Polyphenolic rich fraction of Physalis peruviana calyces and its nano emulsion induce apoptosis by caspase 3 up-regulation and G2/M arrest in hepatocellular carcinoma

Formulation of Hydrogel Beads to Improve the Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds from Goldenberry and Purple Passion Fruit and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative Effects on Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells

Goldenberry and purple passion fruit contain bioactive compounds (BCs) that can prevent gastrointestinal cancers; hydrogel beads can protect and control their release in the gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to develop an encapsulating material for fruit hydrogel beads (FHBs) to increase their bioaccessibility and to assess antiproliferative effects. A blend of goldenberry-purple passion fruit was encapsulated using ionic gelation and electrospraying. Through a mixture experimental design with sodium alginate (SA), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and arabic gum (AG) as components, the following response variables were optimized: polyphenol bioaccessibility and encapsulation efficiency. Polyphenols and antioxidant activity were quantified before and after digestion. Antiproliferative effect was evaluated on Caco-2 colon cancer cells. Variations in formulation proportions had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on most responses. An SA-AG mixture in a 0.75:0.25 ratio maximized polyphenol bioaccessibility to 213.17 ± 19.57% and encapsulation efficiency to 89.46 ± 6.64%. Polyphenols and antioxidant activity were lower in FHBs than in the fruit blend (F). Both F and FHBs inhibited tumor cell proliferation by 17% and 25%, respectively. In conclusion, encapsulating BCs in hydrogel beads with SA-AG can enhance the effectiveness of polyphenols in food applications by improving their bioaccessibility and showing a more pronounced effect in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation.

Validating the protective role of orange and tangerine peel extracts foramending food safety against microorganisms' contamination using molecular docking

Latest studies indicated that agro-food wastes are considered renewable sources of bioactive compounds. This investigation aimed to utilize natural extracts of citrus peels as antimicrobial and anti-aflatoxigenic agents for food safety. The bioactivity of two citrus peels was assessed by total phenolic, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. Nanoemulsions were manufactured using high-speed homogenization. The mean particle size of the nanoemulsions ranged from 29.41 to 66.41 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.11-0.16. The zeta potential values ranged from -14.27 to -26.74 mV, indicating stability between 81.44% and 99.26%. The orange peel extract showed the highest contents of total phenolic and flavonoids compared to the other extracts and nanoemulsions (39.54 mg GAE/g and 79.54 mg CE/100 g, respectively), which agreed with its potential antioxidant activity performed by DPPH free radical-scavenging and ABTS assays. Chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, and catechin were the dominant phenolic acids in the extracts and nanoemulsions, while quercitrin, rutin, and hesperidin were the most abundant flavonoids. Limonene was the major volatile component in both oils; however, it was reduced dramatically from 92.52% to 76.62% in orange peel oil and from 91.79 to 79.12% in tangerine peel oil. Consistent with the differences in phenolics, flavonoids, and volatiles between orange and tangerine peel extracts, the antibacterial properties of orange extracts had more potential than tangerine ones. Gram-positive bacteria were more affected by all the examined extracts than Gram-negative ones. The antifungal activity of orange extract and nanoemulsion on seven fungal strains from Aspergillus spp had more potential than tangerine extracts. Additionally, using a simulated media, the orange peel extract and its nanoemulsion had a more anti-aflatoxigenic influence. Molecular docking confirmed the high inhibitory action of flavonoids, especially hesperidin, on the polyketide synthase (-9.3 kcal/mol) and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (-10.1 kcal/mol) key enzymes of the aflatoxin biosynthetic mechanism.

Mitigation of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by 17α-ethinylestradiol via nanoformulation of Silybum marianum L

BACKGROUND

Cholestasis is an important predisposing factor for hepatocyte damage, liver fibrosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and even liver failure. Silybum marianum L. (SM) plant is used in teas or eaten in some countries due to its antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Because of its low and poor oral bioavailability, so we improve the therapeutic activity of Silybum marianum L. extract (SM) by studying the potential effects of nanoformulation of Silybum marianium L. extract (nano-SM) on 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE)-induced intrahepatic cholestasis.

METHODS

Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (6 rats/group). Group I: Rats were received the treatment vehicle and served as normal group. Group II:Rats were injected daily with EE (10 mg/kg) for five successive days. Group III-V: Rats were injected daily with EE (10 mg/kg) and treated with either Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (40 mg/kg), SM (100 mg/kg) and nano-SM (100 mg/kg) orally once/day throughout the trialfor five successive days, respectively.

RESULTS

Nano-SM greatly dampened the increase in serum levels of total and direct bilirubin, alanine aminotransaminase, aspartate aminotransaminase, and alkaline phosphatase caused by EE. Furthermore, nano-SM increased the hepatic contents of reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) and also upregulated the relative hepatic gene expressions of Rho-kinase (ROCK-1), myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and myosin phosphatase target subunit (MYPT1) compared to the EE-induced group. Administration of nano-SM reduced hepatic lipid peroxidation and downregulated the relative hepatic expressions of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-ҡB) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). In addition, nano-SM improved the histopathological changes induced by EE.

CONCLUSION

Nano-SM possessed a superior effect over SM, which can be considered an effective protective modality against EE-induced cholestatic liver injury through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities, and enhancing bile acid (BA) efflux.

Enhancing date seed phenolic bioaccessibility in soft cheese through a dehydrated liposome delivery system and its effect on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

INTRODUCTION

The consumption of dairy products, including soft cheese, has been associated with numerous health benefits due to their high nutritional value. However, the phenolic compounds bioaccessibility present in soft cheese is limited due to their poor solubility and stability during digestion. So, this study aimed to develop an innovative soft cheese enriched with date seed phenolic compounds (DSP) extracted ultrasonically and incorporated into homogeneous liposomes and study its attenuation effect on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats.

