Pomegranate Fruit Peel Research Articles

Chemical analysis of Punica granatum fruit peel and its in vitro and in vivo biological properties.

BackgroundThe medical application of pomegranate fruits and its peel is attracted human beings. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro α-Glucosidase inhibition, antimicrobial, antioxidant property and in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity of Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit peel extract using Caenorhabditis elegans.MethodsVarious invitro antioxidant activity of fruit peel extracts was determined by standard protocol. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were determined using disc diffusion and microdilution method respectively. Anti-hyperglycemic activity of fruit peel was observed using fluorescence microscope for in vivo study.ResultsThe ethyl acetate extract of P. granatum fruit peel (PGPEa) showed α-Glucosidase inhibition upto 50 % at the concentration of IC50 285.21 ± 1.9 μg/ml compared to hexane and methanol extracts. The total phenolic content was highest (218.152 ± 1.73 mg of catechol equivalents/g) in ethyl acetate extract. PGPEa showed more scavenging activity on 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) with IC50 value 302.43 ± 1.9 μg/ml and total antioxidant activity with IC50 294.35 ± 1.68 μg/ml. PGPEa also showed a significant effecton lipid peroxidation IC50 208.62 ± 1.68 μg/ml, as well as high reducing power. Among the solvents extracts tested, ethyl acetate extract of fruit peel showed broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Ethyl acetate extract supplemented C.elegans worms showed inhibition of lipid accumulation similar to acarbose indicating good hypoglycemic activity. The normal worms compared to test (ethyl acetate extract supplemented) showed the highest hypoglycaemic activity by increasing the lifespan of the worms. GC-MS analysis of PGPEa showed maximum amount of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 4-fluorobenzyl alcohol (48.59 %).ConclusionIn the present investigation we observed various biological properties of pomegranate fruit peel. The results clearly indicated that pomegranate peel extract could be used in preventing the incidence of long term complication of diabetics.

Effect of Punica granatum fruit peel on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase in amphistome Gastrothylax indicus.

Increasing anthelmintic resistance and the impact of conventional anthelmintics on the environment, it is important to look for alternative strategies against helminth parasite in sheep. Important lipogenic enzymes like glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) show subcellular distribution pattern. Activity of G-6-PDH was largely restricted to cytosolic fraction while MDH was found in both cytosolic and mitochondrial fraction in Gastrothylax indicus. Following in vitro treatment with ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Punica granatum fruit peel and commercial anthelmintic, albendazole G-6-PDH activity was decreased by 19-32%, whereas MDH was suppressed by 24-41%, compared to the respective control. Albendazole was quite effective when compared with negative control and both the extracts. The results indicate that phytochemicals of plant may act as potential vermifuge or vermicide.

Validated Method for the Characterization and Quantification of Extractable and Nonextractable Ellagitannins after Acid Hydrolysis in Pomegranate Fruits, Juices, and Extracts.

Pomegranates are one of the main highly valuable sources of ellagitannins. Despite the potential health benefits of these compounds, reliable data on their content in pomegranates and derived extracts and food products is lacking, as it is usually underestimated due to their complexity, diversity, and lack of commercially available standards. This study describes a new method for the analysis of the extractable and nonextractable ellagitannins based on the quantification of the acid hydrolysis products that include ellagic acid, gallic acid, sanguisorbic acid dilactone, valoneic acid dilactone, and gallagic acid dilactone in pomegranate samples. The study also shows the occurrence of ellagitannin C-glycosides in pomegranates. The method was optimized using a pomegranate peel extract. To quantify nonextractable ellagitannins, freeze-dried pomegranate fruit samples were directly hydrolyzed with 4 M HCl in water at 90 °C for 24 h followed by extraction of the pellet with dimethyl sulfoxide/methanol (50:50, v/v). The method was validated and reproducibility was assessed by means of an interlaboratory trial, showing high reproducibility across six laboratories with relative standard deviations below 15%. Their applicability was demonstrated in several pomegranate extracts, different parts of pomegranate fruit (husk, peels, and mesocarp), and commercial juices. A large variability has been found in the ellagitannin content (150-750 mg of hydrolysis products/g) and type (gallagic acid/ellagic acid ratios between 4 and 0.15) of the 11 pomegranate extracts studied.

