Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Plant Extracts—2nd Edition

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Extraction and Industrial Applications of Antioxidants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 1547

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Parco d’Orleans II, 90123 Palermo, Italy
Interests: natural product drug discovery; phytochemistry; liquid chromatography; essential oils; gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; solid phase extraction; high-performance liquid chromatography
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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: plant natural products; secondary metabolites; antibacterial activity; antioxidant activity; antitumoral activity; microscopy; protection against environmental stresses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Interests: plant stress; protection against environmental stresses; phytoremediation; essentials oils; aromatic and wild herbs; biological activity of secondary metabolites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In view of the great response we received with the previous Special Issue, entitled "Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Plant Extracts", we have decided to launch a second Special Issue on this topic.

Medicinal plants, aromatic and wild herbs, in their different parts (roots, stems, stems, flowers, seeds, etc.), have been used since ancient times not only as flavoring additives and food preservatives but also as active ingredients contained therein; they are also the cornerstones of traditional medicine and ethnomedicine. Over the years, volatile compounds such as the terpenoids of essential oils, or secondary non-volatile metabolites extractable from the different parts, such as flavonoids, limonoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and polyphenols, have shown different antioxidant, protective, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects. The growing concerns about antibiotic resistance, as well as the skepticism of the world population towards the use of synthetic substances within the food supply chain and the growing attention towards the use of secondary metabolites to achieve a good lifestyle, have increasingly strengthened the importance of scientific opinion towards natural products. Based on countless scientific research, plant extracts such as essential oils or non-volatile extracts could help in terms of reducing microbial effects, ensuring safety, preserving food products, protecting against foreign agents such as metals, and exerting an antioxidant effect on human health. Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to provide readers with a wide range of innovative scientific articles or original reviews, highlighting developments with respect to the past, and to stress biological and chemical advances in the application of plant extracts and essential oils as antioxidants and protective agents. All the tested extracts must be characterized using chromatographic/analytical/spectroscopic techniques such as HPLC, GC-MS, LC–MS, HPLC–MS, and NMR and, however, it is fundamental to not only evaluate the biological capabilities of the extracts but also to test the individual majority compounds evaluating their positive or negative impact.

Dr. Natale Badalamenti
Dr. Adriana Basile
Dr. Alessia Postiglione
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • essential oils
  • plant and food extracts
  • antioxidant
  • anti-inflammatory
  • antimicrobial
  • protective effects
  • antiproliferative

