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Nutraceuticals and Biological Activity of Medicinal and Food Plants on...
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Nutraceuticals and Biological Activity of Medicinal and Food Plants on Improving Human Well Being

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 10149

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ashwell Ndhlala

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Guest Editor
Green Technologies Research Center of Excellence, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa
Interests: biomolecules and biochemistry of natural products (tannin content; phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of indigenous plants foods/feeds); toxicology and mutagenicity of medicinal plants; foods/feeds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Semakaleng Mpai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Plant production,Soil science and Agric Eng, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Limpopo, Sovenga 0727, South Africa
Interests: phytochemistry to elucidate plant; crop growth and quality
Dr. Vuyisile S. Thibane

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgathi Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa 0208, South Africa
Interests: Medicinal plants; natural product research; nutraceuticals; cosmeceuticals; medical research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicinal plants are a rich source of nutraceutical and pharmacological compounds including polyphenols, carotenoids, alkaloids, and sulfur-containing compounds. These compounds are associated with biological activity (e.g., anti-bacterial, anti- inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer) and offer protection against various chronic diseases (Kumar et al., 2021; Moremi et al., 2021; Saha et al., 2013). The biological activities of medicinal plants are gaining interest in the ethno-therapeutic industry due to their reported effectiveness in comparison to chemically synthesized medicines. In fact, the usage of medicinal plant extracts has been advocated to reduce build-up of microbial biofilms and resistance against causal agents, and to reduce the negative side effects that may be detrimental to human health. For example, the use of medicinal plants to develop natural antiseptics for oral health has been associated with reduced periodontal diseases. The chemical composition of Dichrostachys cinere L. (a South African medicinal plant), which is often used as a chewing stick to treat toothache (Akhalwaya et al., 2018), was found to be dominated by glycosides, saponins, tannins, amino acids, and terpenoids from the leaves and saponins, tannins, steroids, and cyanoglycosides from the stems (Kolapo et al., 2008; Lavanya & Ambikapathy, 2016;Tinga et al., 2021; Vijayalakshmi et al., 2013). These nutraceutical compounds were then associated with inhibiting spore germination and demonstrated an antimicrobial activity towards common oral pathogens including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (Kolapo et al., 2008). Therefore, this Special Issue aims to document the efficiency of medicinal plant extracts on the treatment and prevention of various human aliments and diseases.

Dr. Ashwell Ndhlala
Dr. Semakaleng Mpai
Dr. Vuyisile S. Thibane
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional foods
  • nutraceutical compounds
  • pharmacological compounds

