This application is a U.S. national stage of PCT/IB2018/052498 filed on 10 Apr. 2018, which claims priority to and the benefit of Italian Application No. 102017000040866 filed on 12 Apr. 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present invention relates to a combination of extracts ofCynara cardunculusandCitrus bergamiawhich are useful for the prevention and treatment of hepatic steatosis.

PRIOR ART

The bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia Risso&Poiteau) is a citrus fruit substantially cultivated only in small areas of Calabria, Italy. Three main varieties thereof are known, called Femminello, Fantastico and Castagnaro.

It has long been known that the bergamot orange represents a niche product of particular prestige in the Calabrian citrus fruit industry. Said citrus fruit develops in a limited area of the Province of Reggio Calabria. To date, bergamot orange has been used solely for the properties of its essential oil, which is in particular demand in the perfume industry because it has an exclusive fragrance that is still used as a base to prepare many perfumes by the best-known perfume manufacturers, and for the manufacture of eau de cologne. Said oil is obtained by peeling from the outermost portion (cuticle) of bergamot orange peel.

The bergamot orange is also known to possess significant antiseptic properties, and a derivative of bergamot orange, called Bergamon, has been manufactured and used as a disinfectant in operating theatres for many years.

Moreover, the relaxing properties of bergamot orange extracts, and its important nutraceutical properties, are known from traditional medicine.

Finally, the water-alcohol solution of bergamot orange essence is used to prepare some products (Bergarytal®) manufactured in the form of sprays which have a skin decongestant action, and are particularly effective as a mosquito repellent.

However, the identification of the potentially toxic action of some ingredients of bergamot orange essence, such as bergaptene, has limited its use, since procedures for removing said compound are required to ensure safe use of the essential oil extracts.

Bergamot orange juice, which is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids (brutieridin and melitidin), is also known to possess cholesterol-lowering and blood glucose-lowering activities (Vincenzo Mollace et al.,Hypolipemic and hypoglycaemic activity of bergamot polyphenols: From animal models to human studies, Fitoterapia, vol. 82, no. 3, 2011, pp. 309-316).

U.S. Pat. No. 8,741,362 describes a plant extract obtained from the pith and juice of fresh fruit ofCitrus aurantiumvar.bergamia, and a process for its preparation. Said plant compound, in the form of a dried extract, contains the polyphenols neoeriocitrin, naringin and neohesperidin in the amounts of 29.6±6.0, 32.4±4.0 and 38.0±6% respectively of their total, the flavonoids eriocitrin, neoeriocitrin, melitidin and brutieridin and polymerisation compounds of said flavonoids, and is substantially devoid of furocoumarins and coumarins, allergenic compounds which can have adverse effects on coagulation and the blood count.

The plant compound described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,741,362 normalises the lipid and blood glucose parameters in patients suffering from diet-dependent metabolic disorders or inherited genetic disorders. In pathological hyperlipaemia, a reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol to concentrations ranging from 20 to 32% has been demonstrated, with a 30% increase in HDL cholesterol. These important variations are associated with a marked reduction in VLDL cholesterol and a dimensional increase in LDLs, leading to a reduction in their oxidation. Bergamot orange extract has also improved the endothelial function, with vascular protection attributable to flavonoids. In double-blind clinical trials, the active dose reported is 650 mg at least twice a day.

The choleretic, cholagogic, hypoglycaemic, antidyspeptic and mildly hypocholesterolaemic action of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) extracts is also known. However the cholesterol reduction reported in numerous clinical trials is modest, never exceeding 10%. The published clinical trials report modest, erratic increases in HDL cholesterol following administration of high doses ofCynara scolymusextracts, amounting to several grams a day (Naturmed, 13, 17-24, 1998; Arzneim Forschung, 50, 260-65, 2000; The Cochrane Library, 2002, Issue 3). Standardised artichoke extracts containing 25% by weight of caffeoylquinic acids, 8% by weight of flavonoids and 7% by weight of cynaropicrin, which possess improved hypolipidaemic and hypoglycaemic activities, have been developed in recent years (Rondanelli et al., Phytotherapy Research 28:33-41 (2014) and Italian Journal of Medicine 2014; Vol 8, suppl 2, p. 113). Said extracts only exhibit a reasonable level of activity if administered twice a day, and in any event have little effect on major hyperlipidaemia.

