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Background Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene) (RSV) is one of the main non-flavonoid natural polyphenol compounds. Evidence suggests that RSV has a key role in preventing a variety of pathological processes because of its benefits, including anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular disease prevention. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is responsible for vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, and its expression is influenced by RSV. Vascular nitric oxide (NO) acts to relax smooth muscle cells by preventing thrombogenic processes. It has been shown in vitro and in vivo that RSV is involved in NO metabolism. The aim of this work was evaluate the effects of regular low-dose RSV consumption by determining serum VEGF and NO levels compared to a control group. Methods The study involved 27 clinically healthy individuals, divided into a control group (placebo) and an intervention group, supplemented with 100mg RSV/day. The VEGF levels were determined by slot blot technique and NO levels were determined by spectrophotometry before (T0) and after 30 days (T1) of supplementation. Results The VEGF and NO levels slightly decrease from T0 to T1 moment in both study groups, showing a higher decrease in both parameters in the control group compared to the intervention group, but the variation was not statistically significant. Conclusions Daily supplementation with RSV is associated with benefits at the VEGF level as well as at the vascular level. However, further studies with a larger number of participants are needed to confirm the effects of RSV on VEGF and NO levels.

The purpose of this study was to optimize the extraction of antioxidants from Salicornia ramosissima by-product through Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The impacts of time (10–60 min) and temperature (40–80 °C) in total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant/antiradical activity were assessed. The optimal extract was attained at the binomial 80 °C/10 min and characterized regarding phenolic composition, pigments quantification, radicals quenching capacity, anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and cell viability effects. The optimal extract was characterized by low carotenoids content (8.15 μg/g on dry weight (dw)) and high amounts of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (23.12 mg/g dw). A remarkable scavenging efficiency was observed, particularly for HOCl (IC50 = 27.61 μg/mL) and ONOO− (IC50 = 47.32 μg/mL). No adverse effects were detected on HaCaT and HFF-1 viability up to 1000 μg/mL. Additionally, the neuroprotective properties of the optimal extract were demonstrated by AChE inhibition (32.34% at 1000 μg/mL). This study encourages the sustainable recovery of antioxidants from the undervalued biowaste of S. ramosissima as a new raw material for different industries.

Pickering emulsions (PEs) are attracting increasing attention in the areas of food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications owing to their surfactant-free and eco-friendly nature. Herein, PEs stabilized by chitosan/collagen peptides (CH/CP) nanoparticles were assessed as green surfactant-free vehicles for the topical delivery of cannabidiol (CBD), a highly lipophilic unstable drug that is finding an increasing appeal in the cosmetic market. The influence of the oil phase volume fraction (φ) and the oil type on the emulsion properties, stability, rheological properties, as well as on the ex-vivo skin absorption of CBD was evaluated. The PE prepared with olive oil (φ = 0.6) exhibited elastic gel-like properties and demonstrated long-term stability after 5 months of storage, with a CBD content of 99.45% of the initially added amount. The skin absorption studies showed that CBD was retained in high amounts in the stratum corneum, while the CBD skin permeation was extremely low, indicating that the produced formulations are suitable as topical delivery vehicles. ATR-FTIR examination of the treated skin samples confirmed that the produced PEs were able to overcome the stratum corneum barrier. These findings suggest that the PEs stabilized with CH/CP nanoparticles provide an effective surfactant-free alternative for the topical delivery of CBD. This work was financially supported by the Base Funding – UIDB/50020/2020 of the Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM – funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and the Base Funding – UIDB/00690/2020 of CIMO – Centro de Investigaç˜ao de Montanha – funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The work was also supported by UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020 by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds. The authors acknowledge the technical support of the i3S, University of Porto. Asma Sharkawy gratefully acknowledges the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for the doctoral scholarship (PD/BD/135085/2017), and Dr. Carina Costa (at the LSRE) for the invaluable help. Ana Margarida Silva (SFRH/BD/144994/2019) is thankful for the Ph.D. grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. Francisca Rodrigues is thankful for her contract (CEECIND/01886/2020) financed by FCT/MCTES—CEEC Individual 2020 Program Contract. The graphical abstract was created using BioRender. com, with a publication license. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

During kiwiberry production, different by-products are generated, including leaves that are removed to increase the fruit’s solar exposure. The aim of this work was to extract bioactive compounds from kiwiberry leaf by employing microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Compatible food solvents (water and ethanol) were employed. The alcoholic extract contained the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents (629.48 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram of plant material on dry weight (dw) (GAE/g dw) and 136.81 mg of catechin equivalents per gram of plant material on dw (CAE/g dw), respectively). Oppositely, the hydroalcoholic extract achieved the highest antioxidant activity and scavenging activity against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (IC50 = 29.10 μg/mL for O2•−, IC50 = 1.87 μg/mL for HOCl and IC50 = 1.18 μg/mL for •NO). The phenolic profile showed the presence of caffeoylquinic acids, proanthocyanidin, and quercetin in all samples. However, caffeoylquinic acids and quercetin were detected in higher amounts in the alcoholic extract, while proanthocyanidins were prevalent in the hydroalcoholic extract. No adverse effects were observed on Caco-2 viability, while the highest concentration (1000 µg/mL) of hydroalcoholic and alcoholic extracts conducted to a decrease of HT29-MTX viability. These results highlight the MAE potentialities to extract bioactive compounds from kiwiberry leaf.