Chitosan-based nanoparticles (chitosan-based nanocomposites; chitosan nanoparticles; ChNPs) are promising materials that are receiving a lot of attention in the last decades. ChNPs have great potential as nanocarriers. They are able to encapsulate drugs as well as active compounds and deliver them to a specific place in the body providing a controlled release. In the article, an overview has been made of the most frequently used preparation methods, and the developed applications in medicine. The presentation of the most important information concerning ChNPs, especially chitosan’s properties in drug delivery systems (DDS), as well as the method of NPs production was quoted. Additionally, the specification and classification of the NPs’ morphological features determined their application together with the methods of attaching drugs to NPs. The latest scientific reports of the DDS using ChNPs administered orally, through the eye, on the skin and transdermally were taken into account.

The use of plant secondary metabolites has gained considerable attention among clinicians in the prevention and treatment of cancer. A secondary metabolite isolated mainly from the roots and rhizomes of Podophyllum species (Berberidaceae) is aryltetralin lignan - podophyllotoxin (PTOX). The purpose of this review is to discuss the therapeutic properties of PTOX as an important anticancer compound of natural origin. The relevant information regarding the antitumor mechanisms of podophyllotoxin and its derivatives were collected and analyzed from scientific databases. The results of the analysis showed PTOX exhibits potent cytotoxic activity; however, it cannot be used in its pure form due to its toxicity and generation of many side effects. Therefore, it practically remains clinically unusable. Currently, high effort is focused on attempts to synthesize analogs of PTOX that have better properties for therapeutic use e.g. etoposide (VP-16), teniposide, etopophos. PTOX derivatives are used as anticancer drugs which are showing additional immunosuppressive, antiviral, antioxidant, hypolipemic, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, attention is paid to the high potential of the usefulness of in vitro cultures of P. peltatum which can be a valuable source of lignans, including PTOX. In conclusion, the preclinical pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo confirm the anticancer and chemotherapeutic potential of PTOX and its derivatives. In the future, clinical studies on human subjects are needed to certify the antitumor effects and the anticancer mechanisms to be certified and analyzed in more detail and to validate the experimental pharmacological preclinical studies.

Illicium verum Hook f. (star anise) is considered an important species in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is also used in contemporary medicine in East Asian countries. It occurs in natural habitats in southeastern parts of China and Vietnam, and is cultivated in various regions in China. The raw materials—Anisi stellati fructus and Anisi stellati aetheroleum obtained from this species exhibit expectorant and spasmolytic activities. The European Pharmacopoeia (4th edition) indicates that these raw materials have been used in allopathy since 2002. The biological activities of the above-mentioned raw materials are determined by the presence of valuable secondary metabolites such as monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids. Recent pharmacological studies on fruit extracts and the essential oil of this species have confirmed their antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities and thus their medicinal and cosmetic value. The aim of this review was to examine the progress of phytochemical and pharmacological studies that focused on possible cosmetic applications. In addition to fruit extracts and essential oil, the current consensus on the safety of trans-anethole, which is the main compound of essential oil used in cosmetology, is underlined here.

Schisandra rubriflora is a dioecious, underestimated medicinal plant species known from traditional Chinese medicine. The present study was aimed at characterising the polyphenolic profile composition and the related antioxidant capacity of S. rubriflora fruit, stem and leaf and in vitro microshoot culture extracts. Separate analyses of material from female and male specimens were carried out. This study was specifically aimed at detailed characterisation of the contribution of phenolic compounds to overall antioxidant activity using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector coupled to electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS³) and a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Using UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS³, twenty-seven phenolic compounds from among phenolic acids and flavonoids were identified. Concentrations of three phenolic acids (neochlorogenic, chlorogenic and cryptochlorogenic acids) and eight flavonoids (hyperoside, rutoside, isoquercitrin, guaijaverin, trifolin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin) were determined using HPLC-DAD using reference standards. The highest total phenolic content was confirmed for the stem and leaf extracts collected in spring. The contents of phenolic compounds of in vitro biomasses were comparable to that in the fruit extracts. The methanolic extracts from the studied plant materials were evaluated for their antioxidant properties using various in vitro assays, namely free radicals scavenging estimation using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) as well as QUick, Easy, New, CHEap, and Reproducible CUPRAC (QUENCHER-CUPRAC) assays. A close relationship between the content of polyphenolic compounds in S. rubriflora and their antioxidant potential has been documented.

Discovering new natural resources of polyphenols is the aim of many recent studies in the field of natural product research. This study tentatively investigated the polyphenols profile of the stems of seven Mammillaria species (M. rhodantha, M. spinosissima, M. hahniana, M. crucigera, M. candida, M. albilanata, and M. muehlenpfordtii) using high performance liquid chromatography with DAD detector (HPLC-DAD) method. Furthermore, the anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial potentials of these extracts as well as major identified phenols were explored. The HPLC-DAD study confirmed the availability of six phenolic acids, including gentisic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, sinapic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. The dominant compounds were: gentisic acid in M. rhodantha and M. spinosissima; chlorogenic acid in M. muehlenpfordtii, M. crucigera, and M. rhodantha; and caffeic acid in M. rhodantha, M. crucigera, and M. spinosissima. Stems of Mammillaria sp. showed antiproliferative effects against HeLa, MCF-7, and Jurkat cells. In HeLa and MCF-7 cells, the best antiproliferative activities were found in the treatments with M. rhodantha, M. spinosissima, and M. muehlenpfordtii. The apoptotic assay of M. rhodantha, M. spinosissima, and M. muehlenpfordtii showed accumulation of necrotic cells in the early and late apoptotic phase. M. rhodantha, M. spinosissima, and M. muehlenpfordtii showed the highest anti-oxidant activities using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), β-carotene bleaching, and ferric reducing anti-oxidant power (FRAP) assays. M. rhodantha was the best source of antioxidants. Mammillaria sp. showed moderate anti-bacterial effects against bacteria and the highest effects were found using the extracts of M. rhodantha, M. spinosissima, M. crucigera and M. muehlenpfordtii against most bacteria. The anti-bacterial activities were attributed to other phenolic compounds (e.g., chlorogenic acid) than gentisic acid, which was not active against most bacteria. Mammillaria sp. could be considered to be an important natural source of phenolic acids with anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant activities.

On a worldwide scale, A. cepa is among the most commonly consumed vegetables. In Europe, the leading onion producers are Russia, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Germany. In this study, the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Mn, Co, Sr, Cd and Pb) by Allium cepa L. plants was followed under hydroponic conditions. The heavy metals were applied at six concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg L⁻¹) over three weeks. The quantitative analysis of selected heavy metals in plant tissues (bulbs, roots and assimilation leaves) was performed using atomic absorption spectrometry with flame atomization (F-AAS). The accumulation of metal ions was strongly dependent on their concentrations in the solution and the analyzed parts of plants. The highest accumulation of metal ions was confirmed for the roots and ranged from 8.48 to 5912.34 µg g⁻¹ DW (dry weight). All parts of A. cepa were characterized by the high accumulation of Mn²⁺. The lowest accumulation was confirmed for Co²⁺ in the roots, Pb²⁺ in the assimilation leaves and Cu²⁺ in the bulbs of onion. Moreover, the study showed that the highest concentrations of heavy metals decreased the growth of bulbs and even caused them to die off. In contrast, lower concentrations of some elements stimulated plant development.