Aceite de oliva virgen y regulación hormonal de la presión arterial: una revisión del papel de los enzimas proteolíticos

Numerosos estudios realizados en los últimos años, han puesto de manifiesto que los niveles elevados de grasa en la dieta están directamente relacionados con el desarrollo de diversas patologías, entre las que destacan enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes o incluso diversos tipos de cánceres. Estudios epidemiológicos también han demostrado que no sólo es importante la cantidad, sino también el tipo de grasa de la dieta. Son especialmente conocidos los efectos beneficiosos de la dieta mediterránea, caracterizada entre otros aspectos, por un consumo elevado de ácidos grasos monoinsaturados como el oleico. En cualquier caso, no se conoce con exactitud las relaciones existentes entre el tipo de grasa de la dieta y el desarrollo de las distintas patologías. Las aminopeptidasas son enzimas proteolíticos implicados en una amplia variedad de procesos biológicos, destacando su papel en el control de la presión arterial a través del sistema renina-angiotensina. En esta revisión se estudia la influencia de una dieta enriquecida en aceite de oliva sobre la actividad aminopeptidásica sérica y de tejidos periféricos, analizando su influencia en la regulación del sistema renina-angiotensina para el control de la presión arterial y el balance de líquidos y electrolitos.The intake of high fat dietary levels is related to the development of several pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. However, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that not only the amount but also the type of dietary fat participates in the origin of the diseases. In fact, several important beneficts have been attributed to the Mediterranean diet, characterized by the high intake of monoinsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid preferently. In any case, the relationship between the type of dietary fat an the development of diseases are unknown. Aminopeptidases are proteolytic enzymes involved in several biological proccesses, regulating blood pressure through the renin-angiotensin system. In this review, the influence of an olive oil-enriched diet is presented, analyzing their role in the regulation of blood pressure, local blood flow and fluid and electrolytic balance among other functions

The stilbene disulfonic acid DIDS stimulates the production of TNF-alpha in human lymphocytes

Exposure of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to the stilbene derivative DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid) (60 microM and above) significantly increased the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), as determined by TNF-alpha activity in the incubation media. When the TNF-alpha message was analyzed in PBMC by a reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR)-based procedure, it was found that incubation with DIDS (60 microM) was followed by a time-dependent accumulation of TNF-alpha mRNA. Measurements of intracellular pH showed that the presence of increasing concentrations of DIDS resulted in a progressive intracellular alkalinization of PBMC. It is suggested that the known DIDS effect of inhibiting transmembrane anion exchange, i.e., chloride/bicarbonate exchange, might play a role in the stimulation of TNF-alpha production by PBMC exposed to DIDS

Production and characterization of alginate-starch-chitosan microparticles containing stigmasterol through the external ionic gelation technique

Stigmasterol - a plant sterol with several pharmacological activities - is susceptible to oxidation when exposed to air, a process enhanced by heat and humidity. In this context, microencapsulation is a way of preventing oxidation, allowing stigmasterol to be incorporated into various pharmaceutical forms while increasing its absorption. Microparticles were obtained using a blend of polymers of sodium alginate, starch and chitosan as the coating material through a one-stage process using the external gelation technique. Resultant microparticles were spherical, averaging 1.4 mm in size. Encapsulation efficiency was 90.42% and method yield 94.87%. The amount of stigmasterol in the oil recovered from microparticles was 9.97 mg/g. This technique proved feasible for the microencapsulation of stigmasterol