Biochemical Analyses of Bioactive Extracts from Plants Native to Lampedusa, Sicily Minor Island

Roberta Di Lecce; Natacha Mérindol; Mayra Galarza Pérez; Vahid Karimzadegan; Lionel Berthoux; Angela Boari; Christian Zidorn; Maurizio Vurro; Giuseppe Surico; Isabel Desgagné-Penix; Antonio Evidente

doi:10.3390/plants11243447

Biochemical Analyses of Bioactive Extracts from Plants Native to Lampedusa, Sicily Minor Island

Plants (Basel). 2022 Dec 9;11(24):3447. doi: 10.3390/plants11243447.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy.
² Département de Chimie, Biochimie et Physique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada.
³ Pharmazeutisches Institut, Abteilung Pharmazeutische Biologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Gutenbergstraße 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany.
⁴ Département de Biologie Médicale, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada.
⁵ Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Via Amendola 122/O, 70125 Bari, Italy.
⁶ Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment, and Forestry (DAGRI), Section of Agricultural Microbiology, Plant Pathology and Enthomology, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, Italy.

Abstract

Major threats to the human lifespan include cancer, infectious diseases, diabetes, mental degenerative conditions and also reduced agricultural productivity due to climate changes, together with new and more devastating plant diseases. From all of this, the need arises to find new biopesticides and new medicines. Plants and microorganisms are the most important sources for isolating new metabolites. Lampedusa Island host a rich contingent of endemic species and subspecies. Seven plant species spontaneously growing in Lampedusa, i.e., Atriplex halimus L. (Ap), Daucus lopadusanus Tineo (Dl), Echinops spinosus Fiori (Es) Glaucium flavum Crantz (Gf) Hypericum aegypticum L: (Ha), Periploca angustifolia Labill (Pa), and Prasium majus L. (Pm) were collected, assessed for their metabolite content, and evaluated for potential applications in agriculture and medicine. The HPLC-MS analysis of n-hexane (HE) and CH2Cl2 (MC) extracts and the residual aqueous phases (WR) showed the presence of several metabolites in both organic extracts. Crude HE and MC extracts from Dl and He significantly inhibited butyrylcholinesterase, as did WR from the extraction of Dl and Pa. HE and MC extracts showed a significant toxicity towards hepatocarcinoma Huh7, while Dl, Ha and Er HE extracts were the most potently cytotoxic to ileocecal colorectal adenocarcinoma HCT-8 cell lines. Most extracts showed antiviral activity. At the lowest concentration tested (1.56 μg/mL), Dl, Gf and Ap MC extracts inhibited betacoronavirus HCoV-OC43 infection by> 2 fold, while the n-hexane extract of Pm was the most potent. In addition, at 1.56 μg/mL, potent inhibition (>10 fold) of dengue virus was detected for Dl, Er, and Pm HE extracts, while Pa and Ap MC extracts dampened infections to undetectable levels. Regarding to phytotoxicity, MC extracts from Er, Ap and Pm were more effective in inhibiting tomato rootlet elongation; the same first two extracts also inhibited seed cress germination while its radicle elongation, due to high sensitivity, was affected by all the extracts. Es and Gf MC extracts also inhibited seed germination of Phelipanche ramosa. Thus, we have uncovered that many of these Lampedusa plants displayed promising biopesticide, antiviral, and biological properties.

Keywords: Lampedusa island; Sicily; antiviral; biological activity screening; biopesticide; metabolic profile; native plants.

Grants and funding

Part of the biological assays carried out in this research was funded by the Canada Research Chair on plant specialized metabolism grant number 950-232164 to I.D-P.