Bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus of eleven single flavonoids, pinostrobin chalcone, cinnamic acid and four of its derivatives, hydrocinnamic acid, benzoic acid and six of its derivatives and vanillin occurring in propolis has been determined quantitatively by the method of serial dilutions. Moreover, the determination of bacteriostatic activity has been performed using ethanolic extract of propolis as well as that of three fractions obtained separately from propolis and identified earlier by GC-MS method. These were the following fractions: 1) the water fraction, 2) the fraction volatile with water vapour, 3) the flavonoids fraction. Bacteriostatic activities were also established for four flavonoids and eight organic acids using BIO method and the results of the used methods are compared and discussed. The highest bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus displayed the following flavonoids: kaempferid, galangin, apigenin, quercetin, rhamnetin, pinocembrin and kaempherol.
Background. Flavonoids are a group of bioactive compounds that are extensively found in foodstuffs of plant origin. Their regular consumption plays an important role in the prevention of degenerative diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Objective. The purpose of the study was to estimate dietary flavonoid intake among Polish and Spanish students and to establish the main dietary sources of flavonoids. Material and Methods. This study included 91 Polish and 60 Spanish students. Dietary data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire. The dietary USDA Database for the flavonoid content of selected foods was used to calculate daily and weekly flavonoid intakes by the subjects. Results. The average flavonoid consumption in the Polish students was 801 mg/day, and in Spanish students 297 mg/day. Food categories such as beverages, vegetables and fruits were found to be significant sources of flavonoids, of which tea, oranges, orange juice, dried parsley and oregano were the main contributors among Polish students and oranges, tea, chickpeas, orange juice and dried parsley were the main sources of flavonoids among Spanish students. Conclusions. Flavonoid consumption in Polish students was more than two times higher than in Spanish students. Compared to other population studies consumption of flavonoids in both students groups was adequate.
As a part of our ongoing collaborative effort to discover the anticancer activity of the phenolics isolated from terrestrial plant sources, the EtOH extract of the aerial parts of the Egyptian medicinal plant Diplotaxis harra (Forsk.) Boiss. was in vitro investigated for its cytotoxicity against HCT116, HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines, and resulted with IC50=4.65, 12.60 and 17.90 μg/ml, respectively. Doxorubicin (+ve control) showed in vitro cytotoxic activity with IC50=3.64, 4.57 and 2.97 μg/ml, respectively. The phenolic-rich fraction of the EtOH extract was subjected to further fractionation, which led to the isolation of five flavonoids identified as quercetin, quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside, isorhamnetin 7-O-β-glucoside, apigenin 3-O-β-rhamnoside and kaempferol 3-O-β-glucoside, according to its’ spectral data and comparison with the literature. Furthermore, the isolated flavonoids showed in vitro cytotoxicity against HCT116 cell line with IC50=20.1, 24.3, 22.8, 23.4 and 41.9 μg/ml as determined by MTT method.
Background. Buckwheat, despite its broad nutritional benefits, is still not widely appreciated grain. It contains a protein with preferred amino acid composition and it is a valuable source of micronutrients and vitamins of the B group and vitamin E. Moreover, buckwheat groats have a high amount of polyphenols, including flavonoids and flavones. Eating rye bread is beneficial due to its high content of dietary fiber, phenolic acids and characteristic taste and aroma. Therefore, the use of rye flour and buckwheat mill products for bread may allow obtaining a product of high nutritional value and flavor. Objective. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of buckwheat products addition and baking process on the antioxidant properties of rye-buckwheat blends and breads. Material and methods. Experimental material was rye flour type 580 and buckwheat flour, wholegrain flour and bran obtained by grinding buckwheat groats. Buckwheat products share was 20 and 35%. The control was the rye flour. In the rye-buckwheat blends and bread loaves, the contents of selected flavonoids by HPLC method, total polyphenols content by Folin-Ciocalteu method and the antioxidant activity by the DPPH˙ radical scavenging method were determined. Results. Buckwheat bran was significantly richer in total polyphenols, rutin, quercetin, orientin and isoorientin than other buckwheat products and rye flour. Bread after baking contained similar amount of total polyphenols and quercetin and have a comparable ability to scavenge 1,1diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH˙) than the corresponding blends. Baking process negatively affected the amount of rutin, orientin and isoorientin. Conclusions. The use of buckwheat bran as a replacement for wheat flour in bread significantly increases its nutritional value. The process of baking unequally affects the content of particular groups of antioxidant compounds.
