224 research outputs found
Influence of ellagitannins extracted by pomegranate fruit on disulfide isomerase PDIA3 activity
Pomegranate fruit is a functional food of high interest for human health due to its wide range of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties are implicated in the prevention of inflammation and cancer. Ellagitannins, such as punicalagin and ellagic acid, play a role as anti-atherogenic and neuroprotective molecules in the complex fighting against the degenerative diseases. The aim of this work was to evaluate the composition in punicalagins and ellagic acid of differently obtained extracts from whole fruit, peels and juices, prepared by squeezing or by centrifugation, of pomegranate belonging to different cultivars. Moreover, a wider phenolic fingerprint was also determined. The bioactivity of the extracts was tested on the redox activity of PDIA3 disulfide isomerase, an enzyme involved in the regulation of several cellular functions and associated with different diseases such as cancer, prion disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The results demonstrate that the different ratios between punicalagin and ellagic acid modulate the enzyme activity and other ellagitannins could interfere with this activity
An Authentication Study on Grappa Spirit: The Use of Chemometrics to Detect a Food Fraud
An authenticity study on Italian grape marc spirit was carried out by gas chromatography
(GC) and chemometrics. A grape marc spirit produced in Italy takes the particular name of “grappa”,
a product which has peculiar tradition and production in its country of origin. Therefore, the
evaluation of its authenticity plays an important role for its consumption in Italy, as well as for its
exportation all around the world. For the present work, 123 samples of grappa and several kinds of
spirits were analyzed in their alcohol content by electronic densimetry, and in their volatile fraction
by gas-chromatography with a flame-ionization detector. Part of these samples (94) was employed as
a training set to compute a chemometric model (by linear discriminant analysis, LDA) and the other
part (29 samples) was used as a test set to validate it. Finally, two grappa samples seized from the
market by the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency and considered suspicious due to their aroma
reported as non-compliant were projected onto the LDA model to evaluate the compliance with
the “grappa” class. A further one-class classification method by principal component analysis (PCA)
was carried out to evaluate the compliance with other classes. Results showed that the suspicious
samples were not recognized as belonging to any of the analyzed spirit classes, confirming the
starting hypothesis that they could be grappa samples adulterated in some way
Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of different extracts from Thymus algeriensis aerial parts
This study was performed to evaluate the metabolite recovery from different extraction
methods applied to Thymus algeriensis aerial parts. A high-performance liquid chromatographic
method using photodiode array detector with gradient elution has been developed and validated
for the simultaneous estimation of different phenolic compounds in the extracts and in their
corresponding purified fractions. The experimental results show that microwave-assisted aqueous
extraction for 15 min at 100 C gave the most phenolics-enriched extract, reducing extraction
time without degradation effects on bioactives. Sixteen compounds were identified in this extract,
11 phenolic compounds and five flavonoids, all known for their biological activities. Color analysis
and determination of chlorophylls and carotenoids implemented the knowledge of the chemical
profile of this plant
Current Trends in Simultaneous Determination of Co-Administered Drugs
Recently, high demand of high-throughput analyses with high sensitivity and selectivity to molecules and drugs in different classes with different physical-chemical properties—and a reduction in analysis time—is a principal milestone for novel methodologies that researchers are trying to achieve—especially when analytical procedures are applied to clinical purposes. In addition, to avoid high doses of a single drug that could cause serious side effects, multi-drug therapies are often used to treat numerous diseases. For these reasons, the demand for methods that allow the rapid analysis of mixed compounds has increased in recent years. In order to respond to these needs, new methods and instruments have been developed. However, often the complexity of a matrix can require a long time for the preparation and processing of the samples. Different problems in terms of components, types of matrices, compounds and physical-chemical complexity are encountered when considering drugs association profiles for quantitative analyses. This review addresses not only recently optimized procedures such as chromatographic separation, but also methods that have allowed us to obtain accuracy (precision and trueness), sensitivity and selectivity in quantitative analyses for cases of drug associations
Atriplex mollis desf. Aerial parts: extraction procedures, secondary metabolites and color analysis
A method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector was proposed for the rapid characterization of different phenolic constituents from the extracts of Atriplex mollis aerial parts. Atriplex species are known for their multiple biological activities, but no information is available in the literature about A. mollis. With the aim to firstly characterize the main secondary metabolites of this plant, so as to orient better the biological evaluation, we applied three different extraction procedures and compared the chromatographic results. Microwave-assisted extraction gave the best yield and recovery of important compounds such as gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, p-OH benzoic acid, rutin, sinapinic acid, t-ferulic acid, naringenin and benzoic acid. These constituents belong to three important chemical classes: phenolic acids, flavonoids and monoterpenes. Color evaluation and analysis of chlorophylls (a and b) and carotenoids complete the preliminary profile of this plant. From these analyses, Atriplex mollis is a source of bioactive compounds (especially rutin, t-ferulic acid and gallic acid) and could be recommended as a plant of phyto-pharmaceutical relevance, opening new perspectives on this salt-tolerant plant
Graminex pollen: phenolic pattern, colorimetric analysis and protective effects in immortalized prostate cells (PC3) and rat prostate challenged with LPS
Prostatitis, a general term describing prostate inflammation, is a common disease that
could be sustained by bacterial or non-bacterial infectious agents. The efficacy of herbal extracts with
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects for blunting the burden of inflammation and oxidative
stress, with possible improvements in clinical symptoms, is under investigation. Pollen extracts have
been previously reported as promising agents in managing clinical symptoms related to prostatitis.
