Glutathione peroxidase mimics as novel antioxidants from vegetables

Strawberry and human health: effects beyond antioxidant activity

The usefulness of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits on human health has been widely recognized: a high intake of antioxidant and bioactive compounds may in fact play a crucial role in the prevention of several diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and other chronic pathologies. The strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) possesses a remarkable nutritional composition in terms of micronutrients, such as minerals, vitamin C, and folates, and non-nutrient elements, such as phenolic compounds, that are essential for human health. Although strawberry phenolics are known mainly for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, recent studies have demonstrated that their biological activities also spread to other pathways involved in cellular metabolism and cellular survival. This paper has the main objective of reviewing current information about the potential mechanisms involved in the effects elicited by strawberry polyphenols on human health, devoting special attention to the latest findings.

A dietary supplement improves outcome in an experimental influenza model in old mice

Twenty-month-old Swiss mice were allocated into three groups: (A) control; (B) infected group; and (C) infected but treated with 5 mg of the phytocompound MMT. Mice were infected intranasally with 30 microL of 75 HA viral units. MMT markedly blunted the nasal signs of virus infection and the febrile response. Formazan-positive cells, lung and plasma lipoperoxides, and TNF-alpha in lung tissue increased during viral infection, but improvement was seen in the MMT-treated group (P < 0.05). MMT also normalized SOD, catalase activities, and ascorbic acid and determined a significant decrease of lung but not nasal viral titer, although nasal inflammatory infiltrate dropped significantly. MMT has potential clinical applications with and has an excellent safety profile even in old animals.

Inhibitory effects of lycopene on the adhesion, invasion, and migration of SK-Hep1 human hepatoma cells

Lycopene, which is the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes and tomato-based foods, may protect humans against various cancers. Effects of lycopene on the adhesion, invasion, migration, and growth of the SK-Hep1 human hepatoma cell line were investigated. Lycopene inhibited cell growth in dose-dependent manners, with growth inhibition rates of 5% and 40% at 0.1 microM and 50 microM lycopene, respectively, after 24 hrs of incubation. Similarly, after 48 hrs of incubation, lycopene at 5 microM and 10 microM decreased the cell numbers by 30% and 40%, respectively. Lycopene decreased the gelatinolytic activities of both matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, which were secreted from the SK-Hep1 cells. Incubation of SK-Hep1 cells with 110 microM of lycopene for 60 mins significantly inhibited cell adhesion to the Matrigel-coated substrate in a concentration-dependent manner. To study invasion, SK-Hep1 cells were grown either on Matrigel-coated Transwell membranes or in 24-well plates. The cells were treated sequentially for 24 hrs with lycopene before the start of the invasion assays. Cell growth and death were assessed under the same conditions. The invasion of SK-Hep1 cells treated with lycopene was significantly reduced to 28.3% and 61.9% of the control levels at 5 microM and 10 microM lycopene, respectively (P < 0.05). In the migration assay, lycopene-treated cells showed lower levels of migration than untreated cells. These results demonstrate the antimetastatic properties of lycopene in inhibiting the adhesion, invasion, and migration of SK-Hep1 human hepatoma cells.