Development and assessment of the reliability and validity of a diet quality index in a sample of Malaysia university students

Despite the fact that university students are at risk of having a poor diet quality, there is no reliable and valid instrument to measure the diet quality of Malaysian university students. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a diet quality index among a sample of Malaysian university students, and assess their diet quality. The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines and Malaysian Food Pyramid were used in the formulation of a diet quality index. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 students at a local university. Data collected through face-to-face interview was used to determine the reliability and validity of the diet quality index. The diet quality of participants was also assessed and they were categorised into ‘at risk’ and ‘at lower risk’ of poor diet quality. A Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.780, mean inter-item correlation of 0.353 and corrected-item total correlation above 0.3 were found after five items were deleted from the index. Principal component analysis revealed the presence of four components with eigenvalues exceeding 1. Only one component explaining 41.7% of variance was retained. This component consisted of seven items. The index also showed known-group validity with respect to gender with females (19.0) having higher median diet quality scores than males (18.0) (p=0.006). Diet quality scores showed significant negative correlation with sugar intake (r=-0.150, p=0.008) and significant positive correlation with intakes of fibre and nine micronutrients (p<0.05). The percentage of participants ‘at risk’ and ‘at lower risk’ of poor diet quality were 23.1% and 76.9% respectively. The 7-item diet quality index is a short, interviewer-administered, valid and reliable instrument to measure the diet quality of Malaysian university students. External validation will extend the application of this diet quality index

Advances in genetic improvement for tocotrienol production: a review

Tocotrienols are forms of vitamin E that are present in several important food crops. Compared to tocopherols, less research has been conducted on these compounds because of their low bioavailability and distribution in plant tissues. Both tocotrienols and tocopherols are known for their antioxidant and anticancer activities, which are beneficial for both humans and animals. Moreover, tocotrienols possess certain properties which are not found in tocopherols, such as neuroprotective and cholesterol-lowering activities. The contents of tocotrienols in plants vary. Tocotrienols constitute more than 70% and tocopherols less than 30% of the total vitamin E content in palm oil, which is the best source of vitamin E. Accumulation of tocotrienols also occurs in non-photosynthetic tissues, such as the seeds, fruits and latex of some monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant species. The use of biotechnological techniques to increase the tocotrienol content in plants, their biological functions, and benefits to human health are discussed in this review

Saffron extract and crocin reduced biomarkers associated with obesity in rats fed a high-fat diet

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of saffron extract and crocin on blood biomarkers associated with obesity using the rat model. Methods: Obesity was induced by feeding a high-fat diet to 42 male Sprague-Dawley rats for 12 weeks, after which they were equally distributed into seven groups. Three groups served as controls namely, normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet plus orlistat (HFD + ORL), while the remaining four treatment groups consisted of HFD added low or high dose (40 and 80 mg/kg/day) of either saffron extract or crocin in the food. At the end of 8 weeks, blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. Results: Obese rats treated with a high dose of saffron extract and crocin showed significantly lower plasma glucose levels (5.26 and 5.67 mmol/L respectively) than the HFD rats (6.92 mmol/L). Saffron extract and crocin at a high dose showed significantly lower levels of plasma insulin (3.97 and 3.88 ng/mL respctively) compared to HFD control (5.41 ng/mL). Adiponectin levels significantly increased in obese rats fed saffron extract and crocin at high doses (7.44 and 7.92 μg/mL respectively) compared to HFD control (5.34 μg/mL). Ghrelin level significantly increased from 419.10 to 284.10 pg/mL,while leptin level significantly decreased from 8.08 to 5.68 ng/mL for the high dose crocin groups compared to HFD control. No significant differences in plasma serotonin levels were found among the groups. Conclusion: Saffron extract and crocin show potential in reducing blood biomarkers associated with obesity as well as anti-inflammatory and regulatory potential of adipocytokines in an animal model

Effects of oil palm tocotrienol rich fraction on the viability and morphology of astrocytes injured with glutamate

Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is an extract of palm oil that consists of 25% α-tocopherol and 75% tocotrienols. TRF was shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective and cholesterol-lowering activities. Glutamate is the major mediator of excitatory signals in the mammalian central nervous system. Extreme amounts of glutamate in the extracellular spaces can lead to numerous neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, the efficacy of oil palm TRF and α-tocopherol in protecting astrocytes against glutamate-induced cell death was studied. Specifically, the effectiveness of pre- or post-treatment of TRF and α-tocopherol upon glutamate excitotoxicity was determined by evaluating cell viability and morphology of astrocytes. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay while cell morphology was monitored under fluorescent microscope using the acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) assay. Exposure to 230 mM glutamate significantly reduced cell viability to 50% in both the pre- and post-treatment studies; however, pre- and post-treatment with TRF and α-tocopherol attenuated the cytotoxic effect of glutamate. Compared to glutamate-injured astrocytes, pre-treatment with 100, 200 and 300 ng/ml TRF significantly improved cell viability following glutamate injury to 86.6%, 86.7% and 93.9%, respectively (p < 0.05). On the contrary, high concentrations of α-tocopherol promote cell death. This study shows that TRF not only provide a better protection against glutamate toxicity (pre-treatment), but was also able to reverse the lipid peroxidation resulting from glutamate insults (post-treatment). The present results demonstrate that TRF, but not α-tocopherol, protected the astrocytes against glutamate-induced cell death, indicating its neuro-protective potential

