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BACKGROUND: The rising diffusion of vascular resections during complex pancreatectomy for malignancy, for both oncological and technical matters, brought with it the use of vascular shunts, either temporary or definitive, to prevent bowel congestion and liver ischemia. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the technical feasibility of vascular shunts during advanced pancreatic surgery, analyzing intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library Central, according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies published before 2006 were excluded, considering the lack of a standardized definition of locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The main outcomes evaluated were the overall complication rate and shunt patency. RESULTS: Among 789 papers retrieved from the database search, only five fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the review, amounting to a total of 145 patients undergoing a shunt creation at the time of pancreatectomy. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was found to be the most common diagnosis and pancreaticoduodenectomy was the main surgical procedure, accounting for 88% and 83% of the overall cohort, respectively. The distal splenorenal shunt was the most performed. Overall, 44 out of 145 patients (30%) experienced postoperative complications; the long-term patency of definitive shunts was 83% (110 out of 120 patients). CONCLUSIONS: An increasing number of patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced PDAC are becoming amenable to resection and shunt creation may facilitate vascular resection with clear margins, becoming a valid tool of modern pancreatic surgery.
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Dieta , Humanos , Feminino , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Gravidez , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-NatalRESUMO
Table olives are one of the most known fruit consumed as fermented food, being a fundamental component of the Mediterranean diet. Their production and consumption continue to increase globally and represent an important economic source for the producing countries. One of the most stimulating challenges for the future is the modernization of olive fermentation process. Besides the demand for more reproducible and safer production methods that could be able to reduce product losses and potential risks, producers and consumers are increasingly attracted by the final product characteristics and properties on human health. In this study, the contribution of microbial starters to table olives was fully described in terms of specific enzymatic and microbiological profiles, nutrient components, fermentation-derived compounds, and content of bioactive compounds. The use of microbial starters from different sources was tested considering their technological features and potential ability to improve the functional traits of fermented black table olives. For each fermentation assay, the effects of controlled temperature (kept at 20 °C constantly) versus not controlled environmental conditions (oscillating between 7 and 17 °C), as well as the consequences of the pasteurization treatment were tested on the final products. Starter-driven fermentation strategies seemed to increase both total phenolic content and total antioxidant activity. Herein, among all the tested microbial starters, we provide data indicating that two bacterial strains (Leuconostoc mesenteroides KT 5-1 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BC T3-35), and two yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae 10A and Debaryomyces hansenii A15-44) were the better ones related to enzyme activities, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. We also demonstrated that the fermentation of black table olives under not controlled environmental temperature conditions was more promising than the controlled level of 20 °C constantly in terms of technological and functional properties considered in this study. Moreover, we confirmed that the pasteurization process had a role in enhancing the levels of antioxidant compounds.
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Fermentação , Alimentos Fermentados , Olea , Pasteurização , Olea/microbiologia , Olea/química , Alimentos Fermentados/microbiologia , Alimentos Fermentados/análise , Microbiologia de Alimentos , Antioxidantes/metabolismo , Antioxidantes/análise , Frutas/microbiologia , Fenóis/análise , Fenóis/metabolismoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence on the association between maternal exposure to ultra-processed food (UPF) categories, UPF diet items, and overall diet quality, as assessed by recognized dietary indices, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Ovid, and Scholar databases were searched for original articles on female gestational exposure to UPF categories, individual elements of the UPF diet, or indices of diet quality, in relation to outcomes regarding their offspring's neurocognitive development, according to neuropsychometric and behavioral scales, anthropometric/psychomotor indices, and symptoms/diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). RESULTS: Fourteen articles were selected and underwent the quantitative analysis. Six of these examined diet quality, and eight exposure to UPF categories or specific UPF foods. The maternal population was adult (18+). Child cognitive development was negatively impacted by a diet featuring many processed foods, saturated fats, and sugars. Conversely, a Med-diet led to better neurodevelopment, particularly verbal intelligence and executive functions, in middle childhood. DISCUSSION: A maternal diet with many UPFs, saturated fats, and total sugars (especially those added or hidden in packaged carbonated beverages) can adversely affect a child's cognitive development. Knowledge needs to be further extended and managed from a prevention perspective in light of the well-known negative effects of UPFs on human health in all age groups.
