Phytochemical profiling of the different organs of Cupressus sempervirens L. by LC-HR/MS

Abstract

Cupressus sempervirens L. which is largely used in traditional medicine was collected from the Florya Atatürk Forest (İstanbul, Türkiye) to investigate the phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of the seeds and cones. The antioxidant activities of hexane and methanol extracts of C. sempervirens L. were assessed in vitro using five complementary methods, including the β-carotene-linoleic acid assay for lipid peroxidation activity, the DPPH•, ABTS• assays for radical-scavenging activity, the CUPRAC method, and metal chelating methods. In addition, the phenolic profiling of the methanol extracts of the seeds and cones was analyzed using LC-HR/MS, for the first time. According to the findings, the antioxidant activity of the methanol extract obtained from seeds appears to be higher than that of cones in all assays. The methanol extracts of the seeds showed higher activity with an IC50: 24.081.06, IC50: 6.080.19, and A0.5: 18.600.63 µg/mL in the DPPH•, ABTS•, and CUPRAC assays, respectively than the BHA, and α-TOC. Also, the methanol extract of the cones showed strong activity with an IC50: 38.870.03 and A0.5:103.534.33 in ABTS• scavenging and CUPRAC assays. Moreover, twenty-eight phenolics were determined in the seeds while twenty-one phenolics were determined in the cones of the C. sempervirens using LC-HR/MS. The amounts of fumaric acid, vanilic acid, (-)-epicatechin, quercetin, hispidulin 7-glucoside, hyperoside, and quercitrin in the seeds are higher than those in the cones. Therefore, the results suggested that there was a strong relationship between the antioxidant activities of the extracts and their phenolic ingredients.

Keywords

• Cupressus sempervirens L.
• Phenolics
• LC-HR/MS
• Antioxidant activity
• Cones and seeds

References

1. Apak, R., Güçlü, K., Özyürek, M., & Karademir, S.E. (2004). Novel total antioxidant capacity index for dietary polyphenols and vitamins C and E, using their cupric ion reducing capability in the presence of neocuproine: CUPRAC method. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52(26), 7970–7981. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf048741x
2. Batiha, G.E.S., Teibo, J.O., Shaheen, H.M., Akinfe, O.A., Awad, A.A., Teibo, T.K.A., Alexiou, A., & Papadakis, M. (2022). Bioactive compounds, pharmacological actions and pharmacokinetics of Cupressus sempervirens Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology, 396(3), 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-022-02326-z
3. Blois M.S. (1958). Nature Publishing Group. Nature, 181.
4. Chemsa, A.E., Erol, E., Öztürk, M., Zellagui, A., Özgür, C., Gherraf, N., & Duru, M.E. (2016). Chemical constituents of essential oil of endemic Rhanterium suaveolens Desf. growing in Algerian Sahara with antibiofilm, antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities. Natural Product Research, 30(18), 2120–2124. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2015.1110705
5. Decker, E.A., & Welch, B. (1990). Role of Ferritin as a Lipid Oxidation Catalyst in Muscle Food. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 38(3), 674 677. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf00093a019
6. Ferhat, M., Erol, E., Beladjila, K.A., Çetintaş, Y., Duru, M.E., Öztürk, M., Kabouche, A., & Kabouche, Z. (2017). Antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antibacterial activities of Stachys guyoniana Noë ex. Batt. and Mentha aquatica L. Pharmaceutical Biology, 55(1), 324–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2016.1238488
7. Chaudhary, H.J. (2012). In vitro analysis of Cupressus sempervirens L. plant extracts antibaterial activity. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.5897/jmpr11.1246
8. Miller, H.E. (1971). A simplified method for the evaluation of antioxidants. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 48(2), 91–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02635693

9. Re, R. (1999). Development and characterisation of carbon nanotube-reinforced polyurethane foams. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 26, 1231–1237
10. Sacchetti, G., Maietti, S., Muzzoli, M., Scaglianti, M., Manfredini, S., Radice, M., & Bruni, R. (2005). Comparative evaluation of 11 essential oils of different origin as functional antioxidants, antiradicals and antimicrobials in foods. Food Chemistry, 91(4), 621–632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.06.031
11. Selim, S.A., Adam, M.E., Hassan, S.M., & Albalawi, A.R. (2014). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of the essential oil and methanol extract of the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L). BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-179
12. Semerci, A.B., İncecayir, D., Konca, T., Tunca, H., & Tunç, K. (2020). Phenolic constituents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of methanolic extracts of some female cones of gymnosperm plant. Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 57(3), 298–303. https://doi.org/10.56042/ijbb.v57i3.36493
13. Tumen I., Hafizoglu H., Pranovich A.R.M. (2010). Chemical Constituents of cones and leaves of CYPRESS (Cupressus sempervirens L.) Grown in Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 19(10), 2268-2276.
14. Zengin, G., Mollica, A., Aktumsek, A., Picot, C.M.N., & Mahomoodally, M.F. (2017). In vitro and in silico insights of Cupressus sempervirens, Artemisia absinthium and Lippia triphylla: Bridging traditional knowledge and scientific validation. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 12, 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2017.05.010