Irritable bowel syndrome and nutraceuticals: intervention beyond the food and before the drugs

This Ph.D. research project – which has highlighted some significant opportunities provided by the reuse of food waste products within a circular economy system involving health prevention and promotion, as well as the transformation and reuse of foods – aims to identify nutraceuticals (natural extracts, herbal mixes, phytocomplexes) with adjuvant functions in the treatment of multifactorial gastrointestinal syndromes and pathologies such as IBS. These natural origin supplements, characterized by bioactive chemical molecules, can modulate specific targets of gastrointestinal pathologies, act on various related target networks, and produce positive off-target effects. These characteristics are evident in the study on MOMAST, a natural complex rich in polyphenols derived from vegetation wastewater of Olea europaea with antioxidant, antibacterial, and spasmolytic action on the ileum and colon. The research also includes the study of the Herbal Mix consisting of extracts from Olea europea leaves and Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers. HM affects induced and spontaneous contractility of the guinea pig ileum and colon and some off-target effects, such as activity on iNOS and Caco-2 cells of human colorectal adenocarcinoma (selective inhibition and pro-apoptotic activity). In the third study, aimed at the health and well-being of livestock, we worked, with a view to preventive and adjunctive care in common pharmacological therapies, on two tannin-based extracts with different chemical compositions (Castanea sativa Mill. Wood and Schinopsis balansae Engl. Quebracho Colorado Hardwood) on the spontaneous contractility of isolated chicken ileum and colon tissues. The results highlight differentiated effects of the two phytocomplexes, with a better activity profile for Castanea sativa Mill., which mainly contains hydrolyzable tannins, compared to Schinopsis balansae. Based on the obtained results, the project has identified nutraceutical formulations useful in modulating some key targets involved in gastrointestinal pathologies: this achievement is an excellent starting point for developing supplements, also usable as adjuncts in gastrointestinal pharmacological therapies.