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Beneficial effects of Sambucus nigra L. (black elder) as a traditional medicine have been associated with the phytoconstituents including polyphenols, terpenes and lectins. Various antioxidant rich natural products have also been implicated with improvement of reproductive health and fertility, however, the effect of Sambucus nigra on the ovarian cell functions has not been investigated yet. The objectives of the present study were to screen the polyphenols in the elderflower and elderberry extracts, and to examine the secretion activity of steroid hormones 17β-estradiol and progesterone by human ovarian granulosa cells HGL5 after supplementation of the extracts at a concentration range of 12.5 to 100 µg.ml-1. Qualitative as well as quantitative screening of polyphenols by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis revealed rutin to be the most abundant polyphenol in both elderflower and elderberry extracts. In culture, neither elderflower nor elderberry extract caused any significant impact (p>0.05) in cell viability as studied by AlamarBlue assay in comparison to control. However, a dose-dependent stimulation of 17β-estradiol release was detected by ELISA after supplementation of elderflower (at 50 µg.ml-1; p<0.01) and elderberry (at 100 µg.ml-1; p<0.05) extracts at higher doses used in the study. On the other hand, both elderflower and elderberry extracts stimulated the secretion of progesterone by HGL5 cells at a lower dose (12.5 µg.ml-1; p<0.05), as compared to control. Therefore, elderflower and elderberry extracts may have the potential to regulate steroidogenesis in ovarian cells.

The aim of the research is to determine the effect of application of the developed product (extract) called ALGEX r 6 from natural mineral rock alginite in two different watering periods on the formation of root biomass and aboveground plant biomass of a selected group of medicinal plants (Melissa officinalis L., Malva verticillata L. and Ocimum × citriodorum Vis.) and determining the antioxidant activity in dried leaves and whole plants in aqueous and methyl alcohol extracts by DPPH method. The experiment was established in the Botanical Garden at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra throughout 2020. ALGEX r 6 was prepared by a research team at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra in the form of an extract from the natural mineral rock alginite with an application of thermal and chemical treatment. In the experiment, ALGEX r 6 was applied in the form of a watering in two variants with the same concentration of 3 % solution in 2 decilitres of water, but various application in terms of days in the pre-harvest stage of the above-ground plant biomass of 30 individual plants from each species. There are two diametrically opposite trends of ALGEX r 6 application that are manifesting themselves in M. officinalis and M. verticillata by reducing the root and above-ground part biomass compared to the control variant. The percentage proportionality of root/ above-ground part biomass in M. officinalis decreased from 62.48/30.31 % (control), to 45.57/18.85 % (variant 1) and to 36.07/17.27 % (variant 2), as well as in M. verticillata the root/above-ground part biomass decreased from 16.03/13.93 % (control), to 14.97/9.42 % (variant 1) and to 11.61/10.14 % (variant 2). In the species Ocimum × citriodorum Vis. the opposite trend manifested. The application of ALGEX r 6 watering resulted in increasing the antioxidant activity on the tested plant parts, especially in aqueous extracts in M. officinalis (from 19.30/control to 33.61 %/variant 1, 2), also in O. citriodorum (from 26.56/control to 44.16 %/variant 1), while in methyl alcohol extracts, the antioxidant activity showed a slight increase in all tested species.

The chemical composition of pollen and honey primarily depends on the botanical and geographical origin of the species, as well as other factors – climatic conditions, soil type, plant species, etc. The present study was to knowledge the biochemical profile of pollen, staminate catkins, and honey samples of Castanea sativa Mill. which were examined under conditions of Ukraine. Proteins are the major components of pollen and staminate catkins (169.0 ±1.60 g.kg-1 and 69.8 ±1.67 g.kg-1, respectively), while saccharides are predominant in honey samples (38.0 ±1.32 g.kg-1 fructose, 32.5 ±0.68 glucose g.kg−1 and 6.1 ±0.06 g.kg-1 sucrose). Glutamic acid (13.30 g.kg-1), aspartic acid (13.05 g.kg-1), and proline (12.45 g.kg-1) were predominant nonessential amino acids in the chestnut pollen. The content of macro and microelements was found in the pollen and staminate catkins much higher than in the honey. All Castanea sativa samples are a very valuable source of potassium as the main mineral element contained in pollen (7400 mg.kg-1), staminate catkins (7760 mg.kg-1), and honey (981 mg.kg-1). Microelements such as manganese and iron prevailed in pollen (478 mg.kg-1 Mn and 461 mg.kg-1 Fe), and staminate catkins (247 mg.kg-1 Mn and 109 mg.kg-1 Fe), and heavy metals (Hg, Sr, Sn, Sb, Li) are present only in the pollen samples with the most abundant Sr (12.8 mg.kg-1) and Sn (1.9 mg.kg-1) content and can be used as indicator suggesting the environmental pollution status in the region. Regarding the vitamin content, vitamin C was the most represented in all samples. Obtained results indicate that chestnut is species with important constituents such as amino acids and vitamins, with low content of heavy metals and high content of biogenic elements that may be used in phytotherapy and phytopharmacology.