Bioactive fractions and compound of Ardisia crispa roots exhibit anti-arthritic properties mediated via angiogenesis inhibition in vitro

Background: Ardisia crispa (Thunb.) A.DC (Primulaceae), is a medicinal herb traditionally used by Asian people as remedies to cure inflammatory related diseases, including rheumatism. The plant roots possess various pharmacological activities including antipyretic, anti-inflammation and antitumor. Previous phytochemical studies of the plant roots have identified long chain alkyl-1,4-benzoquinones as major constituents, together with other phytochemicals. Hexane fraction of the plant roots (ACRH), was previously reported with anti-angiogenic and anti-arthritic properties, while its effect on their anti-arthritic in vitro, is yet unrevealed. Considering the significance of angiogenesis inhibition in developing new anti-arthritic agent, thus we investigated the anti-arthritic potential of Ardisia crispa roots by suppressing angiogenesis, in vitro. Methods: Ardisia crispa roots hexane extract (ACRH) was prepared from the plant roots using absolute n-hexane. ACRH was fractionated into quinone-rich fraction (QRF) and further isolated to yield benzoquinonoid compound (BQ), respectively. In vitro experiments using VEGF-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and IL-1β-induced human fibroblast-like synoviocytes for rheumatoid arthritis (HFLS-RA) were performed to evaluate the effects of these samples on VEGF-induced HUVECs proliferation and tube formation, and towards IL-1β-induced HFLS-RA proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis, respectively. Therapeutic concentrations (0.05, 0.5, and 5 μg/mL) tested in this study were predetermined based on the IC50 values obtained from the MTT assay. Results: ACRH, QRF, and BQ exerted concentration-independent antiproliferative effects on VEGF-induced HUVECs and IL-1β-induced HFLS-RA, with IC50 values at 1.09 ± 0.18, 3.85 ± 0.26, and 1.34 ± 0.16 μg/mL in HUVECs; and 3.60 ± 1.38, 4.47 ± 0.34, and 1.09 ± 0.09 μg/mL in HFLS-RA, respectively. Anti-angiogenic properties of these samples were verified via significant inhibition on VEGF-induced HUVECs tube formation, in a concentration-independent manner. The invasiveness of IL-1β-induced HFLS-RA was also significantly inhibited in a concentration-independent manner by all samples. ACRH and BQ, but not QRF, significantly enhanced the apoptosis of IL-1β-induced HFLS-RA elicited at their highest concentration (5 μg/mL) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings highlight the bioactive fractions and compound from Ardisia crispa roots as potential anti-arthritic agents by inhibiting both HUVECs and HFLS-RA’s cellular functions in vitro, possibly mediated via their anti-angiogenic effects

The Modulation of NMDA and AMPA/Kainate Receptors by Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction and Α-Tocopherol in Glutamate-Induced Injury of Primary Astrocytes

Astrocytes are known as structural and supporting cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Glutamate, as a main excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, can be excitotoxic, playing a key role in many chronic neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the potential of vitamin E in protecting glutamate-injured primary astrocytes. Hence, primary astrocytes were isolated from mixed glial cells of C57BL/6 mice by applying the EasySep® Mouse CD11b Positive Selection Kit, cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM) and supplemented with special nutrients. The IC20 and IC50 values of glutamate, as well as the cell viability of primary astrocytes, were assessed with 100 ng/mL, 200 ng/mL, and 300 ng/mL of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) and alpha-tocopherol (α-TCP), as determined by an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) detected in primary astrocytes was assessed with the same concentrations of TRF and α-TCP. The expression levels of the ionotropic glutamate receptor genes (Gria2, Grin2A, GRIK1) were independently determined using RT-PCR. The purification rate of astrocytes was measured by a flow-cytometer as circa 79.4%. The IC20 and IC50 values of glutamate were determined as 10 mM and 100 mM, respectively. Exposure to 100 mM of glutamate in primary astrocytes caused the inhibition of cell viability of approximately 64.75% and 61.10% in pre- and post-study, respectively (p &lt; 0.05). Both TRF and α-TCP (at the lowest and highest concentrations, respectively) were able to increase the MMP to 88.46% and 93.31% pre-treatment, and 78.43% and 81.22% post-treatment, respectively. Additionally, the findings showed a similar pattern for the expression level of the ionotropic glutamate receptor genes. Increased extracellular calcium concentrations were also observed, indicating that the presence of vitamin E altered the polarization of astrocytes. In conclusion, α-TCP showed better recovery and prophylactic effects as compared to TRF in the pre-treatment of glutamate-injured primary astrocytes

