Curcumin (1,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione) is a natural lipophilic polyphenol that exhibits significant pharmacological effects in vitro and in vivo through various mechanisms of action. Numerous studies have identified and characterised the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and clinical properties of curcumin. Curcumin has an anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antinociceptive, antiparasitic, antimalarial effect, and it is used as a wound-healing agent. However, poor curcumin absorption in the small intestine, fast metabolism, and fast systemic elimination cause poor bioavailability of curcumin in human beings. In order to overcome these problems, a number of curcumin formulations have been developed. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research in biological and pharmaceutical aspects of curcumin, methods of sample preparation for its isolation (Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound extraction, pressurised fluid extraction, microwave extraction, enzyme-assisted aided extraction), analytical methods (FTIR, NIR, FT-Raman, UV-VIS, NMR, XRD, DSC, TLC, HPLC, HPTLC, LC-MS, UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) for identification and quantification of curcumin in different matrices, and different techniques for developing formulations. The optimal sample preparation and use of an appropriate analytical method will significantly improve the evaluation of formulations and the biological activity of curcumin.

The antioxidant activity ofwater, ethanol and methanol Hieracium pilosella L.extracts is reported. The antioxidative activity was tested by spectrophotometrically measuring their ability to scavenge a stable DPPH^· free radical and a reactive hydroxyl radical trapped by DMPO during the Fenton reaction, using the ESR spectroscopy. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were evaluated according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure, and a colorimetric method, respectively. A HPLC method was used for identification of some phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid, apigenin-7-O-glucoside and umbelliferone). The antioxidant activity of the investigated extracts slightly differs depending on the solvent used. The concentration of 0.30 mg/mL of water, ethanol and methanol extract is less effective in scavenging hydroxyl radicals (56.35, 58.73 and 54.35%, respectively) in comparison with the DPPH^· radical scavenging activity (around 95% for all extracts). The high contents of total phenolic compounds (239.59–244.16 mg GAE/g of dry extract) and total flavonoids (79.13–82.18 mg RE/g of dry extract) indicated that these compounds contribute to the antioxidative activity.

Poly(D,L-lactide) synthesis using tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP) takes over 30 hours in bulk at 120 °C. The use of microwave makes the same bulk polymerization process with the same initiator much faster and energy saving, with a reaction time of about 30 minutes at 100 °C. Here, the poly(lactide) synthesis was done in a microwave reactor, using frequency of 2.45 GHz and maximal power of 150 W. The reaction temperature was controlled via infra-red system for in-bulk-measuring, and was maintained at 100 °C. Different molar ratios of monomer and initiator, [M]/[I], of 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 were used. The achieved average molar masses for the obtained polymers (determined by gel permeation chromatography) were in the interval from 26,700 to 112,500 g/mol. The polydispersion index was from 2.436 to 3.425. For applicative purposes, the obtained material was purified during the procedure of microsphere preparation. Microspheres were obtained by spraying a fine fog of polymer (D,L-lactide) solution in tetrahydrofuran into the water solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) with intensive stirring.

Fruit is rich in different phenolic compounds which are recognized as potential natural medicaments and have been used in folk medicine for centuries. In order to evaluate phenol composition, cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) fruit and leaf extracts were subjected to the spectrophotometric and HPLC analysis. The radical scavenging activity was estimated using DPPH test and antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion and microwell dilution tests. All extracts showed high phenol content from 89.89 ? 0.45 to 117.34 ? 1.40 mg f gallic acid equivalents GAE/g extract dry matter DM but different composition of phenol compounds. Flavonols, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols and phenolic acids were the main phenol classes found in the investigated fruit and leaf extracts. All extracts showed significant radical scavenging activity and a correlation with total phenol content (R2 = 0.9832). Significant antimicrobial activity was found against Gram-positive, followed by Gram-negative strains, and yeast in all tested extracts. Cornelian cherry fruit and leaf extracts, rich in phenolic content, with significant antiradical and antimicrobial activity, can be used as additives in food and medicaments.

Purpose: The aim of the paper was to develop the simple procedures for preparation of inclusion complexes of ellagic acid (EA) with cyclodextrins (CDs) and to investigate their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Methods: The structural characterization was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. The phase solubility technique was used to investigate the interactions between ‘host’ and ‘guest’ molecules and to estimate the molar ratio between them. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of EA and inclusion complexes were determined. Results: The apparent stability constants were found to be 117 dm³ mol⁻¹ for the complex with β-CD and 161 dm³ mol⁻¹ for the complex with (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD). The results of phase-solubility studies showed that EA formed the inclusion complexes with CDs in the molar ratio of 1:1. The calculated half-maximal inhibitory concentration was 41.18 μg cm⁻³ for butyl hydroxy toluene, 1.96 μg cm⁻³ for EA, 0.88 μg cm⁻³ for inclusion complex with HP-β-CD, and 1.27 μg cm⁻³ for inclusion complex with β-CD. Conclusion: The stability constants indicated the rapid release of EA from the inclusion complexes in the aqueous medium at 25 °C. The antioxidant activity of EA was increased, while the antimicrobial activity was preserved after complexation with CDs.

The process of amygdalin extraction from plum seeds was optimized using central composite design (CCD) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). The effect of time, ethanol concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio and temperature on the amygdalin content in the extracts was estimated using both mathematical models. The MLP 4-3-1 with exponential function in hidden layer and linear function in output layer was used for describing the extraction process. MLP model was more superior compared with CCD model due to better prediction ability. According to MLP model, the suggested optimal conditions are: time of 120 min, 100% (v/v) ethanol, solid-to liquid ratio of 1:25 (m/v) and temperature of 34.4 °C. The predicted value of amygdalin content in the dried extract (25.42 g per 100 g) at these conditions was experimentally confirmed (25.30 g per 100 g of dried extract). Amygdalin (>90%) was isolated from the complex extraction mixture and structurally characterized by FT-IR, UV and MS methods.