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- Himanthalia elongata: An overview of its chemical composition and health-related benefitsPublication . Catarino, Marcelo D.; Circuncisão, Ana R.; Silva, Sónia; Pinto, Diana; Pereira, Olívia R.; Cardoso, Susana M.Himanthalia elongata, commonly known as sea spaghetti, is a brown seaweed found along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, particularly in regions such as Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom, where it is considered a delicacy and is commonly used in salads, soups, and as a pasta substitute. It is renowned for its impressive nutritional profile and potential health benefits, offering a significant amount of dietary fiber, vitamins and protein, including all essential amino acids, thus making it an excellent supplement for vegetarian and vegan diets. It is also a rich source of minerals such as iodine, calcium, magnesium, and iron, and valuable phytochemicals such as phlorotannins and fucoxanthin. The high diversity of bioactive compounds found in H. elongata makes it remarkably versatile in terms of bioactivities, including the capacity to regulate oxidative stress, inflammation, gut microbiota and several other cellular and physiological functions, thus contributing to healthy aging, risk reduction of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases. This review pro- vides a comprehensive overview of the nutritional and chemical composition of H. elongata, highlighting its reported biological activities and potential applications in the food and health industries
- Caracterização, terapêutica e controlo da hipertensão arterial em utentes de farmácias do Conselho de Vila Nova de FamalicãoPublication . Botas, Joana; Carvalhal, Daniela; Ferreira, Maria José Marinho; Pereira, Olívia R.; Pinto, Isabel C.Arterial Hypertension (AHT) is one of the most concerning health issues worldwide, due to its importance as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Objectives: Determine the proportion of AHT, characterize the disease, therapeutics and related factors on users of 2 Pharmacies of Vila Nova de Famalicão city. Materials and Methods: It was performed a descriptive and correlational cross-sectional study included 352 users of 2 Pharmacies from Vila Nova de Famalicão. The data was collected using a questionnaire and an automatic blood pressure (BP) measuring device. Results and Discussion: The proportion of self-reported HTA was 34.4%, mostly in older age groups (66.7% and 82.4% for users with 62-72 and 84-95 years, respectively). Moreover, an important amount of hypertensive users didn’t have their BP values controlled, with values of 38% and 49% for high diastolic and high systolic BP, respectively. Concerning the pharmacological treatment, 24.8% of the hypertensive users do not take medication, most of them due to the lack of symptoms (44.2%). Diuretics were the medicines more used in AHT therapeutics (19.9%) followed by Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (14.9%), which is according to the Portuguese treatment guidelines. Some risk factors identified as associated with AHT were the age (p<0.001), Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.001), CVD factor history [stroke (p<0.001), heart attack (p=0.001), dyslipidemia (p<0.001), diabetes (p=0.001)] and family history of AHT (p<0.001). All of them are reported in the literature as related factors with AHT and globally as CVD. Conclusion: The AHT was more prevalent in older age groups, with high BMI and individual CVD history, being diuretics and ACE inhibitors the most used therapy.
- Aromatherapy in the control of stress and anxietyPublication . Dias, Paula; Pedro, Luís G.; Pereira, Olívia R.; Sousa, Maria JoãoBackground: Currently, complementary and alternative medicine emerge as important therapies in the prevention and treatment of various health problems. In view of this, the present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of essential oils in reducing stress and anxiety levels in aromatherapy users, at a clinic of Bragança, Portugal. Methods: A study was performed with 36 individuals divided in two distinct groups: “aroma group” and “control group”. Individuals of "aroma group" were treated with a mixture of essential oils of Lavandula angustifolia Mill and Matricaria recutita L. applied with Effleurage massage while the individuals of "control group" received only Effleurage massage. Stress and anxiety levels of all individuals participating in the study were evaluated before and after the treatment. Additionally, the chemical composition of the essential oils was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. Results: In the aromatherapy assay, the “aroma group” showed a significant decrease of 12% and 30%, in stress and anxiety levels, respectively, in the “control group” this decrease was lower (3.3% and 2.6% for stress and anxiety levels, respectively). Conclusion: In this study, aromatherapy was effective in stress and anxiety levels reduction and linalool, the major compound of the essential oil mixture, may be positively contributing for these effects.