Antimicrobial activity of pomegranate fruit constituents against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and β-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

Context: The global surge in multi-drug resistant bacteria and the imminence of tuberculosis pandemic necessitate alternative therapeutic approaches to augment the existing medications. Pomegranate, the fruit of Punica granatum Linn. (Punicaceae), widely recognized for potency against a broad spectrum of bacterial pathogens, deserves further investigation in this respect.Objective: This study determines the therapeutic potential of pomegranate juice, extracts of non-edible peel prepared with methanol/water, and its four polyphenolic constituents, namely caffeic acid, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and quercetin, against drug-resistant clinical isolates.Materials and methods: Phenotypic characterisation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and KPC-type carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was performed by biochemical and molecular methods. Resistance profiles of M. tuberculosis and K. pneumoniae were determined using LJ proportion and Kirby–Bauer methods, respectively. Pomegranate fruit extracts, and the compounds, were evaluated at a dose range of 1024–0.5 µg/mL, and 512–0.25 µg/mL, respectively, to determine minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentrations (MBC) against the drug-resistant isolates by the broth micro-dilution method.Results: The peel extracts exhibited greater antimycobacterial activity (MIC 64–1024 μg/mL) than the potable juice (MIC 256 - > 1024 μg/mL). EGCG and quercetin exhibited higher antitubercular (MIC 32–256 μg/mL) and antibacterial (MIC 64–56 μg/mL) potencies than caffeic acid and ellagic acid (MIC 64–512 μg/mL).Discussion and conclusion: The pomegranate fruit peel and pure constituents were active against a broad panel of M. tuberculosis and β-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae isolates. EGCG and quercetin need further investigation for prospective application against respiratory infections.

Chromatographic analysis and antiproliferative potential of aqueous extracts of Punica granatum fruit peels using the Allium cepa test

Punica granatum L., locally known as romanzeira, is native to Asia but found throughout Brazil. P. granatum is used for treating inflammatory, infectious and respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chromatography and genotoxicity of an aqueous extract of P. granatum (pomegranate) fruit peel using the Allium cepa L. test. The experiment set-up entailed 7 treatments: T1-distilled water, T2-tea 5 g.L-1, T3-tea 10 g.L-1, T4-glyphosate at 9.6%, T5-glyphosate with subsequent recovery in distilled water, T6-glyphosate with subsequent recovery in tea 5 g.L-1 and T7-glyphosate with subsequent recovery in tea 10 g.L-1. The rootlets were collected and fixed in ethanol:acetic acid (3:1) for 24 hours, then stored in 70% ethanol under refrigeration. Analysis was performed using high performance liquid chromatography for the quantification of the extracted phenolic compounds. Gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, and rutin were abundant in the extracts of P. granatum. The extracts were found to exhibit antiproliferative potential but not antimutagenic or genotoxic activity.

Anthelmintic potential of Calotropis procera, Azadirachta indica and Punica granatum against Gastrothylax indicus.

Anthelmintic activity of both ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Calotropis procera flowers, Azadirachta indica leaves and Punica granatum fruit peel in comparison with albendazole was evaluated through in vitro studies by the worm motility inhibition assay. Significant anthelmintic effects (p<0.0005) were observed on live Gastrothylax indicus worm as evident from their mortality at 4h post exposure to both ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Phytochemical analysis of extracts revealed the presence of phenols, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, steroids and triterpenoids. LC-50 values were determined to be 12.05mg/ml±3.24 and 23.52mg/ml±6.4 for C. procera, 24.37mg/ml±4.11 and 21.02mg/ml±4.6 for A. indica, 18.92mg/ml±4.54 and 24.43mg/ml±6.96 for P. granatum ethanolic and aqueous extracts respectively, whereas it was 29.23μg/ml±4.51 for albendazole. The mean mortality index (MI) was 1.0 and 0.90 for C. procera, 0.90 for A. indica and 0.73 and 0.80 for P. granatum ethanolic and aqueous extracts respectively whereas for albendazole it was 1.0. Percent mean worm motility inhibition (%WMI) was observed to be between 70 and 100% for different extracts.Various concentrations (5-5000μg/ml) of all the plant extracts and albendazole were used to detect their cytotoxic effects against HeLa cell line to determine CC-50 by MTT assay. CC-50 values, of all the plant extracts were determined to be >1000μg/ml and for albendazole it was found to be >10μM. All the three plants can be potential sources for novel anthelmintics.

