Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition最新文献

Neurite degeneration is seen in the early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases, and is strongly related to oxidative damage. Possible mechanisms underlying this morphological change include dysruption of calcium homeostasis, increased membrane oxidation, and destabilization of cytoskeletal proteins. However, the detailed mechanisms leading to neuronal damage has not been elucidated. Calcium plays an important role in neuronal changes caused by oxidative stress. Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) play roles in intracellular calcium storages. One mechanism of neurite degeneration associated with oxidative stress may be related to calcium-mediated interactions between mitochondria and ER. In this study, we evaluated intracellular calcium homeostasis, mitochondria, and ER localization when neurite degeneration was induced in neuroblastoma cells that had extended neurites. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and the calcium ionophore ionomycin induced mitochondria-dependent superoxide production and membrane oxidation. When examining the involvment of calcium efflux from the ER and mitochondria, treatment with a ryanodine receptor inhibitor ruthenium red significantly reduced intracellular calcium concentrations in ionomycin-treated cells. Electron microscopy in neurite degeneration areas revealed numerous fragmented mitochondria in ionomycin-treated cells, and mitochondrial swelling was observed in the same area of H₂O₂-treated cells. Next, we investigated proteins related to fusion and fission by western blotting. However, mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in both cases and is therefore thought to be associated with neurite degeneration. Our results suggest that H₂O₂ and ionomycin cause neurite degeneration via different mechanisms. Interactions between mitochondria and the ER through unknown crosstalk pathways and calcium transfer may play an important role in maintaining neurite function.

Early predictive markers of bone resorption are required to plan intervention strategies ensuring a healthy aging. Collagen I C-telopeptide (CTX) as bone activity marker shows a fair biological variability, that cause the lack of a well-defined reference range. Given the well-established role of vitamin D in bone remodeling, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of vitamin D status on the variability of CTX serum levels in 131 pre-menopausal (45-54 years) and 951 post-menopausal women (55-90 years). Serum CTX and vitamin D levels were assessed, respectively, by ELISA and HPLC determination of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3. A significantly negative dependence of CTX on vitamin D3, but not age, was found in the whole study cohort (B = -0.170, p<0.0001). A significantly negative correlation between CTX and vitamin D3 was found both in pre-menopausal (r = -0.2614; p = 0.0061) and post-menopausal women (r = -0.2220; p<0.0001), and confirmed in post-menopausal women aged 55 to 59 years (r = -0.2840, p = 0.0061), 60 to 64 years (r = -0.2143, p = 0.0129), and 70 to 74 years (r = -0.3078, p<0.0001). These findings suggest that vitamin D status determination and early vitamin D supplementation may be required in women at higher risk of bone resorption because of the physiologically reduced protective effects of estrogens.

The prevalence of childhood obesity in global is quickly augmented, resulting into grievous public health problems and influencing adolescent development. β-Elemene is a sesquiterpene, and can extracted from traditional Chinese medicine-Curcuma longa L. β-Elemene has been discovered to display regulatory functions in multiple diseases, but it's roles in obesity need further investigations. The purpose of this work is to investigate the regulatory impacts of β-elemene on obesity progression and associated pathways. In this study, it was revealed that the heightened lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells triggered by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine + dexamethazone + insulin (MDI) can be restrained by β-elemene. Furthermore, β-elemene can modulate lipid metabolism in 3T3-L1 cells mediated by MDI. The glucose consumption was descended after insulin resistance treatment, but this impact was reversed after β-elemene treatment. At last, it was illustrated that the AMPK pathway was retarded after β-elemene induction, but this change was offset after β-elemene treatment. To sum up, our results manifested that β-elemene inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells, and evoked the AMPK pathway. This project may supply serviceable insights of β-elemene in the progression of obesity.