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the protective effects of Graminex pollen (GraminexTM,
Deshler, OH, USA), a commercially available product based on standardized pollen extracts, in rat
prostate specimens, ex vivo. In this context, we studied the putative mechanism of action of
pollen on multiple inflammatory pathways, including the reduction of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2),
nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFB), and malondialdehyde (MDA),
whose activities were significantly increased by inflammatory stimuli. We characterized by means
of chromatographic and colorimetric studies the composition of Graminex pollen to better correlate
the activity of pollen on immortalized prostate cells (PC3), and in rat prostate specimens challenged
with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that Graminex pollen was able to reduce
radical oxygen species (ROS) production by PC3 cells and MDA, NFB mRNA, and PGE2 levels,
in rat prostate specimens. According to our experimental evidence, Graminex pollen appears to be a
promising natural product for the management of the inflammatory components in the prostate
Chemical composition and biological activity of Capparis spinosa L. from Lipari Island
Several plants belonging to the genus Capparis are the focus of growing interest due to their singular nutritional and medicinal properties. In the present study, flower bud samples from C. spinosa L. (Lipari Island, Italy) were subjected to decoction, Soxhlet, and microwave extraction techniques and the individual extracts investigated to better characterize the phytochemical and antioxidant profiles of the plant. Total phenolic and flavonoid amounts, phenolic composition, radical scavenging as well as reductive and metal chelating properties were determinated by well-established chemical and analytical procedures. Furthermore, cholinesterase inhibitory effects were evaluated by Ellman's method. Fatty acid percentage and essential oil composition were also detected by GC and GC-MS techniques respectively. Rutin was found to be the major component in the studied extracts. The Soxhlet extract exhibited the strongest radical scavenging and reductive activities as compared to the other extracts, most probably due to the highest concentration of phenolics, especially rutin. The best cholinesterase inhibitory effect was observed in the microwave extract. Palmitic acid was the most abundant fatty acid in the studied oil, whereas docosane was the major volatile compound in the essential oil. Present data corroborate the multipurpose potential of C. spinosa for designing bio-based drug formulations or functional applications. (c) 2018 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
A polyphenol rich extract from Solanum melongena L. DR2 peel exhibits antioxidant properties and anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 activity in vitro
DR2B and DR2C extracts, obtained by ethanolic maceration of peel from commercially
and physiologically ripe aubergine berries, were studied for the antioxidative cytoprotective
properties and anti-HSV-1 activity, in line with the evidence that several antioxidants can impair
viral replication by maintaining reducing conditions in host cells. The antioxidative cytoprotective
effects against tBOOH-induced damage were assessed in Caco2 cells, while antiviral activity was
studied in Vero cells; polyphenolic fingerprints were characterized by integrated phytochemical
methods. Results highlighted different compositions of the extracts, with chlorogenic acid and
delphinidin-3-rutinoside as the major constituents; other peculiar phytochemicals were also identified.
Both samples reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and exhibited scavenging and
chelating properties. DR2C partly counteracted the tBOOH-induced cytotoxicity, with a remarkable
lowering of lactate metabolism under both normoxia and hypoxia; interestingly, it increased
intracellular GSH levels. Furthermore, DR2C inhibited the HSV-1 replication when added for
24 h after viral adsorption, as also confirmed by the reduction of many viral proteins’ expression.
Since DR2C was able to reduce NOX4 expression during HSV-1 infection, its antiviral activity may be
correlated to its antioxidant properties. Although further studies are needed to better characterize
DR2C activity, the results suggest this extract as a promising new anti-HSV-1 agent
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