Dyeing of cotton with thyme and pomegranate peel

Application of natural dyes for textiles is increasing due to awareness of environment, ecology, and pollution control. The purpose of this study is to determine the color, antimicrobial, and fastness properties of cotton fabrics dyed with thyme and pomegranate peel without a mordanting process. In this way, it was planned to avoid use of metallic mordants (heavy-metal salts) and prevent heavy-metal pollution for ecological production. Additionally, a variety of the most commonly used mordants, namely potassium aluminum sulfate, copper(II) sulfate, iron(II) sulfate, and tin(II) chloride, were used for mordanting of cotton fabrics in order to compare the differently mordanted and unmordanted dyed fabrics’ color efficiencies (K/S) and CIE L * a * b * color values. It was found that mordant type had an effect on color efficiency and the color coordinates of fabrics dyed with both thyme and pomegranate fruit peel. Moreover, the antimicrobial properties of the fabrics only dyed directly with thyme and pomegranate peel without any mordanting process were determined to demonstrate the usability of these natural dye sources without use of any mordanting agents. The obtained antimicrobial activities were compared with undyed samples. Undyed samples showed no antimicrobial activity, whereas significant antimicrobial activity was obtained after the dyeing procedure using thyme and pomegranate peel on unmordanted fabrics. Washing, rubbing, perspiration, and lightfastness properties of dyed fabrics were also evaluated. Thyme and pomegranate fruit peel as natural dye sources revealed sufficient results even for unmordanted samples.

Anti-Ulcerative Potential of &lt;i&gt;Punica granatum&lt;/i&gt; L (Lythraceae) Hydroalcohol Fruit Peel Extract

Purpose: To evaluate the antiulcer activities of the methanol extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum L) fruit peel using 80 % ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in rats.Methods: Male Wistar rats, 175 - 220 g, were fasted for 48 h, but had free access to water. They were randomly divided into nine experimental groups. Ulcer was induced in the rats with 80 % ethanol. The control group animals received the same treatment as those in the test groups except that the extract treatment was replaced by administration of appropriate volume of the dosing vehicle. Histaminereceptor type-2 (H2) blocker, cimetidine (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was used as the reference drug. Oral pretreatment with three different extract doses (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) was for 15 days, thereafter, ulcer index (UI) and inhibition were calculated.Results: The extract, at 50 mg/kg, of black fruit peel extract produced significant (p &lt; 0.05) protective effect in rats with a preventive index of 65.87 %. Other doses were significantly protective against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in the rats. On the other hand, north white peel was not effective (50 mg/kg) showed an ulcer index of 49.52 ± 1.99. Histopathological examination of the stomach of the ulcerated animals treated with white peel (50 mg/kg) showed severe erosion of gastric mucosa, submucosal edema and neutrophil infiltration.Conclusion: The study shows indicates the antiulcer properties of the methanol extracts of north white peel, sour summer and black peel (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) of pomegranate. Their antiulcer activity is exerted, possibly, via its high antioxidant activity.Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Pomegranate, Punica granatum, Peel extract

Antifungal activity of pomegranate peel extract and isolated compound punicalagin against dermatophytes.

BackgroundDermatophyte species infect the epidermis and appendages, often with serious social and health-economic consequences. The hydroalcoholic extract of pomegranate fruit peel showed activity against the dermatophyte fungi Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, Microsporum canis and M. gypseum.MethodsHydroalcoholic extract was prepared with pomegranate peels. This crude extract was fractionated and submitted to liquid-liquid partition, resulting in an active fraction which was fractionated in a Sephadex LH-20 column, followed by a Lobar column. The structure of the active compound was established with the use of spectroscopic methods.ResultsThe crude extract of pomegranate fruit peel showed activity against the dermatophytes Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, Microsporum canis, and M. gypseum, with MICs values of 125 μg/ml and 250 μg/ml, respectively for each genus. Punicalagin was isolated and identified by spectroscopic analysis. The crude extract and punicalagin showed activity against the conidial and hyphal stages of the fungi. The cytotoxicity assay showed selectivity for fungal cells than for mammalian cells.ConclusionsThese results indicated that the crude extract and punicalagin had a greater antifungal activity against T. rubrum, indicating that the pomegranate is a good target for study to obtain a new antidermatophyte medicine.

