Browsing by Author "Navneet Kumar Upadhyay"

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Conifers phytochemicals: A valuable forest with therapeutic potential
(MDPI AG, 2021) Kanchan Bhardwaj; Ana Sanches Silva; Maria Atanassova; Rohit Sharma; Eugenie Nepovimova; Kamil Musilek; Ruchi Sharma; Mousa A. Alghuthaymi; Daljeet Singh Dhanjal; Marcello Nicoletti; Bechan Sharma; Navneet Kumar Upadhyay; Natália Cruz-Martins; Prerna Bhardwaj; Kamil Kuča
Conifers have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential in different disorders. Alkaloids, terpenes and polyphenols are the most abundant naturally occurring phytochemicals in these plants. Here, we provide an overview of the phytochemistry and related commercial products obtained from conifers. The pharmacological actions of different phytochemicals present in conifers against bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are also reviewed. Data obtained from experimental and clinical studies performed to date clearly underline that such compounds exert promising antioxidant effects, being able to inhibit cell damage, cancer growth, inflammation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, an attempt has been made with the intent to highlight the importance of conifer-derived extracts for pharmacological purposes, with the support of relevant in vitro and in vivo experimental data. In short, this review comprehends the information published to date related to conifers’ phytochemicals and illustrates their potential role as drugs. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Studies of Phytochemicals, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Pinus gerardiana and Pinus roxburghii Seed Extracts
(Hindawi Limited, 2022) Kanchan Bhardwaj; Rohit Sharma; Natália Cruz-Martins; Marian Valko; Navneet Kumar Upadhyay; Kamil Kuča; Prerna Bhardwaj
Pine seeds are considered as nonwood forest products (NWFP) with regularly increasing market's demand. They can be eaten in various ways such as roasted or raw. In addition, they are included in various traditional dishes like in cookies, sauces, candies, cakes, breads, and other bakery items and, moreover, for medicinal purposes. GC-MS study is performed to analyze the phytochemical compounds present in the seed extracts of Pinus roxburghii (Chir) and Pinus gerardiana (Chilgoza). In total, 25 compounds were identified each in Chir and Chilgoza. In Chir seeds, abundantly present compounds were 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (16.6%), followed by ç-Terpinene (9.9%) and cyclohexanol, 4-ethenyl-4-methyl-3-(1-methylethenyl)-, (1à,3à,4á) (9.8%), whereas in Chilgoza seeds, the maximum amount of compound was 1-hexyl-1-nitrocyclohexane (17.3%), followed by phenol, 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) (15.4%), and heptadecane, 2-methyl (8.4%). The total phenolic content of Chir seed sample was 1536±4.35 (mg GAE/100 g), whereas in the Chilgoza seed extract was 642.66±2.08 (mg GAE/100 g). The application of RP-HPLC-DAD system revealed that Chir and Chilgoza seeds have maximum quantity of catechin (15.77±0.16 μg/mg and 17.49±0.32 μg/mg, respectively). Both Chir and Chilgoza seed extracts exhibited significant antioxidant (radical scavenging) potential, through H2O2 (618.94±21.45 μg/mL and 575.16±19.88 μg/mL) and DPPH (552.60±13.03 μg/mL and 429.15±3.80 μg/mL) assays, respectively. Additionally, a well-known antibacterial potential was also found in both plants' dichloromethane extracts, with 64 to 256 μg/mL of minimum inhibitory concentrations. As a whole, result shows the importance of both plants as a naturally occurring phytochemical source with significant antibacterial and antioxidant activity. © 2022 Kanchan Bhardwaj et al.