An overview on dietary polyphenols and their biopharmaceutical classification system (Bcs)

Polyphenols are natural organic compounds produced by plants, acting as antioxidants by reacting with ROS. These compounds are widely consumed in daily diet and many studies report several benefits to human health thanks to their bioavailability in humans. However, the digestion process of phenolic compounds is still not completely clear. Moreover, bioavailability is dependent on the metabolic phase of these compounds. The LogP value can be managed as a simplified measure of the lipophilicity of a substance ingested within the human body, which affects resultant absorption. The biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS), a method used to classify drugs intended for gastrointestinal absorption, correlates the solubility and permeability of the drug with both the rate and extent of oral absorption. BCS may be helpful to measure the bioactive constituents of foods, such as polyphenols, in order to understand their nutraceutical potential. There are many literature studies that focus on permeability, absorption, and bioavailability of polyphenols and their resultant metabolic byproducts, but there is still confusion about their respective LogP values and BCS classifi-cation. This review will provide an overview of the information regarding 10 dietarypolyphenols (ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, apigenin, cirsimaritin, daidzein, resveratrol, ellagic acid, and curcumin) and their association with the BCS classification

MIcrogreens: Functional food with antiproliferative cancer properties influenced by light

The anti-proliferative/pro-oxidant efficacy of green pea, soybean, radish, Red Rambo radish, and rocket microgreens, cultivated under either fluorescent lighting (predominant spectral peaks in green and orange) or combination light-emitting diode (LED, predominant spectral peak in blue) was investigated using Ewing sarcoma lines, RD-ES and A673, respectively. All aqueous microgreen extracts significantly reduced cell proliferation (cancer prevention effect) to varying extents in two-dimensional sarcoma cell cultures. The effect of the polyphenol fraction in the aqueous food matrix was unrelated to total polyphenol content, which differed between species and light treatment. Only Pisum sativum (LED-grown) extracts exercised anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in both three-dimensional RD-ES and A673 spheroids (early tumor progression prevention), without cytotoxic effects on healthy L929 fibroblasts. A similar anti-tumor effect of Red Rambo radish (LED and fluorescent-grown) was evident only in the RD-ES spheroids. Aside from the promising anti-tumor potential of the polyphenol fraction of green pea microgreens, the latter also displayed favorable growth quality parameters, along with radish, under both light treatments over the 10 day cultivation period

Insect-based aquafeeds modulate the fatty acid profile of zebrafish: a comparison on the different life stages

Insects are considered as an alternative and sustainable ingredient for feed production. In this study, Hermetia illucens (Hi) prepupae (fed on coffee roasted by-product added with 10% Schyzochytrium sp., a marine protist rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids) was processed into meal and included at graded levels in five experimental diets to replace dietary fish meal (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%) offered to zebrafish (Danio rerio) as experimental model. The fatty acids (FAs) profile of fish larvae (20 days), juveniles (2 months, deprived of the viscera) and adults (6 months, male and female, deprived of the viscera) specimens was investigated to evaluate the impact of dietary FM replacement with full-fat Hi prepupae meal. For the first time, the quantification of FAs in Danio rerio, performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was computed in absolute terms (mg 100g-1 dw), identifying the real variation in the content of any single FA. In fish, quantified total FAs in larvae, juvenile, adult male and adult female were 134±2, 235±8, 266±3 and 266±8 mg g-1 dw, respectively. With respect to zebrafish fed the control diet, specimens fed diet with increasing level of Hi prepupae meal showed significantly higher content of saturated and omega6 FAs, and significantly lower content of poly-unsaturated and omega3 FAs, reflecting partially the FAs composition of the administered diets. At the same time, the docosahexaenoic/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio increased significantly. Moreover, adult female showed a higher content of PUFA with respect to adult male, which could be justified by the needs of physiological reproductive processes. The principal component analysis demonstrated that the FAs composition in Danio rerio depends on both the life stage and the diet