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Ingestão de Energia , Alimento Processado , Adulto , Humanos , Criança , Feminino , Gravidez , Fast Foods , Manipulação de Alimentos , Dieta , AçúcaresRESUMO
Systemic fungal infections have risen in recent decades and most of them are caused by Candida species, which are becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antifungal drugs. Biofilm production has been considered the most common growth form of Candida cells and is associated with a high level of antifungal resistance. At present, international research reports on the antifungal activity of non-traditional antimicrobial drugs and their potential use against life-threatening resistant fungal infections. Indeed, drug repurposing has led to the consideration of well-known compounds as a last-line therapy. The goal of this work is to evaluate the potential synergistic antifungal biofilm activity of new combinations between diclofenac sodium salt (DSS), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), with the essential oils (EOs) of Mentha piperita, Pelargonium graveolens, and Melaleuca alternifolia, whose antifungal activity has been well documented over the years. The in vitro antifungal activity of DSS and EOs was determined on different Candida strains. Susceptibility testing and the synergism of DSS and EOs versus biofilm cells was performed by using the broth microdilution assay and checkerboard methods. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (sMIC50) of DSS alone ranged from 1.25 to 2.05 mg/mL for all the strains considered. These values significantly decreased when the drug was used in combination with the EOs. The fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) was lower than 0.5 for almost all the associations, thus indicating a significant synergism, particularly for the DSS-Pelargonium graveolens combination towards the Candida strains examined. These preliminary results show that the combination of the EOs with DSS improves the antifungal activity on all the tested Candida strains, significantly lowering the concentrations of the components used and thus allowing any toxic effects to be overcome.
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In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) accorded a health claim to olive oil polyphenols in that they protected LDL particles from oxidative damage. However, limited scientific evidence has so far failed to confer any claim of function on the maintenance of normal lipid metabolism. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of human RCTs, evaluating the effect of olive oil polyphenol administration on lipid profiles. Previous literature was acquired from six electronic databases until June 2023. A total of 75 articles were retrieved and screened for inclusion criteria, which resulted in the selection of 10 RCTs that evaluated the effect of daily exposure to olive oil polyphenols on serum lipids in adults. Meta-analyses were built by tertiles of outcomes, as follows: low (0-68 mg/kg), medium (68-320 mg/kg), and high (320-600 mg/kg) polyphenols for HDL and LDL cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C, respectively), and low (0-59.3 mg/kg), medium (59.3-268 mg/kg), and high (268-600 mg/kg) polyphenols for total cholesterol (TC). The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration code: CRD42023403383). The study design was predominantly cross-over (n = 8 of 10) but also included parallel (n = 2 of 10). The study population was predominantly European and healthy. Daily consumption of olive oil polyphenols did not affect TC levels and only slightly significantly reduced LDL-C, with WMD statistically significant only for high daily consumption of olive oil polyphenols (WMD -4.28, 95%CI -5.78 to -2.77). Instead, our data found a statistically significant HDL-C enhancing effect (WMD pooled effect model: 1.13, 95%CI 0.45; 1.80, heterogeneity 38%, p = 0.04) with WMD by daily exposure level showing a statistically significant improvement effect for low (WMD 0.66, 95%CI 0.10-1.23), medium (WMD 1.36, 95%CI 0.76-1.95), and high (WMD 1.13, 95%CI 0.45-1.80) olive oil polyphenol consumptions. Olive oil polyphenols contribute toward maintaining lipid metabolism. Thus, food labeling regulations should stress this health feature of olive oil, whereby a declaration of the olive oil polyphenol content should be added to products on the market. Consumers need to be aware of the quality and possible health effects of any products they consume, and enforcement of nutrition labels offers the best way of providing this information.
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Wound-healing delay is one of the major problems of type 2 diabetes, representing also a clinical emergency in non-healing chronic wounds. Natural antioxidants show interesting wound-healing properties, including those extracted from waste derived from olive oil production. Olive mill wastewater is one of the main by-products of the olive oil-making process, and it is rich in high-value secondary metabolites, mainly hydroxytyrosol. We proposed an eco-friendly extraction method, employing both ultrasound-assisted and Soxhlet techniques and ethanol as a solvent, to recover valuable molecules from Roggianella cv (Olea europea L.) olive mill wastewater, which was further entrapped in a pectin polymer via an enzymatic reaction using porcine pancreatic lipase. Pectin, in combination with other substances, promoted and accelerated wound healing and demonstrated good potential to produce a biomedical conjugate for wound treatment. The antioxidant activity of the extracts and conjugate were evaluated against lipophilic (IC50 equal to 0.152 mg mL-1) and hydrophilic (IC50 equal to 0.0371 mg mL-1) radical species as well as the in vitro cytotoxicity via NRU, h-CLAT, and a wound-healing scratch assay and assessment. The pectin conjugate did not exert hemolytic effects on the peripheral blood, demonstrating interesting wound-healing properties due to its ability to stimulate cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner.
