Búsqueda de nuevos ingredientes bioactivos en obesidad para el diseño de nuevos alimentos funcionales, en base a la demanda del consumidor

La innovación tecnológica en materia de salud ha sido un campo ampliamente estudiado y sigue siendo un foco de interés económico reiterado y prioritario. La alimentación es uno de los hábitos que más repercusión tienen en el estado de salud y en la prevención de determinadas enfermedades lo que influye cada vez más en los hábitos de compra de los consumidores (Niva M., 2007, Bech-Larsen T et al., 2007, Jones PJ et al., 2007, Van Kleef E et al., 2002). Un trastorno de la alimentación puede generar obesidad y con ello el desarrollo de múltiples complicaciones asociadas a la misma. En los últimos años, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (WHO., 2014 y 2015) ha venido alertando de la gran crisis de obesidad en Europa y la Dirección General de Sanidad y Protección de los Consumidores de la Unión Europea ha identificado los desafíos críticos para la seguridad alimentaria analizando la evolución del consumo de alimentos funcionales en las próximas décadas para la prevención de determinadas enfermedades, incluida la obesidad (European Commission., 2013). Una de las alternativas para revertir la obesidad es su prevención a través de un estilo de vida saludable y una dieta equilibrada, pudiendo llegar a completarse con el consumo de determinados alimentos funcionales o complementos nutricionales para el control del peso. La selección de un nuevo ingrediente bioactivo para el diseño de productos innovadores, no sólo requiere llevar a cabo unos estudios rigurosos que demuestren la efectividad del compuesto, sino también es importante conocer la opinión del consumidor de estos productos para poder cumplir con sus expectativas. Por ello, en primer lugar, hemos evaluado la demanda del consumidor respecto a los productos de control de peso corporal y la valoración de alguna de las características de los productos actualmente disponibles. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados obtenidos de esta investigación de mercado y considerando que el proceso de desarrollo y lanzamiento de nuevos productos es una necesidad primordial desde el punto de vista empresarial, la búsqueda de nuevos ingredientes bioactivos, basados en la evidencia científica, para enriquecer un alimento y dotarlo de propiedades funcionales, ha constituido la segunda parte de este trabajo. Para ello se han evaluado aquellos compuestos capaces de inhibir la lipasa pancreática in vitro y reducir la grasa corporal en un modelo in vivo (C.elegans). En las condiciones ensayadas, se ha identificado un hidrolizado proteico obtenido de la hidrólisis enzimática de un subproducto del cacao conteniendo un péptido funcional (DNYDNSAGKWWVT) capaz de inhibir la lipasa pancreática y activar el metabolismo del triptófano. Este hidrolizado, o la fracción peptídica inferior a 3.000Da conteniendo dicho péptido, podrían utilizarse en el diseño de un posible producto para la obesidad. Los resultados obtenidos de estas investigaciones favorecen el posible uso de subproductos de la industria alimentaria como fuente de péptidos bioactivos en obesidad y su posible aplicación para la formulación de productos innovadores, atendiendo a las demandas del mercado y siguiendo las directrices que marca el Reglamento Europeo (CE) Nº. 1924/2006.Technological innovation in health matters has been a widely studied field and remains a priority and ongoing focus of economic interest. Eating is one of the habits that have the greatest impact on health and the prevention of certain diseases. All of this has an increasing influence on the buying habits of consumers (Niva M., 2007, Bech-Larsen T et al., 2007, Jones PJ et al., 2007, Van Kleef E et al., 2002). An eating disorder can lead to obesity and thus the development of multiple complications associated with it. In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2014 and 2015) has been warning of a major obesity crisis in Europe. Moreover, the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission has identified the critical challenges facing food security by looking at the likely evolution in the consumption of functional foods in coming decades so as to prevent a number of diseases, including obesity (European Commission, 2013). An alternative for reversing obesity trends is prevention through a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, combined with the consumption of certain functional foods or nutritional supplements for weight control. Selecting a new bioactive ingredient for the design of innovative products, requires to both conduct rigorous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the compound and know the opinion of potential consumers as regards whether these products would meet their expectations. Therefore, we started by both assessing consumer demand for weight control products and analyzing some of the characteristics of currently available products. Given the results of this market research and considering that developing and launching new products is an absolute necessity for businesses, the search for new bioactive ingredients, based on scientific evidence, to enrich a food and provide it with functional properties, has been the second part of this work. To that effect, a number of compounds capable of inhibiting pancreatic lipase in vitro as well as reducing body fat in an in vivo model have been evaluated. Under test conditions, the author identified a hydrolyzed protein obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of a cocoa product containing a functional peptide (DNYDNSAGKWWVT) capable of inhibiting pancreatic lipase and activating the metabolism of tryptophan. This hydrolyzed compound, or a peptide fraction lesser than 3.000Da containing said peptide, could be used in the design of a potential product for obesity control. The results of this research point towards the possible use of food industry by-products as a source of bioactive peptides in obesity. It also suggests the possible application of this compound for the development of innovative products that would meet market demand while following the guidelines established by European Regulation (EC) NO. 1924/2006

