0 Glyconutrients

Remarkably high anti-tumor activities of DMTreC14 for the subcutaneous and orthotopic graft-bearing mice of lung carcinoma accompanied with apoptosis were revealed for the first time in vivo.

Seaweeds have received huge interest in recent years given their promising potentialities. Their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hypolipemic, and anticoagulant effects are among the most renowned and studied bioactivities so far, and these effects have been increasingly associated with their content and richness in both primary and secondary metabolites. Although primary metabolites have a pivotal importance such as their content in polysaccharides (fucoidans, agars, carragenans, ulvans, alginates, and laminarin), recent data have shown that the content in some secondary metabolites largely determines the effective bioactive potential of seaweeds. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds feature prominently. The present review provides the most remarkable insights into seaweed research, specifically addressing its chemical composition, phytopharmacology, and cosmetic applications.

Pre-diabetes is a disturbing trend in the population, who are at risk of developing type-two diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the effects use of Aloe vera in different doses on glucose and lipid profile in pre-diabetic subjects.This study ...

Fucoidan is one of the dominant sulfated polysaccharide which was extracted from the brown seaweed Turbinaria decurrens. In the behavioral study mice …

Disaccharide glasses are increasingly used to immobilize proteins at room temperature for structural/functional studies and long-term preservation. To unravel the molecular basis of protein immobilization, we studied the effect of sugar/protein concentration ratios in trehalose or sucrose matrixes, in which the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center (RC) was embedded as a model protein. The structural, dynamical, and H-bonding characteristics of the sugar–protein systems were probed by high-field W-band EPR of a matrix-dissolved nitroxide radical. We discovered that RC immobilization and thermal stabilization, being independent of the protein concentration in trehalose, occur in sucrose only at sufficiently low sugar/protein ratios. EPR reveals that only under such conditions does sucrose form a microscopically homogeneous matrix that immobilizes, via H-bonds, the nitroxide probe. We conclude that the protein immobilization capability depends critically on the propensity of the glass-forming sugar to create intermolecular H-bond networks, thus establishing long-range, homogeneous connectivity within the matrix.

The half-lives for spontaneous hydrolysis of trehalose and sucrose at 25 °C are 6.6 × 10[6] years and 440 years. The half-lives for decomposition of the hydrolysis products glucose and fructose are 96 years and 70 days, respectively. ...

Fucoidan is a marine polymer extracted from diverse types of brown algae. This polysaccharide showed great potential towards treatment of different ty…

Aloe vera attenuated IMN-induced gastropathy in rats by the reduction of oxidative stress, inflammation, and improvement of gastric histopathology.

Aloe vera leaf contains some bioactive compounds that have a strong binding affinity toward estrogen receptor as compared to standard drug tamoxifen. In this study, we have found that the IC50 of Aloe vera leaf extract against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) is 23 µg/mL whic …

Laminaria japonica (LJ) and Hizikia fusiforme (HF) are brown seaweeds known to have various health-promoting effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-diabetic effects and possible mechanism(s) of LJ and HF by using both in vitro and in vivo models. C2C12 myotubes, mouse-derived skeletal muscle cells, treated with LF or HF extracts were used for the in vitro model, and muscle tissues from C57BL/6N mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 5% LF or HF for 16 weeks were used for the in vivo model. Although both the LF and HF extracts significantly inhibited α-glucosidase activity in a dose-dependent manner, the HF extract had a superior α-glucosidase inhibition than the LF extract. In addition, glucose uptake was significantly increased by LJ- and HF-treated groups when compared to the control group. Phosphorylation of protein kinase B and AMP-activated protein kinase was induced by LJ and HF in both the vivo and in vitro skeletal muscle models. Furthermore, LJ and HF significantly decreased tumor necrosis factor-α whereas both extracts increased interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated C2C12 myotubes. Taken together, these findings imply that the brown seaweeds LJ and HF could be useful therapeutic agents to attenuate muscle insulin resistance due to diet-induced obesity and its associated inflammation.

The common cold is a viral infection with important economic burdens in Western countries. The research and development of nutritional solutions to reduce the incidence and severity of colds today is a major focus of interest, and larch arabinogalactan ...

