The genus Alchemilla, belonging to the Rosaceae family, is a rich source of interesting secondary metabolites, including mainly flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic acids, which display a variety of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. Alchemilla species are used in traditional medicine for treatment of acute diarrhea, wounds, dysmenorrhea, and menorrhagia. In this review, we focus on the phenolic compound composition and antioxidative activity of Alchemilla species. We can assume that phytomedicine and natural products chemistry are of significant importance due to the fact that extract combinations with various bioactive compounds possess the activity to protect the human body rather than disturb damaging factors.

Berberis vulgaris L. is currently widely studied for its antioxidant and chemopreventive properties, especially with regard to the beneficial properties of its fruits. Although the bark and roots have been well known and used in traditional medicine since ancient times, little is known about the other parts of this plant. The aim of the research was to determine the antioxidant and LOX inhibitory activity effects of extracts obtained from the leaves, fruits, and stems. Another aim of the work was to carry out the quantitative and qualitative analysis of phenolic acids, flavonoid aglycones, and flavonoid glycosides. The extracts were obtained with the use of ASE (accelerated solvent extraction). The total content of polyphenols was determined and was found to vary depending on the organ, with the highest amount of polyphenols found in the leaf extracts. The free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was determined spectrophotometrically in relation to the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical, with results ranging from 63.9 mgTE/g for the leaves to 65.2 mgTE/g for the stem. Antioxidant activity was also assessed using the ABTS test. The lowest value was recorded for the barberry fruit (117.9 mg TE/g), and the highest level was found for the barberry leaves (140.5 mgTE/g). The oxygen radical absorbance capacity test (ORAC) showed the lowest value for the stem (167.7 mgTE/g) and the highest level for the leaves (267.8 mgTE/g). The range of the percentage inhibition of LOX was determined as well. The percentage inhibition of the enzyme was positively correlated with the sum of the flavonoids, TPC, TFC, and the content of selected flavonoids. Phenolic acids, flavonoid aglycones, and flavonoid glycosides were determined qualitatively and quantitatively in individual parts of Berberis vulgaris L. The content of phenolic acids, flavonoid aglycones, and flavonoid glycosides was determined with the LC-MS/MS method. The following phenolic acids were quantitatively and qualitatively identified in individual parts of Berberis vulgaris L.: gallic acid, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, protocatechuic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-caffeoylquinic acid, and caffeic acid. The flavonoid glycosides determined were: eleutheroside E, Eriodictyol-7-glucopyranoside, rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitin, luteoloside, narcissoside, naringenin-7-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-glucoside, afzeline, and quercitrin. Flavonoid aglycones such as catechin, luteolin, quercetin, and eriodictyol were also determined qualitatively and quantitatively.

Armillaria mellea is a commonly harvested and consumed mushroom in Poland. Several activities of polysaccharides from this species have already been reported. However, polysaccharides from A. mellea growing in the wild in Poland have not yet been investigated. This study was conducted to obtain a crude polysaccharide fraction (AmPS) and investigate its chemical composition and biological properties. Our research suggests that A. mellea is a valuable source of polysaccharides, including β-glucans. ¹H NMR and high-performance capillary electrophoresis analysis of AmPS revealed the occurrence of polysaccharides consisted of myo-inositol, mannitol, fucose, galactose, glucose, and mannose. Proteins, uronic acids, and phenolics were present only in trace amounts in the AmPS. The AmPS fraction was found to exhibit strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity; however, no activity in relation to α-amylase was detected. The fraction was also able to inhibit pro-inflammatory enzymes, i.e., lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase, and hyaluronidase. Moderate antioxidant and antiradical activity of AmPS was revealed by the ORAC and ABTS assay, respectively. The AmPS fraction was found to have antiproliferative potential against gastric and colorectal cancer cell lines (AGS, HT-29). These findings suggest that AmPS may be considered a health-beneficial food ingredient. Since A. mellea is a commonly known edible mushroom with a long tradition of use, its polysaccharides may be considered safe components for direct consumption or production of nutraceuticals.

