Pharmacotherapeutic Potential of Garlic in Age-Related Neurological Disorders

: Age-related neurological disorders [ANDs] involve neurodegenerative diseases [NDDs] such as Alzheimer's disease [AD], the most frequent kind of dementia in elderly people, and Parkinson's disease [PD], and also other disorders like epilepsy and migraine. Although ANDs are multifactorial, Aging is a principal risk factor for them. The common and most main pathologic features among ANDs are inflammation, oxidative stress, and misfolded proteins accumulation. Since failing brains caused by ANDs impose a notable burden on public health and their incidence is increasing, a lot of works has been done to overcome them. Garlic, Allium sativum, has been used for different medical purposes globally and more than thousands of publications have reported its health benefits. Garlic and aged garlic extract are considered potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidants agents and can have remarkable neuroprotective effects. This review is aimed to summarize knowledge on the pharmacotherapeutic potential of garlic and its components in ANDs.

Cytoprotective Potential of Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) and Its Active Constituent, S-allyl-l-cysteine, in Presence of Carvedilol during Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Disturbance and Metabolic Derangements in Rats

This study was conducted to determine the potential interaction of aged garlic extract (AGE) with carvedilol (CAR), as well as to investigate the role of S-allyl-l-cysteine (SAC), an active constituent of AGE, in rats with isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial dysfunction. At the end of three weeks of treatment with AGE (2 and 5 mL/kg) or SAC (13.1 and 32.76 mg/kg), either alone or along with CAR (10 mg/kg) in the respective groups of animals, ISO was administered subcutaneously to induce myocardial damage. Myocardial infarction (MI) diagnostic predictor enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatinine kinase (CK-MB), were measured in both serum and heart tissue homogenates (HTH). Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) were estimated in HTH. When compared with other groups, the combined therapy of high doses of AGE and SAC given alone or together with CAR caused a significant decrease in serum LDH and CK-MB activities. Further, significant rise in the LDH and CK-MB activities in HTH was noticed in the combined groups of AGE and SAC with CAR. It was also observed that both doses of AGE and SAC significantly increased endogenous antioxidants in HTH. Furthermore, histopathological observations corroborated the biochemical findings. The cytoprotective potential of SAC and AGE were dose-dependent, and SAC was more potent than AGE. The protection offered by aged garlic may be attributed to SAC. Overall, the results indicated that a high dose of AGE and its constituent SAC, when combined with carvedilol, has a synergistic effect in preventing morphological and physiological changes in the myocardium during ISO-induced myocardial damage.

Aged Garlic Extract Reduces IL-6: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial in Females with a Low Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Background. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a daily supplementation of aged garlic extract (AGE) could reduce inflammation in females with low risk for cardiovascular disease. The study was conducted at a single center, as a parallel randomized placebo-controlled trial. Method. 63 females with a Framingham risk score over 10 underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan. Of those, patients with a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores less than 5 (n = 31) met the inclusion criteria and were randomized, in a double-blind manner to an intake of placebo or AGE (2400 mg daily) for 1 year. Results. Main outcome measure was changes in inflammatory biomarkers, blood pressure, fastening blood glucose, and blood lipids. A total of 29 patients (14 in the AGE group and 15 in the placebo group) completed the study and were analyzed. Females treated with AGE showed lower levels of inflammatory marker IL-6 after 12 months of treatment compared to females receiving placebo ( p < 0.05 ). The blood lipids had a trend towards a lowering effect in females treated with AGE; however, this trend was not significant. Conclusion. The present study concludes that AGE lowers IL-6 in females with a risk profile of cardiovascular disease. We could also conclude that risk prediction with cardiac CT scan turned out to be superior in estimating the risk of cardiac disease compared to Framingham risk score. This trial is registered with NCT03860350.

Scoping Review: Efek Nefroprotektif Black Garlic/Aged Garlic pada Hewan Model Renal Injury

