Review of natural products with hepatoprotective effects

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body,performing a fundamental role in the regulationof diverse processes,among which the metabolism,secretion,storage,and detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances are prominent.Due to these functions,hepatic diseases continue to be among the main threats to public health,and they remain problems throughout the world.Despite enormous advances in modern medicine,there are no completely effective drugs that stimulate hepatic function,that offer complete protection of the organ,or that help to regenerate hepatic cells.Thus,it is necessary to identify pharmaceutical alternatives for the treatment of liver diseases,with the aim of these alternatives being more effective and less toxic.The use of some plants and the consumption of different fruits have played basic roles in human health care,and diverse scientific investigations have indicated that,in those plants and fruits so identified,their beneficial effects can be attributed to the presence of chemical compounds that are called phytochemicals.The present review had as its objective the collecting of data based on research conducted into some fruits(grapefruit,cranberries,and grapes)and plants[cactus pear(nopal)and cactus pear fruit,chamomile,silymarin,and spirulina],which are consumed frequently by humans and which have demonstrated hepatoprotective capacity,as well as an analysis of a resin(propolis)and some phytochemicals extracted from fruits,plants,yeasts,and algae,which have been evaluated in different models of hepatotoxicity.

Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and GC-MS analysis of juice and peel oil of grapefruit varieties cultivated in India

Citrus family especially Grapefruit,has attained considerable attention due to the presence of a number of essential components that have cardiovascular and anti-hypertensive properties.The juice and essential oil extracted from eight recently released grapefruit cultivars were used to study physicochemical and antioxidant properties.The total soluble solids(TSS),titratable acidity(TA) and pH of juice samples extracted from various grapefruit varieties differed significantly.The refractive index,specific gravity and optical rotation values for the oil varied from 1.473 to 1.396,0.863 to 0.847 and +93 to +86,respectively.The percent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical activity(% DPPH activity) and ferric reducing antioxidant power(FRAP) values for grapefruit juice and peel oil varied from 24.06 to 18.79,2.91 to 1.44 mmol g^–1 and 84.87 to 74.73,7.76 to 5.73 mmol g^-1,respectively.There were significant differences in physicochemical,antioxidant properties and volatile profiles of extracted juice and oil.The oil exhibited higher DPPH and FRAP values than the juice.Among different components identified which accounted for over 99% of the volatile fraction,limonene,myrcene,and benzopyran were major components in all oil samples.

Ameliorative effect of grapefruit juice on amiodarone-induced cytogenetic and testicular damage in albino rats

Objective:To evaluate the ameliorative role of grapefruit juice on the cytogenetic and testicular damage induced by the antiarrythmic drug amiodarone in albino rats.Methods:Animals were divided into four groups.Group I was considered as control.Group II was given grapefruit juice at a dose level of 27 mL/kg body weight.Group III was orally administered amiodarone(18 mg/kg body weight)daily for 5 weeks.Animals were sacrificed after 5 weeks of treatment.Bone marrow was collected from the femurs for analysis of chromosomal aberrations and mitotic indices.Testes were removed and stained with H&E for histological examination.Sperms were collected from epidedymis for detection of sperm head abnormalities.Comet assay was used to detect DNA damage.Results:Amiodarone treatment caused a significant increase in the percentage of chromosomal aberrations,decreased the mitotic index and increased DNA damage.The testis showed many histopathological alterations,inhibition of spermatogenesis and morphometric changes.The number of sperm head abnormalities was increased.Treating animals with amiodarone and grapefruit juice caused a reduction in chromosomal aberrations,mitotic index,DNA damage and testicular alterations caused by amiodarone.Conclusions:The results of this study indicated that grapefruit juice ameliorates the cytotoxicty and testicular alterations induced by amiodarone in albino rats and this is may be due to the potent antioxidant effects of its components.

