Antioxidant activities of three selected Micromeria species growing in Croatia (M. croatica, M. juliana and M. thymifolia) were evaluated using five different antioxidant assays, in comparison with plant polyphenolic constituents and reference antioxidants. All studied ethanolic extracts exhibited considerable activity to scavenge DPPH and hydroxyl free radicals, reducing power, iron chelating ability and total antioxidant capacity in the order: M. croatica > M. juliana > M. thymifolia. Total polyphenol (9.69–13.66%), phenolic acid (5.26–6.84%), flavonoid (0.01–0.09%) and tannin (3.07–6.48%) contents in dried plant samples were determined spectrophotometrically. A strong positive correlation between antioxidant activities and contents of phenolic acids and tannins was found, indicating their responsibility for effectiveness of tested plants. Our findings established Micromeria species as a rich source of antioxidant polyphenols, especially the endemic M. croatica.

Salvia species have a cosmopolitan distribution and comprise several well-known plants valuable for pharmaceutical and food industries due to their recognized medicinal, food flavouring, and preservative properties. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the biological activities of seven wild-growing Salvia species from the Mediterranean area (S. fruticosa, S. glutinosa, S. nemorosa, S. officinalis, S. pratensis, S. sclarea, S. verticillata). All studied ethanolic leaf extracts exhibited significant DPPH and NO radical scavenging ability, lipid peroxidation inhibition, and reducing power, as well as moderate iron-chelating properties. Together with S. officinalis and S. fruticosa, S. verticillata showed anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, while S. glutinosa was also found to possess the ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. Total flavonoid (0.37–0.90%), phenolic acid (3.55–12.44%), tannin (1.22–2.60%), and anthocyanin contents (0.03–0.08%) were determined in Salvia leaves. Rosmarinic acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid in all studied sage plants, ranging from 9400 to 38,800 μg/g. The correlation study showed a strong relationship between biological activities and contents of total phenolic acids, total tannins, and rosmarinic acid, indicating their significant contribution to the efficiency of tested Salvia species. Our results highlighted Mediterranean sage plants as rich sources of potent antioxidant, neuroprotective, and hypoglycemic agents which are worthy of further research.

The phenolic profile of wines is often used to evaluate their quality and authenticity. The phenolic composition of twenty-five commercial wines produced in different Croatian regions from eight red and nine white grape varieties was studied. A total of twenty-four polyphenols were analyzed using HPLC-DAD and classified into five groups based on their structure: phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and stilbenes. The red wines contained higher concentrations of phenolic constituents than the white wines, of which gallic acid (11.8–90.3 mg/L), procyanidin B1 (13.7–63.8 mg/L), and catechin (10.5–34.5 mg/L) were the most abundant. In contrast to the white wines, great variability was observed in the red wines, with the autochthonous Plavac Mali and Babić showing the most specific phenolic profiles. The most representative phenolic components in the studied Croatian wines showed strong antioxidant activity. Gallic acid proved to be the most effective DPPH (IC₅₀ = 0.33 µg/mL) and NO scavenger (IC₅₀ = 12.36 µg/mL), while myricetin was the most potent inhibitor of lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀ = 1.68 µg/mL). Our research has contributed to the characterization and varietal differentiation of Croatian wines, highlighting those rich in certain polyphenols as potential nutraceuticals.

Plants are the source of numerous remedies in modern medicine, and some of them have been studied due to their potential immunomodulatory activity. Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge (A. membranaceus), Nigella sativa L. (N. sativa), and Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton (P. frutescens) are plant species used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Their potential to act as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic agents makes them interesting for investigating their clinical potential in alleviating the symptoms of allergic diseases. Allergy affects a large number of people; according to some sources more than 30% of the world population suffer from some type of allergic reaction, with pollen allergy as the most common type. Treatment is usually pharmacological and may not be completely effective or have side effects. Thus, we are seeking traditional medicine, mostly medicinal plants, with promising potential for alleviating allergy symptoms. A literature overview was conducted employing databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Springer, and Google Scholar. This manuscript summarizes recent in vivo preclinical and clinical studies on three species with immunomodulatory activity, provides a comparison of their anti-allergic effects, and underlines the potential of their application in clinical practice. The obtained results confirmed their efficacy in the in vivo and clinical studies, but also emphasize the problem of phytochemical characterization of the species and difference between tested doses. More clinical trials with standardized protocols (defined active molecules, dosage, side effects) are required to obtain safe and effective herbal drugs.

Essential oils from star anise, nutmeg, clove buds, oregano, bay leaves, and lemon peel were extracted via hydrodistillation. GC-MS, UV–Vis, FTIR, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy were used to identify the major compounds (trans-anethole, sabinene, eugenol, carvacrol, eucalyptol and limonene, for star anise, nutmeg, clove buds, oregano, bay leaves, and lemon peel essential oil, respectively), revealing that the spectra were dominated by the oils’ primary constituents. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH and ABTS assays, demonstrating high radical scavenging ability, especially for bay leaf and oregano oils. Despite phenolic content being correlated with antioxidant activity, discrepancies were found, suggesting that non-phenolic compounds and synergism also play a role. Antibacterial evaluation showed significant activity for bay leaf and oregano oils, particularly against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, due to phenolic and terpene compounds. The presence of trace metals in the oils, including those with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties such as Cu, and Zn, was also analyzed. The risk assessment showed that toxic metals were below harmful thresholds.

Edible berries such as the fruits of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) are considered to be rich in phenolic compounds, which are nowadays attracting great interest due to their promising health benefits. The main objective of our study was to investigate, for the first time, their inhibitory properties on Src tyrosine kinase activity, as this enzyme plays an important role in multiple cellular processes and is activated in both cancer and inflammatory cells. In hydroethanolic fruit extracts, 5.0–5.9% of total polyphenols were determined spectrophotometrically, including high amounts of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. HPLC analysis revealed that the black chokeberry and bilberry extracts contained 2.05 mg/g and 2.54 mg/g of chlorogenic acid, respectively. Using a time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay, the extracts studied were found to have comparable inhibitory effects on Src tyrosine kinase, with IC₅₀ values of 366 µg/mL and 369 µg/mL, respectively. The results also indicated that chlorogenic acid contributes significantly to the observed effect. In addition, both fruit extracts exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH and NO radicals with SC₅₀ values of 153–352 µg/mL. Our study suggested that black chokeberry and bilberry fruits may be beneficial in cancer and other inflammation-related diseases.