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Antioxidants
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Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging...
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Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 14204

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexandra Barbouti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Anatomy-Histology-Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
Interests: redox signaling; oxidative stress; antioxidants; iron homeostasis; labile iron; apoptotic cell death; cellular senescence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Vlasios Goulas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
Interests: natural products analysis and processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A large body of research data correlates the Mediterranean diet, namely the traditional diet that prevailed in the north shores of the Mediterranean basin with beneficial health effects including lower incidence of certain chronic diseases and reduced mortality risks. This dietary pattern is characterized by a high intake of olive oil, vegetables, fruits, unprocessed cereals, legumes and aromatic herbs; a moderate intake of fish, dairy products and wine; and a low intake of red meat. Although it has become apparent that this is one of the healthiest diets in the world, the underlying mechanisms responsible for its beneficial effects are still not fully elucidated. One of the prevailing perceptions is that the Mediterranean diet combats oxidative stress that occurs when there is an excess of free radical production in the body—a situation that has been linked with the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. Notably, key ingredients of the Mediterranean diet such as olive oil, fruit, vegetables, wine etc. contain a myriad of free-radical-scavenging antioxidants. It is generally believed that such antioxidants detoxify free radicals in the human body, and thus prevent or delay the development of oxidative-stress-related diseases. Nevertheless, intensive research has convincingly demonstrated that a plethora of diet-derived compounds protect cells and tissues against oxidative damage by acting with mechanisms beyond the free radical scavenging capacity. Such compounds may, for example, prevent the generation of reactive free radicals or further activate intrinsic mechanisms of defense against oxidative stress. Therefore, the current Special Issue will be focused on understanding how antioxidants and other bioactive compounds in foods comprising the Mediterranean diet exert their health-protective effects.

We invite you to contribute original research or review articles that explore mechanistic aspects of the beneficial potential of the Mediterranean diet food compounds.  

Dr. Alexandra Barbouti
Dr. Vlasios Goulas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antioxidants
  • bioactive compounds
  • Mediterranean diet
  • mechanisms of action of diet-derived compounds
  • in vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity
  • oxidative stress
  • free radicals
  • reactive oxygen species

