Impact of drinking water treatment processes on the residues of plant protection products for consumer and aquatic risk assessment: theoretical and experimental studies.

Pesticides residues can occur in ground and surface waters, and potentially react with chemicals used for water disinfection treatments, such as chlorine. This can lead to the formation of unknown reaction products, which can be more toxic and/or persistent than the active substances themselves, and therefore become a potential risk for human health and environment. Thus, in the framework of the EU Regulation 1107/2009, the identification of these by-products and their potential risk should be assessed.

Chemical metabolome assay by high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry and assessment of associated antitumoral activity of Actinocephalus divaricatus.

Rationale: Actinocephalus divaricatus (Eriocaulaceae) is an important source of income for rural communities as it is sold as an ornamental plant. To date, no investigation has been conducted concerning the chemical composition and biological studies of the aerial parts of A. divaricatus.

LC-MS profiling highlights hazelnut (Nocciola di Giffoni PGI) shells as a byproduct rich in antioxidant phenolics.

The Italian "Nocciola di Giffoni", also known as "Tonda di Giffoni", a labelled Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product, represents an important economic resource for the Italian market. The methanol (MeOH) extract of "Tonda di Giffoni" shells has been investigated for the phenolic content, assayed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and for the antioxidant activity by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assays. In order to achieve deeper insight into the chemical composition of the shells of hazelnut "Nocciola di Giffoni" and to highlight the occurrence of biologically active compounds, a phytochemical investigation was carried out.

Phenolics from Castanea sativa leaves and their effects on UVB-induced damage.

The phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of the leaves of Castanea sativa Mill., source of the Italian PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) product 'Marrone di Roccadaspide' (Campania region) afforded as main compounds crenatin (1), chestanin (2), gallic acid (3), cretanin (4), 5-O-p-coumaroylquinic acid (5), p-methylgallic acid (6) and quercetin-3-O-glucoside (7). To quantify the isolated compounds a LC-ESI(QqQ)MS method working with a very sensitive and selective mass tandem experiment called Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) has been developed.

Isolation of antioxidant phenolics from Schinopsis brasiliensis based on a preliminary LC-MS profiling.

The phenolic content of the ethanol extract of the stem bark of the Brazilian plant Schinopsis brasiliensis Engl. (Anacardiaceae) has been evaluated together with the antioxidant activity. The good antioxidant activity exhibited in the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay (TEAC value = 3.

Research survey on iridoid and phenylethanoid glycosides among seven populations of Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne from the Alps.

The traditional use of extracts of Euphrasia rostkoviana to relieve ocular inflammation or infections is well documented and supported by clinical studies. Various classes of chemical compounds such as iridoids, phenylethanoids, flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids have been reported. The present work aims to assess the chemical diversity among seven populations of Euphrasia rostkoviana found in northern Italy.

Quali-quantitative analysis of the phenolic fraction of the flowers of Corylus avellana, source of the Italian PGI product "Nocciola di Giffoni": Isolation of antioxidant diarylheptanoids.

There is only limited information available on the chemical composition of the non-edible parts of Corylus avellana, source of the Italian PGI product "Nocciola di Giffoni" (hazelnut). An initial LC-MS profile of the methanolic extract of the male flowers of C. avellana, cultivar 'Tonda di Giffoni' led to the isolation of 12 compounds, of which the structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy.

Determination of volatile organic compounds in the dried leaves of Salvia species by solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

Salvia spp. are used throughout the world both for food and pharmaceutical purposes. In this study, a method involving headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed, to establish the volatiles profile of dried leaves of four Iranian Salvia spp.

Medicinal plants in the treatment of women's disorders: Analytical strategies to assure quality, safety and efficacy.

During last decades an increasing number of herbal products specifically targeting women's disorders has appeared in the worldwide marketplace. This growth highlights the need for a critical evaluation of quality, safety and efficacy of these products. Analytical techniques applied to the quality control of the main medicinal plants used for women health (relief of menopause and menstrual related symptoms) have been reviewed.

Metabolic profiling of Vitex agnus castus leaves, fruits and sprouts: analysis by LC/ESI/(QqQ)MS and (HR) LC/ESI/(Orbitrap)/MS n.

