Nada Cujic Nikolic

Natural extracts have been used for centuries to prevent and treat various health conditions and diseases. Nowadays, more than a third of newly approved active compounds are derived from natural sources. However, natural bioactive compounds often encounter significant challenges despite their therapeutic potential, such as low chemical stability, p...

The study aimed to investigate the protective effects of chokeberry fruit products and by-products against cisplatin-induced acute nephrotoxicity in rats. Potential mechanisms involving oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were examined through biochemical and histopathological analyses of kidney tissue. Chokeberry waste, along with the whol...

The potential of the green macroalga Ulva lactuca is increasingly recognized, not only for its environmental benefits, but also for its applications in various industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Given this insight, a comprehensive analysis of the chemical profile of U. lactuca from the Adriatic Sea was carried out. The hydr...

The study aimed to develop encapsulation systems to maintain the preservation of everlasting (Helichrysum plicatum) flower extract polyphenols. Spray-dried encapsulates were formulated using β-cyclodextrin (BCD) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) as supramolecular hosts, and their macromolecule mixtures with the conventional carriers, malto...

This study aimed to evaluate the spasmolytic activity of an underground parts extract of Gentiana asclepiadea L. (Gentianaceae), assess its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and explore the impact of extract encapsulation on the aforementioned bioactivities. An extract encapsulated by spray drying with whey protein, pure extract, and pure w...

BACKGROUND Polyphenolic-rich chokeberry extracts and juice could provide health benefits in humans. Moreover, by-products after processing stand out as a potential new source of valuable compounds. OBJECTIVE The research aimed to evaluate in vitro bioactivity of chokeberry fruit extract, juice, and waste extract (material remaining after juice pro...

Helichrysum plicatum DC. is an important source of bioactive secondary metabolites with a vari- ety of pharmacological activities. To obtain highly potent extracts with the maximum level of phenolic glycosides and total phenolic compounds, this study aimed to establish an eco- friendly cyclodextrin-assisted extraction procedure from H. plicatum flo...

Citation: Radan, M.;Ćujić Nikolić, N.; Kuzmanović Nedeljković, S.; Mutavski, Z.; Krgović, N.; Stević, T.; Marković, S.; Jovanović, A.; Živković, J.; Šavikin, K. Multifunctional Pomegranate Peel Microparticles with Health-Promoting Effects for the Sustainable Development of Novel Nutraceuticals and Pharmaceuticals. Plants 2024, 13, 281. https:// Abs...

The microbiological stability of cosmetic products is crucial, especially in products with high water content, such as creams. Therefore, preservatives are used in order to protect consumers from harmful pathogens that would otherwise invade the cosmetics. Despite their function, the addition of preservatives can be considered controversial in the...

Citation:Ćujić Nikolić, N.; Žilić, S.; Simić, M.; Nikolić, V.; Živković, J.; Marković, S.; Šavikin, K. Abstract: An anthocyanin-rich blue maize waste product was used for anthocyanin extraction. To preserve bioactive phenolic compounds, a spray-drying technique was employed using conventional wall material maltodextrin (MD), with novel one, hydroxy...

Innovative eco-friendly methods based on natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) coupled with ultrasound-assisted extraction were employed for chokeberry anthocyanins extractions. Nine different NaDES composed of choline chloride as a hydrogen bond acceptor and organic acids (lactic, citric, malic), sugars (glucose, fructose), polyols (glycerol, 1,2...

Chokeberry has exhibited cardioprotective, anti-bacterial, immunomodulating and anti-cancer properties. Chokeberry extract (CE) was tested in the model of melanoma induced by B16 cells inoculation in C57BL/6 mice. CE treatment that began 7 days before inoculation and continued through the observation period, delayed melanoma appearance and increase...

Comparison between conventional and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation at different power levels has been applied for the extraction of essential oil from Zingiber officinale Rosc. rhizome. In addition to the collected essential oils, as the main products, hydrolats were also collected, as valuable by-products from both extraction techniques. A c...

