Caratterizzazione chimica e valutazione delle potenziali proprietà ipocolesterolemizzanti di estratti e composti isolati di origine naturale

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most significant disorders affecting today's society and is the leading cause of death worldwide each year with 29.6 % of total deaths. The reduction of lipids, mainly total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG), is of prime importance in CVD and ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) prevention, as claimed by the current guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemia. In this contest, nutraceuticals are widely used as natural regulators of cholesterol metabolism, and they can be administered for the management and prevention of mild hypercholesterolemia, or as adjuvants to drug therapy. Dietary supplements for cholesterol control are mainly based on red yeast rice (RYR), berberine (BBR) and phytosterols, however, these nutraceuticals are associated with some drawbacks, such as the induction of myalgia, mild hepatic toxicity and gastrointestinal side effects. For these reasons, new natural extracts with hypolipidemic activity are under investigations. The project here presented was focused on the research of natural products as sources of innovative cholesterol-control nutraceuticals for the improvement of cardiovascular health. The research presented a multidisciplinary approaches, the first part of the work was focused on the phytochemical investigation of selected plant species, Abelmoschus esculentus (okra), Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau (bergamot), Citrus x tangelo (mapo), and Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wiggers (dandelion), while the second part consisted of in vitro experiments using a human hepatocarcinoma cell line, Huh7, or a human colon carcinoma cell line, Caco-2, or human leukemia monocytic cell line, THP-1. The aim of the project was to evaluate the potential cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties of new edible plants-derived constituents and to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis.