The genus Opuntia (Cactaceae) includes different plants well adapted to arid and semi-arid zones. These species are cultivated under restricted growth conditions, not suitable for the growth of other fruits/vegetables. The cactus pear is a well-known example inside Opuntia genus. Its young cladodes, also known as nopalitos, are frequently consumed and used in folk medicine due to their beneficial effects and phytochemical composition. Herein, hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts from cladodes of Opuntia microdasys and Opuntia macrorhiza were characterized. Furthermore, their antioxidant properties were compared to the corresponding phytochemical profile. Despite the phylogenetic proximity and similar geographical origin O. microdasys and O. macrorhiza showed significant differences in sugars, organic acids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids and tocopherols profiles. In particular, O. microdasys distinguished for having high contents in fructose, glucose, C6:0, C8:0, C12:0, C14:0, C14:1, C16:0, C18:3, C20:0, C22:0, C23:0, C24:0, SFA and tocopherols, and also for its higher DPPH EC50 values. O. microdasys by its side proved to have significantly higher amounts of trehalose, organic acids, C13:0, C16:1, C17:0, C18:0, C18:1, C20:1, C20:2 and MUFA. The obtained phytochemical profiles might be considered as useful information to select the best Opuntia species regarding a determined application of its natural extracts/isolated compounds.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c4fo00456f | DOI Listing |
Mol Nutr Food Res
January 2025
Department for Sustainability, ENEA-Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Roma, Italy.
The effect of a mucilage extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill (OFI) cladodes was tested in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells, through a combined in vitro-in silico approach. The OFI mucilage was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
Cactus pear ( (L.) Mill.) is an important agricultural crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species used as a source of food, forage, fodder, and secondary products and as a biofuel feedstock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxidants (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can induce serious adverse effects in gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa, increasing intestinal permeability and leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation. As proton pump inhibitors are effective in protecting against NSAID-induced gastropathy but not NSAID-induced enteropathy, current research is focused on natural products as protective substances for therapy and prevention of intestinal injury. Herein, through the use of an in vitro model based on intestinal epithelial cell (Caco-2) damage caused by indomethacin (INDO), we examined the protective activity of a commercially available standardized extract (OFI+OE) from (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
November 2024
CEMMPRE, ARISE, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal.
This study investigates the structural, chemical, and morphological properties of CuO nanoparticles synthesized via a green synthesis route using - cladode extract, with a focus on the effects of stepwise versus direct calcination. Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of CuO, NaCO, and NaSO, with the latter two being associated with elements inherited from the cactus extracts. XRD patterns confirmed the presence of crystalline CuO and NaCO phases, with the low content of NaSO inferred to be amorphous.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Genet Eng Biotechnol
December 2024
Faculty of Applied Medical Science Al Ula branch, Department of Nursing, Taibah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5N4, Canada; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, Carthage University, Tunisia. Electronic address:
Unlabelled: It is beyond doubt that radiotherapy is extremely effective in treating a wide variety of cancers. The sensitivity of the surrounding normal tissues limits the amount of radiation administered to the tumor. There is an urgent need to develop a treatment that combines pharmacological treatment with ionizing radiation (IR) specifically designed to specifically target cancer cells while protecting the surrounding normal tissue, resulting in an increase in the efficacy of the cancer treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!