Comparative metabolic study of Citrus sinensis leaves cultivars based on GC-MS and their cytotoxic activity

A comparative analysis of univariate versus multivariate eco-friendly spectrophotometric manipulations for resolving severely overlapped spectra of vonoprazan and amoxicillin new combination

Vonoprazan and amoxicillin are pharmacological combinations that demonstrate synergistic effects in treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a global public health concern associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Four spectrophotometric methods were developed, including two univariate techniques (Fourier self-deconvolution and ratio difference) and two multivariate chemometric approaches (partial least squares and principal component regression). These methods provide innovative solutions for effectively resolving and accurately quantifying the overlapping spectra of vonoprazan and amoxicillin. The concentration ranges covered were 3-60 μg ml-1 for vonoprazan and 5-140 μg ml-1 for amoxicillin. To assess the environmental sustainability of the methodologies, various measures such as the Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), National Environmental Method Index (NEMI), Analytical GREEnness Calculator, and Analytical Eco-scale, as well as RGB12 and hexagon toll were implemented. The validation of the developed techniques was carried out in compliance with ICH standards. The present study is highly significant because it is the first time that the mixture has been determined using the current approaches. The comparative analysis demonstrated no significant difference in terms of accuracy and precision compared to reference HPLC method (p = 0.05). The established spectrophotometric methods offer a straightforward, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to complex analytical techniques for determining the vonoprazan and amoxicillin mixture. They show potential for routine analysis in research laboratories and pharmaceutical industries.

Valorization of Citrus peels: GC/MS-based metabolites profiling, multivariate analysis, and antiaging potential

Aging and agro-waste are major challenges. Natural ingredients are preferred in skincare. This study intended to isolate the essential oils (EO) from the leftover peels obtained from three commonly edible Citrus species fruit peels, namely Citrus paradisi (grapefruit), Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), and Citrus deliciosa (mandarin). Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis identified volatile constituents in EO and headspace aroma. Multivariate analysis distinguished between the three species. The antiaging effects of Citrus EO were assessed in vitro and in silico, studying volatile interactions with target enzymes. C. sinensis peels had the highest oil yield, rich in monoterpenes. C. paradisi and C. deliciosa contained sesquiterpenes. Limonene dominated the hydrodistilled EO: 94.50% in C. paradisi, 96.80% in C. sinensis, and 80.66% in C. deliciosa. Unsupervised multivariate analysis of Citrus species revealed that  d-limonene, γ-terpinene, and β-pinene are the key phytochemical markers contributing to their diverse chemical composition. C. paradisi exhibited the highest enzyme inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 12.82, 27.58, and 18.16 µg/mL for tyrosinase, elastase, and collagenase, respectively. In silico studies showed that the volatiles can inhibit the tested antiaging enzymes. According to these findings, the investigated agro-waste might slow aging in skin care.

The Chemical Variability, Nutraceutical Value, and Food-Industry and Cosmetic Applications of Citrus Plants: A Critical Review

Citrus fruits occupy an important position in the context of the fruit trade, considering that both fresh fruits and processed products are produced on a large scale. Citrus fruits are recognized as an essential component of the human diet, thanks to their high content of beneficial nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and dietary fibers. Among these, a wide range of positive biological activities are attributed to terpenes and flavonoids derivatives. In this review, a list of bibliographic reports (from 2015 onwards) on the phytochemical composition, beneficial effects and potential applications of citrus fruits and their by-products is systematically summarized. In detail, information regarding the nutraceutical and medicinal value closely linked to the presence of numerous bioactive metabolites and their growing use in the food industry and food packaging, also considering any technological strategies such as encapsulation to guarantee their stability over time, were evaluated. In addition, since citrus fruit, as well as its by-products, are interesting alternatives for the reformulation of natural cosmetic products, the sector of the cosmetic industry is also explored. More in-depth knowledge of the latest information in this field will contribute to future conscious use of citrus fruits.