METHODS

Date seed phenolic compounds were extracted using 98 and 50% ethanol along with water as solvents, employing ultrasonication at 10, 20, and 30-min intervals. The primary and secondary DSP-liposomes were prepared and dehydrated. The particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and morphology were measured. Incorporating dehydrated liposomes (1-3% w/w) into soft cheese and their impact on BPH using male Sprague-Dawley rats was assessed. After inducing BPH, rats were fed a cheese diet with dehydrated DSP-liposomes. Over 8 weeks, parameters including nutrition parameters, prostate enlargement analysis, biochemical parameters, hormones level, oxidative stress, and cytokines were analyzed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results showed that ultrasound-assisted extraction effectively reduced the extraction time and 30 min extraction EtOH 50% was enough to extract high yield of phenolic compounds (558 mg GA/g) and flavonoids (55 mg qu/g) with high antioxidant activity (74%). The biological results indicate that prostate weight and prostate index% were diminished in the treatment groups (1 and 2) compared to the BPH control group. The high antioxidant content present in the DSP-liposomes acted as the catalyst for suppressing the responses of the inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting the anti-inflammatory IL-10 production, and suppressing the elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products compared to the BPH group.

CONCLUSION

The treatment group (2) supplemented with dehydrated secondary DSP-liposomes exhibited the most significant variance (p < 0.05) as opposed to the BPH group. Liposomal encapsulation was proved to be a feasible approach for administering DSP in soft cheese, thereby establishing new functional food category possessing prophylactic properties against the advancement of BPH in rats.

Effect of nano-encapsulated food flavorings on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Flavors and aromas are widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries to enhance food palatability. However, it is worth noting that they may also have bioactivity. This study aims to examine the potential impact of key flavors and their nanocapsules on health and diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The 36 nanocapsules of key flavorings were prepared by high shear homogenization (HSH). Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single dosage of streptozotocin (35 mg kg-1 body weight) intraperitoneally. All of the nutritional and biochemical parameters were statistically analyzed. A virtual docking study was conducted. Linalool nanoemulsion results showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (86.76%), while isoamyl acetate nanoparticles showed the lowest (69.99%). According to GC-MS analysis, encapsulation did not affect the flavoring structure with particle size distributions ranging from 277.3 to 628.8 nm. Using TEM, nanoemulsion particles appeared spherical with a desired nanometric diameter size. In the oral glucose tolerance test, flavorings in oil and nanoforms had no discernible hypoglycemia effects in normal rats. The nutritional and biochemical parameters confirmed that both normal and nanoencapsulation forms demonstrated a potential anti-hyperglycemic effect, and enhanced the rat health compared to the raw flavorings. The studied flavorings and their nanocapsules seem to have the potential double effect of a flavor compound as a food palatability enhancer with a potential beneficial effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus without any health drawbacks.

Evaluation of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity potential of synthetic diacetyl food flavoring in silico, in vivo, and in vitro

Diacetyl is a common ingredient that creates a buttery flavor in baked goods and other food products. The cytotoxic impact of diacetyl on a normal human liver cell line (THLE2) indicated an IC50 value of 41.29 mg/ml through MTT assay and a cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase relative to the control. Administration of diacetyl at two-time points (acute-chronic) led to a significant increase in DNA damage indicated by the increase in tail length, tail DNA%, and tail moment. The mRNA and protein expression levels of genes in the rats' livers were then measured using real-time PCR and western blotting. The results showed an activation of the apoptotic and necrosis mechanism, with an upregulation of p53, Caspase 3, and RIP1 and a downregulation of Bcl-2 at the mRNA level. The ingestion of diacetyl disrupted the liver's oxidant/antioxidant balance, as evidenced by alterations in levels of GSH, SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, MDA, NO, and peroxynitrite. Additionally, heightened levels of inflammatory cytokines were shown. Histopathological examinations revealed necrotic foci and congested portal areas in the rats' liver cells after treatment with diacetyl. Diacetyl may interact moderately with Caspase, RIP1, and p53 core domain through In-silico, possibly resulting in upregulated gene expression.

Bioactivity and antidiabetic properties of Malva parviflora L. leaves extract and its nano-formulation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes is a drastic health problem resulting from an endocrine disorder. M. parviflora L. might represent an antioxidant-rich food source and thus applies to pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications in oxidative stress-related degenerative diseases. In the current work, we assessed the antidiabetic activity of M. parviflora L. leaves extract and its nano-formulation in rats. M. parviflora L. bioactivity was evaluated by both antioxidant and antimicrobial assays. The nano-formulation characteristics (Mass, TEM, and Zeta potential) were evaluated. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally for only one dose (35 mg/kg body weight). All of the nutritional and biochemical parameters were statistically analyzed. The results showed that M. parviflora L. is rich in phenolics and flavonoids with high antioxidant action. The antifungal activity of the extract was evident, especially with Fusarium culmorum and aspergillus flavus. The extract and its nano-formulation have shown antidiabetic properties when tested on diabetic rats as they improved all the biochemical parameters; decreased glucose level in serum, increased insulin production, marked improvement in lipid profile, liver and kidney functions, and that was more proved with the histopathological examinations. Conclusively, M. parviflora L. extract and its nano-formulation could attenuate or effectively help in controlling diabetes through its therapeutic properties exhibited by the action of the plant antioxidant components.