Disclosing the Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Activity of an Anthocyanin-Rich Extract from Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Using In Vitro and In Vivo Models

Characterization of Walnut Oil and Evaluation of Its Neuroprotective Effects in an In Vitro Model of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and the buildup of α-synuclein aggregates. The current treatments focus on symptom relief, with no drugs available to halt disease progression. This has prompted interest in plant-based extracts as alternative therapies. This study examines the neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of walnut oil (WO), extracted from Juglans regia L., in an in vitro PD model using the neurotoxin rotenone (ROT). WO, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA), together with minor bioactive components, is known for its neuroprotective properties. Using human HMC3 microglial and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, we tested WO's effects on ROT-induced toxicity. The experiments were performed at different time points. The results showed that the co-administration of WO with ROT significantly improved cell viability and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Additionally, conditioned media from WO-treated HMC3 cells enhanced SH-SY5Y cell survival, indicating positive microglia-neuron interactions. Cell viability appeared to be concentration- and time-dependent. These findings highlight WO's potential, mainly due to its PUFA content, as a promising candidate for preventing neurodegenerative diseases like PD; they underscore the potential of WO content in food for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as PD.

From Orchard to Wellness: Unveiling the Health Effects of Sweet Cherry Nutrients

This review paper explores the multifaceted relationship between sweet cherry nutrients and human health, aiming to uncover the comprehensive impact of these bioactive compounds from orchard to wellness. Furthermore, it highlights how advanced crop techniques can be pivotal in optimizing these beneficial compounds. Synthesizing existing literature, the paper examines the diverse bioactive nutrients in sweet cherries, including antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals, and elucidating their mechanisms of action and potential health benefits. From antioxidant properties to anti-inflammatory effects, the paper elucidates how these nutrients may mitigate chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions. Additionally, it explores their role in promoting gastrointestinal health, enhancing exercise recovery, and modulating sleep patterns. The review discusses emerging research on the potential anti-cancer properties of sweet cherry compounds, highlighting their promising role in cancer prevention and treatment. Furthermore, it delves into the impact of sweet cherry consumption on metabolic health, weight management, and skin health. By providing a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of sweet cherry nutrients and their health effects, this paper offers valuable insights for researchers, healthcare professionals, and consumers interested in utilizing nature's bounty for holistic wellness.

Encapsulated phenolic compounds: clinical efficacy of a novel delivery method

Encapsulation is a drug or food ingredient loaded-delivery system that entraps active components, protecting them from decomposition/degradation throughout the processing and storage stages and facilitates their delivery to the target tissue/organ, improving their bioactivities. The application of this technology is expanding gradually from pharmaceuticals to the food industry, since dietary bioactive ingredients, including polyphenols, are susceptible to environmental and/or gastrointestinal conditions. Polyphenols are the largest group of plants' secondary metabolites, with a wide range of biological effects. Literature data have indicated their potential in the prevention of several disorders and pathologies, ranging from simpler allergic conditions to more complex metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite the promising health effects in preclinical studies, the clinical use of dietary polyphenols is still very limited due to their low bioaccessibility and/or bioavailability. Encapsulation can be successfully employed in the development of polyphenol-based functional foods, which may improve their bioaccessibility and/or bioavailability. Moreover, encapsulation can also aid in the targeted delivery of polyphenols and may prevent any possible adverse events. For the encapsulation of bioactive ingredients, several techniques are applied such as emulsion phase separation, emulsification/internal gelation, film formation, spray drying, spray-bed-drying, fluid-bed coating, spray-chilling, spray-cooling, and melt injection. The present review aims to throw light on the existing literature highlighting the possibility and clinical benefits of encapsulated polyphenols in health and disease. However, the clinical data is still very scarce and randomized clinical trials are needed before any conclusion is drawn.

Graphical abstract

Berberis vulgaris L. extract supplementation exerts regulatory effects on the lifespan and healthspan of Drosophila through its antioxidant activity depending on the sex

Worldwide the aging population continues to increase, so the concept of healthy longevity medicine has become increasingly significant in modern society. Berberis vulgaris L. fruits serve as a functional food supplement with a high concentration of bioactive compounds, which offer numerous health-promoting benefits. The goal of this study was to investigate the geroprotective effect of Berberis vulgaris L. extract. Here we show that extract of Berberis vulgaris L. can, depending on concentrate, increases lifespan up to 6%, promote healthspan (stress resistance up to 35%, locomotor activity up to 25%, integrity of the intestinal barrier up to 12%, metabolic rate up to 5%) of Drosophila melanogaster (in vitro) and exhibits antioxidant (using red blood cell tests) and antiglycation activity (using glycation of bovine serum albumin) (in vitro). In addition to this, the extract does not exhibit cytotoxic properties in vitro, unlike the well-known polyphenolic compound quercetin. qRT-PCR has revealed the involvement of metabolic, heat shock response and lipid metabolism genes in the observed effects.

