Without being aware of their chemical composition, many cultures have used herbaceous peony roots for medicinal purposes. Modern phytopreparations intended for use in human therapy require specific knowledge about the chemistry of peony roots and their biological activities. In this study, ethanol–water extracts were prepared by maceration and microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extractions (MAE and UAE, respectively) in order to obtain bioactive molecules from the roots of Paeonia tenuifolia L., Paeonia peregrina Mill., and Paeonia officinalis L. wild growing in Serbia. Chemical characterization; polyphenol and flavonoid content; antioxidant, multianti-enzymatic, and antibacterial activities of extracts; and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID) of hot water extracts were performed. The strongest anti-cholinesterase activity was observed in PT extracts. The highest anti-ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical potential was observed in PP extracts, whereas against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals), the best results were achieved with PO extracts. Regarding antibacterial activity, extracts were strongly potent against Bacillus cereus. A molecular docking simulation was conducted to gather insights into the binding affinity and interactions of polyphenols and other Paeonia-specific molecules in the active sites of tested enzymes. In vitro GID of Paeonia teas showed a different recovery and behavior of the individual bioactives, with an increased recovery of methyl gallate and digallate and a decreased recovery of paeoniflorin and its derivatives. PT (Gulenovci) and PP (Pirot) extracts obtained by UAE and M were more efficient in the majority of the bioactivity assays. This study represents an initial step toward the possible application of Paeonia root extracts in pharmacy, medicine, and food technologies.

In this study, the petals collected from peony hybrid Paeonia lactiflora "Bowl of Beauty" and Calendula officinalis L. were extracted using an ethanol-water mixture assisted with microwave and ultrasonic treatment. The isolation of Calendula officinalis L. essential oil was done by hydrodistillation as well. The total phenolic and flavonoids content in the extracts and oil were determined and their antioxidant activity was evaluated. The highest total phenolic content was found for the extracts of hybrid P. lactiflora and C. officinalis L. obtained by ultrasound extraction (83.16 and 114.47 mg GA/g, respectively), while the flavonoid content obtained by microwave-assisted extraction was relatively high (123.48 and 65.29 mg QE/g, respectively). The highest antioxidant activity was obtained in DPPH• and ABTS•+ assay for the microwave-assisted extraction of hybrid P. lactiflora (79% and 83%) and ultrasound-assisted extraction of C. officinalis L. (45% and 49%), respectively. To improve antioxidant activity of both types of examined analytes (extracts and essential oil), the pectin biopolymer film (as a carrier) was prepared in the process of enzymatically assisted catalysis. Optical microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy were used for the characterization of obtained materials. The films, with essential oil of C. officinalis L. and gallic acid, showed significantly increased percentage inhibition in DPPH• and ABTS•+ test (91% and 95%, respectively) after 10 minutes. The results, also, showed that all formulations of pectin biopolymer film, modified with gallic acid, can be successfully applied as a carrier for both types of ingredients.

The presented study aimed to optimize polyphenol extraction from Satureja montana L. obtained from the experimental field of the Institute for Medicinal Plants Research ?Dr Josif Pancic?, Serbia, by varying the most important parameters for maceration, solid-to-solvent ratio, and extraction time. The obtained extracts were characterized regarding the total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant potential, extraction yield, conductivity, density, surface tension, and viscosity. The TPC and TFC were ~7 to 92 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/g and 3.7 to 10.9 mg CE (catechin equivalent)/g, respectively. The highest extraction yield (86 %) as well as the highest antioxidant activities were obtained for the extracts prepared using a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1 g :50 cm3. On the other hand, the extraction time did not have a significant influence. The highest conductivity was measured in the extract prepared at a 1 g :10 cm3 ratio, while the highest density and surface tension were in the extract prepared at a 1 g :40 cm3 ratio (941 kg m-3 and 29.0 mN m-1, respectively). The highest viscosity was measured in the extract prepared at a 1 g : 20 cm3 ratio (2.89 mPa?s). Our study shows the possibilities for the production of polyphenol-rich extract of S. montana which might be used in pharmaceutical, food, or cosmetic products.

In the present study, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and lovage (Levisticum officinale Koch.) extracts were obtained using maceration, ultrasound- and microwave-assisted extractions (UAE and MAE, respectively). Varying the different extraction solvents, including water, methanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate, the analyses of total polyphenol and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively), as well as antioxidant properties (DPPH radical scavenging and cupric ion reducing activities) were carried out for all obtained plants' extracts. The total amount of extractive substances of the selected extracts was also measured. The highest TPC was achieved in water basil extract obtained using UAE, while the highest TFC was determined in the basil extracts prepared using maceration and MAE. The highest level of DPPH radical neutralization was observed for methanol and acetone extracts obtained by maceration (for both plants) as well as UAE and MAE (for lovage). However, the obtained results did not exhibit statistically significant correlation with the TPC and TFC. The highest cupric ion-reducing capacity was measured in methanol lovage extract prepared using UAE and in methanol basil and lovage extracts from MAE. Interestingly, a significantly higher amount of the extractive substances was measured in all methanolic lovage extracts compared to basil parallels. Thus, it can be concluded that the selection of the extraction medium and extraction technique depends on the used plant species, as well as on the future application and purpose (or role) of the prepared extracts.

In this study, the petals collected from peony hybrid Paeonia lactiflora "Bowl of Beauty" and Calendula officinalis L. were extracted using an ethanol-water mixture assisted with microwave and ultrasonic treatment. The isolation of Calendula officinalis L. essential oil was done by hydrodistillation as well. The total phenolic and flavonoids content in the extracts and oil were determined and their antioxidant activity was evaluated. The highest total phenolic content was found for the extracts of hybrid Paeonia lactiflora and Calendula officinalis L. obtained by ultrasound extraction (83.16 and 114.47 mg GA/g, respectively), while the flavonoid content obtained by microwave-assisted extraction was relatively high (123.48 and 65.29 mg QE/g, respectively). The highest antioxidant activity was obtained in DPPH • and ABTS •+ assay for the microwave-assisted extraction of hybrid P. lactiflora (79% and 83%) and ultrasound-assisted extraction of C. officinalis L. (45% and 49%), respectively. To improve antioxidant activity of both types of examined analytes (extracts and essential oil), the pectin biopolymer film (as a carrier) was prepared in the process of enzymatically assisted catalysis. Optical microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy were used for the characterization of obtained materials. The films, with essential oil of C. officinalis L. and gallic acid, showed significantly increased percentage inhibition in DPPH • and ABTS •+ test (91% and 95%, respectively) after 10 minutes. The results, also, showed that all formulations of pectin biopolymer film, modified with gallic acid, can be successfully applied as a carrier for both types of ingredients.

In order to gain further insight into how various extraction techniques (maceration, microwave-, and ultrasound-assisted extractions) affect the chemical profile and biological activities of leaf extracts from Paeonia tenuifolia L., Paeonia peregrina Mill., and Paeonia officinalis L., this research was performed. The targeted chemical characterization of the extracts was achieved using the Ultra-High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography-Linear-Trap-Mass-Spectrometry OrbiTrap instrumental technique, while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was conducted to investigate the structural properties of the examined leaf extracts. According to the results, the species P. officinalis, Božurna locality as the origin of the plant material, and microwave-assisted extraction produced the maximum polyphenol yield, (491.9 ± 2.7 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/mL).