Oxidative stress is among the major triggers for many important human functional disorders, which often lead to various metabolic or tissue diseases. The aim of the study is to obtain five standardized vegetal extracts (Cynarae extractum—CE, Rosmarini extractum—RE, Taraxaci extractum—TE, Cichorii extractum—CHE, and Agrimoniae extractum—AE) that contain active principles with an essential role in protecting liver cells against free radicals and quantify their antioxidant actions. The compounds of therapeutic interest from the analyzed extracts were identified and quantified using the UHPLC–HRMS/MS technique. Thus, the resulting identified compounds were 28 compounds in CE, 48 compounds in RE, 39 compounds in TE, 43 compounds in CHE, and 31 compounds in AE. These compounds belong to the class of flavonoids, isoflavones, phenolic acids and dicarboxylic acids, depsides, diterpenes, triterpenes, sesquiterpenes, proanthocyanidins, or coumarin derivatives. From the major polyphenolic compounds quantified in all the extracts analyzed by UHPLC–HRMS/MS, considerable amounts have been found for chlorogenic acid (619.8 µg/g extract for TE–2032.4 µg/g extract for AE), rutoside (105.1 µg/g extract for RE–1724.7 µg/g extract for AE), kaempferol (243 µg/g extract for CHE–2028.4 µg/g extract for CE), and for naringenin (383 µg/g extract for CHE–1375.8 µg/g extract for AE). The quantitative chemical analysis showed the highest content of total phenolic acids for AE (24.1528 ± 1.1936 g chlorogenic acid/100 g dry extract), the highest concentration of flavones for RE (6.0847 ± 0.3025 g rutoside/100 g dry extract), and the richest extract in total polyphenols with 31.7017 ± 1.2211 g tannic acid equivalent/100 g dry extract for AE. Several methods (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP) have been used to determine the in vitro total antioxidant activity of the extracts to evaluate their free radical scavenging ability, influenced by the identified compounds. As a result, the correlation between the content of the polyphenolic compounds and the antioxidant effect of the extracts has been demonstrated. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the antiradical capacity within the study groups. Although all the analyzed extracts showed good IC50 values, which may explain their antihepatotoxic effects, the highest antioxidant activity was obtained for Agrimoniae extractum (IC50_ABTS = 0.0147 mg/mL) and the lowest antioxidant activity was obtained for Cynarae extractum (IC50_ABTS = 0.1588 mg/mL). Furthermore, the hepatoprotective potential was evaluated in silico by predicting the interactions between the determined phytochemicals and key molecular targets relevant to liver disease pathophysiology. Finally, the evaluation of the pharmacognostic and phytochemical properties of the studied extracts validates their use as adjuvants in phytotherapy, as they reduce oxidative stress and toxin accumulation and thus exert a hepatoprotective effect at the cellular level.

Lipid metabolism dysregulation can lead to dyslipidemia and obesity, which are major causes of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality worldwide. The purpose of the study was to obtain and characterize six plant extracts (ACE—Allii cepae extractum; RSE—Rosmarini extractum; CHE—Cichorii extractum; CE—Cynarae extractum; AGE—Apii graveolentis extractum; CGE—Crataegi extractum) as promising adjuvant therapies for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia and its related metabolic diseases. Phytochemical screening revealed that RSE was the richest extract in total polyphenols (39.62 ± 13.16 g tannic acid/100 g dry extract) and phenolcarboxylic acids (22.05 ± 1.31 g chlorogenic acid/100 g dry extract). Moreover, the spectrophotometric chemical profile highlighted a significant concentration of flavones for CGE (5.32 ± 0.26 g rutoside/100 g dry extract), in contrast to the other extracts. UHPLC-MS quantification detected considerable amounts of phenolic constituents, especially chlorogenic acid in CGE (187.435 ± 1.96 mg/g extract) and rosmarinic acid in RSE (317.100 ± 2.70 mg/g extract). Rosemary and hawthorn extracts showed significantly stronger free radical scavenging activity compared to the other plant extracts (p < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis and the heatmap correlation matrix indicated significant correlations between phytochemical contents and in vitro antioxidant activities. Computational studies were performed to investigate the potential anti-obesity mechanism of the studied extracts using target prediction, homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics approaches. Our study revealed that rosmarinic acid (RA) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) can form stable complexes with the active site of carbonic anhydrase 5A by either interacting with the zinc-bound catalytic water molecule or by directly binding Zn²⁺. Further studies are warranted to experimentally validate the predicted CA5A inhibitory activities of RA and CGA and to investigate the hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of the proposed plant extracts in animal models of dyslipidemia and obesity.

Background. Nowadays, phytotherapy offers viable solutions in managing respiratory infections, disorders known for considerable incidence in both children and adults. In a context in which more and more people are turning to phytotherapy, finding new remedies is a topical goal of researchers in health and related fields. This paper aims to identify those traditional medicinal plants that show potentially antibacterial effects against four Gram-negative germs (Chlamydia pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis), which are considered to have high involvement in respiratory infections. Furthermore, a comparison with Romanian folk medicines was performed. Methods. An extensive review of books and databases was undertaken to identify vegetal species of interest in the context of the topic. Results. Some traditional Romanian species (such as Mentha × piperita, Thymus vulgaris, Pinus sylvestris, Allium sativum, Allium cepa, Ocimum basilicum, and Lavandulaangustifolia) were identified and compared with the plants and preparations confirmed as having antibacterial effects against specific germs. Conclusions. The antibacterial effects of some traditionally used Romanian medicinal plants are poorly investigated, and deserve further attention.

