Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Extraction and Industrial Applications of Antioxidants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 8004

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Spanish National Research Council, CSIC, Granada, Spain
Interests: fruit and vegetable antioxidants; proteomics; fruit ripening; reactive oxygen; and nitrogen species metabolism; signaling processes; abiotic stress; nitric oxide extract
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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Spanish National Research Council, CSIC, Granada, Spain
Interests: plant antioxidants; nitric oxide; reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; fruit ripening; abiotic/biotic stress; omics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants and fruits are a source of food and play an essential role in maintaining a balance against environmental factors including human-induced stressors, which are becoming a crucial problem nowadays. These stressors and changes affect all stages of the plant’s lifecycle, from development to fruit ripening. A growing number of investigations have shown the significance of good extraction and analysis methods, based on innovation and type of plant, to evaluate several issues.

It is a conditional of quality research that it possesses excellent tools of work such as extraction methods appropriate for analysis of factors such as the following:

  • Abiotic/biotic stress;
  • Antioxidant metabolism;
  • Nitro-oxidative stress;

The present Special Issue of Antioxidants aims to provide the most current extraction and analysis methods in plants and fruits, as well as to improve and extend the knowledge of higher plants related to mechanism of action, antioxidant metabolism, and abiotic/biotic stress. This Special Issue is open to different types of manuscripts, including reviews, original research papers, or new methods.