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Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Olea , Animais , Suínos , Águas Residuárias , Pectinas/farmacologia , Azeite de Oliva , Antioxidantes/farmacologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Med-Index is a one-health front-of-pack (FOP) label, based on Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) principles, developed to summarize information about the nutritional properties and related-health benefits of any food as well as its sustainable production processes, and the associated food company's social responsibility parameters in a new "Planeterranean" perspective. Thus, Med-Index can be adopted in and by any European region and authority as well as worldwide; this is achieved by consumption and cooking of locally available and sourced foods that respect MedDiet principles, both in terms of healthy nutrition and sustainable production. The huge body of scientific evidence about the health benefits of the MedDiet model and principles requires a comprehensive framework to encompass the scientific reliability and robustness of this tool. A systematic review was carried out to examine the association between human health and adherence to MedDiet patterns upon which the "Med-Index" tool was subsequently developed. METHODS: MEDLINE and PubMed databases were searched for eligible publications from 1990 to April 2023. Systematic literature reviews, with or without meta-analysis, of clinical trials and observational studies were screened by two independent investigators for eligibility, data extraction, and quality assessment. English language and the time interval 1990-2023 were applied. A registry code CRD42023464807 was generated on PROSPERO and approved for this search protocol. The corrected covered area (CCA), calculated to quantify the degree of overlap between reviews, gave a slight overlap (CCA = 4%). RESULTS: A total of 84 systematic reviews out of 6681 screened records were selected. Eligible reviews included studies with predominantly observational designs (61/84, 72.6%%), of which 26/61 referenced studies of mixed observational and RCT designs, while 23/84 (27.4%) were RCT-only systematic reviews. Seventy-nine different entries were identified for health outcomes, clustered into 10 macro-categories, each reporting a statistically significant association with exposure to the MedDiet. Adherence to MedDiet was found to strongly benefit age-related chronic diseases (21.5%), neurological disorders (19%), and obesity-related metabolic features (12.65), followed by CVDs (11.4%), cancer (10.1%), diabetes (7.5%), liver health (6.3%), inflammation (5%), mortality (5%), and renal health (1.2%). The quality of the studies was moderate to high. CONCLUSION: In the context of a "Planeterranean" framework and perspective that can be adopted in any European region and worldwide, MedDiet represents a healthy and sustainable lifestyle model, able to prevent several diseases and reduce premature mortality. In addition, the availability of a FOP, such as Med-Index, might foster more conscious food choices among consumers, paying attention both to human and planetary health.
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Doenças Cardiovasculares , Diabetes Mellitus , Dieta Mediterrânea , Saúde Única , Humanos , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) emerged as one of the leading causes of persistent human infections and makes it difficult to treat bacteremia, especially with biofilm formation. In this work, we investigated the in vitro synergism between Linezolid (LNZ) and Vancomycin (VAN) with a 2-mercaptobenzothiazole derivative, resulting in a new small-molecule antibacterial compound that we named BTZ2e, on several clinical MRSA, MRSE (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis) and control (ATCC Collection) strains in their planktonic and biofilms cultures. The broth microdilution method evaluated the susceptibility of planktonic cells to each investigated antibiotic combined with BTZ2e. The biofilm's metabolic activity was studied with the XTT reduction assay. As a result, in this study, biofilm formation was significantly suppressed by the BTZ2e treatment. In terms of minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC), BTZ2e revealed an MBIC50 value of 32 µg/mL against methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and 16 µg/mL against methicillin-resistant S. aureus ATCC 43300 biofilms. An inhibition range of 32 µg/mL and 256 µg/mL was registered for the clinical isolates. Interestingly, a synergistic effect (FICI ≤ 0.5) was encountered for the combination of BTZ2e with LNZ and VAN on several planktonic and sessile strains. In particular, the best result against planktonic cells emerged as a result of the synergistic association between LNZ and BTZ2e, while against sessile cells, the best synergistic association resulted from VAN and BTZ2e. The consistent results indicate BTZ2e as a promising adjuvant against multi-resistant strains such as MRSA and MRSE.
