Leucine supplementation attenuates macrophage foamâ cell formation: Studies in humans, mice, and cultured macrophages

Whereas atherogenicity of dietary lipids has been largely studied, relatively little is known about the possible contribution of dietary amino acids to macrophage foamâ cell formation, a hallmark of early atherogenesis. Recently, we showed that leucine has antiatherogenic properties in the macrophage model system. In this study, an inâ depth investigation of the role of leucine in macrophage lipid metabolism was conducted by supplementing humans, mice, or cultured macrophages with leucine. Macrophage incubation with serum obtained from healthy adults supplemented with leucine (5 g/d, 3 weeks) significantly decreased cellular cholesterol mass by inhibiting the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis and increasing cholesterol efflux from macrophages. Similarly, leucine supplementation to C57BL/6 mice (8 weeks) resulted in decreased cholesterol content in their harvested peritoneal macrophages (MPM) in relation with reduced cholesterol biosynthesis rate. Studies in J774A.1 murine macrophages revealed that leucine doseâ dependently decreased cellular cholesterol and triglyceride mass. Macrophages treated with leucine (0.2 mM) showed attenuated uptake of very lowâ density lipoproteins and triglyceride biosynthesis rate, with a concurrent downâ regulation of diacylglycerol acyltransferaseâ 1, a key enzyme catalyzing triglyceride biosynthesis in macrophages. Similar effects were observed when macrophages were treated with αâ ketoisocaproate, a key leucine metabolite. Finally, both in vivo and in vitro leucine supplementation significantly improved macrophage mitochondrial respiration and ATP production. The above studies, conducted in human, mice, and cultured macrophages, highlight a protective role for leucine attenuating macrophage foamâ cell formation by mechanisms related to the metabolism of cholesterol, triglycerides, and energy production. © 2018 BioFactors, 44(3):245â 262, 2018Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144642/1/biof1415.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144642/2/biof1415_am.pd

Nox2-deficient Tregs improve heart transplant outcomes via their increased graft recruitment and enhanced potency.

Nox2 is a ROS-generating enzyme, deficiency of which increases suppression by Tregs in vitro and in an in vivo model of cardiac remodelling. Since Tregs have emerged as a candidate therapy in autoimmunity and transplantation, we hypothesised that Nox2 deficiency in Tregs in recipient mice may improve outcomes in a heart transplant model. A novel B6129 mouse model with Treg-targeted Nox2 deletion (Nox2fl/flFoxP3Cre+) was generated and transplanted with hearts from CB6F1 donors. As compared to littermate controls, Nox2fl/flFoxP3Cre+ mice had lower plasma levels of alloantibodies and troponin-I, reduced levels of IFN-γ in heart allograft homogenates and diminished cardiomyocyte necrosis and allograft fibrosis. Single cell analyses of allografts revealed higher absolute numbers of Tregs and lower CD8+ T cell infiltration in Nox2-deficient recipients compared to Nox2-replete mice. Mechanistically, in addition to a greater suppression of CD8+CD25- T effector cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, Nox2-deficient Tregs expressed higher levels of CCR4 and CCR8, driving cell migration to allografts; this was associated with increased expression of miR214-3p. These data indicate that Nox2 deletion in Tregs enhances their suppressive ability and migration to heart allografts. Therefore, Nox2 inhibition in Tregs may be a useful approach to improve their therapeutic efficacy

Adding value to plant extracts by the synthesis and characterization of lipophilized phenolic compounds

