Chicory: Understanding the Effects and Effectors of This Functional Food

Industrial chicory has been the subject of numerous studies, most of which provide clinical observations on its health effects. Whether it is the roasted root, the flour obtained from the roots or the different classes of molecules that enter into the composition of this plant, understanding the molecular mechanisms of action on the human organism remains incomplete. In this study, we were interested in three molecules or classes of molecules present in chicory root: fructose, chlorogenic acids, and sesquiterpene lactones. We conducted experiments on the murine model and performed a nutrigenomic analysis, a metabolic hormone assay and a gut microbiota analysis, associated with in vitro observations for different responses. We have highlighted a large number of effects of all these classes of molecules that suggest a pro-apoptotic activity, an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effect and also an important role in appetite regulation. A significant prebiotic activity was also identified. Fructose seems to be the most involved in these activities, contributing to approximately 83% of recorded responses, but the other classes of tested molecules have shown a specific role for these different effects, with an estimated contribution of 23-24%.

A comprehensive mechanistic and therapeutic insight into the effect of chicory (Cichorium intybus) supplementation in diabetes mellitus: A systematic review of literature

BACKGROUND

Cichorium intybus is a rich source of terpenoids and phenolic compounds, one of the effective methods in managing and reducing the complications of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence obtained from animal and human studies on the effects of chicory on metabolic indicators (such as inflammation, oxidative stress, blood sugar and dyslipidaemia) of diabetes mellitus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This systematic search was performed in ProQuest, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase and Science Direct databases and on articles published until August 2021. All of the animal studies and clinical trials included in this systematic review that assessed the effect of chicory on metabolic risk markers in diabetes were published in English language journals.

RESULTS

Finally, amongst 686 articles, only 23 articles met the needed criteria for further analysis. Out of 23 articles, 3 studies on humans and 20 studies on animals have been carried out. Fifteen of the 19 studies that evaluated the effect of chicory on the glycaemic index showed that Cichorium intybus improved blood glucose index (it had no effect in two human studies and three animal studies). Ten of the 13 studies evaluating the effect of Cichorium intybus on lipid profiles showed that it improved dyslipidaemia. Also, all 12 studies showed that chicory significantly reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.

CONCLUSION

According to the available evidence, Cichorium intybus might improve the glycaemic status, dyslipidaemia, oxidative stress and inflammation. However, further studies are recommended for a comprehensive conclusion about the exact mechanism of chicory in diabetic patients.

Sesquiterpene Lactones: Promising Natural Compounds to Fight Inflammation

Inflammation is a crucial and complex process that reestablishes the physiological state after a noxious stimulus. In pathological conditions the inflammatory state may persist, leading to chronic inflammation and causing tissue damage. Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are composed of a large and diverse group of highly bioactive plant secondary metabolites, characterized by a 15-carbon backbone structure. In recent years, the interest in SLs has risen due to their vast array of biological activities beneficial for human health. The anti-inflammatory potential of these compounds results from their ability to target and inhibit various key pro-inflammatory molecules enrolled in diverse inflammatory pathways, and prevent or reduce the inflammatory damage on tissues. Research on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of SLs has thrived over the last years, and numerous compounds from diverse plants have been studied, using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo assays. Besides their anti-inflammatory potential, their cytotoxicity, structure–activity relationships, and pharmacokinetics have been investigated. This review aims to gather the most relevant results and insights concerning the anti-inflammatory potential of SL-rich extracts and pure SLs, focusing on their effects in different inflammatory pathways and on different molecular players.

Supercritical CO2 Extraction as a Tool to Isolate Anti-Inflammatory Sesquiterpene Lactones from Cichorium intybus L. Roots

