Context: Despite some studies related to Juniperus phoenicea L. (Cupressaceae), phytochemical and biological investigations of this plant remain unexplored. Objective: This work is the first report dealing with the identification and characterization of volatile components and flavonoids in hexane and methanol extracts from J. phoenicea leaves Materials and methods: Antioxidant activity of hexane, and methanol extracts from J. phoenicea leaves were determined by DPPH-radical scavenging assay. α-Amylase inhibitory activity was evaluated by enzyme inhibition using in vitro assay (each extract was dissolved in DMSO to give concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg/mL). The chemical composition of fractions (Fr1-Fr3) from methanol extract was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS) analysis. Results and discussion: The hexane extract was analyzed by GC-MS technique which allowed the identification of 32 compounds. The main constituents were α-humulene (16.9%), pentadecane (10.2%) and α-cubebene (9.7%). Fraction Fr 2 exhibited a strong DPPH radical-scavenging activity (IC₅₀=20.1 μg/mL) compared to that of BHT as well as the highest α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀=28.4 μg/mL). Three flavonoids were identified in these fractions using HPLC-MS analysis: Quercetin 3-O-glucoside, isoscutellarein 7-O-pentoside and quercetin 3-O-pentoside. In addition, the more active fraction (Fr 2) was purified with semi-preparative HPLC affording one pure compound (amentoflavone) using ¹H NMR analysis. This compound exhibited powerful DPPH radical-scavenging (IC₅₀=14.1 μg/mL) and α-amylase inhibition (IC₅₀=20.4 μg/mL) effects. Conclusion: This study provides scientific support to some medicinal uses of J. phoenicea found in North Africa.

Diabetes is a serious health problem and a source of risk for numerous severe complications such as obesity and hypertension. Treatment of diabetes and its related diseases can be achieved by inhibiting key digestives enzymes-related to starch digestion secreted by pancreas. The formulation omega-3 with fenugreek terpenenes was administrated to surviving diabetic rats. The inhibitory effects of this oil on rat pancreas α-amylase and maltase and plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) were determined. the findings revealed that administration of formulation omega-3 with fenugreek terpenenes (Om3/terp) considerably inhibited key enzymes-related to diabetes such as α-amylase activity by 46 and 52% and maltase activity by 37 and 35% respectively in pancreas and plasma. Moreover, the findings revealed that this supplement helped protect the β-Cells of the rats from death and damage. Interestingly, the formulation Om3/terp modulated key enzyme related to hypertension such as ACE by 37% in plasma and kidney. Moreover administration of fenugreek essential oil to surviving diabetic rats improved starch and glucose oral tolerance additively. Furthermore, the Om3/terp also decreased significantly the glucose, triglyceride (TG) and total-cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) rates in the plasma and liver of diabetic rats and increased the HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-Ch) level, which helped maintain the homeostasis of blood lipid. overall, the findings of the current study indicate that this formulation Om3/terp exhibit attractive properties and can, therefore, be considered for future application in the development of anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive and hypolipidemic foods.

Background: Exposure to the pyrethroid pesticide deltamethrin has been demonstrated to exert a wide range of effects on non-targeted organisms. The beneficial effects of geranuim essential oil (EO) as an antioxidant has been assessed in deltamethrin (DL) orally administered mice by studying whether the reprotoxicity caused by deltamethrin can be effectively combated with the geranium oil and the effects were compared to vitamin E, as the standard reference drug. Result: Sixty male albino mice were divided into six equal groups: a control group, a group of mice was given deltamethrin (5 mg/kg b.w.), two groups were administered deltamethrin after having given geranium essential oil (67 mg/kg b.w.) or vitamin E (Vit E) (100 mg/kg b.w.), and two groups received only EO of geranium or Vit E. When compared to control, a dose of deltamethrin 5 mg/kg/day causes a decrease in the epididymal sperm count motility and viability and an increase in the number of abnormal morphology in spermatozoa. DL-exposed mice showed a significant increase of lipid peroxidation (LPP) in the testis compared to control animals. Conclusion: Essential oil of geranium prevented testicular oxidative damage explored by reduced LPP and improved total sperm motility, viability and morphology in mice spermatozoa. Our study showed a positive influence of geranium essential oil in the animal male reproductive system similar than that of Vit E.

In today’s consumer perception of industrial processes and food production, aspects like food quality, human health, environmental safety, and energy security have become the keywords. Therefore, much effort has been extended toward adding value to biowastes of agri-food industries through biorefinery processing approaches. This study focused, for the first time, on the valorization of tomato by-products of a Tunisian industry for the recovery of value-added compounds using biorefinery cascade processing. The process integrated supercritical CO2 extraction of carotenoids within the oil fractions from tomato seeds (TS) and tomato peels (TP), followed by a batch isolation of protein from the residues. The remaining lignocellulosic matter from both fractions was then submitted to a liquid hot water (LHW) hydrolysis. Supercritical CO2 experiments extracted 5.79% oleoresin, 410.53 mg lycopene/kg, and 31.38 mg β-carotene/kg from TP and 26.29% oil, 27.84 mg lycopene/kg, and 5.25 mg β-carotene/kg from TS, on dry weights. Protein extraction yields, nearing 30% of the initial protein contents equal to 13.28% in TP and 39.26% in TS, revealed that TP and TS are a rich source of essential amino acids. LHW treatment run at 120–200 °C, 50 bar for 30 min showed that a temperature of 160 °C was the most convenient for cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis from TP and TS, while keeping the degradation products low. Results indicated that tomato by-products are not only a green source of lycopene-rich oleoresin and tomato seed oil (TSO) and of protein with good nutritional quality but also a source of lignocellulosic matter with potential for bioethanol production. This study would provide an important reference for the concept and the feasibility of the cascade fractionation of valuable compounds from tomato industrial by-products.