Review of Evidence and Perspectives of Flavonoids on Metabolic Syndrome and Neurodegenerative Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline M. Hilzendeger Zilli ◽  
Eduardo M Zilli

: Flavonoids are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and plant-derived foods and may promote various health benefits when included in the diet. The biological activity of flavonoids is normally associated to their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, since oxidative stress is associated to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, flavonoids may be related to metabolic diseases through their effects on inflammatory mediators and pathways, barrier integrity and gut microbiota composition. The extensive metabolism undergone by flavonoids in humans and the individual differences in their bioavailability to target organs hinder the interpretation of results from cell and animal models. Prospective human studies therefore provide an important perspective: In the field of neurodegenerative disease, carefully designed cohort studies have uncovered important associations between flavonoid intake and reduction in dementia risk, especially regarding specific flavonols, but also anthocyanins. Alternative mechanisms of action, such as changes in the gut microbiota or modulation of the production of toxic proteins, such as amyloid and tau, likely account for an important component of their positive effects, and their elucidation may lead to public health benefits of large magnitude.

Author(s):  
Sunmin Park ◽  
Sunna Kang ◽  
Da Sol Kim

Abstract. Folate and vitamin B12(V-B12) deficiencies are associated with metabolic diseases that may impair memory function. We hypothesized that folate and V-B12 may differently alter mild cognitive impairment, glucose metabolism, and inflammation by modulating the gut microbiome in rats with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like dementia. The hypothesis was examined in hippocampal amyloid-β infused rats, and its mechanism was explored. Rats that received an amyloid-β(25–35) infusion into the CA1 region of the hippocampus were fed either control(2.5 mg folate plus 25 μg V-B12/kg diet; AD-CON, n = 10), no folate(0 folate plus 25 μg V-B12/kg diet; AD-FA, n = 10), no V-B12(2.5 mg folate plus 0 μg V-B12/kg diet; AD-V-B12, n = 10), or no folate plus no V-B12(0 mg folate plus 0 μg V-B12/kg diet; AD-FAB12, n = 10) in high-fat diets for 8 weeks. AD-FA and AD-VB12 exacerbated bone mineral loss in the lumbar spine and femur whereas AD-FA lowered lean body mass in the hip compared to AD-CON(P < 0.05). Only AD-FAB12 exacerbated memory impairment by 1.3 and 1.4 folds, respectively, as measured by passive avoidance and water maze tests, compared to AD-CON(P < 0.01). Hippocampal insulin signaling and neuroinflammation were attenuated in AD-CON compared to Non-AD-CON. AD-FAB12 impaired the signaling (pAkt→pGSK-3β) and serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels the most among all groups. AD-CON decreased glucose tolerance by increasing insulin resistance compared to Non-AD-CON. AD-VB12 and AD-FAB12 increased insulin resistance by 1.2 and 1.3 folds, respectively, compared to the AD-CON. AD-CON and Non-AD-CON had a separate communities of gut microbiota. The relative counts of Bacteroidia were lower and those of Clostridia were higher in AD-CON than Non-AD-CON. AD-FA, but not V-B12, separated the gut microbiome community compared to AD-CON and AD-VB12(P = 0.009). In conclusion, folate and B-12 deficiencies impaired memory function by impairing hippocampal insulin signaling and gut microbiota in AD rats.


