, respectively. C. aeruginosa and C. comosa presented apoptosis cells (57.7 3.1% and 32.6 2.2%, respectively) using the CytoTox-ONE&trade, assay. Different crude extracts or phytochemicals purified from C. aromatica were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory properties. The crude extract of C. aromatica showed the highest potential to inhibit NF-&kappa, B activity, followed by C. aeruginosa, C. comosa, and C. longa, respectively. Among the various purified phytochemicals curcumin, germacrone, curdione, zederone, and curcumenol significantly inhibited NF-&kappa, B activation in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes. Of all compounds, curcumin was the most potent anti-inflammatory.

In the search for potential new anti-cancer agents, the possible anti-proliferative effect of various plant extracts from an in-house extract library was investigated in vitro . The cytotoxic, cytostatic and the pro-apoptotic capacity of the extracts was estimated on the HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell line by the trypan-blue exclusion method, the MTT assay and flow-cytometric analysis. Interestingly, out of all extracts screened, three methanol extracts, namely Hypericum perforatum , Hypericum triquetrifolium and Hypericum rumeliacum , exhibited the most significant activity by promoting necrotic cell-death, accompanied by alterations in the mRNA expression levels of the BCL2 and BAX genes. All the three bioactive extracts were subjected to HPLC-DAD and UHPLC-ESI(−)-HRMS & MS/MS dereplication procedures for correlation purposes. Interesting comparative results related to known constituents such as naphodianthrones, phloroglucinol derivatives and flavonoids were elucidated. To our knowledge, this is the first time that H. triquetrifolium and H. rumeliacum are investigated for both their anti-proliferative properties and their detailed composition.

Dietary interventions obtain a profound impact on human lifespan, while constitute edible plants a promising source of chemical entities that promotes healthy ageing1. Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis, Elaeocarpaceae [Molina] Stunz), is a small tree native to South Chile, deeply rooted in traditional dietary culture of indigenous. Moreover, carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Leguminosae L.) has been grown since antiquity in most countries of Mediterranean region, composing a staple in the diet of people in times of famine. Maqui berries and carob pods, have drawn attention due to their potential health benefits, which are largely attributed to their rich polyphenolic content. A high-throughput phytochemical investigation of methanol and water extracts of the edible parts, berries and pods respectively, was performed. Fingerprinting procedures using HPTLC showed that both plants had rich chemical profile, while phenolic compounds prevailed. Profiling and dereplication procedures employing hyphenated techniques (HPLC/UHPLC-PDA, LC-(ESI)-HRMS/MS) were also applied and various putative bioactive compounds were identified. Hence, analytical and preparative techniques afforded compounds belonging to anthocyanins, flavonoids, flavonoid glucosides and phenolic acids, followed by structure elucidation (1D & 2D NMR). The in vivo evaluation of anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties of maqui and carob pods water extracts in Drosophila melanogaster flies revealed, that oral administration of both activate the Nrf2/Keap1 antioxidant pathway and proteasome peptidase activities. Complementary to the above, the metabolism of both dietary fruit extracts was investigated in vitro using rat liver microsomes. Conclusively, maqui and carob pod water extracts could be a potent source of anti-oxidant/ anti-ageing nutraceuticals.