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Combretum racemosum, a plant from the Combretaceae family, is traditionally used in Benin for various health problems. However, scientific research on Beninese samples of this plant is limited. The aim of this study was to identify and assess the bioactive compounds in the plant's leaves and roots. Initial screening involved analyzing powders derived from these parts for total polyphenols, flavonoids, and both condensed and hydrolyzable tannins. The polyphenolic compounds were analyzed using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. To evaluate the plant's antimicrobial properties, the agar diffusion method was employed, while FRAP and DPPH assays were used to determine its antioxidant capacity. For anti-inflammatory activity, the study utilized tests for in vitro protein denaturation inhibition and in vivo acute edema induced by carrageenan. Additionally, an antiproliferative assay was conducted using the human melanoma cell line A375. The analysis revealed the presence of significant polyphenolic compounds in both the leaf and root extracts of C. racemosum. Notably, compounds like Pedunculagin, Vescalagin, Casuarictin, and Digalloyl-glucoside were abundant in the leaves, with Vescalagin being especially predominant in the roots. The study also found that the dichloromethane extracts from the leaves and roots exhibited bactericidal effects on a substantial percentage of meat-isolated strains. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of these extracts were confirmed through FRAP and DPPH methods. Interestingly, the dichloromethane root extract showed strong activity in inhibiting thermal albumin denaturation, while the water–ethanol leaf extract demonstrated significant edema inhibition. Finally, the study observed that C. racemosum extracts reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, with leaf extracts showing more pronounced antiproliferative effects than root extracts. These findings highlight the potential of C. racemosum leaves and roots as sources of compounds with diverse and significant biological activities. In conclusion, C. racemosum's leaves and roots exhibit promising biological activities, highlighting their potential medicinal value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oat (Avena sativa) processing generates a large amount of by-products, especially oat bran. These by-products are excellent sources of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and essential fatty acids. Therefore, enhancing the extraction of these bioactive substances and incorporating them into the human diet is critical. This study investigates the effect of acid pretreatment on the solid-state fermentation of oat bran with Aspergillus niger , with an emphasis on the bioaccessibility of phenolic acids and lipid profile. The results showed a considerable increase in reducing sugars following acid pretreatment. On the sixth day, there was a notable increase in the total phenolic content, reaching 58.114 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g DW, and the vanillic acid level significantly rose to 77.419 ± 0.27 μg/g DW. The lipid profile study revealed changes ranging from 4.66 % in the control to 7.33 % on the sixth day of SSF. Aside from biochemical alterations, antioxidant activity measurement using the DPPH technique demonstrated the maximum scavenging activity on day 4 (83.33 %). This study highlights acid pretreatment's role in enhancing bioactive compound accessibility in solid-state fermentation and its importance for functional food development. [Display omitted] • Acid pretreatment increased monosaccharides like maltose, glucose, and fructose. • The analysis of phenolic compounds showed a wide variety, including cinnamic acids, benzoic acids, and avenanthramides. • Vanillic acid increased during fermentation, indicating a synergistic effect with acid pretreatment. • The analyzed samples exhibit low levels of PUFAs/SFAs ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosemary, a native Mediterranean plant is a well-known source of phytochemicals with antioxidant activity attributed mainly to diterpenoids and flavonoids. The aim of the study was to establish an accurate evaluation of the rosemary metabolite profiles from several accessions under changing environmental conditions (water stress and soil salinity) comparing two sampling seasons (summer vs. spring) from four different habitats in Eastern Spain. The methodology was based on the identification and the quantitative evaluation of phytochemicals (phenolic acid derivatives, flavonoids, diterpenes and triterpenes) by HPLC coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI+-MS). Phytochemical profiles were statistically compared by factorial ANOVA, cluster analysis, principal component analysis and univariate analysis (Pearson correlations), that allowed the discrimination between the extract composition in correlation to their habitat and stress conditions. Out of twenty-three compounds identified, the major ones were represented by diterpenoids (carnosic acid, carnosol and oxidized metabolites rosmanol, epirosmanol, rosmadial, rosmanol methyl ether) and flavonoids, which showed significant metabolic regulation induced by water stress. The main conclusion of the work is that the diterpene derivatives and their oxidized metabolites may be considered as optimal biomarkers of the environmental stress in Rosmarinus officinalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb.et Zucc. (Japanese knotweed) is considered an invasive plant in several countries in' Europe, whilst being used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine for various inflammatory diseases, hepatitis, tumors, diarrhea, suppurative dermatitis, gonorrhea,. hyperlipidemia, favus athlete's foot, osteomyelitis. The present study is focused on the characterization of different extracts of Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb.et Zucc. buds, by determination of the influence of different solvents on the extraction yield, the phenolic content and their. antioxidant capacity. The solvents used were ethanol, propylene glycol, methanol, acid water and alkaline water, in different combinations. The TJV-Vis spectra were recorded and the total phenolic content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method, comparing the extraction yields with the total phenolic contents. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The extracts analyzed had total phenolic values from 1048 mg/100g to 1426 mg/100g fresh buds, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, the highest extraction index being 963, in good agreement with the antioxidant capacity. These data suggest that Polygonum cupidatum Sieb.et Zucc. buds could be a rich source of natural antioxidants and a good candidate as an ingredient in functional food, cosmetics and drugs for the prevention of the negative effects of oxidative stress on humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different Romanian cuhivars of Vaccinium cotymbasurn (Elliot, BlueCrop, and Duke) and Vaccinium myrtillius (Wild 1, Wild 2) were collected and analyzed for chiorogethc acid using High Performance Liquid Chminatography. Bluecrop cultivar was found to have the highest chlorogenic acid content (181.55 μg 100 g FW) among the cultivated blueberries analyzed, but the lowest values were obtained for Duke cultivar (97.84 μg/100 g FW). Both wild cultivars had high quantities of chlorogemc acid comparing to cultivate ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, a great interest is showed on natural phyto-pharmaceuticals with functional proprieties and effects on metabolic syndrome is revealed in bio-medicine. Encapsulation is a new technology which store and stabilize bioactive molecules on different matrices and offer controlled delivery in target tissues and cells. Our studies are focused on dry yeast as waste from secondary fermentation of beer to be valorized as natural bioactive matrix which can incorporate different antioxidant pigments, flavors or can be included in a polymeric mass of low digestible carbohydrates like Isomalt. Starting from a dry beer yeast with controlled composition in proteins, B vitamins, phenolics using HPLC-PDA, we tried different variants of encapsulation into a melted isomalt mass. We've added beer yeast powder, cinnamon, lecithin and cocoa extracts, ingredients that are hypoglycemic, antioxidants and can be recommended in metabolic disorders. The HPLC analysis of final product showed the recovery rates of 60-70% of bio-active molecules and their functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of chemical processing, such as acid and alkaline pretreatments, on the phenolic profile, lipid components, and hydrosoluble protein content (HPC) in wheat bran (WB) was investigated. After acid pretreatment, the results provided an increase of over twofold in total reducing sugar (TRS). The sugars that have been identified are maltose, glucose, and fructose. After acid pretreatment, the total phenolic content increased by 41.95% compared with the untreated sample. Antioxidant potential, as assessed by the DPPH assay, significantly increased from 95.08 ± 1.13 μM TE/g DW in the untreated sample to 575.83 ± 2.41 μM TE/g DW following acid pretreatment. In the alkaline-treated sample, the total HPC increased to 16.58 ± 0.38 mg/100 g DW from 4.01 ± 0.17 mg/100 g DW. The fatty acid profile confirmed the presence of oleic acid (C18:1, n-9), linoleic acid (C18:2, n-6), and palmitic acid (16:0) as major components in analyzed samples. Chemical pretreatments significantly influenced all 13 identified phenolic compounds in WB, including avenanthramides, cinnamic acids (e.g., p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, synaptic acid), and benzoic acids (e.g., vanillic acid). The study provides valuable insights into the development of sustainable approaches for using cereal bran to produce bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. [Display omitted] • Acid and alkaline pretreatments influenced the bioactive composition of wheat bran. • The antioxidant activity increased after applied pretreatments. • Hydroxybenzoic acids were the principal phenolic compounds identified. • The organic acids detected were acetic and lactic acids. • Applied pretreatments statistically significantly improved the PUFA/SFA ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat bran (WB), a byproduct of milling, is rich in bioactive compounds with significant health benefits. This study aimed to enhance the release of phenolic compounds, sugars, and organic acids from WB by integrating ultrasound (UsP) and microwave (MWP) pretreatments with solid-state fermentation (SSF). UsP and MWP disrupted WB cell walls, followed by SSF with Aspergillus niger. UsP increased total phenolic content by 21.30 % on day 1 of SSF. UsP and MWP boosted the availability of bound phenolic compounds like vanillic acid and dihydroxybenzoic acid. Both pretreatments enhanced antioxidant activity compared to untreated fermented WB, with peak activity on day 5 of fermentation at 1411 ± 5.156 μM Trolox/100 g DW for UsP WB and 291.6 ± 1.092 μM Trolox/100 g DW for MWP WB. This integrated approach improved the extraction efficiency of fermentable monosaccharides, particularly glucose and xylose, offering a sustainable bioprocessing strategy for WB valorization and supporting the circular bioeconomy. [Display omitted] • Wheat bran (WB) was biovalorized for the production of phenolic compounds. • Ultrasound and microwave pretreatments increased the solid-state fermentation (SSF) efficiency. • The integrated process resulted in higher phenolic extraction and antioxidant activity. • Pretreatments increased the monosaccharides in WB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]