Myrtle Seeds (Myrtus communis L.) as a Rich Source of the Bioactive Ellagitannins Oenothein B and Eugeniflorin D2

Andrea M Franco; Noemi Tocci; Graziano Guella; Mario Dell'Agli; Enrico Sangiovanni; Daniele Perenzoni; Urska Vrhovsek; Fulvio Mattivi; Gavina Manca

doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b02010

Myrtle Seeds (Myrtus communis L.) as a Rich Source of the Bioactive Ellagitannins Oenothein B and Eugeniflorin D₂

ACS Omega. 2019 Sep 20;4(14):15966-15974. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02010. eCollection 2019 Oct 1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Economics and Business (DiSea), Laboratory of Commodity Science Technology and Quality, University of Sassari, Via Muroni 25, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
² Centre for Research and Innovation, Department of Food Quality and Nutrition, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy.
³ Department of Physics, Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123 Povo, TN, Italy.
⁴ Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy.

Abstract

The increasing popularity of "Mirto" liqueur, produced from Myrtus communis berries, has led to the planting of domesticated cultivars, expanding myrtle berry production. To promote the use of cultivated berries, the content in the nutraceutical compounds ellagitannins has been investigated both in spontaneous and cultivated fruits. Oenothein B and eugeniflorin D₂, characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, were isolated and quantified using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-MS/MS). The antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities of oenothein B were assayed in vitro. Large amounts of oenothein B and eugeniflorin D₂ were detected in seeds (12 ± 2.4 and 5.8 ± 1.2 mg/g). The oenothein B concentration in liqueurs was 194 ± 22 mg/L. This macrocyclic ellagitannin dimer showed anti-Candida (minimal inhibitory concentration <8-64 μg/mL) and anti-inflammatory properties. Cultivated myrtle berries are a source of nutraceutical compounds. The high concentration of oenothein B in liqueur suggests a possible contribution to the organoleptic and biological properties of the beverage.