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Torres-Benítez A, Ortega-Valencia JE, Jara-Pinuer N, Sanchez M, Vargas-Arana G, Gómez-Serranillos MP, Simirgiotis MJ. Antioxidant and antidiabetic activity and phytoconstituents of lichen extracts with temperate and polar distribution. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1251856. [PMID: 38026927 PMCID: PMC10646315 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1251856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The objective of this research was to characterize the chemical composition of ethanolic extracts of the lichen species Placopsis contortuplicata, Ochrolechia frigida, and Umbilicaria antarctica, their antioxidant activity, and enzymatic inhibition through in vitro and molecular docking analysis. In total phenol content, FRAP, ORAC, and DPPH assays, the extracts showed significant antioxidant activity, and in in vitro assays for the inhibition of pancreatic lipase, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase enzymes, together with in silico studies for the prediction of pharmacokinetic properties, toxicity risks, and intermolecular interactions of compounds, the extracts evidenced inhibitory potential. A total of 13 compounds were identified by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS in P. contortuplicata, 18 compounds in O. frigida, and 12 compounds in U. antarctica. This study contributes to the knowledge of the pool of bioactive compounds present in lichens of temperate and polar distribution and biological characteristics that increase interest in the discovery of natural products that offer alternatives for treatment studies of diseases related to oxidative stress and metabolic syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Torres-Benítez
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | | | - Nicolás Jara-Pinuer
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Marta Sanchez
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Vargas-Arana
- Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Avenue Abelardo Quiñones, Iquitos, Peru
- Facultad de Industrias Alimentarias, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana, Iquitos, Peru
| | - María Pilar Gómez-Serranillos
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mario J. Simirgiotis
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
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Nagar S, Pigott M, Kukula-Koch W, Sheridan H. Unravelling Novel Phytochemicals and Anticholinesterase Activity in Irish Cladonia portentosa. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28104145. [PMID: 37241886 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors remain the mainstay of symptomatic treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The natural world is rich in acetylcholinesterase inhibitory molecules, and research efforts to identify novel leads is ongoing. Cladonia portentosa, commonly known as reindeer lichen, is an abundant lichen species found in Irish Boglands. The methanol extract of Irish C. portentosa was identified as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitory lead using qualitative TLC-bioautography in a screening program. To identify the active components, the extract was deconvoluted using a successive extraction process with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol to isolate the active fraction. The hexane extract demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity and was selected for further phytochemical investigations. Olivetolic acid, 4-O-methylolivetolcarboxylic acid, perlatolic acid and usnic acid were isolated and characterized using ESI-MS and two-dimensional NMR techniques. LC-MS analysis also determined the presence of the additional usnic acid derivatives, placodiolic and pseudoplacodiolic acids. Assays of the isolated components confirmed that the observed anticholinesterase activity of C. portentosa can be attributed to usnic acid (25% inhibition at 125 µM) and perlatolic acid (20% inhibition at 250 µM), which were both reported inhibitors. This is the first report of isolation of olivetolic and 4-O-methylolivetolcarboxylic acids and the identification of placodiolic and pseudoplacodiolic acids from C. portentosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipra Nagar
- NatPro Centre, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 02, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Maria Pigott
- NatPro Centre, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 02, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wirginia Kukula-Koch
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Helen Sheridan
- NatPro Centre, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 02, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
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Yañez O, Osorio MI, Osorio E, Tiznado W, Ruíz L, García C, Nagles O, Simirgiotis MJ, Castañeta G, Areche C, García-Beltrán O. Antioxidant activity and enzymatic of lichen substances: A study based on cyclic voltammetry and theoretical. Chem Biol Interact 2023; 372:110357. [PMID: 36693444 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The antioxidant activity of nine lichen substances, including methylatrarate (1), methyl haematommate (2), lobaric acid (3), fumarprotocetraric acid (4), sphaerophorin (5), subsphaeric acid (6), diffractaic acid (7), barbatolic acid (8) and salazinic acid (9) has been determined through cyclic voltammetry. The compounds 1-4 presented slopes close to the Nernst constant of 0.059 V, indicating a 2H+/2e- relation between protons and electrons, as long as the compounds 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 present slopes