Extraction of thymol from different varieties of thyme plants using green solvents.

BACKGROUND: Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) is the main monoterpene phenol found in thyme essential oil. This compound has revealed several biological properties, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this work, a comparison was made between the performance of different green solvents (ethanol, limonene and ethyl lactate), by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) at different conditions, to extract thymol from three different varieties of thyme (Thymus vulgaris, Thymus zygis and Thymus citriodorus). Additionally, new solubility data of thymol in limonene and ethanol at ambient pressure and temperatures in the range 30-43 °C are reported. RESULTS: The highest thymol recoveries were attained with T. vulgaris (7-11 mg g(-1)). No thymol could be quantified in the PLE samples of T. citriodorus. The highest concentrations of thymol in the extracts were obtained with limonene. Thymol is very soluble in both solvents, particularly in ethanol (∼900 mg g(-1) at ∼40 °C), and is the main compound (in terms of peak area) present in the essential oil extracts obtained. CONCLUSION: The three solvents show good capacity to extract thymol from T. vulgaris and T. zygis by PLE. Although PLE proved to be a suitable technology to extract thymol from thyme plants, the highest concentrations of thymol were obtained by SFE with supercritical CO2 .

Sustainable Extraction Techniques for Obtaining Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds from the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae Species.

Melissa officinalis L. and Origanum majorana L., within Lamiaceae family, and Calendula officinalis L. and Achillea millefolium L., within the Asteraceae, have been considered a good source of bioactive ingredients with health benefits. In this study, the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using pure CO2, and the ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) were proposed as green techniques to obtain plant-based extracts with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Higher values of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were achieved in UAE ethanol:water (50:50, v/v) extracts. Meanwhile, UAE pure ethanol extracts showed greater anti-inflammatory activity. RP-HPLC-PAD-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis showed a vast number of phenolic compounds in the extracts, including unreported ones. O. majorana ethanol:water extract presented the highest content of phenolics and antioxidant activity; among its composition, both rosmarinic acid and luteolin glucoside derivatives were abundant. The pure ethanol extract of A. millefolium resulted in an important content of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and flavonoid aglycones, which could be related to the remarkable inhibition of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 cytokines. Besides, borneol and camphor, found in the volatile fraction of A. millefolium, could contributed to this latter activity. Thus, this study points out that O. majorana and A. millefolium are considered a promising source of bioactive ingredients with potential use in health promotion.

[The dynamic gastrointestinal simulator (simgi®): a useful tool for clinical nutrition]. / Simulador gastrointestinal dinámico (simgi ® ): una herramienta potencialmente útil en nutrición clínica.

The human gastrointestinal tract harbours the most complex and abundant community of the human body, the colon being where the highest microbial concentration is found (1012 cell/g). The intestinal microbiota exerts metabolic, trophic and protective functions which are important in the maintenance of the host health. Over recent decades, numerous studies have attempted to provide scientific evidence about the environmental factors that can impact on human health through the modulation of the intestinal microbiota composition. However, this approach is changing, and a new focus on assessing changes at functional level is being developed. If we apply this dual approach to the role played by the diet, it is obvious the need of dynamic gastrointestinal simulation models such as simgi®  that allow to evaluate the transformations undergone by food and/or food ingredients during their transit through the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to determine potential changes in the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiota after food ingestion. So far the studies using the simgi® have confirmed its potential applications in the area of food as a prior step to its application in clinical nutrition to prevent and/or treat diseases associated with intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic disorders. Likewise, this review includes feasible perspectives of the use of simgi® in clinical research concerning to diseases related to the intestinal microbiota.

Simulador gastrointestinal dinámico (simgi): una herramienta potencialmente útil en nutrición clínica / The dynamic gastrointestinal simulator (simgi): a useful tool for clinical nutrition

Dentro de la microbiota humana, el tracto gastrointestinal alberga el ecosistema más complejo y abundante del cuerpo humano, siendo el colon donde se encuentra la concentración más alta de microorganismos (1012 cél/g). La microbiota intestinal desempeña funciones metabólicas, tróficas y de protección que son de gran importancia para el hospedador. Durante las últimas décadas, son numerosos los estudios que han tratado de aportar evidencias científicas acerca de los factores que, a través de cambios en la composición de la microbiota intestinal, influyen en la salud humana. Sin embargo, esta aproximación está cambiando, y son cada vez más los expertos que apuestan por evaluar cambios a nivel de funcionalidad de la microbiota. Si aplicamos este enfoque dual al papel desempeñado por la dieta, resulta obvia la necesidad de disponer de modelos dinámicos de simulación gastrointestinal, como es el simgi, que permitan evaluar las transformaciones que sufren los alimentos y/o ingredientes alimentarios durante el tránsito por el tracto gastrointestinal, así como para determinar los posibles cambios en la composición y funcionalidad de la microbiota intestinal derivados de la ingesta de alimentos. Los estudios llevados a cabo hasta el momento con el simgi constatan sus potenciales aplicaciones en el área de los alimentos como paso previo a su aplicación en nutrición clínica, para prevenir y/o tratar enfermedades asociadas a disbiosis intestinal, así como trastornos metabólicos. Asimismo, esta revisión recoge posibles perspectivas de utilización del simgi en la investigación clínica relativa a enfermedades vinculadas con disfunciones de la microbiota intestinal (AU)

The human gastrointestinal tract harbours the most complex and abundant community of the human body, the colon being where the highest microbial concentration is found (1012 cell/g). The intestinal microbiota exerts metabolic, trophic and protective functions which are important in the maintenance of the host health. Over recent decades, numerous studies have attempted to provide scientific evidence about the environmental factors that can impact on human health through the modulation of the intestinal microbiota composition. However, this approach is changing, and a new focus on assessing changes at functional level is being developed. If we apply this dual approach to the role played by the diet, it is obvious the need of dynamic gastrointestinal simulation models such as simgi, that allow to evaluate the transformations undergone by food and/or food ingredients during their transit through the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to determine potential changes in the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiota after food ingestion. So far the studies using the simgi have confirmed its potential applications in the area of food as a prior step to its application in clinical nutrition to prevent and/or treat diseases associated with intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic disorders. Likewise, this review includes feasible perspectives of the use of simgi in clinical research concerning to diseases related to the intestinal microbiota (AU)