Effects of a Rubus coreanus Miquel supplement on plasma antioxidant capacity in healthy Korean men

Korean raspberry, Rubus coreanus Miquel (RCM), contains high concentrations of phenolic compounds, which prevent oxidative stress. To determine the effect of RCM on antioxidant capacity in humans, we assessed in vivo lipid oxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities from plasma in 15 healthy men. The subjects ingested 30 g of freeze-dried RCM daily for 4 weeks. Blood was taken at baseline and at the end of the study to determine blood lipid profiles, fasting plasma glucose, liver function, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activities. RCM supplementation had no effect on blood lipid or fasting plasma glucose concentrations but decreased alkaline phosphatase activity. RCM supplementation increased glutathione peroxidase activities (P < 0.05) but had no effect on lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that short-term RCM supplementation may offer health benefits by enhancing antioxidant capacity in a healthy population

Metabolomic Screening of Anti-Inflammatory Compounds from the Leaves of <i>Actinidia arguta</i> (Hardy Kiwi)

The metabolomic screening of potential anti-inflammatory compounds in the leaves of Actinidia arguta was performed by using LC-MS/MS. Ethanol extracts were prepared, and the anti-inflammatory effects were investigated based on nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. The 75% ethanol extract showed the highest inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production, and it was further separated by in vitro bioassay-guided fractionation using preparative LC with reversed-phase column separation. Through multiple steps of fractionation, sub-fraction 1-3 was finally purified, and caffeic acid derivatives, such as caffeoylthreonic acid and danshensu (salvianic acid A), were successfully identified as key anti-inflammatory compounds by LC-MS/MS and metabolomics analyses. This is the first study identifying anti-inflammatory compounds in A. arguta (Actinidia arguta) leaves through bioassay-guided fractionation and metabolomics screening. Results of this study would be useful for the application of A. arguta leaves as a nutraceutical

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanol extract from the bran of the colored wheat, 'Ariheuk'

Abstract In vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were investigated using a 70% acidic methanol extract of the colored wheat bran, 'Ariheuk.' Active metabolites were identified via metabolomic analysis using multivariate statistical comparisons. The 'Ariheuk' bran extract (ABE) contained a higher total anthocyanin content (0.19 mg C3G/g) than the general wheat bran extract (GBE) (0.01 mg C3G/g). ABE exhibited stronger antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities than GBE. The mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of ABE was explored by assessing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The crude ABE extract was also partially fractionated into three subfractions (ABE-F1, ABE-F2, and ABE-F3) using preparative liquid chromatography (Prep-LC) to identify the active metabolites. The total anthocyanin content was highest in ABE-F3 (1.91 ± 0.06 mg C3G/g). Among the subfractions, ABE-F2 exhibited the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Several distinct metabolites contributing to the activities of ABE-F2 were identified, including various cyanidin and peonidin derivatives and apigenin derivatives, such as corymboside and schaftoside

Amylose-Lipid Complex as a Fat Replacement in the Preparation of Low-Fat White Pan Bread

Amylose-lipid complex (ALC) was prepared with corn starch and stearic acid and used as a shortening replacement in white pan bread preparation. ALCs were prepared using various concentrations of stearic acid to corn starch (1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) under different temperatures (55, 65, and 75 &deg;C) and for different durations of time (30, 60, and 120 min); then, their complexing properties were assessed using iodine reagent and X-ray diffraction. The complexing reaction at 75 &deg;C for 60 min showed the highest complexing index of the tested conditions; the in vitro digestibility of ALC was lower than that of corn starch. White pan bread was prepared with ALCs and their characteristics, including appearance, loaf volume, and starch retrogradation during storage at room temperature for four days, were compared with those of control bread. With increasing ALC replacement concentrations, loaf volume and shape were significantly affected; however, starch retrogradation was significantly retarded and energy value decreased by ALC replacement. Overall, 50% replacement of shortening by ALC appeared to be a reasonable level for retaining the basic characteristics of the bread while retarding the staling process. These results indicate that ALCs may be potentially useful in the bakery industry for preparing low calorie and low-fat products

Natural Occurrence of Alternaria Toxins in Agricultural Products and Processed Foods Marketed in South Korea by LC&ndash;MS/MS

