Metabolic Fate of Food Bioactive Compounds in Humans

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2023) | Viewed by 6799

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive compounds occurring mainly in vegetable foods are of particular interest for their therapeutical application. These dietary phytochemicals can access systemic circulation and reach target tissues in a manner that is strictly dependent on their bioaccessibility and bioavailability. Specifically, the latter condition generally affects their capacity to have a potential biological influence on health. Interest in the biological activities and resultant health benefits from phytochemical-rich foods has focused much scientific attention in the evaluation of factors that can modulate their bioavailability. Thus, a main goal is the identification of food parameters (macro- and micro-nutrients, physical form, phytochemical profile, etc.) and physiological aspects (digestion, absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion) that can affect bioavailability. An appropriate elucidation of these factors may help to plan strategies that can measure the bioavailability of dietary phytochemicals and lead to its optimization in favor of the best beneficial effects on human health.

Prof. Dr. Gian Carlo Tenore
Dr. Maria Maisto
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nutraceuticals 
  • bioavailability 
  • metabolism 
  • phytochemicals 
  • bioactive compounds 
  • digestion 
  • human health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2726 KiB  
Article
Characterization of the Biological Activities of a New Polyphenol-Rich Extract from Cinnamon Bark on a Probiotic Consortium and Its Action after Enzymatic and Microbial Fermentation on Colorectal Cell Lines
by Alessandra De Giani, Stefania Pagliari, Jessica Zampolli, Matilde Forcella, Paola Fusi, Ilaria Bruni, Luca Campone and Patrizia Di Gennaro
Foods 2022, 11(20), 3202; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11203202 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3211
Abstract
Cinnamon polyphenols are known as health-promoting agents. However, their positive impact depends on the extraction method and their bioaccessibility after digestion. In this work, cinnamon bark polyphenols were extracted in hot water and subjected to an in vitro enzymatic digestion. After a preliminary [...] Read more.
Cinnamon polyphenols are known as health-promoting agents. However, their positive impact depends on the extraction method and their bioaccessibility after digestion. In this work, cinnamon bark polyphenols were extracted in hot water and subjected to an in vitro enzymatic digestion. After a preliminary characterization of total polyphenols and flavonoids (respectively 520.05 ± 17.43 µgGAeq/mg and 294.77 ± 19.83 µgCATeq/mg powder extract), the extract antimicrobial activity was evidenced only against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis displaying a minimum inhibition growth concentration value of 2 and 1.3 mg/mL, respectively, although it was lost after in vitro extract digestion. The prebiotic potential was evaluated on probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains highlighting a high growth on the in vitro digested cinnamon bark extract (up to 4 × 108 CFU/mL). Thus, the produced SCFAs and other secondary metabolites were extracted from the broth cultures and determined via GC-MSD analyses. The viability of healthy and tumor colorectal cell lines (CCD841 and SW480) was assayed after the exposition at two different concentrations (23 and 46 µgGAeq/mL) of the cinnamon extract, its digested, and the secondary metabolites produced in presence of cinnamon extract or its digested, showing positive protective effects against a tumorigenic condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Fate of Food Bioactive Compounds in Humans)
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12 pages, 1078 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Contribution to Glucose Homeostasis by an Agro-Food Waste Product Rich in Abscisic Acid: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
by Elisabetta Schiano, Maria Maisto, Vincenzo Piccolo, Ettore Novellino, Giuseppe Annunziata, Roberto Ciampaglia, Camilla Montesano, Martina Croce, Giuseppe Caruso, Fortuna Iannuzzo, Vincenzo Summa and Gian Carlo Tenore
Foods 2022, 11(17), 2637; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11172637 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2791
Abstract
The control of glucose homeostasis represents the primary goal for the prevention and management of diabetes and prediabetes. In recent decades, the hypoglycemic hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has attracted considerable interest in the scientific literature. In this regard, the high ABA concentration in [...] Read more.
The control of glucose homeostasis represents the primary goal for the prevention and management of diabetes and prediabetes. In recent decades, the hypoglycemic hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has attracted considerable interest in the scientific literature. In this regard, the high ABA concentration in immature fruits led us to consider these food matrices as candidates for diabetes control. Therefore, the beneficial efficacy of a nutraceutical formulation based on thinned nectarines (TNs) rich in ABA was tested through a three-month, three-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted on sixty-one patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). After 3 months, both the treatments with low doses of TN (500 mg 3 times/day) and high doses of TN (750 mg 3 times/day) showed a significant reduction in glycemic parameters compared to baseline. Treatment with low doses of TN showed a greater insulin-sparing effect (fasting plasma insulin, FPI: −29.2%, p < 0.05 vs. baseline) compared to the high-dose group (FPI: −16.5%, p < 0.05 vs. baseline). Moreover, a significant correlation between glycemia and ABA plasmatic levels was observed for both intervention groups at baseline and after 3 months. Overall, our data reasonably support TN as a promising and innovative nutraceutical product able to contribute to the management of glucose homeostasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Fate of Food Bioactive Compounds in Humans)
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