Fucoidan extracted from brown algae has multiple beneficial functions. In this study, we investigated the effects of low-molecular-weight fucoidan (oligo-FO) on renal fibrosis under in vitro and in vivo diabetic conditions, and its molecular mechanisms. Advanced glycation product (AGE)-stimulated rat renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E) and diabetic mice induced by high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and nicotinamide were used. Oligo-FO treatment significantly inhibited anti-high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)/RAGE/ anti-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)/transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/TGF-β1R/Smad 2/3/fibronectin signaling pathway and HIF-1α activation in AGE-stimulated NRK-52E cells. Conversely, the expression and activity of Sirt-1; the levels of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 22 (USP22), p-AMPK, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1); and Nrf2 activation were remarkably increased by oligo-FO in AGE-stimulated cells. However, the above effects of oligo-FO were greatly diminished by inhibiting Sirt-1, HO-1, or GLP-1R activity. Similar changes of these pro-fibrotic genes in the kidney and a marked attenuation of renal injury and dysfunction were observed in oligo-FO-treated diabetic mice. These findings indicated that the inhibitory effects of the oligo-FO on diabetes-evoked renal fibrosis are mediated by suppressing TGF-β1-activated pro-fibrogenic processes via Sirt-1, HO-1, and GLP-1R dependence. Collectively, fucoidan-containing foods or supplements may be potential agents for ameliorating renal diseases due to excessive fibrosis.

The aim of this study was to determine whether low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF) can reduce TGF-β-mediated pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial fibro…

Nutraceuticals are gaining importance owing to their potential applications in numerous sectors including food and feed industries. Among the emerging nutraceuticals, d-tagatose occupies a significan...

Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) admissions due to sepsis represent 2 to 11%. Although there are well stablished  therapeutic available, it still is the major cause of death in most ICUs and the leading cause of acute kidney injury. The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of Aloe vera extract on survival rates and kidney histopathology of mice submitted to sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture. Methods and Findings: Twenty six mice were distributed into four groups: Sham - surgery simulation (N=5); Control - Cecal ligation and puncture was performed (N=7); Aloe - Surgery simulation and treatment with Aloe vera extract (N=7); and Sepsis + Aloe - Cecal ligation and puncture was performed followed by treatment with Aloe vera extract (N=7). The animals were observed until death. Kidneys were analysed by histopathology. Kruskall-Wallis test was used to compare the histopathological results. Survival analysis was assessed by Kaplan-Meier statistics and compared using log rank test. A significance level of 5% was adopted. The survival time ranged from 19 hours for the Control group up to 24 hours for the animals of Sepsis + Aloe group, corresponding to a survival time of 1.26 times greater (p0.05). Conclusions: Aloe vera extracts delays mortality but does not attenuate kidney injury in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture in mice.

Low-molecular-weight Fucoidan (Oligo-Fucoidan) is a sulfated polysaccharide that has a variety of biological effects and has also been shown to have beneficial health effects. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Oligo-Fucoidan ...

Food industries typically use Aloe vera as concentrated (100× to 200×) and dried powders in their final products. These powders are obtained by extrusion of Aloe inner leaf gel (ILG) or Aloe whole leaf (WLP); the juice is filtered through diatomaceous earth and activated carbon before spray drying at temperatures below 70 °C. In another process, Aloe inner leaf gel was dried at ~80 °C and mashed to a powder rich in high molecular weight fibres and soluble polysaccharides (ILF). In contrast to ILG and WLP, the ILF sample was cytotoxic for the human intestinal cell line Caco-2 (CC50 = 1 g/l), even at concentrations below the recommended dose for human consumption. At lower concentrations (250 mg/l) with LPS challenged macrophage-like THP-1 cells decreased by 40% the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, whereas the release of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β increased by 35% (compared to untreated but challenged macrophage-like THP-1 cells). Unexpectedly, under the same conditions, the less cytotoxic ILG and WLP, both samples with a lower fibre content, significantly increased (up to 2.4 times) the release of IL-10, while the concentration of IL-1β remained unaltered and of TNFα decreased by 35%. Even more interesting is that a treatment of the ILF sample with activated carbon reduced its cytotoxicity and increased the IL-10 release (3.1 times). Based on these results, we suggest applying an activated carbon treatment on Aloe-starting products, which have high fibre content and have received high temperature treatment, in order to reduce their cytotoxicity and improve their immunomodulatory properties.

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is recognized as a key determinant of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed, exerts beneficial effects in some nephropathy models. The present study evaluated the inhibitory effect of oligo-fucoidan (800 Da) on renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. We established a mouse CKD model by right nephrectomy with transient ischemic injury to the left kidney. Six weeks after the surgery, we fed the CKD mice oligo-fucoidan at 10, 20, and 100 mg/kg/d for 6 weeks and found that the oligo-fucoidan doses less than 100 mg/kg/d improved renal function and reduced renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in CKD mice. Oligo-fucoidan also inhibited pressure-induced fibrotic responses and the expression of CD44, β-catenin, and TGF-β in rat renal tubular cells (NRK-52E). CD44 knockdown downregulated the expression of β-catenin and TGF-β in pressure-treated cells. Additional ligands for CD44 reduced the anti-fibrotic effect of oligo-fucoidan in NRK-52E cells. These data suggest that oligo-fucoidan at the particular dose prevents renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in a CKD model. The anti-fibrotic effect of oligo-fucoidan may result from interfering with the interaction between CD44 and its extracellular ligands.

