Antioxidant, Antihypertensive, Hypoglycaemic and Nootropic Activity of a Polyphenolic Extract from the Halophyte Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)

Abstract

This study aims to determine the potential antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic and nootropic activity of a purified polyphenolic extract from the halophyte ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). The ice plant extract showed good antioxidant activity measured by DPPH, ORAC, TEAC, FRAP and ferrous ion chelating activity. Moreover, the extract showed potent ACE, DPP-IV and PEP-inhibitory activity (90.5%, 98.6 % and 73.1%, respectively, at a final concentration of 1 mg/mL). The extract was fractionated and the fraction with the highest content of total phenolic compounds showed the highest bioactivity, suggesting that polyphenols could be mainly responsible for the abovementioned activities. The tentative polyphenol identification by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS in this fraction revealed that flavones (>65%) are the major group, with apigenin (38%) predominating, followed by diosmin (17.7%) and luteolin (11.9%). They could presumably be the main elements responsible for the enzymatic inhibition activity. Additionally, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid and a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative (2-O-(p-cumaroyl)-l-malic acid) were found in the extract. To our knowledge, this is the first time that some of these activities have been reported for halophyte extracts.

A Culturomics-Based Bacterial Synthetic Community for Improving Resilience towards Arsenic and Heavy Metals in the Nutraceutical Plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

“…M. crystallinum , a moderate halophyte also called the ice plant, is recently deserving of great interest due to its multiple applications, not only as an edible plant but also because of its nutraceutical properties and as a physiological model for the transition between C3 and CAM metabolisms [ 11 , 14 ].…”

“…The accumulation of toxic metals in plant tissues is important not only to establish the possible application of this plant in phytoremediation [ 15 , 16 ], but also to establish whether its cultivation in polluted soils could be safe; particularly considering that it has pharmaceutical applications [ 13 , 14 ]. Our results demonstrate that the plant accumulated metals mainly in roots, with a strong limitation of translocation to the shoot.…”

“…Some members of the Mesembryantheaceae family, such as Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, accumulate nine alkaloids with antidepressant activity, in particular the compound called mesembrane, in roots [ 53 ]. Furthermore, M. crystallinum has antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, and nootropic activity due to its polyphenolic compounds [ 14 ]. As part of the plant response towards metals, M. crystallinum is able to adapt its metabolome.…”

“…Bladder cells contain phytochemical compounds, such as phenolic compounds, myo-inositol, pinitol, and several minerals, with useful pharmaceutical and nutraceutical activities against human diseases. Thus, M. crystallinum is considered a high-value crop known to be effective against diabetes: pinitol helps control blood-sugar levels, whereas myo-inositol has a significant role in lowering the levels of lipids and cholesterol and maintaining blood pressure [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Optimization of Nutrient-Rich Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) Paste Fresh Noodle Pasta Using Response Surface Methodology

“…Despite its efficacy in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, since ice plant extract prevents lipogenesis and increases lipolysis, ice plant research in Korea is still insufficient [3]. The ice plant exhibits a wide range of activities, including antioxidant properties; radical scavenging activity [4,5]; and antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, hyperglycemic, nootropic [6], and memory-improving activity [7]. It has been reported that ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) extract ameliorates hyperglycemia [8].…”