Grape seed extract affects proliferation and differentiation of human intestinal Caco-2 cells

Early-life supplementation of grape polyphenol extract promotes polyphenol absorption and modulates the intestinal microbiota in association with the increase in mRNA expression of the key intestinal barrier genes

Early-life nutritional supplementation can dramatically influence health status. Dietary polyphenols are a widespread group of phytochemicals with potential bioactive functions. However, how polyphenol intake during early life affects health status remains largely unknown. Mice aged 3- and 6-weeks were used to investigate how grape polyphenol extract (GPE) administration during early life altered polyphenol absorption, the intestinal microbiota, and the intestinal barrier. After a 2-week GPE supplementation, there were more diverse polyphenol metabolites in the plasma of 3-week-old mice than in the plasma of 6-week-old mice. Correspondingly, GPE supplementation increased the mRNA expression of genes related to polyphenol absorption in 3-week-old mice but not 6-week-old mice. Early-life GPE administration also stimulated the key genes of the small intestinal barrier in mice. Moreover, the key genes of the small intestinal barrier were positively associated with the genes related to polyphenol absorption in the small intestine of 3-week-old mice. In addition, fecal Akkermansia and Lactobacillus were increased, as evidenced by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. As a result, the acetate and butyrate production in the large intestinal content was enhanced, and the mRNA expression of the key genes involved in the large intestinal barrier was also increased. Thus, our study demonstrates that dietary polyphenol intake in early life induces improvements in polyphenol absorption, the intestinal microbiota, and the intestinal barrier, suggesting the importance of polyphenol-rich nutritional programming during early life on health status.

Adaptation in Caco-2 Human Intestinal Cell Differentiation and Phenolic Transport with Chronic Exposure to Blackberry (Rubus sp.) Extract

As evidence mounts for a health-protective role of dietary phenolics, the importance of understanding factors influencing bioavailability increases. Recent evidence has suggested chronic exposure to phenolics may impact their absorption and metabolism. To explore alterations occurring from chronic dietary exposure to phenolics, Caco-2 cell monolayers were differentiated on Transwell inserts with 0-10 μM blackberry (Rubus sp.) total phenolics extracts rich in anthocyanins, flavonols, and phenolic acids. Following differentiation, apical to basolateral transport of phenolics was assessed from an acute treatment of 100 μM blackberry phenolics from 0 to 4 h. Additionally, differences in gene expression of transport and phase II metabolizing systems including ABC transporters, organic anion transporters (OATs), and uridine 5'-diphospho (UDP) glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) were probed. After 4 h, 1 μM pretreated monolayers showed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the percentage of cumulative transport including less epicatechin (42.1 ± 0.53), kaempferol glucoside (23.5 ± 0.29), and dicaffeoylquinic acid (31.9 ± 0.20) compared to control. Finally, significant (P < 0.05) alterations in mRNA expression of key phase II metabolizing enzymes and transport proteins were observed with treatment. Therefore, adaptation to blackberry extract exposure may impact intestinal transport and metabolism of phenolics.

Selective anti-proliferative activities of Carica papaya leaf juice extracts against prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in men. Carica papaya is a popular tropical plant that has been traditionally used for its nutritional and medicinal properties.

METHODS

We investigated the anti-proliferative responses of papaya leaf juice (LJP) and its various extracts ("biological"- in vitro digested, "physical"- size exclusion, and "chemical"-solvent extraction) on a range of cell lines representing benign hyperplasia, tumorigenic and normal cells of prostate origin.

RESULTS

Time course analysis (by 24h, 48h and 72h) of LJP (1-0.1mg/mL) before and after in vitro digestion, and of molecular weight based fractions of LJP showed anti-proliferative responses. The medium polarity fraction of LJP (0.03-0.003mg/mL) after 72h exposure showed potent growth inhibitory (IC₅₀=0.02-0.07mg/mL) and cytotoxic activities on all prostate cells, with the exception of the normal (RWPE-1 and WPMY-1) cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis as a possible mechanism for these activities. Medium polar fraction of LJP also inhibited migration and adhesion of metastatic PC-3 cells.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report suggesting selective anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic attributes of LJP extract against prostatic diseases, including PCa.

Differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayers exhibit adaptation in the transport and metabolism of flavan-3-ols with chronic exposure to both isolated flavan-3-ols and enriched extracts

Chronic exposure to commonly consumed flavonoids changes their transport and metabolism in a small intestinal cell model.

Metabolic and biological profile of autochthonous Vitis vinifera L. ecotypes

Vitis viniferaL. is a plant species rich in phenolic compounds that are usually associated with the health benefits of wine and grape consumption in the diet.

