Apigenin from daily vegetable celery can accelerate bone defects healing

Effects of pretreatment and freezing storage on the bioactive components and antioxidant activity of two kinds of celery after postharvest

Celery is well liked for it medicinal functions and nutritive value. However, fresh celery is not resistant to storage, severely limiting its supply time and marketing region. In this study, the effects of pretreatment and freezing storage on the nutritional quality of two kinds of celery (Chinese celery cultivar 'Lvlin Huangxinqin' and Western celery cultivar 'Jinnan Shiqin') after postharvest were investigated. Under all treatment combinations, 120 s blanching at 60 °C and 75 s blanching at 75 °C were the most effective pretreatments for 'Lvlin Huangxinqin' and 'Jinnan Shiqin', respectively. These two pretreatments combinations effectively delayed the decline of chlorophyll and fiber content, and maintained the level of carotenoids, soluble protein, total sugars, DPPH radical scavenging, total phenols, and vitamin C during freezing storage. These findings suggest that blanching and quick-freezing treatments are beneficial to maintain the nutritional quality of two kinds of celery, which have important reference significance for the postharvest processing of celery.

Effectiveness of Apigenin, Resveratrol, and Curcumin as Adjuvant Nutraceuticals for Calvarial Bone Defect Healing: An In Vitro and Histological Study on Rats

Bone healing is a major clinical issue, especially in bone defects of critical dimensions. Some studies have reported in vivo positive effects on bone healing by some bioactive compounds, such as the phenolic derivatives found in vegetables and plants, such as resveratrol, curcumin, and apigenin. The aim of this work was (1) to analyze in vitro in human dental pulp stem cells the effects of these three natural compounds on the gene expression of related genes downstream to RUNX2 and SMAD5, key factor transcriptions associated with osteoblast differentiation, in order to better understand the positive effects that can occur in vivo in bone healing, and (2) to evaluate in vivo the effects on bone healing of critical-size defects in the calvaria in rats of these three nutraceuticals tested in parallel and for the first time administered by the gastric route. Upregulation of the RUNX2, SMAD5, COLL1, COLL4, and COLL5 genes in the presence of apigenin, curcumin, and resveratrol was detected. In vivo, apigenin induced more consistent significant bone healing in critical-size defects in rat calvaria compared to the other study groups. The study findings encourage a possible therapeutic supplementation with nutraceuticals during the bone regeneration process.