Rocío García-Villalba

Characterization and quantification of phenolic compounds of extra-virgin olive oils with anticancer properties by a rapid and resolutive LC-ESI-TOF MS method.

The characterization and quantification of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) phenolic compounds by a rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) method coupled to diode-array and time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF) detection systems was developed. The RRLC method transferred from a conventional HPLC one achieved better performance with shorter analysis times. The phenolic compounds were separated with a C18 column (150 mm x 4.6mm, 1.8 microm) using water with 0.5% acetic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phases. Good peak resolution was obtained and 19 different phenols were identified in less than 20 min providing a new level of information about the samples in shorter time. The applicability of this analytical approach was confirmed by the successful analysis of three different EVOO varieties (Picual, Hojiblanca, and Arbequina) obtained from different trademarks. Besides identification of the most important phenolic compounds and their quantification in three different ways (RRLC-UV, RRLC-MS and a new approach using the total polyphenol content obtained with Folin Ciocalteau, the relative areas and the response factors), we also described the occurrence of correlations between the phenolic composition of EVOO-derived crude phenolic extracts and their anti-proliferative abilities toward human breast cancer-derived cell lines. When compared with lignans-rich EVOO varieties, secoiridoids-rich EVOO had a significantly strong ability to alter cell viability in four different types of human breast carcinoma cells.

Comparative metabolomic study of transgenic versus conventional soybean using capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry

In this work, capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF-MS) is proposed to identify and quantify the main metabolites found in transgenic soybean and its corresponding non-transgenic parental line both grown under identical conditions. The procedure includes optimization of metabolites extraction, separation by CE, on-line electrospray-TOF-MS analysis and data evaluation. A large number of extraction procedures and background electrolytes are tested in order to obtain a highly reproducible and sensitive analytical methodology. Using this approach, a large number of metabolites were tentatively identified based on the high mass accuracy provided by TOF-MS analyzer, together with the isotopic pattern and expected electrophoretic mobility of these compounds. In general, the same metabolites and in similar amounts were found in the conventional and transgenic variety. However, significant differences were also observed in some specific cases when the conventional variety was compared with its corresponding transgenic line. The selection of these metabolites as possible biomarkers of transgenic soybean is discussed, although a larger number of samples need to be analyzed in order to validate this point. It is concluded that metabolomic procedures based on CE-MS can open new perspectives in the study of transgenic foods in order to corroborate (or not) the equivalence with their conventional counterparts.

tabAnti-HER2 (erbB-2) oncogene effects of phenolic compounds directly isolated from commercial Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

BackgroundThe effects of the olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet on breast cancer risk might be underestimated when HER2 (ERBB2) oncogene-positive and HER2-negative breast carcinomas are considered together. We here investigated the anti-HER2 effects of phenolic fractions directly extracted from Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in cultured human breast cancer cell lines.MethodsSolid phase extraction followed by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to isolate phenolic fractions from commercial EVOO. Analytical capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry was performed to check for the composition and to confirm the identity of the isolated fractions. EVOO polyphenolic fractions were tested on their tumoricidal ability against HER2-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer in vitro models using MTT, crystal violet staining, and Cell Death ELISA assays. The effects of EVOO polyphenolic fractions on the expression and activation status of HER2 oncoprotein were evaluated using HER2-specific ELISAs and immunoblotting procedures, respectively.ResultsAmong the fractions mainly containing the single phenols hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, the polyphenol acid elenolic acid, the lignans (+)-pinoresinol and 1-(+)-acetoxypinoresinol, and the secoiridoids deacetoxy oleuropein aglycone, ligstroside aglycone, and oleuropein aglycone, all the major EVOO polyphenols (i.e. secoiridoids and lignans) were found to induce strong tumoricidal effects within a micromolar range by selectively triggering high levels of apoptotic cell death in HER2-overexpressors. Small interfering RNA-induced depletion of HER2 protein and lapatinib-induced blockade of HER2 tyrosine kinase activity both significantly prevented EVOO polyphenols-induced cytotoxicity. EVOO polyphenols drastically depleted HER2 protein and reduced HER2 tyrosine autophosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. EVOO polyphenols-induced HER2 downregulation occurred regardless the molecular mechanism contributing to HER2 overexpression (i.e. naturally by gene amplification and ectopically driven by a viral promoter). Pre-treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 prevented EVOO polyphenols-induced HER2 depletion.ConclusionThe ability of EVOO-derived polyphenols to inhibit HER2 activity by promoting the proteasomal degradation of the HER2 protein itself, together with the fact that humans have safely been ingesting secoiridoids and lignans as long as they have been consuming olives and OO, support the notion that the stereochemistry of these phytochemicals might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new HER2-targeting agents.

