EditorialBioactive Compounds of Food: Their Role in the Prevention andTreatment of Diseases

Anderson Junger Teodoro

Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Laboratory of Functional Foods, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Correspondence should be addressed to Anderson Junger Teodoro; atteodoro@gmail.com

Received 3 February 2019; Accepted 3 February 2019; Published 11 March 2019

Copyright © 2019 Anderson Junger Teodoro. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work isproperly cited.

The aim of this special issue on “Bioactive Compounds ofFood: Their Role in the Prevention and Treatment of Dis-eases” is to provide a representation of the new trends ofbioactive compounds of food involved in different patholo-gies. Food bioactive compounds are extranutritional constit-uents that typically occur in small quantities in foods. Insummary, numerous bioactive compounds appear to havebeneficial health effects. Much scientific research needs tobe conducted before we can begin to make science-based die-tary recommendations. Despite this, there is sufficient evi-dence to recommend consuming food sources rich inbioactive compounds. From a practical perspective, thistranslates to recommending a diet rich in a variety of fruits,vegetables, whole grains, legumes, oils, and nuts. Therefore,the current issue will be focused on identifying as well asunderstanding the mechanistic role of food bioactive com-pounds in a range of human pathologies. This issue is logi-cally divided into four main areas: (a) bioactive compoundsand inflammation, (b) functional food in chronic diseases,(c) bone health and polyphenols, and (d) neuroprotectiveeffects of bioactive compounds. Forty-four papers wereselected through our routine rigorous double-blind externalpeer review by qualified experts. Due to the capacity limita-tion, some papers have already appeared earlier in the lastissue (volume 2019, No. 2019). Some papers are briefly intro-duced below.

1. Bioactive Compounds and Inflammation

Inflammation is the major cause and aggravating factor ofvarious acute or chronic pathological conditions, including

photoaging, diabetes, and cancer. The inflammatoryresponse promotes the activation of transcriptional factorsand proinflammatory cytokines, which can lead to an unre-solved inflammatory response associated with an inhibitionof insulin signaling and high risk for cardiovascular events.Epidemiological and intervention studies have been carriedout to find out dietary patterns, foods, and bioactive com-pounds with protective anti-inflammatory actions. Thus, away to prevent inflammation which can lead to carcinogene-sis or cardiovascular diseases is through the use of bioactivefood compounds of spices and herbs which show both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason,anti-inflammatory phytochemicals could represent an exoge-nous aid crucial for the prevention of chronic diseases medi-ated by inflammatory processes.

An important paper by A. Kicel et al. (published in Vol.2018) entitled “Multifunctional Phytocompounds in Cotone-aster Fruits: Phytochemical Profiling, Cellular Safety, Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects in Chemical andHuman Plasma Models In Vitro” provide a more detailedinsight into the chemical composition and activity of Cotone-aster fruits. To this end, the fruits from nine species of Coto-neaster cultivated in Poland were analyzed for a range oflipophilic and hydrophilic (polyphenolic) constituents withacknowledged health-promoting properties using a combi-nation of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods(GC-FID-MS, UHPLC-PDA-ESI-MS3, and UV-Vis spectro-photometry). The most promising polyphenolic fractionswere then subjected to an analysis of antioxidant activitycomprising eight complementary in vitro tests (both chemi-cal and biological plasma models) covering some of the

HindawiOxidative Medicine and Cellular LongevityVolume 2019, Article ID 3765986, 4 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3765986

mechanisms crucial for reducing the level of oxidativedamage in the human organism, that is, scavenging of freeradicals, enhancement of the nonenzymatic antioxidantcapacity of blood plasma, and protection of its lipid and pro-tein components against oxidative/nitrative changes. Addi-tionally, the inhibitory effects of the fruit extract on theproinflammatory enzymes, that is, lipoxygenase and hyal-uronidase, were also measured. Hence, Cotoneaster fruitsappear to be promising candidates for the production ofpharma- and nutraceuticals associated with preventing andtreating oxidative stress and inflammatory-related chronicdiseases; they may also contribute to a balanced and varieddiet comprising food rich in bioactive compounds.

