NUTRACEUTICALS AND FUNCTIONAL FOODS FOR DIABETES AND OBESITY CONTROL

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Madeira moneywort (Sibthorpia peregrina L.) as a new source of verbascoside and its derivatives with potential phyto-pharmaceutical applications

Publication . Spínola, Vítor; Castilho, Paula C.

The qualitative and quantitative characterization of Madeira moneywort (Sibthorpia peregrina L.) compounds was investigated for the first time. The antioxidant activity and the effect of the methanolic extract on digestive enzymes activity linked to type-2 diabetes and obesity were also determined by in vitro assays. A total of 56 components were characterized in S. peregrina. Phenylethanoids glycosides (PhEGs) represented the main classes of compounds (95.23 mg g-1 of dry extract), almost all verbascoside and its derivatives (up to 98.85% of the total individual phenolic content). The analysed sample was active against ABTS, DPPH, nitric oxide and superoxide radicals, suggesting a potential beneficial effect against oxidative stress. In addition, the methanolic extract was able to inhibit the catalytic activity of α-, β-glucosidases, α-amylase and pancreatic lipase. Overall, S. peregrina showed good perspectives to be explored as a rich source of verbascoside and its derivatives for nutraceutical/pharmaceutical products.

2018Journal article

Open access

Hypoglycemic, anti-glycation and antioxidant in vitro properties of two Vaccinium species from Macaronesia: A relation to their phenolic composition

Publication . Spínola, Vítor; Pinto, Joana; Castilho, Paula C.

Vaccinium cylindraceaeum (Azores blueberry) and V. padifolium (Madeira blueberry) are two Portuguese endemic species, which phytochemical composition and beneficial properties lack scientific validation. In this work, their potential in vitro inhibitory effects against key enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity and glycation of proteins were evaluated. Anthocyanins were predominant in fruits, while hydroxycinnamic acids (in particular 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and flavonoids were the main compounds in leaves. Vaccinium extracts showed effective inhibitions of glucosidases and glycation of proteins and mild activity towards α-amylase and pancreatic lipase (by comparison with reference compounds). Phenolic composition was strongly correlated with reported bioactivities. In fact, 5-O-caffeoylquinic can be considered one of the main hypoglycemic and anti-glycation agents of analysed extracts. Consumption of both Vaccinium species should be encouraged since berries could offer a dietary option in the prevention and control of diabetes and obesity, while leaves are good candidates for development of nutraceuticals.

2018Journal article

Open access

Phenolic profiles of Lauraceae plant species endemic to Laurisilva forest: a chemotaxonomic survey

Publication . Llorent-Martínez, Eulogio J.; Spínola, Vítor; Castilho, Paula C.

In this work, the phenolic composition of several trees endemic to Madeira archipelago (Portugal) was studied. Specifically, the leaves of the most relevant species of the Lauraceae family (Laurus novocanariensis, Apollonias barbujana, Ocotea foetens, and Persea indica) have been analyzed. The screening of the main phenolic compounds in their methanol extracts has been performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-ESI–MSn ), identifying or tentatively characterizing almost 100 compounds, including a high number of proanthocyanidins (A- and B-type), which have been reported to present remarkable health benefits. Thirty-four compounds have been quantified, observing total individual phenolic contents (TIPCs) between 18.43 and 88.99 mg g−1 dry extract, with the lowest TIPC in O. foetens and the highest in A. barbujana.

2017Journal article

Open access