Author(s):  
Maria Florencia Heber ◽  
Grażyna Ewa Ptak

Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases places a substantial burden on human health throughout the world. It is believed that predisposition to metabolic disease starts early in life, a period of great susceptibility to epigenetic reprogramming due to environmental insults. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART), i.e., treatments for infertility, may affect embryo development, resulting in multiple adverse health outcomes in postnatal life. The most frequently observed alteration in ART pregnancies is impaired placental nutrient transfer. Moreover, consequent intrauterine growth restriction and low birth weight followed by catch-up growth can all predict future obesity, insulin resistance, and chronic metabolic diseases. Scope of the review In this review, we have focused on evidence of adverse metabolic alterations associated with ART, which can contribute to the development of chronic adult-onset diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Due to high phenotypic plasticity, ART pregnancies can produce both offspring with adverse health outcomes, as well as healthy individuals. We further discuss the sex-specific and age-dependent metabolic alterations reflected in ART offspring, and how the degree of interference of a given ART procedure (from mild to more severe manipulation of the egg) affects the occurrence and degree of offspring alterations. Major conclusions Over the last few years, studies have reported signs of cardiometabolic alterations in ART offspring that are detectable at a young age but that do not appear to constitute a high risk of disease and morbidity per se. These abnormal phenotypes could be early indicators of the development of chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, in adulthood. The early detection of metabolic alterations could contribute to preventing the onset of disease in adulthood. Such early interventions may counteract the risk factors and improve the long-term health of the individual.


2021 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. AB49
Author(s):  
Michelle El-Hosni ◽  
Ariangela Kozik ◽  
Molly Cook ◽  
Research Lab Tech ◽  
Alan Baptist ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Gaoxing Ma ◽  
Hengjun Du ◽  
Qiuhui Hu ◽  
Wenjian Yang ◽  
Fei Pei ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Priscilla Day-Walsh ◽  
Emad Shehata ◽  
Shikha Saha ◽  
George M. Savva ◽  
Barbora Nemeckova ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) levels have been shown to correlate with increased risk of metabolic diseases including cardiovascular diseases. TMAO exposure predominantly occurs as a consequence of gut microbiota-dependent trimethylamine (TMA) production from dietary substrates including choline, carnitine and betaine, which is then converted to TMAO in the liver. Reducing microbial TMA production is likely to be the most effective and sustainable approach to overcoming TMAO burden in humans. Current models for studying microbial TMA production have numerous weaknesses including the cost and length of human studies, differences in TMA(O) metabolism in animal models and the risk of failing to replicate multi-enzyme/multi-strain pathways when using isolated bacterial strains. The purpose of this research was to investigate TMA production from dietary precursors in an in-vitro model of the human colon. Methods TMA production from choline, l-carnitine, betaine and γ-butyrobetaine was studied over 24–48 h using an in-vitro human colon model with metabolite quantification performed using LC–MS. Results Choline was metabolised via the direct choline TMA-lyase route but not the indirect choline–betaine-TMA route, conversion of l-carnitine to TMA was slower than that of choline and involves the formation of the intermediate γ-BB, whereas the Rieske-type monooxygenase/reductase pathway for l-carnitine metabolism to TMA was negligible. The rate of TMA production from precursors was choline > carnitine > betaine > γ-BB. 3,3-Dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) had no effect on the conversion of choline to TMA. Conclusion The metabolic routes for microbial TMA production in the colon model are consistent with observations from human studies. Thus, this model is suitable for studying gut microbiota metabolism of TMA and for screening potential therapeutic targets that aim to attenuate TMA production by the gut microbiota. Trial registration number NCT02653001 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov), registered 12 Jan 2016.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Ling-hsing Chang ◽  
Tung-Ching Lin

