Evaluation of Physiological Activities of the Citron (Citrus junos Sieb. ex TANAKA) Seed Extracts

Oral Ingestion of Yuzu Seed Oil Suppresses the Development of Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice

Long-term oral ingestion of unheated yuzu seed oil in humans reduces lipid peroxides in the blood. Moreover, yuzu seed oil contains limonin, which can induce antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by activating the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Previously, Nrf2 has been shown to reduce atopic dermatitis (AD). Therefore, we hypothesized that ingesting unheated yuzu seed oil can regulate AD through Nrf2. An AD model was established using NC/Nga mice through repeated local exposure to mite antigens. Unheated and purified yuzu seed oil (100 µL/mice) or water (control, 100 µL/mice) was administered orally once a day using a gastric cannula for rodents for 28 days. On day 28, mice in the unheated yuzu seed oil group exhibited significantly lower clinical skin severity scores and ear thickness than those in the purified yuzu seed oil and water groups. Serum histamine levels remained unaltered among the three AD-induced groups. Serum Dermatophagoides farina body (Dfb)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were significantly lower in the unheated yuzu seed oil group. Oral ingestion of yuzu seed oil in NC/Nga AD model mice significantly suppressed dermatitis deterioration and decreased serum IgE levels. Clinical trials (n = 41) have already confirmed that unheated yuzu oil is safe for long-term intake, further suggesting its potential use in improving AD symptoms.

Valorization and extraction optimization of Citrus seeds for food and functional food applications

Valorization of food byproducts has attracted recently considerable attention. Citrus fruits provide considerable non-edible residues reach 80% in juice production. They are considered agri-wastes to comprise peel, pulp and seeds. Previous investigations have focused on peel and pulp to recover value-added products. The review presents for the first-time phytochemical composition of Citrus seeds' products, i.e., oil and extracts. Fatty acids, phytosterols and tocopherols amounted as the major bioactives in Citrus seeds, in addition to limonoids, dietary fibers and flavonoids. Besides their nutritional values, these chemicals have promising applications including production of biodiesel, food enhancers and antioxidants, especially from mandarin and grapefruit seeds. Optimum conditions of the different Citrus seeds' valorization are discussed to improve extraction yield and lessen environmental hazards of solvent extraction. This review presents the best utilization practices for one of the largest cultivated fruit seeds worldwide and its different applications.

Citron Essential Oils Alleviate the Mediators Related to Rosacea Pathophysiology in Epidermal Keratinocytes

Background

Citron is well known for an abundance of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as vitamin C, polyphenol compounds, flavonoids, and limonoids.

Objective

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of citron essential oils on rosacea mediators in activated keratinocytes in vitro.

Methods

Normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were stimulated with 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (VD₃) and interleukin 33 (IL-33) with LL-37 to induce rosacea mediators such as kallikrein 5 (KLK5), cathelicidin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). These mediators were analyzed by performing reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real-time PCR, immunocytofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after NHEKs were treated with citron seed and unripe citron essential oils.

Results

The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of KLK5 and LL-37 induced by VD₃ were suppressed by citron seed and unripe citron essential oils. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF and TRPV1 induced by IL-33 with LL-37 were also suppressed by citron essential oils.

Conclusion

These results show that citron essential oils have suppressive effects on rosacea mediators in activated epidermal keratinocytes, which indicates that the citron essential oils may be valuable adjuvant therapeutic agents for rosacea.

Antioxidant and antiplatelet activities of flavonoid-rich fractions of three citrus fruits from Korea

Three different fractional (methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane) extracts from yuzu (Citrus junos Sieb ex Tanaka), hallabong [(C. unshiu Marcov × C. sinensis Osbeck) × C. reticulata Blanco] and orange (C. sinensis) were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and antiplatelet effects. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods were used for the antioxidant activity tests. Total flavonoids and total phenolics were also evaluated spectrophotometrically. The ethyl acetate fraction contained the highest total flavonoid and total phenolic content and exhibited the highest antioxidant activities (185.2 ± 14.5 and 208.7 ± 17.5 mg/g dry extract for FRAP and CUPRAC values, respectively). The total phenolic and total flavonoid content ranged from 58.2 ± 1.4 to 102.4 ± 8.6 and 19.6 ± 0.5 to 64.3 ± 0.8 mg/g dry extract, respectively. The results of DPPH assay showed that ethyl acetate fractions had the least IC50 values (0.12 ± 0.002, 0.04 ± 0.0006, in mg/mL for orange and hallabong samples, respectively) followed by the hexane fraction (0.19 ± 0.007 mg/mL) of the orange sample. For all fractions, the antioxidant activity and contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids correlated well with each other. In vitro investigation of the antiplatelet effect showed that ethyl acetate fraction has the highest inhibition (84.3 ± 5.8 to 96.1 ± 1.8 %). Hexane and MeOH fractions of hallabong and orange samples inhibited platelet aggregations by less than or equal to 41 %.