Alzheimer's disease (AD), a major neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the progressive accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, leading to cognitive decline. Despite the existing treatments, their limited efficacy highlights the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. The present study investigates the neuroprotective effects of a grape seed polyphenol extract (GSPE) on transgenic models specifically expressing human Aβ proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis research investigated the effects of hydroponic cultivation with enriched concentrations of magnesium (+Mg), manganese (+Mn), a combination of +Mg and +Mn, or decreased concentrations of these minerals (control) on the nutritional, chemical, and bioactive attributes of purple and green basil. While Mn significantly increased the growth of purple basil and affected the composition of essential oil and mineral accumulation, plants treated with Mg showed alterations in nutrient absorption. Protein values were lower, indicating suboptimal protein synthesis, but significant increases were observed in fat, ash, and carbohydrates, suggesting a more nutrient-rich composition due to hydroponic cultivation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlue maize is used in the production of various traditional foods, and its phytochemical composition has been claimed to possess health benefits. In this study, two blue maize hybrids with pigmented germ grown in five environments were studied under the hypothesis that the germ could have a different anthocyanin profile from that of anthocyanins synthesized in the aleurone layer, and that those in the germ could increase the total anthocyanin content in the whole grain. The percentage of pigmented germ, total anthocyanin content (TA) and total soluble phenols in the germ, whole grain and tortilla were evaluated to determine how tortilla color is modified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFL. (cardoon) is a wild species of the Mediterranean basin and is highly appreciated due to its rich nutritional value and versatile industrial applications. It is widely known that environmental conditions, such as air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, among others, play a crucial role in plant phenological variations and the chemical composition and bioactive properties of different plant tissues of cardoon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince the early twentieth century, research on vitamins has revealed their therapeutic potential beyond their role as essential micronutrients. Riboflavin, known as vitamin B2, stands out for its unique characteristics. Despite numerous studies, riboflavin remains vital, with implications for human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the potential of incorporating cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) blades as bioactive and dietary fiber ingredients in vegetable/fruit-based smoothies, within a zero-waste approach. The smoothie formulations were pasteurized by high-pressure (550 MPa for 3 min, HPP) and thermal (90 °C for 30 s, TP) treatments and stored at 4 °C for 50 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlive pomace is an agro-industrial waste product generated from the olive oil industry and constituted by bioactive compounds with potential applications in several industrial sectors. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of electron beam (e-beam) radiation on olive pomace, specifically on phenolic compounds (by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) and the bioactive properties (antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities) of crude olive pomace (COP) and extracted olive pomace (EOP) extracts. The amount of total flavonoid content and the reducing power of COP extracts were higher than those obtained for EOP extracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedical therapies to avoid the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are limited to date. Certain diets have been associated with a lower incidence of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, the regular intake of foods rich in polyphenols, such as epicatechin (EC), could help prevent or mitigate AD progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe capitulum constituents (stigma, corolla, bracts, pappus, and receptacle) of seven cardoon cultivars were studied for their polyphenolic composition and bioactive properties. Fifteen phenolic compounds were identified, secoiridoid, secoxyloganin, and apigenin-O-hexuronoside in higher concentrations. The bracts had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, and the corolla had the greatest variety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Res Int
August 2023
The present study aims to determine the combined effect of cropping system and irrigation regime on the chemical composition and bioactive properties of lemon balm aerial parts. For this purpose, lemon balm plants were grown under two farming systems (conventional farming vs organic farming) and two irrigation levels (full irrigation vs deficit irrigation) and harvested twice throughout the growing period. The collected aerial parts were subjected to three different methods of extractions, namely infusion, maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction and the obtained extracts were evaluated in terms of chemical profile and bioactivities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe efficiency of natural olive pomace extracts for enhancing the quality of fresh-cut apples was compared with commercial ascorbic acid and two different packaging films (biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and oriented polypropylene (OPP)) were tested. The composition of atmosphere inside the packages, the physicochemical parameters (firmness, weight loss and color), the microbial load, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut apples were evaluated throughout 12 days of storage at 4 °C. After 12 days of refrigerated storage, a significant decrease in O was promoted in PLA films, and the weight loss of the whole packaging was higher in PLA films (5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was used to recover hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol from olive pomace, a residue generated by the olive oil industry. The extraction process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), with processing time, ethanol concentration and ultrasonic power as the combined independent variables. The highest amounts of hydroxytyrosol (36 ± 2 mg g of extract) and tyrosol (14 ± 1 mg g of extract) were obtained after 28 min of sonication at 490 W using 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolyphenols have been shown to be effective against many chronic diseases. These compounds could have a beneficial effect at the cognitive level. The exact mechanism by which they provide positive effects at the cognitive level is not well known, but it is believed that they could counteract neuroinflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present study petioles were collected from cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var altilis) plants in central Greece at sixteen harvest dates (samples P1-P16) and nine growth stages (principal growth stages (PGS) 1-9). The main objective of this study was to study the influence of petioles' growth cycle on their chemical composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardoon ( var. ) blades were collected at sixteen sampling dates (B1-B16) to study the influence of the phenological growth stage on the phenolic composition and biological properties. Twenty phenolic compounds were identified, among which trans 3,4--dicaffeoylquinic acid, 5--caffeoylquinic acid, and luteolin--hexoside (39.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuercetin, a flavonoid with promising therapeutic potential, has been shown to protect from cisplatin nephrotoxicity in rats following intraperitoneal injection, but its low bioavailability curtails its prospective clinical utility in oral therapy. We recently developed a micellar formulation (P-quercetin) with enhanced solubility and bioavailability, and identical nephroprotective properties. As a first aim, we herein evaluated the oral treatment with P-quercetin in rats, which displayed no nephroprotection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxidants (Basel)
January 2022
In this study, an autochthonous variety of sweet cherry ( L.), namely "Moretta di Vignola", was processed to prepare extracts rich in polyphenols, which were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation coupled to UV/DAD and ESI-MS analysis. Then, a sweet cherry anthocyanin-rich extract (ACE) was prepared, fully characterized and tested for its activity against Parkinson's disease (PD) in cellular (BV2 microglia and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma) and in rotenone (ROT)-induced model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydroethanolic extracts of cardoon petioles collected at sixteen growth stages (P1-P16) were characterized in terms of their phenolic composition and bioactive potential (antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities). Fifteen phenolic compounds were tentatively identified (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCompr Rev Food Sci Food Saf
January 2022
The wastes generated during the olive oil extraction process, even if presenting a negative impact for the environment, contain several bioactive compounds that have considerable health benefits. After suitable extraction and purification, these compounds can be used as food antioxidants or as active ingredients in nutraceutical and cosmetic products due to their interesting technological and pharmaceutical properties. The aim of this review, after presenting general applications of the different types of wastes generated from this industry, is to focus on the olive pomace produced by the two-phase system and to explore the challenging applications of the main individual compounds present in this waste.
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