Antibacterial potential of commercial and wild lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from ovine and caprine raw milk against Mycoplasma agalactiae

© 2023 Toquet, Bataller, Gomis, Sánchez, Toledo-Perona, De la Fe, Corrales and Gómez-Martín. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0/ This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1197701Introduction: The complexity of fighting contagious agalactia (CA) has raised the necessity of alternative antimicrobial therapies, such as probiotics. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are present in the mammary gland of small ruminants and their antimicrobial effect have been previously described against species like Mycoplasma bovis but never against Mycoplasma agalactiae (Ma). This in vitro study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against Ma of ovine and caprine LAB strains and a human commercial probiotic (L2) of Lactobacillus spp. Methods: A total of 63 possible LAB strains were isolated from nine ovine and caprine farms in Spain, three isolates (33B, 248D, and 120B) from the 63 strains were selected, based on their capacity to grow in a specific medium in vitro, for an in vitro experiment to assess their antimicrobial activity against Ma in Ultra High Temperature (UHT) processed goat milk (GM). A women commercial vaginal probiotic was also included in the study. The inoculum of L2 was prepared at a concentration of 3.24 × 108  CFU/mL and the average concentration of the inoculum of the wild LAB varied from 7.9 × 107 to 8.4 × 108  CFU/mL. Results: The commercial probiotic L2 significantly reduced the concentration of Ma to 0.000 log CFU/mL (p < 0.001), strain 33B reduced it from 7.185 to 1.279 log CFU/mL (p < 0.001), and 120B from 6.825 to 6.466 log CFU/mL (p < 0.05). Strain 248D presented a bacteriostatic effect in GM. Moreover, the three wild strains and the commercial probiotic produced a significative reduction of the pH (p < 0.001). Discussion: This is the first in vivo report of the antimicrobial potential of LAB strains against Ma and its interaction. Our results support possible future alternative strategies to antibiotic therapy, previously not contemplated, to fight CA in small ruminants. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the action mechanisms through which these LAB are able to inhibit Ma and to assess the safety of using these strains in possible in vivo studies

The addition of Lactobacillus spp. negatively affects Mycoplasma bovis viability in bovine cervical mucus

© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in BMC Veterinary Research. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02454-9Background Mycoplasma bovis is an important pathogen for the cattle industry worldwide causing significant economic losses. Several transmission routes, including those related to reproduction, have been described. Indeed, the pathogen can colonize the female reproductive tract after artificial insemination (AI) with contaminated semen. Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotics have been used for vaginal dysbiosis treatment in women and cows although their role in controlling cervico-vaginal infections due to M. bovis is unknown. The objective of the present work is to assess the viability of M. bovis (PG45, NCTC 10131) in experimentally contaminated cervical mucus after the addition of Lactobacillus spp. at different concentrations as a competing agent and pH acidifier. Results The addition of probiotic at a concentration higher than 108 colony forming units (CFU/mL had a detrimental effect (P < 0.05) on mycoplasma viability in cervical mucus. This coincided with a significant LAB growth and an important decrease in pH from 8.4 to 5.6 (P < 0.05). However, after the addition of less concentrated probiotic, M. bovis survival was not affected and there was no significant LAB growth despite the drop of pH from 8.4 to 6.73 (P < 0.05). Conclusion The addition of concentrations higher than 108 CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. negatively affects M. bovis viability in bovine cervical mucus under in vitro conditions. Although the effect observed on the pathogen viability seems to be related to the pH decrease after LAB proliferation in cervical mucus, further studies are necessary to elucidate if other factors are implicated. Nevertheless, the administration of Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotics might be used in the future to control M. bovis proliferation in the cervico-vaginal tract of cows

Contactin-associated protein-2 antibodies in non-paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia

Background Relatively few studies have searched for potentially pathogenic antibodies in non-paraneoplastic patients with cerebellar ataxia. Methods and Results We first screened sera from 52 idiopathic ataxia patients for binding of serum IgG antibodies to cerebellar neurons. One strong-binding serum was selected for immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, which resulted in the identification of contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2) as a major antigen. CASPR2 antibodies were then found by a cell-based assay in 9/88 (10%) ataxia patients, compared to 3/144 (2%) multiple sclerosis or dementia controls (p=0.011). CASPR2 is strongly expressed in the cerebellum, only partly in association with voltage-gated potassium channels. Conclusions Prospective studies are now needed to see whether identification of CASPR2 antibodies has relevance for the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic cerebellar ataxia

The Addition of Lactobacillus spp., Enrofloxacin or Doxycycline Negatively Affects the Viability of Mycoplasma bovis in Diluted Bovine Semen

