Exploring Influence of Production Area and Harvest Time on Specialized Metabolite Content of Glycyrrhiza glabra Leaves and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-Aging Properties.

Calabrian Glycyrrhiza glabra is one of the most appreciated licorice varieties worldwide, and its leaves are emerging as a valuable source of bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, this biomass is usually discarded, and its valorization could contribute to boost the economic value of the licorice production chain. In this study, the effects of production area and harvest time on the specialized metabolite content of G. glabra leaves (GGL) and also the antioxidant and anti-aging properties are evaluated to explore the potential of this untapped resource and to select the most optimal harvesting practices. GGL exhibited high levels of specialized metabolites (4-30 g/100 g of dry leaf) and the most abundant ones are pinocembrin, prenylated flavanones (licoflavanone and glabranin), and prenylated dihydrostilbenes. Their levels and antioxidant capacity in extracts are influenced by both production area and harvest time, showing a decisive role on specialized metabolites accumulation. Interestingly, GGL extracts strongly attenuate the toxicity of α-synuclein, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, and cellular senescence on Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing human α-synuclein model, showing great potential to prevent aging and age-related disorders. These results provide insights into the phytochemical dynamics of GGL, identifying the best harvesting site and period to obtain bioactive-rich sources with potential uses in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of a methanol extract from Stachys brachyclada de Noé ex Coss. leaves.

Stachys brachyclada de Noé ex Coss. (Lamiaceae) is a quite rare medicinal plant endemic to the Mediterranean basin. In this study, seven secondary metabolites from a methanol extract of its leaves have been isolated and identified by a combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D NMR experiments and ESIMS analysis). They include one ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (1), three acylated flavone glycosides (2-4), one diapigenin derivative (5) and two flavone aglycones (6-7). Stachysetin (5) was found the major compound of the extract (74.0 mg/g of dry matter). Moreover, the produced extract showed the ability in inhibiting the α-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 = 13.7 µg/mL), in quenching the radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (EC50 = 74.6 µg/mL), and in reducing the intracellular oxidative stress level in Human Dermal Fibroblast (64% inhibition at 50 µg/mL).

Supplementing Low-Sodium Bicarbonate-Calcic (Lete)® Water: Effects in Women on Bone and Systemic Metabolism.

Calcium (Ca) represents about 40% of the total mineral mass, mainly in the bone, providing mechanical strength to the skeleton and teeth. An adequate Ca intake is necessary for bone growth and development in children and adolescents and for maintaining bone mineral loss in elderly age. Ca deficiency predisposes to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Healthy nutrition, including an adequate intake of Ca-rich food, is paramount to prevent and cure osteoporosis. Recently, several clinical studies have demonstrated that, in conditions of Ca dysmetabolism, Ca-rich mineral water is beneficial as a valuable source of Ca to be used as an alternative to caloric Ca-rich dairy products. Although promising, these data have been collected from small groups of participants. Moreover, they mainly regard the effect of Ca-rich mineral water on bone metabolism. In contrast, an investigation of the effect of Ca supplementation on systemic metabolism is needed to address the spreading of systemic metabolic dysfunction often associated with Ca dysmetabolism. In the present study, we analyzed urine and blood sera of 120 women in perimenopausal condition who were subjected for six months to 2l daily consumption of bicarbonate-calcium mineral water marketed under ®Lete. Remarkably, this water, in addition to being rich in calcium and bicarbonate, is also low in sodium. A complete set of laboratory tests was carried out to investigate whether the specific water composition was such to confirm the known therapeutic effects on bone metabolism. Second, but not least, urine and blood sera were analyzed using NMR-based metabolomic procedures to investigate, other than the action on Ca metabolism, potential system-wide metabolic effects. Our data show that Lete water is a valid supplement for compensating for Ca dysmetabolism and preserving bone health and integrity.

Target screening method for the quantitative determination of 118 pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food supplements, herbal infusions, honey and teas by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry.