Targeted metabolic profiling of pomegranate polyphenols and urolithins in plasma, urine and colon tissues from colorectal cancer patients.

SCOPE Urolithins are bioactive metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from ellagitannins (ETs) and ellagic acid (EA). We investigated whether urolithins could be detected in colon tissues from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after pomegranate extract (PE) intake. METHODS AND RESULTS CRC patients (n = 52) were divided into controls and PEs consumers (900 mg/day for 15 days) before surgical resection. PEs with low (PE-1) and high (PE-2) punicalagin:EA ratio were administered. Twenty-three metabolites, but no ellagitannins, were detected in urine, plasma, normal (NT) or malignant (MT) colon tissues using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS (UPLC, ultra performance liquid chromatography; QTOF, quadrupole TOF). Free EA, five EA conjugates, gallic acid and 12 urolithin derivatives were found in colon tissues. Individual and total metabolites levels were higher in NT than in MT, independently of the PE consumed. The maximal mean concentration (1671 ± 367 ng/g) was found in NT after consumption of PE-1 and the lowest concentration (42.4 ± 10.2 ng/g) in MT with PE-2. Urolithin A or isourolithin A were the main urolithins produced (54 and 46% patients with urolithin A or isourolithin A phenotype, respectively). High punicalagin content (PE-2) hampered urolithins formation. CONCLUSION Significant levels of EA derivatives and urolithins are found in human colon tissues from CRC patients after consumption of pomegranate. Further studies are warranted to elucidate their biological activity.

Urolithins, the rescue of "old" metabolites to understand a "new" concept: Metabotypes as a nexus among phenolic metabolism, microbiota dysbiosis, and host health status.

Urolithins are dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-one derivatives that are produced by the human gut microbiota from ellagitannins and ellagic acid (EA). These metabolites are much better absorbed than their precursors and have been suggested to be responsible for the health effects attributed to ellagitannins and EA that occur in food products as berries and nuts. In the present review, the role and potential of urolithins in human health are critically reviewed, and a perspective of the research approach needed to demonstrate these health effects is presented, based on the existing knowledge. The analytical methods available for urolithin analysis, their occurrence in different tissues and biological fluids, and their metabolism by human gut microbiota are considered. In addition, the interindividual variability observed for the production of urolithins (metabotypes) and its relationship with health status and dysbiosis are also reviewed. The potential mechanisms of action of urolithins are also critically discussed, paying attention to the concentration and the type of metabolites used in the in vitro and in vivo assays and the physiological significance of the results obtained. The gut microbiota metabolism of EA to urolithins and that of daidzein to equol, their individual variations, and the effects on health are also compared.

Time course production of urolithins from ellagic acid by human gut microbiota.

Ellagic acid (EA) is converted to urolithins by gut microbiota. Urolithins have beneficial biological effects in humans, but differences in urolithin production capacity among individuals have been shown. Therefore, the identification of the urolithin production pathways and the microorganisms implicated is of high interest. EA was incubated with gut microbiota from two volunteers able to produce urolithins but with different in vivo urolithin profiles (urolithin A and isourolithin A producers). The metabolic capabilities observed in vivo were retained in vitro. Both individuals showed a much higher abundance of Clostridium leptum group of Firmicutes phylum than Bacteroides / Prevotella . EA was either dissolved in DMSO or suspended in water. DMSO increased EA solubility but decreased urolithin production rate due to a delay in growth of some microbial groups, principally, Clostridium coccoides . This allowed the detection of catabolic intermediates [urolithins M-5, M-6, M-7, C, and 2,3,8,10-tetrahydroxy urolithin (urolithin E)]. Bacteria from C. coccoides group (or genera co-occurring in vivo with this group) seem to be involved in production of different urolithins.