This study aimed to analyze the gut phageome in Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in endoscopic remission. Fecal samples were collected from 35 UC patients and 22 healthy controls. The gut microbiome was analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and the phageome was profiled through shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Compared to healthy controls, UC patients showed a significant reduction in phageome richness (observed species and Chao1 index). Principal coordinate analysis revealed a significant difference in beta-diversity between UC and healthy controls (p = 0.001). The abundance of temperate phages was higher in UC (15.2%) compared to healthy controls (5.9%), although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.088). Temperate phages associated with Coprococcus sp., Bacteroides sp. KFT8, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, as well as virulent phages associated with Ruminococcus gnavus and Lactobacillus farciminis, were increased in UC patients. Conversely, phages associated with Thermosipho affectus, Bacteroides sp. OF03-11BH, and Odoribacter splanchnicus were decreased in UC patients. Phages associated with the genera Odoribacter (p = 0.0004), Ruminococcus (p = 0.009), and Veillonella (p = 0.013) were significantly reduced in UC patients. The gut phageome of inactive UC patients exhibited notable alterations in viral composition compared to healthy controls. These results suggest that changes in the gut phageome might be involved in the pathogenesis of UC.

Although we previously reported that 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one has antioxidant properties, its effect on the skin remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of beverages containing 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one on skin moisture. This study enrolled 220 healthy Japanese participants with dry skin who were randomly assigned to the test or placebo group (n = 110 each). Each group received either a beverage containing 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one or a placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was stratum corneum water content. Secondary outcomes were transdermal water loss, number of blemishes and wrinkles, and blood antioxidant markers such as biological antioxidant potential and diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites. Visual analog scale was used to assess skin improvement. Stratum corneum water content and visual analog scale scores differed significantly between the test and placebo groups. Water content significantly increased in the test group compared to the placebo group at 4 and 8 weeks. Subjective skin symptoms significantly improved with the test beverage intake compared with the placebo. No other significant or adverse effects were observed. In conclusion, the of 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one-containing beverage for 12 consecutive weeks significantly increases stratum corneum water content. The study findings could aid in the development of safe functional foods enriched with this compound.

Excessive salt intake has been associated with gut dysbiosis and increased cardiovascular risk. This study investigates the role of gut dysbiosis induced by a high-salt diet in the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice. Sixteen-week-old male ApoE-deficient mice were fed either a high-fat, high-sucrose diet or high-fat, high-sucrose diet supplemented with 4% NaCl for eight weeks. The group on the HFHSD with high salt showed significant progression of atherosclerosis compared to the high-fat, high-sucrose diet group. Analysis of the gut microbiota revealed reduced abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Allobaculum spp., Lachnospiraceae, and Alphaproteobacteria in the high-salt group. Additionally, this group exhibited increased expression of the Cd36 gene, a transporter of long-chain fatty acids, in the small intestine. Serum and aortic levels of saturated fatty acids, known contributors to atherosclerosis, were markedly elevated in the high-salt group. These findings suggest that a high-salt diet exacerbates atherosclerosis by altering gut microbiota and increasing the absorption of saturated fatty acids through upregulation of intestinal fatty acid transporters. This study provides new insights into how dietary salt can influence cardiovascular health through its effects on the gut microbiome and lipid metabolism.

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is associated with various comorbidities, such as allergic diseases like allergic rhinitis. However, the causal relationship and potential metabolic mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the association between inflammatory bowel disease and allergic rhinitis, focusing on potential metabolic mediation through Mendelian randomization analysis. A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted using datasets from European populations to evaluate the relationships between inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and allergic rhinitis. Additionally, 212 potential mediating metabolites were analyzed to explore metabolic mechanisms. Horizontal pleiotropy was excluded, and mediation analysis identified specific metabolites mediating these effects. Results revealed a significant association between inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and allergic rhinitis, while ulcerative colitis showed no significant impact. Further analysis confirmed a unidirectional causal relationship from inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease to allergic rhinitis. Metabolite analysis identified 91 significant metabolites, with 67 showing consistent effects. Notably, erythritol, 1-myristoyl-2-arachidonoyl-GPC, and the 3-methyl-2-oxovalerate to 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate ratio exhibited significant mediation effects. These findings highlight a significant causal link between inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn's disease, and allergic rhinitis, mediated by specific metabolites, offering new insights and potential targets for clinical interventions.

