Comparative Study of Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities of Five Rose Hip Species Grown in Sicily.

Nowadays, research on plant extracts has attracted increasing interest. The aim of this study was to compare phenolic profile, vitamin C, and carotenoid content, as well as the biological activities of five different rose species, including , , , and . These species had different morphological characteristics, with showing higher size of flower petals and higher weight of hips. The highest vitamin C content was found in hip extracts of and , which also showed the highest carotenoid amount. showed the highest phenolic content. No significant antimicrobial activity of extracts containing phenolic compounds against different indicator strains could be detected. Cell monolayer integrity was not affected by treatments with the above-mentioned extracts of , and at different concentrations for up to 24 h, while those of and affected intestinal permeability at the highest concentration tested. The partial least squares regression analysis generated a predictive model correlating phenolic compounds with cell monolayer integrity, suggesting a relevant role for catechin, quercitrin, and p-coumaric acid. In conclusion, this study highlights how rose hips belonging to different species can have a diverse phenolic profile, differently influencing intestinal monolayer integrity.