Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Pesticide Chemistry Department, Chemical Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt, 33 El Bohouth Street (former El Tahrir St.), P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
2
Cytochemistry and Histology, Zoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science (For Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of pomegranate peel and chicory leaf extracts as well as clove and cinnamon essential oils (EOs). The nanoemulsion formulation of clove EO with pomegranate peel extract was prepared and characterized. The chemical composition of clove and cinnamon EOs was identified by GC-MS analysis, while phenolic and flavonoid compounds in pomegranate peel and chicory leaf extracts were evaluated by HPLC. The antioxidant activity test was determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. A clove oil nanoemulsion (O/W) was prepared and characterized and used for the development of a clove oil-based nanoemulsion loaded with pomegranate extract. According to GC-MS analysis, most of the cinnamon EO contains of (E)-cinnamaldehyde (62.4%), benzyl alcohol (25.29%) and methoxyacetic acid, benzyl ester (10.71%), while most of the clove- EO contains of eugenol (79.26%), triacetin (11.72%) and benzyl alcohol (6.76%). As shown by the HPLC results, the pomegranate peel extract contained ten phenolic components, while the Cichorium leaf extract contained a total of fifteen phenolic compounds in varying amounts. The total phenolic content of pomegranate peel extract, chicory leaf extract, and clove oil and cinnamon oil was 34.4, 17.8, 36.6 and 22.5 mg per 100 g dry weight (DW) or 100 g oil, respectively. The total content of flavonoids is 161.4, 64.5, 15.4 and 11.1 mg per 100 g DW or oil, respectively, expressed in units of quercetin equivalents (QE). Results showed that pomegranate peel extract and clove oil had the highest levels of phenols and flavonoids and high DPPH and ABTS inhibition and scavenging activity (IC50, g/mL) 298.6, and 327.2 µg/ml of DPPH and 97.1 and 74.7 µg/ml of ABTS, respectively. In this study, we prepared a clove oil nanoemulsion using a self-emulsification method with Tween 80 as a surfactant. We have optimized the oil to surfactant ratio and the sonication time to obtain the best nanoemulsion with a droplet size of 155.2 nm and good physicochemical properties. These results suggest that nanoemulsions based on pomegranate peel extract and clove oil are good sources of natural antioxidants and can be used to protect humans from the toxicity of xenobiotics such as pesticides and heavy metals.
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