Food Bioactive Compounds Research Articles

Formulation and Characterization of Gum Arabic Stabilized Red Rice Extract Nanoemulsion.

Interest in the utilization of plant-based bioactive compounds in foods has increased due to their biochemical activities and as alternatives in the reduction of high concentrations of chemical utilization. However, some of these additives are hydrophobic, thus being harder to disperse into the hydrophilic food matrix. Therefore, an oil-in-water nanoemulsion (RRE1-RRE10) was formulated with different concentrations of red rice extract (1–10% w/v). Nanoemulsion showed droplet sizes within the range of 157.33–229.71 nm and the best formulation (RRE5) was selected based on the creaming index which was stable to flocculation over a range of temperatures (30–90 °C), pH (2–9), and salt concentration (100–600 mM). It showed significantly improved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity as compared to its other counterparts. Potential antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus was attributed to RRE5 nanoemulsion as compared to Escherichia coli. Therefore, due to the potential bioactivity of RRE5 nanoemulsion, it can be scaled up at the industrial level.

Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in Food: Critical Review of Issues and Prospects

This review paper gives an insight into the effective delivery mechanisms for health-promoting substances and highlights the challenges of using antioxidants and bioactives in foods. The selection criteria for choosing bioactives and their extraction in bioavailable form with their adequate incorporation techniques and delivery mechanisms are covered. Moreover, an overview of existing methods for determination of bioactivity is given. The importance of scientifically evaluating the effects of foods or food components on consumer health before making claims about the healthiness is aligned. Finally, a scientific perspective on how to respond to the booming demand for health-promoting products is given, and we acknowledge that despite the work done, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome.

Identification of bio-active food compounds as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors-modulators via negative image-based screening and computational simulations

Despite significant studies on the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world are still battling to find a definitive therapy against the ongoing severe global health crisis. In this study, advanced computational approaches have been employed to identify bioactive food constituents as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors-modulators. As a validated antiviral drug target, PLpro has gained tremendous attention for therapeutics developments. Therefore, targeting the multifunctional SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein, ∼1039 bioactive dietary compounds have been screened extensively through novel techniques like negative image-based (NIB) screening and molecular docking approaches. In particular, the three different models of NIB screening have been generated and used to re-score the dietary compounds based on the negative image which is created by reversing the shape and electrostatics features of PLpro protein's ligand-binding cavity. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation has been performed and MM-GBSA based binding free energies have been estimated for the final proposed four dietary compounds (PC000550, PC000361, PC000558, and PC000573) as potential inhibitors/modulators of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein. Employed computational study outcome also has been compared with respect to the earlier experimentally investigated compound GRL0617 against SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protein, which suggests much greater interaction potential in terms of binding affinity and other energetic contributions for the proposed dietary compounds. Hence, the present study suggests that proposed dietary compounds can be suitable chemical entities for modulating the activity of PLpro protein or can be further utilized for optimizing or screening of novel chemical surrogates, however also needs experimental evaluation for entry in clinical studies for better assessment.

Upregulation of immune system against COVID-19: The role of food science, nutrition and bioactive compounds

A scientific round table was held on March 16, 2022 to discuss the role of food science, nutrition and bioactive compounds on upregulating the body's immune system against SARS-CoV-2. The panel from an international group of experts in food science, nutrition, microbiology and medicine provided the latest scientific information associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The roundtable was organised by the Dr Chin-Kun Wang of the Academy Executive Council chaired by Dr. Aman Wrakartakusumah (Indonesia) and Charles Aworth (Nigeria). The session was concluded by a question and answer period with a summary from Dr. Roger Clemens (USA).

