Molecular Nutrition & Food Research最新文献

Specific metabolites detected in human biofluid after the ingestion of food have been proposed as objective markers of dietary intake, yet their evaluation across diverse dietary settings remains limited. This study sought to build a panel of biomarkers of food intake (BFI) representing major food groups and compared their plasma concentrations with self-reported dietary intakes during a randomized three-arm trial. Interventions were of delivered groceries either high in fiber or unsaturated fats, or no groceries for 12 weeks. Plasma samples from 245 adults (mean age: 63.4 ± 9.5 years) were analyzed pre- and post-dietary intervention. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detected 104 known food-related metabolites. Pre-intervention, modest Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were observed for red meat (1-methylhistidine ρ = 0.13; urea ρ = 0.19), fish (anserine ρ = 0.24; 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid ρ = 0.13), fruit (ascorbic acid, hippuric acid, 4-coumaric acid, linoleic acid ρ = 0.14–0.17), and legumes (pipecolic acid ρ = 0.16–0.19) using 4-day food dairy data. Post-intervention, additional modest correlations were observed between biomarkers and self-reported dietary intakes. We identified over 40 plasma metabolites associated with specific foods or food groups, supporting their use in a multimarker panel for objective dietary assessment. No biomarkers were identified for vegetables, dairy, and chocolate, highlighting key gaps for future research to understand and validate BFI for their broader application.

Moringa oleifera (MO), also known as drumstick, has gained importance as a medicinal plant. In this experimental study, the prebiotic activity and glucose-balancing potential of Moringa oleifera have been investigated. Twenty-four male albino rats weighing 200–250 g were kept in the animal house. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6 in each group). Control group (G₀) rats were given Metformin 100 mg/kg/day, treatment groups G₁, G₂, and G₃ rats were provided with MO leaves extract 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg/day, respectively, with a standard basal diet, and were monitored twice a week for 21 days. The results of stool analysis showed the growth of Lactobacillus, which is evident by increased count of 10⁴ CFU Lactobacillus in groups G₂ and G₃ compared to the control group 10³ CFU Lactobacillus, while higher 10⁵ CFU Lactobacillus were observed in group G₁ treated with 100 mg/kg/day of MO leaves extract. Anti-hyperglycemic results are more evident on a dose of 100 mg/kg/day from 152.50 ± 7.7 to 119 ± 7.07 (p value = 0.010) compared to other doses (p > 0.05). This study's results conclude that Moringa oleifera has promising prebiotic and anti-hyperglycemic properties and need further experimentation for a longer duration to establish the effective dose of Moringa oleifera.

This study aimed to investigate changes in organic acid metabolites in morning urine induced by dietary lemon intake and to explore the relationship between these metabolites and associated metabolic pathways. Fourteen healthy volunteers were prospectively recruited and divided into two sequential phases: a 10-day baseline phase and a 10-day lemon intake phase. First-morning urine samples were collected. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze organic acid levels. Differential metabolites were identified through multivariate analysis and paired t tests, and functional enrichment analysis was performed to map metabolic pathways. Ten organic acid metabolites exhibited significant changes (p < 0.05) after lemon intake. Differential metabolites, including citric acid, lactic acid-2, 2-hydroxymethyl-butyric acid-2, phenylacetic acid-1, and uracil-2, were primarily enriched in pathways such as the citrate cycle (TCA cycle), glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis. Dietary lemon intake increased the concentrations of energy metabolites (citric acid) and saturated fatty acids (palmitic acid-1), while decreasing the concentrations of organic bases (uracil-2) and catecholamine metabolites (vanillylmandelic acid-3 [VMA]). These findings suggest that lemon consumption may influence metabolic pathways linked to renal, oncological, and neurological diseases, providing insights for dietary interventions in disease prevention.

Dietary functional oligosaccharides exhibit anti-inflammatory activity and regulatory impact on glucose metabolism. However, the protective effect of neoagarotetraose (NAT) against diabetes progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the hypoglycemic effect of NAT in diabetic mice. NAT was supplemented for 12 weeks in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). In HFD-fed mice, NAT intervention (600 mg/kg) reduced the fasting glucose and insulin concentrations by 35.9% and 30.1% (p < 0.01), and improved systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia. Moreover, diabetic mice induced by a high-fat and high-sugar diet plus streptozotocin were administered NAT for 7 weeks. NAT treatment lowered the area under the oral glucose and insulin tolerance test curves by 31.0% and 48.9% (p < 0.01). NAT decreased the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-B to alleviate intestinal inflammation caused by diabetes mellitus. NAT reversed the derangements of hepatic glucose metabolism as evidenced by the activated AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway and decreased mRNA expression of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, the imbalanced gut microbiota of diabetic mice was reshaped by NAT treatment. NAT attenuates hyperglycemia through inflammation amelioration and glucose metabolism improvement, thus mitigating the development of diabetes mellitus in mice.

Milk-derived bioactive peptides (BAPs) generated via microbial fermentation offer significant health benefits. However, the multi-bioactivity potential of BAPs from indigenous probiotic consortia remains largely untapped, limiting therapeutic applications. This study investigated whether fermenting milk with a native probiotic consortium (Bacillus spizizenii BAB 7915 and Bacillus subtilis BAB 7918) augments BAP activities over its constituent single strains. Post-fermentation, BAPs (≤10 kDa) were purified, characterized (RP-HPLC, OHR LCMS/MS), and assessed for α-amylase inhibition, ABTS radical scavenging, and antimicrobial efficacy (MIC). Consortium fermentation markedly enhanced bioactivities. Consortium BAPs showed superior α-amylase inhibition (90.80 ± 1.31%) and ABTS scavenging (54.17 ± 0.39%) over single strains/controls. They also displayed potent antimicrobial activity (MICs 2.5–5 µg/mL) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 424, Proteus vulgaris MTCC 1771, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 737, Streptococcus mutans MTCC 497, and B. subtilis MTCC 441. Indigenous probiotic consortia efficiently produce milk BAPs with augmented multi-bioactivity, promising for managing type 2 diabetes, oxidative stress, and infections. Future studies should isolate and characterize individual peptides to confirm specific contributions, elucidate structure-function relationships, and investigate their in vivo efficacy, bioavailability, and potential for encapsulation.

Obesity is a growing health concern globally, and current pharmacological interventions often limits efficacy and undesirable side effects, necessitating the search for safer, functional food-based alternatives. This study aims to evaluate the anti-obesity potential of peanut shell extract (PSE), targeting pancreatic lipase enzyme (PLE), altering lipid metabolism. This study employed both in vitro and in vivo approaches. In vitro assays were conducted to assess the inhibitory activity of PSE and its isolated phytochemicals against PLE. In vivo studies involved an SF-induced model, which was administered PSE, and the parameters such as BW, FI, serum lipid profile (LDL, TC, TG), and fecal lipid content were measured to evaluate therapeutic effects. PSE and their isolated phytochemicals showed significant inhibition of PLE activity in vitro with an IC₅₀ value ranging from 65.841–251.31 ng/mL, when compared to orlistat (49.297 ng/mL). In vivo administration of PSE resulted in a significant reduction in the BW, and serum lipid levels, along with a significant increase in fecal lipid excretion compared to control group. PSE exhibits potent anti-obesity effects by inhibiting PLE and modulating lipid absorption and metabolism. These findings support its potential application as a functional food-based therapeutic agent for obesity management.