Natalizia Miceli

The isolation of glucosinolates was carried out from different parts of the plant Sinapis pubescens L. (seed, leaf, root, and stem) using a modified ISO 9167-1 method. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS. A total of nine glucosinolates were identified. Aliphatic glucosinolates were predominant, including gluconapin, glucobrassicanapin, glucocochlearin, and both epimers, progoitrin and epiprogoitrin. In addition, one arylaliphatic glucosinolate (gluconasturtiin) and three indole glucosinolates (4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, and neoglucobrassicin) were identified. The highest total glucosinolate content was found in seeds (60.81 μmol g^-1dry plant material), followed by roots (21.68 μmol g^-1), leaves (13.46 μmol g^-1), while the lowest content was observed in stems (3.34 μmol g^-1). Gluconapin was the most abundant glucosinolate in all plant parts. These results contribute to a better understanding of the organ-specific distribution of glucosinolates in S. pubescens.

The present work reports a comparative study between extracts obtained by different methods (ultrasonic bath‐assisted extraction, maceration, decoction, and Soxhlet extraction) from the leaves of Erucastrum virgatum subsp. virgatum collected in Sicily (Italy), using ethanol and water as “green” solvents. All the extracts were found to be nontoxic after preliminary toxicity evaluation by the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were investigated by in vitro methods based on diverse mechanisms. All the extracts showed moderate radical scavenging activity in the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test and mild reducing power, with 70% ethanol extracts exhibiting better activity than aqueous ones. Conversely, all the aqueous extracts showed stronger chelating activity than that of the 70% ethanol ones. Weak antimicrobial properties against selected Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria were observed only for 70% ethanol extracts. The results of the spectrophotometric determinations highlighted higher total polyphenol and flavonoid contents for all the 70% ethanol extracts compared to the aqueous ones. Furthermore, the phenolic profile of the most promising extracts was characterized by HPLC‐PDA/ESI‐MS analysis.

Heavy metal contamination poses critical challenges for the cultivation of medicinal plants. This study explores cadmium (Cd)-induced morpho-physiological and metabolic responses in Salvia officinalis (So) and the rare endemic Salvia ceratophylloides (Sc). Plants were exposed to cadmium contamination corresponding to 5 and 10 mg kg⁻¹ Cd (100% and 200% of the Italian regulatory limit) and assessed through gas exchange, leaf anatomy, mineral profiling, polyphenol composition, antioxidant activity, and a preliminary ecotoxicological evaluation using the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. Cd predominantly accumulated in roots, reflecting a partial exclusion strategy, and caused alterations in leaf traits, water relations, and nutrient balance. While total polyphenols generally declined, species-specific responses emerged: S. ceratophylloides increased caffeic acid derivatives, whereas S. officinalis accumulated caffeic acid, lithospermic acid A, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, and apigenin-O-pentoside at the highest Cd exposure. Polyphenol shifts were strongly associated with antioxidant capacity. Despite higher growth sensitivity, S. ceratophylloides extracts exhibited no toxicity in the A. salina assay, indicating effective metal sequestration and low bioavailability, whereas S. officinalis extracts induced moderate to high toxicity. These findings reveal contrasting Cd tolerance and detoxification strategies, highlighting the potential of integrating plant stress physiology with ecotoxicological assessment and phytostabilization approaches to safely cultivate medicinal species on contaminated soils.

In recent years, much research has focused on the valorization of Crocus sativus by‐products as sources of bioactive compounds. This study was designed to investigate the impact of two different drying methods, freeze‐drying and air‐drying, on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of leaves and tepals by‐products from C. sativus collected in Meknes, Morocco. Stigmas were included in the study to provide further information on this precious spice. The phenolic content of the hydroalcoholic extracts was determined spectrophotometrically and characterized by HPLC‐PDA/ESI‐MS analysis. The antioxidant properties were evaluated using different in vitro assays. Both in the DPPH and in the ferrous ion chelating activity assays, the extracts from freeze‐dried tepals (Cs‐TFD) and leaves (Cs‐LFD) displayed higher activity than those from air‐dried plant materials. Cs‐LFD showed the best scavenging activity, while superimposable chelating activity was observed for Cs‐TFD and Cs‐LFD. Finally, no toxicity was observed in the Artemia salina lethality bioassay.

The essential oil and the aqueous and ethanolic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Pelargonium graveolens cultivated in Morocco were studied for their antioxidant and insecticidal activity against rice weevils (Sitophylus oryzae). The total phenolic content of the extracts was determined by a spectrophotometric method and the phenolic compounds were extensively characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS. To evaluate antioxidant potential, three in vitro assays were used. In the DPPH test, the ethanolic extract was the most active, followed by the aqueous extract and the essential oil. In the reducing power assay, excellent activity was highlighted for both extracts, while in the Fe²⁺ chelating activity assay, weak activity was observed for both the essential oil and the ethanolic extract and no activity for the aqueous extract. Concerning insecticide activity, the toxicity of the essential oil and the extracts was tested against rice weevils; the lethal concentrations LC₅₀ and LC₉₉ were determined, as well as the lethal time required for the death of 50% (LT₅₀) and 99% (LT₉₉) of the weevils. The essential oil had the highest activity; 100% mortality of S. oryzae was observed around 5, 9, and 8 days for the essential oil and the aqueous and ethanolic extracts, respectively.