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3391 KiB  
Article
Bioactivity of Grape Pomace Extract and Sodium Selenite, Key Components of the OenoGrape Advanced Complex, on Target Human Cells: Intracellular ROS Scavenging and Nrf2/ARE Induction Following In Vitro Intestinal Absorption
by Cécile Dufour, Camille Gironde, Mylène Rigal, Christophe Furger and Erwan Le Roux
Antioxidants 2024, 13(11), 1392; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13111392 - 14 Nov 2024
Viewed by 378
Abstract
Oenobiol Sun Expert, a food formulation designed to enhance skin health prior to sun exposure, has been optimized by incorporating the OenoGrape Advanced Complex, which includes grape pomace extract, increased selenium content and 10% lycopene-rich tomato extract, with these constituents exhibiting high antioxidant [...] Read more.
Oenobiol Sun Expert, a food formulation designed to enhance skin health prior to sun exposure, has been optimized by incorporating the OenoGrape Advanced Complex, which includes grape pomace extract, increased selenium content and 10% lycopene-rich tomato extract, with these constituents exhibiting high antioxidant potential. To evaluate the effects of these individual ingredients and the overall formulation at the cellular level, the AOP1 cell antioxidant efficacy assay was employed to measure the intracellular free radical scavenging activity, while the Cell Antioxidant Assay (CAA or DCFH-DA) assay was used to assess peroxidation scavenging at the plasma membrane level. The indirect antioxidant activity was examined using stably transfected cell lines containing a luciferase reporter gene controlled by the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE), which activates the endogenous antioxidant system via the Nrf2/Keap1-ARE pathway. Our results indicate that among the individual components, grape pomace extract and sodium selenite possess high and complementary antioxidant properties. Grape pomace extract was particularly effective in inhibiting free radicals (AOP1 EC50 = 6.80 μg/mL) and activating the ARE pathway (ARE EC50 = 231.1 μg/mL), whereas sodium selenite exerted its effects through potent ARE activation at sub-microgram levels (EC50 = 0.367 μg/mL). In contrast, the lycopene-rich tomato extract did not show a notable contribution to the antioxidant effects. The antiradical activity of the OenoGrape Advanced Complex, comprising these three ingredients, was very efficient and consistent with the results obtained for the individual components (AOP1 EC50 = 15.78 µg/mL and ARE EC50 of 707.7 μg/mL). Similarly, the free radical scavenging activity still persisted in the Oenobiol Sun Expert formulation (AOP1 EC50 = 36.63 µg/mL). Next, in vitro intestinal transepithelial transfer experiments were performed. The basolateral compartments of cells exposed to the ingredients were collected and assessed using the same antioxidant cell assays. The direct and indirect antioxidant activities were measured on both hepatocytes and keratinocytes, demonstrating the bioavailability and bioactivity of grape pomace extract and sodium selenite. These finding suggest that the ingredients of this food supplement contribute to enhanced cytoprotection following ingestion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Plant Extracts—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 4911 KiB  
Article
Artemisia Ordosica Polysaccharides Enhance Antioxidant Capacity of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Poultry Through Nrf2/Keap1 and TLR4/NF-κB Signal Pathway
by Yuanyuan Xing, Yankai Zheng, Lu Chen, Yuanqing Xu, Xiao Jin, Li Hong, Sumei Yan and Binlin Shi
Antioxidants 2024, 13(11), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13111308 - 28 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Artemisia ordosica polysaccharides (AOP) can promote animal growth, improve intestinal morphology, regulate immunity, and enhance antioxidant capacity. To investigate the antioxidant capacity of AOP, three experiments were conducted. (1) Different concentrations of AOP (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 μg/mL) and 1 [...] Read more.
Artemisia ordosica polysaccharides (AOP) can promote animal growth, improve intestinal morphology, regulate immunity, and enhance antioxidant capacity. To investigate the antioxidant capacity of AOP, three experiments were conducted. (1) Different concentrations of AOP (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 μg/mL) and 1 µg/mL VA on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) treated with/without lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were investigated to select the optimum concentration. The results showed that 150 μg/mL AOP had significant antioxidation activity. (2) The PBLs was randomly divided into eight treatments with six replicates, namely CON, AOP, LPS, ML385 (Nrf2 inhibitor), AOP + LPS, AOP + ML385, LPS + ML385 and LPS + ML385 + AOP. The results showed that under a normal condition or stress condition, AOP presented antioxidation activity via upregulating Nrf2/Keap1 pathway-related gene expression. (3) The PBLs was randomly divided into eight treatments with six replicates, namely CON, AOP, LPS, PDTC (NF-κB inhibitor), AOP + LPS, AOP + PDTC, LPS + PDTC and LPS + PDTC + AOP. The results showed that under a normal condition, AOP presented antioxidation activity via increasing TLR4/NF-κB pathway-related gene expression; under a stress condition, AOP alleviated oxidative damage caused by LPS via suppressing TLR4/NF-κB pathway-related gene expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Plant Extracts—2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 2269 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Selenium-Enriched Polysaccharides from Cardamine violifolia Residues: Comparison on Structure and Antioxidant Activity by Different Extraction Methods
by Yong Liang, Jiali Yu, Lulu Wu, Xin Cong, Haiyuan Liu, Xu Chen, Shuyi Li and Zhenzhou Zhu
Antioxidants 2024, 13(10), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13101251 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 514
Abstract
The residues from selenium-enriched Cardamine violifolia after the extraction of protein were still rich in polysaccharides. Thus, the recovery of selenium polysaccharides (SePSs) was compared using hot water extraction and ultrasonic-assisted extraction techniques. The yield, extraction rate, purity, specific energy consumption, and content [...] Read more.
The residues from selenium-enriched Cardamine violifolia after the extraction of protein were still rich in polysaccharides. Thus, the recovery of selenium polysaccharides (SePSs) was compared using hot water extraction and ultrasonic-assisted extraction techniques. The yield, extraction rate, purity, specific energy consumption, and content of total and organic selenium from different SePS extracts were determined. The results indicated that at conditions of 250 W (ultrasonic power), 30 °C, and a liquid-to-material ratio of 30:1 extracted for 60 min, the yield of SePSs was 3.97 ± 0.07%, the extraction rate was 22.76 ± 0.40%, and the purity was 65.56 ± 0.35%, while the total and organic selenium content was 749.16 ± 6.91 mg/kg and 628.37 ± 5.93 mg/kg, respectively. Compared to traditional hot water extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction significantly improves efficiency, reduces energy use, and boosts both total and organic selenium content in the extract. Measurements of particle size, molecular weight, and monosaccharide composition, along with infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy, revealed that ultrasonic-assisted extraction breaks down long-chain structures, decreases particle size, and changes monosaccharide composition in SePSs, leading to lower molecular weight and reduced dispersity. The unique structure of SePSs, which integrates selenium with polysaccharide groups, results in markedly improved antioxidant activity and reducing power, even at low concentrations, due to the synergistic effects of selenium and polysaccharides. This study establishes a basis for using SePSs in functional foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Plant Extracts—2nd Edition)
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