A multidisciplinary approach to study the reproductive biology of wild prawns

This work aims to provide deeper knowledge on reproductive biology of P. kerathurus in a multidisciplinary way. Upon 789 examined females, 285 were found inseminated. The logistic equation enabled to estimate the size at first maturity at 30.7 mm CL for female. The Gono-Somatic Index (GSI) showed a pronounced seasonality, ranged from 0.80 ± 0.34 to 11.24 ± 5.72. Histological analysis highlighted five stages of ovarian development. Gonadal fatty acids analysis performed with gas chromatograph evidenced a pronounced seasonal variation; total lipids varied from 1.7% dry weight (dw) in Winter, to 7.2% dw in Summer. For the first time, a chemometric approach (Principal Component Analysis) was applied to relate GSI with total lipid content and fatty acid composition of gonads. The first two components (PC1 and PC2) showed that seasonality explained about 84% of the variability of all data set. In particular, in the period February-May, lipids were characterized by high PUFAs content, that were probably utilized during embryogenesis as energy source and as constituent of the cell membranes. During the summer season, gonads accumulated saturated FAs, that will be used during embryogenesis and early larval stages, while in the cold season total lipids decreased drastically and the gonad reached a quiescent state

Are supplements safe? Effects of gallic and ferulic acids on in vitro cell models

Polyphenols display health-promoting properties linked to their biological activities. They are initially absorbed in the small intestine, then they are largely metabolized in the colon, whereupon they are able to exert systemic effects. The health-promoting properties of polyphenols have led to the development of food supplements, which are also largely consumed by healthy people, even if data on their safety are still yet lacking. In the present paper, the content of gallic acid and ferulic acid was analyzed in two supplements, and shown to be higher than the relative contents found in fruit and flour. To evaluate the effects of these phenolic compounds on epithelial intestinal tissue, gallic and ferulic acids were added to a new in vitro model of the intestinal wall at different concentrations. The effects on viability, proliferation and migration of these compounds were respectively tested on three different cell lines (Caco2, L929 and U937), as well as on a tridimensional intestinal model, composed of a mucosal layer and a submucosa with fibroblasts and monocytes. Results indicated that gallic and ferulic acids can exert toxic effects on in vitro cell models at high concentrations, suggesting that an excessive and uncontrolled consumption of polyphenols may induce negative effects on the intestinal wall

Label-Free Optical Sensing and Medical Grade Resins: An Advanced Approach to Investigate Cell–Material Interaction and Biocompatibility

: The Corning Epic® label-free (ELF) system is an innovative technology widely used in drug discovery, immunotherapy, G-protein-associated studies, and biocompatibility tests. Here, we challenge the use of ELF to further investigate the biocompatibility of resins used in manufacturing of blood filters, a category of medical devices representing life-saving therapies for the increasing number of patients with kidney failure. The biocompatibility assays were carried out by developing a cell model aimed at mimicking the clinical use of the blood filters and complementing the existing cytotoxicity assay requested by ISO10993-5. Experiments were performed by putting fibroblasts in both direct contact with two types of selected resins, and indirect contact by means of homemade customized well inserts that were precisely designed and developed for this technology. For both types of contact, fibroblasts were cultured in medium and human plasma. ELF tests confirmed the biocompatibility of both resins, highlighting a statistically significant different biological behavior of a polyaromatic resin compared to control and ion-exchanged resin, when materials were in indirect contact and soaking with plasma. Overall, the ELF test is able to mimic clinical scenarios and represents a promising approach to investigate biocompatibility, showing peculiar biological behaviors and suggesting the activation of specific intracellular pathways

Correlation between autofluorescence intensity and histopathological features in non-melanoma skin cancer: An ex vivo study