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2842 KiB  
Article
Uncovering Novel Capsaicin Inhibitory Activity towards Human Carbonic Anhydrase Isoforms IX and XII by Combining In Silico and In Vitro Studies
by Gianmarco Gualtieri, Annalisa Maruca, Roberta Rocca, Fabrizio Carta, Emanuela Berrino, Alessandro Salatino, Carolina Brescia, Roberta Torcasio, Manuel Crispo, Francesco Trapasso, Stefano Alcaro, Claudiu T. Supuran and Giosuè Costa
Antioxidants 2023, 12(5), 1115; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12051115 - 18 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1616
Abstract
Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) represents one of the most widespread functional foods of the Mediterranean diet, and is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental disorders. In particular, its bioactive spicy molecules, named Capsaicinoids, exhibit polypharmacological [...] Read more.
Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) represents one of the most widespread functional foods of the Mediterranean diet, and is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental disorders. In particular, its bioactive spicy molecules, named Capsaicinoids, exhibit polypharmacological properties. Among them, Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is the most studied and reported in variegated scientific contributions for its beneficial effects, often linked to mechanisms of action unrelated to the activation of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). In this study, we present the application of in silico methods to Capsaicin for evaluating its inhibitory activity against the tumor-associated human (h) expressed CA IX and XII. In vitro assays confirmed Capsaicin inhibitory activity towards the most relevant tumor-related hCA isoforms. In particular, the hCAs IX and XII showed an experimental KI value of 0.28 μM and 0.064 μM, respectively. Then, an A549 model of non-small cell lung cancer, typically characterized by an elevated expression of hCA IX and XII, was employed to test the inhibitory effects of Capsaicin in vitro under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Finally, the migration assay revealed that Capsaicin [10 µM] inhibits cells from moving in the A549 cells model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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13 pages, 625 KiB  
Article
Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity, a Diet Quality Index Predicting Mortality Risk in US Adults: Evidence from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
by Kyungho Ha, Linda M. Liao, Rashmi Sinha and Ock K. Chun
Antioxidants 2023, 12(5), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12051086 - 12 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1610
Abstract
Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an index representing the total antioxidant power of antioxidants consumed via the diet. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary TAC and mortality risk in the US adults using data from the NIH-AARP Diet and [...] Read more.
Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an index representing the total antioxidant power of antioxidants consumed via the diet. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary TAC and mortality risk in the US adults using data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. A total of 468,733 adults aged 50–71 years were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Dietary TAC from diet was calculated from antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids, and TAC from dietary supplements was calculated from supplemental vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. During a median follow-up of 23.1 years, 241,472 deaths were recorded. Dietary TAC was inversely associated with all-cause (hazard ratio (HR) for quintile 5 vs. quintile 1: 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96–0.99, p for trend < 0.0001) and cancer mortality (HR for quintile 5 vs. quintile 1: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90–0.95, p for trend < 0.0001). However, dietary supplement TAC was inversely associated with cancer mortality risk only. These findings indicate that consuming a habitual diet high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of all-cause and cancer mortality and TAC from foods might confer greater health benefits than TAC from dietary supplements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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19 pages, 1468 KiB  
Article
Antioxidant Activity and Inhibition of Digestive Enzymes of New Strawberry Tree Fruit/Apple Smoothies
by Katarzyna Angelika Gil, Paulina Nowicka, Aneta Wojdyło, Gabriele Serreli, Monica Deiana and Carlo Ignazio Giovanni Tuberoso
Antioxidants 2023, 12(4), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12040805 - 26 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2732
Abstract
In this study, original smoothies obtained with strawberry tree fruit puree and apple juice enriched with Diospyros kaki fruits, Myrtus communis purple berry extract, Acca sellowiana, and Crocus sativus petal juice were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and inhibition of targeted digestive [...] Read more.
In this study, original smoothies obtained with strawberry tree fruit puree and apple juice enriched with Diospyros kaki fruits, Myrtus communis purple berry extract, Acca sellowiana, and Crocus sativus petal juice were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and inhibition of targeted digestive enzymes. Values of CUPRAC, FRAP, ORAC, DPPH•, and ABTS•+ assays generally increased with plant enrichment, particularly for A. sellowiana addition (ABTS•+ 2.51 ± 0.01 mmol Trolox/100 g fw). The same trend was observed regarding the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) tested in Caco-2 cell cultures. Inhibitory activity on α-amylase and α-glucosidase was increased by D. kaki, M. communis, and A. sellowiana. Total polyphenols evaluated by UPLC-PDA analysis ranged between 535.75 ± 3.11 and 635.96 ± 5.21 mg/100 g fw, and A. sellowiana provided the higher amount. Flavan-3-ols accounted for more than 70% of phenolic compounds, and only smoothies enriched with C. sativus showed a high amount of anthocyanins (25.12 ± 0.18 mg/100 g fw). The outcome of this study indicates these original smoothies as a possible ally in counteracting oxidative stress, as established by their favourable antioxidant compound profile, thus suggesting an interesting future application as nutraceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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19 pages, 2783 KiB  
Article
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) Glycolic Extract Protects Liver Mitochondria from Oxidative Damage and Prevents Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity
by Natalia S. S. Guimarães, Vyctória S. Ramos, Laura F. L. Prado-Souza, Rayssa M. Lopes, Gabriel S. Arini, Luís G. P. Feitosa, Ricardo R. Silva, Iseli L. Nantes, Debora C. Damasceno, Norberto P. Lopes and Tiago Rodrigues
Antioxidants 2023, 12(3), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12030628 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3425
Abstract
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) is an aromatic culinary herb. Native to the Mediterranean region, it is currently cultivated worldwide. In addition to its use as a condiment in food preparation and in teas, rosemary has been widely employed in folk medicine and cosmetics. [...] Read more.
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) is an aromatic culinary herb. Native to the Mediterranean region, it is currently cultivated worldwide. In addition to its use as a condiment in food preparation and in teas, rosemary has been widely employed in folk medicine and cosmetics. Several beneficial effects have been described for rosemary, including antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Here, we investigated the mechanisms accounting for the antioxidant activity of the glycolic extract of R. officinalis (Ro) in isolated rat liver mitochondria (RLM) under oxidative stress conditions. We also investigated its protective effect against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in vivo. A crude extract was obtained by fractionated percolation, using propylene glycol as a solvent due to its polarity and cosmeceutical compatibility. The quantification of substances with recognized antioxidant action revealed the presence of phenols and flavonoids. Dereplication studies carried out through LC-MS/MS and GC-MS, supported by The Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform, annotated several phenolic compounds, confirming the previous observation. In accordance, Ro decreased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) elicited by Fe2+ or t-BOOH and inhibited the lipid peroxidation of mitochondrial membranes in a concentration-dependent manner in RLM. Such an effect was also observed in liposomes as membrane models. Ro also prevented the oxidation of mitochondrial protein thiol groups and reduced glutathione (GSH). In model systems, Ro exhibited a potent scavenger activity toward 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and superoxide anions. It also demonstrated an Fe2+ chelating activity. Moreover, Ro did not exhibit cytotoxicity or dissipate the mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψ) in rat liver fibroblasts (BRL3A cells). To evaluate whether such antioxidant protective activity observed in vitro could also be achieved in vivo, a well-established model of hepatotoxicity induced by acute exposure to acetaminophen (AAP) was used. This model depletes GSH and promotes oxidative-stress-mediated tissue damage. The treatment of rats with 0.05% Ro, administered intraperitoneally for four days, resulted in inhibition of AAP-induced lipid peroxidation of the liver and the prevention of hepatotoxicity, maintaining alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) levels equal to those of the normal, non-treated rats. Together, these findings highlight the potent antioxidant activity of rosemary, which is able to protect mitochondria from oxidative damage in vitro, and effects such as the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects observed in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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Review

