Phytochemical Analysis of Anti‐Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Mahonia aquifolium Flower and Fruit Extracts

Abstract

Oxidative stress and inflammation are interlinked processes. The aim of the study was to perform a phytochemical analysis and to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic Mahonia aquifolium flower (MF), green fruit (MGF), and ripe fruit (MRF) extracts. Plant extract chemical composition was evaluated by HLPC. A DPPH test was used for the in vitro antioxidant activity. The in vivo antioxidant effects and the anti-inflammatory potential were tested on a rat turpentine oil-induced inflammation, by measuring serum nitric oxide (NOx) and TNF-alpha, total oxidative status (TOS), total antioxidant reactivity (TAR), oxidative stress index (OSI), 3-nitrothyrosine (3NT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total thiols (SH). Extracts were administrated orally in three dilutions (100%, 50%, and 25%) for seven days prior to inflammation. The effects were compared to diclofenac. The HPLC polyphenol and alkaloid analysis revealed chlorogenic acid as the most abundant compound. All extracts had a good in vitro antioxidant activity, decreased NOx, TOS, and 3NT, and increased SH. TNF-alpha was reduced, and TAR increased only by MF and MGF. MDA was not influenced. Our findings suggest that M. aquifolium has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that support the use in primary prevention of the inflammatory processes.

Chitosan Coating Applications in Probiotic Microencapsulation

“…The study by Vodnar and Socaciu [86] on the survival of probiotic bacteria belonging to L. casei and L. plantarum strains tested during storage at 4 • C demonstrated significantly higher numbers (p < 0.05) of survival bacteria encapsulated in chitosan-coated microspheres with selenium-enriched green tea (2 g/100 mL). These results, together with previous findings [84], suggest that immobilization of bacterial strains in Coatings 2019, 9,194 6 of 21 chitosan coating improve their viability during refrigeration storage. The chitosan exerts a protective effect on these living microorganisms and the microencapsulation with selenium-enriched green tea was complementary in maintaining the bacteria stability and increased their viability by storage at refrigeration temperature for 30 days.…”

“…In fact, encapsulation of probiotic bacteria with chitosan and alginate coating provides protection in simulated GI conditions, and it is a good way of delivering viable bacterial cells to the colon [37]. Considering the above, chitosan-coated alginate microspheres represents a good alternative for probiotic microorganism oral Coatings 2019, 9,194 5 of 21 delivery [82]. The chitosan-specific chemical structure allows important changes at the C-2 position with no difficulties [79].…”

“…Nowadays, there is an increase in functional probiotic food demand, as well as waste-derived bioactive compounds re-utilization [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], based on the consciousness of consumers regarding their health potential [9,10]. Considering the IndustryARC report [11] from 2018, the global probiotic market is estimated to experience a compound annual growth rate of 5.6% through 2020.…”

Green Synthesis of Ag-MnO2 Nanoparticles using Chelidonium majus and Vinca minor Extracts and Their In Vitro Cytotoxicity

“…The chemical composition of C. majus extract was determined as previously described, i.e., by high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS; Agilent Technology, Santa Clara, CA, USA) [45]. In this study, V. minor extract was characterized using a HPLC-DAD approach (Agilent Technology, Waldbronn, Germany), as described by Andreicut et al [95]. A Nucleosil 100 C18 column (240 mm × 4.6 mm, and 5 µm particle size) was used for chromatographic separation, from Macherey-Nagel (Duren, Germany).…”

Mahonia Aquifolium Flowers Extract Effects in Acute Experimental Inflammation

“…Our previous work showed that MA flower extract contains 3 phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid) and 2 flavonoids (isoquercetin, rutin) (Andreicut et al, 2018).…”