Antiproliferative Activity and Mechanisms of Action of Plant-derived Flavonoids on Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the main global diseases with a high mortality rate that mainly affects the female population. Despite the important advances that have been made concerning the treatments for this disease, research on less invasive therapies that generate fewer side effects for patients continues to develop. Consequently, researchers have turned their attention to using natural compounds (such as flavonoids) involved in molecular processes implicated in this type of cancer and are studying how these processes can be exploited to develop possible chemotherapies. This review offers a general description of studies on the antiproliferative activity of flavonoids obtained from natural sources for breast cancer treatment and their mechanism of action related to their structural characteristics. Reports were retrieved from electronic databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus using the following keywords: breast cancer, antiproliferative, flavonoids, and structureactivity. Articles published between 2015-2022 related to the topics mentioned above were selected, focusing on the flavonoids apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, and naringenin, as they are the ones with the highest activity and relevance according to the literature found.

Oregano as a potential source of antidiabetic agents.

Oregano is the name given to a great variety of herbs belonging mainly to the Lamiaceae and Verbenaceae botanical families. Oregano species are rich sources of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds like rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid, and luteolin, among others. A few articles have previously accessed some potential pharmacological bioactivities of oregano plants; however, none has focused on the antidiabetic studies. This review aims to summarize recent studies about the potential effect of phenolic compounds from oregano plant species. The reports were retrieved from electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and Scopus. In addition, articles related to the mentioned topics and published between 2004-2022 were selected. The results from this study show that the antidiabetic pharmacological reports of oregano phenolic compounds are mainly in vitro reports. Therefore, the diversity of oregano species yields a broad variety of phenolic constituents, where preclinical and clinical studies are strongly recommended.

Prebiotic compounds from agro-industrial by-products.

Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that have an impact on gut microbiota composition and activity, which in turn results in the improvement of health conditions. Nowadays, the production of prebiotics from agro-industrial by-products is under investigation. In this regard, polysaccharides are usually found in these sources and their potential use as prebiotics has been studied recently since these compounds act as substrates for the human gut microbiota, and they have the potential to modulate its composition through many mechanisms. Additionally, the use of agricultural by-products is advantageous because it is a cheap and abundantly available material. This review focuses on the recent scientific literature regarding the prebiotic properties of polysaccharides from agro-industrial by-products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Currently, the maintenance of gut homeostasis is a target for the improvement of human health. This review can broaden the perspective on the utilization of agro-industrial by-products that can compete in the market with the commercial ones or act as a source for new food ingredients.

Cellular antioxidant activity and in vitro intestinal permeability of phenolic compounds from four varieties of mango bark (Mangifera indica L.).

BACKGROUND: Mango bark is an important agro-industrial residue from mango pruning. In traditional medicine, the aqueous extract from mango bark (MBE) has been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of many diseases. However, there is scarce information using cellular models to evaluate the potential use of this plant material for human consumption. In this study, the phenolic content from the MBE from four varieties (Kent, Keitt, Ataulfo and Tommy Atkins) was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/MS-TOF). Additionally, the cellular antioxidant activity of the MBE from the four mango varieties were compared. Finally, the intestinal permeability of the main polyphenols found in the MBE (mangiferin and gallic acid) was evaluated. RESULTS: Mangiferin and gallic acid were the main constituents in the MBE from the four mango varieties. Furthermore, the Ataulfo variety showed the highest cellular antioxidant activity (67%) at the concentration of 100 µg mL−1 . The intestinal permeability of mangiferin present in the bark extracts was 3- to 4.8-fold higher than those of mangiferin as standard, whereas the intestinal permeability of gallic acid varied among the tested extracts. CONCLUSION: MBE has the potential to exert antioxidant activity at the cellular level and can have an impact on human health. It may also be a good source for the extraction of polyphenols mainly mangiferin.

Flavonoids and Phenolic Acids from Oregano: Occurrence, Biological Activity and Health Benefits.

Several herb species classified as oregano have been widely used in folk medicine to alleviate inflammation-related diseases, respiratory and digestive disorders, headaches, rheumatism, diabetes and others. These potential health benefits are partially attributed to the phytochemical compounds in oregano such as flavonoids (FL) and phenolic acids (PA). Flavonoids and phenolic acids are among the most abundant and most studied phytochemicals in oregano species. Epidemiological, in vitro and in vivo experiments have related long-term consumption of dietary FL and PA with a decreased risk of incidence of chronic diseases. The aim of this manuscript is to summarize the latest studies on the identification and distribution of flavonoids and phenolic compounds from oregano species and their potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer health benefits.

Essential Oils of Oregano: Biological Activity beyond Their Antimicrobial Properties.

Essential oils of oregano are widely recognized for their antimicrobial activity, as well as their antiviral and antifungal properties. Nevertheless, recent investigations have demonstrated that these compounds are also potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and cancer suppressor agents. These properties of oregano essential oils are of potential interest to the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this manuscript is to review the latest evidence regarding essential oils of oregano and their beneficial effects on health.