A comprehensive review on the role of food bioactive compounds in functional food science

Health promotion and reducing disease risk are the primary benefits of functional foods. However, the definition of functional foods is still unclear and undecided. This has made it difficult to produce a general consensus of functional food products and consumers often have to rely on companies rather than an official definition. As a result, the Functional Food Center (FFC) has previously proposed a multi-step outline of the processes needed to develop a functional food product and ways to introduce them to the market. This process of identifying a functional food involves rigorous, systematic research to determine the nutritive components of the food that promote positive health effects. An integral step that functional food science uses to identify functional foods is to determine the food bioactive compound(s) that influence beneficial health. Food bioactive compounds are the foundations to all functional foods and come from a variety of sources, like plants, mushrooms, and animals. While more research needs to be done on food bioactive compounds, this is the first step closer to legitimizing functional foods. The purpose of this review is to support appropriate and advanced research methods for the identification and screening of food bioactive compounds to define and legitimize the health claims of functional foods. In addition, this review will also discuss the future of food bioactive compounds with our current understanding of them.Keywords: functional foods, bioactive compounds, anti-inflammatory, health, nutrition, bioavailability, biomarkers, extraction

Pelargonidin-3-O-Glucoside Encapsulated Pectin-Chitosan-Nanoliposomes Recovers Palmitic Acid-Induced Hepatocytes Injury.

Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside (Pg) is a well-known anthocyanin derivative possessing potential biological activity. Nonetheless, the bioactivity of Pg is limited due to instability in the physiological environment. Functionalized nanoliposomes using chitosan and/or pectin coating is an excellent carrier system for nanoencapsulation of food bioactive compounds such as Pg. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Pg-loaded pectin–chitosan coated nanoliposomes against palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocytes injury in L02 cells. Firstly, Pg-loaded pectin–chitosan coated nanoliposomes were characterized using the DLS, HPLC, TEM, and cellular uptake study in L02 cells. Thereafter, we assayed the protective effect against PA-induced lipotoxicity, ROS and O2•− generation, mitochondrial dysfunction (MMP), and GSH depletion. Results showed that Pg-loaded nanoliposomes significantly reduced the PA-induced L02 cells toxicity via suppressing ROS production, O2•− generation, MMP collapse, and GSH reduction, whereas the free-Pg samples were not effective. On the contrary, the chitosan and/or pectin coated nanoliposomes showed higher results compared to coating-free nanoliposomes. Altogether, the results of our study ensured that Pg-loaded pectin–chitosan coated nanoliposomes was capable of reducing PA-induced hepatocytes injury. Thus, pectin–chitosan coated nanoliposomes can be useful for hepatocellular delivery of hydrophilic compounds with greater biological activity.

Milk exosomes in nutrition and drug delivery.

Exosomes are natural nanoparticles that originate in the endocytic system. Exosomes play an important role in cell-to-cell communication by transferring RNAs, lipids, and proteins from donor cells to recipient cells or by binding to receptors on the recipient cell surface. The concentration of exosomes and the diversity of cargos are high in milk. Exosomes and their cargos resist degradation in the gastrointestinal tract and during processing of milk in dairy plants. They are absorbed and accumulate in tissues following oral administrations, cross the blood-brain barrier, and dietary depletion and supplementation elicit phenotypes. These features have sparked the interest of the nutrition and pharmacology communities for exploring milk exosomes as novel bioactive food compounds and for delivering drugs to diseased tissues. This review discusses the current knowledgebase, uncertainties, and controversies in these lines of scholarly endeavor and health research.

The Anti-Cancer Effects of Red-Pigmented Foods: Biomarker Modulation and Mechanisms Underlying Cancer Progression

Cancer is one the most malignant diseases that is a leading cause of death worldwide. Vegetables and fruits contain beneficial nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, folates, dietary fibers, and various natural bioactive compounds. These can prevent the pathological processes of many cancers and reduce cancer related mortality. Specifically, the anti-cancer effect of vegetables and fruits is largely attributable to the natural bioactive compounds present within them. A lot of bioactive compounds have very specific colors with pigments and the action of them in the human body varies by their color. Red-pigmented foods, such as apples, oranges, tomatoes, cherries, grapes, berries, and red wine, have been widely reported to elicit beneficial effects and have been investigated for their anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties, as well as anti-cancer effect. Most of the anti-cancer effects of bioactive compounds in red-pigmented foods arise from the suppression of cancer cell invasion and metastasis, as well as the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In this review, we assessed publications from the last 10 years and identified 10 bioactive compounds commonly studied in red-pigmented foods: lycopene, anthocyanin, β-carotene, pectin, betaine, rutin, ursolic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin. We focused on the mechanisms and targets underlying the anti-cancer effect of the compounds and provided rationale for further investigation of the compounds to develop more potent anti-cancer treatment methods.