The choleretic, hypoglycaemic and liver-protecting activity of artichoke extracts is attributed to caffeoylquinic acids, while flavonoids perform a hypolipidaemic action associated with cholesterol synthesis, and cynaropicrin exerts an anti-inflammatory and anti-STAT 3 action.Cynara scolymusextracts deprived of cynaropicrin, such as those prepared from non-bitter flower heads, have no effect on cholesterol, only on blood glucose.

The cardoon (Cynara cardunculusL.) is a species of plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. The varietysylvestrisLam. (wild cardoon) grows wild in profusion in the western Mediterranean basin.

WO 2008142460 discloses an anti-diabetic formulation comprisingCynara cardunculus, lemon balm, nettle, chicory and centaury extracts.

WO2014447533 discloses formulations for the treatment of metabolic syndrome comprising extracts ofCynara scolymusandOlea europea. The cynaropicrin content ofCynara scolymusextract is 10-18% by weight.

WO 2016136441 discloses a plant compound consisting ofCitrus bergamia RissoetPoiteauandCynara scolymusL. extracts, optionally associated with phytosterols and ascorbic acid, which is useful for the treatment of dyslipidaemia. The active ingredients of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) extract include chlorogenic acids and luteolin, but not cynaropicrin, only low percentages of which are contained in artichoke extract.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It has now been found that by simultaneously atomising aqueous solutions of the plant compound obtained according to U.S. Pat. No. 8,741,362 and aCynara cardunculusleaf extract obtained from fresh biomass subjected to thermal shock, a composite extract is obtained which exhibits not only a synergic increase in the properties of the single extracts, but also an unexpected preventive and therapeutic activity towards hepatic steatosis.

The step of atomisation of the mixture of the solutions leads to an unexpected increase in the solubility of the ingredients of the extracts.

It has also been found thatCynara cardunculusextract, and in particularCynara cardunculusvar.sylvestrisextract, has a much higher cynaropicrin content thanCynara scolymusextracts. The high cynaropicrin content (up to 40% by weight of theCynara cardunculusvar.sylvestrisextract, exceeding not only that ofC. scolymusbut also those of other varieties ofcardunculus) gives rise to an increase in therapeutic efficacy against various disorders, as described in more detail below.

It has also surprisingly been found thatCynara cardunculusextract, and especiallyCynara cardunculusvar.sylvestrisextract, contains catechin polymers which enhance the beneficial effects of the extract.

A first aspect of the invention therefore relates to a composite extract obtained by atomising a mixture of aCynara cardunculusextract, preferably aCynara cardunculusvar.sylvestrisextract, and an aqueous extract ofCitrus bergami, wherein theCynara cardunculusextract is obtained by extraction with water of fresh leaves previously subjected to thermal shock, wherein theCitrus bergamiextract has at least a 25% content by weight of a polyphenol fraction consisting of neoeriocitrin, naringin and neohesperidin, and a furocoumarin content of less than 400 mg/Kg.

A second aspect of the invention relates to pharmaceutical or nutraceutical formulations comprising the composite extract as defined above, mixed with suitable carriers and excipients.

The invention also relates to said formulations for use in the treatment and prevention of hepatic steatosis and in the treatment of dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, vascular inflammation, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, chemotherapy-induced heart disease, and cardiovascular disease.

The formulations of the invention have also proved useful to stimulate the stem cells of the myocardium, for the treatment of liver cancer and, in general, for the treatment of tumours by inhibiting the STAT-3 pathway.

A further aspect of the invention is an extract ofCynara cardunculusvar.sylvestrisleaves having a cynaropicrin content ranging from 20 to 40% by weight, a cynaroside content ranging from 5 to 30% by weight, and a catechin polymer content ranging from 5 to 10% by weight.

Finally, the invention relates to a process for the preparation of the composite extract as defined above, which comprises atomisation of a mixture of aCynara cardunculusextract obtained by extraction with water of the fresh leaves, previously subjected to thermal shock, and an aqueous extract ofCitrus bergami.

