scholarly journals The effects and mechanisms of pomegranate in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome

Author(s):  
Jie Xu ◽  
Ke Cao ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Zhihui Feng ◽  
Zhizhong Dong ◽  
...  

Metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is becoming epidemic both in developing and developed countries in recent years. Vegetable and fruit consumptions have been associated with the prevention of metabolic syndrome. Pomegranate is a widely consumed fruit in Middle East and Asia. Currently, accumulating data showed that pomegranate exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic activities in experimental and clinical studies. The beneficial effects of pomegranate may come from its rich polyphenols and be mediated by increasing the activity of AMPK, upregulating GLUT4, activating PPAR[Formula: see text]- ABCA1/CYP7A1 pathways and improving mitochondrial function. This review provides a systematical presentation of findings on the beneficial effects as well as the possible mechanisms of pomegranate and its major components on prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome.

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yang ◽  
Ty Redler ◽  
Carla G Bueno Silva ◽  
Rebeca Arocha ◽  
Jordan Schmidt ◽  
...  

Emerging evidence demonstrates a significant link between gut dysbiosis and hypertension (HTN). Butyrate is one of the major fermented end-products of gut microbiota that reportedly produces beneficial effects on the immune system and metabolism. A contraction in butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) suggests that reduced butyrate may be associated with HTN. Considering its role in mitochondrial metabolism, we proposed that the positive anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate may be mediated via improvement in mitochondrial function in astrocytes. Methods: Sprague Dawley (SD) and SHR primary astrocytes from two-day old pups were cultured in DMEM, supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% pen/strep, for 14 days, prior to treatment with butyrate (0-1mM) for 4 hours. Cells were then subjected to the Seahorse XFe24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer to evaluate mitochondrial function following butyrate treatment. Additional samples were collected for total RNA isolation for real time PCR analysis of inflammatory factors and transcripts related to mitochondrial function and stress. Results: Butyrate significantly increased both basal and maximal mitochondrial respiration (by 3-4 fold, P<0.001) and elevated proton leak (by 4 fold, P<0.01) in astrocytes from SD rats but not SHR. Furthermore, we observed a trend for an increase in both ATP-linked and non-mitochondrial respiration in SD astrocytes compared to SHR (by 2-3 fold, P=0.07). This was associated with a significant reduction in relative expression levels in catalase (by 50%, P<0.05) and a trend in reduction in Sod1 and Sod2 (by 25%-50%, P=0.1) in astrocytes harvested from SD rats but not the SHR. Conversely, butyrate significantly lowered expression of pro-inflammatory Ccl2 (by 33%, P<0.05) and Tlr4 (by 48%, P <0.05) in astrocytes of SHR, but not SD rats. Conclusion: Butyrate modulated mitochondrial bioenergetics in SD but not the SHR, suggesting that the mitochondria of astrocytes may be less sensitive to the effects of butyrate in HTN. In addition, butyrate reduced inflammatory mediators in the SHR, but had no effect in the SD rat astrocytes. Thus, central anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate may be mediated via a mitochondria-independent mechanism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1080-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Y Donath ◽  
Daniel T Meier ◽  
Marianne Böni-Schnetzler

Abstract The role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated complications is now well established. Therapeutic interventions counteracting metabolic inflammation improve insulin secretion and action and glucose control and may prevent long-term complications. Thus, a number of anti-inflammatory drugs approved for the treatment of other inflammatory conditions are evaluated in patients with metabolic syndrome. Most advanced are clinical studies with IL-1 antagonists showing improved β-cell function and glycemia and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and heart failure. However, alternative anti-inflammatory treatments, alone or in combinations, may turn out to be more effective, depending on genetic predispositions, duration, and manifestation of the disease. Thus, there is a great need for comprehensive and well-designed clinical studies to implement anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of patients with metabolic syndrome and its associated conditions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Beltrame Daleprane ◽  
Dulcinéia Saes Abdalla

Propolis has attracted attention in recent years due to its beneficial effects, which make it a potential preventive and therapeutic agent as well as a useful additive in food and cosmetics. The aim of this review is to discuss the growing evidence that propolis may, via a diverse array of biological actions, assist in the prevention of some inflammation-mediated pathologies including cardiovascular disease. The active components of propolis that have been identified so far include polyphenols and flavonoids. These compounds have cardioprotective, vasoprotective, antioxidant, antiatherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic actions. Many studies have been undertaken to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which propolis acts, which involve cellular signaling targets and interactions at the genomic level. This review will highlight the effects of propolis that may assist in the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Colombo ◽  
Enrico Sangiovanni ◽  
Mario Dell'Agli

