Antioxidant Characterization and Biological Effects of Grape Pomace Extracts Supplementation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the biological activity of four grape pomace (GP) extracts that are rich in polyphenols using C. elegans as an in vivo model. Different concentrations of the GP extracts were assessed for their effects on the resistance of C. elegans against thermally induced oxidative stress, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lifespan. The cultivation of C. elegans with relatively low concentrations of GP extracts increased their resistance against thermal stress and prolonged their lifespan, while high levels displayed detrimental effects. In the studied extracts, maximum protection was observed for levels of polyphenols around 7 to 9 µg gallic acid equivalents per cultivation plate. The obtained results suggested that small changes in the ROS levels could have beneficial effects, although further studies are required to fully understand the impact of the extracts and assayed doses on ROS levels to explain the mechanism that is involved in the observed effects.

Chemical characterization and in vitro colonic fermentation of grape pomace extracts.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is growing interest in extracts derived from winery by-products because of their beneficial health properties, which are associated with the presence of bioactive compounds. In this paper, we have carried out the chemical characterization and in vitro colonic fermentation of four grape pomace (GP) extracts rich in polyphenols and dietary fibre. RESULT: Firstly, phenolic and dietary fibre composition of the GP extracts was determined. The highest individual phenolic concentrations corresponded to gallic and ellagic acids, followed by catechins and flavonols. The non-digestible fibre fraction ranged from 66% to 83% of the GP extracts, which indicated that they mainly contained non-digestible cell wall components. Secondly, when GP extracts were subjected to fermentation by faecal microbiota, a total of 16 bacterial phenolic metabolites were found in the fermented samples, confirming that polyphenols contained in the GP extracts were metabolized to different active metabolites by microbiota. In addition, the GP extracts tended to promote the growth of intestinal microbiota, although it was only significant for the Enterococcus group. CONCLUSION: These findings, together with other information available in the literature, support the high added value of products obtained from winery by-products. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The food matrix affects the anthocyanin profile of fortified egg and dairy matrices during processing and in vitro digestion.

The aim of the present study was to understand to what extent the inclusion of anthocyanins into dairy and egg matrices could affect their stability after processing and their release and solubility during digestion. For this purpose, individual and total anthocyanin content of four different enriched matrices, namely custard dessert, milkshake, pancake and omelettete, was determined after their manufacturing and during in vitro digestion. Results showed that anthocyanin recovery after processing largely varied among matrices, mainly due to the treatments applied and the interactions developed with other food components. In terms of digestion, the present study showed that the inclusion of anthocyanins into food matrices could be an effective way to protect them against intestinal degradation, and also the incorporation of anthocyanins into matrices with different compositions and structures could represent an interesting and effective method to control the delivery of anthocyanins within the different compartments of the digestive tract.

Urinary microRNA-based signature improves accuracy of detection of clinically relevant prostate cancer within the prostate-specific antigen grey zone.

At present, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is used as a clinical biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis; however, a large number of patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) with PSA levels in the 'gray area' (4-10 ng/ml) are currently subjected to unnecessary biopsy due to overdiagnosis. Certain microRNAs (miRs) have been proven to be useful biomarkers, several of which are detectable in bodily fluids. The present study identified and validated a urinary miR­based signature to enhance the specificity of PCa diagnosis and to reduce the number of patients with benign conditions undergoing biopsy. Seventy­three urine samples from Mexican patients with diagnosis of PCa with a Gleason score ≥7 and 70 patients diagnosed with BPH were collected after digital rectal examination (DRE) of the prostate. miR expression profiles were determined using TaqMan Low Density Array experiments, and normalized Ct values for the miRs were compared between PCa and BPH groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate whether miR detection in urine is suitable for distinguishing patients with PCa from those with BPH. The identified miR­100/200b signature was significantly correlated with PCa. Using a multivariable logistic regression approach, a base model including the clinical variables age, prostate­specific antigen (PSA), the percentage of free PSA and DRE was generated, and a second base model additionally contained the miR­100/200b signature. ROC analysis demonstrated that the combined model significantly outperformed the capacity of PSA (P<0.001) and the base model (P=0.01) to discriminate between PCa and BPH patients. In terms of evaluation of the sub­group of patients in the gray zone of PSA levels, the performance of the combined model for predicting PCa cases was significantly superior to PSA level determination (P<0.001) and the base model (P=0.009). In addition, decision curve analysis demonstrated that the use of the combined model increased the clinical benefit for patients and produced a substantial reduction in unnecessary biopsies across a range of reasonable threshold probabilities (10­50%). Detection of the urinary miR signature identified in the present study as part of clinical diagnostic procedures will enhance the accuracy of PCa diagnosis and provide a clinical benefit for patients with BPH by sparing them from undergoing invasive biopsy. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to describe the profiling of urinary miR100 and miR-200b levels for the clinical diagnosis of PCa.