between 0.037 V and 0.032 V, indicating a 1H+/2e- relation between protons and electrons. These results show a high free radical scavenging activity by means of the release of H+, suggesting an important antioxidant capacity of these molecules. Theoretical calculations of hydrogen bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE), proton affinities (PA), and Proton Transfer (PT) mechanisms, at M06-2x/6-311+G(d,p) level complement the experimental results. Computations support that the best antioxidant activity is obtained for the molecules (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8), that have a carboxylic acid group close to a phenolic hydroxyl group, through hydrogen atomic transfer (HAT) and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) mechanisms. Additional computations were performed for modelling binding affinity of the lichen substances with CYPs enzymes, mainly CYP1A2, CYP51, and CYP2C9*2 isoforms, showing strong affinity for all the compounds described in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osvaldo Yañez
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Negocios, Universidad de las Américas, Santiago, 7500000, Chile; Center of New Drugs for Hypertension (CENDHY), Santiago, 8380494, Chile
| | - Manuel I Osorio
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology (CBIB), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Av. República 330, Santiago, 8370146, Chile; Facultad de Medicina, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Universidad Diego Portales, Ejército 141, Santiago, 837007, Chile
| | - Edison Osorio
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad de Ibagué, Carrera 22 Calle 67, Ibagué, 730002, Colombia
| | - William Tiznado
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Avenida República 275, Piso 3, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lina Ruíz
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Camilo García
- Universidad Católica de Temuco, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Avenida Rudecindo Ortega, 02950, Campus San Juan Pablo II, Temuco, Chile
| | - Orlando Nagles
- Facultad de Química e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Mario J Simirgiotis
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Grover Castañeta
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Areche
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Olimpo García-Beltrán
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad de Ibagué, Carrera 22 Calle 67, Ibagué, 730002, Colombia; Centro Integrativo de Biología y Química Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, General Gana 1702, Santiago, 8370854, Chile.
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Ramos LC, Palacios J, Barrientos RE, Gómez J, Castagnini JM, Barba FJ, Tapia A, Paredes A, Cifuentes F, Simirgiotis MJ. UHPLC-MS Phenolic Fingerprinting, Aorta Endothelium Relaxation Effect, Antioxidant, and Enzyme Inhibition Activities of Azara dentata Ruiz & Pav Berries. Foods 2023; 12:foods12030643. [PMID: 36766170 PMCID: PMC9914855 DOI: 10.3390/foods12030643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Azara dentata Ruiz & Pav. is a small Chilean native plant from Patagonia, a producer of small white reddish berries. For the first time, the proximal analysis of the fruits, phenolic fingerprinting, the antioxidant activity, and the enzymatic inhibition and relaxation effects in rat aorta induced by the ethanolic extract of these fruits were investigated. The proximal composition and the mineral (Ca: 2434 ± 40 mg/kg; Mg: 702 ± 13 mg/kg; Fe: 117.1 ± 1.6 mg/kg; Zn: 16.1 ± 0.4 mg/kg) and heavy metal (As: 121 ± 11 µg/kg; Cd: 152 ± 5 µg/kg; Hg: 7.7 ± 1.3 µg/kg; Pb 294 ± 4 µg/kg) contents were analyzed. Anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and coumarins were identified using UHPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS. The ethanolic extracts showed a total phenolic content of 23.50 ± 0.93 mg GAE/g extract. In addition, the antioxidant activity was assessed using both DPPH and TEAC (28.64 ± 1.87 and 34.72 ± 2.33 mg Trolox/g of dry fruit, respectively), FRAP (25.32 ± 0.23 mg Trolox equivalent/g dry fruit), and ORAC (64.95 ± 1.23 mg Trolox equivalents/g dry fruit). The inhibition of enzymatic activities (acetylcholinesterase IC50: 2.87 + 0.23 µg extract/mL, butyrylcholinesterase IC50: 6.73 + 0.07 µg extract/mL, amylase IC50: 5.6 ± 0.0 µg extract/mL, lipase IC50: 30.8 ± 0.0 µg extract/mL, and tyrosinase IC50: 9.25 ± 0.15 µg extract/mL) was also assessed. The extract showed 50-60% relaxation in rat aorta (intact), mediated thorough the release of endothelial nitric oxide. Our results suggest that A. dentata is a good source of compounds with the capacity to inhibit important enzymes, can be hypotensive, and can thus have good potentiality as supplements in the amelioration of neurodegenerative diseases and could also have potential to be used to develop new functional foods. The study highlights the benefits of these neglected small fruits and could boost their consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Cuesta Ramos
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain
| | - Javier Palacios
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica Aplicada, Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1110939, Chile
| | - Ruth E. Barrientos
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
| | - Jessica Gómez
- Instituto de Biotecnología-Instituto de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av. Libertador General San Martín 1109 (O), San Juan CP 5400, Argentina
| | - Juan Manuel Castagnini
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.M.C.); (M.J.S.); Tel.: +56-63-63233257 (M.J.S.)
