Journal of medicinal food最新文献

Metabolites generated in foods with lactic fermentation have been subject of research in recent years due to different beneficial effects attributed to them on the microbiota and health in general, including their properties as antihypertensives, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial, among others. The present review aims to systematically analyze the results of original research that evaluates effects on the microbiota and health in general, mediated by metabolites generated from the lactic fermentation of foods. The review was carried out in the PubMed database, three studies in humans, four in vivo studies in murine models, four in vitro studies, and the rest focused on the quantification of biofunctional qualities in fermented foods were analyzed. The results of the studies compiled in this systematic review reveal the potential of different food matrices and microorganisms to generate metabolites through lactic fermentation with important properties and effects on the intestinal microbiota and other health benefits. Among these benefits is the increase in short chain fatty acids to which anti-inflammatory properties are associated, as well as bioactive peptides with antihypertensive, antithrombotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

Previous studies have shown that oral whole honey reduces weight gain in rats on a normal diet (ND) or high-fat diet (HFD) and suppresses inflammation by modulating immunological cytokines in human neutrophils and macrophages. We hypothesize that the honey proteins (HP) are responsible for the reduced weight gain in rats on ND and HFD and that HP would alleviate obesity parameters. To test this, proteins were isolated from acacia honey through the salting-out method. Wistar rats (N = 24) were randomized to get ND or HFD for 4 weeks, then further randomized to four groups and treated with HP or saline for another 4 weeks. Energy intake (EI), body weight gain, EI per gram body weight gain, serum glucose, and lipids were measured. Expression of adipose tissue genes fatty acid binding protein (FABP), lipase C (LIPC), and apolipoprotein A-1 (APOA1) was evaluated through the quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HFD increased the body weight versus ND in weeks 1-4. HP for the next 4 weeks reduced weight gain in ND-HP and HFD-HP groups versus saline controls (P < .01). EI was not significantly different among groups. However, EI per gram body weight gain among groups was markedly different (P < .01), demonstrating reduced weight gain efficiency by HP (P < .01). HP reduced glucose in ND but not in HFD groups. Triglycerides were lower in both HP groups. The expressions of FABP, LIPC, and APOA1 genes were significantly increased (P < .05) in HP-treated HFD rats. Collectively, weight gain efficiency was remarkably reduced without altering EI in rats following the HP treatment, suggesting HP increased metabolic rate or substrate partitioning. Studies of HP are suggested in humans.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baill (S. chinensis) is the key traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma used by ancient and modern medical practitioners. However, the material basis and the main mechanism of its antiasthmatic effect remain unclear. Our preliminary results showed that schisandrol A (SCA), a representative monomer of Schisandra lignans, had the best relaxation effect on tracheal rings in isolated rats. In this research, a mouse asthma model was prepared by combining ovalbumin (OVA) with Al (OH)₃ for exploring the antiasthmatic action and the underlying mechanism of SCA. The study results demonstrated that SCA improved the behavior of mice with asthma and pathological changes in their lung tissues and airways, decreased serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and OVA-IgE levels, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13, and eotaxin contents, and leukocytes number in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. SCA downregulated the gene expressions of keratinocyte-derived protein chemokines and ILs and reduced the expressions of phosphorylated IκB kinase α (p-IKKα) and p-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) proteins in lung tissues. In addition, it was found that SCA could significantly increase T-superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, decrease malondialdehyde content, and elevate p-IκBα, NF-E2-related-factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expressions. In summary, SCA treatment resulted in a significant improvement in the allergic bronchial asthma in mice, and its mechanisms may involve the regulation of the NF-κB/IκBα pathway to reduce inflammatory response and the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to improve the body's antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that SCA is a key component of S. chinensis in exerting antiasthmatic effects.

Here, we investigated whether a mixture of Cervus elaphus and Eucommia ulmoides (1:3, KGC01CE) could suppress muscle atrophy in H₂O₂-induced C2C12 cells and dexamethasone-injected mice. Our results revealed that KGC01CE effectively safeguarded against H₂O₂-induced muscle atrophy in C2C12 cells compared with the same mixture at other ratios. We demonstrated that dexamethasone elicited oxidative stress in muscle tissue and decreased the grip strength and cross-sectional areas of muscle fibers; however, oral administration of KGC01CE (1:3) suppressed these dexamethasone-induced changes. Furthermore, oral KGC01CE (1:3) administration suppressed the expression of protein degradation-associated factors, myostatin, muscle RING finger 1, and atrogin-1 in muscle tissue from dexamethasone-injected mice. Oral KGC01CE administration stimulated protein synthesis by stimulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in muscle tissue from dexamethasone-injected mice. These findings indicate that KGC01CE can suppress dexamethasone injection-induced muscle atrophy by inhibiting protein degradation and promoting muscle hypertrophy. Therefore, KGC01CE supplementation helps prevent muscle atrophy in mice and may be beneficial against various components of muscle atrophy.