Small molecule inhibitors of HCV replication from pomegranate.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the causative agent of end-stage liver disease. Recent advances in the last decade in anti HCV treatment strategies have dramatically increased the viral clearance rate. However, several limitations are still associated, which warrant a great need of novel, safe and selective drugs against HCV infection. Towards this objective, we explored highly potent and selective small molecule inhibitors, the ellagitannins, from the crude extract of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit peel. The pure compounds, punicalagin, punicalin, and ellagic acid isolated from the extract specifically blocked the HCV NS3/4A protease activity in vitro. Structural analysis using computational approach also showed that ligand molecules interact with the catalytic and substrate binding residues of NS3/4A protease, leading to inhibition of the enzyme activity. Further, punicalagin and punicalin significantly reduced the HCV replication in cell culture system. More importantly, these compounds are well tolerated ex vivo and‘no observed adverse effect level' (NOAEL) was established upto an acute dose of 5000 mg/kg in BALB/c mice. Additionally, pharmacokinetics study showed that the compounds are bioavailable. Taken together, our study provides a proof-of-concept approach for the potential use of antiviral and non-toxic principle ellagitannins from pomegranate in prevention and control of HCV induced complications.

Salinity effects on colour and health traits in the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit peel

Irrigation water salinity effects on colour and health ingredients in the pomegranate peel were studied in two accessions, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘SP-2’, grown under a wide range of salinities, 1.2 to 9 dS m–1. Ripe fruit peels were analysed for phenolics and anthocyanins composition, and antioxidative capacity. Total phenolics concentration and antioxidative capacity were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteau and FRAP assays, respectively. Phenolics and anthocyanins composition was analysed by RP-HPLC. Increased salinity enhanced considerably the overall accumulation of phenolics and anthocyanins, and the antioxidative capacity in both cultivars; the magnitude of the effects was accession dependent. Mono- and di-glucosides of cyanidins, pelargonidins, and delphinidines were detected at proportions that varied with accession and salinity. Increased concentrations of gallotannins, flavonols and ellagic acid derivatives in ‘Wonderful’, and punicalagins, flavonols and ellagic acid derivatives in ‘SP-2’ accompanied elevated salinity levels. The results may benefit the pomegranate juice and byproduct valourisation industries, especially in the face of global water quality deterioration.

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum L.) FRUIT PEELS EXTRACT ON SOME CHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND ORGANOLEPTICAL PROPERTIES OF YOGHURT DURING STORAGE.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit peels was investigated for its phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antoxidative activity on L.A.B in yoghurt during cold storage . Results of chemical composition being 7.15 %, 1.22 % 0.65 % and 85.04 % for moisture, protein, crude fat and carbohydrates respectively. Total phenolic compounds were 42.62 mg gallic acid / g. Data of HPLC revealed that ten compounds were identified namely catechin , gallic and - chlorogenic acid being 138.71, 111.68 and 92.39% , Moreover catechol and caffein were 84.36 and 44.47 % and other trace compounds namely coumarin, cinnamic , chrysin, caffeic and ferulic . Radical scavenging activity DPPH for the aqueous extract was 90.97 %,compared with TBHQ 94.1% as synthetic one. Pomegranate peel extract explored considerable inhibitory effect of each of lactic acid bacteria, coliform group and Staph. Sp. The increase aqueous extract of pomegranate peel from 1to 5 % lead to an inhibitory effect on LAB and other tested pathogenic bacteria. 1 % of extract was appropriate for the viability of Lactic acid bacteria which was above 30 × 106 c.f.u ⁄ ml. In addition, using of 1 %, 0.75, 0.5 and 0.25% on yoghurt processing was acceptable for the chemical, microbiological and organoleptical properties of the resultant yoghurt. Moreover, the ratio of 0.75 % was more acceptable, comparing with other added doses.

Bactericidal activity and phytochemical screening of Moroccan pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn.) peel aqueous extracts

Punica granatum L. is an important medicinal plant in Morocco. Several researches were focused on antimicrobial activity of different pomegranate extracts, only few were on traditional preparations. To optimize and enhance the traditional use of this plant, aqueous extracts (decoction, infusion, maceration) of pomegranate fruit peels were examined for its antibacterial activity against some strains of human pathogenic bacteria. The sensitivity test performed with commonly used antibiotic test discs showed that majority of the bacteria tested are multiresistant to antibiotics. In spite of this, the plant extract was found to be more or equally effective as compared to standard antibiotics. Also, the decoction has a higher bactericidal activity with inhibition zones ranging from 12.3 to 30.3 mm, and minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 0.048 to 3.12 mg/ml. The results provide a scientific basis for the centuries-old usage of aqueous extracts of this medicinal plant. Key words: Antibiotic resistance, aqueous extracts, bactericidal activity, Punica granatumL.