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Background. Neglected and underutilized plant species could serve as a valuable source of natural bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biological activity of Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis Schneid) genotypes of Ukrainian and Slovak origin. Materials and methods. The content of the total antioxidant activity (DPPH method and molybdenum reducing antioxidant power), total polyphenol, flavonoid and phenolic acid compounds in the pulp and peel of Chinese quince were compared across five genotypes from Slovakia and three from Ukraine. Results. All tested samples exhibited DPPH • radical scavenging activities with values from 6.17 to 9.56 mg TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) per gram of dry matter (DM). Antioxidant activity, measured using the molybdenum reducing antioxidant power method, ranged from 69.82 to 225.04 mg TEAC per gram of DM. Total polyphenol content was from 34.73 to 82.02 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent), while total flavonoid content was from 0.50 to 26.72 mg QE (quercetin equivalent) per gram DM. Phenolic acid content varied from 1.12 to 8.39 mg CAE (caffeic acid equivalent) per gram DM. The peel extracts contained the highest content of bioactive compounds when compared with the pulp extract (from 15.30 to 32.60%). All observed parameters differed significantly between the genotypes. Strong positive correlations (p ≤ 0.05) were observed between the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids in the peel in plants from Slovakia (r = 0.951, r = 0.928, respectively); between the phenolic acid and antioxidant capacities detected using the MRP method-r = 0.950 and r = 0.955 for peel and pulp, respectively; between the determination of antioxidant activity by the DPPH and MRP methods in the peel and pulp in plants from Ukraine (r = 0.986, r = 0.998, respectively). Significantly positive correlations were found between all the parameters in the samples of Ukrainian origin. Conclusion. The results showed that all fruit extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activities, which generally correlated positively with the total phenolic content. This study demonstrates that Chinese quince fruit grown in Ukraine and Slovakia is a perspective source of valuable polyphenol content with high antioxidant activity and is a valuable fruit for use in the agriculture and food industries.

Background. Economically important vegetables are a strong source of antioxidants with different characteristics. Capsicum L. (pepper) is an important agricultural plant because of its economical, medicinal, and nutritional values. Materials and methods. This study aimed to test antioxidant parameters in the fruits of 9 cultivars of Capsicum annuum L. (CA 01-09), 7 cultivars of C. baccatum L. (CB 01-07), and 11 cultivars of C. chinense Jacq. . The antioxidant activity of the investigated Capsicum cultivars was measured, along with the free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), using the DPPH method, and the molybdenum reducing power (MRP) was expressed as mg TE (Trolox equivalent) per g of DW (dry weight). Total polyphenol content (TPC), expressed as mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent) per g of DW, total flavonoid content (TFC), expressed as mg QE (quercetin equivalent) per g of DW, and total phenolic acid content (TPAC), expressed as mg CAE (caffeic acid equivalent) per g of DW, were the basic antioxidant parameters of antioxidant activity in this study. Results. All investigated Capsicum extracts exhibited FRSA from 1.45 (CC-06) to 8.21 (CC-05) mg TE/g and MRP from 24.84 (CA-06) to 198.21 (CB-07) mg TE/g. The TPC of the tested extracts ranged from 10.13 (CB-03) to 38.68 (CB-07) mg GAE/g. The TFC of the studied samples showed values from 5.73 (CB-03) to 27.32 (CB-07) mg QE/g and TPAC from 2.24 (CB-03) to 13.07 (CC-07) mg CAE/g. A very strong correlation was found in the investigated cultivars between TPC and TPAC (r = 0.932, 0.839 and 0.848, respectively), and between TPC and TFC (r = 0.921, 0.982 and 0.939, respectively). Very strong relations were also found between TPC and FRSA (r = 0.820) in the C. annuum cultivars and between TPC and MRP (r = 0.898) in the C. baccatum cultivars. Conclusion.This study found useful results concerning the antioxidant potential of the fruits of Capsicum cultivars. The data obtained demonstrate the strong antioxidant activity of cultivars of Capsicum, which can be used in the food industry because of the commercial importance of these fruits.

Background. Neglected and underutilized plant species could serve as a valuable source of natural bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biological activity of Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis Schneid) genotypes of Ukrainian and Slovak origin. Materials and methods. The content of the total antioxidant activity (DPPH method and molybdenum reducing antioxidant power), total polyphenol, flavonoid and phenolic acid compounds in the pulp and peel of Chinese quince were compared across five genotypes from Slovakia and three from Ukraine. Results. All tested samples exhibited DPPH • radical scavenging activities with values from 6.17 to 9.56 mg TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) per gram of dry matter (DM). Antioxidant activity, measured using the molybdenum reducing antioxidant power method, ranged from 69.82 to 225.04 mg TEAC per gram of DM. Total polyphenol content was from 34.73 to 82.02 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent), while total flavonoid content was from 0.50 to 26.72 mg QE (quercetin equivalent) per gram DM. Phenolic acid content varied from 1.12 to 8.39 mg CAE (caffeic acid equivalent) per gram DM. The peel extracts contained the highest content of bioactive compounds when compared with the pulp extract (from 15.30 to 32.60%). All observed parameters differed significantly between the genotypes. Strong positive correlations (p ≤ 0.05) were observed between the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids in the peel in plants from Slovakia (r = 0.951, r = 0.928, respectively); between the phenolic acid and antioxidant capacities detected using the MRP method-r = 0.950 and r = 0.955 for peel and pulp, respectively; between the determination of antioxidant activity by the DPPH and MRP methods in the peel and pulp in plants from Ukraine (r = 0.986, r = 0.998, respectively). Significantly positive correlations were found between all the parameters in the samples of Ukrainian origin. Conclusion. The results showed that all fruit extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activities, which generally correlated positively with the total phenolic content. This study demonstrates that Chinese quince fruit grown in Ukraine and Slovakia is a perspective source of valuable polyphenol content with high antioxidant activity and is a valuable fruit for use in the agriculture and food industries.