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Obesity is a worldwide public health problem whose prevalence rate has increased steadily over the last few years. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the management of obesity and its comorbidities, and plant-based treatments are receiving increasing attention worldwide. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate a well-characterized extract of Lavandula multifida (LME) in an experimental model of obesity in mice and explore the underlying mechanisms. Interestingly, the daily administration of LME reduced weight gain as well as improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Additionally, LME ameliorated the inflammatory state in both liver and adipose tissue by decreasing the expression of various proinflammatory mediators (Il-6, Tnf-a, Il-1b, Jnk-1, Ppara, Pparg, and Ampk) and prevented increased gut permeability by regulating the expression of mucins (Muc-1, Muc-2, and Muc-3) and proteins implicated in epithelial barrier integrity maintenance (Ocln, Tjp1, and Tff-3). In addition, LME showed the ability to reduce oxidative stress by inhibiting nitrite production on macrophages and lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that LME may represent a promising complementary approach for the management of obesity and its comorbidities., Junta de Andalucía (CTS 164), by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI19.01058), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2015-67995-C3-3-R), European Commission (FEDER/ERDF). The CIBEREHD, Instituto de Salud Carlos III

La presente Tesis Doctoral recoge herramientas de análisis, purificación y evaluación de la bioactividad de los compuestos fenólicos presentes en distintas especies vegetales, así como los resultados obtenidos tras la aplicación de todas ellas. Para describirlos, esta memoria se ha dividido en dos grandes secciones: introducción y parte experimental. En la INTRODUCCIÓN se recoge información, en primer lugar, sobre la relación entre alimentación y salud a lo largo de los años y se detallan las principales características de las matrices vegetales que han sido objeto de estudio. En la PARTE EXPERIMENTAL se incluyen todos los trabajos que han sido llevados a cabo a lo largo del periodo de formación predoctoral y que está dividida a su vez en dos bloques. El Bloque 1 está enfocado en la obtención, determinación y purificación de los compuestos fenólicos contenidos en las matrices vegetales contenidas en los distintos trabajos. Y el Bloque 2, por su parte, está dirigido a la determinación de la bioactividad de estos compuestos., Tesis Univ. Granada.

Lippia citriodora (lemon verbena), a shrub indigenous to South America, was introduced into Europe at the end of the 17th century and has been widely used in infusions for its antispasmodic, antipyretic, sedative, and digestive properties. Furthermore, this plant is used in the food industry to flavour different products. Lemon verbena infusion contains significant amounts of polyphenols with healthy properties including high antioxidant activity1. Nevertheless, a better knowledge of the phenolic composition from lemon verbena polyphenols could be useful for nutraceutical development. In this work, the compounds in the L. citriodora extract were isolated by semipreparative HPLC according to their elution order. A total of 11 fractions were collected and the solvent was evaporated under vacuum. The residue of each fraction was weighted and dissolved with an appropriate volume of water at concentration level of 100 g/mL. Finally, fractions were filtered through a 0.25 μm filter. Afterwards, the composition of each fraction was established by a detailed HPLC-ESI/DAD-TOF-MS analysis2. A total of 30 compounds were identified in the L. citriodora extract belonging to various structural classes such as iridoids, flavonoids and phenylethanoids, most of them with a demonstrated antoxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities., Journal of International Society of Antioxidants in Nutrition & Health, Vol 3, No 4 (2016)

Strokes are the secondmost common cause of death worldwide and a leading cause of disability. Regular consumption of polyphenols has been shown to reduce the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event. For this reason, we have investigated the protective effect of Salicornia ramosissima, a seasonal halophyte that synthetizes high amounts of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, in response to environmental stress. Aqueous, hydroalcoholic, and ethanolic extracts were prepared to investigate if dietary supplementation prior to ischemic challenge can prevent subsequent damage using two animal models. First, we screened the protective effect against hypoxia–reoxygenation in Drosophila melanogaster and observed that both ethanolic and hydroalcoholic extracts protected flies from the deleterious effects of hypoxia. Second, we confirmed the protective effect of S. ramosissima ethanolic extract against brain ischemia using the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion mice model. Four weeks of oral supplementation with the ethanolic extract before artery occlusion reduced infarct volume and lowered the plasma levels of the DNA peroxidant product 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. Phytochemical profiling of S. ramosissima ethanolic extract revealed 50 compounds. Thus, it represents a valuable source of bioactive compounds that show promising disease-modifying activities and could be further developed as an effective food supplement for the prevention or treatment of neurovascular disorders., PE-0527-2019 Programa Operativo FEDER, Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades, [PY20_01351], ISCIII, grant number [CD21/00148]

Thanks to the University of Azores and University of Aveiro., Euphorbia genus (Euphorbiaceae family), which is the third largest genus of angiosperm plants comprising ca. 2000 recognized species, is used all over the world in traditional medicine, especially in the traditional Chinese medicine. Members of this taxa are promptly recognizable by their specialized inflorescences and latex. In this review, an overview of Euphorbia-derived natural products such as essential oils, extracts, and pure compounds, active in a broad range of biological activities, and with potential usages in health maintenance, is described. The chemical composition of essential oils from Euphorbia species revealed the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, while Euphorbia extracts contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. The extracts and secondary metabolites from Euphorbia plants may act as active principles of medicines for the treatment of many human ailments, mainly inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Besides, Euphorbia-derived products have great potential as a source of bioactive extracts and pure compounds, which can be used to promote longevity with more health., This research was funded by FCT/MCT, supporting the cE3c centre (FCT Unit, UID/BIA/00329/2013, 2015-2018, and UID/BIA/00329/2019), and the QOPNA research Unit (FCT UID/QUI/00062/2019).