Falcarinol (FA) and falcarindiol (FD) are the most abun-dant carrot-derived polyacetylenes and have a demonstratedanti-inflammatory effect, in part by the suppression of NFκB.FD has been shown to activate Nrf2 by S-alkylation of itsinhibitor protein Keap1. A. Stefanson and M. Bakovic (pub-lished in Vol. 2018) evaluate for the first time the protectiveeffect of diet-achievable levels of FA against intestinal inflam-mation in comparison to sulforaphane (SF)—widely recog-nized as the most potent natural compound activator of theNrf2/ARE pathway. The results are described in the paper“Falcarinol Is a Potent Inducer of Heme Oxygenase-1 andWas More Effective than Sulforaphane in Attenuating Intes-tinal Inflammation at Diet-Achievable Doses.”

Sepsis is an organ dysfunction that results from a dysreg-ulated host response to infection. It is known that there is aninterrelation between redox processes and inflammation andthat reactive species can activate inflammatory signalingpathways and that inflammatory cells can produce morereactive species, resulting in a vicious cycle leading to a redoxand inflammatory disequilibrium, and thus may be a deter-mining factor in the sepsis outcome. Thus, the interactionbetween redox processes and inflammation would be a deter-mining factor for the antioxidant selection with therapeuticpotential to minimize systemic damage and improve the sep-tic animal’s survival. K. P. Lúcio et al. (published in Vol.2018) evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant prop-erties of Morus nigra L. in a sepsis model induced by LPS.Male C57BL/6 mice were distributed into four groups: ?con-trol, sepsis, sepsis treated with leaf extract of mulberry, andsepsis treated with mulberry pulp. The animals were treatedwith 100μL of their respective treatments for twenty-onedays. Sepsis was induced at the 21st day with lipopolysaccha-ride (LPS) by intraperitoneal injection. The results of thepaper “Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties ofBlack Mulberry (Morus nigra L.) in a Model of LPS-Induced Sepsis” showed that the treatment with the extractsof leaves and the pulp of Morus nigra produced beneficialeffects on the modulation of important parameters that arenormally altered in sepsis.

Different strategies for the treatment of sepsis haveemerged in the last few years, but none of them has provento be beneficial in clinical trials. Lipids can modulate leuko-cyte function and therefore the immune response. Omega-9is a natural agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activatedreceptor (PPAR). PPAR gamma ligands had been demon-strated to protect septic animals against microvascular

dysfunction and enhance bacterial elimination through neu-trophil extracellular trap formation. The paper entitled“Omega-9 Oleic Acid, theMain Compound of Olive Oil, Mit-igates Inflammation during Experimental Sepsis” by I. M.Medeiros-de-Moraes et al. (published in Vol. 2018) investi-gated the effect of Omega-9 on systemic corticosterone levels,inflammatorymarkers, cellmigration, bacterial clearance, andnuclear receptor PPAR gamma expression in both liver andadipose tissues during experimental sepsis. The authors alsostudied Omega-9 effects on leukocyte rolling in vivo. It hasbeen demonstrated that Omega-9 modulated the immuneresponse in septic mice. Omega-9 decreased the productionof proinflammatory cytokines, increased IL-10 production,reduced neutrophil migration and accumulation in the siteof infection, and also improved bacterial clearance. Omega-9treatment affected leukocyte trafficking in septic animals andinflamed cremaster muscle postcapillary venules by decreas-ing selectin-dependent leukocyte rolling in vivo.

2. Functional Food in Chronic Diseases

Obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, chronic inflamma-tion, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress are considered themajor risk factors for different pathologies. The paper enti-tled “Gamma Oryzanol Treats Obesity-Induced Kidney Inju-ries by Modulating the Adiponectin Receptor 2/PPAR-αAxis” evaluated the effect of γOz to recover renal functionin obese animals by high sugar-fat diet by the modulationof the adiponectin receptor 2/PPAR-α axis. F. V. Francisquetiet al. (published in Vol. 2018) concluded that Oz is able tomodulate PPAR-α expression, inflammation, and oxidativestress pathways improving obesity-induced renal disease.

