Abstract
Description of the subject. Prunella vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae) is an edible herb used in Europe and Asia as herbal tea, food, dietary supplement or medicinal plant since several centuries. Although the composition and properties of the aerial parts are well documented in the literature, Prunella vulgaris seeds have never been investigated. Objectives. The aim of this work was to characterize the composition of these seeds to assess not only their nutritional potential (protein, lipid and minerals content), but also their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential as well as their specialized metabolites composition. Method. The protein, lipids and mineral content were determined. The phenolic compounds were isolated; elucidation of their structures was done by means of HR-MS and one- and two-dimensional NMR analysis. They were then evaluated for their biological activity, together with seed extracts. Results. Omega-3 rich oil and an interesting amino acids profile were detected in the seeds as well as the presence of a high content of polyphenolic compounds, including two structurally new compounds (phenylpropane derivatives) which were isolated and structurally characterized. The two compounds described here for the first time, were named amolsamic acids A&B. The seeds and amolsamic acids showed an interesting antioxidant potential, and a strong anti-inflammatory activity on neutrophils, MPO and HRP models. Conclusions. These findings highlight the real health promoting potential of P. vulgaris seeds and make them a good candidate as super-food or food supplement.
Highlights
Prunella vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb from the Lamiaceae family originally distributed in temperate Europe and Asia which is widespread in all temperate regions of the world, including Africa, America and Australia (Gu et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2019)
The composition and properties of the areal parts are well documented in the literature, to the best of our knowledge, P. vulgaris seeds have never been investigated for their proximate, phytochemical composition or potential bioactivities
The main lipid constituents and fatty acid composition and the amino acids profile are reported in table 1
Summary
Prunella vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb from the Lamiaceae family originally distributed in temperate Europe and Asia which is widespread in all temperate regions of the world, including Africa, America and Australia (Gu et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2019). Named “self-heal” or “heal-all”, P. vulgaris is used in European traditional medicine since centuries. In Europe, P. vulgaris is used for the treatment of sore throat, intestinal infections, diarrhea, as healing agent and anti-hemorrhagic (Huang et al, 2009; Chevallier, 2016) while in Asia, it is consumed as herbal tea for the treatment of health troubles such as migraine or fevers (Huang et al, 2009; Kalle & Sõukandal., 2012). Due to its numerous reported traditional medicinal uses and properties, the phytochemical composition and anti-oxidant activity of the aerial parts of P. vulgaris have been largely examined; rosmarinic acid, polysaccharides, pentacyclic triterpenes have been identified (Gu et al, 2013; Rasool & Ganai, 2013; Golembiovska, 2014; Wang et al, 2019). The composition and properties of the areal parts are well documented in the literature, to the best of our knowledge, P. vulgaris seeds have never been investigated for their proximate, phytochemical composition or potential bioactivities
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