(2017). Trehalose pathway as an antifungal target. Virulence: Vol. 8, New Antifungal Compounds, pp. 143-149.

Background/Aim: Previous evidence demonstrates that trehalose liposomes (DMTreC14) composed of L-α-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and α-D-glycopyranosyl-α-D-glucopyranoside monomyristate (TreC14) inhibit proliferation and invasion on lung carcinoma (A549 cells) in vitro. Here, we aimed to investigate suppressive effects of DMTreC14 on the growth of tumor on human lung carcinoma bearing mice. Materials and Methods: DMTreC14 composed of 30 mol% DMPC and 70 mol% TreC14 were prepared by the sonication method. Anti-tumor activities of DMTreC14 using the subcutaneous and orthotopic graft-bearing mice of A549 cells were investigated in vivo. Results: The remarkable reduction of volume and weight in subcutaneous tumors on subcutaneous lung carcinoma-bearing mice topically administrated with DMTreC14 were obtained. Apoptotic-positive cells in the subcutaneous tumor slice of subcutaneous lung carcinoma-bearing mice topically administrated with DMTreC14 were observed using TUNEL staining. Lung weights on the orthotopic graft-bearing mice of lung carcinoma intravenously administrated with DMTreC14 were markedly decreased compared to those of the control group. Remarkable decrease in dimensions of tumor area of lung on the orthotopic graft-bearing mice of lung carcinoma intravenously administrated with DMTreC14 was obtained in histological analysis using the hematoxylin and eosin staining. Conclusion: Remarkably high anti-tumor activities of DMTreC14 for the subcutaneous and orthotopic graft-bearing mice of lung carcinoma accompanied with apoptosis were revealed for the first time in vivo.

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is recognized as a key determinant of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed, exerts beneficial effects in some nephropathy models. The present study evaluated the inhibitory effect of oligo-fucoidan (800 Da) on renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. We established a mouse CKD model by right nephrectomy with transient ischemic injury to the left kidney. Six weeks after the surgery, we fed the CKD mice oligo-fucoidan at 10, 20, and 100 mg/kg/d for 6 weeks and found that the oligo-fucoidan doses less than 100 mg/kg/d improved renal function and reduced renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in CKD mice. Oligo-fucoidan also inhibited pressure-induced fibrotic responses and the expression of CD44, β-catenin, and TGF-β in rat renal tubular cells (NRK-52E). CD44 knockdown downregulated the expression of β-catenin and TGF-β in pressure-treated cells. Additional ligands for CD44 reduced the anti-fibrotic effect of oligo-fucoidan in NRK-52E cells. These data suggest that oligo-fucoidan at the particular dose prevents renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in a CKD model. The anti-fibrotic effect of oligo-fucoidan may result from interfering with the interaction between CD44 and its extracellular ligands.

The fucoidan with high anticancer activity was isolated from brown alga Fucus evanescens. The compound effectively prevented EGF-induced neoplastic cell transformation through inhibition of TOPK/ERK1/2/MSK 1 signaling axis. In vitro studies showed that the fucoidan attenuated mitogen-activated prote …

Laminaria japonica is widely cultivated in East Asia, including South Korea. Fucoidan, a main component of L. japonica, protects neurons from neurological disorders such as ischemia and traumatic brain injury. In the present study, we examined the effects of extract from fermented L. japonica on the reduction of proliferating cells and neuroblasts in mice that were physically (with electric food shock) or psychologically (with visual, auditory and olfactory sensation) stressed with the help of a communication box. Vehicle (distilled water) or fermented L. japonica extract (50 mg/kg) were orally administered to the mice once a day for 21 days. On the 19th day of the treatment, physical and psychological stress was induced by foot shock using a communication box and thereafter for three days. Plasma corticosterone levels were significantly increased after exposure to physical stress and decreased Ki67 positive proliferating cells and doublecortin immunoreactive neuroblasts. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that physical stress as well as psychological stress decreased the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the number of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) positive nuclei in the dentate gyrus. Fermentation of L. japonica extract significantly increased the contents of reduced sugar and phenolic compounds. Supplementation with fermented L. japonica extract significantly ameliorated the increases of plasma corticosterone revels and decline in the proliferating cells, neuroblasts, and expression of BDNF and pCREB in the physically stressed mice. These results indicate that fermented L. japonica extract has positive effects in ameliorating the physical stress induced reduction in neurogenesis by modulating BDNF and pCREB expression in the dentate gyrus.

Polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica (LJPs) are reported to have various functional properties, but the effects and mechanisms of LJPs on obesity and its related diseases are unclear. This study demonstrated that LJPs prevented diet-induced obesity in a mice model, and improved obesity-related pa …

Polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica (LJPs) are reported to have various functional properties, but the effects and mechanisms of LJPs on obesity a…