title: Counteraction of oxidative damage by pomegranate juice: influence of the cultivar.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pomegranate (Punica granatum) has gained widespread popularity as a potential functional food due to its high phenolics content. Although in different studies pomegranate juice has been shown to exert anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, the cultivar-related differences in phenolics content and antioxidant activity must be carefully taken into account when evaluating the health effects. The first aim of this study was to rank the juices of 15 different varieties of pomegranate according to their total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. Then three juices were selected, better characterised and added to HepG2 cells as a supplement to evaluate the protective effect against induced oxidative stress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cultivars Wonderful, Hicaz and G2 were chosen according to the ranking and the corresponding juices used at two different concentrations as a supplement to HepG2 cells. Overall, all juices were able to protect cells from oxidative damage, but differences that could be related to the different phenolics content and pattern were detected among the three juices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show the advantage of screening cultivars prior to efficacy studies. This approach can be useful for food companies that focus on the development of food that has added nutritional and health value.
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Agri-Food Research, University of Bologna, piazza Goidanich, 60, Cesena (FC), 47521, Italy.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Nunzio
authors.forename: Moreno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toselli
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verardo
authors.forename: Maria F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Caboni
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bordoni
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D055951:Functional Food; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D029561:Lythraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010636:Phenols
keywords: HepG2 cells; Punica granatum; antioxidant defences; oxidative damage; phenolics; pomegranate juice