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Staphylococcus aureus Resistente à Meticilina , Vancomicina , Humanos , Linezolida/farmacologia , Vancomicina/farmacologia , Staphylococcus aureus , Antibacterianos/farmacologiaRESUMO
Table salts with their specialty flake size, textures, flavors, and colors can be considered a gastronomy niche food already increasing in demand worldwide. Being unrefined, they can contain trace elements potentially both healthy and toxic. In this study, 12 mineral elements (Al, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) in 10 different salts commercially available in southern Italy namely, Atlantic grey, Baule volante, Guerande, Hawaiian pink, Hawaiian black, Himalayan pink, Maldon, Mozia, Persian blue, and smoked salts were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and thermal decomposition amalgamation-atomic absorption spectrophotometry (TDA-AAS). The concentration of mineral elements was variable according to the type of salt and its geographical origin. Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Se levels were tolerable and Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn ranged significantly among the samples. Persian Blue and Atlantic Grey salts showed elevated levels of Fe and Zn; their intake can be helpful in some specific conditions. Nevertheless, Ni levels were high in Persian Blue and Smoked salts. Pb exceeded the maximum level in all samples. Additional monitoring analyses of mineral contents in table salts are recommended for human health.
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Well-known experimental research demonstrates that oxidative stress is the leading cause of the onset and progression of major human health disorders such as cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, and cancer diseases. A high concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species leads to damage of proteins, lipids, and DNA associated with susceptibility to chronic human degenerative disorders. Biological and pharmaceutical investigations have recently focused on exploring both oxidative stress and its defense mechanisms to manage health disorders. Therefore, in recent years there has been considerable interest in bioactive food plant compounds as naturally occurring antioxidant sources able to prevent, reverse, and/or reduce susceptibility to chronic disease. To contribute to this research aim, herein, we reviewed the beneficial effects of carotenoids on human health. Carotenoids are bioactive compounds widely existing in natural fruits and vegetables. Increasing research has confirmed that carotenoids have various biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory activities. This paper presents an overview of the latest research progress on the biochemistry and preventative and therapeutic benefits of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, in promoting human health. This review could be a starting point for improving the research and investigation of carotenoids as possible ingredients of functional health foods and nutraceuticals in the fields of healthy products, cosmetics, medicine, and the chemical industry.
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Epidemiological and public health resonance of sarcopenia in late life requires further research to identify better clinical markers useful for seeking proper care strategies in preventive medicine settings. Using a machine-learning approach, a search for clinical and fluid markers most associated with sarcopenia was carried out across older populations from northern and southern Italy. A dataset of adults >65 years of age (n = 1971) made up of clinical records and fluid markers from either a clinical-based subset from northern Italy (Pavia) and a population-based subset from southern Italy (Apulia) was employed (n = 1312 and n = 659, respectively). Body composition data obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were used for the diagnosis of sarcopenia, given by the presence of either low muscle mass (i.e., an SMI < 7.0 kg/m2 for males or <5.5 kg/m2 for females) and of low muscle strength (i.e., an HGS < 27 kg for males or <16 kg for females) or low physical performance (i.e., an SPPB ≤ 8), according to the EWGSOP2 panel guidelines. A machine-learning feature-selection approach, the random forest (RF), was used to identify the most predictive features of sarcopenia in the whole dataset, considering every possible interaction among variables and taking into account nonlinear relationships that classical models could not evaluate. Then, a logistic regression was performed for comparative purposes. Leading variables of association to sarcopenia overlapped in the two population subsets and included SMI, HGS, FFM of legs and arms, and sex. Using parametric and nonparametric whole-sample analysis to investigate the clinical variables and biological markers most associated with sarcopenia, we found that albumin, CRP, folate, and age ranked high according to RF selection, while sex, folate, and vitamin D were the most relevant according to logistics. Albumin, CRP, vitamin D, and serum folate should not be neglected in screening for sarcopenia in the aging population. Better preventive medicine settings in geriatrics are urgently needed to lessen the impact of sarcopenia on the general health, quality of life, and medical care delivery of the aging population.
