Search results for "polyphenol"
showing 10 items of 514 documents
Antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities of a polyphenol‐rich extract from Zizyphus lotus L fruit pulp play a protective role against obesity
2018
Zizyphus lotus (Zl) is used widely as a source of food and for the treatment of various ailments. Therefore, we investigated the biological activities of Zl against obesity and related disorders. Hence, male Wistar rats received either control diet, high fat diet (HFAD), or HFAD supplemented with the Zl pulp (HFADP) for 14 weeks. RAW 264.7 cells were used for the determination of antiinflammatory activities in vitro. It was observed that HFDP resulted in significantly reduced weight, blood sugar, and oxidative stress than HFAD. In addition, Zl extract co‐treatment with LPS reduced the mRNA expression of MCP‐1, pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, TNF‐α), and increased the level of IL‐10, an an…
Polyphenol intake from a Mediterranean diet decreases inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis: a substudy of the PREDIMED trial
2016
High dietary polyphenol intake is associated with reduced all-cause mortality and a lower incidence of cardiovascular events. However, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. The aim of the present substudy of the PREvencion con DIetaMEDiterranea (Prevention with Mediterranean diet; PREDIMED) trial was to analyse the relationship between polyphenol intake measured by total urinary polyphenol excretion (TPE), and circulating inflammatory biomarkers and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly individuals. A substudy of 1139 high-risk participants was carried out within the PREDIMED trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to a low-fat control diet or to two Mediterranean diets, sup…
Polyphenolic Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Therapy: Bioavailability versus Bioefficacy
2017
Natural polyphenols are organic chemicals which contain phenol units in their structures. They show antitumor properties. However, a key problem is their short half-life and low bioavailability under in vivo conditions. Still, definitively demonstrating the human benefits of isolated polyphenolic compounds (alone or in combination) using modern scientific methodology has proved challenging. The most common discrepancy between experimental and clinical observations is the use of nonphysiologically relevant concentrations of polyphenols in mechanistic studies. Thus, it remains highly controversial how applicable underlying mechanisms are with bioavailable concentrations and biological half-li…
Resveratrol shifts energy metabolism to increase lipid oxidation in healthy old mice.
2019
Abstract Objectives The objective of this work was to determine the specific mechanisms by which resveratrol inhibits lipogenesis and stimulates lipolysis. Methods Twelve male mice were individually introduced into a metabolic cage for 24 h to measure basal metabolic rate, prior to intervention. They were randomly divided into two groups, resveratrol (RSV) and control (C), and administered resveratrol intraperitoneally or vehicle, respectively, for two consecutive days. After 24 h, the metabolic energy expenditure was again determined for 24 h, before mice were sacrificed. Protein and gene expression of different enzymes related to metabolism in the hepatic tissue, adipose tissue and gastro…
Effect of saffron addition on the microbiological, physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory characteristics of yoghurt
2018
The impact of added saffron on the characteristics of yoghurt was evaluated during storage. The fat content was lower in the saffron yoghurt. All colour variables were significantly affected by saffron and storage. From the 15th day of storage, bacterial numbers in the saffron yoghurt were higher than those of the control yoghurt. Sensory analysis data suggested that colour, odour and texture impacted consistently on the overall acceptability of the saffron yoghurt. Saffron addition significantly increased polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, providing evidence that the enrichment of natural yoghurt with saffron yields an innovative fermented product useful for supplementing antioxi…
Polyphenols: Potential Use in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
2018
Background: Polyphenols are bioactive compounds that can be found mostly in foods like fruits, cereals, vegetables, dry legumes, chocolate and beverages such as coffee, tea and wine. They are extensively used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) providing protection against many chronic illnesses. Their effects on human health depend on the amount consumed and on their bioavailability. Many studies have demonstrated that polyphenols have also good effects on the vascular system by lowering blood pressure, improving endothelial function, increasing antioxidant defences, inhibiting platelet aggregation and low-density lipoprotein oxidation, and reducing inflammator…
Sicilian Litchi Fruit Extracts Induce Autophagy versus Apoptosis Switch in Human Colon Cancer Cells
2018
Litchi chinensis Sonnerat is a tropical tree whose fruits contain significant amounts of bioactive polyphenols. Litchi cultivation has recently spread in Sicily where the climate conditions are particularly favorable for this crop. Recent findings have shown that Litchi extracts display anti-tumor and pro-apoptotic effects in vitro, but the precise underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we report for the first time the effects of Sicilian litchi fruit extracts on colon cancer cells. The results indicated that litchi exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp fractions reduce the viability and clonogenic growth of HT29 cells. These effects were due to cell cycle arrest in t…
Phytochemicals as inhibitors of NF-κB for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
2017
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. The exact pathophysiology of this disease remains incompletely understood and safe and effective therapies are required. AD is highly correlated with neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in brain causing neuronal loss. Nuclear factor of activated B-cells (NF-κB) is involved in physiological inflammatory processes and thus representing a promising target for inflammation-based AD therapy. Phytochemicals are able to interfere with the NF-κB pathway. They inhibit the phosphorylation or the ubiquitination of signaling molecules, and thus, inhibit the degradation of IκB. The translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus and subsequent tr…
Therapeutic potential of polyphenols in cardiovascular diseases: Regulation of mTOR signaling pathway
2020
Cardiovascular diseases comprise of non-communicable disorders that involve the heart and/or blood vessels and have become the leading cause of death worldwide with increased prevalence by age. mTOR is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase which plays a central role in many physiological processes including cardiovascular diseases, and also integrates various proliferative signals, nutrient and energy abundance and stressful situations. mTOR also acts as central regulator during chronic stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and deregulated autophagy which are associated with senescence. Under oxidative stress, mTOR has been reported to exert protective effects regulating apoptosis and auto…
Chemical characterization of a variety of cold-pressed gourmet oils available on the Brazilian market
2018
Different specialty extra virgin oils, produced by cold-pressing fruits/nuts (olive, pequi, palm, avocado, coconut, macadamia and Brazil nut) and seeds (grapeseed and canola), and retailed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais, were chemically characterized. Specifically, for each type of oil, the fatty acid composition was elucidated by GC-FID, the contents of selected polyphenols and squalene were determined respectively by UHPLC-MS and UHPLC-PDA, whereas minerals were explored by means of ICP-MS. Olive oil was confirmed to have the highest MUFA content due to a valuable level of oleic acid, while oils from grapeseed, Brazil nut and canola were marked by nutritionally important PUFA lev…