Effects of Anthocyanins on Components of Metabolic Syndrome-A Review

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant health problem. The co-occurrence of obesity, carbohydrate metabolism disorders, hypertension and atherogenic dyslipidaemia is estimated to affect 20-30% of adults worldwide. Researchers are seeking solutions to prevent and treat the conditions related to MetS. Preventive medicine, which focuses on modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, including diet, plays a special role. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has documented health benefits, mainly due to the polyphenolic compounds it contains. Anthocyanins represent a major group of polyphenols; they exhibit anti-atherosclerotic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, as well as beneficial effects on endothelial function and oxidative stress. This review presents recent reports on the mechanisms involved in the protective effects of anthocyanins on the body, especially among people with MetS. It includes epidemiological data, in vivo and in vitro preclinical studies and clinical observational studies. Anthocyanins are effective, widely available compounds that can be used in both the prevention and treatment of MetS and its complications. Increased consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods may contribute to the maintenance of normal body weight and modulation of the lipid profile in adults. However, further investigation is needed to confirm the beneficial effects of anthocyanins on serum glucose levels, improvement in insulin sensitivity and reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Exploring the Efficient Natural Products for the Therapy of Parkinson's Disease via Drosophila Melanogaster (Fruit Fly) Models

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder, partly attributed to mutations, environmental toxins, oxidative stress, abnormal protein aggregation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the precise pathogenesis of PD and its treatment strategy still require investigation. Fortunately, natural products have demonstrated potential as therapeutic agents for alleviating PD symptoms due to their neuroprotective properties. To identify promising lead compounds from herbal medicines' natural products for PD management and understand their modes of action, suitable animal models are necessary. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) serves as an essential model for studying genetic and cellular pathways in complex biological processes. Diverse Drosophila PD models have been extensively utilized in PD research, particularly for discovering neuroprotective natural products. This review emphasizes the research progress of natural products in PD using the fruit fly PD model, offering valuable insights into utilizing invertebrate models for developing novel anti-PD drugs.

Flavonoids: Their putative neurologic roles, epigenetic changes, and gut microbiota alterations in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the degeneration of progressive dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra region of the human midbrain. Although just what causes PD remains a mystery, it is known that oxidative stress (OS) as well as mitochondrial dysfunction, neuro-inflammation, and insufficient neurotrophic support play a role in the disease's pathophysiology. Phytochemicals are a diverse small molecule group derived from plants that can be classified into numerous classes on the basis of their biological activities and chemical structure. Of these groups of phytochemicals, the most abundant, which has well-established anti-Parkinson's effects, are polyphenols. Flavonoids, including naringin and naringenin, genistein, kaempferol, anthocyanins, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and baicalein are plant-based biologically active polyphenols, which have been shown to exhibit therapeutic potential when used as treatment for a variety of pathological illnesses, such as neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) and PD. Recently, it was reported that flavonoids have beneficial effects on PD, such as the protection of DA neurons, improvement of motor and cognitive abilities, regulation of signaling pathways, and modulation of OS and neuro-inflammation. In addition, by changing the composition of bacteria in gut microbiota, flavonoids reduce pathogenic strains and promote the growth of beneficial strains. In this context, the current paper will provide a literature review on the neurological roles that flavonoids play, as one of the most abundant phytochemical families, in PD.

Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench reduces body weight gain and modulates mood disorders via inhibition of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) by arzanol

The prevalence of obesity is steadily rising, making safe and more efficient anti-obesity treatments an urgent medical need. Growing evidence correlates obesity and comorbidities, including anxiety and depression, with the development of a low-grade inflammation in peripheral and central tissues. We hypothesized that attenuating neuroinflammation might reduce weight gain and improve mood. We investigated the efficacy of a methanolic extract from Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench (HSE), well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and its main constituent arzanol (AZL). HPLC-ESI-MS2 and HPLC-UV were used to characterize the extract. HSE effects on mood and feeding behavior was assessed in mice. The mechanism of action of HSE and AZL was investigated in hippocampus samples and SH-SY5Y cells by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Oral administration of HSE for 3 weeks limited weight gain with no significant decrease in food intake. HSE produced an anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like phenotype comparable to diazepam and amitriptyline, respectively, in the absence of locomotor and cognitive impairments and induced neuroprotective effects in glutamate-exposed SH-SY5Y cells. A dose-dependent reduction of SIRT1 expression was detected in SH-SY5Y cells and in hippocampal samples from HSE-treated mice. The inhibition of the SIRT1-FoxO1 pathway was induced in the hypothalamus. Molecular docking studies proposed a mechanism of SIRT1 inhibition by AZL, confirmed by the evaluation of inhibitory effects on SIRT1 enzymatic activity. HSE limited weight gain and comorbidities through an AZL-mediated SIRT1 inhibition. These activities indicate HSE an innovative therapeutic perspective for obesity and associated mood disorders.

Behind the Scenes of Anthocyanins-From the Health Benefits to Potential Applications in Food, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Fields

Anthocyanins are widespread and biologically active water-soluble phenolic pigments responsible for a wide range of vivid colours, from red (acidic conditions) to purplish blue (basic conditions), present in fruits, vegetables, and coloured grains. The pigments' stability and colours are influenced mainly by pH but also by structure, temperature, and light. The colour-stabilizing mechanisms of plants are determined by inter- and intramolecular co-pigmentation and metal complexation, driven by van der Waals, π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and metal-ligand interactions. This group of flavonoids is well-known to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which explains the biological effects associated with them. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the role of anthocyanins as natural colorants, showing they are less harmful than conventional colorants, with several technological potential applications in different industrial fields, namely in the textile and food industries, as well as in the development of photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells, as new photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy, pharmaceuticals, and in the cosmetic industry, mainly on the formulation of skin care formulations, sunscreen filters, nail colorants, skin & hair cleansing products, amongst others. In addition, we will unveil some of the latest studies about the health benefits of anthocyanins, mainly focusing on the protection against the most prevalent human diseases mediated by oxidative stress, namely cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and diabetes. The contribution of anthocyanins to visual health is also very relevant and will be briefly explored.