Foeniculum vulgare Mill, known as fennel, is a medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family, widely used in traditional Algerian medicine. The aim of this study was to estimate the polyphenols and flavonoids content and to evaluate the antioxidant, the analgesic and the antiulcer activities of aqueous extract of F. vulgare seeds. Quantitative determination of total polyphenols and flavonoids revealed that this extract contained 551.45±0.010 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry extract and 284.83±0.008 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dry extract respectively. The study of the gastroprotective effect showed that this extract is able to protect the stomach against lesions induced by 70% ethanol. The percentages of protection were 55.54±6.99 and 71±3.09% for the 200 and 400 mg/kg doses respectively. The study of the analgesic activity indicated that the aqueous extract of F. vulgare reduced the pain induced by acetic acid (0.6%) with an inhibition rate of 47.89% and 68.65% for doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. Free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and iron chelation tests were applied to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity. The free radical scavenging activity of F. vulgare extract against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals revealed an IC50 value of IC50=30.91±0.49 mg/mL in comparison with gallic acid (0.038±0.0002 mg/mL). The iron chelating test showed that the extract had a high capacity for iron chelating, which was estimated at 0.346±0.003 mg/mL in comparison with the chelating reference agent, ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid.

The genus Achillea (Yarrow)is one of the most important medicinal plants. Nowadays, different medicinal functions of yarrow such as spasmolytic, choleretic, treatment of wounds and anti-inflammatory activities, make it as an important medicinal plant. The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of aqueous (AAE) and methanol (AME) extracts from the plant Achillea santolinoides L. (A. santolinoides L.) aerial parts in vitro. Quantitative evaluation of polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and Bate Smith methods, respectively. Antioxidant activity was carried out using ABTS radical scavenging, alkaline DMSO superoxide radical scavenging and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). The obtained results showed that the highest content in total phenolic, flavonoids and tannins was found in the AME with values of 210.78±0.001 µg GAE/mg Dw, 21.18±0.025 µg QE/mg DW and198.73±0.014µg TAE/mg DW, respectively. For the in vitro antioxidant activity, AME had the strongest ABTS and DMSO alkaline radical scavenging activity (IC50= 6.74±0.16 µg/mL and 15.13±0.92 µg/mL, respectively) and the CUPRAC reducing with A0.50 of 76.56±2.35 µg/mL. The results of the present study confirm the use of the genus Achillea in the treatment of various diseases as a powerful antioxidant.

Free radicals or highly reactive oxygen species are capable of inducing oxidative damage to the human body Plants containing phenolic compounds have potent antioxidant capacity. The present study was undertaken to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activities of Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae), a plant widely used as natural remedy for digestive disorders in folk medicine. Total polyphenol contents were determined using Folin Ciocalteu's reagent; flavonoids were quantified employing the AlCl3 Method. EAE extract showed the highest polyphenolic and flavonoids contents (358.37±2.28 GAE/g of dry extract and 105.44±3.48 QE/g of dry extract) respectively. The EAE had the highest antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. EAE and ME extracts exhibited the highest reducing power. EAE possess an IC50 close to BHT (0.074 mg/ml) as reference drug All extracts exhibited antioxidant activity in the linoleic acid emulsion system (76.81% -86.93 %). EAE showed an inhibition ratio of (86.93 %) close to that of BHT (94.9±1.52 %). These findings provide evidence that Myrtus communis L. berries are a potential source of antioxidant which have many benefits towards human health.

This study aimed to estimate two different types of Algerian honey: antioxidant contents (total phenols and vitamin C), and levels of antioxidant (DPPH assay) and reducing activity (FRAP assay). Honey samples were characterized by high content of total phenols (314.231 ± 281.346 – 394.231 ± 155.835 mg AG 100 g-1) and low vitamin C values (0.25 ± 0.05 – 0.35 ± 0.05 mg 100 g-1). As a result, the antioxidant activity and reducing capacity values were found to be 9.578 ± 3.157 and 11.255 ± 2.668% for DPPH and 15.240 ± 4.578 to 17.794 ± 8.179 µg 100 g-1 for the FRAP assay. Our data showed that dark honey contains bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant activity.

Background: Matricaria chamomilla L. (M. chamomilla) is a famous medicinal plant distributed worldwide. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat all kinds of diseases, including infections, neuropsychiatric, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and liver disorders. It is also used as a sedative, antispasmodic, antiseptic, and antiemetic. Our aims in this study was thus to quantify the phenolic, flavonoids contents in the flower of this plant, and also to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant potential and the in vivo analgesic activity. Methods: The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the plant aqueous extract (MCAqE) were estimated using the Folin–Ciocalteu and AlCl3 colorimetric methods, respectively. However, DPPH method was used to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity. Analgesic activity was tested by acetic acid induced writhing model in mice. Results: Quantitative determination of total polyphenols and flavonoids revealed that this extract contained 158.41±1.6 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry extract and 37.06±0.56 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dry extract, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the plant extract was important (IC50=3.08±0.25 mg/mL). MCAqE extract, at 400 mg/kg, showed analgesic activity (39.60±8.70%) against acetic acid induced pain in mice while the standard reference drug Diclofenac sodium exhibited 90.44±2.80% activity at 10 mg/kg dose.

The use of bioactive compounds has been maintaining its significance from nutritional aspects. Due to the increasing demand for them in potential markets, researchers struggle to create new sources and improve their methods. Plant materials possess plenty and a diverse range of these compounds. However, their availability strongly depends on the extraction techniques in addition to the sampling methods and the applicability of the method to the specific parts of the plant. Thus, it is crucial to develop a common, precise way which will enable to extract all the active components regardless of their origin and their location in the plant material. Besides, the new method ought to have the highest economic value in comparison to the present applications which means that the efficiency of the extraction should be acceptable on industrial scale as well. Even though numerous methods have been improved so far, it seems to be unlikely to achieve a standardized solution with high valorization for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants until now. This review aims to discuss the novel extraction methods in addition to the conventional techniques focusing on the critical parameters such as the cost, time, yield, feasibility and eco-friendliness of the process.

The effect of different processing stages- defatting, solubilization, isoelectric precipitation, neutralisation and lyophilisation on the total phenolic content and protein content of Carica papaya (pawpaw) seeds (CPS) full-fat flour (CFF), defatted flour (CDF), protein concentrates (CPC) and protein isolates (CPI) was studied. The folin-ciocalteu procedure was used to assess the total phenolic concentrations of the Carica papaya products and results were expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Optimal protein content was estimated at pH 10 for all samples. Higher levels of polyphenols were extracted using water-methanol (20/80) mixture compared to 100% methanol. Total phenolic content (TPC) was demonstrated in a trend of CDF > CPC > CFF > CPI with CDF having the highest TPC. The finding suggested a more economical protein isolate production method. The study concludes that the processing of CPS into the various products (CFF, CDF, CPC & CPI) improves its protein and polyphenol content.