- Studies address the prevention of colonorectal cancer through the intake of barley-rich foods, the use of rice seed extracts to inhibit infectious diseases and the investigation of systems to enhance the absorption of beta-carotene.
- The two CERCA centers are participating in the second AgroHealth 2024 call for proposals to promote research projects in Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Health.
The two CERCA centres in the city of Lleida, Agrotecnio and the Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (IRBLleida), are joining forces once again to promote 3 biomedical research projects thanks to the second call for research projects in Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Health: AgroHealth 2024.
AgroHealth is an innovative initiative within the framework of the network of Research Centres of Catalonia (i-CERCA), through which Agrotecnio and IRBLleida combine their research capacity to develop collaborative projects that unite agri-food with biomedical research in favour of improving health and well-being.
The 2024 call comes after the success of the first call in 2022, which also funded 3 collaborative projects. This year’s call has an overall budget of €135,000, provided by the centers themselves. Three new projects have been selected that address the prevention of colorectal cancer through the intake of barley-rich foods, the use of rice seed extracts to inhibit infectious diseases, and the study of systems to improve the absorption of beta-carotene, which has been shown to be a potent antitumor agent. Each of the projects is funded with €45,000.
Each project involves a research group from Agrotecnio and another from IRBLleida, with the aim of maintaining the collaboration once the project is completed. The AgroHealth call is biannual and aims to create lasting synergies between researchers at the two centers, so that these same projects can later be submitted to more ambitious national or international calls for proposals. To be eligible to participate in the AgroHealth call, the research staff must hold a PhD, have a scientific or technical background consistent with the proposed project and be attached to Agrotecnio or IRBLleida.
Barley as a colorectal cancer preventive agent
The project ‘Chemopreventive effects of barley-based foods rich in bioactive compounds in colorectal cancer (CHEMBAR)’ is driven by researchers Laura Rubió (Agrotecnio – UdL) and Diego Arango del Corro (IRB Lleida).
In recent years, Agrotecnio’s Crop Physiology group has developed new biofortified barley with β-glucans and polyphenols for human consumption. Preliminary studies in animal models have indicated that these β-glucans and polyphenols attenuate inflammation and modulate the gut microbiota in a beneficial way.
This modulation may play a crucial role in preventing colorectal cancer, improving gut health and reducing inflammation, inhibiting tumor development and progression.
The project proposes an interdisciplinary approach to assess the chemo preventive effects of foods made with biofortified barley on this type of cancer. The aim is to study how bioactive compounds in barley are metabolized using in vitro digestion models, before applying them in biological models. The impact of barley digests on colon cancer cells and intestinal organoids will be evaluated, as well as analyzing the preventive effects in a mouse model of colorectal cancer. The project integrates advanced genetic, biochemical and nutritional methodologies in in vitro models.
Natural rice microbicides against infectious diseases
The project ‘Natural rice microbicides against current and emerging infectious diseases’ is led by Paul Cristou (Agrotecnio – UdL) and Manel Portero (IRBLleida – UdL).
Agrotecnio has demonstrated that certain rice seed extracts inhibit the infection of two unrelated viral trunks (HIV and SARS-CoV-2), a fact that indicates the possible presence of proteins with broad-spectrum antiviral properties, at this stage unknown. To advance this knowledge, a combination of fractionation and affinity capture techniques will be used to identify them.
The neutralizing capacity (on pseudoviral particles and live viruses) of rice seed-derived components, affinity-captured with immobilized viral surface proteins, as well as simple protein mixtures generated by fractionation from plant extracts, will also be explored.
The proteins, complexes and fractions with antiviral activity will be analyzed by mass spectrometry to identify the constituents by comparison with existing proteomic data. Finally, large-scale purification of these proteins will be optimized to facilitate the development of effective microbicides against current and future pandemic diseases.
Carotenoids as anti-tumor agents
The project ‘Targeted design of edible nanostructured delivery systems containing beta-carotene as a dietary supplementation strategy with antitumor activity’, led by Laura Salvia (Agrotecnio -UdL) and Nuria Eritja (IRB Lleida – UdL), is based on the study of carotenoids, lipophilic bio actives present in fruits and vegetables with antioxidant activity and potential beneficial effects against cancer. However, carotenoids have very low absorption when consumed in their natural form. Therefore, new strategies are needed to improve their absorption.
Delivery systems based on nanostructured lipids in the form of nano emulsions, hydrogels or oleo gels have been shown to improve the bioavailability of carotenoids due to their high active surface area. In this context, the project aims to study the effect of release systems based on nanostructured lipids containing β-carotene as a method of dietary supplementation in various types of cancer using in vitro and in vivo approaches to formulate fortified foods with potential anti-tumor effect.
The 2022 projects
The following projects received funding in the first AgroHealth2022 call:
‘Technological feasibility and toxicological study of a biotransformation strategy to reduce patulin in apple juice’, which aimed to reduce the mycotoxin patulin in apple juice. It was led by Agrotecnio-Universitat de Lleida researcher Immaculada Viñas and IRBLleida-UdL researcher José Serrano. From the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the chemical structure responsible for patulin degradation is a protein with a molecular weight greater than 10KDa, and that its capacity to degrade patulin has been analytically demonstrated.
‘Weaning pigs: an animal model to solve iron deficiency anaemia based on biotechnologically modified yeast’, led by IRBLleida-UdL researcher Ángeles de la Torre and Agrotecnio-UdL researcher Gabriel de la Fuente. This project analysed how to increase the sustainability and welfare of pigs by finding a sustainable and probiotic model to reduce iron deficiency anaemia in humans. The results of the project indicate the need to act on iron deficiency anaemia in the early stages of the animal’s age; likewise, the use of yeasts with high ferritin levels can serve as an alternative to the use of inorganic sources of iron in transition piglets.
Finally, the project ‘Design of functional foods with active ingredients with potential anti-obesity properties’ was led by researchers Gemma Bellí, from IRBLleida-UdL, and Olga Martín, from Agrotecnio-UdL. It focused on evaluating the effects of the consumption of active principles of dietary fibres and b-carotene-containing structures on the modulation of the intestinal microbiota and inflammatory markers associated with obesity. The results of the project show that functional foods can be designed that help modulate the gut microbiota and have a potential anti-obesity effect, as found in studies with rats.