Several biological activities of pomegranate have been widely described in the literature, but the anti-inflammatory effect in the gastrointestinal tract has not been reviewed till now. The aim of the present paper is to summarize the evidence for or against the efficacy of pomegranate for coping with inflammatory conditions of the gastro-intestinal tract. The paper has been organized in three parts: (1) the first one is devoted to the modifications of pomegranate active compounds in the gastro-intestinal tract; (2) the second one considering the literature regarding the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate at gastric level; (3) the third part considers the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate in the gut.In vivostudies performed on the whole fruit or juice, peel, and flowers demonstrate antiulcer effect in a variety of animal models. Ellagic acid was the main responsible for this effect, although other individual ellagitannins could contribute to the biological activity of the mixture. Different preparations of pomegranate, including extracts from peels, flowers, seeds, and juice, show a significant anti-inflammatory activity in the gut. No clinical studies have been found, thus suggesting that future clinical studies are necessary to clarify the beneficial effects of pomegranate in the gastrointestinal tract.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Darakhshan Qaiser ◽  
Anurag Srivastava ◽  
Afshan Qaiser

In the world, there are many systems of traditional medicine. Cancer is the major public health burden both in developing and developed countries. Around 50% of existing medicines for cancer treatment have plants origin. Anticancer property of some plant extracts proven to be significantly effective in the treatment of cancer. Many herbs like sadabahar, turmeric, Kalonji, cannabis, garlic, flaxseed contain active components which may be effective in prevention and treatment of many cancers. The present review focuses on the evidence of health benefit of various herbs though recent human and animal studies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Bland

The widespread prevalence and deleterious effects of metabolic syndrome have become a major public health challenge as it is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle modification focusing on diet has shown promise for managing cardiovascular disease risk, and clinical studies provide evidence that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with phytochemicals is a successful interventional approach. The role of phytochemicals in regulating gene expression and modulating intracellular kinase activity has only recently begun to be appreciated. Clinical studies investigating the effects of specific phytochemicals in metabolic syndrome patients have produced encouraging results, including normalization of metabolic function, reduction of cardiovascular risk, and resolution of metabolic syndrome. As research advances our understanding of the evolutionary relationships between plants and humans, details are emerging about the mechanisms by which phytochemicals regulate insulin signaling and inflammatory responses. This expanding field of research is likely to lead to novel, effective clinical approaches for combating chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 6110
Author(s):  
Shiyao Zhang ◽  
Mengyi Xu ◽  
Wenxiang Zhang ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Siyu Chen

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a chronic disease, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. It should be noted that the occurrence of MetS is closely related to oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, ectopic fat accumulation, and the impairment of the antioxidant system, which in turn further aggravates the intracellular oxidative imbalance and inflammatory response. As enriched anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components in plants, natural polyphenols exhibit beneficial effects, including improving liver fat accumulation and dyslipidemia, reducing blood pressure. Hence, they are expected to be useful in the prevention and management of MetS. At present, epidemiological studies indicate a negative correlation between polyphenol intake and MetS incidence. In this review, we summarized and discussed the most promising natural polyphenols (including flavonoid and non-flavonoid drugs) in the precaution and treatment of MetS, including their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as their regulatory functions involved in glycolipid homeostasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Jen Wang ◽  
Francesco Paneni ◽  
Sokrates Stein ◽  
Christian M. Matter

Sirtuins (SIRT1–7) comprise a family of highly conserved deacetylases with distribution in different subcellular compartments. Sirtuins deacetylate target proteins depending on one common substrate, nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD+), thus linking their activities to the status of cellular energy metabolism. Sirtuins had been linked to extending life span and confer beneficial effects in a wide array of immune-metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. SIRT1, SIRT3, and SIRT6 have been shown to provide protective effects in various cardiovascular disease models, by decreasing inflammation, improving metabolic profiles or scavenging oxidative stress. Sirtuins may be activated collectively by increasing their co-substrate NAD+. By supplementing NAD+ precursors, NAD+ boosters confer pan-sirtuin activation with protective cardiometabolic effects in the experimental setting: they improve endothelial dysfunction, protect from experimental heart failure, hypertension and decrease progression of liver steatosis. Different precursor molecules were applied ranging from nicotinamide (NAM), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) to nicotinamide riboside (NR). Notably, not all experimental results showed protective effects. Moreover, the results are not as striking in clinical studies as in the controlled experimental setting. Species differences, (lack of) genetic heterogeneity, different metabolic pathways, dosing, administration routes and disease contexts may account for these challenges in clinical translation. At the clinical scale, caloric restriction can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and raise NAD+ concentration and sirtuin expression. In addition, antidiabetic drugs such as metformin or SGLT2 inhibitors may confer cardiovascular protection, indirectly via sirtuin activation. Overall, additional mechanistic insight and clinical studies are needed to better understand the beneficial effects of sirtuin activation and NAD+ boosters from bench to bedside.


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