An analytical procedure for the screening of 118 pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) was successfully validated and applied to their quantitative determination in food supplements, herbal infusions, honey, and teas. It provides the reliable analyte identification by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS), the accurate determination of 21 regulated PAs, and broad contamination profiles. 10% of 281 analyzed samples resulted contaminated at levels above the maximum levels (MLs) of European legislation. The contamination of herbal infusions of mixed plants can represent a possible health concern (23%; mean of PA sum above ML). A high number of PAs not included in the regulation was detected in honey and herbal food supplements, but their contribution was only relevant to the overall level in honey. The results indicate the need to continue collecting contamination data in food supplements and infusions of mixed herbs and to expand the PA-pool to be monitored in honey and related products.

A review of nemorosone: Chemistry and biological properties.

Nemorosone is a bicyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol derivative originally isolated from Clusia spp. and it can be obtained through chemical synthesis employing different synthetic strategies. Since its discovery, it has attracted great attention both from a biological and chemical viewpoint. In the present article, we attempted to review various chemical and biological topics around nemorosone, with an emphasis on its antiproliferative activities. For this purpose, relevant data was collected from different scientific databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge. This natural compound has shown activity against several types of malignancies such as leukemia, human colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer because it modulates multiple molecular pathways. Nemorosone has both cytostatic and cytotoxic activity and it also seems to induce apoptosis and ferroptosis. Additionally, it has antimicrobial capabilities against Gram-positive bacteria and parasites belonging to genus Leishmania. Its promising antiproliferative pre-clinical effects deserve further attention for anticancer and anti-parasitic drug development and translation to the clinic.

Clinical Impact of Enteral Protein Nutritional Therapy on Patients with Obesity Scheduled for Bariatric Surgery: A Focus on Safety, Efficacy, and Pathophysiological Changes.

BACKGROUND: Ketogenic diet-induced weight loss before bariatric surgery (BS) has beneficial effects on the reduction in the liver volume, metabolic profile, and intra- and post-operative complications. However, these beneficial effects can be limited by poor dietary adherence. A potential solution in patients showing a poor adherence in following the prescribed diet could be represented by enteral nutrition strategies. To date, no studies describe the protocol to use for the efficacy and the safety of pre-operative enteral ketogenic nutrition-based dietary protocols in terms of weight reduction, metabolic efficacy, and safety in patients with obesity scheduled for BS. AIMS AND SCOPE: To assess the clinical impact, efficacy, and safety of ketogenic nutrition enteral protein (NEP) vs. nutritional enteral hypocaloric (NEI) protocols on patients with obesity candidate to BS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 31 NEP were compared to 29 NEI patients through a 1:1 randomization. The body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and neck circumference (NC) were assessed at the baseline and at the 4-week follow-up. Furthermore, clinical parameters were assessed by blood tests, and patients were asked daily to report any side effects, using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline, the BW, BMI, WC, HC, and NC were significantly reduced in both groups studied (p < 0.001). However, we did not find any significative difference between the NEP and NEI groups in terms of weight loss (p = 0.559), BMI (p= 0.383), WC (p = 0.779), and HC (p = 0.559), while a statistically significant difference was found in terms of the NC (NEP, -7.1% vs. NEI, -4%, p = 0.011). Furthermore, we found a significant amelioration of the general clinical status in both groups. However, a statistically significant difference was found in terms of glycemia (NEP, -16% vs. NEI, -8.5%, p < 0.001), insulin (NEP, -49.6% vs. NEI, -17.8%, p < 0.0028), HOMA index (NEP, -57.7% vs. NEI, -24.9%, p < 0.001), total cholesterol (NEP, -24.3% vs. NEI, -2.8%, p < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (NEP, -30.9% vs. NEI, 1.96%, p < 0.001), apolipoprotein A1 (NEP, -24.2% vs. NEI, -7%, p < 0.001), and apolipoprotein B (NEP, -23.1% vs. NEI, -2.3%, p < 0.001), whereas we did not find any significative difference between the NEP and NEI groups in terms of aortomesenteric fat thickness (p = 0.332), triglyceride levels (p = 0.534), degree of steatosis (p = 0.616), and left hepatic lobe volume (p = 0.264). Furthermore, the NEP and NEI treatments were well tolerated, and no major side effects were registered. CONCLUSIONS: Enteral feeding is an effective and safe treatment before BS, with NEP leading to better clinical results than NEI on the glycemic and lipid profiles. Further and larger randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these preliminary data.

An analytical platform for the screening and identification of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food matrices with high risk of contamination.