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An ultrasound-assisted extraction method, employing ethanol and water as solvents at low temperature (30 °C) and reduced time (15 min), was proposed to extract bioactive molecules from different cultivars (Magliocco Canino, Magliocco Rosato, Gaglioppo, and Nocera Rosso) of wine lees. All the extract yields were evaluated and their contents of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and total polyphenols were determined by means of colorimetric assays and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. Radical scavenging assays were performed and the Magliocco Canino extracted with a hydroalcoholic mixture returned the best results both against ABTS (0.451 mg mL-1) and DPPH (0.395 mg mL-1) radicals. The chemometric algorithms principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square regression (PLS) were used to process the data obtained from all qualitative-quantitative sample determinations with the aim of highlighting data patterns and finding possible correlations between composition and antioxidant features of the different wine lees cultivars and the extraction procedures. Wine lees from Magliocco Canino and Magliocco Rosato were found to be the best vegetable matrices in terms of metabolite content and antioxidant properties. The components extracted with alcoholic or hydroalcoholic solvents, specifically (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, chlorogenic acid, and trans-caftaric acid, were found to be correlated with the antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Multivariate data processing was able to identify the compounds related to the antioxidant features. Two PLS models were optimized by using their concentration levels to predict the IC50 values of the extracts in terms of DPPH and ABTS with high values of correlation coefficient R2, 0.932 and 0.824, respectively, and a prediction error lower than 0.07. Finally, cellular (SH-SY5Y cells) antioxidant assays were performed on the best extract (the hydroalcoholic extract of Magliocco Canino cv) to confirm its biological performance against radical species. All these recorded data strongly outline the aptness of valorizing wine lees as a valuable source of antioxidants.
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Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and virgin olive oil (VOO) are valuable natural products of great economic interest for their producing countries, and therefore, it is necessary to establish methods capable of proving the authenticity of these oils on the market. This work presents a methodology for the discrimination of olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil from other vegetable oils based on targeted and untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) profiling of phenolic and triterpenic compounds coupled with multivariate statistical analysis of the data. Some phenolic compounds (cinnamic acid, coumaric acids, apigenin, pinocembrin, hydroxytyrosol and maslinic acid), secoiridoids (elenolic acid, ligstroside and oleocanthal) and lignans (pinoresinol and hydroxy and acetoxy derivatives) could be olive oil biomarkers, whereby these compounds are quantified in higher amounts in EVOO compared to other vegetable oils. The principal component analysis (PCA) performed based on the targeted compounds from the oil samples confirmed that cinnamic acid, coumaric acids, apigenin, pinocembrin, hydroxytyrosol and maslinic acid could be considered as tracers for olive oils authentication. The heat map profiles based on the untargeted HRMS data indicate a clear discrimination of the olive oils from the other vegetable oils. The proposed methodology could be extended to the authentication and classification of EVOOs depending on the variety, geographical origin, or adulteration practices.
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Quimiometria , Óleos de Plantas , Azeite de Oliva/química , Óleos de Plantas/química , Ácidos Cumáricos , Apigenina , Iridoides , Espectrometria de MassasRESUMO
Frailty is a multidisciplinary public health issue and nutrition is key concern. Given the scientific consistency about inflammation as shared pathway to poor nutrition and frailty, food processing seems a suitable target to gain evidence in frailty prevention nutrition settings. This study aimed to assess diet in relation to nutritional frailty using the NOVA classification. Browsing the dataset of the Salus in Apulia, 2185 older adults were found to have completed the nutritional assessment, providing eligible data for this study goal. A validated construct, based on the co-presence of physical frailty by CHS criteria plus nutritional imbalance, was applied to characterize nutritional frailty phenotypes. Using the NOVA classification, daily food and beverage intakes from an 85-item self-administered FFQ were assigned to three categories, and effect sizes were tested among groups according to nutritional frailty status (presence/absence). Raw and adjusted logistic regression models were run to assess associations between NOVA food categories by quintiles of daily exposure (very-low, low, mild, moderate, high) and nutritional frailty. Nutritional frailty prevalence was 27%, being more frequent in males. Eating more unprocessed or minimally processed foods was inversely related to nutritional frailty, even after adjustment (OR: 0.10, 95%CI 0.07-0.16), showing a downward ORs behavior toward lower consumption quintiles. Listing in the quintile of moderate consumption of processed foods meant a nearly 50% increase in nutritional frailty probability (OR: 1.46, 95%CI 1.03-2.06), while the probability was double for the highest quintile against the lowest (OR: 3.22, 95%CI 2.27-4.58). A growing probability of nutritional frailty was found for increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, but significance was lacking. The contribution of food processing to poor nutrition needs to be considered when promoting a better understanding of effective nutritional screening in aging. Therefore, food processing should be accounted for when composing diet guidelines for the older population within the framework of multidisciplinary efforts to ease the frailty healthcare burden.
