Spaghetti Enriched with Inulin: Effect of Polymerization Degree on Quality Traits and α-Amylase Inhibition

Inulin is considered a dietary fiber and represents a noteworthy ingredient for food biofortification due to its health effects and its neutral taste. The aim of the work was the evaluation of the quality of pasta produced using whole-meal flours of two ancient Sicilian landraces (Senatore Cappelli-CAP and Timilia—TIM) fortified with two types of inulin (long-chain topinambur inulin IT and low-chain chicory inulin IC), at two different levels of substitution (2 and 4%) to evaluate its possible effect on α-amylase inhibition. The color indices L* and a* were mainly influenced by cultivars, while IT improved the sensory attributes, mainly the elasticity sensation, and influenced less the other sensory attributes: adhesiveness, color, odor, taste, and Over Quality Score for both landraces. The cooking quality was linked mainly to the landrace used, due to the very different gluten matrix of CAP and TIM. IC and IT showed promising α-Amy inhibitory activity with comparable IC50 values of 0.45 ± 0.04 and 0.50 ± 0.06 mg/mL. The enrichment of spaghetti with inulin with an inhibitory effect on α-amylase determined the hypoglycemic properties of pasta, thus lowering the corresponding IC50 value

Mass Spectrometry and 1H-NMR Study of Schinopsis lorentzii (Quebracho) Tannins as a Source of Hypoglycemic and Antioxidant Principles

The ethyl acetate extract of the commercial tannin Tan’Activ QS-SOL (from Schinopsis lorentzii wood), employed for the production of red wine, was subjected to chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, providing nine fractions (A-1–A-9), which were estimated for total phenols content (GAE), antioxidant activity (DPPH, ORAC), and hypoglycemic activity (α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition). All the fractions were analyzed by means of HPLC/ESI-MS/MS and 1H-NMR to identify the principal active constituents. Fractions A-1 and A-3 showed the highest antioxidant activity and gallic acid (1), pyrogallol (3), eriodictyol (6), catechin (12), and taxifolin (30) were identified as the major constituents. The highest α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity was observed in fractions A-7–A-9 containing condensed (9′, 15, 18, 19, 23, and 27) hydrolysable tannins (13 and 32) as well as esters of quinic acid with different units of gallic acid (5, 11, 11′, 14, and 22). This last class of gallic acid esters are here reported for the first time as α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitors

Synthesis of natural-derived polyphenols as potential anticancer agents

Extracts from plants or other organisms have been used for thousands of years as medicines and today a multitude of researchers continue to be inspired by the astonishing structural variety of natural products to identify potential lead compounds for drug discovery. In the simplest of terms, a natural product is a small molecule (generally with a molecular weight below 3000 Da) that is produced by a biological source; often the term is considered as synonymous for secondary metabolite and natural products research focuses on the biosynthesis and the study of chemical properties and biological functions of secondary metabolites. These are organic compounds not ubiquitous in all organisms, and represent an expression of the individuality of the species; secondary metabolites do not exert primary biological functions directly involved in the normal growth, development or reproduction of an organism but they may serve as chemical defense, intra- or interspecies communication, sexual attraction and to other purposes conferring an advantage to the organism producing them. The main families of secondary metabolites include isoprenoids, polyketides, alkaloids, non ribosomial peptides and polyphenols, these latter directly derived from shikimate pathway, as phenylpropanoids and lignans, or from a mixed biosynthetic pathway (shikimate/ acetate and/or malonate pathways), as stilbenoids or flavonoids. My thesis is devoted to the family of polyphenols with the specific goal of synthesize new natural-derived polyphenols compounds and study their chemical and biological properties

2,3-Bis((E)-4-hydroxybenzylidene)-N1,N4-bis(4-methylbenzyl)succinamide

Lignans and neolignans are dimeric natural products with an extraordinary variety of structures and biological properties. Diphenylbutadienes are a subclass of lignans rarely found in nature with cannabisin G being the most representative example. This lignan, found in Cannabis sativa seed, has shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity among other biological properties. Different methodologies have been reported for the synthesis of cannabis G to be employed in new biological studies. We report herein a green and concise procedure based on the use of Trametes versicolor laccase for the synthesis of a new diphenylbutadiene. The developed procedure may be employed for the synthesis of cannabisin G and other analogues

Valorization of Agri-Food Waste from Pistachio Hard Shells: Extraction of Polyphenols as Natural Antioxidants