© The Authors. 2020. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Animals. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10050837Mycoplasma bovis is an important etiologic agent of bovine mycoplasmosis in cattle. Different transmission routes have been described, including those related to reproduction. The presence of mycoplasma in semen has led to its appearance in infection-free areas through artificial insemination (AI). Semen was recently reported to be the initial source of two M. bovis mastitis outbreaks in two closed dairy herds in Finland. This questions the effectiveness of the antimicrobials currently used in semen extenders to control the pathogens in contaminated semen. They should be re-evaluated, or alternative measures to antimicrobials should be tested to obtain M. bovis-free semen. This in vitro study aimed to assess different strategies to reduce the risk of transmission of M. bovis through AI technologies. The viability of M. bovis (PG45, NCTC 10131) in bull semen diluted (DS) in a Tris-citrate-fructose solution was tested, after the addition of enrofloxacin, doxycycline or a Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic. The data show the susceptibility of the pathogen to the addition of 0.125 μg/mL of enrofloxacin or 0.0625 μg/mL of doxycycline and to the addition of the probiotic at a concentration of 3.24 × 106 colony forming units (CFU)/mL or 3.24 × 108 CFU/mL in DS. The Tris-citrate-fructose medium negatively affected the viability of M. bovis, although this effect was lower than that observed after the addition of the probiotic and antimicrobials (p < 0.05). Our results may support new strategies for reducing the risk of M. bovis transmission through AI

Mutations, Genes, and Phenotypes Related to Movement Disorders and Ataxias

26 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablasOur clinical series comprises 124 patients with movement disorders (MDs) and/or ataxia with cerebellar atrophy (CA), many of them showing signs of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). Ten NBIA genes are accepted, although isolated cases compatible with abnormal brain iron deposits are known. The patients were evaluated using standardised clinical assessments of ataxia and MDs. First, NBIA genes were analysed by Sanger sequencing and 59 patients achieved a diagnosis, including the detection of the founder mutation PANK2 p.T528M in Romani people. Then, we used a custom panel MovDisord and/or exome sequencing; 29 cases were solved with a great genetic heterogeneity (34 different mutations in 23 genes). Three patients presented brain iron deposits with Fe-sensitive MRI sequences and mutations in FBXO7, GLB1, and KIF1A, suggesting an NBIA-like phenotype. Eleven patients showed very early-onset ataxia and CA with cortical hyperintensities caused by mutations in ITPR1, KIF1A, SPTBN2, PLA2G6, PMPCA, and PRDX3. The novel variants were investigated by structural modelling, luciferase analysis, transcript/minigenes studies, or immunofluorescence assays. Our findings expand the phenotypes and the genetics of MDs and ataxias with early-onset CA and cortical hyperintensities and highlight that the abnormal brain iron accumulation or early cerebellar gliosis may resembling an NBIA phenotype.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)—Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación within the framework of the National R + D+I Plan co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) [Grants PI18/00147 and PI21/00103 to CE]; the Fundació La Marató TV3 [Grants 20143130 and 20143131 to BPD and CE]; and by the Generalitat Valenciana [Grant PROMETEO/2018/135 to CE]. Part of the equipment employed in this work was funded by Generalitat Valenciana and co-financed with ERDF (OP ERDF of Comunitat Valenciana 2014–2020). PS had an FPU-PhD fellowship funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport [FPU15/00964]. IH has a PFIS-PhD fellowship [FI19/00072]. ASM has a contract funded by the Spanish Foundation Per Amor a l’Art (FPAA)Peer reviewe

Clonal heterogeneity and rates of specific chromosome gains are risk predictors in childhood high-hyperdiploid B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the commonest childhood cancer. High hyperdiploidy (HHD) identifies the most frequent cytogenetic subgroup in childhood B-ALL. Although hyperdiploidy represents an important prognostic factor in childhood B-ALL, the specific chromosome gains with prognostic value in HHD-B-ALL remain controversial, and the current knowledge about the hierarchy of chromosome gains, clonal heterogeneity and chromosomal instability in HHD-B-ALL remains very limited. We applied automated sequential-iFISH coupled with single-cell computational modeling to identify the specific chromosomal gains of the eight typically gained chromosomes in a large cohort of 72 primary diagnostic (DX, n = 62) and matched relapse (REL, n = 10) samples from HHD-B-ALL patients with either favorable or unfavorable clinical outcome in order to characterize the clonal heterogeneity, specific chromosome gains and clonal evolution. Our data show a high degree of clonal heterogeneity and a hierarchical order of chromosome gains in DX samples of HHD-B-ALL. The rates of specific chromosome gains and clonal heterogeneity found in DX samples differ between HHD-B-ALL patients with favorable or unfavorable clinical outcome. In fact, our comprehensive analyses at DX using a computationally defined risk predictor revealed low levels of trisomies +18+10 and low levels of clonal heterogeneity as robust relapse risk factors in minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative childhood HHD-B-ALL patients: relapse-free survival beyond 5 years: 22.1% versus 87.9%, P < 0.0001 and 33.3% versus 80%, P < 0.0001, respectively. Moreover, longitudinal analysis of matched DX-REL HHD-B-ALL samples revealed distinct patterns of clonal evolution at relapse. Our study offers a reliable prognostic sub-stratification of pediatric MRD-negative HHD-B-ALL patients