Organic Cherry Extract

Cherry fruit has a high content in flavonoids. These are important diet components protecting against oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, which are all involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Since the seasonal availability of fresh fruit is limited, research has been focused on cherry extract (CE), which also possesses a high nutraceutical potential.

Many clinical studies have demonstrated the nutraceutical efficacy of fresh cherries, but only a few studies on CE antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities have been carried out. Here, the results concerning the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of CE are reviewed. These were obtained by an in vitro model based on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC). To clarify the CE mechanism of action, cells were stressed to induce inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Considering that antioxidants’ polyphenol compounds are easily degraded in the gastrointestinal tract, recent strategies to reduce the degradation and improve the bioavailability of CE are also presented and discussed. In particular.

We report on results obtained with nanoparticles (NP) based on chitosan derivatives (Ch-der), which improved the mucoadhesive properties of the chitosan polymers, as well as their positive charge, to favor high cellular interaction and polyphenols intestinal absorption, compared with a non-mucoadhesive negative surface charged poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid NP.

The health benefits of cherries and cherry extract (CE) have been the focus of numerous studies due to their high content in flavonoids, which are compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have demonstrated the potential of cherries and CE to protect against oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, which are all contributing factors to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

CE has been found to have a high nutraceutical potential, and many clinical studies have supported the health benefits of fresh cherries. However, the bioavailability of antioxidants in CE can be limited due to degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. To improve the bioavailability of CE, recent research has focused on the use of chitosan derivative-based nanoparticles (NP) to enhance mucoadhesion and improve the absorption of polyphenols in the intestine.