An analytical platform for the detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in honey, pollen, teas, herbal infusions, and dietary supplements is proposed; it includes a wide-scope suspect screening method, based on a diagnostic product ion filtering strategy for the characterization of PAs, and a target screening and identification method for the high-throughput detection of 118 PAs of a high-resolution mass spectral library. Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction of aqueous extracts combined to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry was employed. The limit of identification (0.6-30 µg kg-1) of 28 standards were fit-for-purpose in PA-monitoring applications, with a false negative rate <1.3 % at 4 µg L-1. The wide-scope suspect screening method allowed the tentative identification of 88 compounds. The screening of 282 commercial samples revealed a broad contamination of the studied matrices, demonstrating the effectiveness of the platform in detecting and identifying both target and untarget PAs.

In Silico Identification of Promising New Pyrazole Derivative-Based Small Molecules for Modulating CRMP2, C-RAF, CYP17, VEGFR, C-KIT, and HDAC-Application towards Cancer Therapeutics.

Despite continual efforts being made with multiple clinical studies and deploying cutting-edge diagnostic tools and technologies, the discovery of new cancer therapies remains of severe worldwide concern. Multiple drug resistance has also emerged in several cancer cell types, leaving them unresponsive to the many cancer treatments. Such a condition always prompts the development of next-generation cancer therapies that have a better chance of inhibiting selective target macromolecules with less toxicity. Therefore, in the present study, extensive computational approaches were implemented combining molecular docking and dynamic simulation studies for identifying potent pyrazole-based inhibitors or modulators for CRMP2, C-RAF, CYP17, c-KIT, VEGFR, and HDAC proteins. All of these proteins are in some way linked to the development of numerous forms of cancer, including breast, liver, prostate, kidney, and stomach cancers. In order to identify potential compounds, 63 in-house synthesized pyrazole-derivative compounds were docked with each selected protein. In addition, single or multiple standard drug compounds of each protein were also considered for docking analyses and their results used for comparison purposes. Afterward, based on the binding affinity and interaction profile of pyrazole compounds of each protein, potentially strong compounds were filtered out and further subjected to 1000 ns MD simulation analyses. Analyzing parameters such as RMSD, RMSF, RoG and protein-ligand contact maps were derived from trajectories of simulated protein-ligand complexes. All these parameters turned out to be satisfactory and within the acceptable range to support the structural integrity and interaction stability of the protein-ligand complexes in dynamic state. Comprehensive computational analyses suggested that a few identified pyrazole compounds, such as M33, M36, M72, and M76, could be potential inhibitors or modulators for HDAC, C-RAF, CYP72 and VEGFR proteins, respectively. Another pyrazole compound, M74, turned out to be a very promising dual inhibitor/modulator for CRMP2 and c-KIT proteins. However, more extensive study may be required for further optimization of the selected chemical framework of pyrazole derivatives to yield improved inhibitory activity against each studied protein receptor.

Identification of New Drug Target in Staphylococcus lugdunensis by Subtractive Genomics Analysis and Their Inhibitors through Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamic Simulation Studies.

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a coagulase-negative, Gram-positive, and human pathogenic bacteria. S. lugdunensis is the causative agent of diseases, such as native and prosthetic valve endocarditis, meningitis, septic arthritis, skin abscesses, brain abscess, breast abscesses, spondylodiscitis, post-surgical wound infections, bacteremia, and peritonitis. S. lugdunensis displays resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics due to the production of beta-lactamases. This study aimed to identify potential novel essential, human non-homologous, and non-gut flora drug targets in the S. lugdunensis strain N920143, and to evaluate the potential inhibitors of drug targets. The method was concerned with a homology search between the host and the pathogen proteome. Various tools, including the DEG (database of essential genes) for the essentiality of proteins, the KEGG for pathways analysis, CELLO V.2.5 for cellular localization prediction, and the drug bank database for predicting the druggability potential of proteins, were used. Furthermore, a similarity search with gut flora proteins was performed. A DNA-binding response-regulator protein was identified as a novel drug target against the N920143 strain of S. lugdunensis. The three-dimensional structure of the drug target was modelled and validated with the help of online tools. Furthermore, ten thousand drug-like compounds were retrieved from the ZINC15 database. The molecular docking approach for the DNA-binding response-regulator protein identified ZINC000020192004 and ZINC000020530348 as the most favorable compounds to interact with the active site residues of the drug target. These two compounds were subjected to an MD simulation study. Our analysis revealed that the identified compounds revealed more stable behavior when bound to the drug target DNA-binding response-regulator protein than the apostate.

