Thymus zygis subsp. zygis an Endemic Portuguese Plant: Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant, Anti-Proliferative and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2020

Authors

Silva, AM (Author) Other; Martins Gomes, C (Author) Other; Souto, EB (Author) Other; Schafer, J (Author) Other; Santos, JA (Author) Other; Bunzel, M (Author) Other; Nunes, FM (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Antioxidants

Vol. 82

Final page: 482

ISSN: 2076-3921

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 33 Citations

Scopus - 34 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00S-6Q5

DOI: 10.3390/antiox9060482

Abstract (EN): Thymus zygis subsp. zygis is an endemic Portuguese plant belonging to the Thymus zygis species. Although T. zygis is commonly used as a condiment and as a medicinal herb, a detailed description of the polyphenol composition of hydroethanolic (HE) and aqueous decoction (AD) extracts is not available. In this work, we describe for the first time a detailed phenolic composition of Thymus zygis subsp. zygis HE and AD extracts, together with their antioxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Unlike other Thymus species, T. zygis subsp. zygis extracts contain higher amounts of luteolin-(?)-O-hexoside. However, the major phenolic compound is rosmarinic acid, and high amounts of salvianolic acids K and I were also detected. T. zygis subsp. zygis extracts exhibited significant scavenging activity of ABTS(+), hydroxyl ((OH)-O-center dot), and nitric oxide (NO) radicals. Regarding the anti-proliferative/cytotoxic effect, tested against Caco-2 and HepG2 cells, the AD extract only slightly reduced cell viability at higher concentrations (IC50 > 600 mu g/mL, 48 h exposure), denoting very low toxicity, while the HE extract showed a high anti-proliferative effect, especially at 48 h exposure (IC50 of 85.01 +/- 15.10 mu g/mL and 82.19 +/- 2.46 mu g/mL, for Caco-2 and HepG2, respectively). At non-cytotoxic concentrations, both extracts reduced the nitric oxide (NO) release by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells (at 50 mu g/mL, HE and AD extracts inhibited NO release in similar to 89% and 48%, respectively). In conclusion, the results highlight the non-toxic effect of aqueous extracts, both resembling the consumption of antioxidants in foodstuff or in functional food. Furthermore, the HE extract of T. zygis subsp. zygis is a source of promising molecules with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, highlighting its potential as a source of bioactive ingredients for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 20