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The health-promoting effects of phenolic compounds depend on their bioaccessibility from the food matrix and their consequent bioavailability. We carried out a randomized crossover pilot clinical trial to evaluate the matrix effect (raw flesh and juice) of ‘Ataulfo’ mango on the bioavailability of its phenolic compounds. Twelve healthy male subjects consumed a dose of mango flesh or juice. Blood was collected for six hours after consumption, and urine for 24 h. Plasma and urine phenolics were analyzed by electrochemical detection coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-ECD). Five compounds were identified and quantified in plasma. Six phenolic compounds, plus a microbial metabolite (pyrogallol) were quantified in urine, suggesting colonic metabolism. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) occurred 2–4 h after consumption; excretion rates were maximum at 8–24 h. Mango flesh contributed to greater protocatechuic acid absorption (49%), mango juice contributed to higher chlorogenic acid absorption (62%). Our data suggests that the bioavailability and antioxidant capacity of mango phenolics is preserved, and may be increased when the flesh is processed into juice.

Background: Polyphenols may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic diseases due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their beneficial effects on blood pressure, lipids and insulin resistance. However, no previous epidemiological studies have evaluated the relationship between the intake of total polyphenols intake and polyphenol subclasses with overall mortality. Our aim was to evaluate whether polyphenol intake is associated with all-cause mortality in subjects at high cardiovascular risk. Methods: We used data from the PREDIMED study, a 7,447-participant, parallel-group, randomized, multicenter, controlled five-year feeding trial aimed at assessing the effects of the Mediterranean Diet in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Polyphenol intake was calculated by matching food consumption data from repeated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) with the Phenol-Explorer database on the polyphenol content of each reported food. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between polyphenol intake and mortality were estimated using time-dependent Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Over an average of 4.8 years of follow-up, we observed 327 deaths. After multivariate adjustment, we found a 37% relative reduction in all-cause mortality comparing the highest versus the lowest quintiles of total polyphenol intake (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.63; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.97; P for trend = 0.12). Among the polyphenol subclasses, stilbenes and lignans were significantly associated with reduced all-cause mortality (HR =0.48; 95% CI 0.25 to 0.91; P for trend = 0.04 and HR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.97; P for trend = 0.03, respectively), with no significant associations apparent in the rest (flavonoids or phenolic acids). Conclusions: Among high-risk subjects, those who reported a high polyphenol intake, especially of stilbenes and lignans, showed a reduced risk of overall mortality compared to those with lower intakes. These results may be useful to determine optimal polyphenol intake or specific food sources of polyphenols that may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality.

The therapeutic potential of nifuroxazide in colitis has been explored in several experimental studies of ulcerative colitis (UC). To evaluate the efficacy of nifuroxazide in patients with UC. Fifty patients with mild to moderate UC were randomly assigned into two groups (n = 25 each). The placebo group received a placebo alongside mesalamine (1 g three times daily [t.i.d.]) for six months. The nifuroxazide group received nifuroxazide (200 mg twice daily) in combination with mesalamine (1 g t.i.d). A gastroenterologist assessed disease severity using the partial Mayo score (PMS). Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were measured before and after treatment. Quality of life was evaluated using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ-32). Primary outcomes: Change in PMS. Secondary outcomes: change in IBDQ-32 and in the level of measured biomarkers. Baseline measurements were comparable between groups (p > 0.05). Post-treatment values showed significant improvements within both groups compared to baseline. However, the nifuroxazide group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the placebo group, including reductions in PMS (p = 0.005) and increases in IBDQ scores (p = 0.002). Additionally, significant decreases were observed in IL-6 (p = 0.03), NF-κB (p = 0.03), CRP (p = 0.02), and STAT3 (p = 0.03) levels. The placebo group had a response rate of 56% (14/25) and a remission rate of 24% (6/25), whereas the nifuroxazide group achieved a response rate of 76% (19/25) and a remission rate of 56% (14/25), based on PMS. Co-administration of nifuroxazide with mesalamine improved clinical outcomes, including higher response and remission rates, reduced inflammation by reducing IL-6/STAT3, and enhanced quality of life in patients with UC, compared to mesalamine alone. NCT05988528.

