Antioxidant Cardioprotection against Reperfusion Injury: Potential Therapeutic Roles of Resveratrol and Quercetin

Ischemia-reperfusion myocardial damage is a paradoxical tissue injury occurring during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Although this damage could account for up to 50% of the final infarct size, there has been no available pharmacological treatment until now. Oxidative stress contributes to the underlying production mechanism, exerting the most marked injury during the early onset of reperfusion. So far, antioxidants have been shown to protect the AMI patients undergoing PCI to mitigate these detrimental effects; however, no clinical trials to date have shown any significant infarct size reduction. Therefore, it is worthwhile to consider multitarget antioxidant therapies targeting multifactorial AMI. Indeed, this clinical setting involves injurious effects derived from oxygen deprivation, intracellular pH changes and increased concentration of cytosolic Ca²⁺ and reactive oxygen species, among others. Thus, we will review a brief overview of the pathological cascades involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury and the potential therapeutic effects based on preclinical studies involving a combination of antioxidants, with particular reference to resveratrol and quercetin, which could contribute to cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in myocardial tissue. We will also highlight the upcoming perspectives of these antioxidants for designing future studies.     

Water Soluble Antioxidant Dextran–Quercetin Conjugate with Potential Anticancer Properties

Quercetin, a naturally occurring potent antioxidant, is limited in therapeutic use, owing to its poor water solubility and stability. Herein, a method of conjugating quercetin to an aldehyde functionalized dextran via an HCl catalyzed condensation reaction to yield a water soluble quercetin functionalized polymer is reported. The prepared conjugate is characterized by ¹H and ¹H‐¹³C heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR, which demonstrate that conjugation occurs via both the A‐ and B‐rings of quercetin. The degree of quercetin functionalization can be tuned by varying the reaction temperature and/or the concentration of the HCl catalyst. However, as temperatures and HCl concentrations are increased above 40 °C and 2 m , respectively, the increase in functionalization is accompanied by an increase in the oxidation of the conjugated quercetin and a decrease in polymer yield. The prepared conjugate is shown to have improved stability compared with native quercetin while maintaining substantial free‐radical scavenging activity. Anticancer activity is evaluated in vitro in a neuroblastoma cell line. The dextran–aldehyde–quercetin conjugate prepared at 40 °C and 2 m HCl is shown to be cytotoxic to neuroblastoma cells (SH‐SY5Y–IC₅₀ = 123 µg mL⁻¹ and BE(2)‐C–IC₅₀ = 380 µg mL⁻¹) but shows no activity against nonmalignant MRC‐5 cells at concentrations up to 400 µg mL⁻¹.     

Phytochemical Profiling and Evaluation of the Hepatoprotective Effect of Cuscuta Campestris by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection

Plant-derived antioxidant compounds have the potential to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals. As a holoparasitic plant, Cuscuta campestris Yuncker is being valorized for treatment of liver injury and cancer prevention in traditional medicine. The main purpose of this present study is to elucidate the antioxidant- and anticancer-associated contents of C. campestris by spectroscopic and chromatographic methods. Diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, methanol, n-butanol, and water were used as extraction solvents to reach a wide range of secondary metabolites synthesized by this plant. Antioxidant potentials of these extracts were characterized by (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl)-free radical scavenging activity. Their anticancer activities were evaluated on SNU-398 hepatocellular carcinoma cells and controlled on the normal adult human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs) cells. Their phenolic compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector to illuminate the responsible anticancer agent(s). The ethyl acetate extract revealed the most significant antioxidant effect. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were found to be cytotoxic on the SNU-398 cell lines with CC₅₀ values of 18.7 and 19.6?µg?mL^?1, respectively, whereas these extracts were not cytotoxic to the adult hDFs cells. Due to their abundance in the extracts, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, and quercetin may have caused this anticancer activity. Methanol extract has the highest concentration of phenolic compounds. Based on chromatographic analyses, we propose that these anticancer effects were positively correlated with plant phenolic compounds. The results showed that this plant is worth further study for its therapeutic uses.     

A validated solid-liquid extraction method for the HPLC determination of polyphenols in apple tissues Comparison with pressurised liquid extraction

A solid-liquid extraction procedure followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with a photodiode array detector (DAD) for the determination of polyphenols in freeze-dried apple peel and pulp is reported. The extraction step consists in sonicating 0.5 g of freeze-dried apple tissue with 30 mL of methanol-water-acetic acid (30:69:1, v/v/v) containing 2 g of ascorbic acid/L, for 10 min in an ultrasonic bath. The whole method was validated, concluding that it is a robust method that presents high extraction efficiencies (peel: >91%, pulp: >95%) and appropriate precisions (within day: R.S.D. (n = 5) <5%, and between days: R.S.D. (n = 5) <7%) at the different concentration levels of polyphenols that can be found in apple samples. The method was compared with one previously published, consisting in a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by RP-HPLC-DAD determination. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed.     

Solubility and Thermal Degradation of Quercetin in CO2-Expanded Liquids

The solubility of quercetin and its thermal degradation was studied in CO₂-expanded ethanol and ethyl lactate. An equipment setup was constructed that enabled the separation of the products of degradation while quantifying the solubility of quercetin. Three different conditions of temperature were analyzed (308, 323, and 343 K) at 10 MPa. Higher solubility and thermal degradation of quercetin were observed for CO₂-expanded ethyl lactate in comparison with CO₂-expanded ethanol. At the same time, as the amount of CO₂ was increased in the CO₂-expanded liquids mixtures, the thermal degradation of quercetin decreased for almost all the conditions of temperature considered in this work. The importance of considering thermal degradation while performing solubility measurements of compounds that are thermally unstable such as quercetin was highlighted.     

Bioaccumulation and biotransformation of flavonols by erythrocytes

A model for the complete system of bioaccumulation, transport, and biotransformation of polyphenolic compounds (flavonols) that includes hemoglobin-containing red blood cells and serum albumin was proposed. The distribution of flavonols between the erythrocyte fraction and albumin was studied. Hemoglobin was shown to play a role in the biotransformation of flavonols. The formation of several intermediate and final products of pseudoperoxidase oxidation of flavonols catalyzed by methemoglobin was established by UV spectrophotometry and RP-HPLC. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 153-157, March-April, 2009.     

催化动力学荧光法测定洋葱中的槲皮素

研究了稀硫酸介质中,槲皮素催化溴酸钾氧化吖啶红的荧光光谱。在优化实验条件下,确定了荧光强度改变值(ΔIF)与槲皮素质量浓度的关系,建立了催化动力学荧光法测定洋葱中槲皮素的新方法。该方法的线性范围为0.43~18.0μg.L-1,检出限为0.13μg.L-1。方法操作简便,具有较好的灵敏度,用于洋葱中槲皮素含量的测定,结果满意。     

Application of EXAFS and XANES Methods in Coordination Chemistry of Carbohydrates and Their Derivatives

A summary is presented of the results obtained on metal complexes of carbohydrates (aldoses, ketoses and mono-, di- and polysaccharides) and their derivatives (aldonic and alduronic acids, polyalcohols, amino sugars, and amino acid sugar adducts). The structural parameters (coordination number, bond distance, and Debye–Waller factor) measured by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy obtained earlier on transition metals [Cu(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Ag(I), Mn in different oxidation states and organotin(IV)] complexes are discussed. In addition we report here the preparation of Bu₂Sn(IV)²⁺ complexes of rutin {3-[6-O-(6-deoxy--L-mannopyranosyl)-(-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one} and quercetin (containing {O,O} donor atoms) in ligand to metal ratios of 1:1 and 1:2. The analytical data revealed the formation of well-defined complexes. The local structures of the complexes were determined by an EXAFS method. It was found that the Sn–O bond distances in the first coordination sphere are closed the values found in Et₂Sn(IV) complexes with nonprotected carbohydrates.     

Protective Role of Quercetin in Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Toxicity in Rat Brain: Biochemical,Spectrophotometric Assays and Computational Approach

Carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) induces oxidative stress by free radical toxicities, inflammation, and neurotoxicity. Quercetin (Q), on the other hand, has a role as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and free radical-scavenging. This study explored protection given by quercetin against CCL4 induced neurotoxicity in rats at given concentrations. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups Group C: control group; Group CCL4: given a single oral dose of 1 mL/kg bw CCL4; Group Q: given a single i.p injection of 100 mg/kg bw quercetin; and Group Q + CCL4: given a single i.p injection of 100 mg/kg bw quercetin before two hours of a single oral dose of 1 mL/kg bw CCL4. The results from brain-to-body weight ratio, morphology, lipid peroxidation, brain urea, ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, sodium, and enzyme alterations (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), catalase, and superoxide dismutase) suggested alterations by CCL4 and a significant reversal of these parameters by quercetin. In silico analysis of quercetin with various proteins was conducted to understand the molecular mechanism of its protection. The results identified by BzScore4 D showed moderate binding between quercetin and the following receptors: glucocorticoids, estrogen beta, and androgens and weak binding between quercetin and the following proteins: estrogen alpha, Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARγ), Herg k+ channel, Liver x, mineralocorticoid, progesterone, Thyroid α, and Thyroid β. Three-dimensional/four-dimensional visualization of binding modes of quercetin with glucocorticoids, estrogen beta, and androgen receptors was performed. Based on the results, a possible mechanism is hypothesized for quercetin protection against CCL4 toxicity in the rat brain.     

硅烷功能化碳点荧光探针检测槲皮素

以柠檬酸为碳源,硅烷偶联剂为表面包覆剂,一步水热法合成了高效发光硅烷功能化碳点。所得碳点在360 nm激发后在450 nm处有强荧光发射峰,荧光量子产率最高可达69.2%。基于槲皮素对该碳点荧光的猝灭作用,建立了一种以硅烷碳点为荧光探针的简便、灵敏检测槲皮素的分析方法。考察了作用时间、pH值、碳点用量对槲皮素检测的影响,并探讨了荧光猝灭机制。在优化实验条件下,该方法对槲皮素的检测线性范围为1.0～40.0μmol/L,相关系数(r)为0.996 7,检出限为3.8 nmol/L。该方法应用于实际样品中槲皮素的测定,结果满意。