Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the association of an apple extract with dihydroberberine: study in isolated rat aorta and in canine whole blood culture

The high prevalence of overweight in pets led to consider news strategies to address all the obesity-associated comorbidities, especially to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Some plant-derived molecules appear to be good candidates for this purpose. Apple and berberine have already individually demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro [1] [2] and in vivo [3] in human and mouse. In this study, we evaluated their combined effect on ex vivo models using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of E. Coli to mimic oxidative and inflammation processes characterizing obesity. Different concentrations of dihydroberberine and apple extract (phloridzin-5%-hydro-ethanolic extraction) were first tested to select those actually effective, using a DPPH assay. Then we evaluated whether the effective antioxidant concentrations were able to prevent LPS-induced inflammatory and oxidative responses in isolated rat aortic rings (measured by electronic paramagnetic resonance method) and in canine whole blood cultures (by ELISA test).

Dihydroberberine (5 µg/mL) and apple extract (200 µg/mL) alone or combined, reduced the LPS-induced superoxide anion and nitric oxide levels in isolated thoracic aortas. By contrast all treatments were unable to prevent the LPS-induced production of both IL-6 and TNF-α in canine whole blood cultures, while dihydroberberine alone or in association with the apple extract decreased IL-10 level.

We evidenced that dihydroberberine and the apple extract, at the concentrations tested, exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in rat aortic rings by mechanisms that remain to be determined. Nevertheless failure to find pro-inflammatory cytokine reduction in the canine blood cultures requires further investigations.

 

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• References

• 1 Nkuimi Wandjou JG, Mevi S. et al Antioxidant and Enzyme inhibitory properties of the polyphenolic-rich extract from an ancient apple variety of central Italy (Mela Rosa dei Monti Sibillini). Plants (Basel) 2019; 19 9(1): 9
• 2 Hu S, Chen C. et al Inhibitory effect of berberine on interleukin-2 secretion from PHA-treated lymphocytic Jurkat cells. International Immunopharmacology 2019; 66: 267-273
• 3 Denis MC, Roy D. et al. Apple peel polyphenols: a key player in the prevention and treatment of experimental inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical Science (Lond) 2016; 1 130(23): 2217-2237

Publication History

Article published online:
13 December 2021