Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 14638

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The plant kingdom has always played a vital role in the isolation, identification, and modification of compounds able to promote health on live organisms, and it has recently attracted increasing attention from researchers due to the increasing consumer interest in nutraceuticals.

Antioxidants are important components in the mechanisms of signaling and defense of the same plants, playing the role of precursors of compounds of greater complexity, modulators of plant growth, as well as defensive systems against pathogenic organisms and predators. The extraordinary variety of chemical structures and substitutions in antioxidants present in plants makes them an inestimable source of interesting compounds which are able to counteract reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and to stimulate the activation of a signal cascade inside cells. The mechanisms by which they detoxify these dangerous compounds are complex and involve both direct and indirect interaction with radicals. Antioxidants inhibit or quench free radical reactions mainly based on their reducing capacity or hydrogen-atom-donating capacity, but solubility and chelating properties are also of remarkable importance in the process, as well as their ability to modulate key metabolic enzymes and activation/block of gene transcription.

Taking into account the strong interest in plant antioxidants as an emerging challenge for the development of health-promoting compounds and their potential biotechnological application, this Special Issue will cover a wide variety of areas, aiming to contribute to the overall knowledge of molecular mechanisms of antioxidant action through multiple points of view, including both those of producers and of consumers.

Prof. Dr. Davide Barreca
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antioxidants
  • polyphenols
  • free radicals
  • carotenoids
  • vitamins
  • flavonoids
  • activation/block of signal cascade
  • antioxidant modulation of key metabolic enzymes
  • oxidative stress
  • hydrogen atom transfer
  • single electron transfer
  • antioxidant assays