Chemical characterization and antioxidant potential of ecuadorian propolis.

The chemical composition and the antioxidant potential of Ecuadorian propolis samples (n = 19) collected in different provinces were investigated. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn and GC-EI-MS analysis of the methanol extracts enabled us to define six types of Ecuadorian propolis based on their secondary metabolite composition. 68 compounds were identified, 59 of which are reported for the first time in Ecuadorian propolis. The detected compounds include flavonoids, diterpenes, triterpenes, organic acid derivatives, alkylresorcinol derivatives and nemorosone. Plants belonging to genera Populus, Mangifera and Clusia seemed to be vegetable sources employed by bees to produce Ecuadorian propolis. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of propolis extracts were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing/antioxidant potential assays, respectively. As expected, the variable chemical composition affected the differences in terms of antioxidant potential.

Multi-epitope chimeric vaccine design against emerging Monkeypox virus via reverse vaccinology techniques- a bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approach.

The emerging monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic orthopoxvirus that causes infections in humans similar to smallpox. Since May 2022, cases of monkeypox (MPX) have been increasingly reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) worldwide. Currently, there are no clinically validated treatments for MPX infections. In this study, an immunoinformatics approach was used to identify potential vaccine targets against MPXV. A total of 190 MPXV-2022 proteins were retrieved from the ViPR database and subjected to various analyses including antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, solubility, IFN-γ, and virulence. Three outer membrane and extracellular proteins were selected based on their respective parameters to predict B-cell and T-cell epitopes. The epitopes are conserved among different strains of MPXV and the population coverage is 100% worldwide, which will provide broader protection against various strains of the virus globally. Nine overlapping MHC-I, MHC-II, and B-cell epitopes were selected to design multi-epitope vaccine constructs linked with suitable linkers in combination with different adjuvants to enhance the immune responses of the vaccine constructs. Molecular modeling and structural validation ensured high-quality 3D structures of vaccine constructs. Based on various immunological and physiochemical properties and docking scores, MPXV-V2 was selected for further investigation. In silico cloning revealed a high level of gene expression for the MPXV-V2 vaccine within the bacterial expression system. Immune and MD simulations confirmed the molecular stability of the MPXV-V2 construct, with high immune responses within the host cell. These results may aid in the development of experimental vaccines against MPXV with increased potency and improved safety.

Nephroprotective effects of Helianthus annuus seeds extract in gentamicin induced nephrotoxic male mice.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) causes a decrease in renal function which leads to failure in balancing electrolyte, fluid and acid-base homoeostasis. AKI is a damaging and life-threatening disorder, but it can be managed if identified earlier. This study aimed to investigate the possible nephroprotective effect of Helianthus annuus seeds extract against gentamicin (GM) induced nephrotoxicity in male mice. The control group (0.5 ml normal saline i.p.,), Gentamycin (GM) group (GM 100 mg/kg i.p), silymarin + GM group (silymarin 50 mg/kg and GM 100 mg/kg i.p.,), H. annuus extract (HAE) and GM, group (HAE 250 mg/kg and GM 100 mg/kg i.p), HAE2 + GM group (HAE2; 500 mg/kg and GM 100 mg/kg i.p) and H. annuus oil (HAO) + GM (HAO 2.5 ml/kg and GM 100 mg/kg i.p). Serum creatinine, urea and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly (P< 0.001) elevated in the GM group compared to the control group. The elevated level of serum creatinine, urea and BUN were decreased significantly (P<0.001) in groups treated with HAE and HAO extracts compared to the GM group. The kidney histopathological study from the GM group showed tubular necrosis, vacuolation and fibrosis. However, the animal that received HAE and HAO showed no tubular necrosis and vacuolation. Only mild inflammation was observed compared to the GM group. In conclusion, the extract caused marked radical scavenger and protected the kidney from oxidative damage of GM. H. annuus seeds contain strong antioxidant compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, tocopherols and minerals, which could be responsible for the current show.

