Plants are a rich source of phytochemical compounds with antioxidant activity. Several studies have revealed that the consumption of plant polyphenols reduces the risk of diseases. Purple corn (Zea mays L. variety KND) and butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea; CT) were selected to be investigated as alternative natural polyphenol sources to increase the value of these plants. Phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activities of KND cob, silk, husk and CT extracts alone and in combination were investigated in this study. The results revealed that purple corn cob (C) extract had the highest tryptophan, melatonin, total anthocyanin (TAC) and delphinidin content, while the purple corn silk (S) extract showed the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities. Serotonin was found only in purple corn husk (H) extract and C extract. High contents of tryptophan and sinapic acid were found in CT extract. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that strong antioxidant activities were strongly correlated with protocatechuic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid contents, moderate antioxidant activities were strongly correlated with melatonin, and low antioxidant activities were strongly correlated with sinapic acid content. Therefore, the purple corn variety KND waste cobs, silk and husks are a potentially rich source of health-promoting phytochemical compounds.

Context: Inhibiting α-glucosidase activity has been proven to regulate hyperglycemia for treating diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Plant secondary metabolites consist of phenolic acids and flavonoids, which have been identified as α-glucosidase inhibitory agents. Aims: To assess the ability of the tested phenolic acids and flavonoids as α-glucosidase inhibitors and to predict their binding interactions with α-glucosidase, as well as their pharmacokinetic properties. Methods: The tested phenolic acids and flavonoids were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibition by in vitro study, and their binding interactions were observed by an in silico molecular docking study utilizing AutoDock 4.2 software, while their pharmacokinetic properties were predicted using SwissADME and pkCSM online software. Results: The results displayed that quercetin (QE; IC50 = 0.85 μg/mL) and gallic acid (GA; IC50 = 26.19 μg/mL) significantly inhibited α-glucosidase activity than acarbose (IC50 = 139.4 μg/mL). Molecular docking analysis revealed that QE exhibited a higher binding affinity (ΔG; -7.53 kcal/mol) compared to acarbose (ΔG; -7.00 kcal/mol). This suggested that QE formed more favorable interactions with the enzyme, as evidenced by its binding to catalytic residues D215 and D352. In contrast, acarbose interacted with only one catalytic amino acid, i.e., D215. Furthermore, GA displayed a lower binding affinity (ΔG; -4.63 kcal/mol) than acarbose and bound to a distinct site on the α-glucosidase involving amino acids K156, S241, and D242. The pharmacokinetic properties predictions revealed that the potential compounds could bind and inhibit the α-glucosidase and were not toxic. Conclusions: Therefore, this study is useful for modifying the structures of phenolic acids and flavonoids to improve their ability to inhibit the α-glucosidase activity.

Sunflower seeds have been reported to be a healthy natural source of polyphenols. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms of potential compounds in sunflower seed extract involved in wound healing; major compounds were investigated through network pharmacology and molecular docking. In an in vitro wound-healing assay applied using an immortalised human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell model, 10 µg/mL of the sunflower seed extract promoted cell migration in HaCaT cells and led to complete wound closure after 24 h; at a 1 µg/mL concentration, it led to complete wound closure after 72 h. The sunflower seed extract presented moderate-to-strong antioxidant activity. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to identify the major compounds present in the sunflower seed extract. Forty-seven compounds were identified, among which chlorogenic acid was the most abundant phenolic compound. Network pharmacology was used to identify wound-healing-related targets. In total, 252 proteins were linked to the 47 compounds. Cyto-Hubba analysis identified 10 hub proteins with a strong correlation with wound healing. Molecular docking was used to assess the ability of the major compounds in the sunflower seed extract to combat NF-κB1, EGFR, and MMP9. Chlorogenic acid showed higher binding affinity to all targets. Moreover, its pharmacokinetic properties were well distributed in the plasma (VDss = 0.377 log L/kg), and they were not a carcinogen and did not cause skin sensitisation. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the sunflower seed extract is a potential source of bioactive compounds that can enhance wound healing and can be developed to create a transdermal application.

Context: Dipterocarpus alatus oleo-resin has been used as a folk medicine and energy source. During biodiesel production, massive amounts of waste are generated. To explore the reuse of biodiesel waste, this research investigates the health-promoting activities of biodiesel waste. Aims: To compare biological activity, anticancer and antioxidant activities, and phytochemical contents of D. alatus oleo-resin (OR) and its byproducts from the degumming (DG) and distillation (DT) processes employed during biodiesel production. Methods: All samples were evaluated for the cytotoxicity activity against SK-MEL-2, HCT 116, SiHa, SK-LU-1, U937 cancer cells, and the Vero cell line. Antioxidant activity was tested using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The selected bioactive compounds, betulonic acid (1), dipterocarpol (2), and α-gurjunene (3) were quantified by HPLC analysis. Results: The result showed that DT and DG have a potent cytotoxicity higher than OR in HCT 116, SK-LU-1, and SK-MEL-2, particularly in U937, which corresponded to the number of terpene components, especially DG and DT showed high dipterocarpol (2) content. Among all samples, OR showed a good source for α-gurjunene and total phenolic contain (TPC), which showed good cytotoxicity against SiHa cancer cells. Conclusions: The biodiesel waste product from the distillation and degumming process of D. alatus elevates the dipterocalpol concentration, contributing to its anticancer activity. As a result, this waste material shows promise as a potential source for new anticancer drug development.

Persicaria odorata (Lour.) contains considerable amounts of phytochemicals, including phenolics and essential oils, which have been reported to inhibit α-glucosidase activity. However, which bioactive compounds play a key role in inhibiting the α-glucosidase activity is unclear. To address this issue, the methanolic extract of P. odorata was assayed via in vitro studies, and forty-four compounds in P. odorata extracts were elucidated using in silico studies. The extract strongly inhibited yeast α-glucosidase with an IC₅₀ value of 0.31 µg/mL, which was 450-fold more potent than acarbose (IC₅₀ = 139.47 µg/mL), under experimental conditions. The Lineweaver–Burk plots indicated that the inhibition type of the extract on α-glucosidase is a noncompetitive inhibitor. Molecular docking demonstrated that procyanidin B (P9) and rutin (P19), which belong to the flavonoids, were predicted by computational approaches to be bioactive compounds that have more favorable binding interactions to yeast α-glucosidase residues compared to forty-four other compounds and acarbose. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that P9 and P19 complexes with yeast α-glucosidase remained stable during the 500 ns simulations. Moreover, both P9 and P19 were predicted to qualify as α-glucosidase inhibitors with low toxicity. These findings suggest that P. odorata could be used as an alternative edible plant to manage postprandial hyperglycemia in T2DM, and could serve as basic scientific data. Further experimental studies of the pure bioactive compounds are necessary to support these findings.