A phytochemical study of the fruits and leaves of Ficus sycomorus L. led to the isolation of a new dihydrocoumarin, 4-carboxylic-4-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocoumarin (1), together with ten known compounds. Moreover, the different extracts of F. sycomorus were screened for cytotoxic activity using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. The results revealed that all extracts were virtually nontoxic on the shrimps and showed LC50 values greater than 100 μg/mL.

Plants produce a huge number of functionally and chemically different natural products that play an important role in linking the plant with the adjacent environment. Plants can also absorb and transform external organic compounds (xenobiotics). Currently there are only a few studies concerning the effects of xenobiotics and their transformation products on plant metabolites using a mass spectrometric untargeted screening strategy. This study was designed to investigate the changes of the Phragmites australis metabolome following/after diclofenac or carbamazepine incubation, using a serial coupling of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) combined with accurate high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). An untargeted screening strategy of metabolic fingerprints was developed to purposefully compare samples from differently treated P. australis plants, revealing that P. australis responded to each drug differently. When solvents with significantly different polarities were used, the metabolic profiles of P. australis were found to change significantly. For instance, the production of polyphenols (such as quercetin) in the plant increased after diclofenac incubation. Moreover, the pathway of unsaturated organic acids became more prominent, eventually as a reaction to protect the cells against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hence, P. australis exhibited an adaptive mechanism to cope with each drug. Consequently, the untargeted screening approach is essential for understanding the complex response of plants to xenobiotics

Metabolomics approaches provide a vast array of analytical datasets, which require a comprehensive analytical, statistical, and biochemical workflow to reveal changes in metabolic profiles. The biological interpretation of mass spectrometric metabolomics results is still obstructed by the reliable identification of the metabolites as well as annotation and/or classification. In this work, the whole Lemna minor (common duckweed) was extracted using various solvents and analyzed utilizing polarity-extended liquid chromatography (reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC)-hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)) connected to two time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer types, individually. This study (introduces and) discusses three relevant topics for the untargeted workflow: (1) A comparison study of metabolome samples was performed with an untargeted data handling workflow in two different labs with two different mass spectrometers using the same plant material type. (2) A statistical procedure was observed prioritizing significant detected features (dependent and independent of the mass spectrometer using the predictive methodology Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA). (3) Relevant features were transferred to a prioritization tool (the FOR-IDENT platform (FI)) and were compared with the implemented compound database PLANT-IDENT (PI). This compound database is filled with relevant compounds of the Lemnaceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, and Nymphaceae families according to analytical criteria such as retention time (polarity and LogD (pH 7)) and accurate mass (empirical formula). Thus, an untargeted analysis was performed using the new tool as a prioritization and identification source for a hidden-target screening strategy. Consequently, forty-two compounds (amino acids, vitamins, flavonoids) could be recognized and subsequently validated in Lemna metabolic profile using reference standards. The class of flavonoids includes free aglycons and their glycosides. Further, according to our knowledge, the validated flavonoids robinetin and norwogonin were for the first time identified in the Lemna minor extracts

Background: Hyphaene thebaica L. Mart. (Doum-palm), rich in total phenolics content, is known for its medicinal value in the treatment of several health conditions, such as hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Aim of the Study: To investigate the hypoglycaemic activity of the dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and aqueous fractions from doum palm leaves. Then, to characterize the metabolic profile of the most active fraction by LC-HR-MS/MS analysis to detect the responsible metabolites for this activity. Material and Methods: The present study examined the in vitro inhibitory effect of the extract fractions from Doum Palm Leaves at concentrations ranging from 7.81 to 1000.00 μg/ml on α-glucosidase activity, an enzyme responsible for carbohydrate-hydrolysis to monosaccharides and intestinal glucose absorption. Metabolic profiling for the dichloromethane fraction was obtained with LC-HR-MS/MS. Results: The dichloromethane (DCM) fraction inhibited α-glucosidase activity in vitro with an IC₅₀ of 52.40 μg/ml. Twenty-three compounds were identified in the DCM fraction by LC-HR-MS/MS analysis. Most of them were reported for their potential antidiabetic activity. Nevertheless, the III-DCM subfraction (IC₅₀ 3.79 ± 0.17 μg/ml) and the IV-DCM subfraction (IC₅₀ 5.13 ± 0.24 μg/ml) had the best inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase compared with acarbose (IC₅₀ 2.33 ± 0.11 μg/ml).  Conclusions: The results support the use of these fractions obtained from Doum palm leaves to effectively inhibit a crucial enzyme linked to type 2 diabetes and suppress carbohydrate absorption from intestine, and thereby reducing the postprandial increase of blood glucose