scholarly journals Insight into Composition of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds in Leaves and Flowers of Green and Purple Basil

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhakti Prinsi ◽  
Silvia Morgutti ◽  
Noemi Negrini ◽  
Franco Faoro ◽  
Luca Espen

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a culinary, medicinal, and ornamental plant appreciated for its antioxidant properties, mainly attributed to high content of rosmarinic acid. This species also includes purple varieties, characterized by the accumulation of anthocyanins in leaves and flowers. In this work, we compared the main morphological characteristics, the antioxidant capacity and the chemical composition in leaves, flowers, and corollas of green (‘Italiano Classico’) and purple (‘Red Rubin’ and ‘Dark Opal’) basil varieties. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of individual compounds allowed quantifying 17 (poly)phenolic acids and 18 flavonoids, differently accumulated in leaves and flowers of the three varieties. The study revealed that in addition to rosmarinic acid, basil contains several members of the salvianolic acid family, only scarcely descripted in this species, as well as, especially in flowers, simple phenolic acids, such as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and salvianic acid A. Moreover, the study revealed that purple leaves mainly contain highly acylated anthocyanins, while purple flowers accumulate anthocyanins with low degree of decoration. Overall, this study provides new biochemical information about the presence of not yet characterized bioactive compounds in basil that could contribute to boosting the use of this crop and to gaining new knowledge about the roles of these compounds in plant physiology.

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1300800
Author(s):  
Blanka Szilvássy ◽  
Gábor Rak ◽  
Szilvia Sárosi ◽  
Ildikó Novák ◽  
Zsuzsanna Pluhár ◽  
...  

Thyme is used worldwide both as a spice and crude drug. In addition, nowadays in the food industry it has increasing significance as a natural antioxidant. Volatile aromatic compounds of thyme have been thoroughly characterized; however, the non-volatile compounds may also contribute to the organoleptic quality and antioxidant properties. The aim of this work is to determine the phenolic acids and to profile the flavonoid compounds in the aqueous extract of two chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris L. Experiments were carried out using high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Predefined phenolic acids were quantified in untreated and alkaline hydrolyzed aqueous extracts. Flavonoid derivatives were qualitatively analyzed by a non-targeted screening method. Our results showed that among the phenolic acids rosmarinic acid was the main component (882-1677 μg g−1 fresh weight) and in the thymol-type samples the amount of syringic acid and rosmarinic acid was predominantly higher compared with the non-thymol type sample. Apigenin and luteolin were the major flavonoids in the extracts, which were present in the form of hexopyranuronic acid conjugates.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1400901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Generalić Mekinić ◽  
Danijela Skroza ◽  
Ivica Ljubenkov ◽  
Luka Krstulović ◽  
Sonja Smole Možina ◽  
...  

Chamomile, common yarrow and immortelle ethanolic extracts were chemically analysed with respect to phenolics. Twelve phenolic acids were separated and identified by HPLC-DAD and the presence of rosmarinic acid was additionally confirmed by LC-MS. Five methods were applied for the evaluation of extracts’ antioxidant properties (FRAP, DPPH, ABTS, chelating activity, Briggs-Rauscher reaction), while the antibacterial activity was tested against some of the major food-borne pathogens ( Campylobacter coli, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Infantis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus). Immortelle extract was the richest in phenolics with a dominant flavonoid fraction, while the other two extracts contained higher amount of non-flavonoids. The phenolic acid profile also varied; high concentration of rosmarinic acid was found in chamomile and common yarrow, while caffeic acid was dominant in immortelle. The best antioxidant properties were obtained for chamomile extract, while good antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacterial species, was detected for immortelle. The obtained results could be used as a tool for chemotaxonomic classification of the investigated plants or for their potential application as natural antioxidants/antimicrobials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Renu Agarwal ◽  
SK Gupta ◽  
Sushma Srivastava ◽  
Rohit Saxena

Introduction: Ocimum basilicum (OB), a herb known for its antihypertensive, anticholinesterase and antioxidant properties was investigated for possible intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effects in rabbits with ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: The IOP lowering effect of a single drop of OB extract (OBE) was evaluated in oculonormotensive rabbits using three concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1% w/v). The concentration showing maximum IOP reduction was further evaluated in rabbits with water-loading and steroid-induced OHT. Results: IOP lowering effect of OBE 0.5% in oculonormotensive rabbit eyes was significantly greater compared to OBE 0.25% (p<0.05) but was comparable (p>0.05) to OBE 1%. Therefore, 0.5% concentration was selected for further evaluation. Pretreatment with OBE (0.5%) caused significantly lower increase in IOP after water loading amounting to 23.39% above baseline as compared to 54.00% in control eye, 15 minutes post water loading. At 60 minutes, post water loading, mean IOP rise was 95.12% and 63.58% in control and test eyes, respectively. Significant difference between the mean IOP of two eyes persisted during the 2nd hr. In rabbits with steroid induced OHT, OBE 0.5% produced a mean IOP reduction of 24.73% at the end of first hr and the mean peak IOP reduction of 31.63% was observed at the end of 2 hr. A significant difference between the IOP of test and control eyes persisted from 1 to 6 hr. Conclusions: Ocimum basilicum seed extract showed significant IOP lowering effect in rabbits with water loading and steroid induced OHT, however, its utility as an effective antiglaucoma medication needs further investigations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Lisa Whiting ◽  
Mark Whiting ◽  
Julia Petty ◽  
Michele O'Grady

Background: An 8-month rotation programme was implemented for five nurses employed in two kinds of children's palliative care environments: hospital wards and hospices. This study reports the views of the nurses completing the rotation. The research drew on appreciative inquiry and involved a pre- and post-rotation interview and questionnaire. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed seven themes: adjusting to the rotation programme; support mechanisms; being safe; new knowledge and skills; knowledge exchange; misconceptions; future plans. These were supported by the questionnaire findings. Although the nurses identified some frustration at having to undertake competency assessments relating to previously acquired skills, as well as being out of their ‘comfort zone’, all the participants highly recommended the programme. They commented very positively on the support they received and the overall learning experience as well as the new insight into different aspects of care. In addition, they were able to share their newfound knowledge and expertise with others.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1056
Author(s):  
Cody Molnar ◽  
Ekaterina Nikolaeva ◽  
Seonghwan Kim ◽  
Tracey Olson ◽  
Devin Bily ◽  
...  

