Juniperus oxycedrus leaves and berries extracts: HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS2 phenolic characterization and in vitro anti-inflammatory effects

Background: Inflammation is a natural response of the body to tissue injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can contribute to the development of various diseases. Therefore, finding effective ways to reduce inflammation is of great interest to researchers and healthcare providers. The aim of the study was the elucidation of the phenolic profile from J. oxycedrus leaves and berries followed by in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays. Despite the existence of some works on this species, most of these researchers focus their attention on cade oil and only few were interested to study leaves and berries extracts. Methods: HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS2 was used for their characterization of the phenolic profile whereas spectrophotometric microassays in non-cellular and cellular systems (RAW 264.7 macrophages cell line) was assessed for their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials. Results: Up to twenty-one polyphenolic compounds were positively identified in both extracts. Both leaves and berries extracts showed strong antioxidant capacity to scavenge O2●, with IC50 values of 22.86 ± 2.40 and 122.62 ± 9.42 µg/mL. Moreover, both revealed to have potential to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase in a dose-dependent way, being leaves the most effective vegetal material. Conclusion: The results suggest that J. oxycedrus leaves and berries could be considered exquisite sources of bioactive molecules for a potential further application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.