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4955 KiB  
Article
New Insights on Primary and Secondary Metabolite Contents of Seven Italian Wild Food Plants with Medicinal Applications: A Comparative Study
by Stefania Monari, Maura Ferri, Mirko Salinitro and Annalisa Tassoni
Plants 2023, 12(18), 3180; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12183180 - 5 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1612
Abstract
Wild food plants are widely consumed all over the world and many have both nutritional and therapeutic value due to the presence of biologically active compounds. The present research, for the first time, aims to compare primary and secondary metabolite levels among different [...] Read more.
Wild food plants are widely consumed all over the world and many have both nutritional and therapeutic value due to the presence of biologically active compounds. The present research, for the first time, aims to compare primary and secondary metabolite levels among different plant organs (flower, leaf, stem, root, bark) of seven species (Borago officinalis L., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Hypericum perforatum L., Malva sylvestris L., Sambucus nigra L., Urtica dioica L.) collected in three different Italian regions (Liguria, Tuscany, Apulia). Plant organ samples were extracted with water or 95% (v/v) methanol and liquid fractions were analyzed using spectrophotometric assays. The best results were obtained for Hypericum perforatum L. samples, followed by Sambucus nigra L. and Borago officinalis L. As also confirmed via PCA analysis on normalized data, flower and leaf extracts of all species exhibited higher levels of polyphenols (up to 105.7 mg GA eq/gDW), reducing sugars (up to 389.2 mg GLUC eq/gDW), proteins (up to 675.7 mg BSA eq/gDW) and of antioxidant capacity (up to 263.5 mg AA eq/gDW). No differences among the regions of gathering were detected after spectrophotometric assays, which was confirmed via PCA analysis. These data contribute to further validate the traditionally reported healing effects of these species on human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutraceuticals and Biological Activity of Medicinal and Food Plants on Improving Human Well Being)
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13 pages, 738 KiB  
Article
Nutritional Supplementation of Yogurt with Jerusalem Artichoke Tubers: Organic Acid Profiles and Quality Parameters
by Ashwell R. Ndhlala, Arzu Kavaz Yüksel and Mehmet Yüksel
Plants 2022, 11(22), 3086; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223086 - 14 Nov 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2375
Abstract
Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), also called wild sunflower, belongs to the Asteraceae family and is cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its nutritious tuber, which is used as a root vegetable. In this study, the Jerusalem artichoke (JA) was used [...] Read more.
Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), also called wild sunflower, belongs to the Asteraceae family and is cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its nutritious tuber, which is used as a root vegetable. In this study, the Jerusalem artichoke (JA) was used as a supplementary additive for producing a functional yogurt, with enhanced health benefits and improving the microbiological, rheological, and sensorial quality characteristics of the product. The effects of the three different concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%, w/w) of JA on the physicochemical properties, bacterial counts, sensorial properties, and organic acid profiles of yogurts were determined after 1, 7, 14, and 21 days of storage at ±4 °C. The results obtained revealed that with the addition of different concentrations of JA the overall parameters were statistically significant (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05) except for apparent viscosity, Streptococcus thermophilus, yeast and mold count, pyruvic ratios, and scores of flavor. Similarly, some parameters (fat ratio, yeast and mold count, concentrations of propionic, acetic, pyruvic, orotic, and lactic acids, and scores of appearance, consistency, and odor) changed depending on the storage time, while some did not show any changes regarding storage time. There was a relationship found between the concentration of JA and organic acid ratio (except for pyruvic acid) concentration in the yogurt samples. In conclusion, the research revealed the effect of JA in yogurt production as a thickener, flavor enhancer, prebiotic agent, and source of organic acids and bioactive compounds. The results indicate that JA has a good potential for enhancing the nutritional and physicochemical properties of the studied yogurt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutraceuticals and Biological Activity of Medicinal and Food Plants on Improving Human Well Being)
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17 pages, 3502 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of Extracts of Viscum continuum E. Mey. Ex Sprague, a South African Mistletoe
by Sipho Mapfumari, Noel-David Nogbou, Andrew Musyoki, Stanley Gololo, Mmamosheledi Mothibe and Kokoette Bassey
Plants 2022, 11(16), 2094; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11162094 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4941
Abstract
Viscum continuum E. Mey. Ex Sprague is a woody evergreen semi-parasitic shrub that grows on the branches of other trees. It is used by African traditional healers for post-stroke management. This study reports on the qualitative phytochemical screening and the antioxidant and antimicrobial [...] Read more.
Viscum continuum E. Mey. Ex Sprague is a woody evergreen semi-parasitic shrub that grows on the branches of other trees. It is used by African traditional healers for post-stroke management. This study reports on the qualitative phytochemical screening and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Viscum continuum’s acetone, methanol, hexane and dichloromethane extracts. Standard protocols for the phytochemical screening of extracts were employed. TLC bio-autography was used for qualitative antioxidants analysis. Assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, H2O2 free-radical scavenging and ferric chloride reducing power were carried out for quantitative antioxidant analysis. The antimicrobial potential of extracts was screened using disc diffusion, bio-autography and broth micro-dilution. The results indicate the presence of alkaloids, phenolics and tannins in all extracts. Acetone and methanol revealed significant amount of saponins, phenolics, tannins and terpenoids. The extracts exhibited significant antioxidant potential on TLC with positive compound bands at an Rf range of 0.05–0.89. DPPH, H2O2 and the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ assays indicated that methanol extract has a strong antioxidant potential, followed by acetone, DCM and lastly hexane. The extracts of Viscum continuum show the potential to be antibacterial agents. It can be concluded that Viscum continuum extracts contain phytochemicals which are capable of mitigating against chronic health conditions such as cancer, stroke and stress-related and infectious diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutraceuticals and Biological Activity of Medicinal and Food Plants on Improving Human Well Being)
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