Metabolomic insights into phenolics-rich chestnut shells extract as a nutraceutical ingredient – A comprehensive evaluation of its impacts on oxidative stress biomarkers by an in-vivo study

Abstract

The present study attempted for the first time to explore the effects of the daily oral intake of a phenolics-rich extract from chestnut shells (CS) on the metabolomic profiling of rat tissues by liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) targeted to polyphenolics and their metabolites and screen potential oxidative stress biomarkers, validating its use as a promising nutraceutical ingredient with outstanding antioxidant properties for the prevention and co-therapy of lifestyle-related diseases triggered by oxidative stress. The results demonstrated new insights into the metabolomic fingerprinting of polyphenols from CS, confirming their absorption and biotransformation by phase I (hydrogenation) and II (glucuronidation, methylation, and sulfation) enzymes. Phenolic acids were the main polyphenolic class, followed by hydrolyzable tannins, flavanols, and lignans. In contrast to the liver, sulfated conjugates were the principal metabolites reaching the kidneys. The multivariate data analysis predicted an exceptional contribution of polyphenols and their microbial and phase II metabolites to the in-vivo antioxidant response of the CS extract in rats, recommending its use as an appealing source of anti-aging molecules for nutraceuticals. This is the first study that explored the relation between metabolomic profiling of rat tissues and in-vivo antioxidant effects after oral treatment with a phenolics-rich CS extract.