Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>
<i>Allium cepa</i> L., commonly known as onion, is one of the most-consumed vegetables. The benefits of the intake of its bulb are well studied and are related to its high polyphenol content. The flowers of onions are also edible; however, there are no studies about their biological prop...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Antioxidants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/12/3/720 |
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| author | Cristina Moliner Sonia Núñez Guillermo Cásedas Marta Sofía Valero Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Víctor López Carlota Gómez-Rincón |
| author_facet | Cristina Moliner Sonia Núñez Guillermo Cásedas Marta Sofía Valero Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Víctor López Carlota Gómez-Rincón |
| author_sort | Cristina Moliner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Allium cepa</i> L., commonly known as onion, is one of the most-consumed vegetables. The benefits of the intake of its bulb are well studied and are related to its high polyphenol content. The flowers of onions are also edible; however, there are no studies about their biological properties. Our aim was to determine the polyphenolic profile and assess the antioxidant and anti-obesity capacity of an ethanolic extract from fresh flowers of <i>A. cepa</i>. The phenolic constituents were identified through LC-DAD-ESI/MSn. For the anti-obesity potential, the inhibitory activity against digestive enzymes was measured. Several in vitro assays were carried out to determine the antioxidant capacity. A <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> model was used to evaluate the effect of the extract on stress resistance and fat accumulation. For the first time, kaempferol and isorhamnetin glucosides were identified in the flowers. The extract reduced fat accumulation in the nematode and had a high lipase and α- glucosidase inhibitory activity. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the extract increased the survival rate of <i>C. elegans</i> exposed to lethal oxidative stress. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were enhanced by the extract. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the antioxidant and anti-obesity activity of onion flowers and their potential use as functional foods and nutraceuticals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:00:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be60eb40b29b42c8b54173ef330eeb85 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3921 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:00:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antioxidants |
| spelling | doaj.art-be60eb40b29b42c8b54173ef330eeb852023-11-17T09:18:49ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212023-03-0112372010.3390/antiox12030720Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>Cristina Moliner0Sonia Núñez1Guillermo Cásedas2Marta Sofía Valero3Maria Inês Dias4Lillian Barros5Víctor López6Carlota Gómez-Rincón7Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainInstituto Agroalimentario de Aragón, IA2, Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainCentro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalCentro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain<i>Allium cepa</i> L., commonly known as onion, is one of the most-consumed vegetables. The benefits of the intake of its bulb are well studied and are related to its high polyphenol content. The flowers of onions are also edible; however, there are no studies about their biological properties. Our aim was to determine the polyphenolic profile and assess the antioxidant and anti-obesity capacity of an ethanolic extract from fresh flowers of <i>A. cepa</i>. The phenolic constituents were identified through LC-DAD-ESI/MSn. For the anti-obesity potential, the inhibitory activity against digestive enzymes was measured. Several in vitro assays were carried out to determine the antioxidant capacity. A <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> model was used to evaluate the effect of the extract on stress resistance and fat accumulation. For the first time, kaempferol and isorhamnetin glucosides were identified in the flowers. The extract reduced fat accumulation in the nematode and had a high lipase and α- glucosidase inhibitory activity. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the extract increased the survival rate of <i>C. elegans</i> exposed to lethal oxidative stress. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were enhanced by the extract. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the antioxidant and anti-obesity activity of onion flowers and their potential use as functional foods and nutraceuticals.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/12/3/720edible flowersonionflavonoidspolyphenolsobesity<i>C. elegans</i> |
| spellingShingle | Cristina Moliner Sonia Núñez Guillermo Cásedas Marta Sofía Valero Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Víctor López Carlota Gómez-Rincón Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Antioxidants edible flowers onion flavonoids polyphenols obesity <i>C. elegans</i> |
| title | Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full | Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_fullStr | Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_short | Flowers of <i>Allium cepa</i> L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_sort | flowers of i allium cepa i l as nutraceuticals phenolic composition and anti obesity and antioxidant effects in i caenorhabditis elegans i |
| topic | edible flowers onion flavonoids polyphenols obesity <i>C. elegans</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/12/3/720 |
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