Beneficial Effects of Daily Consumption of Garlic and Onion Extract Concentrate on Infectious Respiratory Diseases in Elderly Resident Volunteers.

Aging is a biological process with high susceptibility to several infections. This risk increases in older patients in residential care facilities (RCF). Thus, there is a clear demand for developing preventive interventions with new therapeutic compounds that combine efficacy and safety. This could be the case of compounds derived from plants of the genus Allium spp. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a combination of a garlic and onion extract concentrate standardized in organosulfur compounds derived from propiin on the incidence of respiratory tract infections in elderly patients of RCF. Sixty-five volunteers were selected at random to receive a placebo or a single daily dose of the extract for thirty-six weeks. Different clinical visits were performed to evaluate the main respiratory diseases with an infectious origin, as well as the associated symptoms and their duration. The extract showed a clinical safety profile and significantly reduced the incidence of respiratory infections. Moreover, the treatment decreased the number and duration of the associated symptoms compared with the placebo group. For the first time, we demonstrated the protective effect of Alliaceae extract in respiratory infectious diseases in elderly healthy volunteers, which could be used prophylactically against the most common infectious respiratory diseases.

In Vitro Antitumor and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Allium-Derived Compounds Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate (PTSO) and Propyl Propane Thiosulfinate (PTS).

Increasing rates of cancer incidence and the side-effects of current chemotherapeutic treatments have led to the research on novel anticancer products based on dietary compounds. The use of Allium metabolites and extracts has been proposed to reduce the proliferation of tumor cells by several mechanisms. In this study, we have shown the in vitro anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effect of two onion-derived metabolites propyl propane thiosulfinate (PTS) and propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) on several human tumor lines (MCF-7, T-84, A-549, HT-29, Panc-1, Jurkat, PC-3, SW-837, and T1-73). We observed that this effect was related to their ability to induce apoptosis regulated by oxidative stress. In addition, both compounds were also able to reduce the levels of some pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-8, IL-6, and IL-17. Therefore, PTS and PTSO may have a promising role in cancer prevention and/or treatment.

Acute and subchronic 90-days toxicity assessment of propyl-propane-thiosulfinate (PTS) in rats.

The organosulfur compounds (OSC) extracted from Allium spp. exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. The agri-food industry is taking advantage of these properties by using them as natural feed and food additives. In the present work, an acute and a subchronic 90-days toxicity studies have been conducted for the first time to assess the safety of the OSC propyl-propane-thiosulfinate (PTS). Both studies were carried out following the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development test guidelines (425 and 408, respectively). The acute study provided a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 175 mg/kg and the subchronic study established the Non Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) ≥ 55 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/day in both sexes. In addition, the subchronic study performed on rats exposed to 14, 28 and 55 mg/kg b.w./day PTS, revealed no changes in any of the hematological parameters measured as well as no differences in body weight and water/food consumption. However, biochemical parameters were altered in some groups, although they were not biologically significant (Ca2+ in female rats, and the thyroids hormones T3 and T4 in rat males). Furthermore, the histopathological assessment evidenced no abnormality on the gastrointestinal, respiratory, lymphoid, urinary, circulatory, nervous, musculoskeletal, and reproductive systems.

Allium Extract Implements Weaned Piglet's Productive Parameters by Modulating Distal Gut Microbiota.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has risen as a global threat for human health. One of the leading factors for this emergence has been the massive use of antibiotics growth-promoter (AGPs) in livestock, enhancing the spread of AMR among human pathogenic bacteria. Thus, several alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, or phytobiotics have been proposed for using in animal feeding to maintain or improve productive levels while diminishing the negative effects of AGPs. Reducing the use of antibiotics is a key aspect in the pig rearing for production reasons, as well as for the production of high-quality pork, acceptable to consumers. Here we analyze the potential use of Allium extract as an alternative. In this study, weaned piglets were fed with Allium extract supplementation and compared with control and antibiotic (colistin and zinc oxide) treated piglets. The effects of Allium extract were tested by analyzing the gut microbiome and measuring different productive parameters. Alpha diversity indices decreased significantly in Allium extract group in caecum and colon. Regarding beta diversity, significant differences between treatments appeared only in caecum and colon. Allium extract and antibiotic piglets showed better values of body weight (BW), average daily weight gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) than control group. These results indicate that productive parameters can be implemented by modifying the gut microbiota through phytobiotics such as Allium extract, which will drive to drop the use of antibiotics in piglet diet.

The Immunomodulatory Properties of Propyl-Propane Thiosulfonate Contribute to its Intestinal Anti-Inflammatory Effect in Experimental Colitis.

SCOPE: Propyl-propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) is a component isolated from garlic (Allium sativum) with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial properties. In consequence, PTSO can be a potential candidate for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: The anti-inflammatory effects of PTSO are studied in two mice models of colitis: 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS) (PTSO doses: 0.01-10 mg kg-1 ) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) (PTSO doses: 0.01-0.1 mg kg-1 ). The immunomodulatory effects of PTSO (0.1-25 µm) are also shown in vitro in Caco-2 and THP-1 cells, reducing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and downregulating mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways. This compound displays beneficial effects in both models of mouse colitis by reducing the expression of different pro-inflammatory mediators and improving the intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Moreover, PTSO ameliorates the altered gut microbiota composition observed in DSS colitic mice. CONCLUSION: PTSO exerts intestinal anti-inflammatory activity in experimental colitis in mice. This anti-inflammatory activity can be associated with the immunomodulatory properties of PTSO through the regulation of the activity of cells involved in the inflammatory response. Furthermore, PTSO is able to restore the intestinal epithelial barrier function and to ameliorate the intestinal microbiota homeostasis, thus supporting its future development in human IBD.

Acute toxicological studies of the main organosulfur compound derived from Allium sp. intended to be used in active food packaging.

Some plant extracts have been proposed as potential alternative to the use of synthetic preservatives in the food industry. Among those, extracts from Allium species exhibit interesting antimicrobial and antioxidant properties for the food packaging industry. The present work aims to assess the usefulness and potential safety of the major organosulfur compound present in a commercial Allium sp. extract (PROALLIUM AP®), namely propyl thiosulfinate oxide (PTSO). For this purpose, its antimicrobial activity was studied in a wide range of microorganisms. Moreover, cytotoxicity and ultrastructural cellular damages caused by PTSO were studied in two human cell lines, Caco-2 and HepG2, being the colonic cells more sensitive to this compound. Finally, the protective role of PTSO against an induced oxidative situation was evaluated in the human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The results revealed damage at high concentration, although no significant adverse effects were recorded for the concentration to be used in food packaging. Moreover, the in vivo study also revealed the potential safety use at the established concentrations. In addition, the antimicrobial properties and the antioxidant role of PTSO were confirmed. Therefore, this compound could be considered as a good natural alternative to synthetic preservatives used in the food packaging industry.