- The health-benefits and phytochemical profile of Salvia apiana and Salvia farinacea var. Victoria blue decoctionsPublication . Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Pereira, Olívia R.; Fernandes, Ângela; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Silva, Artur; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Cardoso, Susana M.Salvia apiana and Salvia farinacea var. Victoria Blue decoctions were screened for diverse bioactivities, including the ability to counteract oxidative and inflammatory events, as well as to act as cytotoxic and antimicrobial agents. Both extracts showed good activities and that of S. apiana origin was particularly effective regarding the ability to prevent lipid peroxidation and to prevent nitric oxide (NO ) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line (EC50 = 50 µg/mL). Moreover, it displayed high cytotoxic capacity against hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, cervical carcinoma HeLa, and breast carcinoma cells MCF-7, but comparatively low effects in porcine liver primary cells, which highlights its selectivity (GI50 = 41–60 µg/mL vs. 362 µg/mL, respectively). Further, it exhibited inhibitory and lethal potential against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It is possible that the bioactive properties of the two Salvia extracts are associated to their phenolic components and, in the particular case of S. apiana, to its richness in phenolic terpenes, namely in rosmanol, hydroxycarnosic acid and a derivative of sageone, which were found in the extract.
- Chemical composition, antioxidant potential, and blood glucose lowering effect of aqueous extract and essential oil of Thymus Serrulatus Hochst. Ex BenthPublication . Haile, Tesfay; Cardoso, Susana M.; Raphaelli, Chirle de Oliveira; Pereira, Olívia R.; Pereira, Elisa dos Santos; Vizzotto, Márcia; Nora, Leonardo; Asfaw, Adissu Alemayehu; Periasamy, Gomathi; Karim, AmanThymus serrulatus, an endemic plant of Ethiopia, is traditionally used to cure various diseases and as a food ingredient. In the Ethiopian folk medicine, the decoction is orally taken as a remedy to treat diabetes and high blood pressure. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antihyperglycemic effects of the aqueous extract and of the essential oil of Thymus serrulatus. The chemical composition of the aqueous extract was determined by LC-MS and the essential oil was characterized by GC-MS analysis. Radical scavenging assays, namely scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), hydroxyl (•OH), and nitric oxide (•NO), were used as a first approach to screen the potential antioxidant abilities of the samples. Alpha-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory studies were also employed to evaluate the in vitro antihyperglycemic potential of the plant. The in vivo blood glucose lowering effect of the extracts was assessed using hypoglycemic activity and the oral glucose tolerance test in normal and in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice. When compared to the aqueous extract, the essential oil showed superior radical scavenging activity, particularly for •NO, as well as greater inhibitory potency against α-amylase and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 0.01 mg/ml and 0.11 mg/ml, respectively). Both tested samples showed a statistically significant antihyperglycemic effect. The aqueous extract at 600 mg/kg exerted maximum antihyperglycemic activity (44.14%), followed by the essential oil (30.82%). Body weight and glucose tolerance parameters were also improved by the samples both in normal and diabetic mice. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that aqueous extract and essential oil of T. serrulatus are promising therapeutic agents.