Vitamins are essential micronutrients obtained from the diet, required by the body in small amounts daily for proper metabolism. Monitoring their levels is necessary for detecting deficiencies and guiding supplementation in certain clinical conditions. This study aimed to update the reference values for vitamins A, B1, B6, and E, and some related ratios, adjusted to the adult population of our health reference area using liquid chromatography in a direct approach calculation (n = 146, age: 21-64 years, 64% females). No significant differences in vitamin levels or ratios were observed based on age and sex. We obtained reliable and updated reference values: 1.1-2.8 ‍μmol/L and 18.9-42.2 ‍μmol/L for vitamins A and E respectively, 85.9-181.6 nmol/L and 57.0-165.7 nmol/L for vitamins B1 and B6 respectively; and related ratios of 246.2-561.1 ‍ng/g for vitamin B1 corrected by hemoglobin; 5.2-8.9 ‍μmol/mmol and 4.5-7.4 ‍μmol/mmol for vitamin E corrected by cholesterol and total lipids, respectively. These reference values significantly differ from those provided by the reagent manufacturer currently in use. While correcting vitamin E for lipids and vitamin B1 for hemoglobin is not recommended for the general population, these adjustments may be useful in interpreting results in certain pathological conditions.

Background: Previous researches have revealed the potential association between dietary niacin intakes and several diseases, but studies assessing the association between dietary niacin intakes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is limited and remains unclear. This study was performed to explore the association.

Methods: In this study, 10,528 participants (male: 5,257) in the 10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles (1999-2018) from the NHANES database were selected for the analyses. We built three logistic regression models to explore the independent association between dietary niacin intakes and NAFLD and to explore whether such association exists. Finally, a restricted cubic spline model was applied to simulate the potential nonlinear association between dietary niacin intakes and the occurrence of NAFLD.

Results: The result of the fully-adjusted model suggested that ln-transformed dietary niacin intakes were significantly associated with the reduced occurrence of NAFLD. The odd ratio (OR) of the model and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were 0.81 (0.73, 0.90). When taking the lowest quartile as a reference, the level of niacin in the highest quartile was associated with decreased prevalence of NAFLD (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.91). The restricted cubic spline plot presented a negative dose-response association between levels of daily niacin consumption and the occurrence of NAFLD (p for nonlinearity = 0.762).

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, dietary niacin intakes may have a negative association with NAFLD, and more well-designed cohort studies are required in the future to confirm the obtained finding.

Background: The causal relationship between family history of lung cancer and allergic rhinitis remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between family history of lung cancer and allergic rhinitis, along with potential mediating mechanisms, using Mendelian randomization.

Methods: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted to assess the causal relationship between family history of lung cancer (including parental, paternal, maternal, and sibling histories) and allergic rhinitis, using genetic variants associated with family history of lung cancer as instrumental variables. Additionally, mediation Mendelian randomization analysis was performed to investigate the role of specific metabolites in mediating this relationship.

Results: The analysis revealed a significant causal relationship between parental history of lung cancer and allergic rhinitis, with maternal lung cancer history showing a strong protective effect against allergic rhinitis (OR = 0.28, p<0.05). Mediation analysis further indicated that metabolites such as 1-linoleoyl-GPE (18:2) and N-palmitoyl-sphingosine exhibited negative mediating effects in the association between maternal lung cancer and allergic rhinitis. Lower levels of these metabolites enhanced the protective effect of maternal lung cancer history on allergic rhinitis.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a significant causal relationship between maternal lung cancer history and allergic rhinitis, with specific metabolites potentially playing a mediating role. Changes in the levels of 1-linoleoyl-GPE (18:2) and N-palmitoyl-sphingosine are associated with the protective effect of maternal lung cancer history on allergic rhinitis, suggesting that metabolites may be crucial in regulating this relationship. These findings provide new insights into the relationship between family history of lung cancer and immune-related diseases, offering potential directions for future clinical prevention and treatment strategies.