Antioxidants

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is the major pharmacologically-active component of some propolis types, rich in polyphenols, such as poplar propolis types. CAPE has the potential to be applied as a pharmaceutical as it possesses most of the pharmacological activities of propolis, such as anti-proliferative, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. Its advantage is that it lacks some of the downsides of total propolis extracts, such as inability for unified standardization, which is cornerstone for implementing its therapeutic potential as a drug. The current paper provides an overview on the pharmacodynamic principles of CAPE. We present literature search outcomes form ClinicalTrials.gov database and from scientific publications, available on Scopus and Crossref databases. We take a round view of CAPE’s potential therapeutic implications in light of approved drugs with related modes of action.

Chondroprotectants and nutraceuticals have become attractive adjunctive or alternative treatments for cats and dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritic patients can be managed satisfactorily in most situations with optimization of body condition, exercise modification, anti-inflammatory therapy, and the use of chondroprotectants agents. Presently, recommendations cannot be made as to which chondroprotectant is best for each dog and cat afflicted with osteoarthritis. Head-to-head comparisons of these products have not been made, and it is not known when the different mediators of osteoarthritis play an important role. Currently, the best recommendation is to use products that have well-designed experimental and clinical research evaluating efficacy and safety, and products that are manufactured under the high quality standards practiced by the pharmaceutical industry.

In this case study, we explored quantitative 1H NMR (qNMR), HPLC-DAD, and the Folin-Ciocalteu assay (TPC) as methods of quantifying the total phenolic content of a green macroalga, Ulva intestinalis, after optimized accelerated solvent extraction. Tentative qualitative data was also acquired after multiple steps of purification. The observed polyphenolic profile was complex with low individual concentrations. The qNMR method yielded 5.5% (DW) polyphenols in the crude extract, whereas HPLC-DAD and TPC assay yielded 1.1% (DW) and 0.4% (DW) respectively, using gallic acid as the reference in all methods. Based on the LC-MS observations of extracts and fractions, an average molar mass of 330 g/mol and an average of 4 aromatic hydrogens in each spin system was chosen for optimized qNMR calculations. Compared to the parallel numbers using gallic acid as the standard (170 g/mol, 2 aromatic H), the optimized parameters resulted in a similar qNMR result (5.3%, DW). The different results for ...

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the natural pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids and antho-cyanins), phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of water and 95% ethanol extracts from five edible flowers-snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), carnation (Dianthus plumarius), garden geranium (Pelargonium hortorum), petunia (Petunia integrifolia) and dahlia (Dahlia decorative). It was found that water extracts gave higher extractive yields. The highest carotenoids and total anthocyanins content were detected in snapdragon and dahlia flowers. The total phenolic content dominated in water extracts of petunia, garden geranium, carnation and snapdragon-above 30 mg GAE/g of dry extract. Sinapic acid was detected in all edible flowers. Gallic, caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, sinapic and ferulic acid were detected only in carnation. Antioxidant activity was the highest in ethanol extracts of petunia, garden geranium, carnation by FRAP method. The current study demonstrated ...

Objectives Mango (Mangifera indica), one of tropical fruit that grows abundantly in Indonesia has big potencies to be developed into highly-valued products instead of eaten raw, namely as a mango sugar. There are several scientific researches that depict mango as a fruit rich in dietary fiber, quercetin, kaempferol, vitamin E, β-carotene, and vitamin C which have the potential to improve lipid profiles and lower blood glucose. This study was conducted to produce crystalized sugar from mango and determine vitamin C content. Methods Mango sugar extraction was carried out on 3 samples with different amounts (mango flesh: water) for 3 samples respectively S1 (900:0), S2 (850:150) and S3 (800:200). Samples were blended and crystallized using Freeze Driyer for 60 hours. The next step was Vitamin C analysis from 3 samples of mango sugar using Titration Iodometric Method, to determine the amount of Vitamin C (mg/100 mg). Statistical tests to determine the differences between mango and water...

This paper presents researches regarding the content of essential oils, flavonoids, polyphenolic and phenolic compounds in leaf parsley from an organic culture and the methods of extraction used for determinations. The obtained results highlight the medicinal properties of parsley, both the alimentary and economic importance, as a vegetable aromatic plant used for human consumption worlwide.

