(Finance) – From one research conducted by ENEA it emerges that some molecules contained in the pomegranate have a potential anti-inflammatory effect on the liver. Published in the international journal Natural Product Research and financed by the Italian nutraceutical company Esserre Pharma, the study investigated the beneficial effects of some particular substances present in large quantities in red grains (arils) but also in the peel and internal membranes of the pomegranate.
“From the first in vitro analyzes it emerged that the treatment based on pomegranate extract is able to significantly reduce the inflammatory response in human liver cells; the active substances contained in the whole fruit are able to inhibit the production and release of specific molecules involved in the inflammatory response and responsible for liver damage,” he explains Barbara Benassi, head of the ENEA Health and Environment Laboratory and co-author of the experimental study together with her laboratory colleague Mary Pierdomenico it’s at Constance Riccioni of Being Pharma.
The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a fruit tree adaptable to a vast range of agro-climatic conditions; it is native to Iran, but is currently grown in many regions of the world, including Italy. The production and consumption of its fruit have increased over time due to its beneficial properties, so much so that it is considered a new superfood. Pomegranate fruits are a great source of bioactive molecules, such as polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor action for some forms of cancer. “If most of these effects are demonstrated and proven by experiments based on seeds and fresh fruit juices, with our study, however, – underlines Benassi – we aim to exploit the molecules also present in the peel and internal membranes of the pomegranate and their beneficial effects in a still little-explored area such as liver inflammation”.
The liver it is one of the targets of pathogenic microorganisms and bacterial byproducts coming from the intestine through the portal vein, the blood vessel that carries blood from the intestine to the liver organ. A typical example is the endotoxin LPS (LipoPolySaccharide), a toxic substance which is bound to the cellular structures of some bacteria. “In our in vitro experiments we first induced an inflammatory response in liver cells, using LPS endotoxin stimulation; then, we administered pomegranate extract at a concentration of 1 microgram per milliliter. The result was very encouraging: the extract reduced the risk of inflammation and, consequently, liver damage,” he explains Benassi –. And from these first results we hypothesize that the active biomolecule in the anti-inflammatory action demonstrated in the laboratory is punicalagin, the most abundant polyphenol present in our fruit extract and waste”.
“With the ENEA Health and Environment Laboratory we are carrying out an excellent research work to evaluate and demonstrate the biological activity of the extracts of some Mediterranean fruits. And the determination of the anti-inflammatory properties of the pomegranate fruit extract lays the foundations for the development of a new line of nutraceutical products, which aims to support the energy functions of our body and the immune system”, he concludes Riccioni.