Les composés phénoliques sont des métabolites secondaires chez les végétaux, qui possèdent un large éventail de propriétés biologiques et fonctionnelles, par exemple antioxydantes, antimicrobiennes. Comme ils sont très répandus dans le règne végétal, les sous-produits issus de la transformation végétale représentent une source intéressante et peu coûteuse des polyphénols qui pourraient être utilisés comme additifs naturels, inoffensifs et multifonctionnels, avec une valeur de marché ajoutée. Toutefois, leur polarité limite leur utilisation dans des systèmes émulsionnés complexes, tels que ceux rencontrés en formulations cosmétiques, alimentaires, ou pharmaceutiques. Sur cette base, la lipophilisation s’est avérée être une stratégie efficace pour améliorer le caractère hydrophobe de ces composés bioactifs et, par conséquent, leurs propriétés fonctionnelles.Le principal objectif de ce travail a été d'ajouter de la valeur à des sources végétales riches en polyphénols par l'extraction, caractérisation et enfin, par lipophilisation des principaux polyphénols issus de ces sources. Dans ce contexte, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. ou roselle, cultivée dans le monde entier et considérée comme une importante source d’anthocyanes, avec des propriétés colorantes uniques, ainsi que des propriétés antioxydantes et antimicrobiennes, a été utilisée pour l'extraction assistée par ultrasons, suivi d’une seule étape de fractionnement par chromatographie en phase liquide à basse pression, pour isoler ces principaux anthocyanes. Les composés ainsi obtenus ont été utilisés pour évaluer leur possibilité à être lipophilisés en utilisant différentes longueurs de chaînes alkyles. Egalement, les propriétés colorantes des anthocyanes issues d’hibiscus ont été calculées par la méthode de pH jumps. Ainsi, les constantes de pseudo équilibre (pK'a 2,9), d’acidité (pKa 3,7) et d’hydratation (pK'h 3,0) de la delphinidine-3-O-sambubioside, ont été estimées.La delphinidine-3-O-sambubioside et la cyanidine-3-O-sambubioside ont été les principaux anthocyanes obtenus à partir de l’extrait d'hibiscus. Ces composés ont été lipophilisés avec succès pour la première fois, par voie chimique. Les produits ont été caractérisés par des techniques de chromatographie et spectrométrie. L'acide protocatéchique (PA), qui peut être extrait de la fleur d'hibiscus, a été utilisé comme molécule modèle, et il a été lipophilisé par voie chimique avec une série homologue d'alcools. Afin d'évaluer l'impact de la lipophilisation sur leurs propriétés fonctionnelles, leur activités antioxydantes (DPPH, ORAC, CAT), et antifongique (méthode de microdilution) ont été évaluées avant et après lipophilisation. De manière générale, les molécules estérifiées avec des alcools de chaîne courte et moyenne (de C1 à C6) ont montré des activités améliorées par rapport au composé non estérifié.En conclusion, cette étude a montré que la lipophilisation, en utilisant une longueur de chaîne optimale, pourrait avoir un impact positif sur les propriétés antioxydantes et antifongiques des composés phénoliques. Ces travaux de thèse ont également démontré que cette stratégie peut être appliquée à différentes familles de composés phénoliques, tels que les anthocyanes et les acides phénoliques, pour l’obtention des molécules pouvant être potentiellement utilisées comme additifs dans des produits de formulation.Phenolic compounds are a group of secondary plant metabolites with a broad range of inherent biological and functional properties e.g. antioxidants and antimicrobial agents, all bundled within the phenol functional group. Since they are one of the most widely distributed molecules in the vegetal kingdom, by-products issued from the vegetal processing represent an interesting and inexpensive source of polyphenols that could be used as natural, innocuous and multifunctional ingredients, with an added market value. However, the polarity of these phenolic compounds limits their use in complex emulsified systems, such as food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulations. Based on this, lipophilization has showed to be an efficient strategy to enhance the hydrophobicity of these bioactive compounds and, consequently, their functional properties. The aim of this work was to add value to polyphenol-rich plant sources by the extraction, characterization and finally, lipophilization of their predominant polyphenols. In this context, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. or roselle flower, an inexpensive, worldwide produced source of anthocyanins, with unique color, and, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, was used for ultrasound-assisted extraction and single-step fractionation by low-pressure liquid chromatography, to isolate its main anthocyanins. The obtained compounds were used to evaluate their suitability for lipophilization with different chain length alkyl donors. Moreover, the color properties of hibiscus anthocyanins were studied by the pH jumps method, which allowed the calculation of the pseudo equilibrium (pK'a 2.9), acidity (pKa 3.7) and hydration constants (pK'h 3.0).The obtained hibiscus anthocyanins (delphinidin-sambubioside and cyanidin-sambubioside) were successfully chemically lipophilized. The products were characterized by means of LC/ESI-MS. Moreover, protocatechuic acid (PA), which can be extracted from hibiscus flowers, was used as model molecule, and it was chemically lipophilized with a homologous series of alcohols. In order to evaluate the impact of the lipophilization on their functional properties, protocatechuates were assessed for their antioxidant (DPPH, ORAC, CAT), and antifungal (microdilution method) activity, before and after chemical lipophilization. In general, protocatechuates with short to medium alkyl chain lengths (from C1 to C6) showed improved activities compared to the parent compound. In conclusion, this study showed that, lipophilization using the optimal chain length could have a positive impact in the functional properties, e.g. antioxidant and antifungal activities, of phenolic compounds. Here was also demonstrated that this strategy can be applied to different families of phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins and phenolic acids, representing an alternative to synthesize molecules that might have potential use as additives in formulated products

Polyphenol lipophilisation: a suitable tool for the valorisation of natural by‐products

International audiencePolyphenols represent one of the most widely distributed molecules in vegetables and fruits with interesting functional and biological properties (antioxidant, antifungal, etc.). By-products issued from agro-industrial processing represent an inexpensive source of polyphenols; these phenolic compounds can then be extracted and transformed into functional molecules to be used as additives for the food or cosmetic industries. With the objective to enhance polyphenol's natural properties, considering their low hydrophobicity, lipophilisation of the isolated phenolic compounds was accomplished. The first lipophilisation of ellagitannins issued from pomegranate peel was carried out and, based on our previous work, polyphenols (an anthocyanin and a phenolic acid) extracted from hibiscus flowers were successfully lipophilised. In order to evaluate the impact of lipophilisation on the main properties of these compounds, protocatechuates with different alkyl chain lengths were assessed for their antifungal capacity against a worldwide distributed pathogenic fungus (Fusarium oxysporum), and the new synthesised ellagitannins esters were studied for their antiradical activity in vitro. The results showed that, depending on the chain length, lipophilisation improved the functional properties of the original phenolics. This could be an innovative way to synthesise molecules with an enhanced potential as antioxidants in food, cosmetics or related products