Seasonal metabolic profiling of Valencia orange leaf essential oil using GC coupled with chemometrics, nano-formulation, and insecticidal evaluation: in vivo and in silico

Mosquitoes and mosquito-borne infectious diseases are a global challenge, especially with increased resistance to synthetic insecticides. The foregoing study aimed to utilize the essential oil of leaves of Citrus sinensis var. Valencia as a cheap, safe, eco-friendly (green), and effective alternative to chemical insecticides. Essential oil samples were collected from fresh and dried leaves across different seasons. They are subjected to hydrodistillation and then GC analysis to be compared. Seventy-seven compounds were detected in all samples where monoterpene hydrocarbons represented the most abundant class of hydrocarbons in fresh leaves (52.6-74.4%) and dried leaves (58.6-66.9%). Sabinene (8.26-29.2%), delta-3-carene (8.23-16.4%), d-limonene (2.50-11.2%), and β-myrcene (2.40-4.93%) were the major monoterpene hydrocarbons in all seasons. Oxygenated monoterpenes comprising β-linalool, citronellal, terpinen-4-ol, β-citral, and α-citral exhibited also appreciable percentages in fresh (21.2-43.4%) and dried leaves (23.4-33.0%). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) effectively segregated all samples into three discriminate clusters where, β-linalool, terpinen-4-ol, β-elemene enantiomer, sabinene, and β-phellandrene constitute the main discriminatory biomarkers. Essential oil of fresh spring leaves (FS) was chosen for nano-formulation adopting the hot emulsification method. Both FS sample and the prepared nano-hexosomal formula were screened against the 3rd instar larvae Culex pipiens L. (common house mosquito). LC₅₀ and LC₉₅ values of FS and oil loaded nano-formula were (48 and 30 552 mg L^-1) and (30 and 1830 mg L^-1) respectively. α-Citral followed by citronellal showed the best fitting within the binding sites of acetylcholine esterase enzyme utilizing molecular docking. Thus, it can be concluded that Valencia orange leaf as a nano-formulation could serve as an effective and sustainable insecticidal agent.

Citrus reticulata Leaves Essential Oil as an Antiaging Agent: A Comparative Study between Different Cultivars and Correlation with Their Chemical Compositions

The mass-based metabolomic approach was implemented using GC-MS coupled with chemometric analysis to discriminate between the essential oil compositions of six cultivars of Citrus reticulata. The antiaging capability of the essential oils were investigated through measurement of their ability to inhibit the major enzymes hyaluronidase, collagenase, and amylase involved in aging. GC-MS analysis resulted in the identification of thirty-nine compounds including β-pinene, d-limonene, γ-terpinene, linalool, and dimethyl anthranilate as the main components. Multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA) successfully discriminated the cultivars into five main groups. In vitro antiaging activity showed that Kishu mandarin (Km) (2.19 ± 0.10, 465.9 ± 23.7, 0.31 ± 0.01 µg/mL), Cara mandarin (Cm) (3.22 ± 0.14, 592.1 ± 30.1, 0.66 ± 0.03 µg/mL), and Wm (8.43 ± 0.38, 695.2 ± 35.4, 0.79 ± 0.04%) had the highest inhibitory activity against hyaluronidase, collagenase, and amylase, respectively. Molecular docking studies on the major compounds validated the activities of the essential oils and suggested their possible mechanisms of action. Based on our result, certain cultivars of Citrus reticulata can be proposed as a promising candidate in antiaging skin care products.

Label compliance for ingredient verification: regulations, approaches, and trends for testing botanical products marketed for "immune health" in the United States

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the botanical product market saw a consumer interest increase in immune health supplements. While data are currently insufficient to support public health guidance for using foods and dietary supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19 and other immune disorders, consumer surveys indicate that immune support is the second-most cited reason for supplement use in the United States. Meanwhile, consumers showed increased attention to dietary supplement ingredient labels, especially concerning authenticity and ingredient claims. Top-selling botanical ingredients such as elderberry, turmeric, and functional mushrooms have been increasingly marketed toward consumers to promote immune health, but these popular products succumb to adulteration with inaccurate labeling due to the intentional or unintentional addition of lower grade ingredients, non-target plants, and synthetic compounds, partially due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. This review highlights the regulatory requirements and recommendations for analytical approaches, including chromatography, spectroscopy, and DNA approaches for ingredient claim verification. Demonstrating elderberry, turmeric, and functional mushrooms as examples, this review aims to provide industrial professionals and scientists an overview of current United States regulations, testing approaches, and trends for label compliance verification to ensure the safety of botanical products marketed for "immune health."

