Chemical Characterization of Sambucus nigra L. Flowers Aqueous Extract and Its Biological Implications

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to chemically characterize an aqueous S. nigra flower extract and validate it as a bioactive agent. The elderflower aqueous extraction was performed at different temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). The extract obtained at 90 °C exhibited the highest phenolic content and antiradical activity. Therefore, this extract was analyzed by GC-MS and HPLC-MS, which allowed the identification of 46 compounds, being quercetin and chlorogenic acid derivatives representative of 86% of the total of phenolic compounds identified in hydrophilic fraction of the aqueous extract. Naringenin (27.2%) was the major compound present in the lipophilic fraction. The antiproliferative effects of the S. nigra extract were evaluated using the colon cancer cell lines RKO, HCT-116, Caco-2 and the extract’s antigenotoxic potential was evaluated by the Comet assay in RKO cells. The RKO cells were the most susceptible to S. nigra flower extract (IC50 = 1250 µg mL−1). Moreover, the extract showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis. These results show that S. nigra-based extracts can be an important dietary source of bioactive phenolic compounds that contribute to health-span improving life quality, demonstrating their potential as nutraceutical, functional foods and/or cosmetic components for therapeutic purposes.

Sambucus nigra flower and berry extracts for food and therapeutic applications: effect of gastrointestinal digestion on in vitro and in vivo bioactivity and toxicity

“…This extract is composed mostly of quinic acid, p-coumaroyl-caffeoylquinic, coumaroylquinic, caffeoylquinic, and feruloylquinic acids, quercetin, isorhamnetin, quercetin-3-rutinoside, kaempferol and naringenin (data obtained by HPLC-MS). 17 Other authors have also reported a similar phenolic profile of aqueous S. nigra flower extracts. 5,34 In S. nigra berry extracts, the profile of phenolic compounds is simpler.…”

“…The extraction of bioactive compounds from the flowers and berries of S. nigra was carried out by the method described by Ferreira-Santos et al 17 Briefly, 5 g of dry material was placed in a cylindrical reactor of 250 mL capacity with 150 mL of distilled water in a thermostatic water bath with agitation (130 rpm) at a temperature of 90 °C for 30 min. The reaction was duly protected from light.…”

Value-Added Products by Solvent Extraction and Steam Distillation from Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.)

“…Antimicrobial activity was also evaluated. The results were promising, showing the great potential of its bioactive compounds as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics for therapeutic purposes [31]. Other studies, such as those by Domínguez et al (2020), highlighted the antioxidant activity of the fruits of this species due to their phenolic-compound content.…”

The Antimicrobial Activity and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds in Peganum harmala L. Based on HPLC and HS-SPME-GC-MS

“…The OD 600 of 100 μl of NB solution containing the same concentration of DMSO or compounds was measured for correction. The inhibition rate was calculated using the following formula (Ferreira-Santos et al, 2021 ):…”