Phytochemical composition and health properties of Sembung plant (Blumea balsamifera): A review

Polyphenols of the Inuleae-Inulinae and Their Biological Activities: A Review

Polyphenols are ubiquitous plant metabolites that demonstrate biological activities essential to plant-environment interactions. They are of interest to plant food consumers, as well as to the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. The class of the plant metabolites comprises both widespread (chlorogenic acids, luteolin, quercetin) and unique compounds of diverse chemical structures but of the common biosynthetic origin. Polyphenols next to sesquiterpenoids are regarded as the major class of the Inuleae-Inulinae metabolites responsible for the pharmacological activity of medicinal plants from the subtribe (Blumea spp., Dittrichia spp., Inula spp., Pulicaria spp. and others). Recent decades have brought a rapid development of molecular and analytical techniques which resulted in better understanding of the taxonomic relationships within the Inuleae tribe and in a plethora of data concerning the chemical constituents of the Inuleae-Inulinae. The current taxonomical classification has introduced changes in the well-established botanical names and rearranged the genera based on molecular plant genetic studies. The newly created chemical data together with the earlier phytochemical studies may provide some complementary information on biochemical relationships within the subtribe. Moreover, they may at least partly explain pharmacological activities of the plant preparations traditionally used in therapy. The current review aimed to systematize the knowledge on the polyphenols of the Inulae-Inulinae.

Green Preparation and Antibacterial Activity Evaluation of AgNPs-Blumea balsamifera Oil Nanoemulsion

Bacterial infection is a thorny problem, and it is of great significance to developing green and efficient biological antibacterial agents that can replace antibiotics. This study aimed to rapidly prepare a new type of green antibacterial nanoemulsion containing silver nanoparticles in one step by using Blumea balsamifera oil (BBO) as an oil phase and tea saponin (TS) as a natural emulsifier and reducing agent. The optimum preparation conditions of the AgNPs@BBO-TS NE were determined, as well as its physicochemical properties and antibacterial activity in vitro being investigated. The results showed that the average particle size of the AgNPs@BBO-TS NE was 249.47 ± 6.23 nm, the PDI was 0.239 ± 0.003, and the zeta potential was -35.82 ± 4.26 mV. The produced AgNPs@BBO-TS NE showed good stability after centrifugation and 30-day storage. Moreover, the AgNPs@BBO-TS NE had an excellent antimicrobial effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results demonstrated that the AgNPs@BBO-TS NE produced in this study can be used as an efficient and green antibacterial agent in the biomedical field.

Identification of Chemical Constituents in Blumea balsamifera Using UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Activities

Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC., a perennial herb in the Asteraceae family native to China and Southeast Asia, has a notable history of medicinal use due to its pharmacological properties. Using UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS techniques, we systematically investigated the chemical constituents of this plant. A total of 31 constituents were identified, of which 14 were flavonoid compounds. Significantly, 18 of these compounds were identified in B. balsamifera for the first time. Furthermore, the mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns of significant chemical constituents identified in B. balsamifera were analyzed, providing important insights into their structural characteristics. The in vitro antioxidative potential of the methanol extract of B. balsamifera was assessed using DPPH and ABTS free-radical-scavenging assays, total antioxidative capacity, and reducing power. The antioxidative activity exhibited a direct correlation with the mass concentration of the extract, with IC₅₀ values of 105.1 ± 0.503 μg/mL and 12.49 ± 0.341 μg/mL for DPPH and ABTS, respectively. For total antioxidant capacity, the absorbance was 0.454 ± 0.009 at 400 μg/mL. In addition, the reducing power was 1.099 ± 0.03 at 2000 μg/mL. This study affirms that UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS can effectively discern the chemical constituents in B. balsamifera, primarily its flavonoid compounds, and substantiates its antioxidative properties. This underscores its potential utility as a natural antioxidant in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics sectors. This research provides a valuable theoretical basis and reference value for the comprehensive development and utilization of B. balsamifera and expands our understanding of this medicinally valuable plant.

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of n-hexane extract and its fractions from Blumea balsamifera L. leaves

Blumea balsamifera is a plant species that has been popularly used to treat a broad spectrum of diseases. In efforts of tackling the increasing threat of cancers, B. balsamifera has been studied for its anticancer potentials. Hence, through this research, we aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of n-hexane extract from B. balsamifera L. leaves along with its fractionation products. After the n-hexane extract has been obtained, the sample was column chromatographed using gradient elution with n-hexane:ethyl acetate solvent. All the isolation protocols produced 1 n-hexane extract and 10 different fractions (fractions 1-10). Antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of the samples were assessed based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and brine shrimp lethality test assay, respectively. None of the samples have a strong antioxidant level because all samples yielded IC₅₀ of more than 100 ppm - the best of them was fraction 8 with IC₅₀ = 113.716 ppm. On contrary, most of the samples were observed to have a potent antiproliferative effect, especially fraction 8 with LC₅₀ = 2.00 ppm. Taken altogether, fraction 8 from the n-hexane extract of B. balsamifera L. leaves is the most potential candidate for proliferative disease therapy, where further studies confirming the results are required.

Antioxidant properties of extract combination of Coccinia grandis and Blumea balsamifera: An in vitro synergistic effect

Introduction: As single extracts, Coccinia grandis and Blumea balsamifera have been known to have potent antioxidant activities. However, the synergistic antioxidant effect of the combination of these plant extracts was unknown. In this study, the combination of C. grandis and B. balsamifera extracts was investigated for its antioxidant and synergistic properties. Methods: Separately, C. grandis and B. balsamifera leaves were extracted with ethanol. After evaporation, the thick extracts were assayed for their total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The antioxidant properties of single and combined extracts were measured using the molybdenum(VI) reducing power, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) methods. The possible synergism effect was evaluated using the checkerboard method and the combination index values were also calculated. Results: The TPC and TFC of the B. balsamifera extracts were much greater than that of C. grandis extract. In the molybdenum(VI) reducing power and FRAP assay, the reducing power of the extract combination increased as B. balsamifera extract concentration increased (P < 0.05). In the ABTS+ and DPPH radical scavenging assays, B. balsamifera extract demonstrated a higher antioxidant activity than C. grandis extract (P < 0.05). When combined, increasing the concentration of B. balsamifera caused an increase in the radical scavenging activity (P < 0.05). Synergism was observed in the combination of the extracts with low concentration ratios. Conclusion: In this study, we showed that the combination of C. grandis and B. balsamifera leaf extracts possessed synergistic antioxidant properties.