| | - Francisco J. Barba
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain
| | - Alejandro Tapia
- Instituto de Biotecnología-Instituto de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av. Libertador General San Martín 1109 (O), San Juan CP 5400, Argentina
| | - Adrián Paredes
- Laboratorio de Productos Naturales, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
| | - Fredi Cifuentes
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Experimental, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
| | - Mario J. Simirgiotis
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
- Correspondence: (J.M.C.); (M.J.S.); Tel.: +56-63-63233257 (M.J.S.)
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UHPLC-MS Chemical Fingerprinting and Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibition, Anti-Inflammatory In Silico and Cytoprotective Activities of Cladonia chlorophaea and C. gracilis (Cladoniaceae) from Antarctica. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 12:antiox12010010. [PMID: 36670872 PMCID: PMC9854829 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The lichen species Cladonia chlorophaea and C. gracilis (Cladoniaceae) are widely distributed in the island archipelago of maritime Antarctica and represent a natural resource of scientific interest. In this work, the metabolomic characterization of the ethanolic extracts of these species and the determination of the antioxidant activity, enzymatic inhibition and anti-inflammatory potential of selected compounds on the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme by molecular docking and cytoprotective activity in the SH-SY5Y cell line were carried out. Nineteen compounds were identified by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) in each of the species. The contents of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, the inhibition of cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) and digestive enzymes (α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase) were variable among species, with better results in C. chlorophaea. Molecular docking evidenced significant binding affinities of some compounds for the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme, together with outstanding pharmacokinetic properties. Both extracts were shown to promote cell viability and a reduction in reactive oxygen species production in an H2O2-induced oxidative stress model. This study contributes to the chemical knowledge of the Cladonia species and demonstrates the biological potential for the prevention and promising treatment of central nervous system pathologies, inflammatory disorders and metabolic alterations.
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Barrientos RE, Ibáñez E, Puerta A, Padrón JM, Paredes A, Cifuentes F, Romero-Parra J, Palacios J, Bórquez J, Simirgiotis MJ. Phenolic Fingerprinting and Bioactivity Profiling of Extracts and Isolated Compounds from Gypothamnium pinifolium Phil. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11122313. [PMID: 36552522 PMCID: PMC9774750 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11122313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gypothamnium pinifolium Phil. (Asteraceae) is a small shrub that grows in the Paposo Valley of the II Antofagasta Region of Chile. This initial study is of the high-resolution phenolic fingerprinting, antioxidant activity, the relaxation effects in rat aorta, the inhibitory enzyme potential, plus the antiproliferative activity of the ethyl acetate and n-hexane extract from G. pinifolium and its two major isolated secondary metabolites (one coumarin: 2-nor-1,2-secolycoserone, and one diterpene: ent-labda-8,13-E-diene-15-ol). The study involves using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography todiode array detection coupled with Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry analysis (UHPLC-PDA-Orbi-trap-MS), in which various compounds were identified, including specific coumarins. The n-hexane extract showed total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 517.4 ± 12.5 mg GAE/100 g extract and 72.3 ± 3.7 mg QE/100 g extract, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the n-hexane extract was assessed using in-vitro assays such as bleaching of DPPH and ABTS (IC50: 14.3 ± 0.52 and 2.51 ± 0.43 µg extract/mL, respectively), FRAP (347.12 ± 1.15 μmol Trolox equivalent/g extract), and ORAC (287.3 ± 1.54 μmol Trolox equivalents/g extract). Furthermore, the inhibition against cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) 4.58 ± 0.04 µg/mL, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) IC50: 23.44 ± 0.03 µg/mL) and tyrosinase (IC50: 9.25 ± 0.15 µg/mL) enzymes of the n-hexane extract, and main compounds (IC50: 1.21 ± 0.03 µg/mL, 11.23 ± 0.02 µg/mL, 3.23 ± 0.12 µg/mL, and 103.43 ± 16.86 µg/mL, correspondingly for the most active coumarin 1) were measured. The antiproliferative potential of the extracts and the two principal compounds against several solid human cancer cells was investigated. All of them showed good activity against cancer cells. Label-free live-cell imaging studies on HeLa cells exposed to the isolated coumarin and the diterpene enabled the observation of cell death and several apoptotic hallmarks. Our results indicate that G. pinifolium Phil. is a valuable source of secondary metabolites with potential activity against noncommunicable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E. Barrientos
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
| | - Elena Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Foodomics, Institute of Food Science Research, CIAL, CSIC, Nicolás Cabrera 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Puerta
- BioLab, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González (IUBO-AG), Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
| | - José M. Padrón
- BioLab, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González (IUBO-AG), Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Adrián Paredes
- Laboratorio de Química Biológica, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile
| | - Fredi Cifuentes
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Experimental, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
- Departamento Biomédico, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile
| | - Javier Romero-Parra
- Departamento de Química Orgánica y Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Olivos 1007, Casilla 233, Santiago 6640022, Chile
| | - Javier Palacios
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica Aplicada, Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1110939, Chile
- Correspondence: (J.P.); (M.J.S.); Tel.: +56-57-2526910 (J.P.); +56-63-63233257 (M.J.S.)