GC-MS Chemical Profiling, Biological Investigation of Three Salvia Species Growing in Uzbekistan

Salvia is a potentially valuable aromatic herb that has been used since ancient times. The present work studied the chemical profile of three Salvia species essential oils (EO): S. officinalis, S. virgata and S. sclarea, as well as assessing their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities. A total of 144 compounds were detected by GC-MS analysis, representing 91.1, 84.7 and 78.1% in S. officinalis, S. virgata and S. sclarea EOs, respectively. The major constituents were cis-thujone, 2,4-hexadienal and 9-octadecenoic acid, respectively. The principal component analysis (PCA) score plot revealed significant discrimination between the three species. The antioxidant activity of the EOs was evaluated using in vitro assays. Only S. virgata EO showed antioxidant activity in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay (26.6 ± 1.60 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/g oil). Moreover, this oil exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in 2,2-azino bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and ferric-reducing power (FRAP) assays in comparison with the other two EOs (190.1 ± 2.04 vs. 275.2 ± 8.50 and 155.9 ± 1.33 mg TE/g oil, respectively). However, S. virgata oil did not show any effect in the chelating ability assay, while in the PBD assay, S. officinalis had the best antioxidant activity (26.4 ± 0.16 mmol TE/g oil). Enzyme inhibitory effect of the EOs was assessed against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), tyrosinase, α-glucosidase and α-amylase. AChE enzyme was more sensitive to S. officinalis EO (4.2 ± 0.01 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g oil), rather than S. virgata EO, which was ineffective. However, S. virgata had the highest BChE effect (12.1 ± 0.16 mg GALAE/g oil). All studied oils showed good tyrosinase inhibitory activity, ranging between 66.1 ± 0.61 and 128.4 ± 4.35 mg kojic acid equivalent (KAE)/g oil). Moreover, the EOs did not exhibit any glucosidase inhibition and were weak or inefficient on amylase enzyme. Partial least squares regression (PLS-R) models showed that there is an excellent correlation between the antioxidant activity and the volatile profile when being compared to that of enzyme inhibitory activity. Thus, the studied Salvia essential oils are interesting candidates that could be used in drug discovery for the management of Alzheimer’s and hyperpigmentation conditions.

Comparative Chemical Profiling and Biological Potential of Essential Oils of Petal, Choke, and Heart Parts of Cynara scolymus L. Head

The essential oil and macroelemental composition of different parts of flower bud (petal, choke, and heart) of Cynara scolymus L. were explored and compared using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Overall, 62 organic components were detected in the flower bud based on mass spectra characteristics and retention indices. The essential oil extracted from the petals, choke, and bud showed the presence of thirty-one, twenty-one, and twenty-one compounds, respectively, with linoleic acid and palmitic acid as the major components. 21 components were identified in the oil of the petals, comprising 94.45% of the total oil, in which linoleic acid methyl ester, palmitic acid methyl ester, octadecanoic acid methyl ester, O-α-d-glucopyranoside, and heptyl oct-3-yl ester were the major constituents. Twenty-one compounds, representing 89.13% of the total oil, were detected in the choke oil. Linoleic acid methyl ester, palmitic acid methyl ester, and 2-methyl-1-hexadecanol were the main components. However, the edible heart oil contains twenty compounds, comprising 86.84% of the total oil. Cyclopropane butanoic acid, linoleic acid, methyl ester, and palmitic acid were the major constituents. The analysis executed by ICP-MS revealed the presence of significant amounts of various inorganic elements in all the three samples. The extracted essential oils were tested for antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. The results showed that the oil extracted from the petals of C. scolymus flower bud displayed the highest antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects, as compared to choke and heart oils.

Chitosan nanoparticles containing limonene and limonene-rich essential oils: potential phytotherapy agents for the treatment of melanoma and breast cancers

BACKGROUND

Melanoma and breast cancers are two common cancers worldwide. Due to the side effects of chemotherapy drugs and the occurring resistance against them, the development of green drugs has been received more attention.

METHODS

The anticancer effects of three essential oils from the Citrus family and their identified major constituents (limonene) were first investigated against melanoma and breast cancer cell lines (A-375 and MDA-MB-468). By preparing chitosan nanoparticles containing them, an attempt was then made to improve their effectiveness.

RESULTS

Chitosan nanoparticles containing Citrus sinensis and Citrus limon essential oils with IC₅₀s of 0.03 and 0.124 μg/mL on A-375 cells, and 23.65 and 40.32 μg/mL on MDA-MB-468 showed distinct anticancer efficacies.

CONCLUSION

The prepared formulations could thus be considered as green anticancer agents in complementary medicine and therapies.