Analisi di metaboliti specializzati in germogli ed infiorescenze di Humulus Lupulus L. spontaneo e studi preliminari di citotossicità in vitro.

The hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.) is widely recognized for its traditional use in brewing industry, commonly referred to as hop cones, which impart distinctive flavor characteristics and exhibit various biological activities. Historically, hop inflorescences were valued for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, hop sprouts, which represent the young shoots of the plant, remain an underutilized and relatively unexplored product, despite their potential for nutritional and health applications. In the present study, hop sprouts and inflorescences were collected from the Val Varaita and Valle Stura (Piedmont, Italy). After harvesting, all samples were carefully dried to preserve their phytochemical integrity. A non-conventional extraction method, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), was employed to enhance the extraction of bioactive compounds from both hop sprouts and inflorescences. The experimental design, originally developed for hop inflorescences, was adapted and applied to hop sprouts to optimize the extraction yield by adjusting factors such as matrix amount, solvent volume, and extraction volume. The extracts were then analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the identification and quantification of bioactive components, with quantification performed using an external standard method. A comparative analysis was carried out among the chemical profiles of hop sprout extracts, hop inflorescence extracts, and commercially available dietary supplements to assess the relative composition. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assays (MTT) were performed on all extracts to evaluate their biological safety. This study offers new insights into the phytochemical profiles and bioactive potential of hop sprouts, underscoring their promise as a valuable, yet underutilized, source of health-promoting compounds and expanding the knowledge base on the wider applications of the hop plant beyond traditional beer brewing.