scholarly journals Effect of a Sub-Chronic Oral Exposure of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Var. Italica) By-Products Flour on the Physiological Parameters of FVB/N Mice: A Pilot Study

Foods ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Tânia Martins ◽  
Paula Alexandra Oliveira ◽  
Maria João Pires ◽  
Maria João Neuparth ◽  
Germano Lanzarin ◽  
...  

Brassica by-products are a source of natural bioactive molecules such as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, with potential applications in the nutraceutical and functional food industries. However, the effects of oral sub-chronic exposure to broccoli by-product flour (BF) have not yet been evaluated. The objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effects of BF intake in the physiological parameters of FVB/N mice fed a 6.7% BF-supplemented diet for 21 days. Glucosinolates and their derivatives were also quantified in plasma and urine. BF supplementation significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the accumulation of perirenal adipose tissue. Furthermore, mice supplemented with BF showed significantly lower (p < 0.01) microhematocrit values than control animals, but no impact on the general genotoxicological status nor relevant toxic effects on the liver and kidney were observed. Concerning hepatic and renal antioxidant response, BF supplementation induced a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the liver glutathione S-transferase (GST) levels. In BF-supplemented mice, plasma analysis revealed the presence of the glucosinolates glucobrassicin and glucoerucin, and the isothiocyanates sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. Overall, these results show that daily intake of a high dose of BF during three weeks is safe, and enables the bioavailability of beneficial glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. These results allow further testing of the benefits of this BF in animal models of disease, knowing that exposure of up to 6.7% BF does not present relevant toxicity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (27) ◽  
pp. 5207-5229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.V. Madhavi ◽  
Nikhil Gaikwad ◽  
Veera Ganesh Yerra ◽  
Anil Kumar Kalvala ◽  
Srinivas Nanduri ◽  
...  

Adenosine 5′-monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key enzymatic protein involved in linking the energy sensing to the metabolic manipulation. It is a serine/threonine kinase activated by several upstream kinases. AMPK is a heterotrimeric protein complex regulated by AMP, ADP, and ATP allosterically. AMPK is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues of the living system such as heart, kidney, liver, brain and skeletal muscles. Thus malfunctioning of AMPK is expected to harbor several human pathologies especially diseases associated with metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction. AMPK activators including synthetic derivatives and several natural products that have been found to show therapeutic relief in several animal models of disease. AMP, 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICA riboside) and A769662 are important activators of AMPK which have potential therapeutic importance in diabetes and diabetic complications. AMPK modulation has shown beneficial effects against diabetes, cardiovascular complications and diabetic neuropathy. The major impact of AMPK modulation ensures healthy functioning of mitochondria and energy homeostasis in addition to maintaining a strict check on inflammatory processes, autophagy and apoptosis. Structural studies on AMP and AICAR suggest that the free amino group is imperative for AMPK stimulation. A769662, a non-nucleoside thienopyridone compound which resulted from the lead optimization studies on A-592107 and several other related compound is reported to exhibit a promising effect on diabetes and its complications through activation of AMPK. Subsequent to the discovery of A769662, several thienopyridones, hydroxybiphenyls pyrrolopyridones have been reported as AMPK modulators. The review will explore the structure-function relationships of these analogues and the prospect of targeting AMPK in diabetes and diabetic complications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (35) ◽  
pp. 4362-4372
Author(s):  
John H. Miller ◽  
Viswanath Das

No effective therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases exist, despite significant attempts to find drugs that can reduce or rescue the debilitating symptoms of tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Pick’s disease. A number of in vitro and in vivo models exist for studying neurodegenerative diseases, including cell models employing induced-pluripotent stem cells, cerebral organoids, and animal models of disease. Recent research has focused on microtubulestabilizing agents, either natural products or synthetic compounds that can prevent the axonal destruction caused by tau protein pathologies. Although promising results have come from animal model studies using brainpenetrant natural product microtubule-stabilizing agents, such as paclitaxel analogs that can access the brain, epothilones B and D, and other synthetic compounds such as davunetide or the triazolopyrimidines, early clinical trials in humans have been disappointing. This review aims to summarize the research that has been carried out in this area and discuss the potential for the future development of an effective microtubule stabilizing drug to treat neurodegenerative disease.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 237
Author(s):  
András Szabó ◽  
Szabolcs Nagy ◽  
Omeralfaroug Ali ◽  
Zsolt Gerencsér ◽  
Miklós Mézes ◽  
...  

A 65-day study was undertaken to test the effects of two doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) of dietary fumonisin Bs (FB) on the rabbit male reproduction system. Body and testicular weight was not affected by the intoxication, neither the fatty acid composition of the testicular total phospholipids; the testis histological analysis failed to reveal any toxic effect. The FBs increased the testicular concentration and activity of reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase and decreased initial phase lipid peroxidation (conjugated dienes and trienes) in a dose dependent manner. Sperm morphology and chromatin condensation were monitored on Feulgen-stained smears. No significant differences were observed between the treatment groups and between sampling time points. The live cell ratio in the sperm (as assessed with flow cytometry) was not different among groups at any of the five sampling timepoints and was also identical within groups. Similarly, the spermatozoa membrane lipid profile was also identical in all three groups after the total intoxication period. In summary, it was demonstrated that FBs in an unrealistic and unjustified high dose still do not exert any drastic harmful effect on the leporine, male reproduction system, meanwhile slightly augmenting testicular antioxidant response.


2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 434-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
C E M van Gelderen ◽  
J A Bijlsma ◽  
W van Dokkum ◽  
T J F Savelkoull

Because from earlier experiments in rats and a pilot study in humans a no effect level of glycyrrhizic acid could not be established, a second experiment was performed in healthy volunteers. The experiment was performed in females only, because the effects were most marked in females in the pilot study. Doses of 0, 1, 2 and 4 mg glycyrrhizic acid/kg body weight were administered orally for 8 weeks to 39 healthy female volunteers aged 19-40 years. The experimentlasted 12 weeks including an adaptation and a “wash-out” period.Ano-effectlevel of2 mg/kgis proposed from the results ofthis study, from which an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.2 mg/kg body weight can be extrapolated with a safety factor of 10. This means consumption of 12 mg glycyrrhizic acid/day for a person with a body weight of 60 kg. This would be equal to 6 g licorice a day, assuming that licorice contains 0.2% of glycyrrhizic acid. The proposed ADI is below the limit advised by the Dutch Nutrition Council of 200 mg glycyrrhizic acid/day. This reflects the relatively mild acute toxicity of glycyrrhizic acid, which is also emphasised by the “generally recognised as safe” (GRAS) status of glycyrrhizic acid in the USA in 1983. However, the long-term effects of a mild chronic intoxication (causing, for example, a mild hypertension), although not immediately lethal, justify special attention to the amount of glycyrrhizic acid used daily.


1992 ◽  
Vol 28 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 1324-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Corbett ◽  
Ross Pinkerton ◽  
Jon Pritchard ◽  
Simon Meller ◽  
Ian Lewis ◽  
...  

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