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignant tumor affecting fair-skinned people. Increasing incidence rates of NMSC have been reported worldwide, which is an important challenge in terms of public health management. Surgical excision with pre-operatively identified margins is one of the most common and effective treatment strategies. Incomplete tumor removal is associated with a very high risk of recurrence and re-excision. Biological tissues can absorb and re-emit specific light wave-lengths, detectable through spectrophotometric devices. Such a phenomenon is known as autofluorescence (AF). AF spectroscopy has been widely explored for non-invasive, early detection of NMSC as well as for evaluation of surgical margins before excision. Fluorescence-aided diagnosis is based on differences in spectral characteristics between healthy and neoplastic skin. Understanding the biological basis of such differences and correlating AF intensity to histological features could improve the diagnostic accuracy of skin fluorescence spectroscopy. The primary objective of the present pre-clinical ex vivo study is to investigate the correlation between the intensity of cutaneous AF and the histopathological features of NMSC. Ninety-eight lesions suggestive for NMSCs were radically excised from 75 patients (46 M; 29 F; mean age: 79 years). After removal, 115 specific reference points on lesions (\u201ccases\u201d; 59 on BBC, 53 on SCC and 3 on other lesions) and on peri-lesional healthy skin (controls; 115 healthy skin) were identified and marked through suture stitches. Such reference points were irradiated at 400\u2013430 nm wavelength, and resulting emission AF spectra were acquired through spectrophotometry. For each case, AFIR (autofluorescence intensity ratio) was measured as the ratio between the number of photons emitted at a wavelength ranging between 450 and 700 nm (peak: 500 nm) in the healthy skin and that was captured in the pathological tissue. At the histological level, hyperkeratosis, neoangiogenesis, cellular atypia, epithelial thickening, fibrosis and elastosis were quantified by light microscopy and were assessed through a previously validated grading system. Statistical correlation between histologic variables and AFIR was calculated through linear regression. Spectrometric evaluation was performed on 230 (115 cases + 115 controls) reference points. The mean AFIR for BCC group was 4.5, while the mean AFIR for SCC group was 4.4 and the fluorescence peaks at 500 nm were approximately 4 times lower (hypo-fluorescent) in BCCs and in SCCs than in healthy skin. Histological variables significantly associated with alteration of AFIR were fibrosis and elastosis (p < 0.05), neoangiogenesis, hyperkeratosis and epithelial thickening. Cellular atypia was not significantly associated with alteration of AFIR. The intensity of fluorescence emission in neoplastic tissues was approximately 4 times lower than that in healthy tissues. Histopathological features such as hyperkeratosis, neoangiogenesis, fibrosis and elastosis are statistically associated with the decrease in AFIR. We hypothesize that such tissue alterations are among the possible biophysical and biochemical bases of difference in emission AF between neoplastic and healthy tissue. The results of the present evaluation highlighted the possible usefulness of autofluorescence as diagnostic, non-invasive and real-time tool for NMSCs

Evaluation of Growth Performance and Environmental Impact of Hermetia illucens Larvae Reared on Coffee Silverskins Enriched with Schizochytrium limacinum or Isochrysis galbana Microalgae

Hermetia illucens is a promising insect due to its ability to convert low-value substrates as food chain by-products into highly nutritious feed. Its feeding and nutrition are important issues. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different substrates consisting of coffee silverskin, a by-product of the roasting process, enriched with different inclusions of microalgae (5%, 10%, 20%, and 25%), Schizochytrium limacinum, and Isochrysis galbana, combined with the assessment of environmental sustainability by LCA. In general, the addition of microalgae led to an increase in larval growth performance due to the higher content of protein and lipids, although S. limacinum showed the best results with respect to larvae fed with coffee silverskin enriched with I. galbana. A higher prepupal weight was observed in larvae fed with 10%, 20%, and 25% S. limacinum; shorter development times in larvae fed with 25% of both S. limacinum and I. galbana; and a higher growth rate in larvae fed with 25% S. limacinum. The 10% S. limacinum inclusion was only slightly different from the higher inclusions. Furthermore, 10% of S. limacinum achieved the best waste reduction index. The greater the inclusion of microalgae, the greater the environmental impact of larval production. Therefore, the addition of 10% S. limacinum appears to be the best compromise for larval rearing, especially considering that a higher inclusion of microalgae did not yield additional benefits in terms of the nutritional value of H. illucens prepupae

Optimized "in vitro" culture conditions for human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts

The composition of synovial fluid in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complex and strongly influences the microenvironment of joints and it is an inseparable element of the disease. Currently, \u201cin vitro\u201d studies are performed on RA cells cultured in the presence of either recombinant proinflammatory cytokines-conditioned medium or medium alone. In this study, we evaluated the use of synovial fluid, derived from RA patients, as optimal culture condition to perform \u201cin vitro\u201d studies on RA synovial fibroblasts. We observed that synovial fluid is more effective in inducing cell proliferation with respect to TNF-alpha or culture medium alone. Spontaneous apoptosis in fibroblasts was also decreased in response to synovial fluid. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the presence of synovial fluid was significantly elevated with respect to cells cultured with TNF-alpha or medium, and the overall morphology of cells was also modified. In addition, modulation of intracellular calcium dynamics elicited in response to synovial fluid or TNF-alpha exposure is different and suggests a role for the purinergic signalling in the modulation of the effects. These results emphasize the importance of using RA synovial fluid in \u201cin vitro\u201d studies involving RA cells, in order to reproduce faithfully the physiopathological environmental characteristic of RA joints