In order to evaluate the antioxidant properties of aqueous and methanol extracts of needles and berries of
subsp.
(
) species, various antioxidant capacity assessment tests (free radical scavenging ...assays (DPPH• and ABTS•+ tests), ferrous ions (Fe
) chelating activity and reducing power assay (FRAP) were conducted. In all of the tests, the extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Furthermore, in-vitro cytotoxic activity assays of the methanolic extracts showed potent cytotoxic effects against two breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7), with no cytotoxicity towards normal cells (PBMCs). Reactive oxygen species generation was presumed to be a potential reason for the observed cytotoxic effects. According to all the above, and considering its appropriate composition of mineral elements and phenolic compounds,
could offer a beneficial and natural source of bioactive compounds that can be either used on the preventive side as it could potentially be used in the clinic without toxicity.
•Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus (Joo) and Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. (Jom) berries were studied.•The phenolic profile of Joo and Jom ripe berries methanol ...extracts was defined for the first time.•The extracts exhibited antioxidant properties in different in vitro models.•The extracts did not affect HepG2 cell viability and they were virtually non-toxic against Artemia salina.•Joo and Jom extracts displayed some antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria.
This work aimed to evaluate and compare the phenolic profile and some biological properties of the ripe “berries” methanol extracts of Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus (Joo) and Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. (Jom) from Turkey. The total phenolic content resulted about 3-fold higher in Jom (17.89±0.23mg GAE/g extract) than in Joo (5.14±0.06mg GAE/g extract). The HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS analysis revealed a similar flavonoid fingerprint in Joo and Jom, whereas a difference in their quantitative content was found (4632μg/g extract and 12644μg/g extract). In addition, three phenolic acids were detected in Jom only (5765μg/g extract), and protocatechuic acid was the most abundant one. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated by different in vitro assays: in the DPPH and in the TBA tests a stronger activity in Jom was highlighted, while Joo exhibited higher reducing power and metal chelating activity. Joo and Jom did not affect HepG2 cell viability and both extracts resulted virtually non-toxic against Artemia salina. The extracts were also studied for their antimicrobial potential, displaying efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria.
Functional bowel disorders (FBD) have a major potential to degrade the standards of public life. Juniperus oxycedrus L. (J. oxycedrus) (Cupressaceae) has been described as a plant used in traditional ...medicine as an antidiarrheal medication. The present study is the first to obtain information on the antispasmodic and antidiarrheic effects of J. oxycedrus aqueous extract through in vitro and in vivo studies. An aqueous extract of J. oxycedrus (AEJO) was extracted by decoctioning air-dried aerial sections of the plant. Antispasmodic activity was tested in an isolated jejunum segment of rats exposed to cumulative doses of drogue extract. The antidiarrheic activity was tested using diarrhea caused by castor oil, a transit study of the small intestine, and castor oil-induced enteropooling assays in mice. In the jejunum of rats, the AEJO (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/ml) diminished the maximum tone induced by low K+ (25 mM), while it exhibited a weak inhibitory effect on high K+ (75 mM) with an IC50=0.49 ± 0.01 mg/ml and IC50=2.65 ± 0.16 mg/ml, respectively. In the contractions induced by CCh (10−6 M), AEJO diminished the maximum tone, similar to that induced by low K+ (25 mM). with an IC50=0.45 ± 0.02 mg/ml. The inhibitory effect of AEJO on low K+ induced contractions was significantly diminished in the presence of glibenclamide (GB) (0.3 µM) and 4-aminopyrimidine (4-AP) (100 µM), with IC50 values of 1.84 ± 0.09 mg/ml. and 1.63 ± 0.16 mg/ml, respectively). The demonstrated inhibitory effect was similar to that produced by a non-competitive antagonist acting on cholinergic receptors and calcium channels. In castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice, AEJO (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) caused an extension of the latency time, a reduced defecation frequency, and a decrease in the amount of wet feces compared to the untreated group (distilled water). Moreover, it showed a significant anti-motility effect and reduced the amount of fluid accumulated in the intestinal lumen at all tested doses. These findings support the conventional use of Juniperus oxycedrus L. as a remedy for gastrointestinal diseases.