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 660 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Hot-Melt Extrusion of Mulberry Leaf on the Number of Active Compounds and Antioxidant Activity
by Hyun-Bok Kim, Suji Ryu and Jong-Suep Baek
Plants 2022, 11(22), 3019; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223019 - 9 Nov 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1780
Abstract
The aim of this study is to compare the functions of the physiologically active compounds of three types of mulberry leaf by cultivar, and to confirm the changes using hot-melt extrusion (HME−ML). The active components of mulberry leaf were analyzed using the HPLC [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to compare the functions of the physiologically active compounds of three types of mulberry leaf by cultivar, and to confirm the changes using hot-melt extrusion (HME−ML). The active components of mulberry leaf were analyzed using the HPLC system, and total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity were measured. Among the three varieties, the highest contents of rutin and isoquercetin were detected in Cheongil, of TPC in Cheongol, and of TFC in Cheongil. It was confirmed that this bio-accessibility was increased in HME−ML compared with the control. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of Cheongol showed greater antioxidant properties, and HME showed improvement in the antioxidant properties of all mulberry leaves. These results suggest that the application of HME technology can improve the biological activities of mulberry leaf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II)
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19 pages, 1312 KiB  
Article
Effects of NaCl on Antioxidant, Antifungal, and Antibacterial Activities in Safflower Essential Oils
by Houneida Attia, Jamel Harrathi, Khalid H. Alamer, Fatin A. Alsalmi, Christian Magné and Maha Khalil
Plants 2021, 10(12), 2809; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122809 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3171
Abstract
The present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EO) extracted from safflower plants grown in the absence and presence of NaCl, 50 mM. Plants treated with 50 mM of NaCl showed decreases in root, stem, and leaf [...] Read more.
The present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EO) extracted from safflower plants grown in the absence and presence of NaCl, 50 mM. Plants treated with 50 mM of NaCl showed decreases in root, stem, and leaf dry weight. Results of the essential oils showed that roots have a higher EO yield than leaves and stems. Salinity caused a decrease in this yield in roots and leaves but not in stems. The compounds identified in the EO extracted from these organs belong to seven chemical classes of which the dominant class is the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The chemotype of C. tinctorius EO is variable depending on the organ and the treatment. The safflower essential oils showed low antioxidant, antiradical, and iron-reducing activities compared to those of the positive control (BHT). In an antifungal activity test, only two strains, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, were found to be highly sensitive to these oils as they showed almost total inhibition of their growth. For antibacterial activity, safflower EOs showed significant antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Xanthomonas campestris in both control and NaCl-treated plants: for these three strains, total inhibition of growth was noted at 50,000 ppm of EO in leaves and roots; whereas for stems, total inhibition was noted only for the third strain (Xanthomonas campestris). For other strains, this inhibition was variable and weak. Salt was found to have no effect on the activities of safflower EOs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II)
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13 pages, 2358 KiB  
Article
Valorization of Fig (Ficus carica L.) Waste Leaves: HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-DPPH System for Online Screening and Identification of Antioxidant Compounds
by Chunying Li, Meiting Yu, Shen Li, Xue Yang, Bin Qiao, Sen Shi, Chunjian Zhao and Yujie Fu
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2532; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112532 - 21 Nov 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3411
Abstract
Fig (Ficus carica L.) leaves are produced each year and often disposed, resulting in a waste of resources. Fig waste leaves are rich in flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant activity; however, the variety and chemical structure of antioxidants in fig leaves have [...] Read more.
Fig (Ficus carica L.) leaves are produced each year and often disposed, resulting in a waste of resources. Fig waste leaves are rich in flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant activity; however, the variety and chemical structure of antioxidants in fig leaves have not been reported in detail. To take full advantage of fig waste leaves, antioxidant capacity of different extracts (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and water) was evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid (ABTS), and ferric-ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. The results showed that flavonoids in ethyl acetate extraction had the highest content (83.92 ± 0.01 mg/g), maximum DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 0.54 mg/mL), highest ABTS scavenging rate (80.28%), and FRAP (3.46 mmol/g). Furthermore, an HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-DPPH method was developed to identify 11 flavonoids in fig waste leaves. This rapid and efficient method can not only be used for screening the antioxidant components in fig waste leaves, but also can be combined with mass spectrometry to identify the compounds with antioxidant capacity. There are three flavonoids with significant antioxidant capacity, which are 3-O-(rhamnopyranosyl-glucopyranosyl)-7-O-(glucopyranosyl)-quercetin, isoschaftoside, and rutin. The results confirmed that fig waste leaves contain a variety of antioxidant components, which contributed to increase the value of fig waste leaves as antioxidants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II)
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12 pages, 2260 KiB  
Article
Wheat Leaf Antioxidative Status—Variety-Specific Mechanisms of Zinc Tolerance during Biofortification
by Ivna Štolfa Čamagajevac, Rosemary Vuković, Kristina Vuković, Ana Vuković, Vladimir Ivezić, Tanja Žuna Pfeiffer, Ljiljana Krstin and Zdenko Lončarić
Plants 2021, 10(10), 2223; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102223 - 19 Oct 2021
Viewed by 2015
Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the leaf antioxidative responses of three wheat varieties (Srpanjka, Divana, and Simonida) treated with two different forms of zinc (Zn), Zn-sulfate and Zn-EDTA, in concentrations commonly used in agronomic biofortification. Zn concentration was significantly higher in the flag [...] Read more.
In this study, we evaluated the leaf antioxidative responses of three wheat varieties (Srpanjka, Divana, and Simonida) treated with two different forms of zinc (Zn), Zn-sulfate and Zn-EDTA, in concentrations commonly used in agronomic biofortification. Zn concentration was significantly higher in the flag leaves of all three wheat varieties treated with Zn-EDTA compared to control and leaves treated with Zn-sulfate. Both forms of Zn increased malondialdehyde level and total phenolics content in varieties Srpanjka and Divana. Total glutathione content was not affected after the Zn treatment. Zn-sulfate increased the activities of glutathione reductase (GR) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD) in both Srpanjka and Divana, while glutathione S-transferase (GST) was only induced in var. Srpanjka. Chelate form of Zn increased the activities of GST and GPOD in both Simonida and Divana. Catalase activity was shown to be less sensitive to Zn treatment and was only induced in var. Srpanjka treated with Zn-EDTA where GPOD activity was not induced. Concentrations of Zn used for agronomic biofortification can induce oxidative stress in wheat leaves. The antioxidative status of wheat leaves could be a good indicator of Zn tolerance, whereas wheat genotype and chemical form of Zn are the most critical factors influencing Zn toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II)
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14 pages, 1061 KiB  
Article
Polysaccharides, Total Phenolic, and Flavonoid Content from Different Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Genotypes and Their Antioxidants and Antibacterial Properties
by Ziggiju Mesenbet Birhanie, Aiping Xiao, Dawei Yang, Siqi Huang, Chao Zhang, Lining Zhao, Liangliang Liu, Jianjun Li, Anguo Chen, Huijuan Tang, Li Chang, Gen Pan, Cuiping Zhang, Ashok Biswas, Susmita Dey, Defang Li and Yong Deng
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1900; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091900 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3408
Abstract
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a valuable plant with a potential health benefit because of its extensive bioactive compounds. Leaf extracts of 33 kenaf genotypes were investigated for their polysaccharide, total phenolic, and flavonoid content. The antioxidant properties were evaluated by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [...] Read more.
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a valuable plant with a potential health benefit because of its extensive bioactive compounds. Leaf extracts of 33 kenaf genotypes were investigated for their polysaccharide, total phenolic, and flavonoid content. The antioxidant properties were evaluated by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. Antimicrobial capacity was also assessed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using a disc diffusion assay. The polysaccharide content varied from 6.45–16.12 mg glucose per g DW. Total phenolic and flavonoid content ranged from 6.03–21.15 mg GAE/g DW and 1.55–9.24 mg RE/g DW, respectively. Similarly, varied values in the range 20.55–79.99% of inhibition by DPPH, 56.28–88.30% of inhibition by ABTS and 1.26–5.08 mmol Fe2+/g DW by FRAP assays were obtained for antioxidants of the genotype extracts. Extracts from CS4 and CS2 genotypes had the highest antioxidant activities. Kenaf leaves exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Strong correlation was found between antioxidant activity with polysaccharide (DPPH, r = 0.893; ABTS, r = 0.819; FRAP, r = 0.864) and total phenolic content (DPPH, r = 0.850; ABTS, r = 0.959; FRAP, r = 0.953). The results suggested that the kenaf leaves could be used as a natural antioxidants and antimicrobial in food industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Plant Antioxidants’ Action Volume II)
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