Seasonal Variability of Juniperus communis L. Berry Ethanol Extracts: 1. In Vitro Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activity

Abstract

In the present study, in vitro hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, total phenols and terpene contents in 70% ethanol extracts were evaluated. Samples of crushed (CB) and non-crushed ripe juniper berries (NCB) collected at five localities in North-East Slovakia during the years 2012–2014 were compared. Standard or modified methods for determining phytochemical and antioxidant activity were used together with a novel method for the evaluation of the results after the correction of the measured values per gram of dry matter (DM). Statistically significantly higher DM contents (average values for three years) were found in the CB extracts (ranging from 18.86 to 21.91 mg/mL) in comparison to those for NCB (ranging from 2.59 to 9.90 mg/mL). Depending on the localities and years, the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity ranged from 15.52 to 32.85% for NCB and from 65.59 to 88.12% for CB, respectively. The contents of total phenols ranged from 43.75 to 246.75 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/L (NCB) and from 151.84 to 278.19 mg GAE/L (CB), respectively. However, the higher content of total phenols per gram of DM was found in the NCB extracts (8.49–42.23 mg GAE/g DM) and then in CB (6.87–18.77 GAE/g DM). The results obtained in this study showed a higher efficiency for extraction from juniper berries in 70% ethanol if the pericarp was disrupted in comparison to that achieved with the maceration of intact berries.

Comparative Analysis of Chemical Profile and Biological Activity of Juniperus communis L. Berry Extracts

“…Total terpenoids ranged from 23 to 133 mg/g DE for JB1 extracts and from 17 to 110 mg/g DE for JB2 extracts. Fejér et al reported that the total terpenoids in 70% ethanol extract ranged from 38 to 80 mg/g DE, which is comparable to our research data [25].…”

“…The total content of phenolic compounds for JB1 extracts ranged from 1.12 to 56.15 mg equivalent of gallic acid (GAE) per g dry extract; for JB2 extracts, this ranged from 0.93 to 11.1 mg equivalent of gallic acid (GAE) per g dry extract. These data were lower than in the other described works; the total phenolic content for JB2 extracts of J. communis from different origins, such as Turkey, Slovakia, Canada, Australia, Portugal, and Romania, varied in the range of 0.19-99 mg equivalent of gallic acid (GAE) per g dry extract (dw) [10,25,31,[34][35][36]. Orhan et al reported that the total phenolic content of JB1 was 130.92 mg equivalent of gallic acid (GAE) per g dry extract [37].…”

“…The objective of this study is to evaluate the chemical composition and bioactivity of the extracts of juniper berries (J. communis) of 1-and 2-year maturity collected in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan using various solvents (pentane, chloroform, acetone, methanol and 70% ethanol) and extraction methods-such as maceration and ultrasound-assisted maceration-for an efficient exploitation as a source of biologically active substances for pharmacological preparations and/or plant protection products. This work is designed to fill in the lack of data on the component composition of berry extracts of Juniperus communis during the first and second year of maturity that grow in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as their multidirectional biological activities (antibacterial, antioxidant and nematocidal activities) [1,2,15,20,25].…”

Palm Kernel Cake Extracts Obtained from the Combination of Bacterial Fermentation and Enzymic Hydrolysis Promote Swine Small Intestine IPEC-J2 Cell Proliferation and Alleviate LPS-Induced Inflammation In Vitro

“…The • OH and • DPPH radicals are an extremely active free radical in biological systems and can cause oxidative damage to DNA [ 37 ]. In our study, PKCOS exhibited higher T-AOC activity than açai fermentation extracts [ 38 ] but lower than Buddleja scordioides Kunth [ 39 ], higher • DPPH radical scavenging activity in vitro than BHA [ 40 ] and higher • OH radical percentage of inhibition than gallic acid [ 41 ], which may indicate that PKCOS acts as a potential antioxidant agent.…”

Does the Invasive Heracleum mantegazzianum Influence Other Species by Allelopathy?

“…Free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging assay [71]. The determination procedure was described in detail in our previous work [72]. Ascorbic acid (Sigma Aldrich) was used as reference antioxidant.…”