Beneficial Effects of Boiled and Fermented Wild Edible Plants Belonging to the Mediterranean Region

This study aims to extend the availability of sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum), cibes, and blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) throughout the year. The study evaluated the impact of fermentation on the phenolics, in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these plants, and their bioaccessibility, along with conducting molecular docking studies of phenolics with hyaluronidase. Fermentation caused a decrease in the total phenols of sea fennel and a slight increase in the total phenols of cibes (p < 0.05). Quercetin content increased 5, 18, and 2-fold in sea fennel, cibes, and blessed thistle, respectively, following fermentation (p < 0.05). The DPPH scavenging activity of boiled and fermented sea fennel and blessed thistle, along with their digests, was higher than their reduction capacities. The antioxidant activity measured in different assays of boiled cibes was similar. Boiled and fermented blessed thistle exhibited the highest hyaluronidase inhibitory activities, with IC₅₀ values of 3.78 and 3.69 mg/mL, respectively. An increase in antihyaluronidase activity was observed in all plants after in vitro digestion (p < 0.05). A docking simulation between hyaluronidase and quercetin, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acids showed that the lowest binding free energies of the docked complexes were −8.1 kcal/mol, −6.0 kcal/mol, and −7.5 kcal/mol, respectively.