POTENTIAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT EXERTED BY DIFFERENT CHESTNUT TREE EXTRACTS IN BV-2 CELLS

Leaves and spiny cupules, collected from different chestnut trees, represents the subject of a multidisciplinary study aimed at characterizing the most relevant metabolites and at evaluating the potential cytoprotective effect exerted by the by-products of the chestnut grove. The potential cytoprotective effect of different extracts from chestnut leaves and spiny cupules has been evaluated by the MTT reduction assay in a microglia cellular model (BV-2), following inflammatory stimulation with LPS. Moreover, IL-1β expression induced by LPS in the presence or absence of extracts form leaves and spiny cupules has been evaluated by PCR. Preliminary results suggest a low toxicity and a promising anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts. The evaluation of the phytochemical profiles and of the nutraceutical potential of these samples represent an important step to encourage their recycling and valorization as sources of active principles, favoring the circular economy and reducing the environmental impact linked to the management of chestnut waste. This work was supported by MIUR-PRIN 2015 (No. 20152HKF3Z) and by Accademia Nazionale di Agricoltura.