Relationships among Bioactive Compounds Content and the Antiplatelet and Antioxidant Activities of Six Allium Vegetable Species

Abstract

SummaryAllium sp. vegetables are widely consumed for their characteristic flavour. Additionally, their consumption may provide protection against cardiovascular disease due to their antiplatelet and antioxidant activities. Although antiplatelet and antioxidant activities in Allium sp. are generally recognised, comparative studies of antiplatelet and antioxidant potency among the main Allium vegetable species are lacking. Also, the relationship between organosulfur and phenolic compounds and these biological activities has not been well established. In this study, the in vitro antiplatelet and antioxidant activities of the most widely consumed Allium species are characterised and compared. The species total organosulfur and phenolic content, and the HPLC profiles of 11 phenolic compounds were characterised and used to investigate the relationship between these compounds and antiplatelet and antioxidant activities. Furthermore, antiplatelet activities in chives and shallot have been characterised for the first time. Our results revealed that the strongest antiplatelet agents were garlic and shallot, whereas chives had the highest antioxidant activity. Leek and bunching onion had the weakest both biological activities. Significantly positive correlations were found between the in vitro antiplatelet activity and total organosulfur (R=0.74) and phenolic (TP) content (R=0.73), as well as between the antioxidant activity and TP (R=0.91) and total organosulfur content (R=0.67). Six individual phenolic compounds were associated with the antioxidant activity, with catechin, epigallocatechin and epicatechin gallate having the strongest correlation values (R>0.80). Overall, our results suggest that both organosulfur and phenolic compounds contribute similarly to Allium antiplatelet activity, whereas phenolics, as a whole, are largely responsible for antioxidant activity, with broad variation observed among the contributions of individual phenolic compounds.

Comparison of Organosulfur and Amino Acid Composition between Triploid Onion Allium cornutum Clementi ex Visiani, 1842, and Common Onion Allium cepa L., and Evidences for Antiproliferative Activity of Their Extracts

“…Despite the differences in the volatile sulfur composition, many components are highly similar for both species, as expected, since they are genetically closely related [38]. The volatile sulfur compounds identified in current study are known to be responsible for typical flavor and odor of onions [27,39], as well as for their strong biological activity [17,[40][41][42][43][44]. Some of the relevant Allium species with their volatile sulfur compounds are described in the following section (Data S2).…”

The anticholesterol oxidation effects of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and leek (Allium ampeloprasum L.) in frozen fish burgers submitted to grilling

“…Beretta et al. (2017) performed a comparative analysis of antioxidant activity among Allium vegetable species and determined 2.47 and 13.43 µM TE/g for leek and garlic aqueous extracts, respectively. Morales‐Soto et al.…”

Phenolic compounds and bioactivity evaluation of aqueous and methanol extracts ofAllium mongolicumRegel

“…Additionally, the well antioxidant activity showed by Allium depends on the chemical structure, the mass fraction of each single phenolic compound and the combinations and interactions among phenolic (Beretta et al, 2017). It was indicated that rosmarinic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and protocatechuic acid all were identified as major phenolic compounds of Allium extract, and these compounds were contributors to the antioxidant activities (Mollica, Zengin, Locatelli, Picot-Allain, & Mahomoodally, 2018).…”

“…Phenolic and flavonoid, the most important plant secondary metabolites, have the potential health benefits to human body and display high correlations in the inhibition or management of many chronic diseases(Rahman, Costa de Camargo, & Shahidi, 2018). Previous studies indicated that the antioxidant action of Allium plants was strongly and positively correlated with the existence of polyphenols.Additionally, the well antioxidant activity showed by Allium depends on the chemical structure, the mass fraction of each single phenolic compound and the combinations and interactions among phenolic(Beretta et al, 2017). It was indicated that rosmarinic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and protocatechuic acid all were identified as major phenolic compounds of Allium extract, and these compounds were contributors to the antioxidant activities(Mollica, Zengin, Locatelli, Picot-Allain, & Mahomoodally, 2018).…”