Percorrer por autor "Adouni, Khawla"
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- Bioactivity and chemical characterization of Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm. seed oil: potential food and pharmaceutical applicationsPublication . Chahdoura, Hassiba; Barreira, João C.M.; Adouni, Khawla; Mhadhebi, Lamia; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Snoussi, Mejdi; Majdoub, Hatem; Flamini, Guido; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Achour, LotfiIn the food industry, there is a continuous search for ingredients that might provide advantageous properties to food products, either considering their nutritional value or bioactivity, as well as flavouring and technological aspects. Crude oils are good examples of this type of ingredient, especially if obtained from nonconventional sources. Accordingly, the Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm. seed oil (OMSO) was chemically characterized and evaluated for different in vitro and in vivo bioactivities. OMSO presented physicochemical characteristics appropriate to be considered as an edible oil, namely low acidity value, stability to oxidation (high peroxide value and low K 232 and K 270 values), and high contents of unsaturated fatty acids (as shown by the iodine value) and saponifiable matter. Furthermore, this natural oil, owing to its rich phytochemical profile, showed relevant antioxidant activity (especially in lipid peroxidation inhibition assays), a-glucosidase inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity against human tumour cell lines, antibacterial (mainly against Gram positive species) and antifungal properties, as well as anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Furthermore, OMSO did not show any sign of acute toxicity on animals, highlighting its possible use in different applications, considering that this natural product is not expected to induce the adverse effects typically associated with synthetic bioactive agents (e.g., ampicillin, amphotericin B, or lysine acetylsalicilate).
- Revalorization of wild: Asparagus stipularis Forssk. as a traditional vegetable with nutritional and functional propertiesPublication . Adouni, Khawla; Chahdoura, Hassiba; Mosbah, Habib; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; González-Paramás, Ana María; Ciudad-Mulero, María; Fernandes, Ângela; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Morales, Patricia; Flamini, Guido; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Achour, LotfiThe nutritional values and phytochemical composition of young shoots of wild Asparagus stipularis Forssk. from Tunisia were determined in this study. The antioxidant (tested by four different in vitro assays) and antiproliferative properties (against human tumour cell lines) of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of the young shoots were also investigated. The obtained results indicated that the young shoots are a potential source of valuable nutrients and dietary fiber, and their hydroalcoholic extract showed marked antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in all tested assays. The major phenolic compound, characterized by using a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with diode-array and mass spectrometer detectors, in both extracts was diferuloyl glycerol. Our results reinforce the interest in recovering the traditional culinary uses of this wild plant, with potential functional properties, which can be included in the modern diet as an alternative to the variety of vegetables normally used.
- Roots and rhizomes of wild Asparagus: Nutritional composition, bioactivity and nanoencapsulation of the most potent extractPublication . Adouni, Khawla; Júlio, Ana Carolina; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; González-Paramás, Ana María; Filipe, Patrícia; Rijo, Patrícia; Lima, Sofia A. Costa; Reis, Salette; Fernandes, Ângela; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Fernández-Ruiz, Virginia; Morales, Patricia; Flamini, Guido; Achour, Lotfi; Fonte, PedroThe nutritional composition and bioactive properties of roots and rhizomes of Asparagus stipularis were evaluated. Antioxidant activity of extracts obtained by infusion was evaluated using free radicals scavenging and reducing power methods. Porcine liver primary cell was used to check the hepatotoxicity of infusions. Results revealed that Asparagus samples are likely a source of nutrients, such as dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS characterization of infusions allowed the identification and quantitation of 7 phenolic compounds, all hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives, with caffeic acid as the most abundant. Roots infusion contained the highest amounts of these compounds. It also exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in all assays, with EC50 values of 0.44 ± 0.01, 0.98 ± 0.03 and 0.64 ± 0.01 mg/mL for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively, with no toxicity towards PLP2 primary cell cultures (GI50 > 400 μg/mL). PLGA nanoparticles loaded with root extract were prepared using solvent-evaporation double emulsion method. Nanoparticles size was about 260 nm and a polydispersity index around 0.1, with a zeta potential of about -36 mV, as well as a good encapsulation efficiency of approximately 83%. Their morphology was analysed by SEM and spherical polymeric nanoparticles with a smooth surface were observed. FTIR and DSC were also performed, which allowed corroborating the efficacy of the encapsulation and to confirm the production of a stable and robust system to load Asparagus extracts. The developed nanoparticles are expected to be used as delivery systems for bioactive compounds of A. stipularis and they could be used as an innovative dietary supplement.