Natural Compounds for Counteracting Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Advantages and Limitations of the Suggested Candidates.

The booming prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults and children will threaten the health system in the upcoming years. The “multiple hit” hypothesis is the currently accepted explanation of the complex etiology and pathophysiology of the disease. Some of the critical pathological events associated with the development of NAFLD are insulin resistance, steatosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis. Hence, attenuating these events may help prevent or delay the progression of NAFLD. Despite an increasing understanding of the mechanisms involved in NAFLD, no approved standard pharmacological treatment is available. The only currently recommended alternative relies on lifestyle modifications, including diet and physical activity. However, the lack of compliance is still hampering this approach. Thus, there is an evident need to characterize new therapeutic alternatives. Studies of food bioactive compounds became an attractive approach to overcome the reticence toward lifestyle changes. The present study aimed to review some of the reported compounds with beneficial properties in NAFLD; namely, coffee (and its components), tormentic acid, verbascoside, and silymarin. We provide details about their protective effects, their mechanism of action in ameliorating the critical pathological events involved in NAFLD, and their clinical applications.

The Potential of Microextraction Techniques for the Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Food.

For a long time, the importance of sample preparation and extraction in the analytical performance of the most diverse methodologies have been neglected. Cumbersome techniques, involving high sample and solvent volumes have been gradually miniaturized from solid-phase and liquid-liquid extractions formats and microextractions approaches are becoming the standard in different fields of research. In this context, this review is devoted to the analysis of bioactive compounds in foods using different microextraction approaches reported in the literature since 2015. But microextraction also represents an opportunity to mitigate the environmental impact of organic solvents usage, as well as lab equipment. For this reason, in the recent literature, phenolics and alkaloids extraction from fruits, medicinal herbs, juices, and coffee using different miniaturized formats of solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid microextraction are the most popular applications. However, more ambitious analytical limits are continuously being reported and emergent sorbents based on carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanoparticles will certainly contribute to this trend. Additionally, ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents constitute already the most recent forefront of innovation, substituting organic solvents and further improving the current microextraction approaches.

Physiological Effects of Green-Colored Food-Derived Bioactive Compounds on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide. Epidemiological studies strongly highlight various benefits of consuming colorful fruits and vegetables in everyday life. In this review, we aimed to revisit previous studies conducted in the last few decades regarding green-colored foods and their bioactive compounds in consideration of treating and/or preventing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. This review draws a comprehensive summary and assessment of research on the physiological effects of various bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, derived from green-colored fruits and vegetables. In particular, their health-beneficial effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, and lipid-lowering properties, will be discussed. Furthermore, the bioavailability and significance of action of these bioactive compounds on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases will be discussed in detail.

