The protective effect of the Cornus mas fruits (cornelian cherry) on hypertriglyceridemia and atherosclerosis through PPARα activation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruits have been used in traditional cuisine and in folk medicine in various countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the constituents and impact of cornelian cherry (C. mas L.) fruits lyophilisate on lipid levels, PPARα protein expression, atheromatous changes in the aorta, oxido-redox state, and proinflammatory cytokines in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. The HPLC-MS method was used for determining active constituents in cornelian cherry. In a subsequent in vivo study the protective effect of the cornelian cherry on diet-induced hyperlipidemia was studied using a rabbit model fed 1% cholesterol. Cornelian cherry (100mg/kg b.w.) or simvastatin (5mg/kg b.w.) were administered orally for 60 days. Two iridoids - loganic acid and cornuside - and five anthocyanins were identified as the main constituents of the cornelian cherry. The administering of the cornelian cherry led to a 44% significant decrease in serum triglyceride levels, as well as prevented development of atheromatous changes in the thoracic aorta. Cornelian cherry significantly increased PPARα protein expression in the liver, indicating that its hypolipidemic effect may stem from enhanced fatty acid catabolism. Simvastatin treatment did not affect PPAR-α expression. Moreover, the cornelian cherry had a significant protective effect on diet-induced oxidative stress in the liver, as well as restored upregulated proinflammatory cytokines serum levels. In conclusion, we have shown loganic acid to be the main iridoid constituent in the European cultivar of the cornelian cherry, and proven that the cornelian cherry could have protective effects on diet-induced hypertriglicerydemia and atherosclerosis through enhanced PPARα protein expression and via regulating oxidative stress and inflammation.

Content of polyphenols in coloured and yellow fleshed potatoes during dices processing.

The purpose of the research was to examine the effect of the laboratory production of dried potato dice on the content of phenolic compounds in one yellow-fleshed potato variety and four blue-fleshed potatoes varieties. Coloured-flesh potato varieties were characterised by about three times higher amount of total phenolic content than traditional yellow-fleshed ones. The predominating phenolic acids in potato were chlorogenic acid and its isomers, which account about 90% of total phenolic content in tubers. The phenolic acid content decreased by 80% after peeling the blue-fleshed potatoes and by 60% after peeling the yellow variety. The dried potato dice obtained from yellow-fleshed potatoes had no content of phenolic acids but produced from colour-fleshed potatoes contained about 4% of the original phenolic content of the raw material. Chlorogenic acid amounted about 97% of total phenolic acid content, and the rest was neochlorogenic acid.