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Light Quality Potentiates the Antioxidant Properties of Brassica rapa Microgreen Extracts against Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Human Cells
Plants are an inexhaustible source of bioactive compounds beneficial for contrasting oxidative stress, leading to many degenerative pathologies. Brassica r
Ida Paolillo, G. Di Costanzo, Antonella Delicato, F Villano, Carmen Arena, Viola Calabrò
Antioxidants · 2023 · https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101895
Abstract
Plants are an inexhaustible source of bioactive compounds beneficial for contrasting oxidative stress, leading to many degenerative pathologies. Brassica rapa L. subsp. rapa is well known for its nutraceutical properties among edible vegetable species. In our work, we aimed to explore an eco-friendly way to enhance the beneficial dietary phytochemicals in this vast world of crop-growing plants at selected light quality conditions. White broad-spectrum (W) and red–blue (RB) light regimes were used for growing brassica microgreens. The organic extracts were tested on keratinocytes upon oxidative stress to explore their capability to act as natural antioxidant cell protectors. Our results show that both W and RB extracts caused a notable reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels induced by H2O2. Interestingly, according to its higher contents of polyphenols and flavonoids, the RB was more efficient in reducing ROS amount and DNA damage than the W extract, particularly at the lowest concentration tested. However, at higher concentrations (up to 100 μg/mL), the antioxidant effect reached a plateau, and there was little added benefit. These findings confirm that RB light effectively increases the antioxidant compounds in Brassica rapa L. microgreens, thus contributing to their enhanced activity against oxidative-induced genotoxicity compared to microgreens grown under W light.
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How to credit this work
Ida Paolillo; G. Di Costanzo; Antonella Delicato; F Villano; Carmen Arena; Viola Calabrò (2023). Light Quality Potentiates the Antioxidant Properties of Brassica rapa Microgreen Extracts against Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Human Cells. Antioxidants. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101895 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Hosted by EVEC Athens (microgreens.org.gr). No changes were made to this article. Provided as-is, without warranties. EVEC Athens is not affiliated with, and this copy is not endorsed by, the authors or the publisher.
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