Cichorium intybus L. or chicory plants are a natural source of health-promoting compounds in the form of supplements such as inulin, as well as other bioactive compounds such as sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). After inulin extraction, chicory roots are considered waste, with most SLs not being harnessed. We developed and optimized a new strategy for SL extraction that can contribute to the conversion of chicory root waste into valuable products to be used in human health-promoting applications. In our work, rich fractions of SLs were recovered from chicory roots using supercritical CO2. A response surface methodology was used to optimize the process parameters (pressure, temperature, flow rate, and co-solvent percentage) for the extraction performance. The best operating conditions were achieved at 350 bar, 40 °C, and 10% EtOH as a co-solvent in a 15 g/min flow rate for 120 min. The extraction with supercritical CO2 revealed to be more selective for the SLs than the conventional solid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. In our work, 1.68% mass and a 0.09% sesquiterpenes yield extraction were obtained, including the recovery of two sesquiterpene lactones (8-deoxylactucin and 11β,13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin), which, to the best of our knowledge, are not commercially available. A mixture of the abovementioned compounds were tested at different concentrations for their toxic profile and anti-inflammatory potential towards a human calcineurin/NFAT orthologue pathway in a yeast model, the calcineurin/Crz1 pathway. The SFE extract obtained, rich in SLs, yielded results of inhibition of 61.74 ± 6.87% with 50 µg/mL, and the purified fraction containing 8-deoxylactucin and 11β,13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin inhibited the activation of the reporter gene up to 53.38 ± 3.9% at 10 µg/mL. The potential activity of the purified fraction was also validated by the ability to inhibit Crz1 nuclear translocation and accumulation. These results reveal a possible exploitable green technology to recover potential anti-inflammatory compounds from chicory roots waste after inulin extraction.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) as a food ingredient - Nutritional composition, bioactivity, safety, and health claims: A review

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a perennial herb from the Cichorium genus, Asteraceae family, and is worldwide cultivated. So far, chicory has been used mainly in animal feed, but also in several cases in the food industry: as salad, for teas and tea blends, for coffee supplementation, and as a source for the inulin production. Nowadays there is an increasing interest in chicory utilization for food production and supplementation. Some compounds present in chicory, such as polyphenols, inulin, oligofructose and sesquiterpene lactones may be considered as potential carriers of food functionality. This review describes nutritional, mineral and bioactive composition of the chicory plant and summarized the main biological activities associated with the presence of bioactive compounds in the different plant parts. Finally, the review explores possibilities of uses of chicory and its implementation in food products, with intention to design new functional foods.

Hypotensive effect of Cichorium intybus extract in rats

Introduction: Oxidative stress is involved in many diseases, including hypertension, kidney failure, and heart disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hydroalcoholic Cichorium intybus extract on blood pressure in rats. Antioxidant activity, phenolic and flavonoid contents of the plant extract were also evaluated. Methods: In this study, 32 male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g were divided into four groups of eight each. Animals in the control group were administered with normal saline and in the C. intybus groups with extract at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg for two weeks. Then, the homodynamic parameters were examined by the Power lab. The phenolic and flavonoid contents were also evaluated by a spectrophotometer and the rate of free radical scavenging activity was measured by the diphenyl-1-picyryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical method. Results: The free radical scavenging activity of C. intybus extract was obtained 47.85% of DPPH, and flavonoid and phenolic contents were 8.21 and 27.19 mg/g of dry extract, respectively. Meanwhile, median (MAP), systolic (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) significantly decreased in the 50 mg/kg extract-treated group compared to the control and 200 mg/kg extract-treated groups. Conclusion: Ethanol extract of C. intybus plays a protective role against hypertension, which, in part, might be due to antioxidant compounds of the plant against free radicals.

Long-term cultured hairy roots of chicory-a rich source of hydroxycinnamates and 8-deoxylactucin glucoside

A 12-year-old hairy root culture of Cichorium intybus L., a callus culture of the plant as well as roots and leaves of a wild plant of chicory, and roots of two C. intybus L. var. sativum cultivars were examined in respect of their hydroxycinnamate and sesquiterpene lactone compositions and contents. Total phenolics and diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity of the examined plant tissues were also analyzed. The most active in radical scavenging were extracts from the hairy roots and leaves of chicory. 3,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid was the major antioxidant present in the hairy roots. Its content in the root biomass reached 5.5 %, calculated on a dry weight basis. 8-Deoxylactucin glucoside (crepidiaside A) was the major sesquiterpene lactone in the hairy roots. Its content reached 1.4 %, calculated on a dry weight basis, and was nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that in the roots of wild chicory plant. The glucosidic derivative of 8-deoxylactucin constituted over 85 % of the total sesquiterpene lactone content in the long-term cultured hairy roots of chicory. Aglycone of this compound was reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of hydroxycinnamates in callus and hairy root cultures of C. intybus were undertaken for the first time.