Enhanced Bioactivity of Pyrolysis Liquid and AgNPs from <i>Capparis sicula</i> subsp. <i>sicula</i> : Chemical Characterization and Mechanistic Insights

Recently, the insecticidal, antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties of pyrolysis liquid (bio-oil) obtained from agricultural and industrial plants have been investigated in foods. As no previous studies had been conducted on the Capparis sicula subsp. sicula (caper) species, this study was chosen. For the first time, a methanol-chloroform extract, pyrolysis liquid, and green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained from caper fruit. GC-MS/MS analysis of the extract and pyrolysis revealed linoleic and palmitic acid methyl esters. In contrast, LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis revealed high amounts of hesperidin (7.534 mg/g extract) and caffeine (0.216 mg/g extract), respectively. It was observed that the pyrolysis liquid had higher activity than the extract in terms of antioxidant activity (93.33% for DPPH and 8.01 µmol Trolox/g extract), antibacterial activity (average of 8 mm for all bacteria), and enzyme inhibition (4.72 µg/mL for α-glucosidase and 2.00 µg/mL for α-amylase). A molecular docking study found that caffeine was effective against the enzyme catalase (-6.9 kcal/mol). Therefore, by enabling the release of compounds not detected by conventional methods through pyrolysis, it will be possible to expand the use of these compounds as antioxidant and antibacterial agents in the food industry, pharmacology, and other industries.