Levels of Breast Milk MicroRNAs and Other Non-Coding RNAs Are Impacted by Milk Maturity and Maternal Diet

There is emerging evidence that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) within maternal breast milk (MBM) impart unique metabolic and immunologic effects on developing infants. Most studies examining ncRNAs in MBM have focused on microRNAs. It remains unclear whether microRNA levels are related to other ncRNAs, or whether they are impacted by maternal characteristics. This longitudinal cohort study examined 503 MBM samples from 192 mothers to: 1) identify the most abundant ncRNAs in MBM; 2) examine the impact of milk maturity on ncRNAs; and 3) determine whether maternal characteristics affect ncRNAs. MBM was collected at 0, 1, and 4 months post-delivery. High throughput sequencing quantified ncRNAs within the lipid fraction. There were 3069 ncRNAs and 238 microRNAs with consistent MBM presence (≥10 reads in ≥10% samples). Levels of 17 ncRNAs and 11 microRNAs accounted for 80% of the total RNA content. Most abundant microRNAs displayed relationships ([R]>0.2, adj p< 0.05) with abundant ncRNAs. A large proportion of ncRNAs (1269/3069; 41%) and microRNAs (206/238; 86%) were affected by MBM maturity. The majority of microRNAs (111/206; 54%) increased from 0-4 months. Few ncRNAs and microRNAs were affected (adj p < 0.05) by maternal age, race, parity, body mass index, gestational diabetes, or collection time. However, nearly half of abundant microRNAs (4/11) were impacted by diet. To our knowledge this is the largest study of MBM ncRNAs, and the first to demonstrate a relationship between MBM microRNAs and maternal diet. Such knowledge could guide nutritional interventions aimed at optimizing metabolic and immunologic microRNA profiles within MBM.

Supercritical Extraction Technology of Obtaining Polyunsaturated Acids from Starfish (Lysastrosoma anthosticta Fisher, 1922)

Introduction. Starfish (Asteroidea) are marine echinoderms with more than 160 species. Starfish are a valuable source of protein and fats. The present research featured the chemical composition of starfish, which can be used as a commercial source of lipids. Study objects and methods. The study defined the optimal parameters for extracting the lipid fraction of Lysastrosoma anthosticta with supercritical carbon dioxide, as well as the qualitative composition of the obtained extracts. Results and discussion. The yield of fatty acids obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide co-solvent was 1.8 times higher than that obtained with standard extraction according to the Folch method. The content of impurities was lower than in the samples with chloroform-methanol system. The polyunsaturated fatty acids isolated from L. anthosticta mainly belonged to ω-3 (18.0%), ω-6 (11.7%), ω-7 (21.2%), ω-9 (10.1%), and ω-11 (6.5%). The rest was saturated fatty acids, mainly palmitic (14%) and myristic (6%). The qualitative composition of the lipid fraction did not depend significantly from the isolation method. However, the supercritical extraction increased the product yield, extraction rate, and the quality of the extraction residue. Supercritical carbon dioxide left a dry residue, which had no typical smell and was brittle enough for grinding. Such residue can presumably be used to produce protein concentrate. Conclusion. Supercritical extraction with chloroform can be recommended to isolate fatty acids from marine organisms at 60°C and 400 bar.

The Polar Lipid Fraction E from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius Can Be Used as Liposomal Drug Stabilizing Agents to Reduce the Leakage of the Antivascular Drug Combretastatin A4 Disodium Phosphate from Tetraether/Diester Hybrid Archaeosomes

