Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities of Portuguese Prunus avium L. (Sweet Cherry) By-Products Extracts

Abstract

The bioactivity of natural by-products in food and pharmaceutical applications is the subject of numerous studies. Cherry production and processing generates large amounts of biowaste, most of which is not used. The recovery of these by-products is essential for promoting the circular economy and to improving sustainability in the food industry. In this work, we explored the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential of two different extracts from stems, leaves, and flowers of Portuguese cherries. The anti-inflammatory potential was studied on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophages (RAW 264.7) by evaluating the effect of by-products on cellular viability and nitric oxide (NO) production. Disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were used to determine antimicrobial activity. The cherry by-products had no cytotoxic effect on RAW 264.7 cells, and were able to inhibit nitrite production in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, all aqueous infusions showed good antioxidant activity against NO radicals. Moreover, leaf extracts showed the best activity against most of the strains studied. The results revealed, for the first time, interesting anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of cherry by-products. This could potentially be of interest for their therapeutic use in the treatment of inflammation-related diseases or in controlling the growth of microorganisms.

Bioactive Compounds and Potential Health Benefits through Cosmetic Applications of Cherry Stem Extract

“…The results obtained were compared with those of other studies: P. avium leaf and stem extracts, as reported by Nunes et al, showed inhibitory activities (IC 50 ) against NO • of 183 and 111 mg/L, respectively. These results were significantly lower than those obtained in the present study [57]. In addition, the result for the NO • uptake capacity of the cherry stem obtained by Agulló-Chazarra et al was considerably lower than that obtained by us [26].…”

Potential Role of Dietary Phenolic Compounds in the Prevention and Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Current Reports

“…Among fruits, sweet cherry phenolic-rich fractions can reduce nitric oxide radicals and decrease iNOS and COX-2 expression in RAW macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide [30]. Moreover, aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of their vegetal parts also are effective in inhibiting nitrite levels in a dose-dependent manner in these cell lines [28]. Moreover, some Brazilian plants also showed potential to reduce TNF-α and CCL2 levels in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocytic THP-1 cells [275].…”

“…Among the new and most promising availability strategies, special attention has been given to bioactive molecules largely found in nature, namely, polyphenols, since their chemical structure with catechol methoxy and pyrogallol groups confer them notable health benefits, like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antiproliferative activities, as well as the capacity to prevent neurological and cardiovascular pathologies, promote gastrointestinal health and vision without, it is believed, side-effects, and enhance wound healing [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In addition, polyphenols are also easier to obtain, water-soluble, and more economical than chemical drugs, and have already shown effectiveness in inhibiting JAK proteins and JAK/STAT signaling pathways [24][25][26][27][28]. Particularly, curcumin displayed the capability to relieve rheumatoid arthritis progression by suppressing inflammatory responses, synovial hyperplasia, and protein expression levels of phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT3 in mice with the collagen-induced arthritis model that were treated at a dose of 100 µM curcumin/day for almost three months [29], while in docking studies, salvianolic acid C exhibited a great binding affinity for JAK (10.7 kcal/mol) [24].…”

The Chemical Profile, Antioxidant, and Anti-Lipid Droplet Activity of Fluid Extracts from Romanian Cultivars of Haskap Berries, Bitter Cherries, and Red Grape Pomace for the Management of Liver Steatosis

“…Other studies on the fruits and leaves of different varieties of sweet and sour cherries showed that the bioactive compounds exhibited a high potential to inhibit the chemical substrates of enzymes related to diabetes [24,25]. Other by-products of Portuguese sweet cherry (P. avium L.), i.e., flowers, leaves, and stems, were good sources of phenolic extracts with anti-inflammatory activity found in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages, and presented antimicrobial potential against Gram-positive bacterial strains [26], with antidiabetic and anti-hemolytic potential [27]. No studies on the effect of bitter cherry extracts on NAFLD were found.…”