American Cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Ait.) Pursh) Leaves Extract and Its Amino-Acids Preparation: The Phytochemical and Pharmacological Study

Abstract

The liver is an organ with several important biofunctions, for which there are very few effective and safe preparations that promote the functioning, protection, and regeneration of cells. Sufficiently safe preparations with hepatoprotective activity can be found in plants. The aim of our study was to investigate the chemical composition of an extract made from American cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Ait.) Pursh) leaves and its amino-acids preparations as well as their possible hepatoprotective activity. Using the UPLC-MS/MS method, we identified 19 phenolic compounds (8 flavonoids (flavones and flavonols), 4 anthocyanins, 3 hydroxycinnamic acids, and 2 catechins). The prophylactic and therapeutic administration of the American cranberry-leaves extracts led to a decrease in the lipid-peroxidation process during a study of tetrachloromethane acute toxic damage in the liver of rats. As a result of animal studies, the most effective hepatoprotective activity was found in the extract preparations with valine and arginine.

Chemical Composition and Insulin-Resistance Activity of Arginine-Loaded American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, Ericaceae) Leaf Extracts

“…It is worth mentioning, however, that one of the quercetin derivatives was not able to be fully identified. The present results are in accordance with our previous findings [8], showing that quercetin glycosides are the predominant flavonoids in the cranberry leaf extracts.…”

“…Like fruits, the present leaves also contain hydrocinnamic acids and chlorogenic acid as predominant substances [36]. In our present study, the qualitative composition of the leaf extracts did not differ significantly from the composition reported in the previous studies [8,17]. Based on the different quantitative content of biologically active substances in cranberry fruits and leaves, especially flavonoids, a leaf advantage is expected.…”

“…Therefore, in the subsequent SSE 3D printing experiments, 12% PEO gels loaded with eumulgin as a viscosity-decreasing agent were used. Eumulgin was also found to improve the release of plant extracts in previous studies [8,33]. In summary, the aqueous 12% PEO gel was found to be a feasible base (platform) for the gels consisting of PE and PE + Arg at concentrations of 1.0 g per 10 mL.…”

“…American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) is especially rich in flavonoids (including anthocyanins), polyphenols, and other biologically active compounds, and consequently, it is associated with a number of beneficial health effects [8,9]. Previous studies have shown that the extracts obtained from the leaves of Vaccinium genus species are promising for formulating hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic medicines.…”

“…More specifically, such extracts were obtained, e.g., from bilberry leaves [10,11], highbush blueberry leaves [12], and bearberry leaves [13,14]. Moreover, the extracts of American cranberry leaves were proven to have hepatoprotective effects [8]. Therefore, the extracts prepared from American cranberry leaves may also be promising agents for IR correction.…”