Search Results (6)

Yarrow has long been known as a medicinal plant and has recently been gaining in importance as a cosmetic plant. The purpose of the study was to perform a phytochemical evaluation of extracts from yarrow herb of the Paprika cultivar, which has not previously been studied in this regard, and to determine its protective, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Comparative analysis of two types of extracts, obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), showed that the former had higher content of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and condensed tannins, as well as better antioxidant properties, as determined by spectrophotometric methods (DPPH and FRAP). The biological properties of the water–ethanol yarrow herb extract obtained by UAE was tested in vitro on 15 microbial strains (14 bacterial strains and one fungal strain), as well as on two lines of skin cells: HaCaT keratinocytes and HDF fibroblasts. In addition, the sun protection factor and rheological characteristics of a model cosmetic cream based on the extract were determined. Yarrow extract was shown to exhibit a number of important activities for cosmetic ingredients, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, photoprotective, and anti-ageing activity. The results of the study indicate that this material has potential applications in cosmetics, e.g., in products for mature skin with signs of ageing such as wrinkles or hyperpigmentation. Full article

Villalva et al. evaluated the potential utility of an Achillea millefolium (yarrow) extract in the control of H. pylori infection. The agar-well diffusions bioassay was applied to determine the antimicrobial activity of yarrow extracts. The supercritical anti-solvent fractionation process of yarrow extract was made to give two different fractions with polar phenolic compounds and monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, respectively. Phenolic compounds were identified by HPLC-ESIMS by using the accurate masses of [M−H]⁻ ions and the characteristic product ions. However, some of the reported product ions seem to be disputable, as described below. Full article

Herbal nutraceuticals are foods derived from plants and/or their derivatives, such as oils, roots, seeds, berries, or flowers, that support wellness and combat acute and chronic ailments induced by unhealthful dietary habits. The current review enlists various traditional as well as unexplored herbs including angelica, burnet, caraway, laurel, parsley, yarrow, and zedoary, which are rich sources of bioactive components, such as aloesin, angelicin, trans-anethole, and cholesteric-7-en-3β-ol. The review further compares some of the extraction and purification techniques, namely, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction, microwave assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, hydro-distillation extraction, ultra-high-pressure extraction, enzyme assisted extraction, pulsed electric field extraction, bio affinity chromatography, cell membrane chromatography, and ligand fishing. Herbal nutraceuticals can be purchased in varied formulations, such as capsules, pills, powders, liquids, and gels. Some of the formulations currently available on the market are discussed here. Further, the significance of herbal nutraceuticals in prevention and cure of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, dementia, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia; and as immunomodulators and antimicrobial agents has been discussed. Noteworthy, the inappropriate use of these herbal nutraceuticals can lead to hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, cytotoxicity, carcinogenicity, nephrotoxicity, hematotoxicity, and cardiac toxicity. Hence, this review concludes with a discussion of various regulatory aspects undertaken by the government agencies in order to minimize the adverse effects associated with herbal nutraceuticals. Full article

The main objective of this work is to evaluate the potential utility of an Achillea millefolium extract (yarrow extract, YE) in the control of H. pylori infection. The supercritical anti-solvent fractionation (SAF) process of YE allowed the obtaining of two different fractions: yarrow’s precipitated fraction (YPF), enriched in most polar phenolic compounds (luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid), and yarrow’s separator fraction (YSF), enriched in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, mainly containing camphor, artemisia ketone, and borneol. YE was effective in reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human gastric AGS cells by 16% to 29%, depending on the H. pylori strain. YPF had the highest inhibitory activity (38–40%) for ROS production. YE modulated the inflammatory response in AGS gastric cells, decreasing IL-8 production by 53% to 64%. This IL-8 inhibition also showed a strain-dependent character. YPF and YSF exhibited similar behavior, reducing IL-8 production, suggesting that both phenolic compounds and essential oils could contribute to IL-8 inhibition. YSF showed the highest antibacterial activity against H. pylori (6.3–7.1 log CFU reduction, depending on the strain) and lower MIC (0.08 mg/mL). Results obtained have shown that YE and SAF fractions (YPF and YSF) were effective as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agents regardless of the H. pylori strain characteristics. Full article

With everyday advances in the field of pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants have high priority regarding the introduction of novel synthetic compounds by the usage of environmentally friendly extraction technologies. Herein, a supercritical CO₂ extraction method was implemented in the analysis of four plants (chamomile, St. John’s wort, yarrow, and curry plant) after which the non-targeted analysis of the chemical composition, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity was evaluated. The extraction yield was the highest for the chamomile (5%), while moderate yields were obtained for the other three plants. The chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) demonstrated extraction of diverse compounds including terpenes and terpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids and coumarins, functionalized phytosterols, and polyphenols. Voltammetry of microfilm immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) was applied in the analysis of extracts. It was found that antioxidant activity obtained by SWV correlates well to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazine (DPPH) radical assay (R² = 0.818) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (R² = 0.640), but not to the total phenolic content (R² = 0.092). Effective results were obtained in terms of activity showing the potential usage of supercritical CO2 extraction to acquire bioactive compounds of interest. Full article

Nowadays, obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, continue to be a health epidemic in westernized societies, and there is an increased necessity to explore anti-obesity therapies including pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds. Considerable attention has been placed on the identification of bioactive compounds from natural sources to manage the metabolic stress associated with obesity. In a previous work, we have demonstrated that a CO₂ supercritical fluid extract from yarrow (Yarrow SFE), downregulates the expression of the lipogenic master regulator SREBF1 and its downstream molecular targets FASN and SCD in a tumoral context. Since obesity and diabetes are strongly considered high-risk factors for cancer development, herein, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic role of Yarrow SFE in the metabolic stress induced after a high-fat diet in mice. For this purpose, 32 C57BL/6 mice were distributed in four groups according to their diets: standard diet (SD); SD supplemented with Yarrow SFE (SD + Yarrow); high-fat diet (HFD); and HFD supplemented with Yarrow SFE (HFD + Yarrow). Fasting glycemia, insulin levels, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipid profile, gene expression, and lipid content of liver and adipose tissues were analyzed after three months of treatment. Results indicate improved fasting glucose levels in plasma, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and diminished hypercholesterolemia in the HFD + Yarrow group compared to the HFD group. Mechanistically, Yarrow SFE protects liver from steatosis after the HFD challenge by augmenting the adipose tissue buffering capacity of the circulating plasma glucose. Full article