TY  - EJOU
AU  - Kachmar, Mohamed reda 
AU  - Bouddine, Toufik 
AU  - Ed-dra, Abdelaziz 
AU  - Kachmar, Safaâ 
AU  - Anarghou, Hammou 
AU  - Alnasser, Sulaiman Mohammed 
AU  - Alshabrmi, Fahad M. 
AU  - Al-Mijalli, Samiah Hamad 
AU  - Abdallah, Emad M. 
AU  - Mrabti, Nidal Naceiri 
AU  - Laabar, Abdelmounaim 
AU  - Chikhaoui, Mourad 
AU  - Aziz, Galman 
AU  - Hajji, Lhoussain 
AU  - Chakir, Said 

TI  - Biological Potential and Chemical Characterization of <i>Juniperus oxycedrus</i> Leaves and Seed Cones
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2025
VL  - 94
IS  - 3
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - <i>Juniperus oxycedrus</i> (<i>J. oxycedrus</i>) is a traditional culinary spice and medicinal herb with a longstanding history of ethnopharmacological applications across diverse cultures. While prior research has explored the biological activities and phytochemical constituents of extracts derived from its leaves and seed cones, the present study systematically investigates their mineral and phenolic profiles alongside their multifunctional bioactive potential. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis revealed a substantial abundance of essential macro- and microelements. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) further identified high concentrations of phenolic acids (e.g., p-coumaric acid) and flavonoids (e.g., rutin and quercetin). The extracts exhibited potent radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), robust antioxidant capacity against hydrogen peroxide, and significant inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XO) activity. Notably, both extracts demonstrated marked antibacterial efficacy. <i>In silico</i> molecular docking studies suggested that the antimicrobial activity may stem from the phenolic constituents, which exhibited favorable binding affinities to the active site of bacterial target proteins. These findings underscore <i>J. oxycedrus</i> as a promising reservoir of bioactive natural compounds, warranting further exploration for therapeutic and nutraceutical applications.
KW  - <i>Juniperus oxycedrus</i>; antioxidant; anti-inflammatory; antibacterial activity; chemical composition; computational biology

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2025.062289