Chemical Composition, Water Sorption Isotherm, and Phenolic Contents in Fresh and Dried Pomegranate Peels

Pomegranate peels were dried by freeze drying at 20°C; air and vacuum drying at 40, 60, and 90°C; and sun drying. The moisture sorption isotherm was measured and modeled using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Guggenheim–Anderson–De Boer (GAB) models. Two solvents (methanol and ethanol) and water were used to extract the phenolic compounds in pomegranate fruit peel. Fresh peels contained 5,990, 4,530, and 8,460 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g dry-peel solids for methanol, ethanol, and water extracts, respectively. The total phenolic content of ethanol extracts of freeze-dried peels was comparable to that of fresh peels (4,900 mg GAE/100 g dry-peel solids), whereas air- and vacuum-dried peels had significantly lower phenolic contents. Peels air dried at 60°C had the highest phenolic content (2,320–4,650 mg/100 g dry-peel solids) compared to samples air dried at 40 or 90°C (1,160–4,480 mg/100 g dry-peel solids), whereas vacuum-dried peels did not show any trends with temperature. In general, methanol had a higher capacity for extracting phenolic compounds from dried pomegranate peels than water, and ethanol showed a low extraction capacity. In all cases, phenolic compounds were significantly lower in ethanol extracts compared to methanol or water extracts (p < 0.05). In addition, phenolic compounds soluble in water and ethanol were more sensitive to all drying methods except freeze drying.

HPLC Evaluation of Phenolic Profile, Nutritive Content, and Antioxidant Capacity of Extracts Obtained from Punica granatum Fruit Peel.

This study revealed polyphenolic content, nutritive content, antioxidant activity, and phenolic profile of methanol and aqueous extracts of Punica granatum peel extract. For this, extracts were screened for possible antioxidant activities by free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The total phenolics and flavonoid recovered by methanolic (MPE) and the water extract (AQPE) were ranged from 185 ± 12.45 to 298.00 ± 24.86 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalents)/gm and 23.05 ± 1.54 to 49.8 ± 2.14 quercetin (QE) mg/g, respectively. The EC50 of herbal extracts ranged from 100 µg/ml (0.38 quercetin equivalents), for AQPE, 168 µg/ml (0.80 quercetin equivalents), for MPE. The phenolic profile in the methanolic extracts was investigated by chromatographic (HPLC) method. About 5 different flavonoids, phenolic acids, and their derivatives including quercetin (1), rutin (2), gallic acid (3), ellagic acid (4), and punicalagin as a major ellagitannin (5) have been identified. Among both extracts, methanolic extract was the most effective. This report may be the first to show nutritive content and correlation analysis to suggest that phenols and flavonoids might contribute the high antioxidant activity of this fruit peel and establish it as a valuable natural antioxidant source applicable in the health food industry.

Inhibition of Cathepsin D protease activity by Punica granatum fruit peel extracts, isolates, and semisynthetic analogs

Crude extracts of Punica granatum fruit peel, its isolates, and semisynthetic analogs were investigated for their Cathepsin D protease reticence. Hexane extract (HE), chloroform extract (CE), and ethyl acetate extract (EAE) exhibited significant inhibition of Cathepsin D activity. The bioactivity-guided isolation of hexane- and chloroform-soluble fractions yielded piperine and ursolic acid as bioactive constituents. Upon semisynthetic modifications of ursolic acid, two of the analogs (7 and 8) exhibited higher inhibition of Cathepsin D activity: IC50 at 12.87 and 9.40 μM, respectively. P. granatum fruit peel extracts may act as breast cancer chemopreventive agent.

Antibacterial, antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibition activities of pomegranate fruit peel methanolic extract.

