ABSTRACT
Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) have been reported to hold a plentitude of health-promoting properties beyond basic nutrition, mainly attributed to their anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. In this article, we built the phytochemical profile of three wild bilberry fruit extract formulations (aqueous, methanolic, and hydro-methanolic) using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS putative analysis, identifying 88 individual phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids (total content 8.41 ± 0.11 mg QE/g dw), free amino acids, polyphenols (total content 21.68 ± 0.19 mg GAE/g dw), carboxylic acids, and vitamins. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the extract was assessed, reaching 78.03 ± 0.16% DPPH free radical scavenging activity, comparable to literature values determined for bilberry extracts of other origin. Due to the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and based on the reviewed benefits of bilberries, we tested the most potent formulation of our bilberry extracts in this biological context. The in vivo rescue effect of a bilberry extract supplemented diet on Drosophila melanogaster was assessed by monitoring biochemical and genomic markers. Hemolymph trehalose levels were halved upon addition of 3% hydro-methanolic bilberry extract to a high-sugar (1.5 M sucrose) diet, as compared to the non-supplemented high-sugar diet. Noteworthy, the rescue seen for flies kept on the bilberry extract supplemented high-sugar diet appeared to parallel the trehalose levels observed in the case of the control diet (50 mM sucrose) flies. Moreover, next to the trehalose-lowering type of in vivo effects, other gene expression related rescues were also detected for genes such as InR, Akh, AstA, AstC, Irk, Npc2g, and CCHa2 upon supplementation of the high-sugar diet with our hydro-methanolic bilberry fruit extract. Our findings suggest that such a bilberry fruit extract could generate physiological and genomic type of compensatory mechanisms so that further translational approaches would advance the understanding of some human specific pathological conditions.
ABSTRACT
Discovery and development of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors mark a milestone in neuropharmacology. Drugs from this class alter the functioning of the serotonin system by the potentiation of serotonin through the negative allosteric modulation of its neuronal uptake by the human serotonin transporter. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors show few side effects compared to those caused by traditional antidepressants and they vary in the binding interactions formed during binding. Generally, their binding involves three specific regions of the drug structures, each participating in vital interactions, such as salt bridge formation and additional hydrophobic interactions with conserved residues in the central binding site of the target protein. Side effects, however, such as the initial lack of response to treatment, or drowsiness, nausea, and sexual dysfunction occasionally may arise. Additional binding studies, furthermore, highlighted the importance of enantioselectivity in the binding of these compounds, raising concerns about the beneficial application of racemate mixtures of some of these compounds. Therefore, additional characterisation of binding and further structural improvement of this class of drugs is necessary. The recently synthesized sertraline salts, and functional derivatives of fluoxetine and citalopram show promising results in delivering antidepressant activity as well as in effectively overcoming anorexigenic side-effects in rodent models. Hence, despite certain non-desired effects associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor applications, this class of drugs is considered as first-line medication in the management of major depression, and is carrying an excellent potential for the development and refinement of the currently available and novel antidepressant therapies.
