Combination of Chemically Characterized Pomegranate Extract and Hydrophilic Vitamins against Prolonged Fatigue: A Monocentric, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Prolonged fatigue is associated with non-pathological causes and lacks an established therapeutic approach. The current study is aimed at assessing the efficacy of a new food supplement (Improve™) based on a chemically characterized pomegranate extract and hydro-soluble vitamins (B complex and C). UHPLC-HRMS analysis of pomegranate extract showed the presence of 59 compounds, with gallotannins and ellagitannins being the most abundant phytochemicals. For the clinical study, 58 subjects were randomized into two groups, 1 and 2 (n = 29, each), which received either the food supplement or placebo. The effects of the food supplement against fatigue were assessed via validated questionnaires, recorded at time intervals t0 (at baseline), t1 (after 28 days), t2 (56 days), and t3 (after follow-up) in combination with the analysis of biochemical markers at t0 and t2. Fatigue severity scale (FSS) questionnaire scores were significantly decreased at the t2 and t3 time intervals in subjects treated with the food supplements, while the effect of the food supplement on a 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) was not considerable. Moreover, the food supplement did not significantly affect biochemical parameters associated with fatigue and stress conditions. This study shows that the food supplement tested reduces prolonged fatigue following two months of supplementation in healthy subjects with mild prolonged fatigue.

In Vitro Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Properties and Bioaccessibility after Oral Digestion of Chemically Characterized Extracts Obtained from Cistus × incanus L., Scutellaria lateriflora L., and Their Combination.

Periodontal diseases are oral inflammatory diseases ranging from gingivitis to chronic periodontitis. Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the major pathogens responsible for severe and chronic periodontitis. Plant extracts with antimicrobial activity could be considered possible alternatives to chlorhexidine, an antiseptic substance used in oral hygiene thatcan cause bacteria resistance. Here, two commercial extracts obtained from Cistus × incanus L. and Scutellaria lateriflora L. were chemically characterized usingUltra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer. The extracts were studied for their bioaccessibility after simulated in vitro oral digestion, their antimicrobial activity against P. gingivalis, their protective effects against cellular invasion by P. gingivalis, and their antibiofilm activity. The extracts were found to contain very complex mixtures of polyphenols, which were quite stable after in vitro simulated oral digestion and demonstrated mild, dose-dependent inhibitory activity against P. gingivalis growth. This activity increased with the combination of the two extracts. Moreover, the combination of the extracts induced a reduction in P. gingivalis HaCaT invasiveness, and the reduction in biofilm came to around 80%. In conclusion, a combination of C. incanus and S. lateriflora showed promising effects useful in the treatment of gingivitis.