Screens of antioxidant activity (AA) of various natural products have been a focus of the research community worldwide. This work aimed to differentiate selected samples of Merlot wines originated ...from Montenegro, with regard to phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity studied by survival rate, total sulfhydryl groups and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase and catalase in H₂O₂⁻stressed
cells. In this study, DPPH assay was also performed. Higher total phenolic content leads to an enhanced AA under both conditions. The same trend was observed for catechin and gallic acid, the most abundant phenolics in the examined wine samples. Finally, the findings of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model were in a good agreement (
² = 0.978) with the experimental data. All tested samples exhibited a protective effect in H₂O₂⁻stressed yeast cells. Pre-treatment with examined wines increased survival in H₂O₂⁻stressed cells and shifted antioxidative defense towards GPx⁻mediated defense. Finally, sensitivity analysis of obtained ANN model highlights the complexity of the impact that variations in the concentrations of specific phenolic components have on the antioxidant defense system.
The multicomponent mixtures consisting of herbs and fungi are commonly used for the production of alcoholic beverages with potential health-promoting effects in many Asian countries. The medicinal ...fungus
is one of the most important fungi used for spirit production. Although this fungus affects the aromatic complexity of spirits, only a small number of studies have focused on investigating the influence of
on the aromatic profile and colour of spirits. The aim of the research is to evaluate the influence of adding
and herbal extract on final concentrations of volatile compounds and sensory quality of several distillates. In this study, distillates (grain, plum, grape and wine) were used to produce new spirit-based beverages with the fungus
only, or with the fungus and herbal extract. Fifty-nine aroma compounds were identified by GC-MS. The aromatic profiles were strongly influenced by the primary aromas of the distillates, but the addition of
and herbal extract enriched the volatile fraction of distillates with a range of ethyl esters, with a fruity and floral fragrance. Higher alcohols, 1-propanol, 2-isobutanol and isoamyl alcohol, were the most abundant volatile compounds in the analyzed distillates and spirits. The lightness of distillates was from 60.7 to 63.6, and with the addition of
it significantly decreased to the range from 43.6 to 50.5. The addition of the fungus also increased the intensity of red and yellow colours. The
spirits scored very highly in sensory evaluation (17.6-18.3), significantly better than the spirits without any additions (16.1-16.9).
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•Ventral glands are located in the space between the cuticle and the trunk muscles.•The defensive secretion of Clinopodes flavidus contains eight compounds.•The viscous secretion also ...contains four prominent protein bands.
Chemical substances are of utmost importance for the biotic interactions between animals and their predators/parasites; many of these semiochemicals are emitted for defence purposes. One of the most deterrent and toxic biogenic substances we know of is hydrogen cyanide, which can be stored by certain insects, millipedes, centipedes and arachnids in the form of stable and less volatile molecules. The aim of this study was to analyse the biology and chemistry of such a defence mechanism in a geophilomorph centipede (Chilopoda). The cyanogenic secretion of Clinopodes flavidus is discharged from the ventral glands, whose glandular units are located in the space between the cuticle and the trunk muscles and do not extend deep into the segment. In addition to hydrogen cyanide, the ventral secretion contains 2-methylpentanoic acid, benzaldehyde, benzoyl cyanide, 2-methyl branched C-9 carboxylic acid (tentatively identified as 2-methyloctanoic acid), methyl 2-phenylacetate, benzoic acid and mandelonitrile as well as four major proteins with a molecular weight of 150, 66.2, 59 and 55 kDa. The correlation between the presence of ventral glands and guarding with the female’s ventral side facing away from the eggs and young indicates a functional link between these two traits. We hope that the specificity of the chemical composition of the ventral secretion could serve as a criterion for chemotaxonomy and that the analysis of more species will help to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within the Geophilomorpha.
Seven previously undescribed jatrophane diterpenoids, nicaeenin A–G, with eight known jatrophane diterpenoids, namely euphodendrophanes A–C, F, N, O, Q, S, were isolated from latex of Euphorbia ...nicaeensis collected in Serbia. The chemical structures of the compounds were determined by spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS experiments.
All but one of the previously undescribed jatrophanes, showed significant potential to inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity in two MDR cancer cells (NCI-H460/R and DLD1-TxR). The most powerful were nicaeenin F and nicaeenin G. Moreover nicaeenin G significantly stronger sensitized NCI-H460/R cells to DOX than Dex-VER.
Chemical investigation of the latex from Euphorbia nicaeensis led to isolation of fifteen jatrophane diterpenoids including seven unreported. The previously undescribed compounds were evaluated for their MDR activity and jatrophane with the prolonged effect on P-gp inhibition significantly stronger sensitized NCI-H460/R cells to DOX than Dex-VER. Display omitted
•Fifteen jatrophanes were isolated from the latex Euphorbia nicaeensis.•The chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques.•The P-gp activities of seven previously undescribed jatrophanes have been assessed.
