Apple juices from ancient Italian cultivars: a study on mature endothelial cells model

Introduction. Endothelial cell death due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), contributes to the initial endothelial dysfunction, which promotes atherosclerotic lesions. Several fruit products, including apple and apple juice (AJ), are reported to be beneficial for humans' health. However, the protective effect of different kind of apples and particularly ancient varieties remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of three Italian local ancient variety AJ on human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) model system. Materials and methods. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content were determined in 'Nesta', 'Panaia-red' and 'Cipolla' Italian local ancient variety AJ. 'Golden Delicious' variety AJ was used as control. HUVECs were treated for 24 h with various concentrations in total polyphenols of AJ (5-50-100 mg L-1) and then with 2 mMof H2O2 for 1 h. Cytotoxicity and ROS production were evaluated as appropriate. Results and discussion. 'Panaia-red' AJ showed strong antioxidant capacity and a higher content in total polyphenols compared to 'Cipolla', 'Nesta' and 'Golden Delicious' varieties. Moreover, 'Panaia-red' AJ pretreatment significantly improved cell viability and resistance to oxidation (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The results of our study might be useful to revalue ancient Italian apple varieties and to develop new apple-based products with health beneficial properties.