AimsDue to their different chemical structures and metabolism, polyphenol subclasses may have specific impact on cardiometabolic risk factors. Our aim was to evaluate whether the intake of different polyphenol subclasses is associated with clinical outcomes beneficially improved by polyphenols in a nutritional trial performed by our group (postprandial lipid response, glucose homeostasis, early insulin secretion and oxidative stress).MethodsThe present study is a secondary analysis of a nutritional intervention study with a diet naturally rich in polyphenols. The data are derived from 78 participants at high cardiovascular risk who completed the ETHERPATH trial. The associations between variations in polyphenol subclasses (phenolic acids, anthocyanidins, flavones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and flavanones) and clinical outcomes beneficially influenced by polyphenols were firstly explored by Spearman’s correlation. Thereafter, adjustment for gender, age and body mass index (BMI) was run. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the class of polyphenols that best predicted the outcome.ResultsFlavanone intake was inversely correlated with postprandial lipid response, whereas flavone intake was related to postchallenge glucose response. Anthocyanidins and flavan-3-ols associated positively with early insulin secretion. The decrease in urinary isoprostanes correlated with anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols and flavonols. Correlations did not change after adjustment for gender, age, and BMI. Linear regression analysis showed an independent association between flavonols and urinary isoprostanes, whereas early insulin secretion was mainly associated with flavan-3-ols intake.ConclusionsThe results of this study show that a polyphenol-rich diet may have a pleiotropic effect on cardiometabolic risk factors thanks to the specific action of different polyphenol subclasses.

Alternatives to skin preparation with conventional preoperative antiseptics are required because of adverse reactions and the potential emergence of resistance. Here, we present 2 phase 2 studies of ZuraGard (ZG), a novel formulation of isopropyl alcohol and functional excipients developed for preoperative skin antisepsis. Microbial skin flora on abdominal and inguinal sites in healthy volunteers were quantitatively assessed following application of ZG versus a negative control (ZV) and a chlorhexidine/alcohol preparation, Chloraprep (CP). In trial 1, ZG administered for both recommended and abbreviated application times was compared with CP and ZV via bacterial reductions at 10 minutes, and 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours following application. In trial 2, the 10-minute postapplication responder rates (RRs) for ZG, participants with abdominal ≥2 log10 per cm2, and inguinal ≥3 log10 per cm2 reductions in colony-forming units (CFU) were compared to RRs of participants treated with CP. In trial 1, ZG at the recommended application time reduced mean bacterial counts by ~3.18 log10 CFU/cm2 and ~2.98 log10 CFU/cm2 at abdominal and inguinal sites, respectively. Qualitatively similar reductions were observed for the abbreviated ZG application time and all CP applications. Application of ZV was ineffective. In trial 2, 10-minute RRs for ZG and CP exceeded 90% at abdominal sites. At inguinal sites, RRs were 83.3% for ZG and 86.7% for CP. No skin irritation or other adverse events were observed. ZG matched CP efficacy under these experimental conditions with immediate and persistent microbial reductions, including abbreviated application times. Further clinical studies of this novel preoperative antiseptic are merited.

Introduction Phenolic acids are important phenolic compounds widespread in foods, contributing to nutritional and organoleptic properties. Factors affceting individual variability The bioavailability of these compounds depends on their free or conjugated presence in food matrices, which is also affected by food processing. Phenolic acids undergo metabolism by the host and residing intestinal microbiota, which causes conjugations and structural modifications of the compounds. Human responses, metabolite profiles and health responses of phenolics, show considerable individual variation, which is affected by absorption, metabolism and genetic variations of subjects. Opinion A better understanding of the gut-host interplay and microbiome biochemistry is becoming highly relevant in understanding the impact of diet and its constituents. It is common to study metabolism and health benefits separately, with some exceptions; however, it should be preferred that health responders and non-responders are studied in combination with explanatory metabolite profiles and gene variants. This approach could turn interindividual variation from a problem in human research to an asset for research on personalized nutrition.

Cereal grains represent one of the major sources of human food and nowadays, their production has increased to fulfill the needs of the world’s population. Among whole grains, wheat is the most popular and contributes significantly to the human diet. Whole grains possess great nutritional and bioactive properties due to their fractions, bran and germ, that comprise unique health-promoting bioactive components. The evidence of health benefits in human intervention studies, as well as a World Health Organization report for 2012–2016, supports the dietary consumption of whole grains and whole-grain foods. The inverse correlation between whole grain consumption and the reduced risk of chronic diseases and metabolic syndromes was underlined by several epidemiological studies. This article focuses on the bioactive components of whole grains and their fractions, namely phenolic acids, starting from their chemical structure, bioactivity and bioavailability. According to the conclusive evaluation of the human intervention studies conducted using cereal bran and whole grains intake, the assumption that the bioactive compounds determine health outcomes is illustrated. In the last part of the work, the functional potential and the health claims related to whole grains and bran intake are discussed, as well as new technologies and strategies to enhance their health potential by an increased bioavailability.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of purple potato extract of the Blue Congo variety (PP) on diabetes and its antioxidant activities after two-week administration tostreptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The activities of PP were evaluated at a dose of 165 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) by estimating biochemical changes in blood plasma and through a histopathological study of kidney, muscles, and liver tissue. We evaluated the effect of treatment with extract on glucose level, glycated hemoglobin, activities of enzymatic antioxidants (including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase), and lipid peroxidation. Moreover, we determined advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), and the level of oxidative modified proteins (OMPs) as markers of carbonyl-oxidative stress in rats with diabetes. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we identified five anthocyanins and six phenolic acids in the extract from Blue Congo with the dominant acylated anthocyanin as petunidin-3-p-coumaroyl-rutinoside-5-glucoside. The administration of Blue Congo extract lowered blood glucose, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased the amount of glycated hemoglobin. Furthermore, PP demonstrated an antioxidative effect, suppressed malondialdehyde levels, and restored antioxidant enzyme activities in diabetic rats. After administration of PP, we also noticed inhibition of OMP, AGE, and AOPP formation in the rats′ blood plasma.

Lung cancer mortality rates are rising globally, increasing the need for innovative, natural compounds with fewer side effects. Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a natural phenolic compound with cytotoxic effects against human lung cancer cells, but its poor water solubility limits its use. We hypothesized that encapsulating PCA within bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles would enhance its solubility compared to previous PCA-loaded-nanocarriers. So, we encapsulated PCA within BSA-nanoparticles conjugated with folic acid (FA) and evaluated its targeting efficacy in lung cancer cell line and lung cancer mouse model. The resulting nanocomposite (PCA-BSA@FA-NPs) had a 229 nm size. Our in vitro study indicated that PCA-BSA@FA-NPs demonstrated a 92.03% reduction in toxicity compared to doxorubicin, and a 59.67% reduction compared to PCA when tested against normal WI38 cells. In the lung cancer mouse model, the NF-κB expression decreased by 179% in the PCA-BSA@FA-NPs-treated group compared to the PCA-treated group. Both groups showed significant reductions in MAPK and FAK, with greater declines of 172% for MAPK and 316% for FAK in the PCA-BSA@FA-NPs-treated group. In conclusion, PCA-BSA@FA-NPs may serve as a promising therapy for targeting lung cancer with reduced toxicity.

Background/Objectives Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites with a large variability in their chemical structure and dietary occurrence that have been associated with some protective effects against several chronic diseases. To date, limited data exist on intake of polyphenols in populations. The current cross-sectional analysis aimed at estimating dietary intakes of all currently known individual polyphenols and total intake per class and subclass, and to identify their main food sources in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Methods Dietary data at baseline were collected using a standardized 24-h dietary recall software administered to 36,037 adult subjects. Dietary data were linked with Phenol-Explorer, a database with data on 502 individual polyphenols in 452 foods and data on polyphenol losses due to cooking and food processing. Results Mean total polyphenol intake was the highest in Aarhus—Denmark (1786 mg/day in men and 1626 mg/day in women) and the lowest in Greece (744 mg/day in men and 584 mg/day in women). When dividing the subjects into three regions, the highest intake of total polyphenols was observed in the UK health-conscious group, followed by non-Mediterranean (non-MED) and MED countries. The main polyphenol contributors were phenolic acids (52.5–56.9 %), except in men from MED countries and in the UK health-conscious group where they were flavonoids (49.1–61.7 %). Coffee, tea, and fruits were the most important food sources of total polyphenols. A total of 437 different individual polyphenols were consumed, including 94 consumed at a level >1 mg/day. The most abundant ones were the caffeoylquinic acids and the proanthocyanidin oligomers and polymers. Conclusion This study describes the large number of dietary individual polyphenols consumed and the high variability of their intakes between European populations, particularly between MED and non-MED countries.