Antioxidants (May 2024)

Impact of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation on (Poly)Phenolic Profile and In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Herbal Infusions

  • Tarik Ozturk,
  • María Ángeles Ávila-Gálvez,
  • Sylvie Mercier,
  • Fernando Vallejo,
  • Alexis Bred,
  • Didier Fraisse,
  • Christine Morand,
  • Ebru Pelvan,
  • Laurent-Emmanuel Monfoulet,
  • Antonio González-Sarrías

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13050562
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 5
p. 562

Abstract

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Recently, the development of functional beverages has been enhanced to promote health and nutritional well-being. Thus, the fermentation of plant foods with lactic acid bacteria can enhance their antioxidant capacity and others like anti-inflammatory activity, which may depend on the variations in the total content and profile of (poly)phenols. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of fermentation with two strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum of several herbal infusions from thyme, rosemary, echinacea, and pomegranate peel on the (poly)phenolic composition and whether lacto-fermentation can contribute to enhance their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on human colon myofibroblast CCD18-Co cells. HPLC-MS/MS analyses revealed that fermentation increased the content of the phenolics present in all herbal infusions. In vitro analyses indicated that pomegranate infusion showed higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, followed by thyme, echinacea, and rosemary, based on the total phenolic content. After fermentation, despite increasing the content of phenolics, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects via reduction pro-inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-8 and PGE2) were similar to those of their corresponding non-fermented infusions, with the exception of a greater reduction in lacto-fermented thyme. Overall, the findings suggest that the consumption of lacto-fermented herbal infusions could be beneficial in alleviating intestinal inflammatory disorders.

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