Landscape of genomic alterations in cervical carcinomas.

Cervical cancer is responsible for 10-15% of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. The aetiological role of infection with high-risk human papilloma viruses (HPVs) in cervical carcinomas is well established. Previous studies have also implicated somatic mutations in PIK3CA, PTEN, TP53, STK11 and KRAS as well as several copy-number alterations in the pathogenesis of cervical carcinomas. Here we report whole-exome sequencing analysis of 115 cervical carcinoma-normal paired samples, transcriptome sequencing of 79 cases and whole-genome sequencing of 14 tumour-normal pairs. Previously unknown somatic mutations in 79 primary squamous cell carcinomas include recurrent E322K substitutions in the MAPK1 gene (8%), inactivating mutations in the HLA-B gene (9%), and mutations in EP300 (16%), FBXW7 (15%), NFE2L2 (4%), TP53 (5%) and ERBB2 (6%). We also observe somatic ELF3 (13%) and CBFB (8%) mutations in 24 adenocarcinomas. Squamous cell carcinomas have higher frequencies of somatic nucleotide substitutions occurring at cytosines preceded by thymines (Tp*C sites) than adenocarcinomas. Gene expression levels at HPV integration sites were statistically significantly higher in tumours with HPV integration compared with expression of the same genes in tumours without viral integration at the same site. These data demonstrate several recurrent genomic alterations in cervical carcinomas that suggest new strategies to combat this disease.

Specific phenolic compounds and sensory properties of a new dealcoholized red wine with pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) extract.

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit has a long history of human consumption and possesses notable antioxidant and cardiovascular properties. This work evaluated the feasibility to provide a new functional beverage based on a dealcoholized red wine matrix supplemented by a pomegranate extract. The potential bioactive compounds in the pomegranate extract, punicalagin A and B and ellagic acid, were analyzed during the downstream process in order to evaluate the functional dose in the final beverage. The addition of pomegranate extract to the dealcoholized red wine resulted in a product with more intense yeast odor, acidity, yeast flavor, and astringency and with a less intense berry flavor. Consumer acceptance of the product was also investigated and the results revealed the existence of a niche of consumers willing to consume dealcoholized wine enriched with pomegranate extract. After tasting, 50% and 40% of those consumers initially interested by this product concept declared to be interested to purchase the control sample and the functional beverage, respectively. The daily consumption of two servings of 250 mL of this new pomegranate-enriched dealcoholized wine provides 82 mg of total ellagitannins, corresponding to the sum of punicalagin A and B and ellagic acid.

LDL cholesterol-lowering effects of grape extract used as a dietary supplement on healthy volunteers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Eminol®, the polyphenol-rich grape extract supplement (700 mg), on cardiovascular risk and oxidant stress indicators in a sample of volunteers. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed over 56 days and included 60 volunteers. Thirty volunteers took 700 mg of the grape extract, Eminol® (E), and 30 took the placebo (P). On comparison of the results, a decrease in total cholesterol (E: 213.77 ± 4.1 mg/dl and P: 245.57 ± 4.1 mg/dl; p = 0.01) and LDL cholesterol (E: 142.17 ± 3.1 mg/dl and P: 165.13 ± 3.1 mg/dl; p = 0.02) levels as well as an increase in antioxidant capacity (E: 65.63 ± 5.8 µmol TE/mg and P: 57.80 ± 7.7 µmol TE/mg; p < 0.01) and vitamin E (E: 11.46 ± 0.5 µg/ml and P: 9.06 ± 0.5 µg/ml; p = 0.018) was observed. This result indicates that the grape extract Eminol® modulated the lipid profile in terms of cardiovascular risk indicators, lowering total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.