Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits
The strawberry tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L., Ericaceae family) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, and antiproliferative properties. The health benefits are mainly a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-12-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/1/25 |
| _version_ | 1797497997575061504 |
|---|---|
| author | Irena Brčić Karačonji Karlo Jurica Uroš Gašić Aleksandra Dramićanin Živoslav Tešić Dušanka Milojković Opsenica |
| author_facet | Irena Brčić Karačonji Karlo Jurica Uroš Gašić Aleksandra Dramićanin Živoslav Tešić Dušanka Milojković Opsenica |
| author_sort | Irena Brčić Karačonji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The strawberry tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L., Ericaceae family) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, and antiproliferative properties. The health benefits are mainly attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic profiles, total phenolic content (TPC), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of <i>A. unedo</i> leaves and fruits collected at two locations in Croatia. Phenolic profiles were identified using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC) coupled with a hybrid mass spectrometer (LTQ Orbitrap MS). TPC was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay, while RSA was investigated using DPPH reagent. A total of 64 phenolics (60 and 42 compounds in leaves and fruits, respectively) were identified. Hyperoside and flavan-3-ols were predominant compounds in leaves, while gallocatechin and catechin were the major compounds found in fruits. To the authors’ knowledge, 16 and 5 phenolics in leaves and fruits, respectively, were reported for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS could be used to identify which phenolics were able to discriminate samples regarding plant tissue and geographical origin. TPC in leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 67.07–104.74 and 16.78–25.86 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dried weight (dw), respectively. RSA for leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 408.92–430.98 and 74.30–104.04 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g dw, respectively. The number of identified phenolics was lower in fruits compared to leaves. Such a large number of bioactive phenolics identified and the strong antioxidant activity pointed to <i>A. unedo</i> as a promising health-promoting plant and natural food preservative. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:27:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94c394638c3145cf9ce246818ac2bbc6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:27:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-94c394638c3145cf9ce246818ac2bbc62023-11-23T12:06:32ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472021-12-011112510.3390/plants11010025Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and FruitsIrena Brčić Karačonji0Karlo Jurica1Uroš Gašić2Aleksandra Dramićanin3Živoslav Tešić4Dušanka Milojković Opsenica5Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska Cesta 2, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaSpecial Security Operations Directorate, Ministry of the Interior, Ulica grada Vukovara 33, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11158 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11158 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11158 Belgrade, SerbiaThe strawberry tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L., Ericaceae family) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, and antiproliferative properties. The health benefits are mainly attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic profiles, total phenolic content (TPC), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of <i>A. unedo</i> leaves and fruits collected at two locations in Croatia. Phenolic profiles were identified using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC) coupled with a hybrid mass spectrometer (LTQ Orbitrap MS). TPC was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay, while RSA was investigated using DPPH reagent. A total of 64 phenolics (60 and 42 compounds in leaves and fruits, respectively) were identified. Hyperoside and flavan-3-ols were predominant compounds in leaves, while gallocatechin and catechin were the major compounds found in fruits. To the authors’ knowledge, 16 and 5 phenolics in leaves and fruits, respectively, were reported for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS could be used to identify which phenolics were able to discriminate samples regarding plant tissue and geographical origin. TPC in leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 67.07–104.74 and 16.78–25.86 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dried weight (dw), respectively. RSA for leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 408.92–430.98 and 74.30–104.04 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g dw, respectively. The number of identified phenolics was lower in fruits compared to leaves. Such a large number of bioactive phenolics identified and the strong antioxidant activity pointed to <i>A. unedo</i> as a promising health-promoting plant and natural food preservative.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/1/25<i>Arbutus unedo</i>Ericaceaefruitleafphenolic profileantioxidant |
| spellingShingle | Irena Brčić Karačonji Karlo Jurica Uroš Gašić Aleksandra Dramićanin Živoslav Tešić Dušanka Milojković Opsenica Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits Plants <i>Arbutus unedo</i> Ericaceae fruit leaf phenolic profile antioxidant |
| title | Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits |
| title_full | Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits |
| title_short | Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (<i>Arbutus unedo</i> L.) Leaves and Fruits |
| title_sort | comparative study on the phenolic fingerprint and antioxidant activity of strawberry tree i arbutus unedo i l leaves and fruits |
| topic | <i>Arbutus unedo</i> Ericaceae fruit leaf phenolic profile antioxidant |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/1/25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT irenabrcickaraconji comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits AT karlojurica comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits AT urosgasic comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits AT aleksandradramicanin comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits AT zivoslavtesic comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits AT dusankamilojkovicopsenica comparativestudyonthephenolicfingerprintandantioxidantactivityofstrawberrytreeiarbutusunedoilleavesandfruits |