Chemical composition and “ in vitro ” anti-inflammatory activity of Vitis vinifera L. (var. Sangiovese) tendrils extract

Grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) is currently used for wine production, herbal medicine and food supplements. In this study we investigated the phenolic composition of grape tendril extract (TVV), because these compounds are prob ably r esponsible for the observed biological effects of TVV. We performed our investigation on cells implicated in the inflammatory process and in vascular damage, such as monocyte (U937) and senescent endothelial (HUVEC) cells. We analysed changes in microRNA (miRNA) expression during a pro-inflammatory condition in LPS (lipopolysaccharide) stimulated cells. MiR-126, defined as angiomiR for its ability in the maintenance of endothelial cell functions, and miR-146a, defined as inflamma-miR, for its ability to down-modulate (NF-kB nuclear factor-kB) pro-inflammatory pathway, were analysed along with their targets.TVV extract (40 g/mL) was able to prevent the LPS stimu- lus and may play an important role in the prevention of endothelial dysfunction when the accumulation of senescent endothelial cells occurs.