Questions
In this study we investigated the direct effect of the shrub Juniperus oxycedrus s.l. on Mediterranean woody species regeneration, and how this interaction can be modified by the juniper ...habit, the forest canopy and/or infestation of the juniper by the plant parasite Arceuthobium oxycedri. We also aimed at identifying species response groups in relation to their ecological requirements and successional strategies.
Location
North of Mount Lebanon, in Horsch Ehden natural reserve, a humid montane Mediterranean forest.
Methods
We compared the regeneration of all occurring woody species below and outside 111 Juniperus oxycedrus canopies using the random pair sampling method. We calculated eight relative interaction intensity indexes (RIIJuniper) corresponding to the eight treatment combinations of the three factors: forest canopy (forest/gap), mistletoe infestation (with/without) and juniper habit (spreading/erect). We analyzed the RII values at three different levels: community (all species grouped), species group and species.
Results
Overall, the regeneration of the woody community was facilitated by Juniperus oxycedrus. However, the forest cover significantly reduced the facilitative effect of Juniperus oxycedrus when the latter was not infested by Arceuthobium oxycedri. We identified three species response groups (A: highly facilitated; B: slightly facilitated to neutral; and C: neutral) determined by their response to both Juniperus oxycedrus canopy and forest cover. The most facilitated species were shade‐tolerant/drought‐intolerant late‐successional species.
Conclusions
The results suggest the importance of shade tolerance in the complex mechanism of forest regeneration that is also affected by a parasite plant (Arceuthobium oxycedri), which boosts regeneration dynamics under forest cover by reducing shrub canopy cover.
Forest cover reduces the facilitation of woody species regeneration by Juniperus oxycedrus when the latter is uninfested by Arceuthobium oxycedri. Whereas in presence of the mistletoe the facilitation is increased. The mistletoe boosts the regeneration under forest cover probably by reducing the juniper canopy and thus competition for light. The most facilitated species are shade tolerant/drought intolerant late successional species.
Inflammation is a natural response of the body to tissue injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can contribute to the development of various diseases. Therefore, finding effective ways to ...reduce inflammation is of great interest to researchers and healthcare providers. The aim of the study was the elucidation of the phenolic profile from J. oxycedrus leaves and berries followed by in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays. Despite the existence of some works on this species, most of these researchers focus their attention on cade oil and only few were interested to study leaves and berries extracts.
HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS2 was used for their characterization of the phenolic profile whereas spectrophotometric microassays in non-cellular and cellular systems (RAW 264.7 macrophages cell line) was assessed for their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials.
Up to twenty-one polyphenolic compounds were positively identified in both extracts. Both leaves and berries extracts showed strong antioxidant capacity to scavenge O2●, with IC50 values of 22.86 ± 2.40 and 122.62 ± 9.42 µg/mL. Moreover, both revealed to have potential to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase in a dose-dependent way, being leaves the most effective vegetal material.
The results suggest that J. oxycedrus leaves and berries could be considered exquisite sources of bioactive molecules for a potential further application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
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► Chiral monoterpenes from Juniperus were analysed with HS-SPME and GC/MS. ► HS-SPME reproduces similar results as hydrodistillation. ► Large variations in chiral distribution of monoterpenes. ► ...Similar enantiomeric preferences between needles and berries of Juniperus.
For the first time, enantiomeric and non-enantiomeric distribution of monoterpenes in the headspace of Juniperus communis L. and Juniperus oxycedrus needles and berries has been determined using HS-SPME combined with enantioselective GC/MS. The essential oils from needles and berries of both Juniperus species obtained by hydrodistillation were also performed. HS-SPME has shown good potential to reproduce the same results as the commonly used hydrodistillation extraction technique. While needles and berries of J. communis showed high contents of sabinene, α-pinene and β-myrcene with 19–30%, 12–24% and 9–20%, respectively, J. oxycedrus was strongly dominated by α-pinene with 85–92% in both needles and berries. Large variations in chiral distribution of monoterpenes within the same plant species and between the two junipers were observed. Interestingly, similar enantiomeric preferences of monoterpenes were obtained between needles and berries of the two junipers.