Study on constituents of Scutellaria nepetifolia as a potent source of phytochemicals with NO inhibitory effect.

Based on the long history of Scutellaria plants in east traditional medicines, several species of Scutellaria showed promising antioxidant, anti-inflammation and neuroprotection effects in pharmacological researches. Using bioassay-guided fractionation of various extract of Scutellaria nepetifolia, an endemic species that grows widely in Iran, based on on nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity against H2O2 induced NO production in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells led to the isolation of two iridoid compounds namely, as 6ß-hydroxy 8-epiboshnaloside (1) and 1,5,9-epideoxy loganic acid (2) and Verbascoside (3). Finally, the interaction of isolated compounds with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein was simulated by molecular docking study. It is the first report of these two iridoid glycosides from Scutellaria spp. All three isolated compounds showed strong interaction with iNOS enzyme in molecular docking simulations. So, they possibly contributed in the NO inhibitory effect of S. nepetifolia.

Green non-conventional techniques for the extraction of polyphenols from agricultural food by-products: A review.

Food processing industry is accompanied with the generation of a great production of wastes and by-products exceptionally rich in bioactive compounds (especially phenolics), with antioxidant activity. The recovery of these health molecules constitutes a key point for the valorization of by-products, with the possibility of creating new ingredients to be used for the formulation of food and cosmetic products. One of the main limitations to reuse by-products is linked to the high cost to obtain bioactive compounds, consequently in order to exploit these resources commercially valuable it is necessary to develop innovative, economic and environmentally friendly extraction strategies. These extraction methods should be able to reduce petroleum solvents, energy consumption and chemical wastes, protecting both environment and consumers and ensuring safe and high-quality final products. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge and applications of the new extraction techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction applied to polyphenols extraction from agricultural food by-products. Particular attention has been paid to theoretical background, highlighting mechanisms and safety precautions. Authors concluded that relevant results of these techniques represent an opportunity to industrial scale-up, improving the extraction yields, minimizing time, costs and environmental impact.

Screening of potent phytochemical inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 protease and its two Asian mutants.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19, declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has already killed more than 2.3 million people worldwide. OBJECT: The principal intent of this work was to investigate lead compounds by screening natural product library (NPASS) for possible treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: Pharmacophore features were used to screen a large database to get a small dataset for structure-based virtual screening of natural product compounds. In the structure-based screening, molecular docking was performed to find a potent inhibitor molecule against the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 (PDB ID: 6Y7M). The predicted lead compound was further subjected to Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation to check the stability of the leads compound with the evolution of time. RESULTS: In pharmacophore-based virtual screening, 2,361 compounds were retained out of 30,927. In the structure-based screening, the lead compounds were filtered based on their docking scores. Among the 2,360 compounds, 12 lead compounds were selected based on their docking score. Kazinol T with NPASS ID: NPC474104 showed the highest docking score of -14.355 and passed criteria of Lipinski's drug-like parameters. Monitoring ADMET properties, Kazinol T showed its safety for consumption. Docking of Kazinol T with two Asian mutants (R60C and I152V) showed variations in binding and energy parameters. Normal mode analysis for ligand-bound and unbound form of protease along with its mutants, revealed displacement and correlation parameters for C-alpha atoms. MD simulation results showed that all ligand-protein complexes remained intact and stable in a dynamic environment with negative Gibbs free energy. CONCLUSIONS: The natural product Kazinol T was a predicted lead compound against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 and will be the possible treatment for COVID-19.

Onion Peel: Turning a Food Waste into a Resource.

Food waste is a serious problem for food processing industries, especially when it represents a loss of a valuable source of nutrients and phytochemicals. Increasing consumer demand for processed food poses the problem of minimizing waste by conversion into useful products. In this regard, onion (Allium cepa) waste consisting mainly of onion skin is rich in bioactive phenolic compounds. Here, we characterized the flavonoid profiles and biological activities of onion skin wastes of two traditional varieties with protected geographical indication (PGI), the red "Rossa di Tropea" and the coppery "Ramata di Montoro", typically cultivated in a niche area in southern Italy. The phytochemical profiles of exhaustive extracts, characterized by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry, revealed that flavonols and anthocyanins were the characteristic metabolite classes of onion skins. Quercetin, quercetin glucosides and their dimer and trimer derivatives, and, among anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-glucoside, were the most abundant bioactive compounds. The potential of onion skins was evaluated by testing several biological activities: ABTS/oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and in vitro alpha-glucosidase assays were performed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of the extracts and of their main compounds, respectively, and proliferative activity was evaluated by MTT assay on human fibroblasts. In the present study, by observing various biological properties of "Rossa di Tropea" and "Ramata di Montoro" onion-dried skins, we clearly indicated that this agricultural waste can provide bioactive molecules for multiple applications, from industrial to nutraceutical and cosmetical sectors.

