<i>Citrus</i> Pomace as a Source of Plant Complexes to Be Used in the Nutraceutical Field of Intestinal Inflammation
Mariarosaria Ingegneri,
Maria Rita Braghini,
Michela Piccione,
Cristiano De Stefanis,
Manuela Mandrone,
Ilaria Chiocchio,
Ferruccio Poli,
Martina Imbesi,
Anna Alisi,
Antonella Smeriglio,
Domenico Trombetta
Affiliations
Mariarosaria Ingegneri
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Maria Rita Braghini
Research Unit of Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00165 Rome, Italy
Michela Piccione
Core Facilities, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00165 Rome, Italy
Cristiano De Stefanis
Core Facilities, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00165 Rome, Italy
Manuela Mandrone
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBit), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Ilaria Chiocchio
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBit), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Ferruccio Poli
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBit), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Martina Imbesi
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Anna Alisi
Research Unit of Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00165 Rome, Italy
Antonella Smeriglio
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Domenico Trombetta
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
This study aims to recover the main by-product of Citrus fruits processing, the raw pomace, known also as pastazzo, to produce plant complexes to be used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Food-grade extracts from orange (OE) and lemon (LE) pomace were obtained by ultrasound-assisted maceration. After a preliminary phytochemical and biological screening by in vitro assays, primary and secondary metabolites were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS) analyses. The intestinal bioaccessibility and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties were investigated by in vitro simulated gastro-intestinal digestion followed by treatments on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (Caco-2). The tight junctions-associated structural proteins (ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin), transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), reactive oxygen species (ROS)-levels, expression of some key antioxidant (CAT, NRF2 and SOD2) and inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8) genes, and pNFkB p65 nuclear translocation, were evaluated. The OE and LE digesta, which did not show any significant difference in terms of phytochemical profile, showed significant effects in protecting against the LPS-induced intestinal barrier damage, oxidative stress and inflammatory response. In conclusion, both OE and LE emerged as potential candidates for further preclinical studies on in vivo IBD models.
