Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40361539›Full record

ArticleFoods (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Multifaceted Biological Activities of Culinary Herb and Spice Extracts: In Vitro and In Silico Simulation Insights into Inflammation-Related Targets.

Nance Hontman, Jéssica Gonçalves, José S Câmara, Rosa Perestrelo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Journal of experimental pharmacology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nance HontmanCQM-Centro de Química da Madeira, Universidade da Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4125-6312
Jéssica GonçalvesCQM-Centro de Química da Madeira, Universidade da Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4964-597X
José S CâmaraCQM-Centro de Química da Madeira, Universidade da Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-1965-3151
Rosa PerestreloCQM-Centro de Química da Madeira, Universidade da Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7223-1022

Funding

Agencia Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigacao Tecnologia e Inovacao M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000005Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia UIDB/00674/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00674/2020)Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia UIDP/00674/2020 (DOI 10.54499/UIDP/00674/2020)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Culinary herbs and spices are valued worldwide for their flavor, aroma, and medicinal benefits. They encompass diverse bioactive metabolites, such as polyphenols and terpenoids, which contribute to plant defense and offer anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cognitive-enhancing effects. This study aimed to establish the volatile fingerprint of culinary herbs (lemon verbena, chives, basil, sage, coriander, and parsley) and spices (curcuma, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper, Jamaica pepper, and juniper berry) using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). The predominant volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) identified were subjected to in silico molecular docking simulations of anti-Alzheimer's (e.g., acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)), antioxidants (e.g., monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)), and anti-inflammatory receptors (e.g., 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)). The culinary herb and spice extracts were also subjected to in vitro assays to evaluate their potential as antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC) and anti-inflammatory (% protein denaturation) agents. A total of 121 VOMs were identified in the culinary herbs and spices, with the predominant chemical families being monoterpenoids (48.3%), sesquiterpenoids (14.0%), esters (11.9%), and carbonyl compounds (8.8%). In silico molecular docking simulations revealed that cuminaldehyde, β-caryophyllene, γ-curcumene, germacrene D, and τ-cadinol exhibited the strongest inhibitory activities against the selected receptors. Among the extracts, Jamaica pepper showed the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, while lemon verbena exhibited the lowest ones. These findings highlight the promising potential of the studied culinary herbs and spices in the modulation of inflammatory processes related to Alzheimer's disease. However, further investigations, particularly clinical studies, are recommended to validate these results and explore their therapeutic applications.

Indexed as

anti-inflammatoryantioxidantHS-SPME/GC-MSnatural extractsvolatilomic fingerprint

Identifiers

PMID40361539
PMCPMC12072151

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.