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

Endothelial cell death due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), contributes to theinitial endothelial dysfunction, which promotes atherosclerotic lesions. Several fruit products, including apple and applejuice (AJ), are reported to be beneficial for humans’ health. However, the protective effect of different kind of apples andparticularly ancient varieties remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of three Italian local ancientvariety AJ on human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) model system.Materials and methods.Antiox-idant activity and phenolic content were determined in ‘Nesta’, ‘Panaia-red’ and ‘Cipolla’ Italian local ancient varietyAJ. ‘Golden Delicious’ variety AJ was used as control. HUVECs were treated for 24 h with various concentrations intotal polyphenols of AJ (5-50-100 mg L−1) and then with 2 mM of H2O2for 1 h. Cytotoxicity and ROS production wereevaluated as appropriate.Results and discussion. ‘Panaia-red’ AJ showed strong antioxidant capacity and a higher con-tent in total polyphenols compared to ‘Cipolla’, ‘Nesta’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ varieties. Moreover, ‘Panaia-red’ AJpretreatment significantly improved cell viability and resistance to oxidation (P<0.05).Conclusion.The results ofour study might be useful to revalue ancient Italian apple varieties and to develop new apple-based products with healthbeneficial properties.