Potential Associations among Bioactive Molecules, Antioxidant Activity and Resveratrol Production in <i>Vitis vinifera</i> Fruits of North America

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are rich in bioactive molecules contributing to health benefits. Consumption of grapes is linked to reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Studies on table grape cultivars are limited although much attention in research was focused on the wine industry. Bioactive effects of grapes as anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective, vasorelaxant, phytoestrogenic and neuroprotective have also been reported. For example, resveratrol is a natural food ingredient present in grapes, with high antioxidant potential. Here we conducted an exploratory study to investigate bioactive molecules, antioxidant activity and the association between constitutive stilbene synthase (STS) gene expression and the resveratrol biosynthesis in selected table grape varieties in North America. The phenolic compounds, fatty acid composition and antioxidant activity of four grape varieties were compared. Red Globe variety was rich in unsaturated fatty acids as well as phenolic compounds such as caffeic acid, quercetin and resveratrol. Meanwhile, the constitutive expression of grape stilbene synthase gene was higher in Flame and Autumn Royal where resveratrol content of these cultivars was relatively low compared to the Red Globe variety. This study shows the potential links in grape antioxidant activity and resveratrol production, but more studies are necessary to show the association

Effects of dietary red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) on growth performance, blood profile, ileal morphology, and oxidative status in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88+

A total of 28 piglets weaned at 21 d of age (6.94 ± 0.28 kg of body weight) were assigned to one of four dietary treatments for 14 d: (1) negative control (NC; a corn–wheat–soybean meal diet), (2) positive control [PC; NC + 0.025% antimicrobial growth promoter (AGP)], (3) ROD2 [2% red-osier dogwood (ROD)], and (4) ROD4 (4% ROD). All pigs were orally inoculated with Escherichia coli K88+ on day 8. The pre-planned orthogonal test was performed to compare (1) NC vs. PC and (2) NC vs. ROD. The inclusion of ROD in a nursery diet increased (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and decreased (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in the serum. Moreover, pigs fed with ROD diets had shallower (P < 0.05) crypt depth and higher (P < 0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than those fed the NC diet. Dietary AGP supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) the MDA concentration in the ileum and serum at 24 h after challenge, and improved (P < 0.01) the SOD activities in the serum. In conclusion, the inclusion of ROD in a nursery diet enhanced the antioxidative defense system and intestinal morphology, showing comparable effects with AGP supplementation.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Lingonberry Improves Hepatic Lipid Metabolism by Targeting Notch1 Signaling

Impaired hepatic lipid metabolism is a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has no effective treatment option. Recently, Notch signaling has been identified as an important mediator of hepatic lipid metabolism. Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) is an anthocyanin-rich fruit with significant lipid-lowering properties. In this study, we examined how lingonberry influenced Notch signaling and fatty acid metabolism in a mouse model of NAFLD. Mice (C57BL/6J) fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks developed fatty liver and activated hepatic Notch1 signaling. Lingonberry supplementation inhibited hepatic Notch1 signaling and improved lipid profile by improving the expression of the genes involved in hepatic lipid metabolism. The results were verified using a palmitic-acid-challenged cell model. Similar to the animal data, palmitic acid impaired cellular lipid metabolism and induced Notch1 in HepG2 cells. Lingonberry extract or cyanidin-3-glucoside attenuated Notch1 signaling and decreased intracellular triglyceride accumulation. The inhibition of Notch in the hepatocytes attenuated sterol-regulatory-element-binding-transcription-factor-1 (SREBP-1c)-mediated lipogenesis and increased the expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I-alpha (CPTI&alpha;) and acyl-CoA oxidase1 (ACOX1). Taken together, lingonberry&rsquo;s hepatoprotective effect is mediated by, in part, improving hepatic lipid metabolism via inhibiting Notch1 signaling in HFD-induced fatty liver

Ginseng Berry Extract Rich in Phenolic Compounds Attenuates Oxidative Stress but not Cardiac Remodeling post Myocardial Infarction

The cardioprotective effects of ginseng root extracts have been reported. However, nothing is known about the myocardial actions of the phenolic compounds enriched in ginseng berry. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the effects of American ginseng berry extract (GBE) in an experimental model of myocardial infarction (MI). Coronary artery ligation was performed on Sprague&#8315;Dawley male rats to induce MI after which animals were randomized into groups receiving either distilled water or GBE intragastrically for 8 weeks. Echocardiography and assays for malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-&#945; were conducted. Flow cytometry was used to test the effects of GBE on T cell phenotypes and cytokine production. Although GBE did not improve the cardiac functional parameters, it significantly attenuated oxidative stress in post-MI rat hearts. GBE treatment also resulted in lower than control levels of TNF-&#945; in post-MI rat hearts indicating a strong neutralizing effect of GBE on this cytokine. However, there was no effect of GBE on the proportion of different T cell subsets or ex-vivo cytokine production. Taken together, the present study demonstrates GBE reduces oxidative stress, however no effect on cardiac structure and function in post-MI rats. Moreover, reduction of TNF-&#945; levels below baseline raises concern regarding its use as prophylactic or preventive adjunct therapy in cardiovascular disease

Uptake of and Resistance to the Antibiotic Berberine by Individual Dormant, Germinating and Outgrowing Spores as Monitored by Laser Tweezers Raman Spectroscopy

Article Authors Metrics Comments Related Content Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion Supporting Information Acknowledgments Author Contributions References Reader Comments (0) Media Coverage (0) Figures Abstract Berberine, an alkaloid originally extracted from the plant Coptis chinensis and other herb plants, has been used as a pharmacological substance for many years. The therapeutic effect of berberine has been attributed to its interaction with nucleic acids and blocking cell division. However, levels of berberine entering individual microbial cells minimal for growth inhibition and its effects on bacterial spores have not been determined. In this work the kinetics and levels of berberine accumulation by individual dormant and germinated spores were measured by laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy and differential interference and fluorescence microscopy, and effects of berberine on spore germination and outgrowth and spore and growing cell viability were determined. The major conclusions from this work are that: (1) colony formation from B. subtilis spores was blocked ~ 99% by 25 μg/mL berberine plus 20 μg/mL INF55 (a multidrug resistance pump inhibitor); (2) 200 μg/mL berberine had no effect on B. subtilis spore germination with L-valine, but spore outgrowth was completely blocked; (3) berberine levels accumulated in single spores germinating with ≥ 25 μg/mL berberine were > 10 mg/mL; (4) fluorescence microscopy showed that germinated spores accumulated high-levels of berberine primarily in the spore core, while dormant spores accumulated very low berberine levels primarily in spore coats; and (5) during germination, uptake of berberine began at the time of commitment (T1) and reached a maximum after the completion of CaDPA release (Trelease) and spore cortex lysis (Tlysis)