The composition and content of certain bioactive components of the cold pressed oil obtained from six samples of pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L.) cultivated in Serbia were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. ...The composition and content of fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols, and the total content of squalene were determined. The results indicate oil's excellent quality, with high contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (37.1 ± 0.70–43.6 ± 0.69 g/100 g of total fatty acids), total tocopherols (38.03 ± 0.25–64.11 ± 0.07 mg/100 g of oil), sterols (718.1 ± 6.1–897.8 ± 6.8 mg/100 g of oil) and especially squalene (583.2 ± 23.6–747 ± 16 mg/100 g of oil). High content of squalene, phytosterols and monounsaturated fatty acids recommend the use of this type of the oil in the nutritional and medical purposes.
•We produced cold pressed pumpkin seed oil on a continuous screw press.•Six samples of pumpkin seeds, cultivated in Serbia, were used for oil production.•The content of fatty acids, tocopherols, phytosterols and squalene was determined.•High content of these bioactive components recommends this oil for a medical use.
The essential oil, different extracts, and isolated compounds of Angelica pancicii Vandas (Apiaceae) were investigated for the first time. The GC-FID and GC-MS analyses revealed sesquiterpenoids as ...the main constituents of A. pancicii essential oil of aerial parts with bornyl acetate (8.08%), n-octanol (5.82%), kessane (4.26%), and β-selinene (4.26%) as the main constituents. Analysis of methanol extracts, using an HPLC-DAD/ESI-ToF-MS system, showed a total of 52 compounds in the aerial parts and 53 in the roots, indicating coumarins as the main constituents. In addition, new chromone (1) and six known furanocoumarins (2–7) were isolated from the roots and structurally elucidated by combined spectroscopic methods. The aerial part extracts exhibited higher polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activity evaluated by three radical scavenging assays. Using a microwell dilution method, the strongest antibacterial activity profiles were determined for ethanol and methanol root extracts (minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) = 0.25–3.00 mg/mL), which were comparable to the activity of streptomycin (MBCs = 0.34–1.24 mg/mL), while the strongest antibacterial compound of A. pancicii was oxypeucedanin hydrate (MBCs = 0.50–8.00 mg/mL). Antifungal potential was in moderate extent, and the highest activity was obtained for root methanol extract (minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) = 4.00–14.00 mg/mL). Tested sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (subMICs) of the extracts and isolated compounds inhibited selected Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 virulence determinants. The most reduced growth of P. aeruginosa colony was in the presence of isolated oxypeucedanin. Ethanol (17.36–46.98%) and methanol (34.54–52.43%) root extracts showed higher anti-biofilm activity compared to streptomycin (49.40–88.36%) and ampicillin (56.46–92.16%).
The examination of the aerial parts, roots, and seeds of the endemic plant Rindera umbellata is reported in this paper for the first time. Phytochemical investigation of R. umbellata led to the ...isolation and characterization of ten pyrrolizidine alkaloids and eleven fatty acids in the form of triglycerides. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids 1-9 were found in the aerial parts, 7 and 8 in the roots, and 6-10, together with eleven fatty acids, in the seeds of this plant species. The structures of compounds 1-10 were established based on spectroscopic studies (¹H- and ¹³C-NMR, 2D NMR, IR and CI-MS). After trans-esterification, methyl esters of the fatty acids were analyzed using GC-MS. The effect of lindelofine-N-oxide (7) on tubulin polymerization was determined.
Total antioxidant (AO) activity of strong alcohol beverages such as wine and plum brandies, whiskeys, herbal and sweet fruit liqueurs have been assessed using a polarographic assay based on hydrogen ...peroxide scavenging (HPS). Rank of order of total AO activity, expressed as percentage of decrease of anodic oxidation current of hydrogen peroxide, was found analogous with total phenolic content estimated by Folin−Ciocalteau (FC) assay and radical scavenging capacity against the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Application of the assay for surveying of a quarter century long maturation of plum brandy in oak barrel was demonstrated. In addition, influence of different storage conditions on preservation of AO activity of some herbal liqueurs was surveyed. Wide area of application of this simple, fast, low cost and reliable assay in analysis and quality monitoring of various strong alcohol beverages was confirmed.
From the Montenegrin spurge Euphorbia dendroides, seven new diterpenoids jatrophanes (1–6) and a tigliane (7) were isolated and their structures elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. The biological ...activity of the new compounds was studied against four human cancer cell lines. The most effective jatrophane-type compound (2) and its structurally closely related derivative (1) were evaluated for their interactions with paclitaxel and doxorubicin using a multi-drug-resistant cancer cell line. Both compounds exerted a strong reversal potential resulting from inhibition of P-glycoprotein transport.
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