- Thymus zygis and thymus pulegioides as a source of phenolic compoundsPublication . Pereira, Olívia R.; Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Domingues, Vasco; Cardoso, Susana M.Thymus is an important genus in the West Mediterranean region, where many species are cultivated for confection of several dishes, including salads, soups, stews and sauces. Many Thymus, including T. zygis and T. pulegioides are also commonly used in traditional medicine. Whist phenolic compounds are commonly associated to health-beneficial properties of Thymus, the specific phenolic composition of T. zygis and T. pulegioides is presently unknown. The extracts of the aerial parts of T. zygis and T. pulegioides species were prepared with hot water as previously described. Total phenolic contents were determined according to the adapted Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method and the identification of the phenolic compounds was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD). The extracts of T. zygis and T. pulegioides contained 319±44 and 391±3 μg GAE/mg, respectively. Likewise other Thymus species, both extracts were enriched in caffeic acid derivatives, showing characteristic UV spectra maxima at 290 and 328 nm. The two extracts also contained moderate amounts of the flavone luteolin-7-O-glucoside that has been previously described in others Thymus species. Yet, T. zygis and T. pulegioides phenolic profiles could be clearly distinguished: while the first had high levels of the phenolic acid salvianolic acid K the extract of T. pulegioides was enriched in eriodictyol derivatives. The phenolic compounds of T. zygis and T. pulegioides are here described for the first time.
- Phenolic composition of Leonurus cardiaca L.Publication . Pereira, Olívia R.; Domingues, Maria R.M.; Cardoso, Susana M.Leonurus cardiaca L., also known as motherwort, is a plant native from central Europe that it is spread in different temperate countries around the world. The plant has been described to exert several beneficial properties and it is presently used in infusions, decoctions, syrups and tinctures, as well as an ingredient of pharmaceutical formulations. Yet, the plant phenolics, which are frequently associated to the claimed health benefits of Leonurus cardiaca L., are not fully clarified. This topic is focused in the present work. For that, an extract of the aerial parts of the plant was obtained with aqueous ethanolic solution (80%) and it was further purified onto SPE C18-E cartridges. The resulting purified phenolic extract was analyzed by HPLC-DAD and ESI-MSn techniques, for phenolic identification and quantification. Accordingly, phenolic compounds in Leonurus cardiaca L. purified ethanolic extract accounted for 15 mg/g of dry plant (500 ± 49 mg/g of extract). Phenylethanoid glycosides were the most prevalent phenolics with lavandulifolioside and verbascoside representing 50% and 27% of its total quantified phenolic compounds, respectively. Additionally, the present study allowed the identification and quantification of leucoseptoside A and leonoside B for the first time in Leonurus cardiaca L., which together, accounted for 11% of the quantified phenolics. Besides phenylethanoid glycosides, the Leonurus cardiaca L. ethanolic extract also contained flavonoids (10%) and caffeic acid derivatives, albeit the latter were only present in vestigial amounts. With the exception of luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, all the remaining flavonoids were glycosidic quercetin derivatives, which include the isoquercitrin, rutin, rutin-O-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-sophoroside. Possible association of the major phenolics herein identified with specific health benefits of the plant are under investigation.
- Protective effects of phenolic constituents from Cytisus multiflorus, Lamium album L. and Thymus citriodorus on liver cellsPublication . Pereira, Olívia R.; Macias, Rócio I.R.; Perez, María J.; Marín, Jose J.G.; Cardoso, Susana M.The present study investigated the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of purified ethanolic extracts of Cytisus multiflorus, Lamium album L. and Thymus citriodorus plants. These extracts showed high antioxidant activity in DPPH and reducing power assays. Using a model of chemical stress induced by potassium dichromate (DK) in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells, 50 ug/mL of C. multiflorus, L. album and T. citriodorus extracts decreased the rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by 35%, 26% and 20%, respectively, when exposed to 25 mu M of DK. This effect was also observed for the treatment of cells with individual polyphenolic compounds determined in the extracts, or with mixtures prepared with individual polyphenolic compounds simulating the phenolic composition of the extracts. Additionally, the purified ethanolic extracts and the prepared polyphenolic mixtures showed a cytoprotective effect against DK-induced toxicity. The overall results emphasize the contribution of polyphenols in antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of the studied plants.
