Assessment of the potential health benefits of certain total extracts from Vitis vinifera, Aesculus hyppocastanum and Curcuma longa

Abstract

A number of recent studies have illustrated the active role of food/natural components in the prevention of chronic diseases and in the improvement of the quality of life. In the present study, we aimed to obtain and characterize certain extracts from Vitis vinifera L., Aesculus hippocastanum L. and Curcuma longa L., focusing on their antioxidant effects in vitro. Three vegetal extracts were obtained for each plant: in water, 50% water-alcohol and in 96% ethanol. These extracts were then analyzed for their qualitative composition by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and total phenolic content by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS). The antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed in vitro by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay; the effects of lipid peroxidation on the cell membrane were evaluated using Jurkat cells in two experimental models: normoglycemic and hyperglycemic medium, in order for the results to be able to be translated into clinical practice. In addition, the resistance of the extracts to acid and alkaline hydrolysis was investigated. The obtained extracts had 0.4–39 µg phenolics/mg total extract. The largest amount of phenolics was found in the Cucurma longa extracts, while the lowest was found in the Aesculus hippocastanum extacts. HPTLC analysis identified the main phenolic compounds in the extracts which were ferulic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid and coumaric acid, as well as quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, curcumin, luteolin and esculetin. The Aesculus hippocastanum extracts had a low antioxidant efficacy, while both the Curcuma longa and Vitis vinifera extracts had a high antioxidant activity; the products resulting from alkaline hydrolisis were significantly more efficient in scavenging DPPH radicals compared to the products resulting from acid hydrolisis. The antioxidant effects of the Curcuma longa extracts exerted on the membranes of Jurkat cells were the most prominent under both normal and hyperglycemic conditions. The results of the present study may be translated into clinical practice and demonstrate that Curcuma longa extracts may be effective in both the prevention of diabetes mellitus and in attenuating the development of complications associated with the disease.

Análisis fitoquí­mico, actividad antioxidante y hepatoprotectora del extracto acuoso liofilizado de Curcuma longa en lesiones hepáticas inducidas con tetraclorometano en ratas albinas

“…Además, los resultados obtenidos en la determinación del efecto antioxidante in vitro del extracto de C. longa, explicarían, en parte, la efectividad hepatoprotectora del extracto contra el estrés hepático agudo causado por el CCl 4 , puesto que, el poder reductor de un compuesto sirve como potencial indicador de su capacidad antioxidante (30) . La cuantificación antioxidante del extracto total fue realizada calculando el valor de IC 50 , donde se observó el poder reductor del extracto, el cual fue similar al encontrado en estudios previos (31,32) usando extractos etanólicos y acuosos de C. longa.…”

Biological Flora of the British Isles:Aesculus hippocastanum

“…Seed extracts also have anti-inflammatory and anti-oedematous properties (Dumitriu, Olariu, Nita, Zglimbe, & Rosoiu, 2013;Matsuda et al, 1997;Sirtori, 2001;Vasiliauskas, Leonavičienė, Vaitkienė, Bradūnaitė, & Lukšienė, 2010;Wilkinson & Brown, 1999) and so have proved effective at clearing skin conditions as an antiwrinkle treatment and in reducing skin ageing (Fujimura et al, 2007;Masaki, Sakaki, Atsumi, & Sakurai, 1995) and may help against cellulite and hair loss (Bellini & Nin, 2005). Extracts of leaves and the bark of young branches have also proved effective as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drug (Braga et al, 2012;Margină et al, 2015) and one of the most effective plant extracts in inhibiting Candida albicans (Tambur et al, 2018).…”

Effect of ultrasound exposure on the Triticum aestivum root elongation test

“…IULIA MARINA POTOLEA 1 , OANA MARINA PÎRVU 1 , CRISTIANA ELENA SPINU 1 , DRAGOŞ PAUL MIHAI 1 , OCTAVIAN TUDOREL OLARU 1 , GEORGE MIHAI NIŢULESCU 1 , ARISTIDIS TSATSAKIS 2 , DEMETRIOS A. SPANDIDOS 3 and GEORGIANA NIŢULESCU 1 a process that could be facilitated by ultrasound irradiation. In the present study, the influence of the ultrasound exposure time to Triticum aestivum germination was evaluated, in order to determine whether this method may be used in conjunction with chemical compounds in the Triticum assay as a tool for the identification of novel anti-proliferative agents.…”

“…The Triticum root elongation test can be used to detect new compounds with anti-proliferative effects on cancer cells, particularly those compounds targeting tubulin and may be an effective tool with which to identify novel spindle inhibitors (2). The use of phytobiological tests has major advantages, such as a more rapid outcome, a simplified operative procedure and lower costs (3). Similar phytobiological tests are successfully used to evaluate the environmental effects in contaminated soils and wastewater caused by specific substances (4)(5)(6).…”