Alternaria mycotoxins including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altenuene (ALT), altertoxin-I (ATX-I), tentoxin (TEN), and tenuazonic acid (TeA), are ubiquitous contaminants in agricultural products. A method for the simultaneous determination of these six toxins by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography&ndash;tandem mass spectrometry (LC&ndash;MS/MS) with solid phase extraction (SPE) was validated in rice, sesame, tomato, and apple juice matrices. The performance of the method was evaluated in terms of linearity (R2 &gt; 0.999), the limit of detection (0.04&ndash;1.67 &mu;g/kg), the limit of quantification (0.12&ndash;5.06 &mu;g/kg), recovery (80.0&ndash;114.7%), and precision (&lt;17.7%). The validated method was applied to monitor 152 marketed food samples in South Korea, as well as to investigate the co-occurrence and correlation between Alternaria toxins. The mean occurrence levels were 2.77 &mu;g/kg for AOH, 4.36 &mu;g/kg for AME, 0.14 &mu;g/kg for ALT, 0.11 &mu;g/kg for ATX-I, 0.43 &mu;g/kg for TEN, and 104.56 &mu;g/kg for TeA. Mean and extreme (95th percentile) daily dietary exposures of South Koreans to Alternaria toxins were estimated to be 22.93 ng/kg b.w./day and 86.07 ng/kg b.w./day, respectively

Propolis Suppresses UV-Induced Photoaging in Human Skin through Directly Targeting Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase

Propolis is a resinous substance generated by bees using materials from various plant sources. It has been known to exhibit diverse bioactivities including anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, the direct molecular target of propolis and its therapeutic potential against skin aging in humans is not fully understood. Herein, we investigated the effect of propolis on ultraviolet (UV)-mediated skin aging and its underlying molecular mechanism. Propolis suppressed UV-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 production in human dermal fibroblasts. More importantly, propolis treatment reduced UV-induced MMP-1 expression and blocked collagen degradation in human skin tissues, suggesting that the anti-skin-aging activity of propolis can be recapitulated in clinically relevant conditions. While propolis treatment did not display any noticeable effects against extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, propolis exerted significant inhibitory activity specifically against phosphorylations of phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) and protein kinase B (Akt). Kinase assay results demonstrated that propolis can directly suppress phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity, with preferential selectivity towards PI3K with p110&alpha; and p110&delta; catalytic subunits over other kinases. The content of active compounds was quantified, and among the compounds identified from the propolis extract, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, quercetin, and apigenin were shown to attenuate PI3K activity. These results demonstrate that propolis shows anti-skin-aging effects through direct inhibition of PI3K activity

Ellagic Acid Identified through Metabolomic Analysis Is an Active Metabolite in Strawberry (‘Seolhyang’) Regulating Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation

This study employed the metabolomic approach to identify the key constituent exerting anti-inflammatory activity in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Among the six different fractions (SF1–SF6) of the strawberry ‘Seolhyang’, SF4 showed more significant inhibition on iNOS expression than SF3, and ellagic acid was determined as the most significant different component between SF4 and SF3 using orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Ellagic acid (0.3 and 1.0 μM) and SF4 (100 μg/mL) were found to regulate the same inflammatory mediators, inhibitory κB (IκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which led to the reduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and iNOS expressions. These results demonstrate that ellagic acid from strawberry ‘Seolhyang’ is the major component playing a crucial role in inflammation, suggesting the possible application of metabolomic analysis to determining the key ingredients having biological functions in the complicated food matrix

Cryopreservation in Trehalose Preserves Functional Capacity of Murine Spermatogonial Stem Cells

<div><p>Development of techniques to isolate, culture, and transplant human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) has the future potential to treat male infertility. To maximize the efficiency of these techniques, methods for SSC cryopreservation need to be developed to bank SSCs for extended periods of time. Although, it has been demonstrated that SSCs can reinitiate spermatogenesis after freezing, optimal cryopreservation protocols that maximize SSC proliferative capacity post-thaw have not been identified. The objective of this study was to develop an efficient cryopreservation technique for preservation of SSCs. To identify efficient cryopreservation methods for long-term preservation of SSCs, isolated testis cells enriched for SSCs were placed in medium containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or DMSO and trehalose (50 mM, 100 mM, or 200 mM), and frozen in liquid nitrogen for 1 week, 1 month, or 3 months. Freezing in 50 mM trehalose resulted in significantly higher cell viability compared to DMSO at all thawing times and a higher proliferation rate compared to DMSO for the 1 week freezing period. Freezing in 200 mM trehalose did not result in increased cell viability; however, proliferation activity was significantly higher and percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly lower compared to DMSO after freezing for 1 and 3 months. To confirm the functionality of SSCs frozen in 200 mM trehalose, SSC transplantation was performed. Donor SSCs formed spermatogenic colonies and sperm capable of generating normal progeny. Collectively, these results indicate that freezing in DMSO with 200 mM trehalose serves as an efficient method for the cryopreservation of SSCs.</p> </div

SSCs frozen with 200 mM trehalose have the capacity to generate offspring.

<p>(A) Offspring from a C57BL/6 female crossed with a W recipient male (surgery number 685) that was transplanted with SSCs frozen with 200 mM trehalose. (B) The same offspring under UV exposure. Transplanted germ cells are heterozygous for GFP which results in the generation of non-GFP pups from donor cells in addition to GFP+ pups.</p