Within a study focused on Sinapis pubescens subsp. pubescens wild from Sicily (Italy), an edible species still unexplored, our earlier published work has demonstrated good in vitro antioxidant properties for the flower and leaf hydroalcoholic extracts, exhibiting quite different qualitative‐quantitative phenolic profiles. Herein, further research was designed to elucidate the role played by phenolic compounds in the different antioxidant mechanisms highlighted for the extracts. To achieve this goal, the crude extracts were subjected to liquid‐liquid partitioning with solvents of increasing polarity; then, the fractions were investigated for their antioxidant properties using different in vitro assays. For both flowers and leaves, the ethyl acetate fractions exhibited the best activity in DPPH and reducing power assays, followed by n‐butanol. The total phenolic content determination indicated these fractions as the phenolic‐rich ones, which were characterized by HPLC‐PDA/ESI‐MS analysis. Conversely, the phenolic‐rich fractions did not show any chelating activity, which was highlighted for the more hydrophobic ones.

Medicinal plants are considered a major source for discovering novel effective drugs. To our knowledge, no studies have reported the chemical composition and biological activities of Moroccan Lactuca saligna extracts. In this context, this study aims to characterize the polyphenolic compounds distributed in hydro-methanolic extracts of L. saligna and evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activities; in addition, in silico analysis based on molecular docking and ADMET was performed to predict the antibacterial activity of the identified phenolic compounds. Our results showed the identification of 29 among 30 detected phenolic compounds with an abundance of dicaffeoyltartaric acid, luteolin 7-glucoronide, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid with 472.77, 224.30, 196.79, and 171.74 mg/kg of dried extract, respectively. Additionally, antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) assay showed interesting antioxidant activity. Moreover, the results showed remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 1.30 ± 0.31 and 10.41 ± 0.23 mg/mL. Furthermore, in silico analysis identified three compounds, including Apigenin 7-O-glucuronide, Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, and 3-p-Coumaroylquinic acid as potent candidates for developing new antibacterial agents with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. Hence, L. saligna can be considered a source of phytochemical compounds with remarkable activities, while further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to explore the main biological activities of this plant.

This work aimed to investigate Sinapis pubescens subsp. pubescens spontaneously grown in Sicily (Italy) as new potential source of active metabolites; specifically, a comparative study on leaf, flower, and stem hydroalcoholic extracts was performed. Polyphenols were quantitatively determined by spectrophotometric methods and characterized by HPLC‐PDA/ESI‐MS; a total of 55 polyphenolic compounds were identified, highlighting considerably different qualitative‐quantitative profiles. The extracts showed antioxidant activity, evaluated by in vitro assays; particularly, the leaf extract displayed the best radical scavenging activity (DPPH test) and reducing power, while the flower extract showed the greatest chelating activity. The antimicrobial properties of the extracts were investigated against bacteria and yeasts by standard methods; no antimicrobial activity was found against the strains tested. The extracts resulted to be non‐toxic after preliminary toxicity evaluation by the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. The aerial parts of S. pubescens subsp. pubescens proved to be valuable sources of antioxidants for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

This study aimed to establish the in vitro shoot culture of Isatis tinctoria L. and its ability to produce antioxidant bioactive compounds. The Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants, containing different concentrations (0.1–2.0 mg/L) of benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were tested. Their influence on the growth of biomass, accumulation of phenolic compounds, and antioxidant potential was evaluated. To improve the phenolic content, agitated cultures (MS 1.0/1.0 mg/L BAP/NAA) were treated with different elicitors, including the following: Methyl Jasmonate, CaCl₂, AgNO₃, and yeast, as well as with L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine—precursors of phenolic metabolites. The total phenolic content (TPC) of hydroalcoholic extracts (MeOH 70%) obtained from the biomass grown in vitro was determined spectrophotometrically; phenolic acids and flavonoids were quantified by RP-HPLC. Moreover, the antioxidant potential of extracts was examined through the DPPH test, the reducing power, and the Fe²⁺ chelating assays. The biomass extracts obtained after 72 h of supplementation with Tyr (2 g/L), as well as after 120 and 168 h with Tyr (1 g/L), were found to be the richest in TPC (49.37 ± 0.93, 58.65 ± 0.91, and 60.36 ± 4.97 mg GAE/g extract, respectively). Whereas among the elicitors, the highest TPC achieved was with CaCl₂ (20 and 50 mM 24 h), followed by MeJa (50 and 100 µM, 120 h). The HPLC of the extracts led to the identification of six flavonoids and nine phenolic acids, with vicenin-2, isovitexin, syringic, and caffeic acids being the most abundant compounds. Notably, the amount of all flavonoids and phenolic acids detected in the elicited/precursor feeding biomass was higher than that of the leaves of the parental plant. The best chelating activity was found with the extract of biomass fed with Tyrosine 2 g/L, 72 h (IC₅₀ 0.27 ± 0.01 mg/mL), the strongest radical scavenging (DPPH test) for the extract obtained from biomass elicited with CaCl₂ 50 mM, after 24 h of incubation (25.14 ± 0.35 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/g extract). In conclusion, the in vitro shoot culture of I. tinctoria supplemented with Tyrosine, as well as MeJa and/or CaCl₂, could represent a biotechnological source of compounds with antioxidant properties.