-
EditorialAntioxidant Phytochemicals at the Pharma-Nutrition
Interface
Elena Azzini,1 Jasminka Giacometti,2 and Gian Luigi Russo3
1Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA),
Research Center for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546,00178
Rome, Italy2Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka,
Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia3Institute of Food
Sciences, National Research Council, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Correspondence should be addressed to Elena Azzini;
[email protected]
Received 25 October 2017; Accepted 25 October 2017; Published 8
November 2017
Copyright © 2017 Elena Azzini et al. This is an open access
article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original work isproperly cited.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity,diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, represent anemerging global
health issue. Nutrition, as known, repre-sents one of the most
important aspects of health; severalresearchers have shown that
nutrition plays a crucial rolein the prevention of food
deficiencies, behavioural disor-ders, and chronic diseases. The
last decades saw the prolif-eration of studies on the healthy
benefits of specific classesof nutrients. Among these,
phytochemicals took the leadfor their capacity to act as
antioxidants, a function whichinspired the so-called “antioxidant
hypothesis” or “freeradical theory” for degenerative diseases
originated backin the late 1980s–middle 1990s. After more than
twentyyears of intense researches, phytochemicals remain an
émi-nence grise in the area of the natural remedies
againstdegenerative diseases. In fact, if, from one side, their
func-tional pleiotropy guarantees multiple therapeutic and
pre-ventive effects, their low bioavailability and high
metabolictransformation represent an unsolved issue on the wayto
demonstrate a clear structure-function relationship inregulating
cellular physiology.
The aim of the present special issue was not to propose
asolution for all the questions surrounding the mechanisms ofaction
of phytochemicals but to bring the attention of thereaders on
specific themes with a selection of high qualityresearch articles
and reviews, hoping to stimulate their think-ing. This special
issue comprising nine papers is focused onvarious aspects of
phytochemicals effects when administered
as extracts in animal and cellular models. The articles havebeen
selected on the basis of fundamental ideas/conceptsrather than the
thoroughness of techniques employed. Thepapers are organised as
follows.
D. de Almeida Bauer Guimarães et al. suggest that pitayaextract
(PE) may have a protective effect against breastcancer. PE showed
high antioxidant activity, and highvalues of anthocyanins induced a
selective decrease in cellproliferation caused by PE in MCF-7 (ER+)
cell line andan increase in G0/G1 phase followed by a decrease in
G2/Mphase. Also, PE induced apoptosis in MCF-7 (ER+) cellline and
suppressed BRCA1, BRCA2, PRAB, and Erαgene expression.
D. Załuski et al. highlighted the fruits of
Eleutherococcusspecies rich in polyphenols as a new income source
ofagriculture and industry in natural products and foods.
Thesefruits act as antioxidants, induce apoptosis in Jurkat
45leukemic cell line, and inhibit the activity of MMP-1,MMP-2,
MMP-3, and MMP-9.
L. Song et al. reported a preclinical systematic reviewabout
G-Rg1 as a promising potential neuroprotective againstPD model
through different mechanisms including antineur-oinflammatory,
antioxidative, and antiapoptotic effects. Onthe other hand, a
letter by Yi-bo et al. expressed commenton “A Preclinical
Systematic Review of Ginsenoside-Rg1 inExperimental Parkinson’s
Disease” by inviting the authorsto a more conservative conclusion.
Thus, further controlledstudies in animals should be attempted to
establish the
HindawiOxidative Medicine and Cellular LongevityVolume 2017,
Article ID 6986143, 3 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6986143
https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6986143
-
G-Rg1 as a drug candidate, rather than confirmed byclinical
trials immediately.
V. R. Pasupuleti et al. have given a review of severalhealth
benefits of honeybee products used as food, such ashoney, propolis,
and royal jelly, on metabolic diseases,cancers, and others
diseases.
T. Bonamigo et al. described how the chemical constitu-ents of
propolis, such as phytosterols, terpenes, aromaticacids, and
tocopherol, are important in the control ofdiseases. In the study
of antioxidant, cytotoxic, and toxicactivities of ethanol extracts
of propolis (EEPs) obtainedfrom the Brazilian stingless bees
Scaptotrigona depilis(EEP-S) and Melipona quadrifasciata
anthidioides (EEP-M),they indicated the cytotoxic activity of EEPs
against ery-throleukemic cells and necrosis as the main mechanismof
death observed. In addition, cytotoxic doses of EEPswere not toxic
against Caenorhabditis elegans. Bioactivemixture found in EEP-S and
EEP-M can be used in thecontrol of diseases associated with
oxidative stress andtumour cell proliferation.
Z. Tuzcu et al. showed that cinnamon reduces thehyperlipidemia,
inflammation, and oxidative stress throughactivating transcription
factors and antioxidative defensesignaling pathway in high-fat
diet- (HFD-) fed rats.Cinnamon polyphenol also suppressed the
expression ofhepatic sterol regulatory element-binding
protein-1c(SREBP-1c), liver X receptor (LXR-α), ATP-citrate
lyase,fatty acid synthase (FAS), and nuclear factor kappa Bp65
(NF-κB p65) and enhanced the peroxisome proliferator-activated
receptor alpha (PPAR-α), insulin receptor sub-strate 1 (IRS-1),
nuclear factor-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2),and heme oxygenase 1
(HO-1) expressions in the HFDrat livers.
J.-T. Liu et al. investigated the molecular mechanismsupporting
the protective effect of red yeast rice (RYR;Monascus
purpureus-fermented rice) in limiting the vascu-lar complications
of diabetes. Using an ex vivo cellularmodel represented by human
bone marrow-derived proan-giogenic cells (PACs) isolated from
healthy donors andtreated with nontoxic concentrations of RYR
extract(
-
Acknowledgments
The Editors wish to thank all authors who submitted
theirresearch to this special issue sharing our interest for
thisspecial issue.
Elena AzziniJasminka Giacometti
Gian Luigi Russo
3Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
-
Submit your manuscripts athttps://www.hindawi.com
Stem CellsInternational
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION
of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Behavioural Neurology
EndocrinologyInternational Journal of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Disease Markers
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
BioMed Research International
OncologyJournal of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
PPAR Research
The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation
http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014
Immunology ResearchHindawi Publishing
Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014
Journal of
ObesityJournal of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
OphthalmologyJournal of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Diabetes ResearchJournal of
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Research and TreatmentAIDS
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Gastroenterology Research and Practice
Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume
2014
Parkinson’s Disease
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2014Hindawi Publishing
Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com