In vitro antioxidant,anti-diabetic,cholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory potential of fresh juice from Citrus hystrix and C.maxima fruits

In the present study,antioxidant potential,α-amylase,α-glucosidase,cholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of fresh juice from indigenous fruits of Citrus hystrix and C.maxima(Red&White var.)were investigated using an in vitro model.The contents of total phenolics,tannins,and total flavonoids ranged between 836.90 and 909.52 mg gallic acid equivalent(GAE)/L,333.33 and 523.21 mg gallic acid equivalent(GAE)/L and 224.88 and 262.22 mg rutin equivalent/L,respectively.The antioxidant activity of fresh juice was evaluated by employing different in vitro assays such as reducing power assay,DPPH•,ABTS•+and•OH radical scavenging capacities,peroxidation inhibition activity,antihemolytic assay.In addition,75.55%–79.75%ofα-amylase and 70.68%–72.83%ofα-glucosidase enzyme inhibition characteristics were found under in vitro starch digestion bioassay.Also,all the juice samples exhibited excellent tyrosinase(76.95%–80.79%),acetylcholinesterase(75.71%–79.74%)andβ-glucuronidase inhibitory activity(68.13%–69.38%).These results indicated that fresh juice of C.hystrix and C.maxima(Red&White var.)could be used as a source of antioxidant agents,functional food and nutraceuticals.©2014 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

Protective Effect of Fresh/Dry Dandelion Extracts on APAP-Overdose-Induced Acute Liver Injury

Objecitvie:To compare the liver protective activity of fresh/dried dandelion extracts against acetaminophen(APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity.Methods:Totally 90 Kunming mice were randomly divided into10 groups according to body weight(9 mice for each group).The mice in the normal control and model(vehicle control)groups were administered sodium carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC-Na,0.5%)only.Administration groups were pretreated with high and low-dose dry dandelion extract(1,000 or 500 g fresh herb dried and then decocted into 120 mL solution,DDE-H and DDE-L);low-,medium-and high-dose dandelion juice(250,500,1,000 g/120 mL,DJ-L,DJ-M,and DJ-H);fresh dandelions evaporation juice water(120 mL,DEJW);dry dandelion extract dissolved by pure water(1 kg/120 mL,DDED-PW);dry dandelion extract dissolved by DEJW(120 g/120 mL,DDED-DEJW)by oral gavage for 7 days at the dosage of 0.5 mL solution/10 g body weight;after that,except normal control group,all other groups were intraperitonealy injected with 350 mg/kg APAP to induce liver injury.Twenty hours after APAP administration,serum and liver tissue were collected and serum alanine aminotransferase(AST),aspartate transaminase(ALT),alkaline phosphatase(AKP),malondialdehyde(MDA),glutathione(GSH),superoxide dismutase(SOD)activities were quantified by biochemical kits;tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-2,and IL-1β contents in liver tissue were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits.Histopathological changes in liver tissues were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining;TUNEL Assay and Hoechst 33258 staining were applied for cell apoptosis evaluation.The expressions of heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2(Nrf-2),caspase-9,B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2(Bcl-2),Bax and p-JNK were determined by Western blot analysis.Results:Pretreatment with fresh dandelion juice(FDJ,including DJ-L,DJ-M,DJ-H,DEJW and DDED-DEJW)significantly decreased the levels of serum ALT,AST,AKP,TNF-α and IL-1β compared with vehicle control group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Additionally,compared with the vehicle control group,FDJ decreased the levels of hepatic MDA and restored GSH levels and SOD activity in livers(P<0.05 or P<0.01).FDJ inhibited the overexpression of pro-inflammatory factors including cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the liver tissues(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Furthermore,Western blot analysis revealed that FDJ pretreatment inhibited activation of apoptotic signaling pathways via decreasing of Bax,and caspase-9 and JNK protein expression,and inhibited activation of JNK pathway(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Liver histopathological observation provided further evidence that FDJ pretreatment significantly inhibited APAP-induced hepatocyte necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltration and congestion.Conclusions:FDJ pretreatment protects against APAP-induced hepatic injury by activating the Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway and inhibition of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway,and the effect of fresh dandelion extracts was superior to dried dandelion extracts in APAP hepatotoxicity model mice.