Nigerian propolis: chemical composition, antioxidant activity and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition.

Propolis is an attractive natural ingredient to design health products due to its pharmacological effects. Our chemical investigation of a polar extract of Nigerian propolis (NP) led the isolation and identification of five isoflavonoids (1-4, 6), one diarylpropane (5) and one prenylated flavanone (7) by the combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1, 4 and 7 were found to be the main markers in NP (8.0, 5.0 and 4.0 mg/g of dry extract, respectively). Moreover, NP and its phenolic constituents exhibited in vitro free radical scavenging activity together with a promising antidiabetic effect against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Finally, NP showed also a moderate inhibition of Helicobacter pylori growth. These results suggested that NP could be a good candidate in nutraceuticals and food products.

Effect of Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet on Psoriasis Patients: A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomic Study.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease of the epidermis based on an immunological mechanism involving Langerhans cells and T lymphocytes that produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Genetic factors, environmental factors, and improper nutrition are considered triggers of the disease. Numerous studies have reported that in a high number of patients, psoriasis is associated with obesity. Excess adipose tissue, typical of obesity, causes a systemic inflammatory status coming from the inflammatory active adipose tissue; therefore, weight reduction is a strategy to fight this pro-inflammatory state. This study aimed to evaluate how a nutritional regimen based on a ketogenic diet influenced the clinical parameters, metabolic profile, and inflammatory state of psoriasis patients. To this end, 30 psoriasis patients were subjected to a ketogenic nutritional regimen and monitored for 4 weeks by evaluating the clinical data, biochemical and clinical parameters, NMR metabolomic profile, and IL-2, IL-1ß, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-4 concentrations before and after the nutritional regimen. Our data show that a low-calorie ketogenic diet can be considered a successful strategy and therapeutic option to gain an improvement in psoriasis-related dysmetabolism, with significant correction of the full metabolic and inflammatory status.

Evaluation of the status quo of polyphenols analysis: Part I-phytochemistry, bioactivity, interactions, and industrial uses.

Phytochemicals, especially polyphenols, are gaining more attention from both the scientific community and food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries due to their implications in human health. In this line, lately new applications have emerged, and of great importance is the selection of accurate and reliable analytical methods for better evaluation of the quality of the end-products, which depends on diverse process variables as well as on the matrices and on the physicochemical properties of different polyphenols. The first of a two-part review on polyphenols will address the phytochemistry and biological activities of different classes of polyphenols including flavonoids, lignans and flavanolignans, stilbenoids, tannins, curcuminoids, and coumarins. Moreover, the possible interactions of polyphenols and current and potential industrial applications of polyphenols are discussed.

High-Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD) and Chemometrics for Geographical and Floral Authentication of Honeys from Southern Italy (Calabria region).

High-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) combined with chemometric analysis was developed to describe, for the first time, the sugar profile of sixty-one honeys of different botanical origin produced in southern Italy (Calabria Region). The principal component and linear discriminant analysis used to describe the variability of sugar data were able to discriminate the honeys according to their botanical origin with a correlation index higher than 90%. For the purpose of the robustness of the conclusions of this study, the analytical advantages of the HPAEC-PAD method have been statistically demonstrated compared to the official Italian HPLC-RI method (Refractive Index detection). Finally, as the characterization of the floral and geographical origin of honey became an important issue due to high consumer demand, 13 acacia honeys originating from Europe and China were studied by using the same method. By chemometric method it was possible to discriminate the different geographical origin with an index of 100%. All results proved the possibility to identify the sugar profile obtained by HPAEC-PAD combined with a robust statistical analysis, as a tool of authentication.