Plants or plant extracts are widely investigated for preventing/counteracting several chronic disorders. The oral route is the most common route for nutraceutical and drug administration. Currently, it is still unclear as to whether and how the pattern of phenolic compounds (PCs) found in the plants as well as their bioactivity could be modified during the gastrointestinal transit. Recent studies have revealed antioxidant and anti-steatotic properties of Thymbra spicata. Here, we investigated the possible loss of phytochemicals that occurs throughout the sequential steps of a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of aerial parts of T. spicata. Crude, digested, and dialyzed extracts were characterized in terms of their phenolic profile and biological activities. Total contents of carbohydrates, proteins, PCs, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids were quantified. The changes in the PC profile and in bioactive compounds upon the simulated GI digestion were monitored by HPLC–MS/MS analysis. The antioxidant activity was measured by different spectrophotometric assays, and the antiproliferative potential was assessed by using three representative human cancer cell lines. We observed that the simulated GI digestion reduced the phytochemical contents in both aqueous and ethanolic T. spicata extracts and modified the PC profile. However, T. spicata extracts improved their antioxidant potential after digestion, while a partial reduction in the antiproliferative activity was observed for the ethanolic extract. Therefore, our results could provide a scientific basis for the employment of T. spicata extract as valuable nutraceutical.
Background:
Carvacrol, a plant phenolic monoterpene, is largely employed as
food additive and phytochemical.
Objective:
We aimed to assess the lipid lowering and protective effects of carvacrol in
vitro using cellular models of hepatic steatosis and endothelial dysfunction. We also investigated if and how the binding of carvacrol to albumin, the physiological transporter
for small compounds in the blood, might be altered by the presence of high levels of fatty
acids (FAs).
Methods:
Hepatic FaO cells treated with exogenous FAs mimic hepatosteatosis; endothelial HECV cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide are a model of endothelial dysfunction. In
these models, we measured spectrophotometrically lipid accumulation and release,
lipoperoxidation, free radical production, and nitric oxide release before and after treatment with carvacrol. The carvacrol binding to albumin in the presence or absence of high
levels of FAs was assessed by absorption and emission spectroscopies.
Results:
Carvacrol counteracted lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in hepatocytes
and protected endothelial cells from oxidative stress and dysfunction. Moreover, high levels of FAs reduced the binding of carvacrol to albumin.
Conclusion:
The results suggest the good potential of carvacrol in ameliorating dysfunction of hepatic and endothelial cells in vitro. High levels of circulating FAs might compete with carvacrol for binding to albumin thus influencing its transport and bio-distribution.
Numerous plants, plant extracts, and plant-derived compounds are being explored for their beneficial effects against overweight and liver diseases. Obesity is associated with the increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), becoming the most common liver disease in Western countries. Obesity and NAFLD are closely associated with many other metabolic alternations such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Many herbs of the Lamiaceae family are widely employed as food and spices in the Mediterranean area, but also in folk medicine, and their use for the management of metabolic disorders is well documented. Hereby, we summarized the scientific results of the medicinal and nutraceutical potential of plants from the Lamiaceae family for prevention and mitigation of overweight and fatty liver. The evidence indicates that Lamiaceae plants may be a cost-effective source of nutraceuticals and/or phytochemicals to be used in the management of metabolic-related conditions such as obesity and NAFLD. PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and SciFinder were accessed to collect data on traditional medicinal plants, compounds derived from plants, their reported anti-obesity mechanisms, and therapeutic targets.
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