The young and old leaves of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) were examined for their essential oil (EO) compositions, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. The EO yields were 0.77

Plants constitute a source of natural phytochemical components which are widely known for their potential biological activities. This work concerned a study of the antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities of squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium L.) parts (flowers, fruits, leaves and stems) using different solvent extracts (cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water). The different squirting cucumber parts had an appreciable anti-tumour activity in the less polar extracts contrarily to the antioxidant activity. Squirting cucumber flowers had an appreciable anti-inflammatory activity in the polar extracts with the highest NO inhibition in the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts. However, the anti-inflammatory activity of squirting cucumber stems had an affinity for the apolar extracts with the highest nitric oxide inhibition in the cyclohexane and the dichloromethane extracts. Squirting cucumber leaves and fruits had an important anti-inflammatory activity in both polar (particularly ethyl acetate for leaves and water for fruits) and apolar (cyclohexane for these two organs) extracts. Squirting cucumber exhibited a potent antioxidant, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities owing to its bioactive chemical components and may be a good plant based product for pharmaceutical industry.

The ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, and water extracts of cypress from three Tunisian regions (Bizerte, Ben Arous, and Nabeul) were reported for their phenolic content, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. Cypress extract had an important antiradical and antibacterial potential which was strongly related to the organoleptic quality of the extract which appeared strongly region dependent. The highest contents of polyphenols were obtained in the methanol extract at the region of Bizerte (315.75 mg GAE/g DW). Cupressuflavone was the major compound with high proportions in methanol extract of Bizerte (68%). Amentoflavone also constituted an important flavonoid compound presented in higher proportion in the ethyl acetate extract of Ben Arous (21.2%). For Gram-positive bacteria strains, Staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to the ethanol extract of Nabeul with IZ = 40 mm. This study suggests cypress as potential natural source of antioxidants and antibacterial agents.

The aerial parts of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) of three collect regions (Bizerte, Ben-Arous and Nabeul) were reported for their essential oil (EO) compositions, antioxidant, antimicrobial and insecticidal activities. Results showed that the higher EO yields were observed in Bizerte and Ben Arous (0.56%), followed by Nabeul (0.49%). The EO composition showed the predominance of α-pinene with 36.72% in Bizerte, 30.22% in Nabeul and 30% in Ben-Arous. Cypress EO of Bizerte showed higher antiradical capacity (IC50 = 55 µg/mL) than Ben-Arous (IC50 = 97.50 µg/mL) and Nabeul (IC50 = 155 µg/mL). E. faecalis was the most sensitive strain to cypress EO of Bizerte with the largest inhibition zone (IZ = 65 mm). Regarding the insecticidal activity, cypress EO of Bizerte had the highest mortality of Tribolium castaneum with a lethal concentration of LC50 = 164.3 µL/L air after 24 h exposure.

Lycium europaeum is used as a medicinal herb in many countries. In this study, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water were used as solvents in the extraction of L. europaeum fruits. The contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total tannins and condensed tannins as well as the biological activities of these extracts were investigated using various in vitro and ex vivo assays. Results showed that all solvent extracts of L. europaeum had no anticancer activity against cancerous (A-549 and DLD-1) and non-cancerous (WS-1) human cells. Methanol and ethyl acetate were the most effective solvent for extraction of phenolic compounds and also exhibited the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The methanol extract of L. europaeum fruits was the richest in phenolic compounds with the predominance of ferulic acid, catechin and narengin. These results supported the use of L. europaeum fruit as natural source of bioactive compound for pharmaceutical applications.

This study examined the antioxidant, anticancer and antiviral properties of the methanolic extracts from bigarade (Citrus aurantium L.) leaves at two development stages. Ferulic acid, naringin and naringenin were the principal phenolic components of young and old leaves. The highest total antioxidant capacity was obtained in young leaf extracts (YLE). These latter also exhibited the highest antiradical DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2 '-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) activities, while the highest iron chelating and reducing power activities were observed in old leaf extracts (OLE). The potent anticancer activity was observed in YLE for human lung carcinoma (A-549) and in OLE for colon adenocarcinoma (DLD-1) cells. YLE showed the highest virucidal effects as compared to OLE and the positive control acyclovir against herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) propagation in Vero cells during the absorption and replication periods. The young and old leaves might be a source of natural antioxidants and protective agents against oxidative damage.

