Bergamot (Citrus bergamia): A Potential New Nutraceutical Against Cellular and Physiological Alterations Induced by Emerging Contaminants in Sentinel Organisms

Nutraceuticals are gaining research interest due to their beneficial potential and their use to counter the impact of emerging contaminants on natural ecosystems. Particularly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of personal hygiene/care products and disinfectants increased significantly. These pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antioxidants Vol. 14; no. 5; p. 539
Main Authors: Impellitteri, Federica, Multisanti, Cristiana Roberta, Riolo, Kristian, Zicarelli, Giorgia, Porretti, Miriam, Cafeo, Giovanna, Russo, Marina, Dugo, Paola, Di Bella, Giuseppa, Piccione, Giuseppe, Giannetto, Alessia, Faggio, Caterina
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.04.2025
MDPI
Subjects:
Antimicrobial activity
Aquatic ecosystems
aquatic environment
Cardiovascular disease
Carotenoids
Cell viability
Citrus
Citrus bergamia
Citrus fruits
Cleaning compounds
Contaminants
COVID-19
Cultural heritage
cytotoxicity
Detergents
Disinfectants
Ecosystems
emerging contaminants
Fatty acids
Functional foods
Functional foods & nutraceuticals
gene expression
Gills
Hemocytes
Hsp70 protein
Hygiene
Lipids
Mollusks
nutraceuticals
Oils & fats
Organisms
Phagocytes
Physiological aspects
Physiology
Plant extracts
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Surface active agents
Surfactants
Tocopherols
Toxicity
Italy
Germany
Citrus bergamia
aquatic environment
nutraceuticals
cytotoxicity
gene expression
emerging contaminants
ISSN:2076-3921, 2076-3921
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nutraceuticals are gaining research interest due to their beneficial potential and their use to counter the impact of emerging contaminants on natural ecosystems. Particularly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of personal hygiene/care products and disinfectants increased significantly. These products contain several substances in their formulations, including surfactants, which have proven to be hazardous to the entire aquatic ecosystem. In the present study, bergamot (Citrus bergamia) peel extract was used as a nutraceutical to counteract the toxicity of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), a common anionic detergent with antimicrobial activity. Specimens of Mytilus galloprovincialis, were exposed to SLS (0.01 mg/L), bergamot peels’ extract (BRG: 5 mg/L), and their mixture for 14 days. The cellular and physiological alterations in haemocytes, digestive gland (DG) and gill cells were analysed. The analyses included cell viability of haemocytes and DG cells (trypan blue exclusion assay and the neutral red retention test); the ability of DG cells to regulate their volume (RVD); haemocyte phagocytic activity; expression of genes involved in antioxidant response (Cu/ZnSOD, MnSOD, Hsp70, and CYP4Y) on gills and DG; the energy efficiency of the organism through byssus production; and the measurement of key macromolecules, including total lipid and fatty acid content, total protein, tocopherols and carotenoids, which play a key role in maintaining physiological and metabolic functions in the organism. Overall, significant differences emerged between the control (CTR) and treated groups, with the CTR and BRG groups resembling each other, while the SLS-treated groups showed significant alterations. Meanwhile, the groups exposed to the combination showed a recovery, suggesting the potential beneficial effect of the BRG.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:2076-3921
2076-3921
DOI:10.3390/antiox14050539