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. 2021 Nov 29;10(12):2626.
doi: 10.3390/plants10122626.

Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Biological Activities of Egyptian Carob Pods (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Aqueous Extract: In Vitro Study

Wael Sobhy Darwish  1 , Abada El Sayed Khadr  1 , Maher Abd El Naby Kamel  2 , Mabrouk A Abd Eldaim  3 , Ibrahim El Tantawy El Sayed  1 , Hamed Mohamed Abdel-Bary  1 , Sami Ullah  4   5 , Doaa Ahmed Ghareeb  6
Affiliations

Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Biological Activities of Egyptian Carob Pods (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Aqueous Extract: In Vitro Study

Wael Sobhy Darwish et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Ceratonia siliqua (Carob) is an evergreen Mediterranean tree, and carob pods are potentially nutritive and have medicinal value. The present study was carried out to estimate the possible biological activities of phytochemical-characterized carob pod aqueous extract (CPAE). The phytochemical contents of CPAE were determined by using colorimetric methods and HPLC. In addition, the free radical scavenging properties and anti-diabetic, anti-hemolytic, and antimicrobial activities were estimated by using standardized in vitro protocols. The phytochemical analysis revealed that CPAE was rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids, where it contained a significant amount of gallic acid, catechin, and protocatechuic acid. Furthermore, CPAE exhibited strong antioxidant activity where it prevented the formation of 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl, hydroxyl, and nitric oxide free radicals. Additionally, it had a potent inhibitory effect against digestive enzymes (amylase, maltase, sucrase, and lactase). Moreover, CPAE exhibited anti-Staph aureus, anti-Escherichia coli, anti-Candida albicans, and anti-herpes simplex type I virus (HSV-I). Finally, CPAE protected the erythrocyte membrane from hypotonic solution-induced hemolysis. Altogether, CPAE could be regarded as an interesting source of biologically active antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial preparation for a potential application in pharmaceutical and food supplement fields.

Keywords: Ceratonia siliqua; antihemolytic; antimicrobial; carob; flavonoids; polyphenols.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of CPAE.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anti-digestive enzyme effect of carob pod aqueous extract (CPAE).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The antihemolytic activity of carob pod aqueous extract (CPAE).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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