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Conte R, Valentino A, De Luca I, Soares Pontes G, Calarco A, Cerruti P. Thermo-Responsive Hydrogel Containing Microfluidic Chitosan Nanoparticles Loaded with Opuntia ficus-indica Extract for Periodontitis Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9374. [PMID: 39273327 PMCID: PMC11395269 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2024] [Revised: 08/24/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease resulting from the dysbiosis of periodontal bacteria and the host's immune response, leading to tissue degradation and sustained inflammation. Traditional treatments, such as mechanical debridement and antimicrobial agents, often fail to fully eradicate pathogenic bacteria, especially in deep periodontal pockets. Consequently, the need for novel therapeutic approaches has increased the interest in bioactive natural extracts, such as that of Opuntia ficus-indica, known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. This study investigates the encapsulation of Opuntia ficus-indica extract in OFI-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (OFI-NPs) via ionotropic gelation using a microfluidic system, allowing precise control over nanoparticle characteristics and enhancing protection against enzymatic degradation. To achieve localized and sustained release in periodontal pockets, a thermo-responsive hydrogel comprising hyaluronic acid and Pluronic F127 (OFI@tgels) was developed. The transition of OFI@tgels from a solution at low temperatures to a solid at body temperature enables prolonged drug release at inflammation sites. The in vitro application of the optimized formulation eradicated biofilms of S. mutans, P. aeruginosa (PAO1), and P. gingivalis over 36 h and disrupted extracellular polymeric substance formation. Additionally, OFI@tgel modulated immune responses by inhibiting M1 macrophage polarization and promoting a shift to the M2 phenotype. These findings suggest that OFI@tgel is a promising alternative treatment for periodontitis, effectively reducing biofilm formation and modulating the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Conte
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna Valentino
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Ilenia De Luca
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Gemilson Soares Pontes
- Laboratory of Virology and Immunology, National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus 69067-375, AM, Brazil
- Post-Graduate Program in Basic and Applied Immunology, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus 69077-000, AM, Brazil
| | - Anna Calarco
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Cerruti
- Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
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Pashaei M, Hassanpour H. Phenolic, amino acids, and fatty acids profiles and the nutritional properties in the fresh and dried fruits of black rosehip (Rosa pimpinellifolia L.). Sci Rep 2024; 14:19665. [PMID: 39179627 PMCID: PMC11344089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70574-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Recently, increased attention has been paid to the raw materials of plants as a source of biologically active substances. Black rosehip (Rosa pimpinellifolia L.) fruits could be a good resource for potential functional components in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Also, drying can influence the composition of heat-sensitive phytochemicals. However, less attention is given to comparing black rosehip bioactive compounds particularly compositions of fatty acid, amino acids, and phenolic content in fresh and dried fruits. So in this study, the amino acid constituents (by amino acid analyzer), fatty acids (by GC-MS), mineral elements (by atomic absorption spectrometer), antioxidant (by DPPH) and phenolic compounds (by HPLC) present in fresh and dried fruits of black rosehip naturally grown in Iran were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that dried fruits had a lower level moisture by 51.55%, and a higher level of total phenolic compounds and total sugar by 786.20 mg GAE/100 g and 15.77 g/100 g, respectively. Chlorogenic acid and gallic acid were the major phenolic compounds (109.3 mg/g). Whilst, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and arachidic acid (85.34%) were the most dominant fatty acids. The most dominant amino acids were glutamic acid, phenylalanine, and arginine (29.41 g/100 g). Also, Fe and Mn as micro-elements were the most dominant elements. In general, the results illustrated the potentials and differences of black rosehip fruits grown in the Arasbaran region as promising resources for food sources, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and breeding programs. Also, these findings confirm that black rosehip fruits contain significant amounts of secondary metabolites that may positively affect human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milad Pashaei
- Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | - Hamid Hassanpour
- Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
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Valentino A, Conte R, Bousta D, Bekkari H, Di Salle A, Calarco A, Peluso G. Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Opuntia ficus-indica Fruit (OFI-EVs) Speed Up the Normal Wound Healing Processes by Modulating Cellular Responses. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7103. [PMID: 39000212 PMCID: PMC11241772 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recognized as important mediators of intercellular communication able to transfer active biomolecules across the plant and animal kingdoms. EVs have demonstrated an impressive array of biological activities, displaying preventive and therapeutic potential in mitigating various pathological processes. Indeed, the simplicity of delivering exogenous and endogenous bioactive molecules to mammalian cells with their low cytotoxicity makes EVs suitable agents for new therapeutic strategies for a variety of pathologies. In this study, EVs were isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica fruit (OFI-EVs) and characterized by particle size distribution, concentration, and bioactive molecule composition. OFI-EVs had no obvious toxicity and demonstrated a protective role in the inflammatory process and oxidative stress in vitro model of chronic skin wounds. The results demonstrated that pretreatment with OFI-EVs decreased the activity and gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) in the LPS-stimulated human leukemia monocytic cell line (THP-1). Furthermore, OFI-EVs promote the migration of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), speeding up the normal wound healing processes. This study sheds light, for the first time, on the role of OFI-EVs in modulating important biological processes such as inflammation and oxidation, thereby identifying EVs as potential candidates for healing chronic cutaneous wounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Valentino