Hypertension is a dominant risk factor for chronic dis-eases, including cardiovascular disorders, stroke, renal dis-eases, and diabetes. Hypertension is the second leadingcause of disability around the world. Bioactive phytoconstitu-ents, available as natural components in foods and medicinalplants, provide preventive and curative health benefits toimprove cardiovascular health. The functionalities of bioac-tives from green resources, including the inhibition of theactivity of enzymes or the formation of complexes withmetals, which catalyze the oxidation reaction and the capac-ity to modulate metabolic processes, may result in the eradi-cation and management of cardiovascular diseases. F.Hussain et al. (published in Vol. 2018) investigated thesethemes by identifying and characterizing the bioactive com-pounds of Coriandrum sativum responsible for the treatmentof hypertension through LC-ESI-MS/MS and by exploringtheir mechanism of action as angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitors in the work “Identification of HypotensiveBiofunctional Compounds of Coriandrum sativum and Eval-uation of Their Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE)Inhibition Potential.”

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic?disturbance disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia,has increased rapidly worldwide. Currently, a global popula-tion of 382 million people is diagnosed with DM and thisnumber is predicted to rise to 592 million by 2035. Currentantidiabetic therapies have some limitations. Moreover, DM

2 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

is a chronic disease with miscellaneous complications thatrequire long-term treatment. Some effective Western medi-cines for diabetes are associated with high cost and adverseeffects. Therefore, it is necessary to find alternative agentsfor the treatment of diabetes and its complications that havelower costs and fewer side effects. Phytochemicals areregarded as an important source for treating human healthproblems, including DM. Foods are composed of a varietyof bioactive substances such as polysaccharides, pigments,minerals, peptides, and polyphenols, which have valuablepharmaceutical and biomedical potential. In these context,the papers “Polysiphonia japonica Extract AttenuatesPalmitate-Induced Toxicity and Enhances Insulin Secretionin Pancreatic Beta-Cells”(S.-H. Cha et al., published in Vol.2018), “The Antidiabetic and Antinephritic Activities ofTuber melanosporum via Modulation of Nrf2-Mediated Oxi-dative Stress in the db/dbMouse” (X. Jiang et al., published inVol. 2018), and “Inhibitory Effects of Momordicine I onHigh-Glucose-Induced Cell Proliferation and Collagen Syn-thesis in Rat Cardiac Fibroblasts” (P.-Y. Chen et al., pub-lished in Vol. 2018) explored the antidiabetic properties ofbioactive compounds with different matrices and found thatthe effects may be related to the modulation of oxidativestress and inflammation-related cytokines via Nrf2 signalingand may improve insulin secretion. The effects may providethese compounds with a candidacy for a natural nutritionalproduct for adjunct DM therapy.

Cancer is a major global disease where abnormal cellsrapidly proliferate, having the ability to migrate to differentparts of the human body via a process called metastasis. Can-cer is also one of the leading causes of death worldwide and isa burden financially and on the quality of human lives in bothwell-developed and less-developed countries, especially asthe population is increasing. Until now, cancer research hasfocused on the search for curative treatments, and few studieshave aimed at developing preventive strategies. Chemopre-vention is an old concept that consists in the use of drugs,vitamins, or nutritional supplements to reduce the risk ofdeveloping or having a recurrence of cancer. The consump-tion of whole plant foods as chemopreventive agents is highlyrecommended in the dietary guidelines on the basis of healthbenefits from dietary phytochemicals observed in epidemio-logical studies. The paper entitled “Sulforaphane ModulatesAQP8-Linked Redox Signaling in Leukemia Cells” of theauthors C. Prata et al. (published in Vol. 2018) evaluate thepotential anticancer activity of sulforaphane (SFN) in theB1647 leukemia cell line, focusing on AQP8 function andexpression. The authors also investigated the effect of SFNon Nox2, Nox4, and peroxiredoxin expression and on thephosphorylation state of VEGFR-2 and Akt. X. Yang et al.(published in Vol. 2018), through another approach, investi-gated the antitumor activity and structural characteristics ofwater-soluble polysaccharides from Kaempferia galanga L.(KGPs) in the paper “Structural Characterization and Anti-tumor Activity of Polysaccharides from Kaempferia galangaL.”. The results showed that KGPs were acidic polysaccha-rides (total sugar of 85.23%, uronic acid of 24.17%) with-skeletal modes of pyranose rings and mainly composed ofarabinose and galactose with the average molecular weight

of 8 5 × 105 Da. The in vivo antitumor test showed that KGPscould effectively protect the thymus and spleen of tumor-bearing mice from solid tumors and enhance the immuno-regulatory capability of CD4+ T cells and the cytotoxic effectsof CD8+ T cells and NK cells, finally leading to the inhibitoryeffects on H22 solid tumors.