Plant extracts are differ in quality and quantity of crud extract according to the extraction solvent, extraction time, and temperature. Herbal medicine used during the history for prevention and ...treatment of illnesses and promotion of health also used for enhancing the quality and span of our life. Juniperus oxycedrus banches and leaves are extracted with methanol using soxhlet apparatus to extract the polar compounds according to like dissolve like rule. The flavonoids components of type flavonol, as rutin, quercetin, and catechin, as well as flavone, as apigenin, were present in the crude extract that was extracted by preparative HPLC. The isolated compounds are examined using the UV spectrum, FT IR spectrum, mass spectrum by comparing the base peak mass m/z, and HPLC by comparing the retention times of the isolated and matching compounds.
Juniper (
Juniperus oxycedrus) is used in European cuisine for its distinguishing flavour.
J. oxycedrus ssp.
oxycedrus berry and wood essential oils were tentatively identified by GC and GC/MS. Fifty ...compounds were identified in the berry oil and 23 compounds were identified in the wood oil. The
J. oxycedrus ssp.
oxycedrus berry oil was characterised by high contents of α-pinene (27.4%) and β-myrcene (18.9%). Other important compounds were α-phellandrene (7.1%), limonene (6.7%),
epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene (2.3%) and δ-cadinene (2.2%) while, in the wood oil, δ-cadinene (14.5%) is a major main component, together with
cis-thujopsene (9.2%) and α-muurolene (4.9%).
In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity by the DPPH method showed a significant activity for both oils with IC
50 values of 1.45
μl/ml for wood and 7.42
μl/ml for berries. Hypoglycaemic activity was investigated through the inhibition of α-amylase. The results revealed that oil obtained by hydrodistillation from
J. oxycedrus ssp.
oxycedrus wood exhibits an interesting activity with IC
50 of 3.49
μl/ml.
This study was conducted to examine chemical compositions, the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of methanolic and aqueous extracts from aerial parts of Juniperus oxycedrus subsp ...oxycedrus growing in Mascara, Algeria. The quantitative assessment indicated that methanol extract was the most concentrated in phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents (167.77±5.12 mg GAE/g DW, 90.56±2.23 mg QE/g DE and 110.21±2.38 mg CE/g DE respectively). The chromatographic analysis by HPLC showed quantitative differences in phenolic constutents, noting that Chlorogenic acid was the major compound of both extracts. Moreover, methanolic extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity than the aqueous extract when tested by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (IC50 4.45±0.001 μg/mL) and phosphomolybdenum (328.52±0.071 mg of GAE/g DW) assays. Furthermore, the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity showed a strong inhibition of albumin denaturation by the methanolic extract at different concentrations when compared to standard drug diclofenac sodium. These findings confirm the richness of Algerian Juniperus oxycedrus extracts in bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. These results are compatible with the use of the plant in traditional medicine. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7135281
Juniperus L. (Cupressaceae) species have been used to various inflammatory and infectious diseases such as bronchitis, colds, cough, fungal infections, hemorrhoids, gynecological diseases, and wounds ...in Turkish folk medicine.
To evaluate this traditional information, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the methanolic and aqueous extracts prepared from different parts (stem, fruit and leaves) of the five Turkish taxa under
Juniperus section of the gender;
J. drupacea,
J. communis var.
communis,
J. communis var.
saxatilis,
J. oxycedrus subsp.
oxycedrus, and
J. oxycedrus subsp.
macrocarpa growing were investigated.
For the anti-inflammatory activity, carrageenan-induced and PGE
2-induced hind paw edema models, and for the antinociceptive activity
p-benzoquinone-induced writhing and hot plate tests in mice were employed.
The methanolic extracts of fruit and leaves from
J. oxycedrus subsp.
oxycedrus and
J. communis var.
saxatilis exhibited notable inhibition in carrageenan-induced edema model at a dose of 100
mg/kg. The same extracts also displayed significant activity against PGE
2-induced edema model. While, the remaining extracts were found inactive against these edema models. A similar activity pattern was observed against
p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction test without inducing any gastric damage or apparent acute toxicity, whereas all extracts were inactive in hot plate test.
The experimental data demonstrated that
J. oxycedrus subsp.
oxycedrus and
J. communis var.
saxatilis displayed remarkable anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities; however, further studies are warranted to define and isolate the active anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive components from these active species which may yield safe and effective agents to be used in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.
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