Kerusakan ginjal atau renal injury didefinisikan sebagai penurunan fungsi ginjal yang meliputi cedera (kerusakan struktural) dan gangguan (hilangnya fungsi) ginjal. Salah satu bentuk antioksidan yang digunakan sebagai pengobatan kerusakan ginjal adalah sediaan black garlic yang merupakan bawang putih (Allium sativum L.) yang telah difermentasi dan memiliki banyak antioksidan poten. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pengaruh black garlic/aged garlic terhadap kerusakan ginjal pada hewan coba model renal injury. Metode pada penelitian ini adalah Scoping Review. Pencarian sistematis dari beberapa database, yaitu SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, EBSCO dan Google Scholar. Artikel yang sesuai dengan kriteria inklusi sebanyak 2.259 dan yang memenuhi kriteria ekslusi berdasar atas kriteria PICOS yang dilakukan oleh 2 peneliti, didapatkan hasil 14 artikel. Penelitian ini dilakukan selama periode Maret–Desember 2020 Hasil analisis serta identifikasi dari 14 artikel, keseluruhan artikel menunjukkan pengaruh positif black garlic/aged garlic pada ginjal hewan coba. Dari 14 artikel, ditemukan perbaikan mikrostruktur ginjal, fungsi ginjal meningkat, peningkatan kadar antioksidan pada ginjal, penurunan marker stres oksidatif serta penurunan mediator inflamasi. Kesimpulan analisis pada penelitian ini adalah black garlic/aged garlic memiliki sifat nefroprotektif yang melindungi ginjal dari kerusakan yang disebabkan oleh stres oksidatif. Nephroprotective Effects of Black Garlic/Aged Garlic on Animal Model of Renal Injury: a Scoping ReviewKidney damage or renal injury is defined as decreased function of the kidneys, which includes both injury (structural damage) and impairment (loss of function) of the kidneys. One form of antioxidant that is used to treat kidney damage is black garlic, which isgarlic (Allium sativum L.fermented) and has many potent antioxidants. This study aims to analyze the effect of black garlic/aged garlic on kidney damage in animal models of renal injury. The method in this research is the Scoping Review. Systematic search of several databases, namely SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, EBSCO and Google Scholar. There were 2,259 articles that matched the inclusion criteria and those that met the exclusion criteria based on the PICOS criteria conducted by 2 researchers, the results were 14 articles. This research was conducted during the period March–December 2020. The results of the analysis and identification of 14 articles, all of them showed the positive effect of black garlic/aged garlic on the kidneys of experimental animals. From 14 articles, it was found that there was an improvement in renal microstructure, increased renal function, an increase in antioxidant levels in the kidney, a decrease in markers oxidative stressand a decrease in inflammatory mediators. The conclusion from the analysis in this study is that black garlic/aged garlic has nephroprotective properties that protect the kidneys from damage caused by oxidative stress.

S-allyl Cysteine Enhances Testosterone Production in Mice and Mouse Testis-Derived I-10 Cells

Hypogonadism, associated with low levels of testosterone synthesis, has been implicated in several diseases. Recently, the quest for natural alternatives to prevent and treat hypogonadism has gained increasing research interest. To this end, the present study explored the effect of S-allyl cysteine (SAC), a characteristic organosulfur compound in aged-garlic extract, on testosterone production. SAC was administered at 50 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally into 7-week-old BALB/c male mice in a single-dose experiment. Plasma levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) and testis levels of proteins involved in steroidogenesis were measured by enzymatic immunoassay and Western blot, respectively. In addition, mouse testis-derived I-10 cells were also used to investigate the effect of SAC on steroidogenesis. In the animal experiment, SAC significantly elevated testosterone levels in both the plasma and the testis without changing the LH level in plasma and increased phosphorylated protein kinase A (p-PKA) levels. Similar results were also observed in I-10 cells. The findings demonstrating the increasing effect of SAC on p-PKA and mRNA levels of Cyp11a suggest that SAC increases the testosterone level by activating the PKA pathway and could be a potential target for hypogonadism therapeutics.

Optimization of Aging Time for Improved Antioxidant Activity and Bacteriostatic Capacity of Fresh and Black Garlic

To determine the optimization of aging time for improved antioxidant activity and bacteriostatic capacity of garlic during its aging, garlic produced in Yunlin region, Taiwan, was employed as the test material in an analysis of the allicin content, total phenol content, antioxidant activity, and bacteriostatic capacity of fresh and aged garlic extracts. Allicin content of the aging garlic decreased to a minor level, whereas total phenol content increased to 16.96 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/mL after 35 days of the aging process. The results of antioxidant testing demonstrated favorable positive correlations among IC50 of DPPH scavenging capacity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity, and superoxide dismutase activity for both the fresh and aged garlic extracts. The analytical results showed that aging of garlic at 70 °C and 85% relative humidity for 40 days substantially increased the quantity of phenolics, DPPH scavenging capacity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity, and superoxide dismutase activity and enhanced the antioxidant activity. The extracts exhibited higher bacteriostatic capacity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus than against Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, black garlic aged under the optimum conditions exhibited favorable antioxidant activity and bacteriostatic ability.