Alternative method for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of short-chain fatty acids in faecal samples

Short-chain fatty acids are the major end products of bacterial metabolism in the large bowel. They derive mostly from the bacterial breakdown of carbohydrates and are known to have positive health benefits. Due to the biological relevance of these compounds it is important to develop efficient, cheap, fast, and sensitive analytical methods that enable the identification and quantification of the short-chain fatty acids in a large number of biological samples. In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the analysis of short-chain fatty acids in faecal samples. These volatile compounds were extracted with ethyl acetate and 4-methyl valeric acid was used as an internal standard. No further cleanup, concentration, and derivatization steps were needed and the extract was directly injected onto the column. Recoveries ranged between 65 and 105%, and no matrix effects were observed. The proposed method has wide linear ranges, good inter- and intraday variability values (below 2.6 and 5.6%, respectively) and limits of detection between 0.49 μM (0.29 μg/g) and 4.31 μM (3.8 μg/g). The applicability of this analytical method was successfully tested in faecal samples from rats and humans.

Gas chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for profiling of phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil.

A new analytical approach based on gas chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry was evaluated for its applicability for the analysis of phenolic compounds from extra-virgin olive oil. Both chromatographic and MS parameters were optimized in order to improve the sensitivity and to maximize the number of phenolic compounds detected. We performed a complete analytical validation of the method with respect to its linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and possible matrix effects. The LODs ranged from 0.13 to 1.05ppm for the different tested compounds depending on their properties. The RSDs for repeatability test did not exceed 6.07% and the accuracy ranged from 95.4% to 101.5%. To demonstrate the feasibility of our method for analysis of real samples, we analyzed the extracts of three different commercial extra-virgin olive oils. We have identified unequivocally a number of phenolic compounds and obtained quantitative information for 21 of them. In general, our results show that GC-APCI-TOF MS is a flexible platform which can be considered as an interesting tool for screening, structural assignment and quantitative determination of phenolic compounds from virgin olive oil.

In vitro transformation of chlorogenic acid by human gut microbiota.

SCOPE Chlorogenic acid (3-O-caffeoyl-quinic acid, C-QA), the caffeic ester of quinic acid, is one of the most abundant phenolic acids in Western diet. The majority of C-QA escapes absorption in the small intestine and reaches the colon, where the resident microbiota transforms it into several metabolites. C-QA conversion by the gut microbiota from nine subjects was compared to evaluate the variability of bacterial metabolism. It was investigated whether a potentially probiotic Bifidobacterium strain, capable of C-QA hydrolysis, could affect C-QA fate. METHODS AND RESULTS Bioconversion experiments exploiting the microbiota from diverse subjects revealed that C-QA was metabolized through a succession of hydrogenation, dexydroxylation and ester hydrolysis, occurring in different order among the subjects. Transformation may proceed also through quinic acid residue breakdown, since caffeoyl-glycerol intermediates were identified (HPLC-MS/MS, Q-TOF). All the pathways converged on 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-propanoic acid, which was transformed to hydroxyphenyl-ethanol and/or phenylacetic acid in few subjects. A strain of Bifidobacterium animalis able to hydrolyze C-QA was added to microbiota cultures. It affected microbial composition but not to such an extent that C-QA metabolism was modified. CONCLUSION A picture of the variability of microbiota C-QA transformations among subjects is provided. The transformation route through caffeoyl-glycerol intermediates is described for the first time.

Fir honeydew honey flavonoids inhibit TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression in human keratinocytes: a new action of honey in wound healing

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) appears to be a major protease responsible for the degradation of matrix and growth-promoting agents in chronic wounds. Honey has been successfully used for treating non-healing wounds associated with infections. However, the mechanisms of its action at the cellular level have remained poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fir honeydew honey on TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression and secretion from human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and to identify the honey component(s) responsible for a discovered effect. A C18 solid-phase column was used for preparation of honey aqueous extract (HAE). Expression and production of MMP-9 by HaCaT cells were determined by reverse transcription-PCR, gelatine zymography and Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antibody against MMP-9. We found that HAE inhibited TNF-α-induced production of MMP-9 in keratinocytes in a dose-dependent manner at both the mRNA and protein levels. Apigenin and kaempferol, identified flavonoids in HAE, markedly inhibited MMP-9 production from HaCaT and epidermal keratinocytes. Taken together, fir honeydew honey, which contains certain flavonoids, prevents TNF-α-induced proteolytic activity in cutaneous inflammation. Thus, our findings provide clear evidence that honey may serve as a natural treatment for dermatological problems associated with a persistent inflammation.