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Alimento Processado , Fragilidade , Masculino , Humanos , Idoso , Fragilidade/epidemiologia , Avaliação Nutricional , Fast Foods/efeitos adversos , Estado NutricionalRESUMO
Nowadays, there has been considerable attention paid toward the recovery of waste plant matrices as possible sources of functional compounds with healthy properties. In this regard, we focus our attention on Salicornia, a halophyte plant that grows abundantly on the coasts of the Mediterranean area. Salicornia is used not only as a seasoned vegetable but also in traditional medicine for its beneficial effects in protecting against diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer. In numerous research studies, Salicornia consumption has been highly suggested due to its high level of bioactive molecules, among which, polyphenols are prevalent. The antioxidant and antiradical activity of polyphenols makes Salicornia a functional food candidate with potential beneficial activities for human health. Therefore, this review provides specific and compiled information for optimizing and developing new extraction processes for the recovery of bioactive compounds from Salicornia; focusing particular attention on polyphenols and their health benefits.
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Chenopodiaceae , Polifenóis , Humanos , Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Obesidade , VerdurasRESUMO
Obesity represents an important public health challenge of the twenty first century reaching epidemic proportions worldwide; this is especially true for the pediatric population. In this context, bioactive compounds from foods are crucial to counteract chronic inflammation as a typical feature of obesity. In particular, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is one of the most important functional foods exerting, among others, an anti-inflammatory activity not only due to its major (monounsaturated fatty acids) but also to its minor (phenolics) components, as reported in the last years. However, only a limited number of studies were performed on pediatric population, and even fewer are those focusing on EVOO phenolics that investigate the correlation of the chemical characterization with the biological function. Thus, starting from our in vitro data identifying an EVOO chemical profile characterized by a high content of secoiridoids correlating with an anti-inflammatory effect, we studied the ability of an EVOO extract with the same chemical profile to retain this function ex vivo. Specifically, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from obese children were treated with EVOO and olive oil extracts, characterized by a low polyphenol content, to study the ability of secoiridoids to dampen the inflammatory response. A reduction of pro-inflammatory CD14+CD16+ monocytes was detected by cytofluorimetric analysis when PBMCs were treated with EVOO as compared to olive oil extracts. According to this, a down modulation of CCL2 and CCL4 chemokines involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells, was reported in the supernatants of EVOO relative to olive oil extracts treated PBMCs. Moreover, a high-throughput gene expression analysis revealed that PBMCs molecular profile from obese children is greatly modulated after the treatment with EVOO extract in terms of metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Importantly, some of the significantly modulated genes were involved in the pathways promoting the development of severe obesity. Overall, our ex vivo data demonstrated the ability of EVOO to reduce the inflammatory milieu of PBMCs from obese children both at protein and molecular levels. Of note, a good correlation between the EVOO chemical profile and the biological modulations in terms of anti-inflammatory activity was reported.
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Cinnamomum verum L. essential oil (CEO), commonly known as Ceylon cinnamon or cinnamon tree, is regarded as one of the most employed essential oils in the field of aromatherapy. It is usually applied externally as astringent, antipruritic, rubefacient, and anti-septic agent. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo research have demonstrated its numerous pharmacological effects, including the potentiality for treating neuralgia, myalgia, headache, and migraine. Several pieces of research also corroborated its significant antiviral and antimicrobial properties. Cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, caryophyllene, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamic acid are the most representative compounds that are generally found in greater quantities in CEO and play a pivotal role in determining its pharmacological activities. Due to the global antibiotic resistance scenario and the dwindling amount of funding dedicated to developing new antibiotics, in recent years research has concentrated on exploring specific economic approaches against microbial infections. In this context, the purpose of this study was the investigation of the synergistic antibacterial activities of commercially available and chemically characterized CEO in combination with sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), whose repositioning as a non-antibiotic drug has been explored over the years with encouraging results. In vitro effects of the titled combination were assessed toward a wide panel of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The antimicrobial efficacy was investigated by using the checkerboard microdilution method. The interesting preliminary results obtained suggested a synergistic effect (fractional inhibitory index, FICI < 0.5) of sertraline in combination with CEO, leading to severe growth inhibition for all bacterial species under investigation.