Dr. Marta Rodríguez-Ruiz
Dr. Salvador González Gordo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • extraction methods
  • antioxidants
  • ripening
  • post-translational modification (PTMs)
  • redox signaling
  • nitro-oxidative stress
  • plant development
  • reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  • nitrogen oxygen species (RNS)
  • abiotic stress
  • biotic stress
  • nitric oxide
  • signaling processes
  • proteomics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 3926 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Citrus Species’ Flavonoid Metabolism, Gene Expression Profiling, and Their Antioxidant Capacity under Drought Stress
by Muhammad Junaid Rao, Mingzheng Duan, Momina Eman, Huwei Yuan, Anket Sharma and Bingsong Zheng
Antioxidants 2024, 13(9), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13091149 - 23 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 932
Abstract
Citrus species are widely cultivated across the globe and frequently encounter drought stress during their growth and development phases. Previous research has indicated that citrus species synthesize flavonoids as a response mechanism to drought stress. This study aimed to comprehensively quantify and analyze [...] Read more.
Citrus species are widely cultivated across the globe and frequently encounter drought stress during their growth and development phases. Previous research has indicated that citrus species synthesize flavonoids as a response mechanism to drought stress. This study aimed to comprehensively quantify and analyze the presence of 85 distinct flavonoids in the leaf and root tissues of lemon (drought susceptible) and sour orange (drought tolerant). In drought-stressed sour orange roots, flavonoids, such as isosakuranin, mangiferin, trilobatin, liquiritigenin, avicularin, silibinin, and glabridin, were more elevated than control sour orange roots and drought-stressed lemon roots. Additionally, hydroxysafflor yellow A, cynaroside, tiliroside, and apigenin 7-glucoside were increased in drought-stressed sour orange leaves compared to drought-stressed lemon leaves. Under drought stress, flavonoids such as (-)-epigallocatechin, silibinin, benzylideneacetophenone, trilobatin, isorhamnetin, 3,7,4′-trihydroxyflavone, and liquiritigenin were significantly increased, by 3.01-, 3.01-, 2.59-, 2.43-, 2.07-, 2.05-, and 2.01-fold, in sour orange roots compared to control sour orange roots. Moreover, the total flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were significantly increased in drought-stressed sour orange leaves and root tissues compared to drought-stressed lemon leaves and root tissues. The expression levels of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis were highly expressed in sour orange leaves and roots, compared to lemon leaves and root tissues, post-drought stress. These findings indicate that lemons fail to synthesize protective flavonoids under drought conditions, whereas sour orange leaves and root tissues enhance flavonoid synthesis, with higher antioxidant activities to mitigate the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species generated during drought stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts)
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36 pages, 10337 KiB  
Article
Qualitative, Quantitative, In Vitro Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Profiling of Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne Using Advanced Analytical Techniques
by Divya Kumari, Devendra Singh, Mukesh Meena, Pracheta Janmeda and Manzer H. Siddiqui
Antioxidants 2024, 13(7), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13070794 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1486
Abstract
Leptadenia pyrotechnica Forssk. Decne (LP) is a medicinal herb from the Asclepiadaceae family with many advantageous properties. The goal of this research is to identify, quantify, and evaluate the antioxidant potential of LP to validate its remarkable therapeutic advantages. The hot soxhlet extraction [...] Read more.
Leptadenia pyrotechnica Forssk. Decne (LP) is a medicinal herb from the Asclepiadaceae family with many advantageous properties. The goal of this research is to identify, quantify, and evaluate the antioxidant potential of LP to validate its remarkable therapeutic advantages. The hot soxhlet extraction method was employed to prepare different extracts of LP (stem and root). These extracts were evaluated physiochemically to check their impurity, purity, and quality; qualitatively to detect different phytochemicals; and quantitatively for phenol, saponin, tannin, flavonoid, and alkaloid contents. Then, the in vitro antioxidant potential was estimated by DPPH, NO, H2O2 scavenging assays, and MC and FRAP assays. The most prevalent phytochemicals of LP were then analysed by AAS, FT-IR, UV–visible, and GC-MS techniques. A higher extractive yield was shown by LPSE and LPRE (7.37 ± 0.11 and 5.70 ± 0.02). The LP stem showed better physicochemical and qualitative results than the root. The quantitative and in vitro antioxidant results indicated maximal phenols, tannins, and alkaloid contents in LPSE, which was further confirmed by UV–visible, FT-IR, and GC-MS results. The extraction methods (soxhlation or ultrasonication) were optimized by utilizing RSM to determine the impacts of multiple parameters. The study concluded that the plant has remarkable therapeutic advantages to promote additional clinical investigations and the mechanisms of its action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts)
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25 pages, 1036 KiB  
Article
Optimization and Validation of Procyanidins Extraction and Phytochemical Profiling of Seven Herbal Matrices of Nutraceutical Interest
by Niloufar Keivani, Vincenzo Piccolo, Adua Marzocchi, Maria Maisto, Gian Carlo Tenore and Vincenzo Summa
Antioxidants 2024, 13(5), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13050586 - 10 May 2024
Viewed by 1617
Abstract
Several medicinal herbal plants are extensively used as sources of bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on human health. This study assessed the procyanidin and polyphenol profiles together with the antioxidant potential of seven herbal medical matrices. To achieve this aim, procyanidin extraction from [...] Read more.