- Chemical characterization of three Thymus species: T. herba-barona, T. pseudolanuginosus and T. caespititiusPublication . Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Pereira, Olívia R.; Silva, Artur; Cardoso, Susana M.The genus Thymus, belonging to Lamiaceae family, is rich in medicinal and aromatic species and well-known by several health promoting activities [1,2]. Despite this genus has been extensively studied, some species remain unexploited. In this study, Thymus herba-barona, Thymus pseudolanuginosus and Thymus caespititius decoctions were screened for their phenolic constituents by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and an electrospray mass spectrometer (UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn) operating in negative mode. The three aqueous extracts were rich in caffeic acid derivatives, mainly rosmarinic acid (MW 359) and its structural isomers, that accounted for 55.8 ± 2.8 mg/g in T. herba-barona and 40.2 ± 0.9 and 43.2 ± 3.2 mg/g in T. pseudolanuginosus and T. caespititius, respectively. In turn, other depsides were differently distributed in the three Thyme extracts: while dihydro-salvianolic acid B (MW 716 Da) and caffeoyl rosmarinic acid were particularly representative in T. herba-barona, salvianolic acids K ([M-H]− at m/z 555 493 359) and B ( [M-H]− at m/z 717 519 475) were found in moderate amounts in T. caespititius extract. On the other hand, T. pseudolanuginosus was clearly distinguished by its richness in the flavone luteolin-O-glucuronide ([M − H]− at m/z 461→285). Overall, this work is an important contribution for the phytochemical characterization of these three Thymus species, which are poorly explored.
- Application of Hydralcoholic extracts of Salvia officinalis and Salvia elegans in cosmetic formulationsPublication . Favero, Yonah; Silva, Laryssa da; Almeida, Daiana; Pereira, Olívia R.; Sousa, Maria JoãoSalvia Officinalis and Salvia elegans are shrubs belonging to the genus Salvia, family of the Lamiaceae, easily found in the Mediterranean region, Mexico and Guatemala respectively. In addition to traditional medicine, S. officinalis is of great importance to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. (Cuvelier et al., 1996; Martins et al., 1998 in Povh & Ono, 2008), whereas S. elegans is known in cooking as a preservative or flavoring (Pereira et al., 2014). Natural products have increased, discovering new therapeutic indications, meeting the demands of the world population taking into account their quality and safety. In this study, the focus is on phenolic compounds as an active ingredient in an anti-age formulation. Carbopol and methylcellulose-based gel was prepared together with Salvia officinalis and Salvia elegans hydroalcoholic extract as their active principle by performing physical-chemical, organoleptic gel stability tests and performing the eye irritability test (HET-CAM), beyond performing hydrodistillation at Clevenger. The essential oil was extracted by steam entrainment, yielding after 3 hours. The hydroalcoholic principle gels were prepared at three different concentrations, 1.25; 2.5 and 5%, and then tests were performed to evaluate the stability of the product obtained as: light cycles, freeze / thaw cycles, centrifugation and vortexing, pH determination, microbiological analysis and HET-CAM test. According to the results, the pH test showed changes for the two plants containing their gels but never exceeding the ideal limits for the skin, even when exposed to the light cycle, only the color that was changed after 15 days, in the different concentrations. In freezing / thawing tests for Salvia officinalis the methylcellulose gel did not change, the carbopol gel did change the appearance but small changes are acceptable as the samples are subjected to extreme heat (45 ° C) and cold temperatures. (-20 ° C). For Salvia elegans there was a change in appearance and pH, which was also changed in the methylcellulose gel. All pH changes do not lead to considerer the gel as inappropriate. In microbiological tests the oils have a moderate effect, while in the other tests there were no changes. Centrifugation and vortex tests were performed for both gels using both plants with only hydroalcoholic extract at different concentrations and there was no change. All gels had an alcoholic odor during the tests. It can be concluded that carbopol and methylcellulose gel do not appear to have any detrimental effects when used in this cosmetic product, even when used in conjunction with plant essential oil and can therefore be used as an anti-aging formulation. However, the development of more tests is extremely important as toxicity tests, but stability tests already have promising results.