The present study aimed to assess the phenolic content of eight ethanolic propolis samples (P1–P8) harvested from different regions of Western Romania and their antioxidant activity. The mean value of total phenolic content was 214 ± 48 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g propolis. All extracts contained kaempferol (514.02 ± 114.80 μg/mL), quercetin (124.64 ± 95.86 μg/mL), rosmarinic acid (58.03 ± 20.08 μg/mL), and resveratrol (48.59 ± 59.52 μg/mL) assessed by LC-MS. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2 methods: (i) DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant and (ii) FOX (Ferrous iron xylenol orange OXidation) assay using catalase as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenger. The DPPH radical scavenging activity was determined for all samples applied in 6 concentrations (10, 5, 3, 1.5, 0.5 and 0.3 mg/mL). IC50 varied from 0.0700 to 0.9320 mg/mL (IC50 of ascorbic acid = 0.0757 mg/mL). The % of H2O2 inhibition in FOX assay was assessed for P1, P2, P3, P4 and P8 applied in 2 concentrations (5 and 0.5 mg/mL). A significant H2O2% inhibition was obtained for these samples for the lowest concentration. We firstly report the presence of resveratrol as bioactive compound in Western Romanian propolis. The principal component analysis revealed clustering of the propolis samples according to the polyphenolic profile similarity.

Artemisia species are used worldwide for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This research was designed to investigate the phytochemical profile of two ethanolic extracts obtained from leaves and stems of A. absinthium L. as well as the biological potential (antioxidant activity, cytotoxic, anti-migratory and anti-inflammatory properties). Both plant materials showed quite similar thermogravimetric, FT-IR phenolic profile (high chlorogenic acid) with mild antioxidant capacity [ascorbic acid (0.02–0.1) > leaves (0.1–2.0) > stem (0.1–2.0)]. Alcoholic extracts from these plant materials showed a cytotoxic effect against A375 (melanoma) and MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma) and affected less the non-malignant HaCaT cells (human keratinocytes) at 72 h post-stimulation and this same trend was observed in the anti-migratory (A375, MCF7 > HaCat) assay. Lastly, extracts ameliorated the pro-inflammatory effect of TPA (12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) in mice ears, characterized by a diffuse neutrophil distribution with no exocytosis or micro-abscesses.

The presence of 19 polyphenolic compounds was simultaneously assessed through a HPLC method in the buds of three species: Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana, and Corylus avellana. The pattern of phenol carboxylic acids indicates that compounds like gentisic acid, sinapic acid, and the esters of tartaric acid (cichoric acid, caftaric acid) do not exist in buds, although they have been detected in mature organs. Buds only contain esters of quinic acid. Ferulic acid is a common compound in buds, being observed in all genus investigated. In the case of the flavonoid profile, young tissues of Alnus sp. and Corylus avellana only contain glycosides of quercetin. The preferred sugar for glycosylation is galactose, as the major flavonoid glycoside is in all cases hyperoside. The buds of A. glutinosa display the highest content in phenol carboxylic acids; this situation justifies their main prescription in the treatment of hepatic disorders.Polyphenolic compounds constitute one of the largest, most widespread and functionally important groups of secondary plant metabolites. Presently they are divided into several classes: phenol carboxylic acids, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, anthranoids, and lignans [1]. In recent years, these substances, and flavonoids in particular, have attracted great interest due to their antioxidative capacity, which confers on them a valuable therapeutic potential in treating a large array of free-radical mediated diseases [2].The numerous health benefits of polyphenols promoted a wide-scale investigation of their presence in plant products. However, in the case of buds (gemmae), pharmacognostic researches have only been undertaken to a small extent. Recent histochemical tests revealed the presence of three types of polyphenolic compounds in buds, differing in what their intracellular localization is concerned: granular polyphenols, vacuolar polyphenols, and drop-like polyphenols [3].The present study was aimed at bringing new data on the polyphenolic profile of Alnus and Corylus buds, closely related from a phylogenic point of view. These buds are important gemmotherapeutic remedies, prescribed in hepatic, respiratory, circulatory, and inflammatory disorders [4]. However, data on their chemical composition are lacking as until the present, phytochemical studies have only been performed on barks, roots and root exudates, leaves, fruits, and seeds of Alnus sp. and Corylus avellana [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Beyond giving information on the composition of these buds, the present research is also expected to give clues regarding the ontogenic dynamics of polyphenols in the two mentioned genus, and to create the base for a scientific and rational therapeutic utilization of these buds. Our investigations employed, after adaptation, a previously developed HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds [11,12].Nineteen polyphenolic compounds have been researched in the foliar buds of Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., Alnus incana (L.) Moench, and Corylus avellana L. The substances were: one hydro...

Betulinic acid (BA) was demonstrated to be a very promising anticancer agent against various tumor cell lines such as breast, colon, lung, and brain. Despite its strong cytotoxic effect, betulinic acid exhibits low water solubility, feature that is reflected in its poor bioavailability. To overcome these drawbacks, numerous strategies were conducted to improve its physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profile, among which cocrystalization emerged as a promising approach. Thus, our work consisted in obtaining slowly grown cocrystals of BA and ascorbic acid (BA+VitC) in isopropyl alcohol obtained in a hydrothermal experiment. The newly formed cocrystals were characterized by physico-chemical methods such asSEM, DSC, XRPD, and FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrating BA+VitC cocrystal formation while their antioxidant activity revealed an additive antioxidant effect. To investigate the biological effect, BA+VitC cocrystals were tested on HaCat (immortalized human keratinocytes), B164A5 and B16F0 (murine melanoma), MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), and HeLa (cervical cancer) cell lines. Results of BA upon the tested tumor cell lines, after co-crystallization with vitamin C, indicated a superior cytotoxic effect with the preservation of a good selectivity index assumably due to an improved BA water solubility and consequently an optimized bioavailability.

The broad area of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (M-IONP) applications and their exclusive physico-chemical characteristics (superparamagnetic properties per se, solubility and stability in aqueous solutions, and high bioavailability in vivo) make these nanoparticles suitable candidates for biomedical uses. The most employed magnetic iron oxides in the biomedical field are magnetite and maghemite. Cancer represents a complex pathology that implies multiple mechanisms and signaling pathways, this complexity being responsible for the increased resistance to therapy and the lack of an effective curative treatment. A potential useful alternative was considered to be the use of magnetic iron nanoparticles. The M-IONPs proved to be effective as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, as drug delivery carriers for different therapeutic agents, in magnetic cell separation assays, and are suitable to be engineered in terms of size, targeted delivery and substance release. Moreover, their in vivo administration was considered safe, and recent studies indicated their efficiency as anticancer agents. This chapter aims to furnish an overview regarding the physico-chemical properties of M-IONPs (mainly magnetite, maghemite and hematite), the synthesis methods and their in vitro biological impact on healthy and cancer cell lines, by describing their potential mechanism of action-enucleation, apoptosis or other mechanisms.