Effects of antioxidant diet on the RBC indices in fructose-induced obesity rat model

The oxidative stress is one of the known and discussed culprits for development and progression of the disturbances in Metabolic syndrome (MetS). In our study, we are investigating the effects of antioxidant additives as additional treatment and prophylaxis in a model of MetS. We are using a fructose-induced metabolic syndrome rat model to examine the effects of antioxidant preparation ZellSchutz. Four experimental groups were formed using male Wistar rats (n = 60). The control group received standard rat chow, the other groups received either ZellSchutz (Z), fructose (F), or fructose and ZellSchutz (ZF). Our results showed an unexpected increase in the RBC indices in rats with dual treatment. There was a significant increase in hemoglobin concentration, MCHC, and MCV in those animals (p<0.001). The preliminary data shows the important role of antioxidants as supplementary therapy in metabolic syndrome. Further investigations will be carried on to reveal the molecular mechanisms of the observed changes.

Use of a Highly Antioxidant Diet in the Regulation of Adipose Tissue Secretion in Patients after the BIB Procedure

Obesity is a global problem. The secretory activity of adipose tissue causes inflammation and disturbs metabolic parameters. Low-invasive bariatric procedures are an alternative to surgical treatment, especially in individuals who do not qualify for surgery or in whom conservative treatment does not bring the expected results. The diets designed for bariatric patients contained an increased proportion of bioflavonoids. The dietary components were carefully selected to provide anti-inflammatory effects. The experimental diets showed an antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of 433–969 µM TE/100 g or 100 mL, reducing ability (FRAP) of 13–58 µM TE/100 g or 100 mL, and total polyphenol content of 80–250 mg catechins/100 g or 100 mL. Lower levels of adipocytokines were obtained in the blood of patients following the diet. The results of the present study showed the participation of some adipocytokines in the regulation of energy homeostasis, lipid metabolism, glucose level, blood pressure and inflammation. Diet therapy should yield positive results in the long term, with the possibility of using immune modulation in personalized therapy for metabolic syndrome.

Season, anthocyanin supplementation, and flight training have mixed effects on the antioxidant system of migratory European Starlings

Migratory birds engage in 2 periods of endurance flight annually as they travel between summer breeding and overwintering grounds, and such endurance flights likely incur oxidative costs. These costs may differ between fall and spring migration, especially for females who must prepare for breeding and egg laying in spring. The objective of this study of a migratory bird was to test proposed hypotheses about how key components of the female’s antioxidant system differ in response to flight training in the fall and spring and to dietary antioxidant supplementation. We hand raised female European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and fed them either a diet supplemented with dietary anthocyanins or a diet without added anthocyanins. We flew females in a wind tunnel for 15 days during fall and spring migration seasons and measured over time oxidative lipid damage (d-ROMs) and 3 components of the antioxidant system: nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity (OXY), uric acid, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Prior to flight training, OXY and oxidative damage were lower in females during spring compared with fall, and females fed a low-antioxidant diet had consistently higher circulating uric acid. GPx activity decreased more in spring immediately after a long-duration flight. Females fed a high-antioxidant diet had a greater decrease in OXY after the 15-day flight training. Flight-trained females had higher circulating uric acid than untrained females immediately after the longest-duration flight and decreased GPx activity after the 15-day flight training. In sum, females upregulated enzymatic and nonenzymatic endogenous antioxidants in spring, and females fed a diet with less antioxidants appear to compensate by increasing circulating uric acid. Our findings emphasize the important role of dietary antioxidants for birds during migration, and similar flights in fall and spring likely represent distinct oxidative challenges in the life history of female birds.

TREM-2 defends the liver against hepatocellular carcinoma through multifactorial protective mechanisms

ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and aggressive cancer usually arising on a background of chronic liver injury involving inflammatory and hepatic regenerative processes. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM-2) is predominantly expressed in hepatic non-parenchymal cells and inhibits Toll-like receptor signalling, protecting the liver from various hepatotoxic injuries, yet its role in liver cancer is poorly defined. Here, we investigated the impact of TREM-2 on liver regeneration and hepatocarcinogenesis.DesignTREM-2 expression was analysed in liver tissues of two independent cohorts of patients with HCC and compared with control liver samples. Experimental HCC and liver regeneration models in wild type and Trem-2-/- mice, and in vitro studies with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and HCC spheroids were conducted.ResultsTREM-2 expression was upregulated in human HCC tissue, in mouse models of liver regeneration and HCC. Trem-2-/- mice developed more liver tumours irrespective of size after diethylnitrosamine (DEN) administration, displayed exacerbated liver damage, inflammation, oxidative stress and hepatocyte proliferation. Administering an antioxidant diet blocked DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in both genotypes. Similarly, Trem-2-/- animals developed more and larger tumours in fibrosis-associated HCC models. Trem-2-/- livers showed increased hepatocyte proliferation and inflammation after partial hepatectomy. Conditioned media from human HSCs overexpressing TREM-2 inhibited human HCC spheroid growth in vitro through attenuated Wnt ligand secretion.ConclusionTREM-2 plays a protective role in hepatocarcinogenesis via different pleiotropic effects, suggesting that TREM-2 agonism should be investigated as it might beneficially impact HCC pathogenesis in a multifactorial manner.