Investigation on the Double CutOff Phenomenon Observed in Protocatechuic Acid and Its Alkyl Esters under Various CAT-Based Assays

A strange cutoff phenomenon of a series of protocatechuic acid alkyl esters had been noticed using the conjugated autoxidizable triene (CAT) assay. Two parabolic shapes of antioxidant activities of protocatechuic acid alkyl esters described as ″the double cutoff effect″ have been speculated as a result of an oxidative driving force generated in the aqueous phase. The aim of this research was to investigate the double cutoff effect using various types of oxidation driving forces in different CAT-based assays. To further explain the phenomenon, the natural oxidation of conjugated autoxidizable triene (NatCAT) assay has been developed for the first time by relying solely on only the lipid autoxidation of tung oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. In conclusion, NatCAT exhibited different antioxidant and oxidation patterns from both CAT and apolar radical-initiated CAT assays, and only one cutoff point was obtained. This discovery would lead to a greater understanding of the complexity of antioxidant/lipid oxidation dynamics in O/W emulsion systems

Oral administration of Akkermansia muciniphila elevates systemic antiaging and anticancer metabolites

International audienceThe presence of Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk) in the human gut is associated with good health, leanness and fitness. Mouse experimentation has demonstrated positive effects for Akk, which counteracts aging, mediates antiobesity and antidiabetic effects, dampens inflammation and improves anticancer immunosurveillance. Clinical trials have confirmed antidiabetic effects for Akk. Here, we investigated the time-dependent effects of oral administration of Akk (which was live or pasteurized) and other bacteria to mice on the metabolome of the ileum, colon, liver and blood plasma. Metabolomics was performed by a combination of chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods, yielding a total of 1.637.227 measurements. Akk had major effects on metabolism, causing an increase in spermidine and other polyamines in the gut and in the liver. Pasteurized Akk (Akk-past) was more efficient than live Akk in elevating the intestinal concentrations of polyamines, short-chain fatty acids, 2-hydroxybutyrate, as well multiple bile acids, which also increased in the circulation. All these metabolites have previously been associated with human health, providing a biochemical basis for the beneficial effects of Akk

Theoretical Characterization by Density Functional Theory (DFT) of Delphinidin 3-O-Sambubioside and Its Esters Obtained by Chemical Lipophilization

Anthocyanins are water-soluble phenolic pigments. However, their poor solubility in lipidic media limits their use. This hurdle can be overcome with the lipophilization of anthocyanins, which consists of adding an aliphatic chain to a hydrophilic compound, in order to increase its solubility in lipids. Still, the unspecific chemical lipophilization of anthocyanin-esters produces molecules with different properties from their precursors. In this work, experimental changes of anthocyanin-esters obtained by chemical lipophilization are investigated in silico aiming specifically at observing their molecular behavior and comparing it with their anthocyanin precursor. Thus, the analysis of delphinidin 3-O-sambubioside and its esters employing Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods, such as the hybrid functional B3LYP in combination with the 6-31++G(d,p) Pople basis set, provides the ground state properties, the local reactivity and the molecular orbitals (MOs) of these compounds. Excited states properties were analyzed by TD-DFT with the B3LYP functional, and the M06 and M06-2X meta-GGA functionals. Local reactivity calculations showed that the electrophilic site for all the anthocyanin-esters was the same as the one for the anthocyanin precursor, however the nucleophilic site changed depending localization of the esterification. TD-DFT results indicate that the place of esterification could change the electronic transitions and the MOs spatial distribution

Lipophilized Antioxidants

International audienceLipophilized antioxidants are amphiphilic molecules constituted of a lipid moiety covalently linked to a polar group possessing antioxidant properties. They are multifunctional molecules possessing interesting physicochemical (antioxidant, surface active) and biological (antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, etc.) properties. They can be used to limit lipid oxidation in heterogeneous systems such as food and nonfood emulsions, liposomes, microorganisms, and cultured cells. Their activity is related to their hydrophobicity and follows a nonlinear trend named “cut-off effect,” meaning that it increases progressively with hydrophobicity until a critical point, beyond which activity collapses. The antioxidant and biological properties in heterogeneous system of lipophilized antioxidants are dictated by their reducing activity, the parent molecule toxicity, their hydrophobicity, and the position of the lipophilic group in the parent molecule. The hydrophilic/lipophilic balance of lipophilized antioxidants influences their partitioning in every phase constituting the dispersed system, and their capacity to self-aggregate, e.g., to form micelles, and/or with other molecules present, e.g., in the continuous, discontinuous, or interface in an emulsion, or in membranes in microorganisms or cells. Therefore, lipophilized antioxidants possess an interesting potential to be used as antioxidant and biological agents in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products, since most of them exist as complex heterogeneous lipid dispersions