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of individuals because of the diversity of organizational cultures (which include results-oriented, tightly controlled, job-oriented, closed system and professional-oriented cultures). Knowledge is a primary resource in organizations. If firms are able to effectively manage their knowledge resources, then a wide range of benefits can be reaped such as improved corporate efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and customer service. Design/methodology/approach – The survey methodology, which has the ability to enhance generalization of results (Dooley, 2001), was used to collect the data utilized in the testing of the research hypotheses. Findings – Results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects on employee intention in the KM process (creation, storage, transfer and application), whereas a tightly controlled culture has negative effects. Research limitations/implications – However, it would have been better to use a longitudinal study to collect useful long-term data to understand how the KM process would be influenced when organizational culture dimensions are changed through/by management. This is the first limitation of this study. According to Mason and Pauleen (2003), KM culture is a powerful predictor of individual knowledge-sharing behavior, which is not included in this study. Thus, this is the second limitation of this paper. Moreover, national culture could be an important issue in the KM process (Jacks et al., 2012), which is the third limitation of this paper for not comprising it. Practical implications – In researchers’ point of view, results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects, whereas a tightly controlled culture has a negative effect on the KM process intention of the individual. These findings provide evidences that challenge the perspective of Kayworth and Leidner (2003) on this issue. As for practitioners, management has a direction to modify their organizational culture to improve the performance of KM process. Social implications – Both behavioral and value perspectives of the organizational cultural dimensions (results-oriented, tightly control, job-oriented, sociability, solidarity, need for achievement and democracy) should be examined to ascertain their effects firstly on KM culture and then on the KM process intention of the individual. It is hoped that the current study will spawn future investigations that lead to the development of an integrated model which includes organizational culture, KM culture and the KM process intention of the individual. Originality/value – The results-oriented, loosely controlled and job-oriented cultures will improve the effectiveness of the KM process and will also increase employees’ satisfaction and willingness to stay with the organization.


BMC Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyi Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyu Chen ◽  
Yuh Jiun Loh ◽  
Xin Yang ◽  
Chenhong Zhang

Abstract Background Calorie restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF) can promote metabolic health through a process that is partially mediated by gut microbiota modulation. To compare the effects of CR and IF with different dietary structures on metabolic health and the gut microbiota, we performed an experiment in which mice were subjected to a CR or IF regimen and an additional IF control (IFCtrl) group whose total energy intake was not different from that of the CR group was included. Each regimen was included for normal chow and high-fat diet. Results We showed that in normal-chow mice, the IFCtrl regimen had similar positive effects on glucose and lipid metabolism as the CR regimen, but the IF regimen showed almost no influence compared to the outcomes observed in the ad libitum group. IF also resulted in improvements, but the effects were less marked than those associate with CR and IFCtrl when the mice were fed a high-fat diet. Moreover, CR created a stable and unique gut microbial community, while the gut microbiota shaped by IF exhibited dynamic changes in fasting-refeeding cycles. At the end of each cycle, the gut microbiota of the IFCtrl mice was similar to that of the CR mice, and the gut microbiota of the IF mice was similar to that of the ad libitum group. When the abundance of Lactobacillus murinus OTU2 was high, the corresponding metabolic phenotype was improved regardless of eating pattern and dietary structure, which might be one of the key bacterial groups in the gut microbiota that is positively correlated with metabolic amelioration. Conclusion There are interactions among the amount of food intake, the diet structure, and the fasting time on metabolic health. The structure and composition of gut microbiota modified by dietary regimens might contribute to the beneficial effects on the host metabolism.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
You Lv ◽  
Xue Zhao ◽  
Weiying Guo ◽  
Ying Gao ◽  
Shuo Yang ◽  
...  

Metabolic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus, have become global health issues. The etiology of diabetes mellitus can be attributed to genetic and/or environmental factors. Current evidence suggests the association of gut microbiota with metabolic diseases. However, the effects of glucose-lowering agents on gut microbiota are poorly understood. Several studies revealed that these agents affect the composition and diversity of gut microbiota and consequently improve glucose metabolism and energy balance. Possible underlying mechanisms include affecting gene expression, lowering levels of inflammatory cytokines, and regulating the production of short-chain fatty acids. In addition, gut microbiota may alleviate adverse effects caused by glucose-lowering agents, and this can be especially beneficial in diabetic patients who experience severe gastrointestinal side effects and have to discontinue these agents. In conclusion, gut microbiota may provide a novel viewpoint for the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Zheng ◽  
Xinhua Xiao ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Miao Yu ◽  
Jianping Xu ◽  
...  

Physiology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 300-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémy Burcelin

The recent epidemic of obesity and diabetes and the diversity at the individual level could be explained by the intestinal microbiota-to-host relationship. More than four million gene products from the microbiome could interact with the immune system to induce a tissue metabolic infection, which is the molecular origin of the low-grade inflammation that characterizes the onset of obesity and diabetes.


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