BackgroundThis study evaluated, using in vitro assays, the antibacterial, antioxidant, and tyrosinase-inhibition activities of methanolic extracts from peels of seven commercially grown pomegranate cultivars.MethodsAntibacterial activity was tested on Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia) using a microdilution method. Several potential antioxidant activities, including radical-scavenging ability (RSA), ferrous ion chelating (FIC) and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), were evaluated. Tyrosinase enzyme inhibition was investigated against monophenolase (tyrosine) and diphenolase (DOPA), with arbutin and kojic acid as positive controls. Furthermore, phenolic contents including total flavonoid content (TFC), gallotannin content (GTC) and total anthocyanin content (TAC) were determined using colourimetric methods. HPLC-ESI/MSn analysis of phenolic composition of methanolic extracts was also performed.ResultsMethanolic peel extracts showed strong broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0.2 to 0.78 mg/ml. At the highest concentration tested (1000 μg/ml), radical scavenging activities were significantly higher in Arakta (83.54%), Ganesh (83.56%), and Ruby (83.34%) cultivars (P< 0.05). Dose dependent FIC and FRAP activities were exhibited by all the peel extracts. All extracts also exhibited high inhibition (>50%) against monophenolase and diphenolase activities at the highest screening concentration. The most active peel extract was the Bhagwa cultivar against monophenolase and the Arakta cultivar against diphenolase with IC50 values of 3.66 μg/ml and 15.88 μg/ml, respectively. High amounts of phenolic compounds were found in peel extracts with the highest and lowest total phenolic contents of 295.5 (Ganesh) and 179.3 mg/g dry extract (Molla de Elche), respectively. Catechin, epicatechin, ellagic acid and gallic acid were found in all cultivars, of which ellagic acid was the most abundant comprising of more than 50% of total phenolic compounds detected in each cultivar.ConclusionsThe present study showed that the tested pomegranate peels exhibited strong antibacterial, antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibition activities. These results suggest that pomegranate fruit peel could be exploited as a potential source of natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents as well as tyrosinase inhibitors.

Importance of Deoxyribose Degradation Assay for Evaluating Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activity of Punica Extract

Punica granatum L. (Family: Punicaceae), commonly known as pomegranate (Anar) has been used traditionally as medicine to treat a number of diseases and disorders. Various parts of the plant and their active constituents are known to possess diverse biological activity. However, little is known about the antioxidant potential of pomegranate fruit peel, which is otherwise considered as waste. Therefore, the concentration-dependent hydroxyl radical scavenging ability of Punica granatum seed and peel extracts (alcoholic and aqueous) using deoxyribose degradation assay were analyzed and compared. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity at different concentrations of extract (10 to 250 μg/mL) both in presence and/or absence of ascorbic acid and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid was determined. It was observed that a higher concentration of extract suppresses scavenging activity and lower promotes antioxidant property. Based on the observations, it may be inferred that pomegranate extract, especially from the spent/waste prt, has a strong antioxidant property as assessed by its property of scavenging hydroxyl radical formation.

Establishment of pomegranate (Punica granatum) hairy root cultures for genetic interrogation of the hydrolyzable tannin biosynthetic pathway

In contrast to the numerous reports on the human therapeutic applications of hydrolyzable tannins (HTs), genes involved in their biosynthesis have not been identified at the molecular level from any plant species. Although we have previously identified candidate HT biosynthetic genes in pomegranate using transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses, characterization of in planta enzyme function remains a critical step in biochemical pathway elucidation. We here report the establishment of a pomegranate (Punica granatum) hairy root culture system that produces HTs. Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains transformed with a binary vector harboring a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) gene were used for hairy root induction, allowing visual, non-destructive, detection of transgene incorporation. It also demonstrated that the pomegranate hairy root culture system is suitable for expressing heterologous genes (YFP in this case). Expression of 26 putative UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) genes, obtained from a pomegranate fruit peel (a tissue highly abundant in HTs) RNA-Seq library, were verified in wild type and hairy roots. In addition, two candidate UGTs for HT biosynthesis were identified based on HPLC and differential gene expression analyses of various pomegranate tissues. Together with in vitro enzyme activity assays, the hairy root culture system holds great promise for revealing the undivulged HT biosynthetic pathway using pomegranate as a model system.

Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Punica granatum&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.) Fruit Peels

The antioxidant activity of pomegranate fruit peels was evaluated using in vitro tests. 80% methanolic extracts (ME) of peels had higher yield (45.4%) and total phenolics (27.4%) than water (WE) or ether extracts (EE). The reducing power of ME was more potent (P α-catechin. Pomegranate peels contained phenolics, exhibited DPPH scavenging activity and reducing power.