Discovery Phytomedicine: an open access journal for knowledge dissemination in herbal and nutraceutical research

There are several scientific journals publishing the benefits of valuable phytochemicals to improve human health, as well as help prevention of chronic diseases. Then why do we need a new journal dedicated on the role of phytochemicals and nutraceuticals? The answer may not be simple. There are number of important reasons. Plants and natural foods consist of thousands of phytochemicals and phytonutrients that have been identified so far and there are probably more to identify, all of which have not been completely understood for their roles in human metabolism and health. More scientific research has been going on to unearth a myriad of phytomedicines for their use to combat chronic disease and maintain healthy life. Since the number of phytochemicals identified and their significance with improving health are increasing day by day, there is an increasing need for scientific journals with open access policy to reach the scientific community as well as general public with the benefits of phytochemicals on human health

Fish Oil for the Reduction of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress

AbstractBackgroundRecent trials of fish oil for the prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence have provided mixed results. Notable uncertainties in the existing evidence base include the roles of high-dose fish oil, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF not receiving conventional antiarrhythmic (AA) therapy.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of high-dose fish oil on AF recurrence, inflammation, and oxidative stress parameters.MethodsWe performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm study in 337 patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF within 6 months of enrollment. Patients were randomized to fish oil (4 g/day) or placebo and followed, on average, for 271 ± 129 days.ResultsThe primary endpoint was time to first symptomatic or asymptomatic AF recurrence lasting >30 s. Secondary endpoints were high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The primary endpoint occurred in 64.1% of patients in the fish oil arm and 63.2% of patients in the placebo arm (hazard ratio: 1.10; 95% confidence interval: 0.84 to 1.45; p = 0.48). hs-CRP and MPO were within normal limits at baseline and decreased to a similar degree at 6 months (Δhs-CRP, 11% vs. −11%; ΔMPO, −5% vs. −9% for fish oil vs. placebo, respectively; p value for interaction = NS).ConclusionsHigh-dose fish oil does not reduce AF recurrence in patients with a history of AF not receiving conventional AA therapy. Furthermore, fish oil does not reduce inflammation or oxidative stress markers in this population, which may explain its lack of efficacy. (Multi-center Study to Evaluate the Effect of N-3 Fatty Acids [OMEGA-3] on Arrhythmia Recurrence in Atrial Fibrillation [AFFORD]; NCT01235130)

Safety and Health Benefits of Novel Dietary Supplements Consisting Multiple Phytochemicals, Vitamins, Minerals and Essential Fatty Acids in High Fat Diet Fed Rats

<p>The objective was to determine safety and efficacy of health supplements “Beyond Tangy Tangerine,” a multivitamin/mineral complex and combination of multivitamin/mineral complex, “Osteofx,” a bone healthy supplement and “Ultimate Essential Fatty Acids” in Sprague Dawley rats consuming high-fat diets. Initially a pilot study was conducted which confirmed palatability and acceptability of supplements. In a second study, rats (<i>n</i> = 15/group) were randomized to Control; Multivitamin/mineral complex (2 g/kg BW) or Combination (2 g Multivitamin/mineral complex, 1.5 g Bone healthy supplement and 0.34 g Essential fatty acids/kg BW). No differences were observed in BW change, feed intake, organ weights or bone mineral composition with supplementations compared to control. Multivitamin/mineral complex supplementation decreased abdominal white adipose tissue weights (WAT) (<i>p</i> = .005), total (<i>p</i> = .033) and fat mass (<i>p</i> = .040), plasma IL-6 (<i>p</i> = .016) and ALKP (<i>p</i> = .038) and elevated plasma calcium (<i>p</i> < .001), phosphorus (<i>p</i> = .038), total protein (<i>p</i> = .002), albumin (<i>p</i> = .014) and globulin (<i>p</i> = .018), compared to control. Similarly, combination supplementation reduced WAT (<i>p</i> < .001), total (<i>p</i> = .023) and fat mass (<i>p</i> = .045), plasma triglycerides (<i>p</i> = .018), IL-6 (<i>p</i> = .002) and ALKP (<i>p</i> < .001) with increases in plasma calcium (<i>p</i> = .031), phosphorus (<i>p</i> < .001) compared to control. Results indicate that consuming either supplement can be considered safe and improves overall health by reducing inflammation, abdominal fat mass and plasma triglycerides, as well as promote bone health.</p

Phytosterols protect against diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia in Syrian golden hamsters

BACKGROUND: In addition to lowering LDL-C, emerging data suggests that phytosterols (PS) may reduce blood triglycerides (TG), however, the underlying mechanisms are not known. METHODS: We examined the TG-lowering mechanisms of dietary PS in Syrian golden hamsters randomly assigned to a high fat (HF) diet or the HF diet supplemented with PS (2%) for 6 weeks (n = 12/group). An additional subset of animals (n = 12) was provided the HF diet supplemented with ezetimibe (EZ, 0.002%) as a positive control as it is a cholesterol-lowering agent with known TG-lowering properties. RESULTS: In confirmation of diet formulation and compound delivery, both the PS and EZ treatments lowered (p < 0.05) intestinal cholesterol absorption (24 and 31%, respectively), blood non-HDL cholesterol (61 and 66%, respectively), and hepatic cholesterol (45 and 55%, respectively) compared with the HF-fed animals. Blood TG concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) in the PS (49%) and EZ (68%)-treated animals compared with the HF group. The TG-lowering response in the PS-supplemented group was associated with reduced (p < 0.05) intestinal SREBP1c mRNA (0.45 fold of HF), hepatic PPARα mRNA (0.73 fold of HF), hepatic FAS protein abundance (0.68 fold of HD), and de novo lipogenesis (44%) compared with the HF group. Similarly, lipogenesis was lower in the EZ-treated animals, albeit through a reduction in the hepatic protein abundance of ACC (0.47 fold of HF). CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that dietary PS are protective against diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia, likely through multiple mechanisms that involve modulation of intestinal fatty acid metabolism and a reduction in hepatic lipogenesis