Wine consumption and intestinal redox homeostasis

Regular consumption of moderate doses of wine is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, which has long been considered to provide remarkable health benefits. Wine's beneficial effect has been attributed principally to its non-alcoholic portion, which has antioxidant properties, and contains a wide variety of phenolics, generally called polyphenols. Wine phenolics may prevent or delay the progression of intestinal diseases characterized by oxidative stress and inflammation, especially because they reach higher concentrations in the gut than in other tissues. They act as both free radical scavengers and modulators of specific inflammation-related genes involved in cellular redox signaling. In addition, the importance of wine polyphenols has recently been stressed for their ability to act as prebiotics and antimicrobial agents. Wine components have been proposed as an alternative natural approach to prevent or treat inflammatory bowel diseases. The difficulty remains to distinguish whether these positive properties are due only to polyphenols in wine or also to the alcohol intake, since many studies have reported ethanol to possess various beneficial effects. Our knowledge of the use of wine components in managing human intestinal inflammatory diseases is still quite limited, and further clinical studies may afford more solid evidence of their beneficial effects.

Microbial metabolites, but not other phenolics derived from grape seed phenolic extract, are transported through differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayers

Grape seed phenolic extract (GSE) is predicted to have health benefits, even though its bioavailability, including digestibility, permeability and ultimate metabolism, are still poorly understood. In vitro gastric and pancreatic digestion and in vitro ileal and faecal fermentation were combined with Caco-2 cell permeability studies for GSE samples. Qualitatively, there was no change in type/number of GSE compounds following gastric and pancreatic digestion and LC-MS analysis. However, the monomers were significantly (P<0.05) increased after gastric digestion, along with a significant (P<0.05) decrease in polymers. In addition, all forms of phenolic compounds decreased following pancreatic digestion. However, none of the original GSE phenolic compounds passed the Caco-2 cell monolayer, since all were recovered in the apical compartment. In contrast, the two intestinal microbiota metabolites with deprotonated molecular weights of [M-H]-165/121 and 193/175, that were found both in the ileal and faecal fermented samples, passed the Caco-2 cell monolayer.

Grape seed extract enhances neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus in C57BL/6 mice

The effects of grape seed extract (GSE), a major source of phenolic compounds, were examined on cell proliferation, neuroblast differentiation and integration into granule cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) of middle-aged (12 month-old) mice using Ki67, doublecortin (DCX) immunohistochemistry and 5'-bromo-2-deoxyguanosine (BrdU)/calbindin D-28k (CB) double immunofluorescence study, respectively. GSE (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) was administered orally for 28 days, and the animals were treated with 50 mg/kg BrdU intraperitoneally on the day of first GSE treatment. In the vehicle-treated group, Ki67 and DCX immunoreactivity was detected in the subgranular zone of the DG (SZDG). GSE treatment dose-dependently increased the number of Ki67 and DCX immunoreactive cells, particularly the number of DCX immunoreactive neuroblasts with well-developed (tertiary) dendrites. GSE also dose-dependently increased DCX protein levels. In addition, GSE treatment increased significantly the number of BrdU/CB double labeled granule cells. These results suggest that GSE significantly increases cell proliferation, neuroblast differentiation and integration into granule cells in the DG, and the consumption of GSE enhances the plasticity of hippocampus in middle-aged mice.

Organic acid bioavailability from banana and sweet potato using an in vitro digestion and Caco-2 cell model

INTRODUCTION

Organic acids from plant food have been shown to play an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases (osteoporosis, obesity), inherent to western diets, but little is known about their bioavailability in the small intestine, information that needs to be determined in order to quantify likely effects on human health.

METHODS

An in vitro model of human digestion was carried out, comprising simulated oral, gastric and pancreatic digestion followed by an in vitro model of small intestine absorption using Caco-2 cell monolayers. As models for fruits and vegetables, freeze-dried or raw samples of banana and sweet potato were used.

RESULTS

Organic acids have been found to be slowly released from the food matrix during simulated digestion of both banana and sweet potato, either raw or after freeze-drying. In the Caco-2 cell assay, malic and oxalic acids were absorbed more than citric acid. Oxalic and citric acids, but not malic acid, were transported across the cell monolayer. The release and uptake of major organic acids from model fruits and vegetables using established in vitro simulation processes was not quantitative and varied with acid type.

CONCLUSION

Partial uptake is consistent with a dual nutritional role for organic acids as alkalinising agents (fraction which is taken up) and as modulators of large intestinal function (fraction which is not taken up in the small intestine). Studies of in vivo digestive release and uptake are needed in order to identify the contribution of organic acids to the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables.

