Department of Medical Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale A. Avogadro, Novara, Italy.
J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 25;59(10):5342-50. doi: 10.1021/jf2005386. Epub 2011 Apr 20.
There is a great interest in the potential health benefits of biologically active phenolic compounds in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and dark chocolate. We investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of clovamide (a N-phenylpropenoyl-L-amino acid amide present in cocoa beans) and two phenolic extracts from unroasted and roasted cocoa beans, by evaluating superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) production, cytokine release, and NF-κB activation in human monocytes stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The effects of rosmarinic acid are shown for comparison. Clovamide and rosmarinic acid inhibited PMA-induced O(2)(-) production and cytokine release (with a bell-shaped curve and maximal inhibition at 10-100 nM), as well as PMA-induced NF-κB activation; the two cocoa extracts were less effective. In all tests, clovamide was the most potent compound and also enhanced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) activity, which may exert anti-inflammatory effects. These findings indicate clovamide as a possible bioactive compound with anti-inflammatory activity in human cells.
人们对可可（Theobroma cacao）和黑巧克力中生物活性酚类化合物的潜在健康益处非常感兴趣。我们通过评估豆蔻酰胺（存在于可可豆中的 N-苯丙烯酰-L-氨基酸酰胺）和两种未烘烤及烘烤可可豆酚类提取物对佛波醇 12-肉豆蔻酸 13-乙酸酯（PMA）刺激的人单核细胞中超氧阴离子（O(2)(-))产生、细胞因子释放和 NF-κB 激活的影响，研究了豆蔻酰胺和两种酚类提取物的抗炎潜力。为了进行比较，还展示了迷迭香酸的作用。豆蔻酰胺和迷迭香酸抑制了 PMA 诱导的 O(2)(-)产生和细胞因子释放（呈钟形曲线，在 10-100 nM 时达到最大抑制），以及 PMA 诱导的 NF-κB 激活；两种可可提取物的效果则较差。在所有测试中，豆蔻酰胺都是最有效的化合物，并且还增强了过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体-γ（PPARγ）的活性，这可能发挥抗炎作用。这些发现表明豆蔻酰胺作为一种具有抗炎活性的生物活性化合物，可能对人体细胞有作用。
