Patricia A. B. Ramos

• PhD in Chemistry
• PostDoc Position at University of Aveiro and CICECO

The chemical composition, investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and antibacterial activity of lipophilic extractives of three varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica roots from Algeria are reported in this paper for the first time. The results obtained revealed a total of 55 compounds, including fatty acids, sterols, monoglycerides and lo...

Agroforestry by-products have gained rising attention in recent years as they represent inexpensive and abundant raw materials that are a source of added-value chemicals, e.g., for food and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for bioenergy generation. Pinus pinaster Ait. bark extracts are consumed worldwide for their cardiovascular benefits, wh...

Zizyphus lotus L. is a perennial shrub particularly used in Algerian folk medicine, but little is known concerning the lipophilic compounds in the most frequently used parts, namely, root bark, pulp, leaves and seeds, which are associated with health benefits. In this vein, the lipophilic fractions of these morphological parts of Z. lotus from Moro...

The lipophilic composition of Allium triquetrum L. bulbs, flowers and leaves was studied for the first time, by GC-MS. Sixty-two compounds were firstly identified in A. triquetrum L. Fatty acids represented the major lipophilics in the studied extracts, with (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic and (9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acids as the major...

The brown macroalgae Bifurcaria bifurcata have gained special attention due to their ability to biosynthesize linear diterpenes (rarely found in other species). However, the conventional extraction methods normally used to extract these compounds involve organic solvents and often high temperatures, leading to the degradation of thermo-labile compo...

Salix spp. have been exploited for energy generation, along with folk medicine use of bark extracts for antipyretic and analgesic benefits. Bark phenolic components, rather than salicin, have demonstrated interesting bioactivities, which may ensure the sustainable bioprospection of Salix bark. Therefore, this study highlights the detailed phenolic...

Cynara cardunculus health benefits have aroused much interest, leading to the discovery of valuable bioactive compounds with a crucial role in plant defence. Guaianolides and hydroxycinnamic acids, mainly represented by cynaropicrin and chlorogenic acid, constitute the major secondary metabolites in leaves (9.5% and 10.4% dry weight, respectively)....

Salix (Salicaceae) species bark extracts are traditionally consumed due to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits, mainly attributed to phenolic compounds. However, this biomass could be further exploited calling upon other extractive components, namely the lipophilic fraction. Hence, the present study highlights, for the first time, the ch...

The chemical composition of lipophilic bark extracts from Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea cultivated in Portugal was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Diterpenic resin acids were found to be the main components of these lipophilic extracts, ranging from 0.96 g kg⁻¹ dw in P. pinea bark to 2.35 g kg⁻¹ dw in P. pinaster bark. In par...

Cynara cardunculus: L. represents a natural source of terpenic compounds, with the predominant molecule being cynaropicrin. Cynaropicrin is gaining interest since it has been correlated to anti-hyperlipidaemia, antispasmodic and cytotoxicity activity against leukocyte cancer cells. The objective of this work was to screen a collection of C. cardunc...

Background Cynara cardunculus L. offers a natural source of phenolic compounds with the predominant molecule being chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid is gaining interest due to its involvement in various biological properties such as, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and anticarcinogenic activities. ResultsIn this work we s...

Besides being traditionally used to relieve hepatobiliary disorders, Cynara cardunculus L. has evidenced anticancer potential on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study highlights the antiproliferative effects of lipophilic extracts from C. cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) leaves and florets, and of their major compounds, namely cynaropicr...

Shrubs can provide an important contribution to the fodder resources for small ruminants in Mediterranean areas, but there is limited information on their feed value, including secondary metabolites and their seasonal differences. This study evaluated the effect of seasonal variation in chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and antioxidant a...

Penicillin and other antimicrobials discovery revolutionized medicine but, as a consequence of antibiotic misuse, several bacteria evolved to become resistant to multiple antibiotics classes: " the superbugs ". Following the stagnation on the conventional antibiotic-discovery field, scientific attention turned to alternative foundations for the dev...

Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) (Cca) grows under the semi-arid conditions as those of south of Portugal. Given to high cellulose and hemicelluloses contents, paper pulp production has been proposed [1]. Moreover, the extraction of bioactive compounds could also be considered for an integrated valorization of Cca. Sesquiterpene lactones (SL...

The phenolic composition of Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) from south of Portugal was determined by analyzing the methanol/water/acetic acid (49.5:49.5:1) extracts of the different morphological parts of the plant, through high temperature-ultra high pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. From the twenty-eight phenolic co...

Lipophilic extracts of Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) from south of Portugal (Baixo Alentejo) were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. One sesquiterpene lactone, four pentacyclic triterpenes and five sterols were reported for the first time as cultivated cardoon components, namely deacylcynaropicrin, β- and α-amyrin, lupenyl a...

Phenolic composition, antioxidant and breast cancer antiproliferative activities of water and methanol/water derived extracts from olive pomace (OP) and dry olive mill residue (DOR), from Portuguese industries, were studied. DOR water (DORW) extracts showed the highest extraction yield; as well as the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and hydrox...

Cynara cardunculus (Cc) is a multipurpose species; beyond its use in southwestern European cuisine, it is also used for the production of solid biofuel, seed oil, biodiesel, paper pulp and cheese, as well as animal feed. In addition, Cc has a long tradition of use in folk medicine as a diuretic and liver protector. The value of this species as a so...

A hexane extract from the leaves of Laurus novocanariensis was investigated for its activity on ethanol metabolism in Wistar rats. The extract could interfere with blood ethanol elevation, the induction of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the reduction of erythrocyte catalase (CAT). The sesquiterpene lactones dehydrocostus lactone and costun...