title: Assessment of the potential health benefits of certain total extracts fromVitis vinifera, Aesculus hyppocastanumandCurcuma longa.
abstract: A number of recent studies have illustrated the active role of food/natural components in the prevention of chronic diseases and in the improvement of the quality of life. In the present study, we aimed to obtain and characterize certain extracts fromVitis viniferaL.,Aesculus hippocastanumL. andCurcuma longaL., focusing on their antioxidant effectsin vitro. Three vegetal extracts were obtained for each plant: in water, 50% water-alcohol and in 96% ethanol. These extracts were then analyzed for their qualitative composition by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and total phenolic content by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS). The antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessedin vitroby 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay; the effects of lipid peroxidation on the cell membrane were evaluated using Jurkat cells in two experimental models: normoglycemic and hyperglycemic medium, in order for the results to be able to be translated into clinical practice. In addition, the resistance of the extracts to acid and alkaline hydrolysis was investigated. The obtained extracts had 0.4-39 µg phenolics/mg total extract. The largest amount of phenolics was found in theCucurma longaextracts, while the lowest was found in theAesculus hippocastanumextacts. HPTLC analysis identified the main phenolic compounds in the extracts which were ferulic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid and coumaric acid, as well as quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, curcumin, luteolin and esculetin. TheAesculus hippocastanumextracts had a low antioxidant efficacy, while both theCurcuma longaandVitis viniferaextracts had a high antioxidant activity; the products resulting from alkaline hydrolisis were significantly more efficient in scavenging DPPH radicals compared to the products resulting from acid hydrolisis. The antioxidant effects of theCurcuma longaextracts exerted on the membranes of Jurkat cells were the most prominent under both normal and hyperglycemic conditions. The results of the present study may be translated into clinical practice and demonstrate thatCurcuma longaextracts may be effective in both the prevention of diabetes mellitus and in attenuating the development of complications associated with the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 020956, Romania.
authors.forename: Denisa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Margină
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 020956, Romania.
authors.forename: Octavian Tudorel
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Olaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 020956, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 020956, Romania.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grădinaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 020956, Romania.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: GuȚu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 050095, Romania.
authors.forename: Sorina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Voicu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 050095, Romania.
authors.forename: Anca
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinischiotu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece.
authors.forename: Demetrios A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Spandidos
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece.
authors.forename: Aristidis M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tsatsakis
keywords: antioxidant effects; hyperglycemia; vegetal extracts