Regulation of Intestinal Immune Response by Selective Removal of the Anterior, Posterior, or Entire Pituitary Gland in Trichinella spiralis Infected Golden Hamsters

The influence of anterior pituitary hormones on the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals has been previously reported. Hypophysectomy (HYPOX) in the rat causes atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, and reduction of gastric secretion and intestinal absorption, as well as increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. However, to our knowledge, no findings have been published concerning the immune response following HYPOX during worm infection, particularly that which is caused by the nematode Trichinella spiralis. The aim of this work was to analyze the effects of total or partial HYPOX on colonization of T. spiralis in the intestinal lumen, together with duodenal and splenic cytokine expression. Our results indicate that 5 days post infection, only neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy (NIL) reduces the number of intestinally recovered T. spiralis larvae. Using semiquantitative inmunofluorescent laser confocal microscopy, we observed that the mean intensity of all tested Th1 cytokines was markedly diminished, even in the duodenum of infected controls. In contrast, a high level of expression of these cytokines was noted in the NIL infected hamsters. Likewise, a significant decrease in the fluorescence intensity of Th2 cytokines (with the exception of IL-4) was apparent in the duodenum of control and sham infected hamsters, compared to animals with NIL surgeries, which showed an increase in the expression of IL-5 and IL-13. Histology of duodenal mucosa from NIL hamsters showed an exacerbated inflammatory infiltrate located along the lamina propria, which was related to the presence of the parasite. We conclude that hormones from each pituitary lobe affect the gastrointestinal immune responses to T. spiralis through various mechanisms

Could Naringenin Participate as a Regulator of Obesity and Satiety?

Obesity is a serious health problem worldwide, since it is associated with multiple metabolic disorders and complications such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and overall metabolic dysfunction. Dysregulation of the hunger–satiety pathway, which includes alterations of central and peripheral signaling, explains some forms of obesity by favoring hyperphagia and weight gain. The present work comprehensively summarizes the mechanisms by which naringenin (NAR), a predominant flavanone in citrus fruits, could modulate the main pathways associated with the development of obesity and some of its comorbidities, such as oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, insulin resistance (IR) and dyslipidemia, as well as the role of NAR in modulating the secretion of enterohormones of the satiety pathway and its possible antiobesogenic effect. The results of multiple in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that NAR has various potentially modulatory biological effects against obesity by countering IR, inflammation, OS, macrophage infiltration, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and adipose deposition. Likewise, NAR is capable of modulating peptides or peripheral hormones directly associated with the hunger–satiety pathway, such as ghrelin, cholecystokinin, insulin, adiponectin and leptin. The evidence supports the use of NAR as a promising alternative to prevent overweight and obesity

Could Naringenin Participate as a Regulator of Obesity and Satiety?

Obesity is a serious health problem worldwide, since it is associated with multiple metabolic disorders and complications such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and overall metabolic dysfunction. Dysregulation of the hunger–satiety pathway, which includes alterations of central and peripheral signaling, explains some forms of obesity by favoring hyperphagia and weight gain. The present work comprehensively summarizes the mechanisms by which naringenin (NAR), a predominant flavanone in citrus fruits, could modulate the main pathways associated with the development of obesity and some of its comorbidities, such as oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, insulin resistance (IR) and dyslipidemia, as well as the role of NAR in modulating the secretion of enterohormones of the satiety pathway and its possible antiobesogenic effect. The results of multiple in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that NAR has various potentially modulatory biological effects against obesity by countering IR, inflammation, OS, macrophage infiltration, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and adipose deposition. Likewise, NAR is capable of modulating peptides or peripheral hormones directly associated with the hunger–satiety pathway, such as ghrelin, cholecystokinin, insulin, adiponectin and leptin. The evidence supports the use of NAR as a promising alternative to prevent overweight and obesity

Supplementing corn chips with mango cv.‘Ataulfo’peel improves their sensory acceptability and phenolic profile, and decreases in vitro dialysed glucose