Procyanidin B2 ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and impaired angiogenesis via the Nrf2/PPARγ/sFlt-1 axis in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a severe complication of pregnancy characterised by variable degrees of placental malperfusion. A growing body of evidence indicates that soluble endoglin and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) play important pathophysiological roles in preeclampsia, causing endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, and multiorgan injury. A drug that is safe in pregnancy and inhibits placental sFlt-1 and soluble endoglin secretion would be an attractive treatment strategy for preeclampsia. Procyanidin B2, a bioactive food compound, has been reported to exert multiple beneficial functions. Placental explant cultures in vitro are useful for studying tissue functions including release of secretory components, pharmacology, toxicology, and disease processes. The reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model has been widely used as a model of preeclampsia. We aimed to investigate the effect of procyanidin B2 on preeclampsia via using placental explant cultures and RUPP rat model. In this study, we demonstrated that procyanidin B2 reduced soluble endoglin and sFlt-1 secretion from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), primary trophoblasts, and placental explants from preeclamptic pregnancies. Moreover, procyanidin B2 alleviated endothelial dysfunction and impaired angiogenesis induced by sFlt-1, including increasing the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of endothelial cells and decreasing the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and leukocyte adhesion on HUVECs. In addition, procyanidin B2 promoted nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear accumulation and induced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) expression in primary placental tissues and endothelial cells. Importantly, Nrf2 specifically binds to the PPARγ promoter region (-1227/-1217) and enhances its transcriptional activity. Procyanidin B2 inhibits sFlt-1 secretion via the Nrf2/PPARγ axis. In the RUPP rat model of preeclampsia, procyanidin B2 attenuated RUPP-induced maternal angiogenic imbalance, hypertension and improved placental and foetal weight. Taken together, our results demonstrate that procyanidin B2 inhibits sFlt-1 secretion and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and impaired angiogenesis via the Nrf2/PPARγ axis in preeclampsia. Procyanidin B2 may be a novel therapeutic agent for treatment of preeclampsia.

Physiological Effects of Red-Colored Food-Derived Bioactive Compounds on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major global cause of disease and mortality. CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and other conditions. The most important behavioral risk factors for heart disease and stroke are diet, physical activity, smoking, and drinking. Increased intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and CVDs. Red-colored foods align with cardiovascular health by protecting the heart and blood vessels. Red fruits and vegetables include tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries, red apples, beets, and pomegranate. In vitro and in vivo studies, as well as clinical trials, show that the components of red foods demonstrate various potential health benefits against disease. In conclusion, there are many advantages to eating vegetable foods, especially red fruits and vegetables.

Cubosomes and Hexosomes as Novel Nanocarriers for Bioactive Compounds.

Cubosomes and hexosomes are nanostructured liquid crystalline particles, known as biocompatible nanocarriers for drug delivery. In recent years, there has been good interest in using cubosomes and hexosomes for the delivery of bioactive compounds in functional foods. These systems feature thermodynamic stability, encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances, and have a high tolerance to environmental stresses and potential for controlled release. This review outlines the recent advances in cubosomes and hexosomes in the food industry, focusing on their structure, composition, formation mechanisms, and factors influencing phase transformation between cubosomes and hexosomes. The potential applications especially for the bioactive delivery are presented. The integration of cubosomes and hexosomes with other emerging encapsulation technologies such as surface coating, gelation, and incorporation of polymers are also discussed.

Modulatory Properties of Food and Nutraceutical Components Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Inflammasomes are key intracellular multimeric proteins able to initiate the cellular inflammatory signaling pathway. NLRP3 inflammasome represents one of the main protein complexes involved in the development of inflammatory events, and its activity has been largely demonstrated to be connected with inflammatory or autoinflammatory disorders, including diabetes, gouty arthritis, liver fibrosis, Alzheimer’s disease, respiratory syndromes, atherosclerosis, and cancer initiation. In recent years, it has been demonstrated how dietary intake and nutritional status represent important environmental elements that can modulate metabolic inflammation, since food matrices are an important source of several bioactive compounds. In this review, an updated status of knowledge regarding food bioactive compounds as NLRP3 inflammasome modulators is discussed. Several chemical classes, namely polyphenols, organosulfurs, terpenes, fatty acids, proteins, amino acids, saponins, sterols, polysaccharides, carotenoids, vitamins, and probiotics, have been shown to possess NLRP3 inflammasome-modulating activity through in vitro and in vivo assays, mainly demonstrating an anti-NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Plant foods are particularly rich in important bioactive compounds, each of them can have different effects on the pathway of inflammatory response, confirming the importance of the nutritional pattern (food model) as a whole rather than any single nutrient or functional compound.

