Beneficial Effects of Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP®) Supplementation on Redox Balance and Aging in a Mouse Model

Abstract

In recent decades much attention has been paid to how dietary antioxidants may positively affect the human health, including the beneficial effects of fermented foods and beverages. Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP ® ) has been shown to represent a valuable approach to obtain systemic antioxidants effect. In this study, we wanted to verify whether FPP ® had a clear and scientifically supported in vivo anti-aging effect together with the induction of a systemic antioxidant reaction. To this purpose we daily treated a mouse model suitable for aging studies (C57BL/6J) with FPP ® -supplemented water from either the 6th weeks (early treatment) or the 51th weeks (late treatment) of age as compared to mice receiving only tap water. After 10 months of FPP ® treatment, we evaluated the telomerase activity, antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Species ROS plasmatic levels and the telomeres length in the bone marrow and ovaries in both mice groups. The results showed that the daily FPP ® assumption induced increase in telomeres length in bone marrow and ovary, together with an increase in the plasmatic levels of telomerase activity, and antioxidant levels, with a decrease of ROS. Early treatment resulted to be more effective, suggesting a potential key role of FPP ® in preventing the age-related molecular damages.

Effect of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Carotenoids from Papaya (Carica papaya L. cv. Sweet Mary) Using Vegetable Oils

“…Traditionally, papaya fruits have had different usages depending on the need, e.g., papaya root juice has been used to treat boils, burns, and warts [6]; papaya fruits and leaves contain protein-digesting enzymes such as papain and chymopapain, which have proven their effect on injured skin tissue, removing damaged tissues from wounds and limiting infections [7][8][9]. A recent study reported by Logozzi et al [10], showed that fermented papaya preparations (specifically the commercialized product FPP ® ) induced increase in telomeres length in bone marrow and ovary, together with an increase in the plasmatic levels of telomerase activity and antioxidant levels, with an efficient decrease in radical oxygen species (ROS). Although these findings are encouraging, additional research is needed.…”

Benefits of Fermented Papaya in Human Health

“…However, as a natural product, the active compounds responsible for the described benefits may vary due to several reasons, such as the fruit cultivation conditions (country, temperature, and soil quality) and the fermentation protocol (temperature, duration, and used strains). In addition, it is reported that fermented papaya has low molecular weight oligosaccharides different from fresh fruit, which may be responsible for the immunomodulatory activity of fermented papaya [ 45 ].…”

“…They also verified a significant decrease in lactate dehydrogenase from 550 to 458 U/L [ 51 ]. Thus, these series of promising results suggest FPP ® has a potent antioxidant effect, which can relieve symptoms associated with oxidative stress in both congenital and hemolytic anemias [ 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”

Nanovesicles from Organic Agriculture-Derived Fruits and Vegetables: Characterization and Functional Antioxidant Content

“…The correlation between dietary consumption of antioxidants from fruits and vegetables and the increase in antioxidant levels in treated subjects have been widely studied [58][59][60]. Moreover, we also know that a diet mostly based on fruits and vegetables, or their derivates, is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, age-related diseases, and cancer [60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69]. On the other hand, the majority of suppliers derive antioxidants by either chemical extraction or synthetic phytochemical procedures, which do not show the same effectiveness as plant derivates.…”