The protective roles of citrus flavonoids, naringenin, and naringin on endothelial cell dysfunction in diseases

Characterization of the Sideritis scardica Extract SidTea+TM and Its Effect on Physiological Profile, Metabolic Health and Redox Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

This study aimed to characterize a Sideritis scardica extract (SidTea+TM) and investigate its effect on the physiological profile, metabolic health and redox status in healthy individuals. The chemical profile and antioxidant potential of the SidTea+TM extract were evaluated by UPLC-HRMS analysis and in vitro cell-free methods. Twenty-eight healthy adults participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants consumed 1500 mg/day of SidTea+TM or a placebo for 4 weeks. At baseline and post-supplementation, participants were assessed for their anthropometric and physiological profile and provided a resting blood sample. SidTea+TM decreased (p < 0.05) systolic blood pressure (-10.8 mmHg), mean arterial pressure (-4.5 mmHg), resting heart rate (-3.1 bpm) and handgrip strength of the non-dominant limb (-0.8 kg) whereas the placebo decreased (p < 0.05) handgrip strength of the dominant (-5.8 kg) and non-dominant (-3.2 kg) limb. SidTea+TM also resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in estimated VO2max (+1.1 mL/kg/min) and a reduction (p < 0.05) in γ-GT and SGPT enzymatic activity in serum (-3.7 and -3.3 U/L, respectively). Finally, SidTea+TM increased (p < 0.001) total antioxidant capacity and decreased (p < 0.05) lipid peroxidation levels in plasma. These results indicate that SidTea+TM is a potent and safe to use antioxidant that can elicit positive changes in indices of blood pressure, cardiorespiratory capacity, liver metabolism, and redox status in healthy adults over a 4-week supplementation period.

Effects of purified anthocyanins supplementation on serum concentration of inflammatory mediators: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials

Anthocyanins, due to their antioxidant effects, are candidates to reduce inflammation and the risk of inflammatory diseases. Therefore, through conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, we tried to find the effect of purified anthocyanins on serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Databases including, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, and Cochrane Library were searched up to June 2023. The meta-analysis was done by calculating mean differences and their standard deviations. Calculating the statistical heterogeneity of intervention effects was performed through I-squared statistics and Cochran's Q test. The pooled estimate showed a significant decrease in serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 (weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.12 mg/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.21 to -0.02, p = 0.013; WMD = -1.37 pg/mL, 95% CI = -1.79 to -0.96; p < 0.001; WMD = -1.43 pg/mL, 95% CI = -1.87 to -1.00; p < 0.001, respectively). Subgroup analysis results revealed purified anthocyanins significantly decreased serum levels of CRP among participants with serum levels of CRP≥1.52 mg/L, at-risk/unhealthy status, and in trials with intervention duration ≥84 days, anthocyanins dose ≥320 mg/day, and sample size ≥85 subjects. Regarding TNF-α and IL-6, out results showed that there was a significant effect of purified anthocyanins on serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in most subgroups. The results of our study indicated that purified anthocyanins significantly decreased serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6. However, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the efficacy of purified anthocyanins.

Naringenin Orchestrates and Regulates the Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Pathways and Proinflammatory Signaling: Targeting Hallmarks of Aging-Associated Disorders

The therapeutic application of flavonoids in the management of infectious diseases, cancers, chronic wounds, aging, and neurodegenerative disorders has been well documented in scientific literature. The citric flavonoid naringenin comes under the category of flavanone and exhibits a plethora of health benefits. Very few flavonoids such as curcumin, resveratrol, catechin, quercetin, and kaempferol have been studied to exert their anti-aging properties in humans. The effect of naringenin in the context of age-associated disorders in detail has not been elucidated yet. The databases used for the literature search were Science Direct, Google Scholar, and PubMed. More emphasis has been put on the recent literature on "naringenin" and its effect on "age-associated disorders." Almost all chronic degenerative disorders are characterized by oxidative stress and inflammatory response. The study aims at highlighting the reactive oxygen species-mediated activity of naringenin and the underlying molecular mechanism leading to the prevention of various age-associated disorders. Altogether, the review presents a systematic comprehension of the pharmaceutical and clinicopathological benefits of naringenin in age-associated disorders.

A New Ready-to-Eat Product Based on Enzymatically Peeled 'Hernandina' Clementine Segments and Citrus Syrup

Ready-to-eat fresh fruit have an increasing presence in international markets due to their convenience and health benefits. However, these products are highly perishable and efficient technologies to increase their shelf life are needed. In the present research, different citrus fruit species and cultivars from organic farming were assessed to obtain enzymatically peeled citrus segments. The best results in terms of segment quality were observed for 'Hernandina' clementine, which was chosen to make a new ready-to-eat product based on peeled citrus segments that were packaged in glass jars with a light syrup made of citrus juice and organic sugar cane. Different citrus juice mixtures were assayed and the most appreciated syrup, based on the sensory scores given by panellists, was that containing 50-50 (v/v) of 'Fino' lemon and 'Hernandina' clementine juices. In addition, different pasteurization treatments were assessed for their effects on conserving the safety, nutritional quality and sensory properties of the product during cold storage. The results show that pasteurization treatment at 50 °C for 45 min was sufficient to prevent microbial contamination with mesophilic and psychrophilic aerobic bacteria or yeast and mould and to maintain sensory properties until five weeks of storage at 4 °C. In addition, only a 10% reduction in vitamin C concentrations was observed in fresh-segments or syrup until the end of the storage period, showing that a high bioactive compound content and health benefits were conserved in the new ready-to-eat product after pasteurization and prolonged cold storage.