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16 pages, 586 KiB  
Review
Sphingolipid Levels and Signaling via Resveratrol and Antioxidant Actions in Cardiometabolic Risk and Disease
by Melania Gaggini, Simona Fenizia and Cristina Vassalle
Antioxidants 2023, 12(5), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12051102 - 16 May 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1562
Abstract
Resveratrol (RSV) is a phenolic compound with strong antioxidant activity, which is generally associated with the beneficial effects of wine on human health. All resveratrol-mediated benefits exerted on different systems and pathophysiological conditions are possible through resveratrol’s interactions with different biological targets, along [...] Read more.
Resveratrol (RSV) is a phenolic compound with strong antioxidant activity, which is generally associated with the beneficial effects of wine on human health. All resveratrol-mediated benefits exerted on different systems and pathophysiological conditions are possible through resveratrol’s interactions with different biological targets, along with its involvement in several key cellular pathways affecting cardiometabolic (CM) health. With regard to its role in oxidative stress, RSV exerts its antioxidant activity not only as a free radical scavenger but also by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and regulating redox genes, nitric oxide bioavailability and mitochondrial function. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated that some RSV effects are mediated by changes in sphingolipids, a class of biolipids involved in a number of cellular functions (e.g., apoptosis, cell proliferation, oxidative stress and inflammation) that have attracted interest as emerging critical determinants of CM risk and disease. Accordingly, this review aimed to discuss the available data regarding the effects of RSV on sphingolipid metabolism and signaling in CM risk and disease, focusing on oxidative stress/inflammatory-related aspects, and the clinical implications of this relationship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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22 pages, 1485 KiB  
Review
Role of Dietary Polyphenols in the Activity and Expression of Nitric Oxide Synthases: A Review
by Gabriele Serreli and Monica Deiana
Antioxidants 2023, 12(1), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12010147 - 07 Jan 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2562
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) plays several key roles in the functionality of an organism, and it is usually released in numerous organs and tissues. There are mainly three isoforms of the enzyme that produce NO starting from the metabolism of arginine, namely endothelial nitric [...] Read more.
Nitric oxide (NO) plays several key roles in the functionality of an organism, and it is usually released in numerous organs and tissues. There are mainly three isoforms of the enzyme that produce NO starting from the metabolism of arginine, namely endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). The expression and activity of these isoforms depends on the activation/deactivation of different signaling pathways at an intracellular level following different physiological and pathological stimuli. Compounds of natural origin such as polyphenols, which are obtainable through diet, have been widely studied in recent years in in vivo and in vitro investigations for their ability to induce or inhibit NO release, depending on the tissue. In this review, we aim to disclose the scientific evidence relating to the activity of the main dietary polyphenols in the modulation of the intracellular pathways involved in the expression and/or functionality of the NOS isoforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in the Mediterranean Diet Foods: Bridging the Gap between Their Mode of Action and Health-Protective Effects)
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