The Effect of Polyphenolics in Extracts from Natural Materials on Metabolic Activity of Metastatic Melanoma WM-266-4 Cells

The Effect on Hemostasis of Gelatin-Graphene Oxide Aerogels Loaded with Grape Skin Proanthocyanidins: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation

Using in vitro and in vivo models, this study investigated the hemostatic potential to control bleeding of both unloaded gelatin-graphene oxide aerogels and the same loaded with proanthocyanidins (PAs) from Vitis vinifera grape skin extract. Our results showed that the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the aerogels were not affected by PA inclusion. In vitro studies showed that PA-loaded aerogels increased the surface charge, blood absorption capacity and cell viability compared to unloaded ones. These results are relevant for hemostasis, since a greater accumulation of blood cells on the aerogel surface favors aerogel–blood cell interactions. Although PAs alone were not able to promote hemostasis through extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, their incorporation into aerogels did not affect the in vitro hemostatic activity of these composites. In vivo studies demonstrated that both aerogels had significantly increased hemostatic performance compared to SpongostanTM and gauze sponge, and no noticeable effects of PA alone on the in vivo hemostatic performance of aerogels were observed; this may have been related to its poor diffusion from the aerogel matrix. Thus, PAs have a positive effect on hemostasis when incorporated into aerogels, although further studies should be conducted to elucidate the role of this extract in the different stages of hemostasis.

Lycium barbarum (Goji) as functional food: a review of its nutrition, phytochemical structure, biological features, and food industry prospects

Lycium genus (Goji berry) is recognized as a good source of homology of medicine and food, with various nutrients and phytochemicals. Lately, numerous studies have focused on the chemical constituents and biological functions of the L. barbarum L., covering phytochemical and pharmacological aspects. We aim to provide exclusive data on the nutrients of L. barbarum L. fruits and phytochemicals, including their structural characterization, the evolution of extraction, and purification processes of different phytochemicals of L. barbarum L. fruit while placing greater emphasis on their wide-ranging health effects. This review also profitably offers innovative approaches for the food industry and industrial applications of L. barbarum L. and addresses some current situations and problems in the development of L. barbarum L. in deep processing products, which can provide clues for the sustainable development of L. barbarum L. industry.

The Influence of Hemp Extract in Combination with Ginger on the Metabolic Activity of Metastatic Cells and Microorganisms

This study presents an investigation of the anticancer and antimicrobial ability of a combination of ginger and cannabis extracts in different ratios (1:1, 7:3 and 3:7). Extracts were obtained using various methods (Soxhlet extractions, cold macerations, ultrasonic extractions and supercritical fluid extractions). The antioxidant activity and the presence of total phenols were measured in the extracts, and the effect of the application extracts in various concentrations (c = 50, 20, 10, 5, 1, 0.1, 0.01 mg/mL) on cells was investigated. Higher values of antioxidants were measured at the ratio where ginger was predominant, which is reflected in a higher concentration of total phenols. Depending on the polyphenol content, the extracts were most effective when prepared supercritically and ultrasonically. However, with respect to cell response, the ratio was shown to have no effect on inhibiting cancer cell division. The minimum concentration required to inhibit cancer cell growth was found to be 1 mg/mL. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis also confirmed the effectiveness of ultrasonic and supercritical fluid extraction, as their extracts reached higher cannabinoid contents. In both extractions, the cannabidiol (CBD) content was above 30% and the cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) content was above 45%. In the case of ultrasonic extraction, a higher quantity of cannabigerol (CBG) (5.75 ± 0.18) was detected, and in the case of supercritical fluid extraction, higher cannabichromene (CBC) (5.48 ± 0.13) content was detected, when compared to other extraction methods. The antimicrobial potential of extracts prepared with ultrasonic and supercritical extractions on three microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans) was checked. Ginger and cannabis extract show better growth inhibition of microorganisms in cannabis-dominated ratios for gram-positive bacterium S. aureus, MIC = 9.38 mg/mL, for gram-negative bacterium E. coli, MIC > 37.5 mg/mL and for the C. albicans fungus MIC = 4.69 mg/mL. This suggests guidelines for further work: a 1: 1 ratio of ginger and hemp will be chosen in a combination with supercritical and ultrasonic extraction.