Abstract
Water extracts from sea lavender (Limonium algarvense Erben) plants cultivated in greenhouse conditions and irrigated with freshwater and saline aquaculture effluents were evaluated for metabolomics by liquid chromatography-tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS), and functional properties by in vitro and ex vivo methods. In vitro antioxidant methods included radical scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and copper and iron chelating assets. Flowers’ extracts had the highest compounds’ diversity (flavonoids and its derivatives) and strongest in vitro antioxidant activity. These extracts were further tested for ex vivo antioxidant properties by oxidative haemolysis inhibition (OxHLIA), lipid peroxidation inhibition by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation, and anti-melanogenic, anti-tyrosinase, anti-inflammation, and cytotoxicity. Extract from plants irrigated with 300 mM NaCl was the most active towards TBARS (IC50 = 81 µg/mL) and tyrosinase (IC50 = 873 µg/mL). In OxHLIA, the activity was similar for fresh- and saltwater-irrigated plants (300 mM NaCl; IC50 = 136 and 140 µg/mL, respectively). Samples had no anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenic abilities and were not toxic. Our results suggest that sea lavender cultivated under saline conditions could provide a flavonoid-rich water extract with antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase properties with potential use as a food preservative or as a functional ingredient in herbal supplements.
Highlights
The use of herbal medicines and supplements is widespread among patients with chronic health ailments [1], and as a result, the commercial interest in natural health supplements for improving biological functions and wellness is raising the market value of herbal supplements
Plants irrigated with 600 mM NaCl were not able to produce flower stems and flowers [28]
The use of water as an alternative extraction solvent has a significant advantage over organic solvents, such as ethanol, previously used in the extraction of natural compounds from sea lavender
Summary
The use of herbal medicines and supplements is widespread among patients with chronic health ailments [1], and as a result, the commercial interest in natural health supplements for improving biological functions and wellness is raising the market value of herbal supplements. The current market size value is USD 6.3 billion, and with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% it is estimated to reach USD 8.5 billion by. An increasing number of consumers is doubting the use of artificial food additives, as they are increasingly being considered unhealthy [9], urging the need to find more efficient and safer alternatives and boosting a growing demand in the food industry for natural ingredients to create “clean label” products [10]. Despite the recognized biotechnological potential of salt tolerant plants, that is, halophytes [13], such plants remain mostly unexplored [14]
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