Willow gentian as a source of bitter compounds is traditionally used for digestive disorders. Gentiana root extract was spray dried using five different carriers (maltodextrin, whey protein, pectin, starch, gelatine) at various concentrations. Powders were characterized in terms of physical properties and encapsulation efficiency of bioactive compo...

This study was designed in order to determine optimal parameters for ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols from plantain herb using response surface methodology (RSM) as well as UV‐ visible spectrophotometric and reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic (RP‐HPLC) method. Solvent extraction was performed based on four fact...

In this study we define the optimal conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive polyphenols from S. raeseri aerial parts using response surface methodology. The influence of ethanol concentration (10–90%), extraction temperature (20–80 °C), extraction time (10–60 min), and solid-to-solvent ratio (1:10–1:50) on total phenolic content...

The usage of hawthorn preparations has a long history in the traditional treatment of heart failure, which is considered as the inability of a weakened heart to supply peripheral tissues with the required amount of oxygen and nutrients. The leaf, flower, and fruit of the hawthorn, due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, procy...

Aim: Microencapsulation of chokeberry extracts was performed in order to improve functionality, stability, and bioavailability of extracted polyphenols. Methods: Chokeberry fruits and juice by-product (waste) extracts were spray-dried by using two carriers, maltodextrin and skimmed milk. Morphological and physicochemical characteristics of the obta...

BACKGROUND: Phytotherapy has an important role in the functional gastrointestinal and motility disorder prevention and treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aims of our study were to analyze the chemical composition and the antispasmodic activity of the dry black chokeberry ethanolic extract, waste extract and the juice in the isolated rat ileum. METHODS: The...

The potential beneficial effects of chronic consumption of dried chokeberry fruit extract (DCE) were evaluated in the present in vivo study. The study concentrates on haemodynamic parameters, lipid profile and oxidative stress in spontaneously hypertensive rats. DCE was characterized by HPLC/DAD method and individual anthocyanins, phenolic acids, a...

Due to its high content of phenolics, black chokeberry has been proposed as a health-promoting material, especially use of chokeberry extract as a food or pharmaceuticals. Chokeberry extract was spray-dried using gum Arabic as a carrier. The optimal conditions for the efficient microencapsulation of chokeberry extract using spray-drying technique h...

Due to its high content of phenolics, black chokeberry has been proposed as a health-promoting material, especially use of chokeberry extract as a food or pharmaceuticals. Chokeberry extract was spray-dried using gum Arabic as a carrier. The optimal conditions for the efficient microencapsulation of chokeberry extract using spray-drying technique h...

The pomegranate peel is discarded as waste although it contains high amount of biologically active phenolics and has high value for recycling. In this study we have determined optimal conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols from pomegranate peel using response surface methodology (RSM). The influence of extraction time (X...

In Chapter 7, Potential of Chokeberry (Aronia Melanocarpa L.) as a Therapeutic Food, Ćujic´ et al. reveal the health-beneficial effects of chokeberry, highlighting impact on decreasing oxidative damage markers, improvement in prooxidant–antioxidant balance after polyphenolrich chokeberry juice consumption, and increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid...

Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum, Lamiaceae) is a subshrub from the Lamiaceae family, with plants that are rich in essential oils and antioxidative polyphenolic substances. Reducing potential of phenolic compounds gives them a special role in the adsorption and neutralization of free radicals. In the present study, we used a method of maceration, lasti...

IZVOD Preparati sa produženim oslobađanjem su poslednjih godina posebno aktuelni jer omogućavaju veću terapijsku efikasnost, smanjuju pojavu neželjenih efekata i omogućavaju ciljano delovanje. Posebno su poslednjih godina interesantni konjugati hijaluronske kiseline i citostatika, a jedan od njih je i taksol, koji pored mnogobrojnih terapijskih ind...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: This paper provides significant ethnobotanical information on medicinal plant uses in the Zlatibor district, South-Western Serbia. Materials and methods: A survey was performed using questionnaires with 220 informants (mean age 47, 79% female, 21% male). In addition, the use value and the relative importance of sp...