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Addressing pressing health concerns, modern medical research seeks to identify new antimicrobials to combat drug resistance, novel molecules for cancer treatment, and antioxidants for inflammation-related diseases. Pisolithus (Basidiomycota) is a ubiquitous and widely distributed fungal genus in forest ecosystems, known for establishing ectomycorrhizal associations with a range of host plants, enhancing their growth, and conferring protection against biotic and abiotic stresses. Beyond ecological applications, Pisolithus yields bioactive compounds with medicinal potential. This comprehensive review explores the transversal biological activity of Pisolithus fungi, aiming to provide a thorough overview of their antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant potential. The focus is on elucidating bioactive compounds within Pisolithus to trigger further research for innovative applications. Compounds from Pisolithus displayed antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The efficacy of Pisolithus-derived compounds matched established medications, emphasizing their therapeutic potential. In anticancer research, the triterpene pisosterol stood out with documented cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines, showcasing promise for novel anticancer therapies. Pisolithus was also recognized as a potential source of antioxidants, with basidiocarps exhibiting high antioxidant activity. In vivo validation and comprehensive studies on a broader range of compounds, together with mechanistic insights into the mode of action of Pisolithus-derived compounds, are compelling areas for future research.

Nowadays there is a growing demand for nutraceuticals to prevent diseases related to redox imbalances, such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, being crucial to search for new matrixes rich in bioactive compounds. This work aims to characterize the value-added compounds extracted from Curcubita pepo seeds using green methodologies, namely microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), employing water as an extracting solvent for two ratios (condition 1: 1 mg/20 mL; condition 2: 2.5 mg/20 mL). The extract with the best antioxidant/antiradical activity in FRAP (71.09 μmol FSE/g DW) and DPPH (5.08 mg TE/g DW) assays was MAE condition 1, while MAE condition 2 exhibited the highest activity in the ABTS assay (13.29 mg AAE/g DW) and TPC (16.89 mg GAE/g DW). A remarkable scavenging capacity was observed, particularly for HOCl, with IC50 values ranging from 1.88–13.50 μg/mL. A total of 21 phenolic compounds were identified, being catechin (4.567–7.354 mg/g DW), caffeine (1.147–2.401 mg/g DW) and gallic acid (0.945–1.337 mg/g DW) predominant. No adverse effects were observed on Caco-2 viability after exposure to MAE extracts, while the other conditions led to a slight viability decrease in NSC-34. These results highlighted that the extract from MAE condition 2 is the most promising as a potential nutraceutical ingredient.

Halophytes are salinity-sensitive plants that tolerate extremely high salt concentrations, and are mainly found in saltmarshes and coastal areas worldwide, including Portugal [1]. Halophytes, such as Salicornia spp., are used by humans for commercial, ecological and gastronomic purposes [2]. Inside this genus, Salicornia ramosissima is of particular interest, being considered an alternative to salt [3]. The valorization of S. ramosissima may be a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to obtain extracts, which may be of interest for the nutraceutical industry. Nevertheless, extraction is a key step in acquiring bioactive compounds from plants, with emphasis on the extraction technique and solvent employed, which should maximize the extraction yield [4]. The aim of this study was to recover bioactive compounds from S. ramosissima by conventional extraction (CE) and Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) techniques using water as an extractor solvent. In this study, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively) and antioxidant/antiradical activities (through FRAP and ABTS assays), as well as the phenolic profile and the in vitro effects on intestinal cells, were screened. Briefly, CE was performed as a decoction preparation while MAE was executed at selected temperatures (72–94 °C) for 1 to 5 min, with constant medium stirring. After the extraction, samples were filtrated and lyophilized for further assays. The values of TPC ranged between 8.34 and 15.02 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g for CE and MAE extracts, respectively. Similarly, CE extract exhibited the highest TFC value (8.44 mg of catechin equivalents (CAE)/g). Regarding the ABTS and FRAP assays, the MAE extract showed the highest values (60.61 μmol FSE/g dw and 16.06% inhibition for FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively). On the other hand, the total amounts of phenolic compounds identified and quantified in both extracts were similar, the phenolic acids and flavonols being the principal constituents. For both extracts, myricetin was the compound present in the highest amounts (0.4250 and 0.4655 mg myricetin/g dw for CE and MAE extracts, respectively), and gallic acid was the major phenolic acid present in the extracts (0.2105 and 0.1553 mg gallic acid/g dw for CE and MAE extracts, respectively). The cell effects demonstrated that neither extract led to a decrease in HT29-MTX viability. In the Caco-2 cell line, only the highest concentration of MAE (1000 µg/mL) led to a decrease in viability (86.55%). In this sense, S. ramosissima extracted by CE or MAE can be classified as non-toxic and rich in bioactive compounds. However further studies, such as in vitro intestinal permeation assays and in vivo studies, are needed to underline this potential.

