New Insight on the Bioactivity of <i>Solanum aethiopicum</i> Linn. Growing in Basilicata Region (Italy): Phytochemical Characterization, Liposomal Incorporation, and Antioxidant Effects
Immacolata Faraone,
Ludovica Lela,
Maria Ponticelli,
Domenico Gorgoglione,
Filomena De Biasio,
Patricia Valentão,
Paula B. Andrade,
Antonio Vassallo,
Carla Caddeo,
Roberto Falabella,
Angela Ostuni,
Luigi Milella
Affiliations
Immacolata Faraone
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Ludovica Lela
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Maria Ponticelli
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Domenico Gorgoglione
EVRA S.r.l., Località Galdo, 85044 Lauria, PZ, Italy
Filomena De Biasio
EVRA S.r.l., Località Galdo, 85044 Lauria, PZ, Italy
Patricia Valentão
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Paula B. Andrade
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Antonio Vassallo
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Carla Caddeo
Department of “Scienze Della Vita e Dell’ambiente, Sezione di Scienze del Farmaco”, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Roberto Falabella
Urology Unit, San Carlo Hospital, Via Potito Petrone, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Angela Ostuni
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Luigi Milella
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale Dell’ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Food extract’s biological effect and its improvement using nanotechnologies is one of the challenges of the last and the future decades; for this reason, the antioxidant effect of scarlet eggplant extract liposomal incorporation was investigated. Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is a member of the Solanaceae family, and it is one of the most consumed vegetables in tropical Africa and south of Italy. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of S. aethiopicum grown in the Basilicata Region for the first time. The whole fruit, peel, and pulp were subjected to ethanolic exhaustive maceration extraction, and all extracts were investigated. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten phenolic compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanones, flavanols, and four carotenoids (one xanthophyll and three carotenes). The peel extract was the most promising, active, and the richest in specialized metabolites; hence, it was tested on HepG2 cell lines and incorporated into liposomes. The nanoincorporation enhanced the peel extract’s antioxidant activity, resulting in a reduction of the concentration used. Furthermore, the extract improved the expression of endogenous antioxidants, such as ABCG2, CAT, and NQO1, presumably through the Nrf2 pathway.
