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Isorhapontigenin has been proposed as a better alternative for oral administration than the famous resveratrol, as it shares many biological activities, but with a structure that could make its delivery easier. Although this hydrophobic structure could enhance bioavailability, it could also be a disadvantage in the development of products. In this research, we study the antiproliferative activity of this stilbene against colorectal cancer and overcome its limitations through molecular encapsulation in cyclodextrins. The cytotoxic activity against human colorectal cancer cells of isorhapontigenin was similar to that of resveratrol or piceatannol, supporting its use as a bioactive alternative. The study of the encapsulation through fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking revealed that the complexation satisfies a 1:1 stoichiometry and that HP-β-CD is the most suitable CD to encapsulate this stilbene. Through a spectrophotometric assay, it was observed that this CD could double the basal water solubility, exceeding the solubility of other hydroxylated stilbenes. The stability of these inclusion complexes was higher at a pH below 9 and refrigeration temperatures. Moreover, the use of CDs retained more than 78% of isorhapontigenin after storage for 12 weeks, compared to 15% in free form. Overall, these findings could help design novel formulations to better deliver isorhapontigenin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that methoxylated stilbenes are better candidates for oral administration than hydroxylated stilbenes, including resveratrol, as they share many biological activities but have better bioavailability. By contrast, they have a disadvantage to consider, i.e., their lower hydrophilic character that leads to precipitation issues in the final product. In this work, we analysed and compared the growth inhibition of colorectal cancer cells of the methoxylated stilbene rhapontigenin and some analogues and overcame potential problems in the development of fortified products by designing inclusion complexes. Among several cyclodextrins, we found the one that best fit the molecule by physicochemical and bioinformatics assays. The stoichiometry and the encapsulation constants with natural and modified cyclodextrins were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The most promising complexes were analysed at different temperature and pH conditions, determining the thermodynamic parameters, to discover the optimal conditions for the preparation and storage of the products. The results showed that rhapontigenin solubility and stability were significantly improved, achieving a sevenfold increase in water solubility and maintaining more than 73% of the stilbene after three months. These findings could be of great interest for industries that aim to deliver novel bioactive compounds with higher solubility and lower degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND 2‐Phenylethanol (PEA) is a higher aromatic alcohol with a rose‐like odor, which is used in several industries. Although PEA can be synthesized, consumers are increasingly concerned about the toxicity of chemically synthesized products, and prefer natural aroma compound. PEA occurs naturally in the environment but concentrations are too low to justify extraction. RESULTS: The present study offers a novel biological source of PEA: the filamentous fungi Monochaetinula geoffroeana. We report the highest recorded yield of PEA of fungal origin to date: 6.52 g L−1. The volatility and low water solubility of PEA can affect its use in many industries, for which reason complexation studies of PEA and cyclodextrins were carried out using the phase solubility technique. PEA formed 1:1 stoichiometric inclusion complexes with natural and modified CDs, the highest encapsulation constant being obtained with MβCD (K1:1 = 299.88 L mol−1). The complexation process significantly increased the water solubility of PEA. A computational study showed a high degree of correlation between computed scores and experimental values. Furthermore, this study reports the role of salicylic acid as an effective elicitor for improved PEA production by the studied fungi. Supplementation with 10 μmol L−1 salicylic acid increased PEA production from 6.52 to 10.54 g L−1. CONCLUSION: The best treatment to enhance PEA production by M. geoffroeana under laboratory conditions was to use salicylic acid 10 μmol L−1. Due to the commercial importance of PEA, further investigation is needed to improve PEA production by M. geoffroeana and to optimize culture conditions in order to standardize yields. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of cyclodextrins to enhance the water solubility of lipophilic compounds is used to modify the water-based Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) method to measure antioxidant activity in vitro. However, the use of these solubility enhancers may alter fluorescent readings, which has led to contradictory results being described in the literature. The low specificity of these oligosaccharides and their controlled release effect can result in cyclodextrins forming inclusion complexes with other reagents in the assay, changing the kinetics. In this study, the cause of cyclodextrins' interference in the ORAC method is evaluated through a physicochemical and computational approach. Cyclodextrins showed a clear increase in the fluorescent signal both in the presence and absence of the antioxidant oxyresveratrol, the precise effect being dependent on the type and concentration of cyclodextrin. Although the glucidic nature of cyclodextrins could play a minimal role in this effect, it seems that the main cause was the encapsulation of other substrates in the reaction, fluorescein and AAPH. [Display omitted] • Different types of cyclodextrins can modify ORAC readings in a dose-dependent manner. • This effect is mainly due to the ability of cyclodextrins to encapsulate other molecules. • Fluorescein and AAPH can be trapped in the cyclodextrin cavity, as well as the antioxidant. • The use of cyclodextrins as solubility enhancers in the ORAC method is discouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]