Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential of “Maltese Mushroom” (Cynomorium coccineum) by Means of Multiple Chemical and Biological Assays

Abstract

Cynomorium coccineum is an edible, non-photosynthetic plant widespread along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The medicinal properties of Maltese mushroom—one of the oldest vernacular names used to identify this species—have been kept in high regard since ancient times to the present day. We evaluated the antioxidant potential of fresh specimens of C. coccineum picked in Sardinia, Italy. Both aqueous and methanolic extracts were tested by using multiple assay systems (DPPH, FRAP, TEAC, ORAC-PYR). Total phenolics and flavonoids were also determined. Gallic acid and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside were identified as the main constituents and measured. Both extracts showed antioxidant capacities; ORAC-PYR assay gave the highest antioxidant value in both cases. The methanolic extract was further investigated with in vitro biological models of lipid oxidation; it showed a significant activity in preventing cholesterol degradation and exerted protection against Cu2+-mediated degradation of the liposomal unsaturated fatty acids. Results of the present study demonstrate that the extracts of C. coccineum show a significant total antioxidant power and also exert an in vitro protective effect in different bio-assays of oxidative stress. Therefore, Maltese mushroom can be considered a valuable source of antioxidants and phytochemicals useful in the preparation of nutraceuticals and functional foods.

Nanosizing Cynomorium: Thumbs up for Potential Antifungal Applications

“…Indeed, the outer, brittle and harder layer of Cynomorium yields the particles with the best quality and highest activity, whilst the peeled, softer inner part may be milled, yet the resulting nanosuspension is less active. Hence, the substances responsible for activity seem to reside primarily-but not exclusively-in the outer layer, a finding in line with previous studies on this plant, which have revealed a high content of biologically active cyanidin 3-O-glucoside in this layer [11]. In contrast, the peeled inner part of the plant, which has in the past on occasion served as food, is less active, probably due to the lack of such substances.…”

“…The samples were carefully handled as described by us previously [11]. In one part of the samples, the red external layer (EL) and the colourless internal peeled plant (PP) were carefully separated from the whole plant (WP) as exhibited in Figure 2, and the resulting three samples were freeze-dried using Telstar LyoQuest-55 (Milan, Italy) within two hours of the collection.…”

Antifungal activity of extracts fromCynomorium coccineumgrowing wild in Sardinia island (Italy)

“…In Sardinia, the C. coccineum was used as an astringent in particularly in bleeding and leucorrhoea; the decoction of the aerial part as antidiarrhoeal and the fleshy stem was used to obtain a brown dye using in the weaving (Flora di Sardegna 2014). Recently, Zucca et al (2013) demonstrate that the extracts of C. coccineum show a significant total antioxidant power and also exert an in vitro protective effect in different bioassays of oxidative stress. They evaluated the antioxidant potential of aqueous and methanolic extracts of C. coccineum.…”

Cynomorium Plants: Bioactive Compounds And pharmacologic Actions

“…Glucose (Tao et al, 1999), sucrose , ginger oil ketones glucoside (Chaomei et al, 1999 Extract of fresh C. coccineum plant has a hypotensive effect, the active ingredient has not been identified (Ikram et al, 1978). In vitro, C. coccineum extract has an antioxidant potential (Zucca et al, 2013), antiproliferative effects on human cancer lines and antiviral activity against a panel of mammalian viruses (Rosa et al, 2015;Vascellari et al, 2019). In vivo, C. coccineum treatment prolonged a survival of mice with cancer (Sdiri et al, 2018).…”