Antioxidant and Antisteatotic Activities of a New Fucoidan Extracted from Ferula hermonis Roots Harvested on Lebanese Mountains.

Zeinab El Rashed,Elena Grasselli,Ilaria Demori,Giulio Lupidi,Hala Khalifeh,Hussein Kanaan,Laura Canesi

doi:10.3390/molecules26041161

Zeinab El Rashed, Elena Grasselli + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26041161

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Abstract

Fucoidan is a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide with attractive therapeutic potential due to a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant action. Fucoidan is typically found in the cell wall of marine brown algae, but extra-algal sources have also been discovered. In the present work, for the first time we extracted a water soluble fucoidan fraction from the roots of the terrestrial shrub Ferula hermonis. This fucoidan fraction was termed FUFe, and contained fucose, glucose, sulfate, smaller amounts of monosaccharides such as galactose and mannose, and a minor quantity of proteins. FUFe structural features were investigated by FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The antioxidant property of FUFe was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, which revealed a high radical scavenging capacity that was confirmed in in vitro cellular models. In hepatic and endothelial cells, 50 μg/mL FUFe could reduce ROS production induced by intracellular lipid accumulation. Moreover, in hepatic cells FUFe exhibited a significant antisteatotic action, being able to reduce intracellular triglyceride content and to regulate the expression of key genes of hepatic lipid metabolism. Altogether, our results candidate FUFe as a possible bioactive compound against fatty liver disease and related vascular damage.

Highlights

Since ancient times, plants have been used as a medical source for treating human diseases [1]
Many phytochemicals are currently being studied for their potential benefits against the major threats to human health, i.e., non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disorders, cancer, autoimmunity, neurodegenerative diseases, as well as metabolic impairments related to insulin resistance and liver disorders, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
For the first time we extracted and structurally characterized a FU fraction from F. hermonis roots. We termed this extract FUFe and we evaluated its radical scavenging capacity, as well as its antioxidant and antisteatotic effects using in vitro cellular models of NAFLD and endothelial damage

Summary

Introduction

Plants have been used as a medical source for treating human diseases [1]. FU is a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide with a backbone of α-(1–3)-linked fucose units or α-(1–3)- and α-(1–4)alternating linked fucose residues It is abundant in the cell wall of marine brown algae, and found in marine invertebrates, such as in the jelly coat from sea urchin eggs, and in the sea cucumber body wall [5]. It has been identified in the terrestrial tree Eucaliptus globulus [6], which is widely known for different uses in herbal medicine. We termed this extract FUFe and we evaluated its radical scavenging capacity, as well as its antioxidant and antisteatotic effects using in vitro cellular models of NAFLD and endothelial damage

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