Chronic intestinal inflammation is associated with pathophysiology of obesity and inflammatory bowel diseases. Gastrointestinal inflammation increases barrier dysfunction exacerbating the immune response and perpetuating chronic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory flavonoids may prevent this intestinal barrier dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the polyphenol composition of Colombian Passiflora edulis var. Flavicarpa (Maracuyá), Passiflora edulis var. Sims (Gulupa), and Passiflora ligularis var. Juss (Granadilla) (passion fruits) and to evaluate their ability to inhibit disruption of intestinal barrier dysfunction of Caco-2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma) cells by an inflammatory cocktail (IC). Polyphenols (flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, flavonols), xanthenes, and a terpene were identified in passion fruits. Cyanidin 3-rutinoside, (+)-catechin and ferulic acid were the most abundant phenolics in P. edulis var. Flavicarpa, P. edulis var. Sims, and P. ligularis var. Juss, respectively. Fruit extracts prevented loss of transepithelial electrical resistance in Caco-2 cells treated with the IC. Among the extracts, P. ligularis var. Juss was most effective at maintaining Caco-2 transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) with ~73% relative to the IC-treated cells with about 43% of initial TEER values. This fruit had cyanidin-3-rutinoside, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, and ferulic acid in its phenolic profile. Results of this work support the hypothesis that consumption of passion fruit extracts could benefit intestinal health.

Passiflora edulis Flavicarpa, Passiflora edulis Sims, and Passiflora ligularis Juss are Colombian fruits (passion fruits) of important exportation value. They act efficiently as antioxidants, antifungal, and antimicrobial compounds due to their high polyphenol content. Polyphenols can be quantified by the Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reaction. Food matrices, solvent polarity, and several different reacting conditions are critical for the optimum extraction and quantification of polyphenols. Chromatographic identification and quantitation are satisfactory with access to a vast number of reference standards considering the availability of abundant phenolic compounds in crude extracts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate alternatives and specific F-C reacting conditions aiming at determining the highest total phenolic content (TPC) in three Colombian Passifloras. Among optimum reacting conditions, reduced reaction time and diluted alkali conditions yielded desirable positive results highlighting lower working time and minimum reagent waste production. For higher extraction yield, acetone 70% was the best solvent to capture more phenolics from the seedless pulp of these Colombian passion fruits.

Studies on polyphenols and flavonoids in natural products reveal benefits in the prevention of multiple diseases. Proper extraction, treatment of extracts, and quantification of polyphenols and flavonoids demand attention from the scientific community in order to report more specific biological action. Total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (measured at three different times) of ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts of Mauritia flexuosa (aguaje) and Theobroma grandiflorum (copoazú) fresh pulp, from the Colombian Amazon region, were evaluated with the purpose of focusing in the polyphenol/flavonoid proportion and its effective antioxidant activity. This objective could help to explain specific flavonoid biological action based on higher flavonoid proportion rather than higher total polyphenol content. Differences in extracting solvents resulted in statistically significant different yields; the highest TPC was observed with acetone 70% in Mauritia flexuosa and ethanol 80% for T. grandiflorum. The best flavonoid/polyphenol ratio in M. flexuosa was about 1:2.4 and 1:12.8 in T. grandiflorum and the antioxidant efficacy was proportionally higher for flavonoids extracted from T. grandiflorum. HPLC analysis revealed 54 µg/g of the flavonoid kaempferol in M. Flexuosa and 29 µg/g in T. grandiflorum. Further studies evaluating this proportionality, in seeds or peel of fruits, as well as, other specific biological activities, could help to understand the detailed flavonoid action without focusing on the high total polyphenol content.

Abstract:The accuracy of BIA measurements is limited by different sources of error such as physical model, cross sectional area, ethnicity, body hydration, age and level of body fat among other variables. Equation for each population is required as they can produce overestimation when manufacturer's equations are used. The classical measurements hand to foot has shown better correlation against hydrodensitometry than foot to foot or hand to hand. However there is a lack for an accepted standard of BIA procedures. This is compounded when there is not a good report of the BIA study's methodology; hence the comparability between the results is poor and reduces the reliability of the method. Perhaps, standardization of methods would be the first step for BIA studies to move forward and subsequently improve its accuracy. Standardized procedures could also minimize the impact of these variables on studies results. The aim of this study was to propose a protocol as a checklist to standardize BIA procedures and produce comparable results from future studies performed with the classic hand-foot configuration in adults.

Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) plays an important role in health and physical performance. Its estimation is critical for the early detection of sarcopenia, a disease with high prevalence and high health costs. While multiple methods exist for estimating this body component, anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) are the most widely available in low- to middle-income countries. This study aimed to determine the correlation between muscle mass, estimated by anthropometry through measurement of calf circumference (CC) and skeletal mass index (SMI) by BIA. This was a cross-sectional and observational study that included 213 functional adults over 65 years of age living in the community. Measurements of height, weight, CC, and SMM estimated by BIA were made after the informed consent was signed. 124 women mean age 69.6 ± 3.1 years and 86 men mean age 69.5 ± 2.9 years had the complete data and were included in the analysis. A significant positive moderate correlation among CC and SMI measured by BIA was found (Pearson r= 0.57 and 0.60 for women and men respectively (p=0.0001)). A moderate significant correlation was found between the estimation of SMM by CC and by BIA. This suggests that CC could be used as a marker of sarcopenia for older adults in settings in lower-middle-income countries where no other methods of diagnosing muscle mass are available. Although the CC is not the unique parameter to the diagnosis of sarcopenia, it could be a useful procedure in the clinic to identify patients at risk of sarcopenia.