In Vitro Protective Effects of Two Extracts from Bergamot Peels on Human Endothelial Cells Exposed to Tumor Necrosis Factor-alfa (TNF-alfa)

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) is a less commercialized Citrus fruit, mainly used for its essential
oil extracted from the peel. Bergamot peel (BP) represents about 60% of the processed fruits and is
regarded as primary waste. However, it contains good amounts of useful compounds, such as pectins
and flavonoids. Many of the bioactivities of Citrus flavonoids appear to impact vascular endothelial
cells. Herein, we report the protective effect of two flavonoid-rich extracts from BP (endowed with
radical-scavenging properties and lacking genotoxic activity) against alterations in cell modifications
induced by the pleiotropic inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-alfa) on human umbilical
vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as demonstrated by monitoring intracellular levels of malondialdehyde/
4-hydroxynonenal, reduced and oxidized glutathione and superoxide dismutase activity, and the
activation status of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Thus, BP appears to be a potential source of natural
antioxidant/anti-inflammatory phytocomplexes to be employed as ingredients of nutraceutical products
or functional foods.