Central nervous system (CNS) disorders have a complicated pathogenesis, and to date, no single mechanism can fully explain them. Most drugs used for C…

Polysaccharides from seaweeds or macroalgae are garnering significant interest from pharmaceutical and food industries due to their bioactivities and …

Trehalose (α-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-1)-α-D-glucopyranoside) has found applications in diverse food products as a sweetener, stabilizer, and humectant. Recent attention has focused on trehalose due to its contradictory effects on the virulence of Clostridium difficile. In this study, we investigate the …

ackground: Lung cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, has the highest incidence and mortality rates in Taiwan. It can be divided into two types. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancers, which is further divided into adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell lung cancer accounting for approximately 40%, 25%, and 15% of NSCLC cases, respectively. Small cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 15% of lung cancers. Early systemic therapy NSCLC was based on chemotherapy, and immunotherapy is currently under development. Fucoidan, from brown seaweed extracts, shows promise in mitigating radiation-induced lung fibrosis in animal studies, suggesting its potential as an adjuvant for radiation therapy-related lung fibrosis in lung cancer patients. However, the clinical utility of such adjuvant therapy in lung cancer treatment remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of oligo-fucoidan on the survival rate, quality of life, and immunity of patients with lung cancer. Methods: Subjects with Non-small cell lung cancer aged between 20 and 80 were collected from outpatient clinics, divided into control group (n = 7): conventional therapy and fucoidan group (n = 13): received conventional therapy+ oral supplementation of oligo-fucoidan (550 mg × 4 tablets). Data were collected before the study, at weeks 4, 12, and 24 during the study, and to collect 20 ml of peripheral blood, for analysis biochemical data, liver and kidney function, lymphocyte population, inflammation cytokines, and using EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire to assess quality of life. Results: The survival rates of the subjects in the control and fucoidan groups were 20% and 28.6%, respectively. During the study, patients in the fucoidan group experienced a better quality of life than those in the control group, but this difference lacked statistical significance. Oligo-fucoidan increases the CD19 lymphocyte population. The patients in the fucoidan group also had Lower inflammatory cytokine. Conclusion: Oligo-fucoidan holds promise as an adjuvant therapy to enhance the survival rate, quality of life, and immune function in patients with lung cancer.

D-Allulose has blood glucose suppression effects in both animal and clinical studies. The mechanism mediating glucose suppression in animals is contro …

D-Allulose (D-psicose) is a rare sugar and a C-3 epimer of D-fructose. D-Allulose has been reported to have several health benefits via its alteration …

Fucoidan is a polymer of L-fucose and L-fucose-4-sulphate naturally found in marine sources that inhibits p-selectin, preventing neutrophil recruitment to the site of injury. Fucoidan is employed in many studies as a tool to investigate the contribution of neutrophils to pain, showing analgesic effects. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the analgesic effects of pretreatment with fucoidan reported in the available preclinical studies. In addition, we summarized the articles which have studied the therapeutic effects of fucoidan in pathological pain at preclinical and clinical levels. The results of this systematic review reveal that pretreatment with fucoidan is a powerful tool which reduces neutrophil infiltration by 70–90% at early time points. This meta-analysis showed that preventative treatment with fucoidan produced a significant pain reduction. In addition, several preclinical studies have observed that fucoidan treatment reduces the pain that is associated with various pathologies. Finally, fucoidan has also been tested in several clinical trials, with some degree of analgesic efficacy, but they were mostly small pilot studies. Considering all the above information, it can be concluded that fucoidan is not only a preclinical tool for studying the role of neutrophils in pain but also a promising therapeutic strategy for pain treatment.

Although fucoidan has potential use as an anti-inflammatory agent, the specific mechanisms by which it influences signaling and immunomodulatory pathw…

Improvements in health-related quality of life and serum biomarkers (GAGs, liver aminotransferase levels, antioxidant status), as well as liver and spleen size, were found following 3 months of trehalose administration in patients with MPS IIIA and MPS IIIB.

Trehalose (α-d-glucopyranosyl-(1–1)-α-D-glucopyranoside) has found applications in diverse food products as a sweetener, stabilizer, and humectant. Re…

Endocalyx Pro Studies: Fucoidan is the seventeeth module of the GlycoCheck Training for healthcare professionals. After watching this video, test your knowle...