Rosa rugosa Thunb. (Rosaceae) plantations can provide industrial amounts of roots, which contain many biologically active metabolites. Here, we report the first studies of the chemical composition and pharmacological potential of a crude polysaccharide fraction obtained from R. rugosa roots (CPL-Rx). It was found that the roots contained water-soluble and -insoluble sugars, including a large amount of β-glucans (12.95 ± 0.30 g/100 g). The water-soluble fraction was found to be mostly composed of sugars (28.94 ± 0.01%), uronic acids (2.61 ± 0.41%), and polyphenols (4.55 ± 0.12%). High-performance capillary electrophoresis analysis showed that glucose was the prevalent monosaccharide (64.31%), followed by a smaller amount of galactose (11.77%), fructose (11.36%), and arabinose (4.27%). SDS-PAGE followed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry revealed the presence of unbound protein identified as protein plastid transcriptionally active 14-Like. CPL-Rx was found to inhibit the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes (cyclooxygenase and hyaluronidase) and to have antioxidant potential in the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay (0.302 ± 0.01 mmol Trolox/g), DPPH radical scavenging effect (EC₅₀ 3.92 ± 0.12 mg/mg DPPH^•) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay (0.134 ± 0.10 mmol Trolox/g). It also exerted a slight antiproliferative effect on SW480 (colon) and A549 (lung) cancer cell lines. Our research provides the first insights into the composition and pharmacological application of crude polysaccharides from rugosa rose roots. It suggests that CPL-Rx may potentially be used for cosmetic and bio-medical purposes, especially as an antihyaluronidase or chemopreventive agent.

Berberis vulgaris L. is currently widely studied for its antioxidant and chemopreventive proper-ties, especially given the beneficial properties of its fruits in this regard. Although the bark and roots have been well known and used in traditional medicine since ancient times, little is known about the other parts of this plant. The aim of the research was to determine the antioxidant and LOX inhibitory activity effects of extracts obtained from leaves, fruits, and stems. Another aim of the work was to carry out the quantitative and qualitative analysis of phenolic acids, flavonoid aglycones, and flavonoid glycosides. Extracts were obtained with the use of ASE (accelerated solvent extraction). The total content of polyphenols was determined and was found to vary de-pending on the organ, with the highest amount of polyphenols found in the leaves extract. The free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was determined spectrophotometrically in relation to the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical, with results ranging from 63.88 mgTE/g for leaves to 65.25 mgTE/g for the stem. Antioxidant activity was also assessed using the ABTS test. The lowest value was recorded for the barberry fruit (117.93 mg TE/g) and the highest level was found for the barberry leaves (140.49 mgTE/g). The oxygen radical absorption capacity test (ORAC) showed the lowest value for the stem (167.70 mgTE/g) and the highest level for the leaves (267.81 mgTE/g). The range of percentage inhibition of LOX was determined as well. The percentage inhibition of the enzyme was positively correlated with the sum of flavonoids, TPC, TFC, and the content of selected flavonoids. For the first time, phenolic acids, flavonoid agly-cones, and flavonoid glycosides were determined qualitatively and quantitatively in individual parts of Berberis vulgaris L. The content of phenolic acids, flavonoid aglycones, and flavonoid glycosides was determined with the LC-MS/MS method. For the first time, the following phenol-ic acids were quantitatively and qualitatively identified in individual parts of Berberis vulgaris: 3-caffeoylquinic acid, protocatechuic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, flavonoid glycosides: eleuthero-side E, rutin, isoquercitin, luteoloside, nar-cissoside, naringenin-7-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-glucoside, afzeline, and quercitrin. Flavonoid aglycones: catechin, luteolin, and eriodictyol were determined qualitatively and quantitatively for the first time as well.