Potential Therapeutic Properties of the Leaf of Cydonia Oblonga Mill. Based on Mineral and Organic Profiles

Abstract

Leaf extract of Cydonia Oblonga Mill. is interesting for further exploration of the potential of its substrates for therapeutic supplements. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on samples of green (October), yellow (November), and brown (December) quince leaves collected in the region of Pinhel, Portugal. Mineral analysis determined the measurements of the levels of several macro- and micro-elements. Organic analysis assessed the moisture content, total phenolic content (TPC), vitamin E, and fatty acid (FA) profiles. Mineral analysis was based on ICP-MS techniques, while the profiles of vitamin E and FA relied on HPLC-DAD-FLD and GC-FID techniques, respectively. Moisture content was determined through infrared hygrometry and TPC was determined by spectrophotometric methods. Regarding the mineral content, calcium, magnesium, and iron were the most abundant minerals. Concerning organic analysis, all leaf samples showed similar moisture content, while the TPC of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and total vitamin E content, the most predominant of which was the α-tocopherol isomer, showed significant variations between green-brown and yellow leaves. FA composition in all leaf samples exhibited higher contents of SFA and PUFA than MUFA, with a predominance of palmitic and linolenic acids. Organic and inorganic analysis of quince leaves allow for the prediction of adequate physiological properties, mainly cardiovascular, pulmonary, and immunological defenses, which with our preliminary in silico studies suggest an excellent supplement to complementary therapy, including drastic pandemic situations.

Keywords: Cydonia oblonga Mill. leaves; fatty acids; inorganic composition; nutraceutical potential; phenolic compounds; vitamin E.

Figure 1

Example of a chromatogram obtained with fluorescence detection (FP-4025 fluorescence detector, Jasco, Tokyo, Japan) for the vitamin E profile of leaf samples of Cydonia oblonga Mill. assessed by HPLC-DAD-FLD (1—α-tocopherol, 2—β-tocopherol, 3—γ-tocopherol, 4—tocol/internal standard).

Figure 2

Example of a chromatogram obtained for the fatty acid profile of quince leaves assessed by GC-FID. C12:0—lauric acid, C14:0—myristic acid, C15:0—pentadecanoic acid, C16:0—palmitic acid, C17:0—margaric acid, C18:0—stearic acid, C18:1n9c—oleic acid, C18:2n6c—linoleic acid, C18:3n3—linolenic acid, C20:0—arachidic acid, C22:0—behenic acid, C24:0—lignoceric acid.