Since medicinal plants are widely used in treating various diseases, phytoconstituents enrichment strategies are of high interest for plant growers. First of all, we investigated the impact of phytosociological cultivation on polyphenolic content (total flavonoids—TFL, and total polyphenols—TPC) of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) leaves, using spectrophotometric methods. Secondly, the influence of chemical (NPK) and organic (BIO) fertilization on polyphenolic content and plant material quality was also assessed. Dry extracts were obtained from harvested leaves using hydroethanolic extraction solvents for further qualitative and quantitative assessment of phytoconstituents by FT-ICR MS and UHPLC-MS. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of leaf extracts was determined in vitro using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. Molecular docking simulations were employed to further evaluate the antioxidant potential of obtained extracts, predicting the interactions of identified phytochemicals with sirtuins. The concentration of polyphenols was higher in the plant material harvested from the phytosociological culture. Moreover, the use of BIO fertilizer led to the biosynthesis of a higher content of polyphenols. Higher amounts of phytochemicals, such as caffeic acid, were determined in extracts obtained from phytosociological crops. The antioxidant activity was dependent on polyphenols concentration, more potent inhibition values being observed for the extracts obtained from the phytosociological batches. Molecular docking studies and MM/PBSA calculations revealed that the obtained extracts have the potential to directly activate sirtuins 1, 5 and 6 through several polyphenolic compounds, such as rosmarinic acid, thus complementing the free radical scavenging activity with the potential stimulation of endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms. In conclusion, growing medicinal plants in phytosociological cultures treated with biofertilizers can have a positive impact on plant material quality, concentration in active constituents and biological activity.

Capsicum annuum (L.) is one of the essential spices most frequently used in our daily routine and has remarkable ethnobotanical and pharmacological properties. Its fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and numerous other phenolic metabolites with a well-known antioxidant activity. Regular consumption of chili fruits may have a positive influence on human health. Therefore, we investigated a commercially available chili fruit powder in the present study, extracting it with 50% ethanol. The dried hydro-ethanolic extract (CAE) was thoroughly analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS/MS), and 79 bioactive phenolic constituents were identified. Then, we quantified the main phenolic compounds and found a polyphenol content of 4.725 ± 1.361 mg Eq tannic acid/100 g extract and a flavonoid amount of 1.154 ± 0.044 mg Eq rutin/100 g extract. Phenolic secondary metabolites are known for their dual redox behavior as antioxidants/pro-oxidants, underlying their numerous benefits in health and disease. Thus, the antioxidant potential of CAE was evaluated using three methods; our results could explain the protective effects of chili fruits: IC₅₀DPPH = 1.669 mg/mL, IC₅₀ABTS = 0.200 mg/mL, and EC₅₀FRAP = 0.561 mg/mL. The pro-oxidant potential of phenolic compounds could be a basis for CAE cytotoxicity, investigated in vitro on tumor cell lines and in vivo on Daphnia sp. Results demonstrated the dose- and time-dependent CAE’s cytotoxic activity; the highest antiproliferative activity was recorded on colon (LoVo) and breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines after 48 h of exposure (IC₅₀ values < 200 µg/mL). In vivo testing on Daphnia sp. reported a potent CAE cytotoxicity after 48 h and embryonic developmental delays. Extensive data analyses support our results, showing a significant correlation between the CAE’s concentration, phenolic compound content, antioxidant activity, exposure time, and the viability rate of different tested cell lines.

Oxidative stress is the most critical factor in multiple functional disorders’ development, and natural antioxidants could protect the human body against it. Our study aims to investigate the polyphenol content of four extracts of two medicinal plants (Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus vulgaris L.) and analyze the correlation with their antioxidant activity. The research was carried out on extracts of rosemary and thyme obtained from species cultivated together in plant communities. Both were compared with extracts from species cultivated in individual crops (control crops). Their polyphenols were determined by spectrophotometric methods (dosage of flavones, phenol carboxylic acids, and total polyphenols) and chromatography (UHPLC–MS and FT–ICR MS). Triterpenic acids were also quantified, having a higher concentration in the thyme extract from the culture. The antioxidant activity of the dry extracts was evaluated in vitro (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP) and in silico (prediction of interactions with BACH1/BACH2 transcription factors). The concentrations of polyphenols are higher in the extracts obtained from the sources collected from the common crops. These observations were also validated following the chromatographic analysis for some compounds. Statistically significant differences in the increase in the antioxidant effect were observed for the extracts from the common batches compared to those from the individual ones. Following the Pearson analysis, the IC₅₀ values for each plant extract were strongly correlated with the concentration of active phytoconstituents. Molecular docking studies revealed that quercetin could bind to BTB domains of BACH1 and BACH2 transcription factors, likely translating into increased antioxidant enzyme expression. Future studies must validate the in silico findings and further investigate phytosociological cultivation’s effects.