Pistacia Atlantica in folk medicine is used by Algerian traditional healers for treating a wide variety of diseases and conditions including dyspepsia, digestive problems, peptic ulcers, and, in particular, inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to assess the phytochemical composition, in vitro antioxidant activity (using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ABTS+, and reducing power methods), enzyme inhibitory activity (towards α-amylase and urease), antibacterial activity, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of the unripe fruit extracts of Pistacia atlantica collected from different parts of the Djelfa region of Algeria. According to the findings, various aqueous extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and enzymatic activities in all tests, but showed that they have a weak inhibitory effect against all tested bacterial strains. Twenty-one minerals comprising both macro- and microelements (Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th, U, and Zn) were determined using the technique of neutron activation analysis (INAA). The result indicates that the concentration of the mineral element is close to the minimal FAO recommendation. In addition, the result revealed significant anti-inflammatory activities. The data generated can be a valuable source of information for the pharmaceutical industry and medical research. These results suggest that the unripe fruit extracts of Pistacia atlantica have an appropriate potential to be utilized across a wide range of contexts as an agent with multifunctional uses, as well as a natural remedy for other physiological diseases.

The current study investigated the effect of developmental stages on the chemical composition and the antioxidant activity of fifteen crude oil samples obtained from Pistacia atlantica Desf. leaves, galls, and fruits. Twelve fatty acids were detected by GC/FID, linolenic acid (C18 : 3) was the major fatty acid detected in leaves crude oils that registered [41.73 % (P<0.05)] on the last stage. The best content of tocopherols and carotenoids was recorded at the last stage for leaves and galls oils, respectively, with values of [1.530±0.01, 0.52±0.01 (P<0.05) mg α‐tocopherol equivalent/g DW] and [86.60±0.95, 69.15±0.13 (P<0.05) μg β‐carotene equivalent/g DW]. For fruits oils, the content varied depending on the levels of fruits maturation. The results from DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays revealed that the antioxidant activity increased with the increasing content of tocopherols and carotenoids in leaves and galls oils during development stages, and varied for fruits oils depending on the ripening stages. Moreover, according to PCA analysis, the best phytoconstituent content and antioxidant activity were attributed to P. atlantica Desf. fruit's crude oils. Also, a strong relationship was found between the antioxidant activity and bioactive phytochemical components, such as tocopherols, carotenoids, and omega‐three fatty acid, which confirmed that P. atlantica Desf. crude oils present a valuable source of natural antioxidant that could be used for pharmaceutical and food industries purposes.

No abstract

BACKGROUND: One of the objectives of food industry is to seek new resources of oil that preferably presents nutritional values. For human health, fats and particularly vegetable oils are considered as an important source of energy when glucose is not available. In addition, the search for effective, natural compounds with antioxidant activity has been intensified in recent years to replace the synthetic products. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present work was to determine the fatty acids profile (and variability) of the lipid fractions extracted from five different populations of the leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L. growing in Algeria. In addition, the antioxidant activities of the lipidic fractions were also determined. METHODS: The chemical compositions of tocopherols were also analyzed by HPLC for the first time for this plant part. The chemical percentage variability (presence of two main distinguished clusters) of the fatty acids was discussed using statistical analysis methods (Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering “AHC” and principal component analysis “PCA”). The antioxidant activity of the dewaxed lipid fractions were investigated in vitro using two different assays: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl, 2-picrylhydrazyl) free radicals scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching test. RESULTS: For the overall samples, the main saturated fatty acids components were capric acid (C10:0 = 2.49–13.88%), myristic acid (C14:0 = 4.71–9.12%) and palmitic acid (C16:0 = 5.31–9.03%). Alternatively, the main unsaturated fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1w9 = 3.42–4.85%), linoleic acid (C18:2w6 = 10.94–16.99%) and most importantly α-linolenic acid (C18:3w3 = 20.92–48.92%), which is known for its multiple dietary, pharmaceutical and clinical benefits. CONCLUSION: The results of fatty acids methyl esters identification using GC and GC-MS showed a clear variability in the composition of fatty acids. The main result of this study illustrate the nutritional potential (richness in MUFA such as C18:1w9, presence of essential fatty acids such as C18:2w6 at all the stages of maturation, richness in omega-3 fatty acids such as C18:3w3. of the oil of P. lentiscus leaves, which can provide opportunities for rational exploitation for medicinal purposes and in the food industries. Regarding tocopherols HPLC analysis, the samples were rich in α-tocopherol (58.51–89.17% of the total tocopherols identified). Finally, and for antioxidant activity measured by β-carotene assay, the obtained values suggested good antioxidant activities when compared with antioxidants of reference.

No abstract