The increasing movement of exotic pathogens calls for systematic surveillance so that newly introduced pathogens can be recognized and dealt with early. A resource crucial for recognizing such pathogens is knowledge about the spatial and temporal diversity of endemic pathogens. Here, we report an effort to build this resource for Pennsylvania (PA) by characterizing the identity and distribution of Phytophthora species isolated from diverse plant species in PA nurseries and greenhouses. We identified 1137 Phytophthora isolates cultured from clinical samples of >150 plant species submitted to the PA Department of Agriculture for diagnosis from 1975 to 2019 using sequences of one or more loci and morphological characteristics. The three most commonly received plants were Abies, Rhododendron, and Pseudotsuga. Thirty-six Phytophthora species identified represent all clades, except 3 and 10, and included a distinct subgroup of a known species and a prospective new species. Prominent pathogenic species such as P. cactorum, P. cinnamomi, P. nicotianae, P. drechsleri, P. pini, P. plurivora, and P. sp. kelmania have been found consistently since 1975. One isolate cultured from Juniperus horizontalis roots did not correspond to any known species, and several other isolates also show considerable genetic variation from any authentic species or isolate. Some species were isolated from never-before-documented plants, suggesting that their host range is larger than previously thought. This survey only provides a coarse picture of historical patterns of Phytophthora encounters in PA nurseries and greenhouses because the isolation of Phytophthora was not designed for a systematic survey. However, its extensive temporal and plant coverage offers a unique insight into the association of Phytophthora with diverse plants in nurseries and greenhouses.


Author(s):  
Exequiel Gabriel S. Dizon ◽  
Jeric P. Da-Anoy ◽  
Melissa S. Roth ◽  
Cecilia Conaco

Abstract Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are reported to play an important role as photoprotectants and antioxidants in corals subjected to stressful conditions. Identifying the various FP genes expressed and FP gene expression patterns under stress in diverse coral species can provide insight into FP function. In this study, we identified 16 putative FP homologues from the transcriptomes of corals with varying susceptibility to elevated temperature, including Acropora digitifera, Favites colemani, Montipora digitata and Seriatopora caliendrum. Each coral expressed a different complement of FP transcripts, which were predicted to have distinct spectral properties. The most diverse and abundant repertoire of FP transcripts, including at least 6 green FPs, were expressed in the temperature-tolerant coral, F. colemani. In comparison, the other corals expressed fewer FP types. Specific FP transcripts exhibited variable expression profiles in coral fragments subjected to 32 ± 1 °C (treatment) or 28 ± 1 °C (control) for up to 72 h, suggesting that distinct FPs may have different roles. Further studies on the expression of the proteins encoded by these FP transcripts, their fluorescence activity, tissue localization, and possible antioxidant properties, are needed to reveal their contribution to thermal stress tolerance in certain species of corals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hüseyin Akşit ◽  
Mehmet Keçeci ◽  
İbrahim Demirtaş ◽  
Nusret Genç

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 453-458
Author(s):  
Anes El-Hadj Saïd ◽  
Sidi Mohamed Mekelleche ◽  
Taki-Eddine Ahmed Ardjani

The objective of this work is to perform a theoretical analysis of the antioxidant properties of a series of 8-hydroxyquinolines (8-HQs) to rationalize the available experimental results and to design new potent 8-HQ derivatives. The study was carried out in gas phase and in methanol at the DFT/B3LYP/ 6-311++G(d,p) computational level. The formation of stable ArO• radicals is discussed on the basis of different mechanisms, namely, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer followed by proton transfer (SET-PT), and single proton loss electron transfer (SPLET). The obtained results show that the HAT mechanism is, thermodynamically, more favoured in gas phase, whereas the SPLET pathway is more favoured in polar solvents. The calculated thermochemical descriptors allow classification of the antioxidant power of the studied compounds.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (16) ◽  
pp. 3648
Author(s):  
Lucia Godočiková ◽  
Eva Ivanišová ◽  
Grzegorz Zaguła ◽  
Luis Noguera-Artiaga ◽  
Ángel A. Carbonell-Barrachina ◽  
...  

The biological activity of chocolates gains more and more attention of consumers. Its antioxidant properties depend, among other factors, mainly on the origin of cocoa and the characteristics that this origin gives to the final product. Therefore, the aim of the study was to measure and compare the total content of polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and key odorants of commercial chocolates made from blend cocoa with single-origin ones. The highest content of polyphenols was found in 90% blend cocoa chocolate and single-origin samples, while the lowest content was exhibited by 100% chocolate from blend cocoa mass. The highest antioxidant activity measured by 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays was observed in the sample of chocolate with 90% cocoa solids from blend mass, followed by single-origin chocolates. A high positive correlation between ABTS assay and the total polyphenol and phenolic acids’ content, as well as among the total content of polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids was found. Mineral composition analysis showed that dark chocolate is a valuable source of some elements, especially Mg, Fe, and Zn. Potentially toxic elements were not detected or below permitted limits. Moreover, it was noticed that the main volatile compound in all tested samples was acetic acid, but pyrazines were considered the most important group of chocolate odorants.


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