Several medicinal herbal plants are extensively used as sources of bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on human health. This study assessed the procyanidin and polyphenol profiles together with the antioxidant potential of seven herbal medical matrices. To achieve this aim, procyanidin extraction from grape pomace was optimized and validated by monitoring monomeric-trimeric procyanidins. The proposed quantification method was applied to the seven medical herbs, and it proved to be a very efficient protocol for procyanidin-rich extracts analysis. In addition, the Paullinia cupana Kunth. seed was identified as a very rich source of procyanidins (about 5 mg/g dry matrix of each dimeric and about 3 mg/g dry matrix trimeric) with high antioxidant properties. The polyphenolic profile was assessed by HPLC-HESI-MS/MS analysis. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH assay to explore the antioxidant properties of the extracts, which were substantially higher in Peumus boldus Molina leaves extracts (935.23 ± 169 μmol of Trolox equivalent/g of dry weight) concerning the other matrices. Moreover, a high Pearson coefficient value was observed between the total flavonoid content (TFC) and DPPH in comparison with the total polyphenol content (TPC) and DPPH, indicating flavonoids as the principal bioactive with antioxidant activity in the extracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts)
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17 pages, 1789 KiB  
Article
The Health-Promoting Quality Attributes, Polyphenols, Iridoids and Antioxidant Activity during the Development and Ripening of Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.)
by Dominika Przybylska, Alicja Z. Kucharska, Narcyz Piórecki and Tomasz Sozański
Antioxidants 2024, 13(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13020229 - 13 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1391
Abstract
This study defined the physicochemical attributes, composition, and antioxidant capacity of four Polish cultivars of cornelian cherry (CC) at six stages of development and ripening. A total of 52 metabolites were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS and quantified by HPLC-PDA. In general, phenolic acids, hydrolyzable [...] Read more.
This study defined the physicochemical attributes, composition, and antioxidant capacity of four Polish cultivars of cornelian cherry (CC) at six stages of development and ripening. A total of 52 metabolites were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS and quantified by HPLC-PDA. In general, phenolic acids, hydrolyzable tannins, flavonols, iridoids, antioxidant activity, organic acids, and vitamin C decreased, while anthocyanins, malic acid, sugars, and titratable acidity increased. For the first time, we determined the evolution of the CC chemical properties and the metabolic behavior and quantified the individual compounds, and groups of compounds during ripening, in particular gallotannins, ellagitannins, iridoids, and organic acids. The main novelty of our study is that CC is a valuable resource for utilization at different degrees of maturity. We showed that unripe fruits in particular deserve valorization, as they contained the highest content of total bioactive phytocompounds (5589.1–6779.6 mg/100 g dw)—primarily phenolic acids > iridoids > tannins—and the highest antioxidant capacity. The intermediate stages were the most abundant in vitamin C (341.1–495.6 mg/100 g dw), ellagic acid (5.9–31.6 mg/100 g dw), gallotannins (47.8–331.1 mg/100 g dw), and loganic acid (1393.0–2839.4 mg/100 g dw). The ripe fruits contained less bioactive phytocompounds (1403.7–1974.6 mg/100 g dw)—primarily iridoids > phenolic acids > tannins > anthocyanins—and the lowest antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, ripe fruits showed the highest content of anthocyanins (30.8–143.2 mg/100 g dw), sugars (36.4–78.9 g/100 g dw), malic acid (5.5–12.2 g/100 g dw), and, favorably for the nutritional applications, the highest sugar-to-acids ratio (3.0–6.4). Our work illustrates in detail that quality attributes and the content of health-promoting phytocompounds in CC depend on the ripening stage and on the cultivar. These results advance the scientific knowledge about CC. Our findings can be helpful to select the optimal properties of CC for the development of diverse functional foods and phytopharmaceuticals applied in the prevention of civilization diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts)
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21 pages, 3459 KiB  
Article
Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Prestonia mollis Leaves and Their Impregnation into Polylactic Acid Using High-Pressure Technologies: Potential for Biomedical Application
by Gabriel Alfonso Burgos-Briones, Lidia Verano-Naranjo, Cristina Cejudo-Bastante, Alex Alberto Dueñas-Rivadeneira, Casimiro Mantell-Serrano and Lourdes Casas-Cardoso
Antioxidants 2023, 12(10), 1864; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101864 - 15 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1733
Abstract
Enhanced solvent extraction (ESE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) have been used for the first time to obtain antioxidant compounds from Prestonia mollis leaves. The effects of pressure (100–250 bar), temperature (55–75 °C) and the composition of the extraction solvent (ethanol, water and [...] Read more.
Enhanced solvent extraction (ESE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) have been used for the first time to obtain antioxidant compounds from Prestonia mollis leaves. The effects of pressure (100–250 bar), temperature (55–75 °C) and the composition of the extraction solvent (ethanol, water and hydroalcoholic mixtures) were evaluated according to multilevel factorial designs. PLE provided the largest extraction yields compared to ESE, as well as a greater impact of the operating conditions studied. The highest total phenolic content was obtained when using a hydroalcoholic mixture (CO2/ethanol/water 50/25/25) through ESE at 100 bar and 75 °C. The antioxidant capacity of this extract is related to higher concentration levels of the identified flavonoids: Quercetin 3-O-xylosyl-rutinoside, Kaempferol 3-(2G-apiosylrobinobioside) and Kaempferol 4′-glucoside 7-rhamnoside. This extract was tested for the supercritical impregnation of polylactic acid (PLA), which is a polymer widely used in the biomedical industry. The influence of pressure (100–400 bar), temperature (35–55 °C), amount of extract (3–6 mL) and impregnation time (1–2 h) have been evaluated. The best results were obtained by impregnating 3 mL of extract at 100 bar and 55 °C for 2 h, achieving 10% inhibition with DPPH methods. The extract presented a potentially suitable impregnation of PLA for biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Methods: Antioxidant Activity in Plant Extracts)
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