Antioxidant, Biochemical, and In-Life Effects of <i>Punica granatum</i> L. Natural Juice vs. Clarified Juice by Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane
Valeria Maria Morittu,
Vincenzo Mastellone,
Rosa Tundis,
Monica Rosa Loizzo,
Raffaella Tudisco,
Alberto Figoli,
Alfredo Cassano,
Nadia Musco,
Domenico Britti,
Federico Infascelli,
Pietro Lombardi
Affiliations
Valeria Maria Morittu
C.I.S.—Interdepartmental Services Centre of Veterinary for Human and Animal Health, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, Loc. Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Vincenzo Mastellone
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, 80100 Napoli, Italy
Rosa Tundis
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, Ed. Polifunzionale, 87030 Rende, Italy
Monica Rosa Loizzo
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, Ed. Polifunzionale, 87030 Rende, Italy
Raffaella Tudisco
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, 80100 Napoli, Italy
Alberto Figoli
Institute on Membrane Technology, Italian National Research Council (ITM-CNR), Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy
Alfredo Cassano
Institute on Membrane Technology, Italian National Research Council (ITM-CNR), Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy
Nadia Musco
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, 80100 Napoli, Italy
Domenico Britti
C.I.S.—Interdepartmental Services Centre of Veterinary for Human and Animal Health, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, Loc. Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Federico Infascelli
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, 80100 Napoli, Italy
Pietro Lombardi
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, 80100 Napoli, Italy
A clarification method was proposed to ameliorate the technological quality of fruit juices by preserving bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the in vitro antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities and the in vivo effects of Punica granatum L. natural (NJ) and clarified (CJ) juice by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane. CJ was more active as an antioxidant and as a α-glucosidase inhibitor than NJ. Mice were orally gavaged with water (Control), NJ, and CJ for 28 days. NJ group showed significant decrease of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amino transferase, and creatine-phosphokinase. CJ administration was associated with urea, creatine-phosphokinase, and triglycerides values significantly lower with respect to the control. Oxidative status was ameliorated with CJ administration, showing a reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) reduction of 32% and a biological antioxidant potential (BAP) boosting of 23% compared to the control, whereas NJ did not show a similar effect. Results confirmed the beneficial properties of pomegranate juice, showing that membrane clarification may enhance such effects in terms of antioxidant activity.