The agricultural processing industry usually generates a remarkable amount of by-products rich in bioactive compounds, which can be exploited for agri-food or nutraceutical applications. Pistachio’s hard shell is one of the major by-products from pistachio industrial processing. The aim of this work was the evaluation of pistachio shells as a potential source of natural antioxidants. We evaluated different extraction procedures by measuring total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidative activity (DPPH•, TEAC and ORAC). The microwave-assisted ethanol extract turned out to be the most promising and was fractionated by XAD-16 column chromatography, affording six fractions analyzed through HPLC/ESI-MS/MS and 1H-NMR to identify the main antioxidative constituents. Fractions Fr4–Fr6 demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity. Gallic acid and a monogalloylglusose isomer are the main phenolic constituents of Fr4. Both simple and complex phenolics, such as flavonoids and hydrolysable tannins, were identified in fractions Fr5 and Fr6; pentagalloylglucose and kaempferol, well-known for their antioxidant activity, are the most abundant constituents. The results highlighted that the proposed methodology can be an effective way to recover bioactive phenolic compounds from pistachio hard shell, making this by-product a promising source of compounds with potential applications in food and healthcare sectors

Reaction with ROO• and HOO• Radicals of Honokiol-Related Neolignan Antioxidants

Honokiol is a natural bisphenol neolignan present in the bark of Magnolia officinalis, whose extracts have been employed in oriental medicine to treat several disorders, showing a variety of biological properties, including antitumor activity, potentially related to radical scavenging. Six bisphenol neolignans with structural motifs related to the natural bioactive honokiol were synthesized. Their chain-breaking antioxidant activity was evaluated in the presence of peroxyl (ROO•) and hydroperoxyl (HOO•) radicals by both experimental and computational methods. Depending on the number and position of the hydroxyl and alkyl groups present on the molecules, these derivatives are more or less effective than the reference natural compound. The rate constant of the reaction with ROO• radicals for compound 7 is two orders of magnitude greater than that of honokiol. Moreover, for compounds displaying quinonic oxidized forms, we demonstrate that the addition of 1,4 cyclohexadiene, able to generate HOO• radicals, restores their antioxidant activity, because of the reducing capability of the HOO• radicals. The antioxidant activity of the oxidized compounds in combination with 1,4-cyclohexadiene is, in some cases, greater than that found for the starting compounds towards the peroxyl radicals. This synergy can be applied to maximize the performances of these new bisphenol neolignans

A Rare Natural Benzo[k,l]xanthene as a Turn-Off Fluorescent Sensor for Cu2+ Ion

Rapid and efficient analyses of copper ions are crucial to providing key information for Cu2+ in living cells because of their biological importance. In this study, we reported one new turn-off fluorescent sensor for Cu2+ with a benzo[k,l]xanthene core, which served as an efficient cation sensor for copper ion over a wide range of other cations (Na+, K+, Ag+, Hg2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, and Fe3+) owing to the catechol group in the aromatic core. The sensor showed selectivity for Cu2+ over other ions; the logKβ for Cu2+ binding to compound 1 had a value of 13.265. In the presence of Cu2+, sensor 1 provided significant fluorescence decrement; Co2+, and Ni2+ caused a fluorescence decrement when employed at a higher concentration than Cu2+, while Na+, K+, Hg2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Mg2+ metal ions produced only minor changes in fluorescence intensity. Fluorescence experiments demonstrate that compound 1 may have an application as a fluorescent probe for detecting Cu2+ with a limit of detection of 0.574 µM

Characterization and Interaction with Biomembrane Model of Benzo[k,l]xanthene Lignan Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles

Benzo[k,l]xanthene lignans are a group of rare natural products belonging to the class of polyphenols with promising biological activities and are studied as potential chemotherapeutic agents. The lipophilic character of a xanthene core makes these molecules difficult to be used in an aqueous medium, limiting their employment in studies for pharmaceutical applications. To overcome this problem, a drug-delivery system which is able to improve the stability and bioavailability of the compound can be used. In this study, a bioactive benzoxanthene lignan (BXL) has been included in SLN. Unloaded and BXL-loaded SLN have been prepared using the Phase Inversion Temperature method and characterized in terms of size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and stability. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to evaluate the thermotropic behavior and ability of SLN to act as carriers for BXL. A biomembrane model, represented by multilamellar vesicles, was used to simulate the interaction of the SLN with the cellular membrane. Unloaded and loaded SLN were incubated with the MLV, and their interactions were evaluated through variations in their calorimetric curves. The results obtained suggest that SLN could be used as a delivery system for BXL