3. Bone Health and Polyphenols

Bone is a dynamic organ that undergoes continuous remod-eling by the coordination and balance between resorptionand the formation activities of osteoclast and osteoblast cells.It is well established that women are vulnerable to bone lossespecially during and after menopause. The paper entitled“A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized TrialEvaluating the Effect of Polyphenol-Rich Herbal Congee onBone Turnover Markers of the Perimenopausal and Meno-pausal Women”, by J. Wattanathorn et al. (published inVol. 2018), tested the hypothesis that the polyphenol-richherbal congee containing the combined extract ofMorus albaand Polygonum odoratum leaves should improve bone turn-over markers in menopausal women. The authors performeda randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Thestudy demonstrates the antiosteoporotic effect of thepolyphenol-rich herbal congee by a possible mechanism viathe improved bone turnover via increased bone formationand decreased bone resorption.

Osteoporosis is a disease related to excessive bone resorp-tion due to estrogen insufficiency that occurs postmenopause.Primary osteoporosis, which is classified as type I (postmeno-pausal osteoporosis) and is frequently associated with fenes-trated trabecular bone resorption, occurs between the ages of50 and 65 years in postmenopausal women. Estrogen defi-ciency induces receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand(RANKL), the key molecule required for osteoclast differenti-ation, leading to enhanced osteoclast activation and reducedosteoclast apoptosis. Several studies have shown that protoca-techuic acid (PCA) has beneficial effects on osteoblast andosteoclast cells in vitro. S.-A. Jang et al. investigated the antios-teoporotic activity of PCA supplementation, which was deter-mined in ovariectomized (OVX) female ICRmice at 12 weeksafter OVX. In the paper “ProtocatechuicAcidAttenuates Tra-becular Bone Loss inOvariectomizedMice” (published inVol.2018), the authors demonstrated an inhibitory potential ofPCAagainst osteoclastogenesis, which augments bone resorp-tion in OVX or postmenopausal conditions. This was demon-strated in theOVXmousemodel. The underlyingmechanismof PCA in the suppression of bone loss in OVX mice may beassociated with the following effects: (1) reduction of theserum level of RANKL and increase in OPG; (2) blocking theRANK signaling pathway via downregulation of TRAF6 andNFATc1 expression; and (3) attenuation of cathepsin K andcalcitonin receptor expression.

4. Neuroprotective Effects ofBioactive Compounds

Neuroinflammation is the key mediator of secondary braindamage in most of the neurological disorders, such as

3Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Prion disease, Parkinson’s disease(PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), ischemic stroke, experimentalautoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and neuropathicpain. Neuroinflammation is induced by aging-dependentconditions and aging-independent pathological events,which share similar inflammatory cascades. Ischemic cardio-vascular disease (also known as “ischemic stroke”) is thethird leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Thenumber of patients suffering from cerebral ischemic diseaseworldwide has increased by 2 million per year, and the mor-bidity associated with this disease can affect young people.Therefore, searching for natural products for the protectionand treatment of transient cerebral ischemia-reperfusioninjury (TCI-RI) and exploring their mechanism of actionare a rational approach. The paper entitled “The ProtectiveEffect of the Total Flavonoids of Abelmoschus esculentus L.Flowers on Transient Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injuryis Due to Activation of the Nrf2-ARE Pathway”. Therefore,Y. Luo et al. (published in Vol. 2018) examined the protectiveeffect of an extract of the total flavonoids of A. esculentusflowers (AFF) on TCI-RI and its potential mechanism. Theauthors demonstrated that AFF had protective effects againstTCI-RI possibly by direct (scavenging free radicals) and indi-rect (activating the neuronal Nrf2-ARE pathway to modulatedamage by oxidative stress) actions.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenera-tive disease, is characterized by extracellular senile plaquedeposits, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronalapoptosis. Oxidative damage is known to play an importantrole in neuronal damage, due to the neurodegeneration pro-moted by highly reactive compounds. Amongst the potentialneuroprotective phytomedicines is Caryocar brasiliense(Camb), a Caryocaraceae family member popularly knownas “pequi.” T. S. de Oliveira et al. (published in Vol. 2018)investigated the antioxidant and anticholinesterase activitiesas well as the neuroprotective effects of C. brasiliense leafextracts, in order to provide new information on the poten-tial use of this plant against neurodegenerative disorders inthe work “Neuroprotective Effect of Caryocar brasilienseCamb. Leaves Is Associated with Anticholinesterase andAntioxidant Properties”. Progressive loss of memory andother cognitive functions are typical symptoms in AD.According to the amyloid hypothesis, amyloid-β- (Aβ-)related toxicity and imbalance are cardinal reasons that ?con-tribute to synaptic dysfunction and subsequent neurodegen-eration in AD. Therefore, Aβ has been suggested as apotential therapeutic target for AD treatment. Thus, withinthis context the paper of the authors H. Huang et al. entitled“Procyanidins Extracted from Lotus Seedpod AmeliorateAmyloid-β-Induced Toxicity in Rat PheochromocytomaCells” (published in Vol. 2018) verify the anti-Aβ effectsand protective mechanisms as a promising natural productfor AD treatment. The authors evaluated the ameliorationof LSPC in Aβ25-35-induced damage on rat pheochromocy-toma (PC12) cells. CREB/BDNF signaling and antioxidantactivity were studied as possible pathways. We used LC-MS/MS to analyze its distribution in vivo.

Microglia, neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes arethe basic cells of the brain. Microglia and astrocytes, as glial

cells, have a role to defend against brain injury, to maintainhomeostasis, and to repair brain injury. In aging-dependentconditions and aging-independent disorders such as ADand stroke, neuroinflammation can be initiated by chronicmicroglial activation. Activated microglia are required forbasic immune defense in the brain; however, chronic micro-glial activation is toxic to the central nervous system (CNS).Hence, natural compounds or nutraceuticals with the?potential to regulate these steps to control microglial activa-tion will be promising candidates for inhibiting neuroinflam-mation and neurodegenerative conditions. L. Subedi et al.(published in Vol. 2018) compared the efficacy of normalDongjin rice (NR), modified resveratrol-enriched rice(RR), and resveratrol in terms of cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory potential in activated microglia and eluci-dated the possible mechanisms underlying the antineuroin-flammatory potential of RR in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-)stimulated BV2 murine microglial cells. The paper “Genet-ically Engineered Resveratrol-Enriched Rice Inhibits Neu-roinflammation in Lipopolysaccharide-Activated BV2Microglia via Downregulating Mitogen-Activated ProteinKinase-Nuclear Factor Kappa B Signaling Pathway” notonly discovered the safe and effective role of RR againstaging and neuroinflammation, but also identified the anti-neuroinflammatory potential of NR itself because of the pres-ence of active phytochemicals such as α-tocopherol andγ-tocopherol in rice. The anti-inflammatory effect of RRtreatment seems to be mediated through the inhibition ofnitrite production, MAPK phosphorylation, NFκB-mediatedproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, and expression ofinflammatory proteins.

Conflicts of Interest

The Lead Guest Editor and Guest Editors declare no conflictof interest in the issue.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the authors for their fine contribu-tions to this special issue, the guest editors Prof. Dr. GermánGil and Prof. Dr. Felipe L. de Oliveira, and all the externalspecialist reviewers who upheld the quality of this specialissue by critically evaluating the papers and reviewing severalrevisions. Advices from the participating editorial teammembers are greatly appreciated.

Anderson Junger Teodoro

4 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Stem Cells International

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION

of

EndocrinologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Disease Markers

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

OncologyJournal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2013

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

PPAR Research

Hindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2013Hindawiwww.hindawi.com

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Immunology ResearchHindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Journal of

ObesityJournal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Behavioural Neurology

OphthalmologyJournal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Diabetes ResearchJournal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Research and TreatmentAIDS

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Parkinson’s Disease

Evidence-Based Complementary andAlternative Medicine

Volume 2018Hindawiwww.hindawi.com

Submit your manuscripts atwww.hindawi.com