Essential toils are important natural products of aromatic plants, which are mostly biosynthesized and accumulated in secretory cavities. In this study, the impact of leaf developmental stages was investigated on secretory structure, chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Citrus aurantium essential oil. The secretory cavity of young leaf had more essential oil droplets than that of mature leaf which indicated that the young leaf constitutes a mass production of essential oil in Citrus aurantium leaf. In fact, the young leaves exhibited the highest essential oil yield (0.77%), followed by intermediate (0.50%) and mature (0.25%) leaves. The major constituent of the leaf essential oil composition was sabinene (33.17-44.83%), followed by E-beta-ocimene (7.57-8.21%) in young and intermediate leaves but by delta-3-Carene (12.81%) in mature leaves. The antioxidant activities of Citrus aurantium essential oil at different leaf stages were evaluated by using DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power and beta-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching assays. Independently of leaf development, Citrus aurantium essential oil showed a strong capacity to reduce iron while it had a low ability to scavenge DPPH radicals and to bleach beta-carotene.

The present work was undertaken to investigate the protective effects of Eryngium maritimum seeds extract (MEE) against CCl4 and cisplatin induced toxicity in rats. The levels of total phenolics and flavonoids were ca. 20 mg GAE/g and ca. 19 mg QE/g, respectively. Using HPLC twenty-one molecules were identified. MEE showed important in vitro antioxidant activities. Results demonstrated that MEE-treatment restored the increased activities of AST, ALT, LDH and ALP and the high levels of serum creatinine, urea and uric acid levels induced by CCl4 and cisplatin treatment. Moreover, MEE presented important in vivo antioxidant activities; increased the activities of CAT, SOD and GPx and decreased the TBARS and protein carbonyl contents. The histopathological studies suggested that MEE clearly alleviated the degree of tissues fibrosis. The obtained results highlighted the potential use of E. maritimum as a source of bioactive compounds with hepatoprotective and nephroprotective advantages.

Capparis spinosa, a shrub plant with a wide growing range, has long been used in traditional medicine and is frequently found in Mediterranean cuisine. The goal of the present work was to study the effect of location on the phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of C. spinosa seeds. Wild samples were harvested from five different regions in Tunisia. Folin–Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride and vanillin methods were used to determine phenolic content. Individual phenolic compounds were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography. In vitro antioxidant capacity was investigated using three different tests (total antioxidant capacity, DPPH-radical scavenging activity and ABTS-radical scavenging activity). Total phenolic content varied from 1.31mg GAE/g DR to 8.14mg GAE/g DR; total flavonoid content ranged from 4.71mg QE/g DR to 72.79mg QE/g DR; and total tannin content was between 12.71mg GAE/g DR and 105.61mg GAE/g DR. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of 34 compounds with significant variability among regions. The seeds showed great antioxidant capacity with significant variability. Capparis spinosa seeds, due to their phenolic content and high antioxidant activity, could be a prospective source of natural bioactive molecules that could replace synthetic antioxidants.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the chemical composition of the Prosopis farcta seeds. The Kjeldahl method revealed that the level of the total protein was ca. 18 % on a dry weight basis (DW). Gas chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of six fatty acids. Linoleic acid with 57.55 % was the major fatty acid, followed by oleic and palmitic acids (24.58 and 12.91 %, respectively). Total phenolic content was 1.71 mg GAE/g DW (GAE = gallic acid equivalents). Methanolic extracts showed important antioxidant properties. This work highlights the importance of P. farcta seeds as natural and inexpensive sources of protein, unsaturated fatty acid, and phenolic compounds for both cosmetic and pharmaceutical uses.

