Browsing by Author "Frumuzachi, Oleg"
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- Development of an optimized drying process for the recovery of bioactive compounds from the Autumn Fruits of Berberis vulgaris L. and Crataegus monogyna JacqPublication . Moldovan, Cadmiel; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Babotă, Mihai; Menghini, Luigi; Cesa, Stefania; Gavan, Alexandru; Sisea, Cristian R.; Tanase, Corneliu; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Crişan, Gianina; Mocan, Andrei; Barros, LillianHot air drying has proven to be an efficient method to preserve specific edible plant materials with medicinal properties. This is a process involving chemical, physical, and biological changes in plant matrices. Understanding these processes will lead to an improvement in the yields of bioactive compounds. This study aims to optimize the drying process of two species’ fruits used in folk medicine, Berberis vulgaris and Crataegus monogyna. The optimized extracts’ antioxidant capacity was assessed using various assays, with the barberry extract showing very good activity (50.85, 30.98, and 302.45 mg TE/g dw for DPPH, TEAC, and FRAP assays, respectively). Both species exerted good fungal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.34 and 0.56 mg/mL, respectively) but no activity on mammalian α-glucosidase. Additionally, this study identified and quantified the main bioactive compounds. The results presented herein are a breakthrough in industrializing this drying process. Additional studies are necessary to mechanistically understand the drying process involved in these plant materials.
- Optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from Thymus comosus Heuff. ex Griseb. et Schenk (wild thyme) and their bioactive potentialPublication . Babotă, Mihai; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Gâvan, Alexandru; Iacoviță, Cristian; Pinela, José; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Zhang, Leilei; Lucini, Luigi; Rocchetti, Gabriele; Tanase, Corneliu; Crişan, Gianina; Mocan, AndreiAn optimized ultrasound-assisted extractive method was developed to obtain a polyphenol-enriched extract from the aerial parts of Thymus comosus Heuff. ex Griseb. et Schenk. Optimization process was conducted based on Design of Experiment (DoE) principles, determining the influence of three independent variables (time, ultrasound amplitude, ethanol concentration) on the total phenolic content of the extract (dependent variable). Additionally, the phenolic composition of the extract was characterized through UHPLC-HRMS, revealing beside the most abundant flavonoid-type compounds the presence of salvianolic acids C, D and L in high amounts. Phytochemical profile of the extract was correlated with its antioxidant activity (tested through five complementary assays) and enzyme-inhibitory potential, showing important antiglucosidase and anticholinesterase effects. Overall, it was concluded that the developed method is suitable for obtaining a good recovery of both phenolic and non-phenolic compounds from Thymus comosus aerial parts, and their presence in the optimized extract is responsible for its pharmacological potential.
- Therapeutic uses and pharmacological properties of shallot (Allium ascalonicum): a systematic reviewPublication . Moldovan, Cadmiel; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Babotă, Mihai; Barros, Lillian; Mocan, Andrei; Carradori, Simone; Crisan, GianinaBackgroundShallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) is a traditional plant species used throughout the world both for culinary purposes and as a folk remedy. To date (i.e., April 2022), there is no report on the main pharmacological activities exerted by shallot preparations and/or extracts. Scope and ApproachThe aim of this study was to comprehensively review the pharmacological activities exerted by shallot, with rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria based on the scientific rigor of studies. Prisma guidelines were followed to perform the literature search. Key Findings and ConclusionsThe literature search yielded 2,410 articles of which 116 passed the required rigorous criteria for inclusion in this review. The extracts exert a potent antioxidant activity both in vitro and in vivo, as well as a strong inhibitory capacity on various pathogens with relevant implications for public health. Moreover, shallot can be used as adjuvant therapy in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer prevention, and other non-communicable diseases associated with inflammatory and oxidative pathways. Future studies investigating the chemical composition of this species, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in the empirically observed pharmacological actions are required.
