Frontiers Retracts Rat Study on Grape Pomace Extract Taurisolo Over Image Integrity Concerns

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience has retracted a 2020 paper that reported a protective effect of Taurisolo, a grape pomace extract, against ischemia-reperfusion injury in the rat brain. The retraction notice, published by the journal's editorial office on 26 October 2026, states that the data and conclusions of the article have been deemed unreliable. The retracted study, authored by Lapi, Stornaiuolo, Sabatino, Sommella, Tenore, Daglia, Scuri, Di Maro, Colantuoni and Novellino, appeared in the journal on 28 January 2020 under the title "The pomace extract Taurisolo protects rat brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury." Its central claim, as reflected in the title, was that the extract protected rat brain tissue from the damage that occurs when blood flow is restored after a period of ischemia.

According to the retraction notice, concerns were raised after publication regarding the integrity of the images in the published figures. The notice does not specify the nature of the problems identified. The journal states that the authors failed to provide a satisfactory explanation during the investigation, which was conducted in accordance with Frontiers' policies.

On the basis of the investigation's outcome, the publisher concluded that the article's data and conclusions were unreliable and retracted the paper. The retraction was approved by the Chief Editors of Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience and by the Chief Executive Editor at Frontiers. The notice records that the authors were informed of the retraction and had an opportunity to respond, and that this communication has been recorded by the publisher.

The retraction was approved by Dirk M. Hermann of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. The retraction notice was received by the journal on 12 October 2026, accepted on 13 October 2026 and published on 26 October 2026. It carries the DOI 10.3389/fncel.2026.2026335 and is formally linked to the original article, which was published under DOI 10.3389/fncel.2020.00003 in volume 14 of the journal.

The retraction means that the claim about Taurisolo's protective effect in rat brain ischemia-reperfusion, as presented in the 2020 paper, is no longer supported by a valid publication in this journal. The retracted article had been in the record for more than six years before the journal's editorial office concluded its investigation and issued the retraction. The original article appeared in the journal's Cellular Neuropathology section, and the retraction notice is published under the same section in volume 20 for 2026.

The notice is an open-access document distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, and correspondence is directed to the Frontiers Editorial Office through its research integrity contact address. The retraction notice does not report any new experimental findings, and no replacement study has been announced in the notice.

Subject of Research: Retraction of a rat study on the pomace extract Taurisolo and ischemia-reperfusion injury

Article Title: Retraction: The pomace extract Taurisolo protects rat brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury

Article References: Frontiers Editorial Office (2026). Retraction: The pomace extract Taurisolo protects rat brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 20, Article 2026335. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2026.2026335

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2026.2026335

Keywords: retraction, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Taurisolo, grape pomace extract, ischemia-reperfusion injury, research integrity, image integrity, rat study, neuroprotection, scientific record, pomace, extract