Atomistic simulations suggest dietary flavonoids from Beta vulgaris (beet) as promising inhibitors of human angiotensin-converting enzyme and 2-alpha-adrenergic receptors in hypertension

Motivation

Beta vulgaris (beet) is extensively reported for its antihypertensive activity. However, the mechanismunderpinning its antihypertensive activity is not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the in silico interactionsof 70 compounds derived from beta vulgaris against the active sites of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and alpha-adrenergic receptor (AR).

Results

Structure-based virtual screening against angiotensin-converting enzyme revealed that, Cochliophilin A (-9.0 Kcal/mol), Miraxanthin (-8.3 Kcal/mol), and quercimeritrin (-9.7 Kcal/mol) had lower docking scores than the reference lisinopril (-7.9 Kcal/mol). These compounds exhibited dual binding tendency as they also ranked top compounds upon screening against adrenergic receptor. The thermodynamic parameters computed from the resulting trajectories obtained from the 100 ns full atomistic molecular dynamics simulation revealed structural stability and conformational flexibility of the ligand-receptor complexes as indicated by the RMSD, RMSF, RoG, SASA, and H-bond calculations. The molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation binding energy calculations revealed that the proteins exhibit considerable binding energy with the phytochemicals in a dynamic environment. Furthermore, the hit compounds possess good physicochemical properties and drug-likeness. Overall, cochliophilin and quercimeritrin are promising dual-target directed flavonoids from Beta vulgaris; and are suggested for further experimental and preclinical evaluation.

Availability and implementation

All data was provided in the manuscript.

Thymus atlanticus: A Source of Nutrients with Numerous Health Benefits and Important Therapeutic Potential for Age-Related Diseases

Thymus atlanticus (Lamiaceae) is a plant endemic to the Mediterranean basin that is found in significant quantities in the arid regions of Morocco. Thymus atlanticus is used in traditional medicine to treat infectious and non-infectious diseases. It is also used for the isolation of essential oils and for the seasoning of many dishes in the Mediterranean diet. The major constituents of Thymus atlanticus are saponins, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, various simple and hydroxycinnamic phenolic compounds, and terpene compounds. Several of these compounds act on signaling pathways of oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood sugar, which are parameters often dysregulated during aging. Due to its physiochemical characteristics and biological activities, Thymus atlanticus could be used for the prevention and/or treatment of age-related diseases. These different aspects are treated in the present review, and we focused on phytochemistry and major age-related diseases: dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Polyphenols from Bitter Orange Industrial Waste and Identification of the Main Compounds

In this work, the extraction of phenolic compounds from orange waste (OW) obtained after the industrial extraction of neohesperidin from bitter oranges (Seville oranges) was assayed by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and Soxhlet extraction (SE). The extraction agents were ethanol and acetone. For SE, aqueous solutions of both extraction agents were used at 50%, 75%, and 100% (v/v). For MAE, a design of experiments was applied to determine the conditions that maximize the extraction yield. The independent variables were temperature (from 20 to 75 °C), process time (between 10 and 20 min), and percentage of extraction agent (v/v) in the extraction solution (50%, 75%, and 100%). Following that, the extracts were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography to identify the main phenolic compounds extracted. Results showed that 50% (v/v) ethanol or acetone was the extraction agent concentration that maximized the extraction yield for both SE and MAE, with the yields of MAE being higher than those of SE. Thus, the highest extraction yields on a dry basis achieved for MAE were 16.7 g/100 OW for 50% acetone, 75 °C, and 15 min, and 20.2 g/100 OW for 50% ethanol, 75 °C, and 10.8 min, respectively. Finally, the main phenolic compounds found in the orange waste were naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, and naringenin (i.e., flavonoids).

Examining the Naringin Content and Sensory Characteristics of Functional Chocolate Fortified with Grapefruit Peel Extract

Grapefruit peel contains a high concentration of naringin- a potent antioxidant with strong bioactive properties. In this study, a new type of functional chocolate fortified with grapefruit peel extract and different concentrations of aqueous methanol and ethanol were evaluated as extraction solvents. A new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to analyze the naringin content of the fortified chocolates was developed with a recovery of 107% ± 3.1% and repeatability below 3.5%. A sensory evaluation was conducted to assess the preference for the chocolates among individuals who self-described a preference for bitter flavors. No significant preference was observed in the cases of astringency and aftertaste while the increased bitterness proved to be favorable. However, taste, flavor and overall acceptability were regarded somewhat less favorably. While chocolate proved to be a satisfactory carrier for naringin and had several enjoyable characteristics, further research may focus on improving the organoleptic properties of chocolates fortified by naringin.

A Comprehensive Review on Cardiovascular Complications of COVID-19: Unraveling the Link to Bacterial Endocarditis

The global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has ushered in a new era of understanding the multifaceted nature of infectious diseases. Beyond its well-documented respiratory impact, COVID-19 has unveiled intricate interactions with the cardiovascular system, with potential implications that extend to bacterial endocarditis. This review explores the complex interplay between COVID-19 and bacterial endocarditis, elucidating shared risk factors, theoretical mechanisms, and clinical implications. We examine the diverse cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19, ranging from myocarditis and thromboembolic events to arrhythmias, and delve into the pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnostic challenges of bacterial endocarditis. By analyzing potential connections, such as viral-induced endothelial disruption and immune modulation, we shed light on the plausible relationship between COVID-19 and bacterial endocarditis. Our synthesis highlights the significance of accurate diagnosis, optimal management, and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the challenges posed by these intricate interactions. In addition, we underscore the importance of future research, emphasizing prospective studies on bacterial endocarditis incidence and investigations into the long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19. As the boundaries of infectious diseases and cardiovascular complications converge, this review calls for continued research, vigilance, and coordinated efforts to enhance patient care and public health strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape.