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Pharmaceuticals
Special Issues
Therapeutic Potential of Natural Pigments Such as Anthocyanins and Carotenoids
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Therapeutic Potential of Natural Pigments Such as Anthocyanins and Carotenoids

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 5988

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hélder Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LAQV/REQUIMTE, Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: anthocyanins; bioavailability; food chemistry; biochemistry; human nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Fernandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo 6 Alegre, 689, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Interests: agro-food residues and wastes; anthocyanins; functional food; polysaccharides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Among the organoleptic properties of foods, color is undoubtedly one of the most significant when we decide to go for a bite as, generally, our first contact with a specific food is by looking at it.

In this regard, natural pigments have a crucial role in food coloring; nowadays, consumers can easily associate certain colored patterns with healthy foods, which potentiate its consumption. Two of the most important classes of compounds that contribute to this are anthocyanins and carotenoids. Together, these two classes comprise more than 1500 different molecular structures and have been associated, over the years, with different biological effects.

From their antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory or anti-diabetic effects, a significant number of advances have already been made. However, in such a dynamic world society, new challenges are constantly appearing; therefore, the necessity to further explore the therapeutic potential of such dietary compounds and their role in functional food development is of crucial interest worldwide.

This Special Issue is devoted to the most recent advances regarding the biological/therapeutic potential of these natural compounds against the main diseases that are affecting the world, and aims to further the knowledge concerning the role of natural pigments in disease alleviation pathways.

As guest editors, we kindly invite you to submit your latest research or updated review on this issue.

Dr. Hélder Oliveira
Dr. Ana Fernandes
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. Pharmaceuticals 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

  • anthocyanins
  • bioactivity
  • bioavailability
  • carotenoids
  • functional foods

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1547 KiB  
Article
Therapeutic Investigation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent-Derived Beta-Carotene in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Retinopathy via the Regulation of Blood–Retina Barrier Functions
by Yamunna Paramaswaran, Aswinprakash Subramanian, Nallupillai Paramakrishnan, Muthusamy Ramesh and Arunachalam Muthuraman
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(5), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16050647 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1355
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) primarily progresses into retinal degeneration caused by microvascular dysfunction. The pathophysiology of DR progression is still uncertain. This study investigates the function of beta-carotene (PBC) originating from palm oil mill effluent in the treatment of diabetes in mice. An intraperitoneal [...] Read more.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) primarily progresses into retinal degeneration caused by microvascular dysfunction. The pathophysiology of DR progression is still uncertain. This study investigates the function of beta-carotene (PBC) originating from palm oil mill effluent in the treatment of diabetes in mice. An intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes, which was then accelerated by an intravitreal (i.vit.) injection of STZ (20 µL on day 7). PBC (50 and 100 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (DEX: 10 mg/kg) were also administered orally (p.o.) for 21 days. At various time intervals, the optomotor response (OMR) and visual-cue function test (VCFT) responses were evaluated. Biomarkers, such as reduced glutathione (GSH), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs), and catalase activity were determined in retinal tissue samples. DR significantly lowers the spatial frequency threshold (SFT) and time spent in the target quadrant (TSTQ), increases the reaching time in the visual-cue platform (RVCP), lowers retinal GSH and catalase activity levels, and elevates TBARS levels. The treatments of PBC and DEX also ameliorate STZ-induced DR alterations. The potential ameliorative activity of PBC in DR is attributed to its anti-diabetic, anti-oxidative, and control of blood–retinal barrier layer properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Natural Pigments Such as Anthocyanins and Carotenoids)
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20 pages, 3373 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytoprotective Effects of Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fruit Extracts
by Mara Aurori, Mihaela Niculae, Daniela Hanganu, Emoke Pall, Mihai Cenariu, Dan Cristian Vodnar, Andrea Bunea, Nicodim Fiţ and Sanda Andrei
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(3), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16030420 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2353
Abstract
Cornus mas L. is characterized by an increased quantity of bioactive compounds, namely polyphenols, monoterpenes, organic acids, vitamin C and lipophilic compounds such as carotenoids, being anciently used in the treatment of various diseases. This paper’s objectives were to characterize the phytochemical profile [...] Read more.
Cornus mas L. is characterized by an increased quantity of bioactive compounds, namely polyphenols, monoterpenes, organic acids, vitamin C and lipophilic compounds such as carotenoids, being anciently used in the treatment of various diseases. This paper’s objectives were to characterize the phytochemical profile of Cornus mas L. fruits and to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytoprotective effects on renal cells exposed to gentamicin. As such, two ethanolic extracts were obtained. The resulting extracts were used to assess the total polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids through spectral and chromatographic methods. The antioxidant capacity was assessed using DPPH and FRAP assays. Due to the high content of phenolic compounds analyzed in fruits and the results obtained regarding antioxidant capacity, we decided to further use the ethanolic extract to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial and cytoprotective effects on renal cells stressed with gentamicin. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods, with great results regarding Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cytotoxic activity was assessed using MTT and Annexin-V assays. According to the findings, extract-treated cells had a higher cell viability. However, at high concentrations, viability was shown to decline, most likely due to the extract and gentamicin’s additive effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Natural Pigments Such as Anthocyanins and Carotenoids)
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14 pages, 1040 KiB  
Article
Reversal of Neuralgia Effect of Beta Carotene in Streptozotocin-Associated Diabetic Neuropathic Pain in Female Zebrafish via Matrix Metalloprotease-13 Inhibition
by Nallupillai Paramakrishnan, Laxmikant Chavan, Khian Giap Lim, Yamunna Paramaswaran and Arunachalam Muthuraman
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(2), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16020157 - 22 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
Beta carotene is a natural anti-oxidant agent, and it inhibits the matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity. Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is produced by cellular oxidative stress. The role of the beta carotene effect in diabetic neuropathic pain is not explored yet. The present study [...] Read more.
Beta carotene is a natural anti-oxidant agent, and it inhibits the matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity. Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is produced by cellular oxidative stress. The role of the beta carotene effect in diabetic neuropathic pain is not explored yet. The present study is designed for the evaluation of the palm oil mill effluent-derived beta carotene (PBC) effect in DNP in zebrafish. The DNP was induced by the intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (STZ). Blood glucose levels of above 15 mM were considered to be diabetic conditions. The zebrafish were exposed to test compound PBC (25, 50, and 100 µM), pregabalin (PG: 10 μM), and an MMP-13 inhibitor (CL-82198; 10 μM) for 10 consecutive days from day 11. The neuralgic behavioral parameters, i.e., temperature test, acetic acid test, and fin clip test were assessed on day 0 and the 7th, 14th, and 21st days. On the 22nd day, the blood glucose and MMP-13 levels and brain thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), and MMP-13 activity levels were estimated. The treatment of PBC ameliorated the DNP-associated behavioral and biochemical changes. The results are similar to those of PG and CL-82198 treatments. Hence, the PBC possesses a potentially ameliorative effect against DNP due to its potential anti-oxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation, and MMP-13 inhibitory actions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Natural Pigments Such as Anthocyanins and Carotenoids)
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