Search results for "tracts"
showing 10 items of 803 documents
ADAM10 in Alzheimer's disease: Pharmacological modulation by natural compounds and its role as a peripheral marker.
2019
Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents a global burden in the economics of healthcare systems. Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are formed by amyloid-β precursor protein (AβPP) cleavage, which can be processed by two pathways. The cleavage by the α-secretase A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) releases the soluble portion (sAβPPα) and prevents senile plaques. This pathway remains largely unknown and ignored, mainly regarding pharmacological approaches that may act via different signaling cascades and thus stimulate non-amyloidogenic cleavage through ADAM10. This review emphasizes the effects of natural compounds on ADAM10 modulation, which eventuates in a neuroprotective mechanism. M…
Targeting aging with functional food: Pasta with opuntia single-arm pilot study
2018
Interventions to extend life span represent the new perspective in aging investigation. Healthy dietary habits are important modifiable factors that can favor a healthy aging phenotype. Many studies have demonstrated benefits for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus resulting from the traditional Mediterranean foods. Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI), widespread in the Mediterranean basin, belongs to the Cactaceae family. It is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, products containing extracts from OFI fruits or cladodes have been used to control obesity and other metabolic parameters, such as glycemia and lipid profile. The aim of this study was to analy…
Green solvents and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of bioactive orange (Citrus sinensis) peel compounds.
2019
AbstractByproducts such as orange peel have potential uses because of their bioactive compounds, which are important for their potential to reduce the risk factors of diseases caused by aging. The lack of effective techniques and the high levels of pollution produced by the conventional extraction of bioactive compounds using organic solvents have highlighted the need to enhance the ‘green chemistry’ trend. This study evaluates the use of ultrasound to extract bioactive compounds from orange peel. The antioxidant capacity, phenolic content, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, and HPLC profile of phenolic compounds from orange peel extracts were obtained by a physicochemical evaluation. The re…
Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Hydrophilic Saffron Extract in a Model of Glaucoma
2019
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). An increase in the intraocular pressure is the principal risk factor for such loss, but controlling this pressure does not always prevent glaucomatous damage. Activation of immune cells resident in the retina (microglia) may contribute to RGC death. Thus, a substance with anti-inflammatory activity may protect against RGC degeneration. This study investigated the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of a hydrophilic saffron extract standardized to 3% crocin content in a mouse model of unilateral, laser-induced ocular hypertension (OHT). Treatment with saffron extract decreased microg…
Screening of herbal extracts for TLR2- and TLR4-dependent anti-inflammatory effects.
2018
Herbal extracts represent an ample source of natural compounds, with potential to be used in improving human health. There is a growing interest in using natural extracts as possible new treatment strategies for inflammatory diseases. We therefore aimed at identifying herbal extracts that affect inflammatory signaling pathways through toll-like receptors (TLRs), TLR2 and TLR4. Ninety-nine ethanolic extracts were screened in THP-1 monocytes and HeLa-TLR4 transfected reporter cells for their effects on stimulated TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways. The 28 identified anti-inflammatory extracts were tested in comparative assays of stimulated HEK-TLR2 and HEK-TLR4 transfected reporter cells to dif…
Cytotoxicity of South-African medicinal plants towards sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells
2016
Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Traditional medicine plays a major role for primary health care worldwide. Cancer belongs to the leading disease burden in industrialized and developing countries. Successful cancer therapy is hampered by the development of resistance towards established anticancer drugs. Aim In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of 29 extracts from 26 medicinal plants of South-Africa against leukemia cell lines, most of which are used traditionally to treat cancer and related symptoms. Material and methods We have investigated the plant extracts for their cytotoxic activity towards drug-sensitive parental CCRF-CEM leukemia cells and their multidrug-r…
Medicinal Plants and Natural Products as Potential Sources for Antiparkinson Drugs
2016
Parkinsonʼs disease is a progressive neurodegenerative dysfunction characterized by the loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system with a consequent dopamine decrease. The reduction of dopamine levels produces neuronal damage, depigmentation of the substantia nigra, and the presence of intracellular inclusions in dopaminergic neurons. Treatments for Parkinsonʼs disease aim for improving these motor symptoms by increasing the dopaminergic signal in the striatum with levodopa in combination with enzyme inhibitors or anticholinergic drugs. Nevertheless, natural products can act as neuroprotective agents by reducing the progression of the disease and the inflammatory pro…
From waste to health: sustainable exploitation of grape pomace seed extract to manufacture antioxidant, regenerative and prebiotic nanovesicles withi…
2020
AbstractPomace seed extract loaded vesicles were prepared as promising technological and green solution to exploit agri-food wastes and by-products, and develop high value-added products for human health. An antioxidant extract rich in bioactive compounds (epicatechins, catechin, gallic acid, quercetin and procynidins) was obtained from the seeds isolated from the pomace of Cannonau red grape cultivar. The extract was incorporated into phospholipid vesicles ad hoc formulated for intestinal delivery, by combining them, for the first time, whit a maltodextrin (Glucidex). Glucidex-transfersomes, glucidex-hyalurosomes and glucidex-hyalutransferomes were prepared, characterized and tested. Gluci…
Litchi chinensis as a Functional Food and a Source of Antitumor Compounds: An Overview and a Description of Biochemical Pathways.
2017
Litchi is a tasty fruit that is commercially grown for food consumption and nutritional benefits in various parts of the world. Due to its biological activities, the fruit is becoming increasingly known and deserves attention not only for its edible part, the pulp, but also for its peel and seed that contain beneficial substances with antioxidant, cancer preventive, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory functions. Although literature demonstrates the biological activity of Litchi components in reducing tumor cell viability in in vitro or in vivo models, data about the biochemical mechanisms responsible for these effects are quite fragmentary. This review specifically describes, in a comprehe…
Ellagitannin-rich cloudberry inhibits hepatocyte growth factorinduced cell migration and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT activation in colon carcin…
2016
// Anne-Maria Pajari 1, 2 , Essi Paivarinta 1 , Lassi Paavolainen 3 , Elina Vaara 1 , Tuuli Koivumaki 4 , Ritu Garg 5 , Anu Heiman-Lindh 1 , Marja Mutanen 1 , Varpu Marjomaki 3 , Anne J. Ridley 2, 5 1 Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, Division of Nutrition, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 2 University College London, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, London, UK 3 Department of Biological and Environmental Science / Nanoscience Center, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland 4 Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, Division of Food Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 5 Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King’s College Lond…