Total lipid contents, fatty acid compositions, phenolic profiles and antioxidants activities of seeds from Thapsia garganica, Orlaya maritima, and Retama raetam were investigated. The oil values were more than 26 %, except seeds of R. raetam (ca. 3 %). Unsaturated fatty acids accounted for the majority of the fatty acids (more than 75 %). Oleic and linoleic acid were the predominant fatty acids. Total phenolic compounds (24–104 mg GAE g−1 DR), total flavonoids (4–102 mg QE g−1g DR), total tannins (28–85 mg GAE g−1 DR) and condensed tannins (0.62–131 mg CE g−1 DR) were also determined. The antioxidant activities using different assays were evaluated. The predominant detected classes were the phenolic acids (42–85 %) and the flavonoids (11–48 %). The major phenolic acids were caffeic, trans-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic, p-coumaric, and gallic acid. The predominant flavonoids were quercetin, luteolin, naringin, apigenin, and kaempferol. This study brings attention to the medicinal importance of these species as a source of oil and antioxidant molecules.

The phytochemical content (total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, condensed tannins and phenolic composition) and the antioxidant potential of Rhus tripartitum fruits collected from different localities were screened during maturity. Significant variability was detected. HPLC analyses revealed the presence of 24 compounds with notable differences. Flavone and betulinic acid, which have numerous benefits, were the main detected compounds (more than 73%). This work highlights the importance of R. tripartitum fruits as dietary sources of natural antioxidants, and might be appropriate for the development of reliable index to estimate fruit richness with bioactive molecules.

Drought is the main abiotic constraint that affects crop species behaviour regarding bio-chemical responses. The current study was conducted to examine the effect of water deficit on growth, phenolic and carotenoid contents as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) flowers. Hence, plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control (100 %), moderate water deficit (50 %) and severe water deficit (25 %). Obtained results showed that plant growth was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced under 50 %. Drought increased flower phenolic acids contents especially gallic acid where they increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 2.73 fold (104) and by 2.87 fold (Jawhara) with respect to controls under 50 %. However, the amounts of this major compound were reduced at 25 % by 9.66 % (104) and 3.83 % (Jawhara). Similar to phenolic compounds, total carotenoid content was at its highest level especially for Jawhara with an increase by 35.19 % at 50 %. On the other hands, C. tinctorius flowers extracts exhibited high antiradical activity as compared to BHT. A gradual increase by 35.29 % (Jawhara) and 33.33 % (104) especially under 25 % was observed. Moreover, under 50 %, the antimicrobial activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 30 % and 10.05 % against Aspergillus carbonarus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that C. tinctorius could be a raw material for production of natural dyes under moderate salinity conditions.

Oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are known as key factors for the development of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, cataract as well as atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's diseases. In this context, natural products have been previously identified as promising sources for antioxidant and anti-glycation compounds. The current study focuses on the evaluation of antioxidant and glycation inhibitory activities of different solvent extracts of Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (Solanaceae) fruits at different ripening stages. The results showed that antioxidant and anti-AGEs activities were significantly influenced by solvents polarities and ripening stages of S. elaeagnifolium Cav. With one exception, methanolic extract of overripe S. elaeagnifolium Cav fruit showed important protective effects against cellular oxidative stress. The aqueous extract showed the highest ABTS(+) scavenging ability. Principal component analysis showed that total phenolic and flavonoid contents correlated well with observed antioxidants and anti-glycation activities. These results bring attention to the possible use of S. elaeagnifolium Cav as a valuable source of bioactive compounds exhibiting antioxidant effects and potentially alleviating diabetic complications.

Oilseeds from bitter orange and mandarin and its antioxidant activities were investigated in this study. The effects of harvesting times (D1: green color, D2 yellow color, D3: orange color) on the extraction yield of oilseed were studied. The maximum yield of 44% was achieved at D3 (bitter orange). The chemical composition of the oilseed was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The main methyl esters were linoleic acid (C18:2, 32–42%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 22–26%)), stearic acid (C18:0, 9.01%) and linolenic acid (C18:3, 4–10%). The antioxidant activity of oilseed was assessed by means of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Both methods demonstrated notable antioxidant activities of bitter orange and mandarin oilseeds, which is nearly comparable to the references ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The antioxidant activities of the oilseeds were also found to be harvesting time-dependent.