15 early warning signs all point to a single hidden problem. Your microvascular system may be breaking down, and your organs could be slowly starving and you don’t even know it. These early warning signs may be caused by a problem hidden in the smallest blood vessels in your body—your microscopic capillaries. Learn more at https://microvascular.com/.

The gut-microbiota-targeted prebiotic intervention has been a hot topic in the study of health modulation. To examine the effect of fucoidan supplementation on the health of long-cared elderly subjects (88years ± 3.41) with malnutrition (MNA-SF score ≤ 7), an eight-week randomized, single-blind clinical trial was carried out in a community hospital. The subjects were divided into a test group (TG, n = 45), which received the fucoidan supplementation (1g/d) and a control group (CG, n = 20). Preliminary data on metagenomes, plasma metabolomes, prealbumin, twelve cytokines, and clinical records from six people were analyzed. The results showed that with prebiotic intervention, prealbumin, a sensitive nutrition marker slightly increased. Furthermore, in the test group, there were 42 significantly enriched gut microbial species (t-test, p < 0.05), including multiple beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacterium breve, Roseburia hominis, and Lactobacillus acidipiscis), which positively correlated with Medium-Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA)-associated carnitines (octanoylcarnitine and decanoylcarnitine), and chenodeoxycholic acid. The defecation and neuropsychological activities of the participants in the test group also improved slightly. The preliminary data suggests that fucoidan has the potential to improve metabolism, gut function, and nutrition in elderly people by changing the gut microbiota and enriching beneficial bacteria. A larger sample size analysis is needed for a deeper understanding of the effects and mechanism.

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Discover the benefits of allulose for Type 1 diabetes management and therapeutic carbohydrate reduction (TCR). Join us as we explore this promising sugar substitute!

Severe inflammation in joints caused by the detrimental effects of the immune system is termed Rheumatoid arthritis. The unconstrained proliferation o…

Chitosan (CTS) and chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) have been widely applied in food industry due to their bioactivities and functions. However, CTS an…

The applications of fucoidan in the food industry were limited due to its high molecular weight and low solubility. Moderate degradation was required to depolymerize fucoidan. A few studies have reported that fucoidan has potential antibacterial activity, but its antibacterial mechanism needs further investigation. In this study, the degraded fucoidans were obtained after ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide treatment (UV/H2O2) at different times. Their physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were investigated. The results showed that the average molecular weights of degraded fucoidans were significantly decreased (up to 22.04 times). They were mainly composed of fucose, galactose, and some glucuronic acid. Fucoidan degraded for 90 min (DFuc-90) showed the strongest antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with inhibition zones of 27.70 + 0.84 mm and 9.25 + 0.61 mm, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were 8 mg/mL and 4 mg/mL, respectively. DFuc-90 could inhibit the bacteria by damaging the cell wall, accumulating intracellular reactive oxygen species, reducing adenosine triphosphate synthesis, and inhibiting bacterial metabolic activity. Therefore, UV/H2O2 treatment could effectively degrade fucoidan and enhance its antibacterial activity.

Trehalose, a remarkable substance, holds great importance in biomedicine for its anti-inflammatory properties and its capacity to hinder scar formatio…

It is widely acknowledged that dietary habits have profound impacts on human health and diseases. As the most important sweeteners and energy sources …

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) plays a crucial role in metabolism and brain function. Glucosamine (GLN) has been recognized for its diverse beneficial effects. This study aimed to elucidate the modulation of FGF21 production by GLN and its impact on learning and memory functions. Using both in vivo and in vitro models, we investigated the effects of GLN on mice fed with a normal diet or high-fat diet and on mouse HT22 hippocampal cells, STHdhQ7/Q7 striatal cells, and rat primary cortical neurons challenged with GLN. Our results indicated that GLN promotes learning and memory functions in mice and upregulates FGF21 expression in the hippocampus, cortex, and striatum, as well as in HT22 cells, STHdhQ7/Q7 cells, and cortical neurons. In animals receiving GLN together with an FGF21 receptor FGFR1 inhibitor (PD173074), the GLN-enhanced learning and memory functions and induction of FGF21 production in the hippocampus were significantly attenuated. While exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms, the potential involvement of NF-κB, Akt, p38, JNK, PKA, and PPARα in HT22 and NF-κB, Akt, p38, and PPARα in STHdhQ7/Q7 were noted; GLN was able to mediate the activation of p65, Akt, p38, and CREB in HT22 and p65, Akt, and p38 in STHdhQ7/Q7 cells. Our accumulated findings suggest that GLN may increase learning and memory functions by inducing FGF21 production in the brain. This induction appears to be mediated, at least in part, through GLN’s activation of the NF-κB, Akt, p38, and PKA/CREB pathways.

