Cocoa intake attenuates oxidative stress associated with rat adjuvant arthritis

Cocoa contains flavonoids with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of cocoa intake on oxidative stress associated with a model of chronic inflammation such as adjuvant arthritis. Female Wistar rats were fed with a 5 or 10% cocoa enriched diet or were given p.o. a quercetin suspension every other day for 10 days. Arthritis was induced by a heat killed Mycobacterium butyricum suspension. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by macrophages, and splenic superoxide dismutase (total, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial) and catalase activities were determined. Clinically, joint swelling in arthritic rats was not reduced by antioxidants; however, the 5% cocoa diet and quercetin administration reduced ROS production. Moreover, the 5% cocoa diet normalized the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. In conclusion, a cocoa diet reduces the oxidative stress associated with a chronic inflammatory pathology, although it was not enough to attenuate joint swelling

El intestino: pieza clave del sistema inmunitario The bowel: A key component of the immune system

El intestino se halla expuesto constantemente a una elevada carga antigénica procedente de la dieta y de bacterias comensales. El tejido linfoide asociado al intestino (Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue, GALT) constituye la parte más extensa y compleja del sistema inmunitario y es capaz de discriminar de forma eficaz entre patógenos invasivos y antígenos inocuos. El conocimiento de su particular subdivisión en tejido organizado, inductor de la respuesta inmunitaria (placas de Peyer y ganglios linfáticos mesentéricos), y tejido difuso, efector de la respuesta inmunitaria (linfocitos intraepiteliales y linfocitos de lámina propia), nos permite comprender cómo se desarrolla y regula la respuesta inmunitaria en el intestino y como esta puede extenderse al resto del organismo.<br>The gut is constantly exposed to a high antigenic load coming from the diet and commensal bacteria. The Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) constitutes the most extensive and complex part of the immune system and is capable of efficiently distinguishing invasive pathogens from innocuous antigens. The knowledge of its unique structure consisting on organised tissue, inductor of the immune response (Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes), and diffused tissue, effector of the immune response (intraepithelial lymphocytes and lamina propria lymphocytes), allow us to understand the development and regulation of the immune response in the gut and how this one can be extended to the rest of the organism

Prebiotic effects of cocoa fibre on rats

The impact of cocoa on microbiota composition, its crosstalk with the immune system and the SCFA production, focusing on the involvement of cocoa fibre were investigated Wistar rats were fed for 3-weeks a standard diet, a diet containing 10%-cocoa (C10), cocoa fibre (CF) or inulin (I). Faecal and serum samples were collected before and after the intervention and caecal content and colon sample were collected at the end. Microbiota composition and IgA- coated bacteria and the SCFA content were quantified. The colonic expression of immune- related genes was studied. The CF diet increased Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus counts, the proportion of IgA-coated bacteria, the SCFA concentrations and the TLR2, TLR5, TLR7 and occludin expression. With the exception on Lactobacillus counts, the I diet modified the other variables in a more modest way than the CF diet. The CF, unlike from the C10 diet, has prebiotic effects and modulates intestinal immune markers

Comparative effects of dietary flavanols on antioxidant defences and their response to oxidant-induced stress on Caco2 cells

Flavanols are an important fraction of our diet both for their antioxidant capacity and because they are constituents of greatly accepted foodstuffs such as tea, wine and cocoa. In addition to their antioxidant activity by directly scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), flavanols have been recently shown to enhance protective enzymes. The objective was to evaluate the antioxidant response of colon-derived Caco2 cells to dietary flavanols

Procyanidin B2 induces Nrf2 translocation and glutathione S-transferase P1 expression via ERKs and p38-MAPK pathways and protect human colonic cells against oxidative stress

Procyanidin B2 (PB2) is a naturally occurring flavonoid widely found in cocoa, red wine and grape juice. Recent studies have suggested that PB2 could protect against oxidative stress- and chemical-induced injury in colonic cells by modulating the endogenous cellular defence. However, the precise mechanism for this protection is not fully understood. Herein, we examined the effect of PB2 on the expression of one of the major antioxidant/detoxificant enzymes related to intestinal protection, the glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1), and the molecular mechanisms involved