The aim of this study was to evaluate concentration-dependent antioxidant and anticancer activities of CA and RA in ethanol extracts of three different Oregano species (Origanum onites L., Origanum vulgare L., and Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum). The study revealed the highest RA antioxidant activity in O. vulgare ssp. hirtum (9550 ± 95 mmol/g) and the lowest in O. vulgare L. (2605 ± 52 mmol/g) (p < 0.05). The highest CA amount was present in O. onites L., which was 1.8 and 4.7 times higher (p < 0.05) than in O. vulgare ssp. hirtum and O. vulgare L., respectively. The anticancer activity was evaluated on human glioblastoma (U87) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB231) cell lines in vitro. RA anticancer activity was negligible. CA and the extracts were about 1.5–2 times more active against MDA-MB231 cell line (p < 0.05) compared to U87 cell line. The anticancer activities of three tested extracts were similar against U87 cell line (p > 0.05) but they had different activities against MDA-MB231 cell line.

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The aim of our research is to investigate the qualitative and quantitative composition and antioxidant activity of flavonoids in leaf samples of Ginkgo biloba L. (G. biloba) growing in Lithuania and also to provide practical recommendations for the pharmaceutical industry to determine the optimum harvesting time and growth location of G. biloba leaves. The obtained results indicate that the growth location and time of sample collection have a significant influence ( ≤ 0.05) on the content of active compounds. July and August are the best months to harvest G. biloba leaves for industry. To ensure the rational collection of G. biloba raw material, the location of plantations is recommended in the western and southwestern phytoregions. The obtained results also indicate that the flavonoid content in G. biloba leaf has a significantly positive correlation ( = 0.952, ≤ 0.001) with antioxidant activity. The aqueous acetonic extracts from green leaves scavenge radicals to a greater degree than those from yellow Ginkgo leaves. The results of this investigation provide information regarding the most suitable Lithuanian growing location to produce G. biloba with an optimized content of health-promoting compounds.

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Cannabis is one of the oldest plants on earth, which is known and used for medical purposes. There are many articles on hempseed oil research in the scientific databases, while the antioxidant activity of Cannabis sativa L. herb extracts has not been extensively studied yet, to our knowledge. In the present study, antioxidant properties of different Cannabis sativa L. varieties from different regions of Lithuania were examined. Spectrophotometric FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and CUPRAC (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity) methods were used for determination. It was found that Cannabis sativa L. herb extracts possess antioxidant activity. The strongest antioxidant activity was evaluated in the Futura variety and the lowest in Manoica. The obtained results showed that a statistically significant (p ˂ 0.05) higher reductive power was determined by analysing the raw material by the spectrophotometric FRAP method. According to the hemp growth location in Lithuania, the highest TEAC values were estimated in the samples from the North region.

In recent decades, a lot of attention has been paid to Cannabis sativa L. due to its useful applications, including in fibers, oil, food for humans and animals, and therapeutics. The present study aimed to determine antioxidant activity of cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. in vivo, evaluating the possible antioxidative effect of Cannabis sativa L. extract (CE) on malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations as well as on catalase (CAT) activity in BALB/c mice. In total, 40 mice were divided into five equal groups: the aluminum group (7.5 mg AlCl3/kg/d (0.15 LD50), the saline group, the 10% ethanol group (an appropriate amount of the solution for mouse weight), the CE group (1.6 mg CE/g/day), and the aluminum-CE group (7.5 mg AlCl3 plus 1.6 mg CE/g/day). The results of the study showed that CE significantly decreased (by 26.81%, p < 0.05) the concentration of GSH in blood of the mice and the concentration of MDA in the brain (by 82.12%) and liver (by 53.5%) of the mice compared to the respective concentrations in the AlCl3 group. CE significantly (p < 0.05) increased CAT activity in the brain (by 64.79%) and liver (by 72.37%) of the mice after the AlCl3-induced prooxidant effect. The results showed the antioxidant activity of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in vitro. The findings in vivo indicate that Cannabis sativa L. is a good source of natural antioxidants and can be used in the management of oxidative stress.

The aim of the present work was to improve and validate the HPLC-CUPRAC postcolumn method for the evaluation of active antioxidant markers from the acetonic extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves. Improvement of the HPLC online assay was performed by evaluating the suitable loop temperature, the reaction loop length, and the impact of flow rate. Separation of the analytes was performed by the HPLC method on an ACE C18 analytical column using a gradient elution program. The separated antioxidant markers in the extracts reacted with copper(II)-neocuproine (Cu(II)-Nc) reagent in the postcolumn reaction coil. The reagent was reduced by antioxidants to the copper(I)-neocuproine (Cu(I)-Nc) chelate with a maximum absorption at 450 nm. Validation experiments confirmed sufficient precision, sensitivity, and effectiveness of the corresponding method, which could be used for further evaluations of active antioxidant compounds in similar plant materials.

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