Does Pectin Improve Quercetin Bioavailability And Activity?

About Quercetin

Quercetin 98% Extract Powder is a plant pigment (flavonoid). It is found in multiple plants and foods such as apples, onions, green tea, red wine, berries, ginkgo Biloba, St. John's wort, elderberries, etc., but it is highest in apples and onions. Like many other bioflavonoids, quercetin has antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-cancer properties.

Can Pectin Improve Quercetin Bioavailability?

Scientists have developed a method to combine quercetin derivatives with pectin chains to increase bioavailability and antioxidant activity, thereby improving disease prevention. A quercetin derivative and pectin are adapted and combined to retain polyphenol properties and improve the absorption of flavonols, which have a wide range of therapeutic properties. While quercetin is considered one of the most potent antioxidants in nature, its activity is limited by variable absorption rates, low bioavailability, poor water solubility, and deficient chemical stability. According to the researchers, the latter is a major challenge facing scientists in developing effective nutraceutical and functional foods. By increasing the bioavailability of quercetin, more and more effective nutraceuticals and functional foods can certainly be developed.

How about Pectin Properties?

Pectin is a heterogeneous polysaccharide that exists in the cell walls of plant tissues, especially compounds extracted from apples, apricots, pears, and other fruits. The content of orange peel is also very high. Natural pectin is commonly derived from protopectin and consists of monomeric units of D-galacturonic acid linked by glycosidic bonds to which sugars can adhere. It is safe to use, passes unchanged through the gastrointestinal tract, and is finally digested by the bacterial microflora in the colon.

How Can Pectin Improve the Bioavailability and Activity of Quercetin Derivatives?

Hybrid molecules were synthesized by coupling quercetin and DHA and grafting with pectin to obtain functional polymers with better antioxidant properties of the parent compounds and possibly improved bioavailability. The opportunity to graft antioxidant structures in biomacromolecules through environmentally friendly procedures is an innovative strategy to significantly enhance the properties of natural compounds, opening up new applications in the pharmaceutical field and food industry. Two mixed pectin-based conjugates were turned out with different amounts of quercetin and boosted with ascorbic acid. The purified solution was frozen and dried to yield a gaseous solid. A blank pectin formulation without antioxidant molecules was used as a control. Total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and scavenger activity against hydrophilic and lipophilic radical species were investigated.

The result showed that the formula offers a useful alternative for enhancing the bioavailability of quercetin derivatives through covalent binding to pectin chains. In addition, it provides a very universal and efficient method of transporting polyphenolic compounds, both in terms of protection of the polyphenols themselves, and in terms of their biological activity exhibited in the substrates in which they will be used.