Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research

Berberine is a natural substance obtained from the roots of common barberry which, due to its strong pharmacological activity, is a commonly tested ingredient of dietary supplements. However, ornamental barberries, which are widely available, have not been considered as a source of berberine so far....

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Main Authors: Michał Miłek, Małgorzata Dżugan, Natalia Pieńkowska, Sabina Galiniak, Mateusz Mołoń, Wojciech Litwińczuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Current Issues in Molecular Biology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/46/11/787
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author Michał Miłek
Małgorzata Dżugan
Natalia Pieńkowska
Sabina Galiniak
Mateusz Mołoń
Wojciech Litwińczuk
author_facet Michał Miłek
Małgorzata Dżugan
Natalia Pieńkowska
Sabina Galiniak
Mateusz Mołoń
Wojciech Litwińczuk
author_sort Michał Miłek
collection DOAJ
description Berberine is a natural substance obtained from the roots of common barberry which, due to its strong pharmacological activity, is a commonly tested ingredient of dietary supplements. However, ornamental barberries, which are widely available, have not been considered as a source of berberine so far. The research aimed to check whether the ornamental barberry leaves and twigs could be used as an easily accessible raw material for obtaining natural berberine-rich extract with biological activity. Twigs and leaves of seven cultivars of ornamental barberry extracts were assessed for their polyphenol content, antioxidant potential (FRAP and DPPH), and berberine content using high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). As a reference, commercially available roots of <i>Berberis vulgaris</i> were used. For the next step, selected extracts (two with high and two with low berberine content) were tested on three cell lines (HaCaT, A375, Caco-2) using neutral red assay, and pure berberine sulfate (1–100 μg mL<sup>−1</sup>) was used as a control. Although the antioxidant potential of aqueous–methanol extracts of tested barberry was higher for the leaves than for the twigs, the berberine content was determined only in the twig extracts (from 42 to 676 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup>). Studies on cell lines have shown the general toxicity of barberry extracts, but the observed effect was not directly correlated with the content of the alkaloid. However, the extract showed greater activity compared to an analogous dose of pure berberine, suggesting a significant effect of the matrix composition. For the first time, it was shown that the twigs of selected cultivars of ornamental barberry can be considered as a promising berberine source for the pharmaceutical industry to develop new effective formulations. However, these findings require further studies.
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spelling doaj-art-8e75ee48a8074ead8e341b75a56d30772025-08-20T01:53:53ZengMDPI AGCurrent Issues in Molecular Biology1467-30371467-30452024-11-014611131931320810.3390/cimb46110787Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary ResearchMichał Miłek0Małgorzata Dżugan1Natalia Pieńkowska2Sabina Galiniak3Mateusz Mołoń4Wojciech Litwińczuk5Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Rzeszow, Ćwiklińskiej 1a, 35-601 Rzeszow, PolandDepartment of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Rzeszow, Ćwiklińskiej 1a, 35-601 Rzeszow, PolandInstitute of Medical Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Warzywna 1a, 35-310 Rzeszow, PolandInstitute of Medical Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Warzywna 1a, 35-310 Rzeszow, PolandInstitute of Biology, University of Rzeszow, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszow, PolandDepartment of Physiology and Plant Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Environment Management and Protection, University of Rzeszow, Ćwiklińskiej 2, 35-601 Rzeszow, PolandBerberine is a natural substance obtained from the roots of common barberry which, due to its strong pharmacological activity, is a commonly tested ingredient of dietary supplements. However, ornamental barberries, which are widely available, have not been considered as a source of berberine so far. The research aimed to check whether the ornamental barberry leaves and twigs could be used as an easily accessible raw material for obtaining natural berberine-rich extract with biological activity. Twigs and leaves of seven cultivars of ornamental barberry extracts were assessed for their polyphenol content, antioxidant potential (FRAP and DPPH), and berberine content using high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). As a reference, commercially available roots of <i>Berberis vulgaris</i> were used. For the next step, selected extracts (two with high and two with low berberine content) were tested on three cell lines (HaCaT, A375, Caco-2) using neutral red assay, and pure berberine sulfate (1–100 μg mL<sup>−1</sup>) was used as a control. Although the antioxidant potential of aqueous–methanol extracts of tested barberry was higher for the leaves than for the twigs, the berberine content was determined only in the twig extracts (from 42 to 676 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup>). Studies on cell lines have shown the general toxicity of barberry extracts, but the observed effect was not directly correlated with the content of the alkaloid. However, the extract showed greater activity compared to an analogous dose of pure berberine, suggesting a significant effect of the matrix composition. For the first time, it was shown that the twigs of selected cultivars of ornamental barberry can be considered as a promising berberine source for the pharmaceutical industry to develop new effective formulations. However, these findings require further studies.https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/46/11/787berberineornamental barberrytwigspolyphenolsHPTLCanticancer
spellingShingle Michał Miłek
Małgorzata Dżugan
Natalia Pieńkowska
Sabina Galiniak
Mateusz Mołoń
Wojciech Litwińczuk
Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
berberine
ornamental barberry
twigs
polyphenols
HPTLC
anticancer
title Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
title_full Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
title_fullStr Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
title_full_unstemmed Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
title_short Ornamental Barberry Twigs as an Underexploited Source of Berberine-Rich Extracts—Preliminary Research
title_sort ornamental barberry twigs as an underexploited source of berberine rich extracts preliminary research
topic berberine
ornamental barberry
twigs
polyphenols
HPTLC
anticancer
url https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/46/11/787
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AT nataliapienkowska ornamentalbarberrytwigsasanunderexploitedsourceofberberinerichextractspreliminaryresearch
AT sabinagaliniak ornamentalbarberrytwigsasanunderexploitedsourceofberberinerichextractspreliminaryresearch
AT mateuszmołon ornamentalbarberrytwigsasanunderexploitedsourceofberberinerichextractspreliminaryresearch
AT wojciechlitwinczuk ornamentalbarberrytwigsasanunderexploitedsourceofberberinerichextractspreliminaryresearch