Comparison of the effects of three different (-)-hydroxycitric acid preparations on food intake in rats: response

A response to Louter-van de Haar J, Wielinga PY, Scheurink AJ, Nieuwenhuizen AG: Comparison of the effects of three different (-)-hydroxycitric acid preparations on food intake in rats. Nutr Metabol 2005, 2:2

Nutrigenomic Analysis of Diet-Gene Interactions on Functional Supplements for Weight Management

Recent advances in molecular biology combined with the wealth of information generated by the Human Genome Project have fostered the emergence of nutrigenomics, a new discipline in the field of nutritional research. Nutrigenomics may provide the strategies for the development of safe and effective dietary interventions against the obesity epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, more than 60% of the global disease burden will be attributed to chronic disorders associated with obesity by 2020. Meanwhile in the US, the prevalence of obesity has doubled in adults and tripled in children during the past three decades. In this regard, a number of natural dietary supplements and micronutrients have been studied for their potential in weight management. Among these supplements, (–)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA), a natural extract isolated from the dried fruit rind of Garcinia cambogia, and the micronutrient niacin-bound chromium(III) (NBC) have been shown to be safe and efficacious for weight loss. Utilizing cDNA microarrays, we demonstrated for the first time that HCA-supplementation altered the expression of genes involved in lipolytic and adipogenic pathways in adipocytes from obese women and up-regulated the expression of serotonin receptor gene in the abdominal fat of rats. Similarly, we showed that NBC-supplementation up-regulated the expression of myogenic genes while suppressed the expression of genes that are highly expressed in brown adipose tissue in diabetic obese mice. The potential biological mechanisms underlying the observed beneficial effects of these supplements as elucidated by the state-of-the-art nutrigenomic technologies will be systematically discussed in this review

ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY AND ACTIVATION ENERGY OF COBALT ACETATE TETRAHYDRATE DOPED MULLITE

Mullite composites have been synthesized at 400°C, 800°C, 1000°C and 1300°C via the sol-gel technique in the presence of cobalt. The electrical resistivity and activation energy of the composites have been measured and their variation with concentration of the metal ion doping has been investigated. The resistivity of doped mullite decreases rapidly from 400°C-800°C more gently from 1000°C-1300°C. The lowering of resistivity is due to the 3d orbital electrons and the concentration of cobalt ions. X-ray analysis confirms the presence of Co2+ ions in mullite, which entered the octahedral site. The Co2+ ion which substituted Al3+ ion in the octahedral site of mullite structure appeared to be efficient in reducing the resistivity. This has been confirmed due to the results of activation energy of resistivity/band gap energy, the Eg which was lowest for concentration 0.15 M. As the concentration increases, these ions lower the resistivity of mullite to a minimum

Chemical, microbial and safety profiling of a standardized Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) extract and Withaferin A, a potent novel phytotherapeutic of the millennium

Background:Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, popularly known as Ashwagandha, is an ethnomedicinal plant with multiple pharmacotherapeutic applications. The diverse medicinal properties of the plant are largely due to the presence of withanolides, a group of C28 ergostane based steroidal lactones, with several sites of unsaturation and oxygenation. Withaferin A, a major with anolide present in Ashwagandha plant accounts for its emerging new roles to treat cancer, arthritis, inflammatory responses, immunomodulatory properties, and neuronal disorders. The root and leaf extracts are specifically important constituent materials for the development of phytotherapeutics, mostly intended for oral consumption. Several studies have been carried out to delineate the toxic manifestations of the extract for human consumption. Objective:Establish the broad-spectrum safety of W-ferinAmax ashwagandha (WFA). Study: This investigation demonstrated a novel, standardized W-ferinAmax ashwagandha (WFA) extraction technology from the whole herb of Withania sominfera, conducted HPLC analysis to identify the constituents, detected the heavy metals, microbiological contaminants, pesticides contaminants, and safety profile. Results:A novel extraction technology was employed to obtain WFA from the whole plant of Withania sominfera. HPLC analysis revealed that WFA contains a total of 15.4% Withanolides. In particular, Withaferin A, Withanoside IV, and Withanolide A contents were 6.469%, 1.022%, and 0.073%, respectively. The extract contained only 0.403 ppm of heavy metals out of which traces of arsenic, mercury and lead were detected, and cadmium was absent. USP recommended 80 residue basic pesticide screen indicated that the extraction was safe for human consumption. It was also found to be free from pathogenic microbes as assessed by the absence of E. coli and other coliforms, Salmonella and Staphylococcus species. Conclusion: The data generated cumulatively indicated that WFA is safe for further downstream processing to and for human consumption

Safety and efficacy of undenatured type II collagen in the treatment of osteoarthritis OF the knee: a clinical trial

Abstract Previous studies have shown that undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and preliminary human and animal trials have shown it to be effective in treating osteoarthritis (OA). The present clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of UC-II as compared to a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin (G+C) in the treatment of OA of the knee. The results indicate that UC-II treatment was more efficacious resulting in a significant reduction in all assessments from the baseline at 90 days; whereas, this effect was not observed in G+C treatment group. Specifically, although both treatments reduced the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, treatment with UC-II reduced the WOMAC score by 33% as compared to 14% in G+C treated group after 90 days. Similar results were obtained for visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Although both the treatments reduced the VAS score, UC-II treatment decreased VAS score by 40% after 90 days as compared to 15.4% in G+C treated group. The Lequesne's functional index was used to determine the effect of different treatments on pain during daily activities. Treatment with UC-II reduced Lequesne's functional index score by 20% as compared to 6% in G+C treated group at the end of 90-day treatment. Thus, UC-II treated subjects showed significant enhancement in daily activities suggesting an improvement in their quality of life