Antioxidants in Health and Disease

Antioxidant use in health promotion and disease prevention either through dietary intake or supplementation is controversial. This book reviews the latest evidence-based research in the area, principally through prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. It assesses major dietary antioxidants and discusses their use in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, HIV/AIDS, and neurodegenerative and immune diseases. The use of antioxidants in health is also discussed along with common adverse effects associated with antioxidant use

Antioxidants in Health and Disease

Antioxidants in Health and Disease discusses the effects of dietary antioxidants and antioxidant supplementation in humans. It reviews the latest evidence-based research in the area, principally through prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. The book assesses major dietary antioxidants and discusses their use in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, HIV/AIDS, and neurodegenerative and immune diseases. The use of antioxidants in health is also discussed along with common adverse effects associated with antioxidant use. Separating myth from fact, this book gives you insight into the true role of antioxidants in health and disease

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Health-Promoting Components of Fruits and Vegetables in Human Health

Diet and lifestyle choices can substantially predispose an individual to, or protect against, many age- and obesity-related chronic diseases. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, dietary bioactives arecompounds in foodsnot needed for basic human nutrition but responsible for changes in health status.1 These compounds are safe at normal food consumption levels (e.g., anthocyanins in berries) and their biological activities may come from a single compound (e.g., lutein in spinach) or a class of compounds (e.g., avenanthramides in oats) even if the exact identity and composition are unknown. Bioactive compounds of plants; can vary significantly in their ratios and relative concentrations depending onfactors such as cultivation, soil, altitude, and weather conditions. Substantial scientific evidence is available for some health promoting phytochemicals, such as dose-response relations, for performance and/or reduction in the risk of chronic disease. However, several limitations relating to absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of many dietary bioactives still exist and must be better understood This Special Issue compiles recent discoveries that advance our understanding of how dietary bioactive, particularly from fruits and vegetables, influence long-term health maintenance and disease prevention

Cellular Oxidative Stress

This book collects 17 original research papers and 9 reviews that are part of the Special Issue “Cellular Oxidative Stress”, published in the journal Antioxidants. Oxidative stress on a cellular level affects the function of tissues and organs and may eventually lead to disease. Therefore, a precise understanding of how oxidative stress develops and can be counteracted is of utmost importance. The scope of the book is to emphasize the latest findings on the cellular targets of oxidative stress and the potential beneficial effect of antioxidants on human health

Biological Effects of Vitamin D3 Mediated by the Interaction with VDR in Different Tissues

In recent years, vitamin D has seen growing interest among researchers. For this reason, the biological effects of vitamin D3 (vitD) mediated by the interaction with VDR were studied in different tissues (ovarian, gastric, cardiac and brain). It has been demonstrated that in ovarian tissues a high density of VDR is present as well and vitD acts through intracellular mechanisms similar to what observed for resveratrol. The aims of this part of research were to evaluate the cooperative effects of resveratrol (RES) combined with vitD on ovarian cells studying cell viability, ROS production, activated pathways in in vitro study and in in vivo study to quantify vitD and RES, to analyze the concentration of radical oxygen species and to study activated pathways. Since vitD appears to have gastroprotective properties, the effects of vitD have been studied also in stomach combined with alginates; it has been tested alone and combined with Diclofenac in order to provide an effective and safer strategy for the management of NSAID-induced gastroenteric lesions. Hence, the primary objective of this research was to evaluate whether it is possible to improve the protection of the gastric mucosa during therapy with Diclofenac. As regards the research part focused on vitD in cardiovascular system, the effects of combination of vitD, Q10 and L-arginine on cell viability and NO/ROS production in endothelial and cardiac cells were evaluated in order to assess a potential cooperative effect of these substances on cardiovascular function at the cellular level. As regards the research part focused on effects of vitD in brain ageing, the ability of vitD combined with lipoic acid has been studied to prevent or repair the damage caused by oxidative stress and iron accumulation, two different biological aspects involved in brain ageing and neurodegeneration

Investigations into effects of 12-lipoxygenase and NADPH oxidase on platelet activity, and influences of dietary dark chocolate