Exploring the Immune-Boosting Functions of Vitamins and Minerals as Nutritional Food Bioactive Compounds: A Comprehensive Review

Food components have long been recognized to play a fundamental role in the growth and development of the human body, conferring protective functionalities against foreign matter that can be severe public health problems. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are essential to the human body, and individuals must meet their daily requirements through dietary sources. Micronutrients act as immunomodulators and protect the host immune response, thus preventing immune evasion by pathogenic organisms. Several experimental investigations have been undertaken to appraise the immunomodulatory functions of vitamins and minerals. Based on these experimental findings, this review describes the immune-boosting functionalities of micronutrients and the mechanisms of action through which these functions are mediated. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals in plasma concentrations can lead to a reduction in the performance of the immune system functioning, representing a key contributor to unfavorable immunological states. This review provides a descriptive overview of the characteristics of the immune system and the utilization of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in preventative strategies designed to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients suffering from immune invasions or autoimmune disorders.

Fabrication of protein nanomaterials as delivery systems.

Bioactive compounds in foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical have been gaining interest due to health benefits, which can help to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. Recently, nanoencapsulation have attract attention because it is an efficient and promising approach for protection of bioactive compounds, and delivery them to the target physiological sites for controlled release and improvement absorption. Food proteins are promising materials to be fabricated into a variety of nanostructured delivery systems because of their high nutritional value, good functional properties, and health-benefiting effects. Various techniques and approaches are utilized to prepare nanostructured food protein. This chapter introduces the major techniques for the fabrication of nanoparticles and nanoemulsions from food proteins. The basic principles, advantages, and limitations of the techniques are discussed. The encapsulation and release of bioactive compounds in different nanostructured food proteins are illustrated in specific case studies. Due to the fast growing interest of bioactive encapsulation in various sectors, this chapter is of importance for guiding the development of nanostructured food protein loaded with bioactive ingredients for food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.

Review: Bioavailability and Activity Prediction of Bioactive Compounds of Red Fruit (Pandanus conoideus Lam.) and Pandan Grape (Sararanga sinousa Hemsley) by in silico Method

Red Fruit (RF) and Pandan grape (PG) contained bioactive compounds that good for health. The structure influenced the availability and activity, including the interaction with another in the body. It needs time and financial consumption, whereas bioinformation technology offers the solution. The research aims to predict the availability and activity of RF and PG compounds by in silico method based on the SAR. Fourteen RF and PF phenolics were evaluated for availability, antioxidant, and antiglycation activity during binding to HSA. The flavonoids showed Pa>0,7 for antioxidant in general, free radical scavenging, and lipid peroxidase inhibitor activity. The availability was shown by the ligand’s capability to bind to HSA. The order of affinity energy from the largest to the smallest was RF flavonoid > PG anthocyanin > GP phenolic acids. Taxifolin and Quercetin still had antioxidant activity during binding because there are free hydroxyl groups. PG chlorogenic acid and RF flavonoids play as an anti-diabetic through antioxidant mechanism and HSA glycation disturbance. Based on this review, in silico method is effective as an analysis tool for the activity and mechanism prediction of food bioactive compounds.

Selected bioactive compounds in food of plant origin as natural immunomodulators in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Plants offer a variety of sources of substances that can function as nutraceuticals, such as phytotherapeutic raw materials, as functional products or as food products in a diet. These substances can affect the respiratory system by modulating the human immune system. The mechanism of indirect immunomodulation of the respiratory system also occurs through the action of substances in the digestive tract. The presented compounds were found in the form of foods, functional foods or nutraceuticals. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that plants and the compounds contained within them can be modulators in chronic infectious diseases and inflammations of the respiratory system in disease units such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Selected bioactive compounds in food of plant origin as natural immunomodulators in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [pdf

Plants offer a variety of sources of substances that can function as nutraceuticals, such as phytotherapeutic raw materials, as functional products or as food products in a diet. These substances can affect the respiratory system by modulating the human immune system. The mechanism of indirect immunomodulation of the respiratory system also occurs through the action of substances in the digestive tract. The presented compounds were found in the form of foods, functional foods or nutraceuticals. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that plants and the compounds contained within them can be modulators in chronic infectious diseases and inflammations of the respiratory system in disease units such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).