Potential Benefits of Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Fruits and Their Constituents in Improving Human Health

Aronia berry (black chokeberry) is a shrub native to North America, of which the fresh fruits are used in the food industry to produce different types of dietary products. The fruits of Aronia melanocarpa (Aronia berries) have been found to show multiple bioactivities potentially beneficial to human health, including antidiabetic, anti-infective, antineoplastic, antiobesity, and antioxidant activities, as well as heart-, liver-, and neuroprotective effects. Thus far, phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, cyanidins, phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, triterpenoids, and their analogues have been identified as the major active components of Aronia berries. These natural products possess potent antioxidant activity, which contributes to the majority of the other bioactivities observed for Aronia berries. The chemical components and the potential pharmaceutical or health-promoting effects of Aronia berries have been summarized previously. The present review article focuses on the molecular targets of extracts of Aronia berries and the examples of promising lead compounds isolated from these berries, including cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and ursolic acid. In addition, presented herein are clinical trial investigations for Aronia berries and their major components, including cancer clinical trials for chlorogenic acid and COVID-19 trial studies for quercetin. Additionally, the possible development of Aronia berries and their secondary metabolites as potential therapeutic agents is discussed. It is hoped that this contribution will help stimulate future investigations on Aronia berries for the continual improvement of human health.     

Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Fibers

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), or nosocomial infections, are a global health and economic problem in developed and developing countries, particularly for immunocompromised patients in their intensive care units (ICUs) and surgical site hospital areas. Recurrent pathogens in HAIs prevail over antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For this reason, natural antibacterial mechanisms are a viable alternative for HAI treatment. Natural fibers can inhibit bacterial growth, which can be considered a great advantage in these applications. Moreover, these fibers have been reported to be biocompatible and biodegradable, essential features for biomedical materials to avoid complications due to infections and significant immune responses. Consequently, tissue engineering, medical textiles, orthopedics, and dental implants, as well as cosmetics, are fields currently expanding the use of plant fibers. In this review, we will discuss the source of natural fibers with antimicrobial properties, antimicrobial mechanisms, and their biomedical applications.     

Recovery of Polyphenols Using Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) from Black Rosehip Followed by Encapsulation for Increased Bioaccessibility and Antioxidant Activity

In this work, pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) of hydrophilic polyphenols from black rosehip fruit was maximized using response surface methodology for simultaneous optimization in terms of extraction yield, total antioxidant capacity, total (poly)phenols, catechin, total monomeric anthocyanins, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. Extraction parameters, including temperature (X1: 40–80 °C) and the solvent-to-solid ratio (X2: 10–40 mL/g), were investigated as independent variables. Experimentally obtained values were fitted to a second-order polynomial model, and optimal conditions were determined using multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance. The black rosehip extract (BRE) obtained at optimized PHWE conditions was further encapsulated in biopolymer-coated liposomes and spray dried to enhance its processing and digestive stability. After reconstitution, the fabricated particles had an average size of 247–380 nm and a zeta-potential of 15–45 mV. Moreover, encapsulation provided remarkable protection of the phenolics under in vitro gastrointestinal digestion conditions, resulting in up to a 5.6-fold more phenolics in the bioaccessible fraction, which also had 2.9–8.6-fold higher antioxidant activity compared to the nonencapsulated BRE. In conclusion, PHWE in combination with a biopolymer coating is a potent method for the production of stable and safe edible natural extracts for the delivery of (poly)phenolic compounds in food and dietary supplements.     

A Polyclonal Selex Aptamer Library Directly Allows Specific Labelling of the Human Gut Bacterium Blautia producta without Isolating Individual Aptamers

Recent studies have demonstrated that changes in the abundance of the intestinal bacterium Blautia producta, a potential probiotic, are closely associated with the development of various diseases such as obesity, diabetes, some neurodegenerative diseases, and certain cancers. However, there is still a lack of an effective method to detect the abundance of B. producta in the gut rapidly. Especially, DNA aptamers are now widely used as biometric components for medical testing due to their unique characteristics, including high chemical stability, low production cost, ease of chemical modification, low immunogenicity, and fast reproducibility. We successfully obtained a high-affinity nucleic acid aptamer library (B.p-R14) after 14 SELEX rounds, which efficiently discriminates B. producta in different analysis techniques including fluorometric suspension assays or fluorescence microscopy from other major gut bacteria in complex mixtures and even in human stool samples. These preliminary findings will be the basis towards aptamer-based biosensing applications for the fast and reliable monitoring of B. producta in the human gut microbiome.     

Eine Methode der Phosphors?urebestimmung

Ohne Zusammenfassung(Aus dem Universitätslaboratorium von Prof. Naumann zu Giessen.)