Capsicum annuum L. cv Senise: from food to liposomes with high-value antioxidant potential

Different factors increase the production of free radicals in human body altering the homeostasis (Flora, S. 2007). The increase in free radicals resulting in the oxidative stress, is involved in the etiology of several major human diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neuronal disorders. Specialized metabolites extracted from plant species are able to neutralize free radicals by carrying out numerous biological activities (Zhang, H. et al. 2016). Among all, Capsicum annuum L. cultivar Senise, belonging to the Solanaceae family, is a precious source of health promoting compounds. In fact, few studies have investigated the biological activity and chemical composition of this pepper cultivar (Loizzo, M.R. et al. 2013; Speranza, G. et al. 2019). The “red gold of the Basilicata region” is a sweet pepper traditionally sun-dried and eaten fried (“cruschi peppers”) or powdered and used as a spice in the Basilicata region (Italy). As far as we are aware, this is the first study on the biological activity of C. annuum cv Senise in cells or incorporated in a vesicular carrier system. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of the antioxidant activity on HepG2 cell line used as cell model as well as the investigation of the phytochemical profile of C. annuum. Furthermore, the molecular signalling pathways involved in the antioxidant activity of the extract were assessed (Sinisgalli, C. et al. 2020).