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Trends in Natural Products Research in the Mediterranean Region

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 8047

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
2. Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Isabel Torres 21, 39011 Santander, Spain
Interests: nutrition; health; disease prevention; dietary bioactive compounds; oxidative stress; aging; mitochondrial functionality; inflammation; bioenergetics
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Guest Editor
Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, University of Vigo - Vigo Campus, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Interests: natural compounds; berries; honey; obesity; cancer; byproducts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the Mediterranean, there is a historical tradition of research on natural products, as demonstrated by the work of scientists from this region in the last 50 years. On the one hand, the Mediterranean is characterized by a large number of ecosystems, landscape diversification, and endemic species that contribute to the biodiversity of the territories bordering the Mediterranean, thus making this area a hot spot of global diversity. On the other hand, this area represents the geographical basin where the Mediterranean diet and the heritage of millennia of exchanges of people, cultures, and foods were born. This Special Issue aims to illustrate the current trends and developments in the research of natural products in the Mediterranean. Contributions to this Special Issue, in the form of original research, review articles, or perspectives, may cover all aspects of natural products, from isolation, characterization, and production to transformation and applications for human health; studies with multidisciplinary input, offering new methodologies, approaches, or insights, are particularly welcome.

Dr. Francesca Giampieri
Dr. Tamara Y Forbes-Hernández
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • natural products
  • isolation
  • chemical structure
  • characterization
  • biological activity
  • agricultural techniques
  • biosynthesis
  • structure–activity relationship
  • chemical synthesis
  • molecular modeling
  • nutraceutics
  • cosmetics
  • alternative source
  • byproducts

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 8360 KiB  
Article
Extraction of Anthocyanins from Borage (Echium amoenum) Flowers Using Choline Chloride and a Glycerol-Based, Deep Eutectic Solvent: Optimization, Antioxidant Activity, and In Vitro Bioavailability
by Oscar Zannou, Hojjat Pashazadeh, Mohamed Ghellam, Salam A. Ibrahim and Ilkay Koca
Molecules 2022, 27(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010134 - 27 Dec 2021
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4056
Abstract
Borage flower (Echium amoenum), an annual herb native to the Mediterranean region, is an excellent source of anthocyanins and is widely used in various forms due to its biological activities. In the present study, a choline chloride and glycerol (CHGLY)-based natural [...] Read more.
Borage flower (Echium amoenum), an annual herb native to the Mediterranean region, is an excellent source of anthocyanins and is widely used in various forms due to its biological activities. In the present study, a choline chloride and glycerol (CHGLY)-based natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) was applied in order to extract the anthocyanins from borage flowers. The traditional solvents, including water, methanol, and ethanol, were used to evaluate the efficiency of CHGLY. The results showed that CHGLY was highly efficient compared to the traditional solvents, providing the highest amounts of the total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), individual anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays). The most dominant anthocyanin found in studied borage was cyanidin-3-glucoside, followed by cyanin chloride, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, and pelargonidin-3-glucoside. The bioavailability % was 71.86 ± 0.47%, 77.29 ± 0.57%, 80.22 ± 0.65%, and 90.95 ± 1.01% for cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, by pelargonidin-3-glucoside and cyanin chloride, respectively. However, cyanidin-3-glucoside was the anthocyanin compound showing the highest stability (99.11 ± 1.66%) in the gastrointestinal environment. These results suggested that choline chloride and glycerol-based NADES is not only an efficient, eco-friendly solvent for the extraction of anthocyanins but can also be used to increase the bioavailability of anthocyanins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Natural Products Research in the Mediterranean Region)
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14 pages, 1297 KiB  
Article
Suggestions on the Contribution of Methyl Eugenol and Eugenol to Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) Essential Oil Preservative Activity through Radical Scavenging
by Nikolaos Nenadis, Maria Papapostolou and Maria Z. Tsimidou
Molecules 2021, 26(8), 2342; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26082342 - 17 Apr 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2828
Abstract
The present study examined the radical scavenging potential of the two benzene derivatives found in the bay laurel essential oil (EO), namely methyl eugenol (MEug) and eugenol (Eug), theoretically and experimentally to make suggestions on their contribution to the EO preservative activity through [...] Read more.
The present study examined the radical scavenging potential of the two benzene derivatives found in the bay laurel essential oil (EO), namely methyl eugenol (MEug) and eugenol (Eug), theoretically and experimentally to make suggestions on their contribution to the EO preservative activity through such a mechanism. Calculation of appropriate molecular indices widely used to characterize chain-breaking antioxidants was carried out in the gas and liquid phases (n-hexane, n-octanol, methanol, water). Experimental evidence was based on the DPPH scavenging assay applied to pure compounds and a set of bay laurel EOs chemically characterized with GC-MS/FID. Theoretical calculations suggested that the preservative properties of both compounds could be exerted through a radical scavenging mechanism via hydrogen atom donation. Eug was predicted to be of superior efficiency in line with experimental findings. Pearson correlation and partial least square regression analyses of the EO antioxidant activity values vs. % composition of individual volatiles indicated the positive contribution of both compounds to the radical scavenging activity of bay laurel EOs. Eug, despite its low content in bay laurel EOs, was found to influence the most the radical scavenging activity of the latter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Natural Products Research in the Mediterranean Region)
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