A review of the chemistry and pharmacology of the date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Date fruit has served as a staple food in the Arab world for centuries. Worldwide production of date fruit has increased almost threefold over the last 40 years, reaching 7.68 million tons in 2010. Date fruit can provide many essential nutrients and potential health benefits to the consumer. Date fruit goes through four ripening stages named kimri, khalal, rutab and tamer. The main chemical components of date fruit include carbohydrates, dietary fibre, enzymes, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, phenolic acids and carotenoids. The chemical composition of date fruit varies according to ripening stage, cultivar, growing environment, postharvest conditions, etc. The nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical composition. Many studies have shown that date fruit has antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. Various date fruit-based products such as date syrup, date paste, date juice and their derived products are available. Date by-products can be used as raw materials for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharides, antibiotics, date-flavoured probiotic-fermented dairy produce, bakery yeasts, etc. In this paper the chemical composition and nutritional and medicinal values of date fruit as well as date fruit-based products are reviewed.

Date fruit: chemical composition, nutritional and medicinal values, products.

Superheated liquid extraction of oleuropein and related biophenols from olive leaves.

The ceramide generation is an early event in the apoptotic response to numerous stimuli including the oxidative stress and ceramide analogs mimic the stress effect and induce apoptosis. Flavonoids of German chamomile are reported to exhibit the hepatoprotective effect. Flavonoids affect sphingolipid metabolism and reduce the elevated ceramide level in the aged liver. In the present paper, the ceramide content and production in the CCl4- and ethanol-treated liver and hepatocytes as well as the correction of sphingolipid metabolism in the damaged liver using the mixture of German chamomile flavonoids (chamiloflan) or apigenin-7-glucoside (AP7Glu) have been investigated. The experiments were performed in either the rat liver or hepatocytes of normal, CCl4- and ethanol-treated or flavonoid- and toxin plus flavonoid-treated animals. [14C]palmitic acid and [methyl-14C-phosphorylcholine]sphingomyelin were used to investigate the sphingolipid turnover. Addition of the CCl4 or ethanol to isolated hepatocyte suspensions caused loss of cell viability and increased the lactate dehydrogenase release from the cells into supernatant and ceramide level in the cells. CCl4 administration to the rats enlarged ceramide mass as well as neutral sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity and reduced ceramide degradation by the neutral ceramidase. Pretreatment of isolated hepatocytes with flavonoids abrogated the CCl4 effects on the cell membrane integrity and normalized the ceramide content. Flavonoid administration to the rats normalized the elevated ceramide content in the damaged liver via neutral SMase inhibition and ceramidase activation. The data obtained have demonstrated that flavonoids affect sphingolipid metabolism in the CCl4- and ethanol-damaged liver and liver cells. Flavonoids normalized activities of key enzymes of sphingolipid turnover (neutral SMase and ceramidase) and ceramide contents in the damaged liver and liver cells, and stabilized the hepatocyte membranes.

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Effects of flavonoids on sphingolipid turnover in the toxin-damaged liver and liver cells

Virgin olive oil (VOO) consumption is increasing all over the world due to its excellent organoleptic and nutraceutical properties. These beneficial traits stand from a prominent and well-balanced chemical composition, which is a blend of major (98% of total oil weight) and minor compounds including antioxidants. The main antioxidants are phenolic compounds, which can be divided into lipophilic and hydrophilic phenols. While lipophilic phenols such as tocopherols can be found in other vegetable oils, most hydrophilic phenols in olive oil are exclusive of the Olea europaea species endowing it with a chemotaxonomic interest. This review is focused on VOO antioxidant profile and, particularly, on hydrophilic phenols that are divided into different sub-families such as phenolic acids and alcohols, hydroxy-isochromans, flavonoids, secoiridoids, lignans and pigments. Analytical methods for qualitative and/or quantitative determination of these compounds are assessed. The implementation of efficient sample preparation protocols, separation techniques such as liquid chromatography, GC and capillary electrophoresis, as well as detection techniques such as ultraviolet absorption, fluorescence or MS are critical to succeed in the quality of the results. The effects of hydrophilic phenols on increasing VOO stability, its nutraceutical interest and organoleptic properties are also considered.

Meng Song

Papers

Mechanisms of apigenin-7-glucoside as a hepatoprotective agent.