Resveratrol is a natural molecule with antioxidant action. Moreover, resveratrol is also considered to be a molecule with anti-inflammatory action, an effect attributed to suppression of prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol, a polyphenol present in most red wines, on reactive oxygen species formation as well as on arachidonic acid (AA) release, cyclooxygenase expression, and PG synthesis in murine resident peritoneal macrophages. Results show that resveratrol exerted a strong inhibitory effect on superoxide radical (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced by macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or phorbol esters (PMA). Resveratrol also significantly decreased [3H]AA release induced by LPS and PMA or by exposure to O2− or H2O2. Resveratrol treatment caused a significant impairment of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) induction stimulated by LPS and PMA or by O2− or H2O2 exposure. These effects of resveratrol on [3H]AA release and COX-2 overexpression were correlated with a marked reduction of PG synthesis. Our results indicate that the antioxidant action of resveratrol affects AA mobilization and COX-2 induction.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia requiring medical therapy, and present treatment modalities are inadequate. Over the past few years, we have learned a great deal about the phenomenon of electrical remodeling, by which rapid atrial activation leads to changes in atrial electrical properties that promote AF initiation and maintenance. This knowledge opens up the possibility that electrical remodeling may itself be a novel therapeutic target in AF. The present paper reviews what is known about the basic mechanisms of atrial electrical remodeling and then discusses the experimental and clinical evidence that remodeling can be prevented by drug therapy. Despite great potential value, the development of pharmacological interventions to prevent atrial electrical remodeling is still in its infancy.

Phyllanthus amarus is a medicinal herb used in traditional Indian medicine for liver disorders. Several researches also show that it acts primarily in the liver, but still it remains unknown that which of these ingredients has a hepatoprotective effect. This study was to determine whether the lignans isolated from P. amarus attenuates the D-galactosamine (GalN) / Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute hepatitis in mice. Standardize mixture of lignans (slPA) isolated from leaves of P. amarus using automated chromatographic technique was used for experiments. Experimental mice were orally pre-treated with slPA (10, 30 and100mg/kg) for 7 days before intra-peritoneal injection of GalN/LPS. Acute hepatitis was manifested by a significant increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the level of hepatotoxic markers (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin in serum and triglycerides, MDA level in liver homogenate). In-silico molecular docking studies ...

Ascorbic acid, widely known as vtamin C, is an essential nutrient for animals such as poultry. Ascorbic acid in poultry feed improves animal health and thus increases the growth performance of birds. Ascorbic acid can be used in the form of synthetic products or can be naturally obtained from fruits and plants. It is soluble in water and can be easily administered in drinking water and the diet. Poultry can synthesize ascorbic acid in the body. However, the performance of the animals can be improved by adding ascorbic acid to their diet. In addition, ascorbic acid is called an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. This increases their resistance to disease during the transition season. Ascorbic acid supplementation positively affects the stress response, especially during the dry season in tropical countries. Furthermore, supplementing ascorbic acid in the poultry's diet improves resistance to diseases, regulates stress, and helps in the body's oxidation process. Ultimately,...

Our recent study has shown that beetroot juice protects against N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDEA)-induced liver injury and increases the activity of phase II enzymes, suggesting the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)–antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway. The aim of the present study was to further explore the mechanism of the activity of beetroot by evaluating the cytoprotective effects of its major component. The influence of betanin (BET) on the activation of Nrf2 and the expression of GSTA, GSTP, GSTM, GSTT, NQO1 and HO-1 was assessed in two hepatic cell lines: non-tumour THLE-2 and hepatoma-derived HepG2 cell lines. The level of the tumour suppressor p53 in both cell lines and the methylation of GSTP in HepG2 cells were also evaluated. Treatment of both cell lines with 2, 10 and 20 μm of BET resulted in the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytosol to the nucleus. The mRNA and nuclear protein levels of Nrf2 and the binding of Nrf2 to ARE sequence...

In this minireview, the factors involved in the development of corneal injury due to an increased amount of UVB rays are summarized. Experimental studies have shown that an increased number of UVB rays leads to a profound decrease in corneal antioxidants (high molecular weight, antioxidant enzymes as well as low molecular weight, mainly ascorbic acid) so that a prooxidant/antioxidant imbalance appears. The decrease of corneal antioxidant protective mechanisms results in oxidative injury of the cornea and causes damage of the inner parts of the eye by UVB rays and by reactive oxygen species generated by them.

Meeting consumer concerns and preferences for fresh and safely processed fisheries products free of chemical and synthetic preservatives is a challenge for the aqua-food industry. As such, natural preservatives from plant and animal origin including chitosan, essential oils (EOs), plant extracts and lactic acid bacteria have attracted considerable interest recently. These preservatives have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that can retard spoilage, uphold product quality and safety as well as extend the storage shelf-life of fish and seafood. Chitosan and EOs have been successfully used in edible coatings, film wrapping and dipping solutions. The present review focuses on the effectiveness of chitosan, EOs and other natural preservatives intended for prolonging the shelf-life of fisheries products, and maintaining their freshness and quality. Moreover, the mechanisms of action of natural additives, harmful impacts of chemical preservatives and status of aquatic food preserva...

We describe an isocratic, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous measurement of fully oxidised, dihydro- and tetrahydropterins in cerebrospinal fluid. Tetrahydrobiopterin is detected electrochemically using an ESA Coulochem ...

Considering the growing body of evidence that indicates the contribution of superoxide anions (O2) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) to the development of hypertension, we assessed whether animal models of hypertension have a benefic effect with tempol, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, to help augment the design of future studies. Studies published between July 1998 and December 2012 on blood pressure (BP) in different hypertensive models were obtained after an electronic and manual search of PubMed. In-depth analyses of the methodological quality of the studies and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) changes after treatment with tempol were performed, as well as the subgroup analyses on the route of tempol delivery. Out of the 144 identified studies, 28 were included after screening. The data showed that tempol reduced MAP by computing the standardized mean difference with the value of 4.622 (95% confidence interval 3.24-5.99). The quality of studies included in the meta-analysis was category II; however, omission of details in the trials might have biased the results. There was substantial heterogeneity in the results with an I of 94.45%, which persisted after stratifying for the route of tempol delivery. In conclusion, this analysis shows that antioxidant treatment with tempol can reduce BP, suggesting that ROS plays a role in the pathogenesis of increased BP in the hypertension models used in the current research practice.

The effect of six different preservatives on the production process and stability of resveratrol nanosuspensions was investigated. Nanosuspensions of the anti-oxidant resveratrol were prepared by high pressure homogenization (1,500 bar, 20 homogenization cycles). The preservatives used were: caprylyl glycol (0.75%), Euxyl PE 9010 (1.0%), Hydrolite-5 (2.0), Phenonip (0.75%), Rokonsal PB-5 (0.5%) and MultiEx Naturotics (2.0%). Preservation is essential for oral and dermal nanosuspensions, but can impair the stability. The effect of the preservatives on stability as a function of cycle numbers was determined by size measurements (photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), laser diffraction (LD) and light microscopy). Zeta potential measurements were performed for determination of the Stern potential (measurements in water) and as stability criterion (measurements in original dispersion medium), to elucidate the mechanism of destabilization. The preservatives could be placed into three grou...

The antioxidant properties of the fruit of the Rosa roxburghii (RR) plant have been associated with several putative health promoting effects. The possible cytotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic and genotoxic effects of RR fruit extract were investigated. The effect on antioxidant status and protection against induced oxidative stress were also investigated using primary rat hepatocytes. A RR fruit extract containing 45 g/L total ascorbic acid and 65 g/L total polyphenols was used in this study. Dilutions up to 0.08% (v/v) increased significantly the antioxidant status in primary rat hepatocytes. The glutathione redox state was decreased with RR treatment but was increased in Chang liver cells and MT-2 lymphoblast. No cyto- or genotoxicity were observed at levels of up to 5% (v/v) of the fruit extract. In addition, a significant protection against t-BHP induced oxidative stress was observed in primary rat hepatocytes. The Ames test revealed no mutagenic activity using the Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA100 and TA102. A significant antimutagenic effect of the extract was observed against the metabolic activated mutagens 2-acetylaminofluorene and aflatoxin B1 and to a lesser extent against methyl methanesulfonate. It is concluded that these results support the associated health promoting potential of Rosa Roxburghii fruit and in particular against oxidative stress. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.