Search results for "phytochemicals"
showing 10 items of 124 documents
Beyond malaria: The inhibition of viruses by artemisinin-type compounds
2018
Abstract Natural products represent valuable chemical scaffolds for drug development. A recent success story in this context was artemisinin, which is not only active against malaria but also to other diseases. This raised the interest of artemisinin's potential for drug repurposing. On the present review, we give an overview on artemisinin's antiviral activity. There is good in vitro and in vivo evidence for the activity of artemisinin and its derivatives against DNA viruses of the Herpesviridae and Hepadnaviridae families such as cytomegaloviruses, human herpesvirus 6, herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, Epstein-Barr virus and Hepatitis B virus. The evidence is weaker for Polyomaviruses and p…
Nutritional characterization of Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata D.): Effect of variety (Ariel vs. Pluto) and farming type (conventional vs. orga…
2019
Farming systems and cultivar types are two of the main factors able to affect the nutritional quality of plant foods for human nutrition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the impact of two unexplored variety (namely Ariel and Pluto) and farming type (conventional and organic) on physicochemical parameters, chemical and mineral composition, water- and fat-soluble vitamins, amino acid profile and antioxidant bioactive components of butternut squashes (Cucurbita moschata). In order to achieve this purpose, a multivariate statistical discrimination of the different parameters was carried out using the unsupervised principle component analysis (PCA). The most important differences…
Toxicity as prime selection criterion among SARS-active herbal medications
2021
We present here a new selection criterion for prioritizing research on efficacious drugs for the fight against COVID-19: the relative toxicity versus safety of herbal medications, which were effective against SARS in the 2002/2003 epidemic. We rank these medicines according to their toxicity versus safety as basis for preferential rapid research on their potential in the treatment of COVID-19. The data demonstrate that from toxicological information nothing speaks against immediate investigation on, followed by rapid implementation of Lonicera japonica, Morus alba, Forsythia suspensa, and Codonopsis spec. for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Glycyrrhiza spec. and Panax ginseng are ranked in …
Distribution of betalain pigments in red blood cells after consumption of cactus pear fruits and increased resistance of the cells to ex vivo induced…
2005
Betalain pigments are bioavailable phytochemicals recently acknowledged as natural radical scavengers. This work, which extends previous research on the postabsorbitive fate of dietary betalains, investigated the distribution of betanin and indicaxanthin in red blood cells (RBCs) isolated from healthy volunteers (n = 8), before and during the 1-8 h interval after a cactus pear fruit meal, and the potential antioxidative activity of the pigments in these cells. A peak concentration of indicaxanthin (1.03 +/- 0.2 microM) was observed in RBCs isolated at 3 h after fruit feeding, whereas the concentration at 5 h was about half, and even smaller amounts were measured at 8 h. Indicaxanthin was no…
Red Orange: Experimental Models and Epidemiological Evidence of Its Benefits on Human Health
2013
In recent years, there has been increasing public interest in plant antioxidants, thanks to the potential anticarcinogenic and cardioprotective actions mediated by their biochemical properties. The red (or blood) orange (Citrus sinensis(L.) Osbeck) is a pigmented sweet orange variety typical of eastern Sicily (southern Italy), California, and Spain. In this paper, we discuss the main health-related properties of the red orange that include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular protection activities. Moreover, the effects on health of its main constituents (namely, flavonoids, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, hydroxycinnamic acids, and anthocyanins) are described. The red orange juice…
Healthy ageing and Mediterranean diet: A focus on hormetic phytochemicals
2021
Abstract Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is rich in fruits and vegetables associated with longevity and a reduced risk of several age-related diseases. It is demonstrated that phytochemicals in these plant products enhance the positive effects of MedDiet by acting on the inflammatory state and reducing oxidative stress. Evidence support that these natural compounds act as hormetins, triggering one or more adaptive stress-response pathways at low doses. Activated stress-response pathways increase the expression of cytoprotective proteins and multiple genes that act as lifespan regulators, essential for the ageing process. In these ways, the hormetic response by phytochemicals such as resveratro…
Phytochemical profile and antioxidative properties of Plinia trunciflora fruits: A new source of nutraceuticals.
2020
Abstract This study evaluated the polyphenol profile and the antioxidative properties of Plinia trunciflora (O. Berg) Kausel fruits. Folin-Ciocalteau and pH-jumping methods indicated that these berries are a major source of antioxidant polyphenols (1201.05 mg GAE/100 g FW), particularly anthocyanins. HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis identified cyanidine glycosides as the main components. Flavon-3-ols and hydrolysable-tannins were also found. CAA assay showed that extracts of P. trunciflora fruits prevent lipid peroxidation in HepG2 cells with higher efficacy than other colourful fruits (CAA50 935.25 mg FW/mL cell medium). Moreover, our results suggested that the observed antioxidant protection i…
Cooking influence on physico-chemical fruit characteristics of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)
2016
Physico-chemical traits of three eggplant genotypes ("Tunisina", "Buia" and "L 305") were evaluated before and after two cooking treatments (grilling and boiling). Different genotypes revealed different changes after cooking, with "Tunisina" showing a better retention of phytochemicals with respect to other two genotypes. The main physical phenomena were water loss during grilling, and dry matter loss after boiling. Chlorogenic acid, the main phenolic in eggplant, resulted higher in grilled samples, while delphinidin glycosides resulted more retained in boiled samples. Glycoalkaloids, thiols and biogenic amines were generally stable, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-furfural was found only in grilled…
Betacyanins as phenol antioxidants. Chemistry and mechanistic aspects of the lipoperoxyl radical-scavenging activity in solution and liposomes.
2009
Reaction kinetics of betanin and its aglycone betanidin towards peroxyl radicals generated from the azo-initiated oxidation of methyl linoleate in methanol, and of a heterogeneous aqueous/soybean phosphatidylcholine liposomal system, were studied by monitoring formation of linoleic acid hydroperoxides and consumption of the pigments. Betanin was a weak retarder in methanol, and an effective chain breaking antioxidant in the liposomal model, indicating that kinetic solvent effects and partition in lipid bilayers may affect its activity. Betanidin behaved as a chain terminating antioxidant in both models. Kinetic parameters characterizing peroxyl radical-scavenging activity showed that betani…
Phytochemical, ecological and antioxidant evaluation of wild Sicilian thyme: Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav.
2016
In a broad survey conducted throughout the Sicily region, 45 different sites were identified where thyme grows wild. All the biotypes collected were classified as Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. (syn. Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link). Cluster analysis based on the main morphological characteristics of the plant led to the division of the biotypes into 3 major groups. All samples were analyzed for their secondary phytochemical metabolites identified in the extracts and the essential oils. LC-UV-DAD/ESI-MS and GC-FID/GC-MS have been applied to characterize the extracts and the essential oils, respectively. In the extracts, 15 flavonoid derivatives with taxifolin-di-O-glucoside and thymusin…