Liposomes have many advantages as therapeutic capsules over free drugs such as small molecule drugs and nucleic acids. Cholesterol is commonly used as a membrane stabilizing agent in liposomal drugs (e.g., mRNA-lipid nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccines). However, due to the vulnerability of cholesterol to oxidation and the etiological role of cholesterol in many disorders, it is desirable to find an alternative means to stabilize liposomal membranes for drug delivery. In this study, we demonstrated that the polar lipid fraction E (PLFE), which contains exclusively bipolar tetraether macrocyclic lipids, isolated from the thermoacidophilic archaeon S. acidocaldarius can greatly stabilize the liposomal formulation of the anti-vascular drug, combretastatin A4 disodium phosphate (CA4P). Stability was assessed by determining the leakage rate constant k of entrapped CA4P fluorometrically. We found that, at 37 °C, PLFE decreases the k value monotonically from 1.54 × 10−2 s−1 for 100% 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) liposomes to 3.4 × 10−5 s−1 for 100% PLFE archaeosomes, a change of k by two orders of magnitude. The changes in k of CA4P leakage are correlated well with the changes in liposomal CA4P’s cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We further showed that the reduction in spontaneous leakage of entrapped CA4P by PLFE can be attributed to the increased membrane surface charge and the increased membrane order and packing tightness in liposomes, as reflected by the zeta potential (−6.83 to −41.1 mV from 0 to 100 mol% PLFE) and diphenylhexatriene (DPH) fluorescence polarization (0.13 to 0.4 from 0 to 100 mol% PLFE) measurements. Moreover, we showed that PLFE slows down CA4P leakage more than cholesterol in POPC liposomes. These results together suggest that PLFE lipids can serve as an effective stabilizing agent for liposomal drugs and could potentially be useful for the optimization of liposomal CA4P for cancer treatment.

Bioavailability and Safety of Lipid Fraction from Different Taxa of Microalgae in Female C57BL/6 Mice

Microalgae exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we analyzed the toxicity of lipid fraction of different taxa of microalgae in female C57BL/6 mice. The number of red blood cells, white blood cells and subsets, hemoglobin, number, and functional activities of immature and mature immunocytes, biochemical parameters in blood serum, and kidney and liver extract were investigated. It is shown that the lipid fraction of microalgae had no acute toxic effect on body weight, glucose blood levels, and hemopoiesis in mice. Some changes in the number of immature and mature lymphocytes, proliferative potential, Ig levels, cytokine production were determined. In vivo lipid fraction of microalgae caused changes in cytokine, protein, lipid, purine, aminotransferases, and sex hormone level in mice. Obtained data indicate that lipid fraction dietary administration in female C57BL/6 mice does not have a toxic effect on the animal.

Lipid Fraction Properties of Homemade Raw Cat Foods and Selected Commercial Cat Foods

The purpose of the present study was to characterize lipid fraction extracted from five self-prepared and seven commercial cat foods using gas chromatography (GC) and pressurized differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) techniques. Self-prepared food recipes were composed using BARFny kalkulator, software dedicated for balancing cat diets, and prepared on the basis of fresh raw meat and offal. Extracted fat fractions were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with literature data for the fat of whole prey items to check the main assumptions of the software used. The fatty acid (FA) composition and distribution were determined using GC. The PDSC method was used for the determination of the oxidative stability of extracted fats. The obtained results indicate that self-prepared cat foods contained a high level of essential fatty acids (EFA) but low oxidative stability, especially for those with significant amounts of polyunsaturated FA. The FA profile and oxidative stability were examined for four dry and three wet commercial cat foods. It was found that their omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was beneficial reaching 5.3:1 to 10.1:1, despite the low amount of EFA. The longer induction time was determined for fats extracted from commercial cat foods than for self-prepared ones, which indicate their higher oxidative stability.

PENGARUH PEMBERIAN EKSTRAK DAUN BAYAM MERAH (Amaranthus tricolor L.) TERHADAP KADAR LDL DAN HDL PADA TIKUS PUTIH (Rattus norvegicus) GALUR WISTAR JANTAN YANG DIBERI DIET TINGGI LEMAK

