| Popis: |
Flavone apigenin is a plant bioactive compound abundantly found in human diets. Apigenin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities, thereby presenting promising yet unexploited prospects for the prevention and treatment of various inflammatory diseases. Apigenin, like other flavones, naturally occursin plants in its glycoside form. However, apigenin glycosides are less absorbed compared to their aglycone counterparts leading to diminished antiinflammatory and anti-cancer activities in in vitro and in vivo models. Additionally, apigenin aglycones have poor aqueous solubility. Consequently, limited absorption and poor solubility pose major challenges in delivering medically effective concentrations of apigenin. To overcome these limitations, our group developed a targeted designed functional whole food from celery leaves, a rich source of apigenin, named CEBAR (CElery Based Apigenin Rich). We demonstrated that CEBAR efficiently increased the intake of apigenin enabled by the removal of glycosides. Here, we describe a method that optimized the process by reducing the saltiness without affecting the efficiency of apigenin deglycosylation resulting in an improved CEBAR formulation. We show that decreasing the concentration of phosphoric acid during acid hydrolysis aided the lowered use of potassium hydroxide needed for neutralization. These studies resulted in lessened saltiness while acquiring adequate levels of apigenin aglycone. Together, these findings would contribute to the implementation of targeted designed whole foods to deliver bioactive concentrations of apigenin and similar flavonoids and thus expanding the opportunities to prevent and treat inflammatory diseases. |
