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Phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Capparis spinosa

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Abstract

Caper plant (Capparis spinosa) extracts have been associated with diverse biological activities including anti-oxidant properties. In this work, we characterized the hydro-ethanolic extract obtained from C. spinosa leaves [hydroethanolic extract of C. spinosa (HECS)] by analyzing the content in anti-oxidant compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins. Further, we evaluated HECS antioxidant activities in vitro using bleaching of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and ABTS test as well as by pretreatment of HeLa cells exposed to Fe2+ or H2O2. Our findings indicate that HECS contains high amount of total phenolic compounds and high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins. Furthermore, HECS exhibited antioxidant activity in both chemical and biological tests. Specially, pretreatment of HeLa cells with different concentrations of the extract conferred protection against lipid peroxidation and modulated activities of two antioxidant enzymes, SOD and catalase. These results revealed HECS antioxidant effects and suggest that C. spinosa leaves are a potential source of natural antioxidant molecules with possible applications in industry and medicine.

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Abbreviations

ABTS:

2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)

DM:

Dry matter

DPPH:

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

FCS:

Foetal calf serum

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalent

HECS:

Hydroethanolic extract of Capparis spinosa

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

CS:

Capparis spinosa

PBS:

Phosphate buffer saline

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TBA:

Thiobarbuturic acid

TBARs:

Thiobarbuturic acid reactive species

TEAC:

Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity

TEP:

1,1,3,3-Tetraethoxypropane

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Acknowledgments

The present investigation was supported financially by the ministry of high education and scientific research—TUNISIA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’analyse, valorisation et sécurité des aliments, groupe de recherche «Biotechnologie et pathologies», Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Route Sokra Km 4, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Riadh Ben Mansour, Bochra Gargouri, Nésrine Elloumi, Hamadi Attia & Saloua Lassoued

  2. Unité de Recherche Biogéographie, Climatologie Appliquée et Dynamique Erosive, Faculté des Lettres, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, des Arts et des Humanités de Manouba, Sfax, Tunisia

    Imtinen Ben Haj Jilani & Zeineb Ghrabi-Gammar

  3. Laboratoire des Bioprocédés Environnementaux, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Université de Sfax, BP: «1177», 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Mohammed Bouaziz

Authors
  1. Riadh Ben Mansour
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  2. Imtinen Ben Haj Jilani
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  3. Mohammed Bouaziz
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  7. Zeineb Ghrabi-Gammar
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  8. Saloua Lassoued
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Correspondence to Riadh Ben Mansour.

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Mansour, R.B., Jilani, I.B.H., Bouaziz, M. et al. Phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Capparis spinosa . Cytotechnology 68, 135–142 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-014-9764-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-014-9764-6

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