Insects are considered important food resources for future diet due to diverse nutrients and pharmacological effects. Fermentation is an important strategy of food processing with various beneficial effects such as increasing nutrients, promoting bioavailability, and reducing anti-nutrients. Cordyceps is a mushroom that grows on insects and produces various active ingredients. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Cordyceps-fermentation of insects on the nutritional composition and functional benefits of the insects. Six edible insects: Bombyx mori, Protaetia brevitarsis, Caelifera, Gryllus bimaculatus, Tenebrio molitor, and Allomyrina dichotoma were fermented with Cordyceps militaris to produce mycelia and fruiting bodies. Analysis of nutritional components showed that protein content was increased whereas carbohydrate content was decreased by the fermentation with Cordyceps. In addition, the fermented insects showed anti-diabetic efficacy by the promotion of glucose absorption as evaluated using differentiated L6-GLUT4myc cells. Quantitation using HPLC analysis suggested that cordycepin was produced in both mycelium and fruiting bodies in Cordyceps-fermented edible insects with different amounts depending on insect type and cultivation conditions. Therefore, the fermentation of insects with Cordyceps is expected to increase nutritional values and bioactive constituents and exert anti-diabetic effects.

Sufficient vitamin D levels are reported to be a factor in reducing various chronic diseases and resulting mortality rates. Well-dried mushrooms and blue-backed fish are known to be rich in vitamin D. In this study, the association between mortality rates and the intake of vitamin D-rich foods was confirmed using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiological Study (KoGES). Among the KoGES database, we followed up a total of 6844 adults who participated in the Ansung-Ansan cohort study recruited from 2001 to 2002 and continued for an average of 16.7 years until 2018. The main findings were analyzed using Cox regression analysis. During follow-up, 439 cases of all-cause mortality, 149 cases of cancer-related mortality, and 91 cases of cardiovascular mortality were confirmed. In the fully adjusted model, the hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality in quartile 3 of mushroom consumption was 0.709 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.525-0.958) compared with quartile 1. In addition, the HRs for cardiovascular mortality in quartile 3 of mushroom consumption were 0.348 (95% CI, 0.154-0.787) compared with those in quartile 1. The HRs of cardiovascular mortality for quartiles 3 and 4 of fish consumption were 0.442 (95% CI, 0.226-0.865) and 0.533 (95% CI, 0.285-0.998), respectively, compared with quartile 1. In conclusion, moderate consumption of mushrooms was related to decreased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, while heightened fish consumption was inversely related to cardiovascular mortality.

Caffeine is a key component of beverages such as coffee and tea and has effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, prompting a variety of physiological changes. In our previous study, intravenously administered caffeine at high concentrations significantly influenced respiratory rates. However, comparative research on the potential adverse effects of caffeine consumption on the respiratory system is limited. To address this issue, in this study, we focused on evaluating the effects of orally administered caffeine (0, 2, 6, and 20 mg/kg) on the respiratory system of 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. We measured the respiratory rate, tidal volume, and minute volume following the guidelines set forth by the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, specifically adhering to Harmonized Tripartite Guideline S7A for Safety Pharmacology Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals. Caffeine administration led to a notable increase in both the respiratory rate and the tidal volume. Conversely, a marked reduction in minute volume was recorded between 0.5 and 2 h following caffeine administration in doses exceeding 6 mg/kg.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen, commonly causes hospital-acquired pneumonia. Royal jelly fatty acids (RJFAs), a mixture of various fatty acids extracted from royal jelly, exhibit antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties in treating many infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the therapeutic mechanisms of RJFAs in treatment of acute P. aeruginosa pulmonary infection are still unclear. Herein, we initially extracted the fatty acids from royal jelly and characterized their chemical constituents using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, we examined the antibacterial effect of RJFAs in vitro and explored its therapeutic effect and molecular mechanisms in treating acute P. aeruginosa pulmonary infection in vivo. The in vitro antibacterial studies revealed that RJFAs significantly inhibited P. aeruginosa growth. Moreover, the in vivo studies showed that the RJFAs effectively mitigated the lung damage and inflammation induced by P. aeruginosa through impairing neutrophil infiltration, reducing the bacterial load in lung and diminishing the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-1β), IL-6, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). In addition, the mice treated with RJFAs exhibited reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), c-Jun, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in the lung tissues in comparison with that of the mice without drug treatment. These findings demonstrated that RJFAs exhibited significant antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects in treating the P. aeruginosa-induced acute pneumonia, and the anti-inflammatory effects were exerted through suppressing the mitogen-activated protein kinase/activator protein-1 (MAPK/AP-1) pathway and NF-κB activation, suggesting a promising therapeutic potential of RJFAs against acute bacterial pneumonia.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multifaceted metabolic condition, mainly defined by elevated blood glucose levels. A feature of type 2 DM includes insulin resistance (IR), which involves impairments within the insulin signaling pathways. Avenanthramides (AVNs) are phenolic alkaloids found in Avena sativa L. The major AVNs are AVN A, AVN B, and AVN C. They have been reported to offer benefits in preventing inflammation, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of AVNs on the liver glucose metabolism pathways remain unknown. This study examined the effects and underlying mechanisms through which AVNs alleviate IR induced by free fatty acid (FFA) in HepG2 cells. The results indicated that FFA treatment significantly decreased glucose consumption by 34.54% compared to the control. However, treatments with AVN A, B, and C at 100 μM increased glucose uptake by 57.93%, 58.28%, and 53.10%, respectively, compared to FFA treatment alone. This effect occurs through the increased expression of glucose transporter 4. Furthermore, AVNs significantly enhanced the glycogen content. AVNs induced increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt). AVNs treatment decreased the levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in HepG2 cells. This effect was attributed to AMP-activated protein kinase activation and inhibition of forkhead box protein O1. Collectively, these results suggest that AVNs regulate glucose metabolism by activating the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt pathway, which is related to glycogen synthesis, and by inhibiting key molecules that promote gluconeogenesis.