Inquiry of Water-Soluble Polysaccharide Extraction Conditions from Grapefruit Skin

Water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from grapefruit with the method of water-dissolving and ethanol-precipitating. By single factor test and orthogonal experimental method, the extraction conditions of the water-soluble polysaccharide were investigated, which contained liquid-solid ratio, temperature, time and pH. The results showed that pH was the most important factor of polysaccharide extraction, followed by temperature. The optimized extraction technology conditions were obtained. The liquid-solid ratio was 1:40, temperature was 90?C, time was 2.0 h, and pH was 2. The highest extraction rate of crude polysaccharide was 8.30%.

Effects of tomato juice on the pharmacokinetics of CYP3A4-substrate drugs

We previously demonstrated that tomato juice(TJ) contains potent mechanism-based inhibitor(s) of CYP3A4. In this study, we investigated the effects of TJ and grapefruit juice(GFJ)on the pharmacokinetics of the CYP3A4-substrate drugs, nifedipine(NFP) and midazolam(MDZ), in male Wistar rats. Oral administration of GFJ 90 min before the intraduodenal administration of NFP or MDZ increased the area under the concentration–time curves(AUCs)of NFP and MDZ by 32.4% and 89.4%, respectively. TJ increased MDZ blood concentrations and AUC after intraduodenal MDZ administration;however, it had no effect on NFP. When MDZ and NFP were intravenously administered, GFJ significantly increased the AUC of MDZ,but only slightly increased that of NFP. In contrast, TJ only slightly increased the AUC of MDZ.These results suggest that, similar to GFJ, TJ influences the pharmacokinetics of CYP3A4-substrate drugs;however, it may be a drug-dependent partial effect.

Effects of Bag Type on Fruit Quality of Red Massh Grapefruit

[Objectives]The effects of bag types on the appearance and internal quality of red Massh grapefruit were studied.[Methods]Outer-yellow inner-black double-layer pomelo special paper bags,white single-layer paper bags,yellow plastic film bags,and red plastic film bags were used to cover the fruit of red Massh grapefruit.With the fruit free of bagging as a control,the effects of fruit bags with different materials were compared.[Results]The four kinds of fruit bag treatments effectively reduced pests and diseases,and increased the good fruit rate,and the effects of paper bag treatments were better than those of film bags.The outer-yellow inner-black double-layer pomelo special paper bags had good air permeability and were easy to operate.The bagged fruit had a smooth and beautiful surface and showed a unique uniform pink color after removing the bags.The fruit had moderate sour and sweet flavor and good overall benefits.It is worthy of popularization and application.[Conclusions]Fruit bagging has good economic benefits,and it is recommended to use the outer-yellow inner-black double-layer pomelo special paper bags.

An Updated Mini Review on Grapefruit: Interactions with Drugs, Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

The paper examines the effects of grapefruit consumption in relation to drugs, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. The review includes the most updated studies found in Pub-Med. The grapefruit effect refers to the ability of grapefruit juice and supplements to interact with a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, either enhancing or limiting their systemic availability. Due to altering the active dosage of the pharmaceutical, Grapefruit juice is commonly not allowed to be used alongside with many drugs. Naringin is the most important one, which can inhibit absorption of some drugs but more commonly 6’7’-dihydroxybergamottin, which inhibits CYP3A4. Lately, grapefruit has been found both in rats and adults to reduce body weight, blood pressure, improve lipid and hepatic profile and decrease platelet aggregation. These promising results must be followed by additional studies in order to add to the importance of the role and effects of grapefruit as part of our diet.

Effect of Grapefruit Juice on Aluminum-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Albino Rats: Histological, Ultrastructural and Histochemical Assessment

The present work studied the effect of grapefruit juice (Citrus) on the hepatotoxicity of AlCl3. Four groups of adult male albino rats were used. Group I contained 10 rats and remained as a control group;Group II: 10 rats were included and orally administered with grapefruit juice at a dose level of 27 ml/kg of body weight per day for 6 weeks;Group III: 10 rats were included and AlCl3 was administered orally at a dose level of 100 mg/kg of body weight per day for 6 weeks;Group IV: animals of this group (10 rats) were given a combination of AlCl3 and grapefruit juice per day for 6 weeks. At the end of the sixth week, the liver was processed for histological and ultrastructure studies. In addition, ALT and AST were determined in blood sera. The results showed that AlCl3 induced several histological alterations in the liver, including congestion of blood vessels, leucocytic infiltration, cytoplasmic vacuolation of hepatocytes and fatty infiltrations. Ultrastructural changes include the degeneration of mitochondria, RER swelling and pyknosis of the nuclei with an increase in fat droplets and lysosomes. The biochemical results showed an increase in ALT and AST activities in the AlCl3 group. However, the group of rats treated with AlCl3 and grapefruit juice improved the histological and ultrastructural changes, while the levels of ALT and AST were reduced. It was concluded in the results that grapefruit juice has a protective effect against hepatotoxicity of AlCl3 that can be attributed to the antioxidant properties of its components.

Breeding and Analysis of Two New Grapefruit-Like Varieties with Low Furanocoumarin Content

Furanocoumarins (FCs) are a group of related plant defense metabolites occurring in several plant families, including some species in the genus citrus, such as grapefruit and pummelo. FCs function as toxins against pathogens, insects and other plant pests and some are toxic to humans at high levels. Although the levels of FCs in grapefruits are non-toxic to humans, they inhibit the intestinal enzyme CYP3A, thus preventing degradation of medicines, such as statins, and causing dangerous overdose effects. This overdosing can cause devastating side effects, ranging from stomach bleeding to kidney problems, muscle aches and irregular heartbeats. In the present study, we utilize LC/MS to characterize the levels of FCs pathway intermediates and end products in twelve citrus cultivars, including mandarin (Citrus reticulata), orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck], Pummelo [Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.], grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.), and two newly selected grapefruit like varieties [(Citrus reticulate) X [Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr]. The orange and mandarin varieties do not contain FCs or FCs precursor compounds suggesting that this biosynthetic pathway is absent or inactive in mandarins and oranges and therefore a good genetic source for null alleles to FCs biosynthesis. We report the selection and characterization of two new low FCs and seedless grapefruit-like varieties, “Aliza” and “Coocki”, developed by a cross between pummelo and mandarin. Fruits of these varieties resemble grapefruit and contain high levels of the flavanone naringin, typical of grapefruit, but contain only trace amounts of FCs (based on LCMS analysis). Based on the variability of FCs content and inheritance in citrus species, the results suggest that future development of new low-FCs grapefruit varieties is an achievable objective.

Effects of fruit bagging on the physiochemical changes of grapefruit(Citrus paradisi)

Fruit bagging is a commonly used cultivation measure to protect citrus fruit from insects and adverse environments.The present study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of bagging on the physiochemical characteristics of grapefruit.The grapefruit were bagged at approximately 110–120 d after anthesis with a one-layer kraft paper bag with black coating inside(SL),a double-layer kraft paper bag with one black paper as the inner layer(DL),and a three-layer kraft paper bag with two black papers as inner layers(TL),respectively.Ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC-HRMS)technique was used to identify a total of 19 flavonoids,2 phenylpropanoids,9 coumarins,and 5 limonoids.By using UPLC,50 carotenoids were identified.Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to identify 3 soluble sugars,3 organic acids,and 11 amino acids.In the quantitated components in the peel(albedo and flavedo),the chlorophylls and the carotenoids components(such as luteoxanthin,violaxanthin,9-cis-violaxanthin,xanthophyll,zeaxanthin andβ-carotene)were significantly downregulated by bagging,causing the surface color of bagged fruit to turn yellow earlier but paler than that of the unbagged control,particularly in the three-layer kraft bag treatment.Unlike the peel,the color and the carotenoid content of the juice sacs were less affected.The physiochem-ical compounds other than pigments,including soluble sugars,organic acids,amino acids,flavonoids,coumarins and limonoids,were minimally affected by bagging treatments.Our results indicated that bagging at approximately 110–120 d after anthesis exerted influence mainly on peel color,but less on sugars,acids,amino acids,flavonoids,limonoids and coumarins of grapefruit.