Detection of fresh palm oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil using fatty acid composition and FTIR spectral analysis

There is a growing concern over the food safety issue related to increased incidence of cooking oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil (RCO). The objective of this study was to detect fresh palm olein (FPO) adulteration with RCO using fatty acid composition (FAC) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectral analyses combined with chemometrics. RCO prepared in the laboratory was mixed with FPO in the proportion ranged from 1% to 50% (v/v) to obtain the adulterated oil samples (AO). FACs for FPO, RCO, and AO were determined using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The compositions of most fatty acids in RCO lied within the normal ranges of Codex standard, except for C8:0, C10:0, C11:0, C15:0, trans C18:1, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), C20:5. PUFAs showed a consistent decreasing trend with increasing magnitude of change with respect to increasing adulteration level and thus might be a good indicator for detecting FPO adulteration with RCO. The evaluation parameters (coefficient of determination, root mean standard error) of the FTIR-partial least square (PLS) model of palm oil adulteration with recycled oil are R2 = 0.995 and 3.25, respectively. For FTIR spectral analysis, the distinct variations in spectral regions and aberrations in characteristic bands between FPO and RCO were observed. The optimized PLS calibration model developed from normal spectral of the combined region at 3602–3398, 3016–2642, and 1845–650 cm−1 overpredict the adulteration level. On the other hand, the discriminant analysis classification model was able to classify the FPO and AO into two distinct groups. Improvement of the principles of combined techniques in authenticating AO from fresh oil is beneficial as a guideline to detect adulteration in cooking oil

Vitamin E-mediated modulation of glutamate receptor expression in an oxidative stress model of neural cells derived from embryonic stem cell cultures

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Excessive concentrations of glutamate in the brain can be excitotoxic and cause oxidative stress, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, the effects of vitamin E in the form of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) and alpha-tocopherol (α-TCP) in modulating the glutamate receptor and neuron injury markers in an in vitro model of oxidative stress in neural-derived embryonic stem (ES) cell cultures were elucidated. A transgenic mouse ES cell line (46C) was differentiated into a neural lineage in vitro via induction with retinoic acid. These cells were then subjected to oxidative stress with a significantly high concentration of glutamate. Measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was performed after inducing glutamate excitotoxicity, and recovery from this toxicity in response to vitamin E was determined. The gene expression levels of glutamate receptors and neuron-specific enolase were elucidated using real-time PCR. The results reveal that neural cells derived from 46C cells and subjected to oxidative stress exhibit downregulation of NMDA, kainate receptor, and NSE after posttreatment with different concentrations of TRF and α-TCP, a sign of neurorecovery. Treatment of either TRF or α-TCP reduced the levels of ROS in neural cells subjected to glutamate-induced oxidative stress; these results indicated that vitamin E is a potent antioxidant

A new model for studying deep partial-thickness burns in rats

Burn injuries are one of the most devastating injuries in the world. A uniform burn wound is essential for burn research. The objective of this study was to describe a new model for inducing deep partial-thickness burns in rats. Burn wounds were performed on the dorsal part of Sprague-Dawley rats using a constructed heating device in our laboratory. Digital images of each animal were captured every day for macroscopic evaluation and for assessment of the wound contraction rate. Six animals were sacrificed on days 1, 3, 7, 11, 14, and 21 after onset of burn and their skin tissues were harvested for histological analysis. Uniform deep partial-thickness burns could be achieved in Sprague-Dawley rats under the condition of a contact temperature of 70°C, with the weight of heating devices of 300 g, and a duration of 10 s. Macroscopic evaluation recorded the general appearance of the deep partial-thickness burns. Evaluation of the wound contraction rate showed that the deep partial-thickness wound area was reduced by 90.39% of the original wound area by day 21 after burn. Microscopic evaluation by hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed the histological changes during the wound healing process. This is a standardized and reproducible model for inducing deep partial-thickness burns in Sprague-Dawley rats

A review of the neuroprotective effects of andrographolide in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease, characterized by amyloid beta peptides and neurofibrillary tangles, is the most prevalent cause of dementia. Nowadays, some novel medicines being developed have displayed more illustrious therapeutic efficacies in Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have found andrographolide exhibiting therapeutic efficacy in a variety of Alzheimer’s disease models. Andrographolide is a traditional herbal medicine compound extracted from Andrographis paniculata. Evidence has shown that andrographolide reduces amyloid beta aggregation and suppresses neuroinflammatory response and synaptic dysfunction by reversing the microglia-mediated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as Alzheimer’s disease-associated reduction in synaptic proteins. In the present review, the pharmacological effects of andrographolide are summarized and its mechanism of action against Alzheimer’s disease is discussed to discover the possibilities of andrographolide for Alzheimer’s disease prevention and therapy