Nutriomic analysis of fresh and processed fruit products. 1. During in vitro digestions

Nutriomic analysis is a postgenomic-based study of nutritious components (nutriome). There is a need for an in vitro digestion and absorption model to unravel interactive factors varying nutriome release from various food materials that cannot be directly studied in humans. Effects of processing and in vitro digestion steps on carotenoid, sugar, and organic acid release from tomato, papaya, and mango products were comprehensively studied for the first time in this research. In vivo chewing experiments using 24 healthy adult volunteers was carried out prior to chewing simulation. Microscopy showed that cutting and blending alone were unlikely to mimic chewing at swallowing point. Using general linear model (GLM) ANOVA and principal component analysis (PCA), effects of interaction between digestion steps and processing types on the nutriome release were significant (p < 0.05) when 90% particles of 0.5 (dried) and 1.5 cm (fresh) were digested in vitro. Generally, dried and fresh fruits released lower levels of nutriome components than juices. PCA indicated nutriome release from tomato products was affected by the factors studied more than those from papaya and mango products. Fruit type is the main determinant factor relative to processing and digestion steps because it determines the extent of matrix that breaks down and consequent nutriome diffusion rates. It is predicted that pectin plays a role in determining the rate of nutriome release and absorption, which requires further investigation.

Cardioprotective actions of grape polyphenols

The aim of this review is to discuss the accumulating evidence that suggests that grape extracts and purified grape polyphenols possess a diverse array of biological actions and may be beneficial in the prevention of some inflammatory-mediated diseases including cardiovascular disease. The active components from grape extracts, which include the grape seed, grape skin, and grape juice, that have been identified thus far include polyphenols such as resveratrol, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. All possess potent antioxidant properties and have been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol oxidation and platelet aggregation. These compounds also possess a range of additional cardioprotective and vasoprotective properties including antiatherosclerotic, antiarrhythmic, and vasorelaxation actions. Although not exclusive, antioxidant properties of grape polyphenols are likely to be central to their mechanism(s) of action, which also include cellular signaling mechanisms and interactions at the genomic level. This review discusses some of the evidence favoring the consumption of grape extracts rich in polyphenols in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Consumption of grape and grape extracts and/or grape products such as red wine may be beneficial in preventing the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

Ethanol and polyphenolic free wine matrix stimulate the differentiation of human intestinal Caco-2 cells. Influence of their association with a procyanidin-rich grape seed extract

The effect of daily contact with ethanol on Caco-2 cell differentiation was investigated. Pure ethanol (1%) and a polyphenolic free wine matrix (polyphenol-free wine containing 1% ethanol) associated or not with a procyanidin-rich grape seed extract (GSE) were added to Caco-2 cells from confluency for 2 h a day after successive incubation in salivary, gastric, and pancreatic media. Treatment with 1% ethanol did not appear to be cytotoxic to cells, but it also stimulated Caco-2 cell differentiation, particularly in the first days following confluency, and this effect was more marked when associated with polyphenolic free wine matrix constituents. This activation resulted in an increase in microvillar density, organization, and elongation (+70%) and was associated with strong stimulation of sucrase-isomaltase (+780%) and a concomitant regular increase in cell protein content (+50-88%). While the presence of GSE in alcoholic solutions did not modify the morphological pattern observed in cells subjected to ethanol and polyphenolic free wine matrix alone, it had a clear reducing effect on their microvillus elongation (-30%). However, these stimulating effects of ethanol on morphological differentiation were attenuated from day 10 postconfluency, which could suggest cell cytoprotection against ethanol. These are the first results in support of the notion that moderate concentration of ethanol may stimulate the differentiation of Caco-2 cells, particularly when integrated with a polyphenolic free wine matrix.

Antiproliferative effects of dietary phenolic substances and hydrogen peroxide

There has been controversy as to whether the antiproliferative activity of dietary phenolic substances on cancer cells is due to the bioactivities of phenolics or the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in media as an artifact. This study was to investigate whether the formation of H2O2 by different phenolics induces acute toxicity and carcinogenicity in normal rat liver epithelial cells. Gallic acid, one of the major antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables, dose-dependently generated considerably more H2O2 in DMEM media without cells than did quercetin. Gallic acid exerted stronger antiproliferative activity than quercetin on both Caco-2 human colon cancer cells (Caco-2 cells) and WB-F344 normal rat liver epithelial cells (WB cells) cultured in DMEM media, and the effect was partially reduced by catalase. Furthermore, gallic acid (but not quercetin) also inhibited gap-junction intercellular communication (GJIC; a carcinogenic phenomenon), which was in part protected by the addition of catalase. Exogenous H2O2 addition also inhibited the proliferation of both Caco-2 cells and WB cells and inhibited GJIC in a dose-dependent manner, but these effects were almost abolished by the treatment with catalase. From these results it is concluded that the antiproliferative effects of some antioxidants on cancer cells are partially due to their prooxidant actions.