Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Flavonoid-Rich Fraction of Bergamot Juice (BJe) in a Mouse Model of Intestinal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Abstract

The flavonoid-rich fraction of bergamot juice (BJe) has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The aim of work was to test the beneficial effects of BJe on the modulation of the ileum inflammation caused by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. To understand the cellular mechanisms by which BJe may decrease the development of intestinal I/R injury, we have evaluated the activation of signaling transduction pathways that can be induced by reactive oxygen species production. Superior mesenteric artery and celiac trunk were occluded for 30 min and reperfused for 1 h. The animals were sacrificed after 1 h of reperfusion, for both histological and molecular examinations of the ileum tissue. The experimental results demonstrated that BJe was able to reduce histological damage, cytokines production, adhesion molecules expression, neutrophil infiltration and oxidative stress by a mechanism involved both NF-κB and MAP kinases pathways. This study indicates that BJe could represent a new treatment against inflammatory events of intestinal I/R injury.

The link between the AMPK/SIRT1 axis and a flavonoid‐rich extract of Citrus bergamia juice: A cell‐free, in silico, and in vitro study

“…After lyophilization, it was stored at −20°C and reconstituted in culture media before use. In this research, we used the same BJe employed in previous studies (Curro et al, ; Ferlazzo et al, ; Ferlazzo, Visalli, Cirmi, et al, ; Impellizzeri et al, ; Impellizzeri et al, ; Risitano et al, ; Visalli et al, ). Nevertheless, prior to the beginning of the research, we repeated the flavonoid profile characterization by high‐performance liquid chromatography system, obtaining results that matched with those already reported (Ferlazzo et al, ; Risitano et al, ; Visalli et al, ).…”

“…Bergamot juice (BJ) has always been considered a by‐product, yet in the last decade, the beneficial effects of its flavonoid‐rich extract (BJe) have been highlighted by several studies (Cirmi et al, ; Ferlazzo, Cirmi, Calapai, et al, ; Mannucci et al, ). Its antioxidant (Ferlazzo et al, ; Ferlazzo, Visalli, Cirmi, et al, ), anti‐inflammatory (Curro et al, ; Impellizzeri et al, ; Impellizzeri et al, ; Risitano et al, ), anticancer (Delle Monache et al, ; Ferlazzo, Cirmi, Russo, et al, ; Navarra et al, ; Visalli et al, ), and antimicrobial (Filocamo et al, ) properties have been reported. Regarding the anti‐inflammatory effect exerted by BJe, we showed that, in acute leukemic monocytes THP‐1 stressed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it is mediated by the activation of SIRT1, which in turn inhibited the activation of NF‐κB (Risitano et al, ).…”

Efficacy of bergamot: From anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative mechanisms to clinical applications as preventive agent for cardiovascular morbidity, skin diseases, and mood alterations

“…The results are promising in terms of pro-inflammatory cytokine reduction and may represent an aid for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, but currently no studies in humans have been made (Impellizzeri et al, 2015(Impellizzeri et al, , 2016. The results are promising in terms of pro-inflammatory cytokine reduction and may represent an aid for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, but currently no studies in humans have been made (Impellizzeri et al, 2015(Impellizzeri et al, , 2016.…”

“…Inflammation also seems to benefit from bergamot administration (Impellizzeri et al, 2015(Impellizzeri et al, , 2016. Finally, bergamot shows positive effects on psoriasis (Valkova, 2007) and on hair growth (Shao, 2003).…”

Chemopreventive Agents and Inhibitors of Cancer Hallmarks: May Citrus Offer New Perspectives?

“…In addition, although natural remedies are not risk free, they are generally safer than both synthetic and biological drugs. In this context, we have recently shown that BJe has antioxidant properties [235,236] and is able to suppress pro-inflammatory responses in both in vitro [237,238] and in vivo models [239,240]. Interestingly, evidence showing that BJ did not significantly affect the viability of normal human diploid fibroblast WI-38 cells [229], as well as not provoking any apparent sign of systemic toxicity [231], together with its antimicrobial activity [241,242] and favorable safety/efficacy balance [243], reveals the potential of BJe as an anti-cancer remedy, highlighting that it could represent a novel strategic approach in oncology field.…”