Natural rare sugars are an alternative category of sweeteners with positive physiologic and metabolic effects both in in vitro and animal models. D-allulose is a D-fructose epimer that combines 70% sucrose sweetness with the advantage of an extremely low energy content. However, there are no data about the effect of D-allulose against adipose dysfunction; thus, it remains to be confirmed whether D-allulose is useful in the prevention and in treatment of adipose tissue alterations. With this aim, we evaluated D-allulose’s preventive effects on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 murine adipocytes exposed to palmitic acid (PA), a trigger for hypertrophic adipocytes. D-allulose in place of glucose prevented adipocyte hypertrophy and the activation of adipogenic markers C/EBP-β and PPARγ induced by high PA concentrations. Additionally, D-allulose pretreatment inhibited the NF-κB pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by PA, through activation of the Nrf2 pathway. Interestingly, these effects were also observed as D-allulose post PA treatment. Although our data need to be confirmed through in vivo models, our findings suggest that incorporating D-allulose as a glucose substitute in the diet might have a protective role in adipocyte function and support a unique mechanism of action in this sugar as a preventive or therapeutic compound against PA lipotoxicity through the modulation of pathways connected to lipid transport and metabolism.

Inflammation is the initial response of the immune system to potentially harmful stimuli (e.g., injury, stress, and infections). The process involves activation of macrophages and neutrophils, which produce mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin ...

Acacia gum is the most popular exudate gum largely obtained from Acacia senegal. Similar to other exudate gums, its production from Acacia tree is cau…

Gum ghatti, popularly known as Indian gum and obtained from Anogeissus latifolia, is a complex high-molecular-weight, water-soluble, and swellable nonstarch polysaccharide comprised of magnesium and calcium salts of ghattic acids and multiple monosugars. Unlike other nontimber forest produce, gums ghatti is a low-volume but high-value product. It has several applications and is widely used as food, in pharmaceuticals, and for wastewater treatment and hydrogel formation, and it has attracted a great deal of attention in the fields of energy, environmental science, and nanotechnology. Industrial applications of gum ghatti are primarily due to its excellent emulsification, stabilization, thickening, heat tolerance, pH stability, carrier, and biodegradable properties. However, utilization of gum ghatti is poorly explored and implemented due to a lack of knowledge of its production, processing, and properties. Nevertheless, there has been interest among investigators in recent times for exploring its production, processing, molecular skeleton, and functional properties. This present review focuses on production scenarios, processing aspects, structural and functional properties, and potential applications in the food, pharmaceuticals, nonfood, and other indigenous and industrial usages.

Trehalose metabolism variants are common in C. difficile. Increases in total dietary trehalose during the early-mid 2000s C. difficile epidemic were likely relatively minimal. Alternative explanations are required to explain why ribotype-027, ribotype-078 and ribotype-017 have been successful.

Abstract. In a case–control study of patients with Clostridium difficile infection, we found no statistically significant association between the presence of tr

Sugar consumption is known to be associated with a whole range of adverse health effects, including overweight status and type II diabetes mellitus. In 2015, the World Health Organization issued a guideline recommending the reduction of sugar intake. In this context, alternative sweeteners have gained interest as sugar substitutes to achieve this goal without loss of the sweet taste. This review aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature and establish a reference tool for selected conventional sweeteners (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) and alternative sweeteners (sucralose, xylitol, erythritol, and D-allulose), specifically focusing on their important metabolic effects. The results show that alternative sweeteners constitute a diverse group, and each substance exhibits one or more metabolic effects. Therefore, no sweetener can be considered to be inert. Additionally, xylitol, erythritol, and D-allulose seem promising as alternative sweeteners due to favorable metabolic outcomes. These alternative sweeteners replicate the benefits of sugars (e.g., sweetness and gastrointestinal hormone release) while circumventing the detrimental effects of these substances on human health.