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a condition where there is an increase or decrease in the lipid fraction in the blood due to a metabolic disorder of the lipid itself. The lipid fraction that experienced abnormalities was usually an increase in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and a decrease in HDL cholesterol (Perkeni, 2015). Anthocyanin compounds are one of the flavonoid compounds that have the potential as an alternative therapy for dyslipidemia. The leaves of red chicken (Amaranthus tricolor L.) contain anthocyanin compounds that can be used as an alternative therapy for hyperlipidemia.Objective: To determine the effect of red spinach leaf extract (Amaranthus tricolor L.) on LDL and HDL blood of white wistar rats induced by a high-fat diet.Methodology: Methods Reviewing articles according to the issue to be studied. It was carried out according to the PICOST analysis, namely population, intervention, comparison, output, study and times from 583 selected journals and 5 journals. Results: Literature from 5 journals contained 5 journals discussing red spinach leaf extract (Amaranthus tricolor L.) (100%), 5 journals discussing high-fat diets (100%), 4 journals discussing blood LDL (80%) and 3 journals. discussed blood HDL (60%). Conclusion: The administration of red spinach leaf extract (Amaranthus tricolor L.) affected the blood LDL of rats at a dose of 200 mg/kg BW to 800 mg/kg BW and HDL rat blood at a dose of 200 mg/kg BW to 400 mg/kg BW . ABSTRAK Latar Belakang : Hiperlipidemia adalah keadaan dimana terjadinya peningkatan ataupun penurunan fraksi lipid dalam darah karena adanya suatu kelainan metabolisme dari lipid itu sendiri. Fraksi lipid yang mengalami kelainan biasanya adalah kenaikan kadar kolesterol total, trigliserida Keywords: High Fat Diet, LDL, HDL, Red Spinach Leaf Extract , kolesterol LDL dan penurunan dari kolesterol HDL (Perkeni, 2015). Senyawa antosianin merupakan salah satu senyawa flavonoid yang dapat berpotensi sebagai terapi alternatif untuk dislipidemia. Pada daun ayam merah (Amaranthus tricolor L.) terdapat senyawaantosianin yang dapat digunakan sebagai terapi alternative hiperlipidemia.Tujuan : Mengetahui pengaruh pemberian ekstrak daun bayam merah (Amaranthus tricolor L.) terhadap LDL dan HDL darah tikus putih wistar yang diinduksi diet tinggi lemak.Metodologi : Melakukan telaah artikel sesuai dengan issue yang akan diteliti. Dilakukan sesuai dengan analisis PICOST yaitu population, intervention, comparation, output, studi dan times dari 583 jurnal terpilih 5 jurnal.Hasil : Literature dari 5 jurnal terdapat 5 jurnal yang membahas tentang ekstrak daun bayam merah (Amaranthus tricolor L.) (100%), 5 jurnal membahas diet tinggi lemak (100%), 4 jurnal membahas LDL darah (80%) dan 3 jurnal membahas HDL darah (60%).Kesimpulan : Pemberian ekstrak daun bayam merah (Amaranthus tricolor L.) berpengaruh terhadap LDL darah tikus dengan dosis pemberian 200 mg/kg BB hingga 800 mg/kg BB dan HDL darah tikus dengan dosis pemberian 200 mg/kg BB hingga 400 mg/kg BB. Kata kunci : Diet Tinggi Lemak, LDL, HDL, Ekstrak Daun Bayam Merah

Microalgae as Sustainable Biofactories to Produce High-Value Lipids: Biodiversity, Exploitation, and Biotechnological Applications

Microalgae are often called “sustainable biofactories” due to their dual potential to mitigate atmospheric carbon dioxide and produce a great diversity of high-value compounds. Nevertheless, the successful exploitation of microalgae as biofactories for industrial scale is dependent on choosing the right microalga and optimum growth conditions. Due to the rich biodiversity of microalgae, a screening pipeline should be developed to perform microalgal strain selection exploring their growth, robustness, and metabolite production. Current prospects in microalgal biotechnology are turning their focus to high-value lipids for pharmaceutic, nutraceutic, and cosmetic products. Within microalgal lipid fraction, polyunsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids are broadly recognized for their vital functions in human organisms. Microalgal-derived phytosterols are still an underexploited lipid resource despite presenting promising biological activities, including neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuromodulatory, immunomodulatory, and apoptosis inductive effects. To modulate microalgal biochemical composition, according to the intended field of application, it is important to know the contribution of each cultivation factor, or their combined effects, for the wanted product accumulation. Microalgae have a vital role to play in future low-carbon economy. Since microalgal biodiesel is still costly, it is desirable to explore the potential of oleaginous species for its high-value lipids which present great global market prospects.