The antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of hot aqueous extract from Asparagus albus (A. albus) leaf against CCl 4 -induced liver damage in rats were investigated. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and condensed tannin contents of hot aqueous extract from A. albus leaf were determined. The antioxidant activity of hot aqueous extract from A. albus leaf was evaluated using the antioxidant capacity, DPPH free radical-scavenging ability and reducing power assays. Different polyphenolic compounds, namely gallic acid, vanillic acid, 3,4 dimethoxybenzoic acid, catechin, rutin, and quercetin were identified. Oral administration of hot aqueous extract from A. albus leaf to male Wistar, intoxicated with CCl 4 , demonstrated a significant protective effect by lowering the levels of hepatic marker enzymes (aspartate and lactate transaminases) and by improving the histological architecture of the rat liver. The hot aqueous extract from A. albus leaf attenuated oxidative stress by restoring the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase.This study demonstrated that the hot aqueous extract from A. albus leaf protects rat liver from CCl 4 -induced injury and suggests a potential therapeutic use for A. albus plant.
Practical applicationsThe hepatoprotective effects of plant extracts are mainly related to their richness in phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites widely found in plants, mostly represented by phenolic acids and flavonoids. The growing interest in these bioactive antioxidant components is principally due to their antioxidant potential and the association between their consumption and the prevention of some diseases. In this study, a remarkable hepatoprotective effect of the hot aqueous leaf extract obtained from Asparagus albus was detected against CCl 4 -induced liver injury in rat and its mechanism was related, at least in part, to its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity on account of the presence of polyphenols.
The phytochemical composition of leaves, stems, pericarps and rhizomes ethanolic extracts of Asparagus acutifolius were characterized by HPLC-DAD-MS. A. acutifolius samples contain at least eleven simple phenolics, one flavonon, two flavonols and six steroidal saponins. The stem extracts showed the highest total phenolic acid and flavonoid contents, where cafeic acid and rutin were the main compounds. No flavonoids were detected in the leaf, pericarp or rhizome while caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the predominant. Steroidal saponins were detected in the different plant parts of A. acutifolius, and the highest contents were found in the rhizome extracts. The stem extracts exhibited the highest antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the highest 2,2-azino-bis (3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity was found in the pericarp extracts. The rhizome and leaf extracts showed a potent cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 and HepG2 cell lines. Moreover, the pericarp and rhizome extracts revealed a moderate lipase inhibitory activity. The leaf and rhizome extracts were screened for their antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic isolates. The leaf extract exhibited a powerful inhibitory activity against all the bacteria and fungi tested.
In the Nerpio region (Albacete, Spain), endogenous walnut cultivars have been grown since ancient times. None of them has been chemically characterized to valorize them in comparison to commercial varieties. In this work, 47 native (N) and 7 foreign (F) walnut cultivars grown in Nerpio, and 13 commercial (C) samples were studied during three seasons. The average yield, moisture, and protein and oil contents were slightly lower in the N samples than in C. The composition of fatty acid suggested that the N walnuts could be more stable against oxidation due to their higher amount of MUFA and lower amount of PUFA. The biological protein value for the samples was similar but the antioxidant capacity marked important differences among them: N cultivars reached the highest scores, with intermediate F values. Local walnut varieties from Nerpio should be valorized on the basis of their potentially enhanced health benefits, although further studies must be developed on their phytochemicals.
Asparagus roots are by-products from asparagus cultivation and they could be considered one of the best sources of fructans. These polymers are interesting food ingredients for their prebiotic and immuno-stimulating characteristics. The aim of this work is to characterize the fructan profile from the roots of several asparagus varieties grown at different locations and pickled at three vegetative statuses in order to valorize these by-products as fructan source. Fructans were extracted with hot water and fractionated into three pools according to their molecular weight (MW). Their average MW was studied by HPSEC and their degree of polymerization by HPAEC. The fructan content was up to 12.5% on fresh weight basis, depending on variety and sampling date. The relative abundance of the three pools also depended on the picking moment as after the spear harvest period their total content and MW increased. The average MW of the three fractions was similar among varieties with 4.8, 8.4 and 9 sugar units, although fructans up to 30 units were identified by HPAEC. These characteristics make them similar to the commercialized Orafti®-GR inulin, a common additive to food products. Therefore, the concept of asparagus roots as cultivation waste must be changed to a new feedstock for sustainable agriculture and industry.
Narcissus tazetta (Amaryllidaceae) is a medicinal plant, widely used for cut owers and potted ornamental plant in Tunisia ora. The current study evaluated the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of its ower extracts and investigated its potential protective activity against cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 )-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Adult Swiss mice were exposed either to CdCl 2 (0.16 mg/kg bw) or to Narcissus tazetta extract (100 or mg/kg bw) or to their combination. Cadmium chloride and Narcissus tazetta ower extracts were given by intraperitoneal injection and gavage respectively for eight consecutive days. Results indicated that ethanolic ower extracts contained high levels of total phenolic and avonoid contents along with a strong total antioxidant and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activities. High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis identi ed eight phenolic compounds, including rutin, Kaempferol glycosides and chlorogenic acids. The extract also exhibited marked hepato-protective effects against CdCl 2 toxicity by reducing hepatic levels of malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products, hydrogen peroxide, metallothioneins and DNA degradation. Additionally, co-administration of Narcissus tazetta ower extracts lowered the plasma activities of transaminases, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and lactate dehydrogenase, and increased hepatic levels of reduced glutathione, non-protein thiols, vitamin C, and catalase activity. The hepatoprotective effects of the extract were demonstrated by histopathological improvement of liver disorders. The current study provided ethnopharmacological application of Narcissus tazetta ower extracts against CdCl 2 induced oxidative stress, suggesting its chemoprevention role of its phenolic compounds as a natural antioxidant.
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