Abstract
Apple is one of the most worldwide-consumed fruits and a number of cultivars, differing in organo-leptic and nutritional characteristics are available for the market. Annurca apple is a Campania region variety (Southern Italy). This fruit is known for crispness, special taste and long shelf life. The object of this study is to evaluate the capacity of polyphenols extracted from Annurca apple (APE) to protect red blood cells (RBCs) from oxidative stress. The in vitro oxidative stress on human RBCs was induced by t-butyl hydroperoxide. Pre-treatment of cells with 10 µM APE provides a remarkable protection against oxidative damage, particularly decrease ROS production (-35%), lipid perossidation (-81%) and methemoglobin formation (-13%). Moreover, APE incubation decreased the RBC morphological alterations (shrunken cytoplasm and the number of echinocytes) caused by t-BHP. APE protective effect seems to be associated with the antioxidant activity of polyphenolic compounds. Our results indicate that Annurca polyphenols may directly influence erythrocyte properties. Our data confirm higher antioxidant power of Annurca apple, that may therefore represent accessible sources of natural antioxidants with potential application in nutritional/pharmaceutical fields, as preventive or therapeutic agents in diseases in which free radicals are implicated.
Keywords: Annurca, apple, antioxidant, erythrocytes, oxidative stress, polyphenols.
Graphical Abstract
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Functional Foods in Human Health and Beyond
Foods are important source of nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and other minerals. Furthermore, the functional foods are those agents that have additional components that are essential supports to the body in terms of antioxidant and pharmacologically active agents. The predominant functional foods are of plant in origin, whereas some ...read more
Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Food Waste: Sustainable Extraction Strategies and Health Applications
Food waste presents a significant challenge across the postharvest cycle, from agricultural production to distribution. However, within this waste lies a treasure trove of bioactive chemicals that hold immense potential for nutraceuticals, functional foods, and postharvest additives, including antimicrobials. Various extraction methods, such as solvent extraction (SE), supercritical fluid extraction ...read more
Natural Bioactive Compounds Derivatives in Nutraceutical and Food Science
In the last years, plants have been widely used for their numerous properties and now there is growing interest in the study of classes of compounds obtained from plant species or derived from them. The importance of these natural compounds lies in their important therapeutic purposes, and in their capability ...read more
Related Books
Functional Foods for Health Maintenance: Understanding their Role in Cancer Prevention
Green Extraction Techniques in Food Analysis
Algal Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Benefits, Opportunities, and Challenges
Micronutrients: The Key to Good Health
Capillary Electrophoresis in Food Analysis
Nutritional Biochemistry: From the Classroom to the Research Bench
Hypersensitivity to Vitamins
Foods for Special Dietary Regimens
35
2
1