Mango processing discards phenolic‐rich by‐products. The present work evaluated the effects of supplementing corn chips with mango cv. “Ataulfo” peel (0, 10, 15, and 20%), regarding sensory acceptability, phenolic content, profile and in vitro bioaccessibility, antioxidant activity, and in vitro dialyzed glucose. Addition of up to 15% mango peel maintained or increased consumer acceptability. Phenolic content increased approximately nine‐fold (from 0.9 mg GAE/g for control chips, to 8.9 mg GAE/g for chips with 15% peel). Chips were enriched with mangiferin, quercetin and rutin, neither of which was found in control samples; antioxidant activity also increased significantly. Enriched chips had an increased bioaccessible (three‐fold) and dialyzable (two‐fold) phenolic content, and decreased in vitro dialyzed glucose. We conclude that “Ataulfo” mango peel improves sensory acceptability and phenolic content of supplemented corn chips, as well as increasing antioxidant capacity and reducing in vitro dialyzed glucose concentration, thereby exerting functional properties

Dissipation of glyphosate from grapevine soils in Sonora, Mexico

Grapevine is one of the important crops in Sonora, due to revenue generation from its export to foreign countries. Among the most widely used herbicides for this crop is glyphosate, which is considered moderately toxic and persistent. The present research evaluates the dissipation of glyphosate in grapevine planted soil at three depths (5, 30 and 60 cm). Sampling was carried out before glyphosate application, and 5, 10, 18, 27, and 65 days after. Glyphosate was extracted from soil samples using ammonium hydroxide. The derivate extracts were partitioned with dichloromethane and analyzed using gas chromatography with pulsed flame photometric detector (PFPD). The results showed that average glyphosate residues are significantly greater at 5 cm (0.09 mg kg-1) than the other depths (30 and 60 cm), having a difference of 0.078 mg kg-1 between them (P < 0.03). Glyphosate concentration time profiles were similar; it reached maximum soil concentration in a range of 10 to 18 days after application. The half-life of glyphosate in soil has an average of 39 days at all depths. Our data suggests that the release in soil of glyphosate applied to weeds delays its transference to soil by 14 days, and extends residue half life to 55 days after application. These results could be the basis for further research, including more environmental parameters that could affect the dissipation or degradation process in soil

Contribution and Interactions of Hydroxycinnamic Acids Found in Bran and Wholegrain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench): Effects on the Antioxidant Capacity and Inhibition of Human Erythrocyte Hemolysis

An imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants is known as oxidative stress, and it promotes cellular aging and the development of chronic noncommunicable diseases. The bioactive compounds present in food play an important role in preventing oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the contributions and interactions of the hydroxycinnamic acids found in the bran and whole grain of sorghum and to evaluate their effects on the antioxidant capacity and inhibition of the hemolysis of human erythrocytes. Results showed that the caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid found in sorghum contributed to the scavenging of DPPH and ABTS radicals in various proportions. Ferulic acid, which was present in bound form in the bran and wholegrain sorghum, significantly inhibited the AAPH radical-induced oxidation of the erythrocyte membranes by 78.0 and 4.3%, respectively. Combinations of two, three, or four hydroxycinnamic acids may interact in an antagonistic or synergistic manner, thereby altering each other’s bioactivities. The various interactions between the different sorghum bioactives can have a significant impact on their potential bioactivities. These results can be useful in the design of functional foods that aim to deliver bioactives to mitigate cellular aging or noncommunicable diseases

