Abstract
Myrtus communis L. (myrtle) and Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab. (Saharan myrtle) have been used in folk medicine for alleviating some ailments. M. communis is largely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin, whereas M. nivellei is confined in specific zones of the central Saharan mountains. The chemical composition and antioxidant activity of berry and leaf extracts isolated from myrtle are deeply documented, whereas those isolated from Saharan myrtle extracts are less studied. In both species, the major groups of constituents include gallic acid derivatives, flavonols, flavonol derivatives, and hydroxybenzoic acids. In coloured berries, anthocyanins are also present. In M. nivellei extracts are reported for some compounds not described in M. communis so far: 2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole-β-d-glucopyranoside, 2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole 2-O-α-l-arabinofuranosyl (1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside, rugosin A, and rugosin B. Berries and leaves extracts of both species had antioxidant activity. Comparative studies of the antioxidant activity between leaf and berry myrtle extracts revealed that leaf extracts are best antioxidants, which can be assigned to the galloyl derivatives, flavonols, and flavonols derivatives, although the ratio of these groups of compounds might also have an important role in the antioxidant activity. The anthocyanins present in myrtle berries seem to possess weak antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of sample extracts depended on various factors: harvesting time, storage, extraction solvent, extraction type, and plant part used, among other factors. Leaf extracts of myrtle revealed to possess anti-inflammatory activity in several models used. This property has been attributed either to the flavonoids and/or hydrolysable tannins, nevertheless nonprenylated acylphloroglucinols (e.g., myrtucommulone and semimyrtucommulone) have also revealed a remarkable role in that activity. The biological activities of myrtle extracts found so far may direct its use towards for stabilizing complex lipid systems, as prebiotic in food formulations, and as novel therapeutic for the management of inflammation.
Highlights
Myrtaceae is a family of woody flowering plants that encompasses around 5500 species, classified in 144 genera, and 17 tribes
The results showed that L. casei 431 kept viable throughout the storage period and increased with the freezing process, and the addition of myrtle fruits lead to an increase of total phenols (5 and 8 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, in the presence of white and dark blue berries, respectively), the antioxidant activity had not undergone any alteration during the same storage period
The myrtle berries are mainly used for doing liqueur; berries can be used for making jam, preserving their biological properties, such as the liposome oxidation
Summary
Myrtaceae is a family of woody flowering plants that encompasses around 5500 species, classified in 144 genera, and 17 tribes. The biological properties assigned to diverse organs (leaves and berries) of myrtle can be due to diverse compounds such as volatile compounds or essential oils (terpenoids, α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, geranyl acetate, and linalool), flavonoids (quercetin, catechin and myricetin derivatives, and anthocyanins), coumarins, oligomeric nonprenylated acylphloroglucinol compounds (myrtucommulone A and B and semimyrtucommulone), galloyl-glucosides, ellagitannins, galloyl-quinic acids, caffeic, gallic and ellagic acids, fatty acids (linoleic, palmitic, oleic, and stearic acids) in diverse organs [4]. Escherichia coli (PTCC No 1330), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PTCC No 1074), P. fluorescens (PTCC No 1181), Klebsiella pneumoniae (PTCC No 1053), Bordetella bronchiseptica (PTCC No 1025), Staphylococcus aureus (PTCC No 1112), S. epidermidis (PTCC No 1114), Micrococcus luteus (PTCC No 1170), Bacillus cereus (PTCC No 1015), and B. pumilis (PTCC No 1319). Compounds Palmitic acid Stearic acid Oleic acid Linoleic acid Linolelaidic (trans, trans-C18:2) Arachidic acid Hydroxybenzoic acid hexose Delphinidin-3-O-galactoside Delphinidin-3-O-glucoside Quercetin hexoside Delphinidin-3-O-rhamnoside Delphinidin rutinoside Delphinidin-3-(6 coumaroyl)-glucoside Petunidin-3-O-glucoside Petunidin diglucoside Petunidin malonylglucoside Petunidin-3-O-rutinoside Isorhamnetin-O-rhamnoside Malvidin-O-galactoside Malvidin-O-glucoside Peonidin diglucoside Petunidin methyl pentose
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