Food supplements based on Vitex agnus castus L. (Verbenaceae) fruits, also known as chasteberry, are routinely used by women against somatic and psychic premenstrual symptoms such as depression, sadness or irritability. With the aim of highlighting the differences in the chemical profiles of cultivated fruits and different parts of wild plants (fruits, leaves and sprouts) of V.

Identification and quantitative determination of the polar constituents in Helichrysum italicum flowers and derived food supplements.

Helichrysum italicum is widely used in traditional medicine, in cosmetic, in food and pharmaceutical field. In spite of this, very little is known about the chemical composition of its polar extracts. Therefore this study was addressed to the determination of the metabolite profile of the methanol extract of H.

Integrated mass spectrometry approach to profile proanthocyanidins occurring in food supplements: analysis of Potentilla erecta L. rhizomes.

Potentilla erecta (L.) is known for the high concentration of proanthocyanidin oligomers (PAs) in its underground parts. The use of its preparations as food supplements and the lack of chemical-analytical studies concerning with an efficient chromatographic separation procedure for these compounds led us to develop a strategy to profile PAs occurring in this species.

An analytical approach based on ESI-MS, LC-MS and PCA for the quali-quantitative analysis of cycloartane derivatives in Astragalus spp.

Astragalus species are widely used as health foods and dietary supplements, as well as drugs in traditional medicine. To rapidly evaluate metabolite similarities and differences among the EtOH extracts of the roots of eight commercial Astragalus spp., an approach based on direct analyses by ESI-MS followed by PCA of ESI-MS data, was carried out.

Phytochemical composition of L. analyzed by an integrative GC-MS and LC-MS metabolomics platform.

L. (Rosaceae) is known for its beneficial effects of prevention of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). For this reason is processed into many food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations.

Quantitative trait loci pyramiding for fruit quality traits in tomato.

Fruit quality is a major focus for most conventional and innovative tomato breeding strategies, with particular attention being paid to fruit antioxidant compounds. Tomatoes represent a major contribution to dietary nutrition worldwide and a reservoir of diverse antioxidant molecules. In a previous study, we identified two Solanum pennellii introgression lines (IL7-3 and IL12-4) harbouring quantitative trait loci (QTL) that increase the content of ascorbic acid (AsA), phenols and soluble solids (degrees Brix; °Bx) in tomato fruit.

LC-ESI-MS quali-quantitative determination of phenolic constituents in different parts of wild and cultivated Astragalus gombiformis.

High-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) profiling of the MeOH extract of Astragalus gombiformis Pomel (Fabaceae) aerial parts guided the isolation of seven phenolic compounds among which 7-methylquercetin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranoside (2) and 7-methylquercetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[6-O-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl)-β-D-galactopyranoside] (7) whose structures were elucidated by NMR and ESI-MS experiments. The radical scavenging activities of isolated compounds were investigated, by using the TEAC assay. Furthermore quantitative analyses were performed by LC-ESI-MS and applied to the comparative profiling of different parts (aerial parts, leaves and stems) of cultivated and wild A.

Phytochemical profile and apoptotic activity of Onopordum cynarocephalum.

A phytochemical investigation of acetone and chloroform extracts of the aerial parts of Onopordum cynarocephalum Boiss. et Blanche was carried out. It led to the isolation of two new sesquiterpenes, the elemane aldehyde (2) and the eudesmane (11), together with 15 known compounds: two lignans (1 and 15) and 13 sesquiterpenes (3-10, 12-14, 16, 17).

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry determination of chemical markers and principal component analysis of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruits (Verbenaceae) and derived food supplements.

A validated analytical method for the quantitative determination of seven chemical markers occurring in a hydroalcoholic extract of Vitex agnus-castus fruits by liquid chromatography electrospray triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/(QqQ)MSMS) is reported. To carry out a comparative study, five commercial food supplements corresponding to hydroalcoholic extracts of V. agnus-castus fruits were analysed under the same chromatographic conditions of the crude extract.

Characterization of flavonoid and naphthopyranone derivatives from Eriocaulon ligulatum using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization multistage ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-MS(n)) was used to analyze the secondary metabolites in the methanol extract of the capitulae of Eriocaulon ligulatum. The major components were mono- and diglycosides of flavonoids and naphthopyranones. Eleven compounds, including four new flavonol glycosides, were identified based on their fragmentation patterns in MS experiments and on NMR analysis of the isolated compounds.