Propiedades bioactivas de frutas tropicales exóticas y sus beneficios a la salud

Las frutas ex&oacute;ticas se encuentran dentro del grupo de las frutas tropicales y su car&aacute;cter perecedero limita su exportaci&oacute;n a mercados distantes. En general, su consumo es local, son subutilizadas o poco valoradas tanto en el hogar como industrialmente; sin embargo, debido su alto valor nutricional, su consumo se ha incrementado significativamente en los &uacute;ltimos a&ntilde;os. Estas frutas son fuente de compuestos bioactivos como fibra, vitamina C, carotenoides, &aacute;cidos fen&oacute;licos y polifenoles, los cuales han sido asociados a la reducci&oacute;n de los riesgos de enfermedades cr&oacute;nicas causadas por el estr&eacute;s oxidativo. Estos compuestos bioactivos han demostrado que poseen varias actividades biol&oacute;gicas in vitro e in vivo incluyendo actividad antioxidante, antimicrobiana, antiinflamatoria, antiedad, neuroprotectora y antiviral entre otras. Por lo tanto, la obtenci&oacute;n de ingredientes funcionales a partir de las frutas tropicales consideradas ex&oacute;ticas resulta viable; as&iacute; como su utilizaci&oacute;n para el desarrollo de alimentos funcionales y nutrac&eacute;uticos, para elaboraci&oacute;n de productos de la industria farmac&eacute;utica y la conservaci&oacute;n de alimentos. En la presente revisi&oacute;n se discute la informaci&oacute;n m&aacute;s relevante publicada en el per&iacute;odo 2010-2020 de las principales bases de datos cient&iacute;ficas, incluyendo Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Medline y Scielo, sobre los compuestos fen&oacute;licos y las bioactividades reportadas de las frutas tropicales ex&oacute;ticas como acai (Euterpe oleraceae), acerola (Malpighia emarginata), buruti (Mauritia flexuosa) caqui (Diospyros kaki), chicozapote (Manilkara zapota), litchi (Litchi chinensis), maracuy&aacute; (Passiflora edulis), noni (Morinda citrifolia) rambut&aacute;n (Nephelium lappaceum), pitaya blanca (Hylocereus undatus), pitaya roja (Hylocereus polyrhizus) y su relaci&oacute;n con sus potenciales efectos ben&eacute;ficos en la salud.Exotic fruits are found in the group of tropical fruits and their perishable nature limits their export to distant markets. In general, their consumption is local; they are underutilized or little valued both at home and industrially; however, its consumption has increased significantly in recent years due to its high nutritional value. These fruits are a source of bioactive compounds such as fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic acids and polyphenols, which have been associated with reducing the risks of chronic diseases caused by oxidative stress. These bioactive compounds have been shown to possess various in vitro and in vivo biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, neuroprotective, and among others. Therefore, obtaining functional ingredients from tropical fruits considered exotic is viable and used to develop functional and nutraceutical foods, prepare products for the pharmaceutical industry and food preservation. This review discusses the most relevant information published in the 2010-2020 period from the main scientific databases, including Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Medline and Scielo, on phenolic compounds and reported bioactivities of exotic tropical fruits such as acai (Euterpe oleraceae), acerola (Malpighia emarginata), persimmon (Diospyros kaki), chicozapote (Manilkara zapota), litchi (Litchi chinensis), passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) noni (Morinda citrifolia), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), white pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) and red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and their relationship with their potential beneficial effects on health

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of a food produced from irradiated (UV-A LED) sorghum sprouts subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal simulation

Overweight and obesity are global health problems that have been addressed through various methods, such as diet, exercise, and the consumption of functional foods. Among these foods, the use of sorghum grain has been limited. Therefore, to promote the consumption of this cereal, a cookie formulation with potentially functional ingredients was developed using irradiated sorghum sprouts with UV-A LED light. Then, the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the cookies were evaluated before and after a gastrointestinal simulation process. The anti-inflammatory potential was also determined by measuring the production of nitric oxide in RAW 264.7 cells. Compared to the cookies prepared with sorghum flour, the cookies prepared with irradiated sorghum sprout flour (ISSF) exhibited higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the bioaccessibility of phenolic compound was greater and the antioxidant recovery was higher in the ISSF cookies due to the high content of phenolic acids. Finally, the ISSF cookies exhibited better anti-inflammatory potential by reducing nitric oxide production by RAW 264.7 cells at lower concentrations than those of other cookies. Taken together, these results suggest that ISSF cookies are a promising food that could help address overweight, obesity and other related diseases.The authors are grateful for the CONAHCyT (National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies, Mexico) scholarship given to A.A.R.H.Peer reviewe

Single-Cell Protein Production as a Strategy to Reincorporate Food Waste and Agro By-Products Back into the Processing Chain

Food waste is a serious problem with negative environmental and economic consequences. Unused food (either as waste or by-products and referred to as food residues in the present work) is a source of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds that could be used in an alternate or secondary life cycle to avoid discarding it. The present work reviews the potential use of food residues for the bioengineering of single-cell protein (SCP), addressing aspects of production, nutrition and safety, as well as the main challenges and perspectives. SCP is obtained from various microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, yeasts and algae, in pure or mixed form. SCP generally contains a higher percentage of protein (30&ndash;80%) compared to soy (38.6%), fish (17.8%), meat (21.2%) and whole milk (3.28%). SCP is a source of essential amino acids, including methionine, threonine and lysine. The use of food residues as substrates for the production of SCP would reduce production costs (35&ndash;75%); however, optimization and industrial scaling are some of the main challenges to its sustainable production. The use food waste and agro by-products from the food industry could be a promising alternative to obtain protein according to a circular production scheme