Effect of Morning vs. Evening Turmeric Consumption on Urine Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Obese, Middle-Aged Adults: A Feasibility Study

The circadian rhythm of biological systems is an important consideration in developing health interventions. The immune and oxidative defense systems exhibit circadian periodicity, with an anticipatory increase in activity coincident with the onset of the active period. Spice consumption is associated with enhanced oxidative defense. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of a protocol comparing the effects of morning vs. evening consumption of turmeric on urine markers of oxidative stress in obese, middle-aged adults. Using a within-sample design, participants received each of four clock time x treatment administrations, each separated by one week: morning turmeric; evening turmeric; morning control; evening control. Participants prepared for each lab visit by consuming a low-antioxidant diet for two days and fasting for 12 h. Urine was collected in the lab at baseline and one-hour post-meal and at home for the following five hours. The results showed that the processes were successful in executing the protocol and collecting the measurements and that participants understood and adhered to the instructions. The findings also revealed that the spice treatment did not elicit the expected antioxidant effect and that the six-hour post-treatment urine collection period did not detect differences in urine endpoints across treatments. This feasibility study revealed that modifications to the spice treatment and urine sampling timeline are needed before implementing a larger study.

Functional Activity of Four Autochthonous Strains L. paraplantarum AB362736.1, L. plantarum MF369875.1, W. paramesenteroides CP023501.1, and E. faecalis HQ802261.1 in a Probiotic Grape Marmalade during Storage

Grape foods with probiotics are sources of beneficial bacteria for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and also have a high antioxidant capacity. The addition of probiotics to dairy food is a traditional process; therefore, probiotic non-dairy products might contribute to a daily antioxidant diet to improve consumer life quality and health. This research was undertaken to develop a grape marmalade with a probiotic base to investigate the potential antioxidant activity in the probiotic non-dairy product. Thus, changes in active culture numbers, pH level, glucose concentration, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. Most of the isolates demonstrated higher growth in the grape marmalade than the synthetic grape marmalade, which was greater than 7 log colony-forming units (CFU)/g within 90 days of storage at 4 °C. In addition, most of the wild isolates grew beyond the critical count of 106 CFU/g in sampling between 60 and 90 days of storage. Moreover, probiotic grape marmalade with probiotics showed a strong antioxidant capacity that failed to differ significantly with the synthetic medium. The study confirmed Lactobacillus paraplantarum AB362736.1, Lactobacillus plantarum MF369875.1, Weissella paramesenteroides CP023501.1, and Enterococcus faecalis HQ802261.1 were ideal bacteria for the probiotic process of grape marmalade.

Viability of 4 Wild Strains L. paraplantarum, L. plantarum, W. paramesenteroides, and E. faecalis in Fermented Probiotic Grape Marmalade during Storage at both 5°C and 25°C

Grape foods fermented with probiotics are sources of beneficial bacteria for the GI tract and also have a high antioxidant capacity. The addition of probiotics to ferment food has always been a traditional process; therefore, probiotic dairy and non-dairy products might contribute to a daily antioxidant diet to improve consumers&rsquo; life quality and health. This research was undertaken to determine the viability of 4 wild isolates of Lactobacillus for storage at 5 and 25&ordm;C within 90 days in simulated synthetic grape media and a standard grape marmalade formulation. Changes in active culture numbers, pH level, glucose concentration, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. Most of the isolates demonstrated higher growth in the grape marmalade than the synthetic grape marmalade, which was greater than 7 Log cfu/g within 90 days of storage at 5&ordm;C. In addition, most of the wild isolates grew beyond the critical count of 106 cfu/g in sampling between 60 and 90 days of storage. Moreover, fermented grape marmalade with probiotics showed a strong antioxidant capacity that failed to differ significantly with the synthetic medium. The study confirmed L. paraplantarum, L. plantarum, W. paramesenteroides, and E. feacalis were ideal probiotics for fermentation process of grape marmalade.

Acute Effect of a Single Dose of Tomato Sofrito on Plasmatic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Men

Sofrito is a Mediterranean tomato-based sauce that typically also contains olive oil, onion, and garlic. The preparation of sofrito modifies the bioactive compounds (carotenoids and polyphenols) in the ingredients to more bioavailable forms, promoting cis-lycopene formation and polyphenol bioaccessibility. To evaluate the health benefits of this cooking technique, the effect of consuming an acute dose of sofrito on the inflammatory status was studied. In a clinical trial, 22 healthy male subjects consumed a single dose of sofrito (240 g/70 kg) after three days without ingesting any tomato products and following a low-antioxidant diet the day before the intervention. Plasma carotenoids and total polyphenol excretion (TPE) were evaluated, as well as the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). After the sofrito intake, a significant decrease in CRP (p = 0.010) and TNF-α (p = 0.011) was observed, but only TNF-α was inversely correlated with an increase in TPE and plasma β-carotene (not the major carotenoid, lycopene). The positive health effects of this tomato-based product may be attributed not only to lycopene, but to the bioactive compounds of all the ingredients.