| | - Jorge Bórquez
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile
| | - Mario J. Simirgiotis
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
- Correspondence: (J.P.); (M.J.S.); Tel.: +56-57-2526910 (J.P.); +56-63-63233257 (M.J.S.)
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Metabolomic Profiling, Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibition Properties and Molecular Docking Analysis of Antarctic Lichens. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27228086. [PMID: 36432187 PMCID: PMC9692326 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The lichen species Lecania brialmontii, Pseudephebe pubescens, and Sphaerophorus globosus are part of the prominent lichenoflora of the Antarctic territory. In this work, we report the metabolomic identification of ethanolic extracts of these species, their antioxidant and cholinesterase enzyme inhibitory activity, and conduct a molecular docking analysis with typical compounds. Eighteen compounds were identified by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS in L. brialmontii, 18 compounds in P. pubescens, and 14 compounds in S. globosus. The content of phenolic compounds was variable among the species, ranging from 0.279 to 2.821 mg AG/g, and all three species showed high inhibition potential on the cholinesterase enzymes. Molecular docking showed important interactions between AChE and BChE with the selected compounds. This study evidences the chemical fingerprint of three species of the order Lecanorales that support the continuation of the study of other biological activities and their potential for medical research.
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Phenolic Secondary Metabolites and Antiradical and Antibacterial Activities of Different Extracts of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15070829. [PMID: 35890128 PMCID: PMC9322614 DOI: 10.3390/ph15070829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenolic compounds represent an essential bioactive metabolites group with numerous pharmaceutical applications. Our study aims to identify and quantify phenolic constituents of various liquid and dry extracts of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg (U. barbata) from Calimani Mountains, Romania, and investigate their bioactivities. The extracts in acetone, 96% ethanol, and water with the same dried lichen/solvent ratio (w/v) were obtained through two conventional techniques: maceration (mUBA, mUBE, and mUBW) and Soxhlet extraction (dUBA, dUBE, and dUBW). High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) was performed for usnic acid (UA) and different polyphenols quantification. Then, the total phenolic content (TPC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging activity (AA) were determined through spectrophotometric methods. Using the disc diffusion method (DDM), the antibacterial activity was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria known for their pathogenicity: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Streptococcus pneumoniae (ATCC 49619), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883). All extracts contain phenolic compounds expressed as TPC values. Five lichen extracts display various UA contents; this significant metabolite was not detected in dUBW. Six polyphenols from the standards mixture were quantified only in ethanol and water extracts; mUBE has all individual polyphenols, while dUBE shows only two. Three polyphenols were detected in mUBW, but none was found in dUBW. All U. barbata extracts had antiradical activity; however, only ethanol and acetone extracts proved inhibitory activity against P. aeruginosa, S. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. In contrast, K. pneumoniae was strongly resistant (IZD = 0). Data analysis evidenced a high positive correlation between the phenolic constituents and bioactivities of each U. barbata extract. Associating these extracts’ properties with both conventional techniques used for their preparation revealed the extraction conditions’ significant influence on lichen extracts metabolites profiling, with a powerful impact on their pharmacological potential.
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