Five fractions of phenolic compounds were obtained from the extract of common buckwheat seed (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) using Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography with methanol as a mobile phase. The total phenolics content ranged from 19.8±1.5 (fraction I) to 164±2.2 mg (+)-catechin eq/g (fraction IV). The profiles of phenolic acids and flavonoids in the fractions were analysed using RP-HPLC-DAD. The antioxidant activity was tested as ABTS^+ and DPPH scavenging activity and capability to reduce the Fe(III)/2,4,6-Tris(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine complex to the ferrous form. Results were expressed as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), IC50 and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values, respectively. The highest antioxidant activity was noted for fraction IV that was predominated by flavones. TEAC, IC50 and FRAP values were: 1.47±0.01 mmol Trolox eq/g, 0.058±0.003 mg/assay and 2.18±0.05 mmol Fe(II)/g, respectively. Rutin constituted 77.7% of the compounds identified in fraction III. The antiradical activity and reducing capability of this fraction were lower compared to fraction IV, but significantly higher than in fractions I and II. The main phenolic compounds of fractions I and II were phenolic acids (caffeic, 5-O-caffeoylquinic and p-coumaric). The antioxidant activity of fraction V was similar to that of fraction III.
A method of in vitro clonal propagation of cowslip Primula veris L. (Primulaceae) is reported. This is a species of medicinal importance, protected by law in Poland. MS medium Murashige and Skoog (1962) with 6 benzyladenine BA (4.44 µM) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid 2,4-D (1.13 µM) was found to be optimal for in vitro cowslip propagation from shoot tips under the conditions of culture. Rooting was best in the presence of indole-3-butyric acid IBA (2.45 µM). In vitro seedlings were transferred to pots and then acclimated. After transplanting to a garden they showed further growth and development, including flowering and fruiting. Phytochemical analysis (2D-TLC) revealed that the flavonoid compounds in leafy shoots from in vitro culture were similar to those in leaves from field cultivation.
There is a growing interest in dietary therapeutic strategies to combat oxidative stress-induced damage to the Central Nervous System (CNS), which is associated with a number of pathophysiological processes, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. Identifying the mechanisms associated with phenolic neuroprotection has been delayed by the lack of information concerning the ability of these compounds to enter the CNS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transmembrane transport of flavonoids across RBE-4 cells (an immortalized cell line of rat cerebral capillary endothelial cells) and the effect of ethanol on this transport. The detection and quantification of all of the phenolic compounds in the studied samples (basolateral media) was performed using a HPLC-DAD (Diode Array Detector). All of the tested flavonoids (catechin, quercetin and cyanidin-3-glucoside) passed across the RBE-4 cells in a time-dependent manner. This transport was not influenced by the presence of 0.1% ethanol. In conclusion, the tested flavonoids were capable of crossing this blood-brain barrier model.
The ferryl derivatives of hemoglobin are products of the reactions of oxy- and methemoglobin with hydrogen peroxide. Ferryl hemoglobins, either with or without a radical site on the protein moiety, are oxidizing species. Plant polyphenols, flavonoids, have been shown to act as antioxidants in vivo and in vitro. Reactions of met- and oxyhemoglobin with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catechin, quercetin and rutin were studied. These flavonoids accelerated reduction of ferryl hemoglobin to methemoglobin. The rate constants of the reactions of ferryl hemoglobin with catechin, quercetin and rutin were in the order of 102 M-1 s-1, i.e. similar to the rate constants of ferryl hemoglobin with intracellular reducing compounds like urate or ascorbate. The beneficial effect of flavonoids against oxidative damage of hemoglobin caused by hydroperoxides, reported in the literature, is probably, at least in part, connected with the ability of flavonoids to scavenge ferryl hemoglobin.