In vitro bioavailability studies on phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity potential of clematis viticella l.

Oxidative stress is a major problem for living organisms and might lead to the formation of reactive oxygen species which may cause cellular damage. It is also known for playing an important role in the formation of various degenerative diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Although the human body has a number of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms, it should be supplemented by consumption of antioxidant-rich foods. Since biotransformation processes generally affect the biological activities of antioxidant compounds, bioavailability is the first step in determining the potency of the activity. Previous studies have shown that in vitro antioxidant capacity of phytochemicals cannot reflect real health benefits. Clematis species (Ranunculaceae) are used to eliminate the symptoms of many diseases including particularly in the treatment of rheumatic diseases in Turkey, but the number of studies conducted is limited. In the light of this information, the total phytochemical profile of the aerial parts of C. viticella prepared with 80% methanolic and the gastrointestinal digestion products and the antioxidant activity profile were evaluated by subjecting it to the in vitro simulation model of the human digestive tract in the study. It was observed that both total phytochemical content and antioxidant activity decreased after simulated human digestion. Moreover, this study showed potential oral bioaccessibility and bioavailability of total phenol, phenolic acid, flavonoid, and saponin content found in the aerial parts of Clematis viticella. Consequently, these indicate that it resulted from the complicated interaction of compounds in the plant matrix in an in vitro simulated human digestion.