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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]

Stilbenes are phenolic compounds naturally synthesized as secondary metabolites by the shikimate pathway in plants. Research on them has increased in recent years due to their therapeutic potential as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective and anti-obesity agents. Amongst them, resveratrol has attracted the most attention, although there are other natural and synthesized stilbenes with enhanced properties. However, stilbenes have some physicochemical and pharmacokinetic problems that need to be overcome before considering their applications. Human clinical evidence of their bioactivity is still controversial due to this fact and hence, exhaustive basis science on stilbenes is needed before applied science. This review gathers the main physicochemical and biological properties of natural stilbenes, establishes structure-activity relationships among them, emphasizing the current problems that limit their applications and presenting some promising approaches to overcome these issues: the encapsulation in different agents and the structural modification to obtain novel stilbenes with better features. The bioactivity of stilbenes should move from promising to evident. [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 Gnetol is a stilbene whose characterization and bioactivity have been poorly studied. It shares some bioactivities with its analogue resveratrol, such as anti‐inflammatory, anti‐thrombotic, cardioprotective and anti‐cancer activities. However, the low solubility of stilbenes may limit their potential applications in functional foods. Encapsulation in cyclodextrins could be a solution. RESULTS: The antioxidant activity of gnetol was evaluated by 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) radical cation and ferric reducing antioxidant power methods (Trolox equivalents 13.48 μmol L−1 and 37.08 μmol L−1 respectively at the highest concentration) and it was higher than that of resveratrol, and depending on the method, similar or higher to that of oxyresveratrol. Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric characterization of gnetol is published for the first time. Moreover, its water solubility was determined and improved almost threefold after its molecular encapsulation in cyclodextrins, as well as its stability after storage for a week. A physicochemical and computational study revealed that cyclodextrins complex gnetol in a 1:1 stoichiometry, with better affinity for like 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (KF = 4542.90 ± 227.15 mol−1 L). Temperature and pH affected the encapsulation constants. CONCLUSION: These results could increase interest of gnetol as an alternative to the most studied stilbene, resveratrol, as well as aid in the development of more stable inclusion complexes that improve its aqueous solubility and stability so that it can be incorporated into functional foods. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]