- Thymus species from romanian spontaneous flora as promising source of phenolic secondary metabolites with health-related benefitsPublication . Babotă, Mihai; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Mafra, Isabel; Nicolescu, Alexandru; Dias, Maria Inês; Pinela, José; Barros, Lillian; Añibarro-Ortega, Mikel; Stojković, Dejan; Carevic, Tamara; Mocan, Andrei; López, Víctor; Crisan, GianinaWild thyme aerial parts (Serpylli herba) are recognized as a valuable herbal product with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. Although pharmacopoeial regulations allow its collection exclusively from Thymus serpyllum, substitution with other species is frequent in current practice. This study analyzed the phenolic composition, antioxidant, and enzyme-inhibitory and antimicrobial activity of the hydroethanolic extracts obtained from five Romanian wild thyme species (Thymus alpestris, T. glabrescens, T. panonicus, T. pulcherimus and T. pulegioides). The analysis of individual phenolic constituents was performed through LC-ESI-DAD/MS2, while for the in vitro evaluation of antioxidant potential, TEAC, FRAP, DPPH, TBARS and OxHLIA assays were employed. The anti-enzymatic potential was tested in vitro against tyrosinase, alpha-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase. High rosmarinic acid contents were quantified in all species (20.06 +/- 0.32-80.49 +/- 0.001 mg/g dry extract); phenolic acids derivatives (including salvianolic acids) were confirmed as the principal metabolites of T. alpestris and T. glabrescens, while eriodictyol-O-di-hexoside was found exclusively in T. alpestris. All species showed strong antioxidant potential and moderate anti-enzymatic effect against alpha-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase, showing no anti-tyrosinase activity. This is the first detailed report on the chemical and biological profile of T. alpestris collected from Romanian spontaneous flora.
- Unravelling phytochemical and bioactive potential of three hypericum species from romanian spontaneous flora: H. alpigenum, H. perforatum and H. rocheliiPublication . Babotă, Mihai; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Mocan, Andrei; Tamas, Mircea; Dias, Maria Inês; Pinela, José; Stojković, Dejan; Soković, Marina; Badarau, Alexandru Sabin; Crisan, Gianina; Barros, Lillian; Paltinean, RamonaHypericum perforatum L., also known as St. John's Wort, is recognized worldwide as a valuable medicinal herb; however, other Hypericum species were intensively studied for their bioactive potential. To fill the research gap that exists in the scientific literature, a comparative evaluation between H. alpigenum Kit., H. perforatum L. and H. rochelii Griseb. & Schenk was conducted in the present study. Two types of herbal preparations obtained from the aerial parts of these species were analyzed: extracts obtained through maceration and extracts obtained through magnetic-stirring-assisted extraction. LC-DAD-ESI-MSn analysis revealed the presence of phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols and flavonoid derivatives as the main constituents of the above-mentioned species. Moreover, all extracts were tested for their antioxidant, enzyme-inhibitory and antimicrobial potential. Our work emphasizes for the first time a detailed description of H. rochelii phenolic fractions, including their phytochemical and bioactive characterization. In comparison with the other two studied species, H. rochelii was found as a rich source of phenolic acids and myricetin derivatives, showing important antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antibacterial activity. The study offers new perspectives regarding the chemical and bioactive profile of the less-studied species H. alpigenum and H. rochelii.
- Untargeted phytochemical profiling and biological activity of small yellow onion (Allium flavum L.) from different regions of RomaniaPublication . Moldovan, Cadmiel; Frumuzachi, Oleg; Babotă, Mihai; Pinela, José; Barros, Lillian; Rocchetti, Gabriele; López, Víctor; Lucini, Luigi; Crisan, Gianina; Mocan, AndreiThis study examined the phytochemical profiles (mainly phenolics, carotenoids, and organosulfur compounds) and biological effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Allium flavum (AF), a species of the Allium genus commonly known as small yellow onion. Unsupervised and supervised statistical approaches revealed clear differences between extracts prepared with samples collected from different areas of Romania. Overall, the AFFF (AF flowers collected from Faget) extract was the best source of polyphenols, also showing the highest antioxidant capacity evaluated through both in vitro DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC anti-radical scavenging assays and cell-based OxHLIA and TBARS assays. All the tested extracts exhibited & alpha;-glucosidase inhibition potential, while only the AFFF extract exhibited anti-lipase inhibitory activity. The phenolic subclasses annotated were positively correlated with the assessed antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities. Our findings suggested that A. flavum has bioactive properties worth exploring further, being a potential edible flower with health-promoting implications.