Steroidal Alkaloids from Food Waste of Tomato Processing Inhibit Neuroblastoma Cell Viability.

Nowadays, there is considerable attention toward the use of food waste from food processing as possible sources of compounds with health properties, such as anticancer activity. An example is tomato processing, which is responsible for generating a remarkable amount of waste (leaves, peel, seeds). Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the potential anticancer property of tomato extracts, in particular "Datterino" tomato (DT) and "Piccadilly" tomato (PT), and to study their phytochemical composition. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) results showed that these extracts are rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, fatty acids, lipids, and terpenes. Furthermore, their potential anticancer activity was evaluated in vitro by MTT assay. In particular, the percentage of cell viability was assessed in olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), a particular glial cell type of the olfactory system, and in SH-SY5Y, a neuroblastoma cell line. All extracts (aqueous and ethanolic) did not lead to any significant change in the percentage of cell viability on OECs when compared with the control. Instead, in SH-SY5Y we observed a significant decrease in the percentage of cell viability, confirming their potential anticancer activity; this was more evident for the ethanolic extracts. In conclusion, tomato leaves extracts could be regarded as a valuable source of bioactive compounds, suitable for various applications in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical fields.

Antioxidant Activities of Solanum Nigrum L. Leaf Extracts Determined in in vitro Cellular Models.

Several medicinal foods abound in traditional medicine with antioxidant potentials that could be of importance for the management of several diseases but with little or no scientific justification to substantiate their use. Thus, the objective of this study was the assessment of the antioxidant effect of two leave extracts of Solanum nigrum L. (SN), which is a medicinal plant member of the Solanaceae family, mainly used for soup preparation in different parts of the world. Then methanolic/water (80:20) (SN1) and water (SN2) leaves extracts were prepared. The total polyphenolic content and the concentration of phenolic acids and flavones compounds were determined. In order to verify whether examined extracts were able to restore the oxidative status, modified by glutamate in primary cultures of astrocytes, the study evaluated the glutathione levels, the intracellular oxidative stress, and the cytotoxicity of SN1 and SN2 extracts. Both extracts were able to quench the radical in an in vitro free cellular system and restore the oxidative status in in vitro primary cultures of rat astroglial cells exposed to glutamate. These extracts prevented the increase in glutamate uptake and inhibited glutamate excitotoxicity, which leads to cell damage and shows a notable antioxidant property.

Nanotechnological Approach to Increase the Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Efficacy of Crocin and Crocetin.

Crocin and crocetin are two interesting constituents of saffron (Crocus sativus) that possess important biological activities. Their use as therapeutic agents is strongly compromised by a scarce stability, poor absorption, and low bioavailability. Therefore, to improve these unfavorable features, the aim of the present work has been to apply a nanotechnological approach based on the formulation of solid lipid nanoparticles containing crocin and crocetin. Solid lipid nanoparticles were formulated according to crocin and crocetin chemical properties, using a variation of the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method to formulate crocin-solid lipid nanoparticles, while crocetin-solid lipid nanoparticles were prepared following the solvent diffusion method. Morphology and dimensional distribution of solid lipid nanoparticles have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and photon correlation spectroscopy, respectively, while the effect of drug incorporation versus time has been studied by Turbiscan technology. In order to verify the role of the nanotechnological approach on the biological activities of crocin and crocetin, the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of these carotenoids once incorporated in lipid nanoparticles have been evaluated. For this aim, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay and the MTT test were used, respectively.The results pointed out the formulation of nanometric dispersions endowed with high homogeneity and stability, with an encapsulation efficiency ranging from 80 (crocetin-solid lipid nanoparticles) to 94% (crocin-crocetin). The oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay evidenced an interesting and prolonged antioxidant activity of crocin and crocetin once encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles, while the nanoencapsulation strategy showed a different mechanism in ameliorating the cytotoxic effect of these two substances.

Antioxidant properties of Berberis aetnensis C. Presl (Berberidaceae) roots extract and protective effects on astroglial cell cultures.

