Detrital and fresh specimens of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa Cymodoceaceae from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea were screened for their phenolic content. The CA content of the crude extracts was determined by quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography. The values found in the leaves ranged from 8. The concentration was smaller in the rhizomes, with 0. The phenolic profile was found to be similar whatever the geographical location in the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.
Considering the demonstrated therapeutic applications of CA, its high value on the nutraceutical market, and its rare occurrence in the plant kingdom, the high content found in C. Plant secondary metabolites are economically important in the field of food additives, nutraceuticals, and drugs.
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This is especially the case for phenolic acids, which possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties. As a result, phenolic acids have been recommended as major bioactive compounds for preventing chronic diseases and promoting health see, e.
Phenolic acids are generally obtained from terrestrial plants, e. However, the identification of novel sources of phenolic acids has become of scientific and economic interest, and marine ecosystems can offer a great potential in this field e. Compared with other phenolic acids, chicoric acid CA; Figure 1 is a rare and valuable natural product of special interest owing to its large spectrum of biological properties, and its success on the nutraceutical market. It has been shown to have immunostimulatory properties, promoting phagocyte activity in vitro and in vivo Bauer et al.
In addition, CA has antiviral activity Pellati et al. The activity of CA against herpes simplex virus has been demonstrated Binns et al. The antioxidant activity of CA was found to be comparable with that of rosmarinic acid Dalby-Brown et al. CA is commercially available through extraction from the terrestrial angiosperm Echinacea Asteraceae , but remains relatively expensive.
