Browsing by Author "Pinto, Diana"
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- Adansonia digitata fruit: compounds and antioxidante activity against reactive speciesPublication . Pinto, Diana; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Freitas, Marisa; Oliveira, M. Beatriz P.P.Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is an African native fruit, of which both chemical composition and antioxidant activity against physiologically relevant reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) were not yet investigated. It is generally accepted that the antioxidant activity of natural resources could be related with the prevention of several diseases. Baobab leaves, fruit pulp, root, stem, seeds and bark have shown medicinal properties, including diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepato-protective, analgesic, anti-diarrhea, anti-dysentery, anti rheumatoid and antiviral activities.
- CosmeticsPublication . Rodrigues, Francisca; Cádiz-Gurrea, María de la Luz; Nunes, M. Antónia; Pinto, Diana; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Borrás Linares, Isabel; Oliveira, M. Beatriz P.P.; Segura Carretero, AntonioThe cosmetic industry is a prosperous global business. According to the Cosmetics Europe—The Personal Care Association, 450 million of Europeans daily use a wide variety of cosmetic products, such as soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, skincare, perfume, or make-up. Innovation is one of the basic principles in this field. Over the past 20 years, the innovation in cosmetic industry is enormous, resulting in a wide range of products to protect and moisturize skin as well as to combat inflammation and age signals. Also, consumers are more concerned about their appearance, trying to accept the new society paradigms. On the other hand, the demand for natural cosmetics is stronger than ever, being now widely considered a serious threat to the worldwide economy and society. These new concepts had improved the use of natural extracts as active ingredients in cosmetics, leading to the reuse of old-style active ingredients obtained from natural sources, as well as to new green compounds obtained considering sustainable principles.
- Hardy kiwifruit leaves (Actinidia arguta): an extraordinary source of value-added compounds for food industryPublication . Almeida, Diana; Pinto, Diana; Santos, Joana; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Palmeira, Josman; Ferreira, Helena N.; Rodrigues, Francisca; Oliveira, M. Beatriz P.P.The present study reports for the first time the identification and quantification of phenolic compounds, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities as well as the in vitro radical scavenging activity and intestinal cell effects of A. arguta leaves extracts. Extractions were carried out under water, water:ethanol (50:50) and ethanol. The highest antioxidant activity were obtained in alcoholic extract (IC50 = 53.95 ± 3.09 μg/mL for DPPH; 6628.42 ± 382.49 µmol/mg dry weight basis for FRAP) while the phenolic profile confirmed by HPLC analysis revealed highest amounts of phenolic acids (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives) and flavonoids (flavan-3-ol and flavonols derivatives). An excellent scavenging activity against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species were determined for all extracts as well as no adverse effects on Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells in concentrations below 100 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL, respectively. These results highlight the potentialities of hardy kiwi leaves valorization.
- Preliminary study of Actinidia arguta leaves as source of bioactive compoundsPublication . Almeida, Diana; Pinto, Diana; Rodrigues, Francisca; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Oliveira, M. Beatriz P.P.Actinidia arguta, commonly known as baby kiwi, is an abundant seasonal fruit in Asia, being recently introduced in Europe. The fruit is now available in Portugal, leading to a high consumer attention. During the baby kiwi harvest, a large amount of leaves falls and stay in the soil. To the best of our knowledge, few studies concerning their composition are reported. The aim of this study is to determine and compare the total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively) as well as the antioxidant activity (through DPPH and FRAP assays) of leaf extracts from different baby kiwi cultivars. The extracts were obtained taking into consideration sustainable conditions (namely solvents and temperatures).