Abstract
The fresh fruits of Prunus spinosa L., a wild plum species, are traditionally used for dietary purposes and medicinal applications in disorders related to inflammation and oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition of the fruits in the function of fractionated extraction and evaluate the biological potential of the extracts as functional products in two models of human immune cells ex vivo. Fifty-seven phenolic components were identified in the extracts by UHPLC-PDA-ESI-MS3, including twenty-eight new for the analysed fruits. Fractionation enabled the enrichment of polyphenols in the extracts up to 126.5 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dw total contents, 91.3 mg/g phenolic acids (caffeoyl-, coumaroyl-, and feruloylquinic acids), 41.1 mg/g flavonoids (mostly quercetin mono-, di- and triglycosides), 44.5 mg/g condensed proanthocyanidins, and 9.2 mg/g anthocyanins (cyanidin and peonidin glycosides). The hydroalcoholic extract and phenolic-enriched fractions of the fruits revealed significant ability to modulate pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory functions of human neutrophils and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs): they strongly downregulated the release of reactive oxygen species, TNF-α, and neutrophils elastase, upregulated the secretion of IL-10, and slightly inhibited the production of IL-8 and IL-6 in the cells stimulated by fMLP, fMLP+cytochalasin B, and LPS, depending on the test. Correlation studies and experiments on the pure compounds indicated a significant contribution of polyphenols to these effects. Moreover, cellular safety was confirmed for the extracts by flow cytometry in a wide range of concentrations. The results support the traditional use of fresh blackthorn fruits in inflammatory disorders and indicate extracts that are most promising for functional applications.
Highlights
A lot of epidemiological data provide solid evidence for the health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables, mainly due to their bioactive constituents, including polyphenols, exhibiting the well-documented potential to resolve the interconnected pathological processes of inflammation and oxidative stress [1,2]
The present study revealed that the extracts from fresh P. spinosa fruits significantly and in a dose-dependent manner modulate the pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory functions of human neutrophils and monocytes (PBMCs) ex vivo with the most spectacular effects towards the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), TNF-α, ELA-2 and IL-10
The results indicate that fresh blackthorn fruits from Poland accumulate high contents of polyphenols, mainly condensed proanthocyanidins and phenolic acids, followed by anthocyanins and flavonols
Summary
A lot of epidemiological data provide solid evidence for the health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables, mainly due to their bioactive constituents, including polyphenols, exhibiting the well-documented potential to resolve the interconnected pathological processes of inflammation and oxidative stress [1,2]. The essential hallmark of inflammation is the infiltration and hyperactivation of the primary immune cells, such as neutrophils and mononuclear cells (monocytes/macrophages) in the tissue site and the production of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines (interleukins, IL; tumour necrosis factor α, TNF-α), proteolytic enzymes (elastase, ELA-2), growth factors, arachidonic acid metabolites, and a vast diversity of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which collectively contribute to tissue dysfunction [3]. Failure to control this process is linked to many acute and chronic human disorders, such as bowel diseases, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney diseases [3,4]. The sloe plums have an astringent flavour; they are harvested after being mellowed by frost and preferably consumed after processing into jams, jellies, juices, and alcoholic beverages, including wines, liqueurs, and tinctures [7]
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