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.C.); (A.D.S.); (G.P.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Raffaele Conte
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.C.); (A.D.S.); (G.P.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Dalila Bousta
- National Agency of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Tounate, Taounate 34000, Morocco;
| | - Hicham Bekkari
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Environment, Agrofood and Health (LBEAS), Fez 30000, Morocco;
| | - Anna Di Salle
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.C.); (A.D.S.); (G.P.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna Calarco
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.C.); (A.D.S.); (G.P.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Via di Sant’Alessandro 8, 00131 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Peluso
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.C.); (A.D.S.); (G.P.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Via di Sant’Alessandro 8, 00131 Rome, Italy
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Mello BCBS, Malarski A, Böhm V. Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Pulp, Peel and Seeds from Jeriva ( Syagrus romanzoffiana). Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:711. [PMID: 38929150 PMCID: PMC11200598 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13060711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Jeriva (Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a fruit from palm trees of the Arecaceae family, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of Latin America. It has low production costs and high productivity throughout the year; however, its consumption is very low, and the production goes almost entirely to feed animals or to waste. To improve its consumption, a good characterization of the whole fruit is necessary. The objective of this work was to evaluate the jeriva pulp, peel and seeds according to carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, tocopherols and antioxidant potential using HPLC, microplate readers and spectrophotometric methods. Every part of the fruit exhibited antioxidant capacity in the ORAC and TEAC tests, which can be attributed to its high concentration of polyphenols. Carotenoids were more present in the pulp and peel and almost absent in the seeds. Vitamin C ranged from 12 ± 1 for the seeds up to 92 ± 3 mg/100 g for the pulp. The total phenolic content was quantified between 473 ± 39 for the seeds and 1089 ± 32 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)/100 g for the pulp. These results demonstrate that all parts of this fruit have important bioactive nutrients, with promising perspectives for further scientific approaches and for composing formulations of food products to enhance functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz C. B. S. Mello
- Center for Natural Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, Campus Lagoa do Sino, Buri 18290-000, Brazil
| | - Angelika Malarski
- Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Volker Böhm
- Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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Khatib M, Cecchi L, Bellumori M, Zonfrillo B, Mulinacci N. Polysaccharides and Phenolic Compounds Recovered from Red Bell Pepper, Tomato and Basil By-Products Using a Green Extraction by Extractor Timatic ®. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16653. [PMID: 38068976 PMCID: PMC10706253 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Fruits and vegetables processing produces significant amounts of by-products rich in valuable bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and dietary fiber. Food by-product re-use promotes the eco-sustainability of several crops. This study aimed to apply green extractions of bioactive compounds from by-products of basil, tomato, and red bell pepper production. Tests were performed by applying extraction procedures both at laboratory scale and using the Timatic® extractor. Water and ethanol 10% and 20% were used for extraction of red bell pepper and tomato, testing different temperatures (30, 50, and 90 °C; water at 90 °C and ethanol 20% were applied for basil. The obtained phenolic extracts were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS. Polysaccharides of tomato and red bell pepper were extracted at laboratory scale and chemically characterized using 1H-NMR to define the methylation and acylation degree, and DLS to estimate the hydrodynamic volume. Laboratory extraction tests allowed efficient scaling-up of the process on the Timatic® extractor. Phenolic content in the dried extracts (DE) ranged 8.0-11.2 mg/g for tomato and red bell pepper and reached 240 mg/g for basil extracts. Polysaccharide yields (w/w on DM) reached 6.0 and 10.4% for dried tomato and red bell pepper, respectively. Dry extracts obtained using the Timatic® extractor and water can be useful sources of bioactive phenols. The study provided new data on tomato and red bell pepper polysaccharides that may be useful for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad Khatib
- Department of NEUROFARBA, Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy; (M.K.); (M.B.); (B.Z.)
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science & Technology, Via Giusti 9, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cecchi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Piazzale Delle Cascine 16, 50144 Florence, Italy;
| | - Maria Bellumori
- Department of NEUROFARBA, Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy; (M.K.); (M.B.); (B.Z.)
| | - Beatrice Zonfrillo
- Department of NEUROFARBA, Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy; (M.K.); (M.B.); (B.Z.)
| | - Nadia Mulinacci
- Department of NEUROFARBA, Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy; (M.K.); (M.B.); (B.Z.)
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