The objective of this work was to optimize subcritical water extraction (SWE) conditions of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity from vineyard pruning residues. For that, a central composite design (CCD) was conducted to investigate the influence of temperature (123–307 °C) and time (14–56 min). The optimal extraction conditions were 33 min and 280 °C, revealing a high TPC (229 ± 23 mgGAE/g dw) and antioxidant activity by FRAP and ABTS assays (228 ± 20 and 236 ± 11 mgAAE/g dw). The phenolic composition revealed high amounts of catechin, gallic acid and quercetin. SWE demonstrated to be a powerful extraction technique for polyphenols recovery from vine-canes.

Kiwiberry is a nutritive fruit produced by Actinidia arguta vine [1]. During its production and harvesting, different by-products, such as leaves, are generated [2]. These by-products are enriched in bioactive compounds, enabling its recovery and reuse [1]. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, radical scavenging, and cell viability effects of A. arguta leaf extracts at different temperatures (110–160 °C), applying subcritical water extraction (SWE), a sustainable extractive methodology. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antiradical activity (DPPH and ABTS assays) were evaluated, as well as the scavenging activity against superoxide (O2•−), hypochlorous acid (HOCl), and peroxyl radical (ROO●). Additionally, cell viability assays on HT29-MTX and Caco-2 cell lines were performed. The extract obtained at 123 °C achieved the best results in all assays (TPC = 109.72 mg GAE/g dw; TFC = 53.11 mg CE/g dw; DPPH = 497.13 µg/mL; O2− = 335.23 µg/mL; HOCl = 17.06 µg/mL; Ssample/STrolox = 0.15), except in ABTS assay. TPC, TFC, and HOCl values were better than those obtained by different authors employing other extractive methods [2–4]. The cell viability assays allowed us to observe that the viability was not affected by the extracts at the highest tested concentration (1000 µg/mL) for HT29-MTX cells. Relative to Caco-2 cells, the extract at 160 °C displayed viabilities of 80.93% at concentrations of 10 µg/mL. Therefore, temperature probably influences the content of the extracted bioactive compounds, leading to the obtained results. These results highlight the potentialities of A. arguta leaves for pharmaceutical, food, or cosmetic applications.

Salicornia ramosissima J.Woods is an edible halophyte, widely distributed in the Portuguese salt marsh that has been under valorized. The aim of this study is to expand the knowledge regarding S. ramosissima bioactive composition and safety, highlighting its potential use as nutraceutical ingredient. Therefore, extracts obtained by conventional (CE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were characterized regarding phenolic profile, antioxidant activity, radical scavenging capacity and intestinal cell effects. Moreover, organic pesticides were screened to guarantee the consumers safety. The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents were observed for the CE, as well as the scavenging capacity of O2•− (IC50 = 979.36 µg/mL) and HOCl (IC50 = 90.28 µg/mL). In contrast, the best antioxidant and antiradical activities were achieved by MAE (65.56 µmol FSE/g dw and 17.74 µg AAE/g dw for FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively). The phenolic composition was similar for both extracts, being characterized by the presence of phenolic acids, flavonols, flavanols, flavones and flavanones. The predominant compound for both extracts was myricetin. None of the extracts were cytotoxic in intestinal cell lines. Vestigial levels of β-endosulfan and p,p’-DDE were identified in MAE. These results support that S. ramosissima could be a source of bioactive compounds for nutraceutic industry.