Berberis aetnensis C. Presl (Berberidaceae) is a bushy-spiny shrub common on Mount Etna (Sicily). We demonstrated that the alkaloid extract of roots of B. aetnensis C. Presl contains prevalently berberine and berbamine, possesses antimicrobial properties, and was able to counteract the upregulation evoked by glutamate of tissue transglutaminase in primary rat astroglial cell cultures. Until now, there are no reports regarding antioxidant properties of B. aetnensis C. Presl collected in Sicily. Air-dried, powdered roots of B. aetnensis C. Presl were extracted, identified, and quantified by HPLC. We assessed in cellular free system its effect on superoxide anion, radicals scavenging activity of antioxidants against free radicals like the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, and the inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity. In primary rat astroglial cell cultures, exposed to glutamate, we evaluated the effect of the extract on glutathione levels and on intracellular production of reactive oxygen species generated by glutamate. The alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis C. Presl inhibited superoxide anion, restored to control values, the decrease of GSH levels, and the production of reactive oxygen species. Potent antioxidant activities of the alkaloid extract of roots of B. aetnensis C. Presl may be one of the mechanisms by which the extract is effective against health disorders associated to oxidative stress.

Effect of berberine and Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. alkaloid extract on glutamate-evoked tissue transglutaminase up-regulation in astroglial cell cultures.

Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. is a bushy-spiny shrub common on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), containing various alkaloids with several pharmacological properties. This study assessed the effect of berberine and of the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots on the glutamate-evoked tissue transglutaminase (TG2) up-regulation in rat astrocyte primary cultures, used as an in vitro model of excitotoxicity. The findings show that the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots consists mainly of berberine. Furthermore, berberine and the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots were able to restore the oxidative status modified by glutamate and the levels of TG2 to control values. It was found that berberine or the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots are able to ameliorate the excessive production of glutamate, protein misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial fragmentation, and neurodegeneration. Thus, it is suggested that berberine and the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots, may represent a natural therapeutic strategy in the neuropathological conditions associated with excitotoxicity.

Enhancement of drug affinity for cell membranes by conjugation with lipoamino acids. I. Synthesis and biological evaluation of lipophilic conjugates of tranylcypromine.

Conjugation with lipoamino acids (LAAs) increases the lipophilicity of drug molecules. Because of their amphipatic nature, they also provide the conjugated drugs a 'membrane-like character', capable to facilitate their interaction with and penetration through cell membranes and biological barriers. To study such a feature, our aim is to collect experimental and computational data using a novel series of lipophilic conjugates between a model drug (tranylcypromine (TCP)) and LAA residues containing a short, a medium or a long alkyl side chain (C-4 to C-16), to provide a wide range of lipophilicity. For comparison, a corresponding set of amides of TCP with alkanoic or fatty acids was prepared and characterized. Their in vitro monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity also tested.

Nitric oxide-related toxicity in cultured astrocytes: effect of Bacopa monniera.

There is growing evidence that high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), generated by activated astrocytes, might be involved in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, ischemia and epilepsy. It has recently been suggested that glial cells may produce NO under superoxide radical stimulation by enzyme-independent mechanism. This suggests that also natural antioxidants may have therapeutical relevance in neurodegenerative diseases. Studies of Bhattacharya et al. have evidenced that Bacopa monniera (BM) (family Scrophulariaceae), an Ayurvedic medicinal plant clinically used for memory enhancing, epilepsy, insomnia and as a mild sedative, is able to reduce the memory-dysfunction in rat models of Alzheimer's disease, but the molecular mechanisms of this action are yet to be determined. In the present study, we examined the effect of a methanolic extract of BM on toxicity induced by the nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), in culture of purified rat astrocytes. Our results indicate that, after 18 h of treatment, SNAP induced an increase in the production of reactive species, but did not induce the rupture of cellular membrane. Conversely, this NO donor induced a fragmentation of genomic DNA compared to control astrocytes. The extract of BM inhibited the formation of reactive species and DNA damage in a dose dependent manner. This data supports the traditional use of BM and indicates that this medicinal plant has a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of neurological diseases.