The two main species, sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), predominant in French forests, are mainly used for aging wines and spirits; however, the potential of oak wood extract as a source of natural antioxidants, due to its high polyphenol content, could be more widely exploited. This study focuses on three oak species, the two that are well-known, namely, sessile and pedunculate oak, and a third that has seldom been described and valorized, namely, pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens). Water extracts of these three species were fractionated by semi-preparative HPLC. The antioxidant activities of crude extracts and fractions were measured by colorimetric and enzymatic tests. The anti-elastase and anti-collagenase activities of the extracts and their fractions were also evaluated. In parallel, samples were analyzed by UHPLC-HRMS to correlate the activity with the molecular composition using molecular networks. The results obtained for the total extract of the three species were compared to determine if the activity depended on the species. The results within the same species were also compared to highlight which fraction and, therefore, which molecular family was involved in the activity of the total extract. The various antioxidant tests showed good activity of the total extract for the three species of oak and a very good anti-collagenase activity. The antioxidant activity of oak extract has already been proven in the literature and this is correlated with its richness in polyphenols. This study shows that each molecular family of the extract contributes to the activities of the total extract. Oak extract can be used to neutralize the ROS produced during oxidative stress and to prevent the degradation of collagen and elastase during skin aging. Its complementary properties make oak extract a valuable ingredient to act against skin aging.
Keywords: in vitro antioxidant capability; in vitro enzymatic assays; mass spectrometry; molecular network; pedunculate oak; pubescent oak; semi-preparative fractionation; sessile oak.