PhDPlatelets play a pivotal role in both normal hemostasis and pathological bleeding and importantly also contribute to the development of atherothrombosis. Even though platelet function tests traditionally are utilised mainly for the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with bleeding problems rather than thrombosis, new and improved platelet function tests are now increasingly used to monitor anti-platelet therapy in patients and to identify patients at risk of arterial disease. Based on light transmission traditional aggregometry, this thesis reports data from a new model of platelet aggregation using a modified 96-well plate format. This method allows examination of many agonists at a range of concentrations at the same time. Thus, more information can be collated about different aspects of platelet function and smaller assay volumes can be used while still obtaining reliable results. To further utilise this method, agonist combinations were used in the 96-well plate approach that resemble the actions of machines such as the PFA-100, which uses combined agonists within a cartridge, but at much lower cost. Platelet cyclooxygenase has been widely studied; however, the functions of platelet 12-lipoxygenase and NADPH oxidase in platelets are still generally not understood. Data presented here demonstrate that both pathways are partly essential in platelet activation following exposure to stimulatory agonists. To further explore the relationship between dietary intake and the risk of atherothrombosis, an in vivo study was performed to observe the antiplatelet effects following from consumption of dark chocolate in baseline hypertensive patients. Based on findings in this thesis, it can be 4 concluded that this new method of evaluating platelet aggregation and adhesion in a 96-well plate format is very useful, and that new observations into influences on platelets of pathways other than cyclooxygenase may be beneficial in the development of new antiplatelet drugs.funded by Academician Training Scheme for Public Institute of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia

The antichlamydial effects of drugs used in cardiovascular diseases

AbstractChronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infections have been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the treatment is difficult. Some drugs used for CVD have been found to have an inhibitory effect on the C. trachomatis infection, which is not considered to be associated with CVD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of heparan sulfate-like glycosaminoglycans, COX inhibitors and rapamycin on the C. pneumoniae infection with cell culture methods. Almost any conceivable factors may affect the results of cell cultures. This study showed the complex interaction between temperature, time and medium during the pre-treatment before inoculation. The influences of these factors on the results overlapped and interlaced. The simple washing procedure could enhance the infectivity of C. pneumoniae although it is generally considered to cause the loss of chlamydial EBs and sequentially decrease the chlamydial infectivity. Although the detailed mechanisms were not studied, the results of this study showed that selective COX inhibitors and rapamycin can inhibit the infectivity of C. pneumoniae by inhibiting the growth and maturation, whereas heparan sulfate-like glycosaminoglycans perhaps inhibit the attachment of C. pneumoniae EBs onto the host cells. Recovery and repassage results showed that the growth can be only delayed by selective COX inhibitors, and it can recover to normal level once the drugs were removed. However, rapamycin inhibited the maturation of chlamydial EBs and therefore the infectivity fell down further even when the rapamycin was removed. This study also presented the variations of pathogenicity between different C. pneumoniae strains in vitro. This study is based on in vitro experiments with an acute infection model. Thus, any definite conclusions on the possible antichlamydial effects of the drugs tested in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases which are associated with chronic C. pneumoniae infections cannot be drawn on the basis of this study. Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oulu for public defence in the Auditorium of Kastelli Research Centre (Aapistie 1), on 16 December 2009, at 12 noonAbstract Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infections have been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the treatment is difficult. Some drugs used for CVD have been found to have an inhibitory effect on the C. trachomatis infection, which is not considered to be associated with CVD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of heparan sulfate-like glycosaminoglycans, COX inhibitors and rapamycin on the C. pneumoniae infection with cell culture methods. Almost any conceivable factors may affect the results of cell cultures. This study showed the complex interaction between temperature, time and medium during the pre-treatment before inoculation. The influences of these factors on the results overlapped and interlaced. The simple washing procedure could enhance the infectivity of C. pneumoniae although it is generally considered to cause the loss of chlamydial EBs and sequentially decrease the chlamydial infectivity. Although the detailed mechanisms were not studied, the results of this study showed that selective COX inhibitors and rapamycin can inhibit the infectivity of C. pneumoniae by inhibiting the growth and maturation, whereas heparan sulfate-like glycosaminoglycans perhaps inhibit the attachment of C. pneumoniae EBs onto the host cells. Recovery and repassage results showed that the growth can be only delayed by selective COX inhibitors, and it can recover to normal level once the drugs were removed. However, rapamycin inhibited the maturation of chlamydial EBs and therefore the infectivity fell down further even when the rapamycin was removed. This study also presented the variations of pathogenicity between different C. pneumoniae strains in vitro. This study is based on in vitro experiments with an acute infection model. Thus, any definite conclusions on the possible antichlamydial effects of the drugs tested in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases which are associated with chronic C. pneumoniae infections cannot be drawn on the basis of this study

Phenolic Compounds

Phenolics are commonly available compounds in foods, beverages, and spices. They have great importance in all aspects of daily life including industry, health, and research. As such, this book presents a comprehensive overview of phenolic compounds and their potential applications in industry, environment, and public health. Chapters cover such topics as the production of these compounds and their uses in environmental sustainability, climate change, green industry, and treatment of human disease