Glyconutrients

Diffuse alveolar injury and pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are the main causes of death of Covid-19 cases. In this study a low molecular weight fucoidan (LMW…

Regular use of glucosamine was significantly related with decreased risk of lung cancer and lung cancer mortality, based on data from this nationwide prospective cohort study.

In current study, we have investigated the anti-oral cancer effects of developed functional beverage, which integrates fucoidan complex (FC) with natu…

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) comprise the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality in both men and women worldwide. CVDs are associated with several risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, dia...

Aloe vera is a functional food with various pharmacological functions, including an immune-modulating effect. Until now, A. vera has never been studie…

Aloe barbadensis Miller, commonly known as Aloe vera has been used since time immemorial for treatment of various diseases such as cancer, inflammator…

Within the human intestinal tract, dietary, microbial- and host-derived compounds are used as signals by many pathogenic organisms, including Clostridioides difficile. Trehalose has been reported to enhance virulence of certain C. difficile ribotypes; ...

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) consists of a group of 11 enzymatic defects which result in accumulation of undegraded glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in lysosomes. MPS is a severe metabolic disease for which only bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ...

Trehalose is a disaccharide of two D-glucose molecules linked by a glycosidic linkage, which plays both structural and functional roles in bacteria. Trehalose can be synthesized and degraded by several pathways, and induction of trehalose biosynthesis ...

Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. is a typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) collected in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (version 2015…

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major cause of irreversible nerve injury and leads to serious tissue loss and neurological dysfunction. Thorough investigation of cellular mechanisms, such as autophagy, is crucial for developing novel and effective therapeutics. We administered trehalose, an mTOR-independent autophagy agonist, in SCI rats suffering from moderate compression injury to elucidate the relationship between autophagy and SCI and evaluate trehalose’s therapeutic potential. 60 rats were divided into 4 groups and were treated with either control vehicle, trehalose, chloroquine, or trehalose + chloroquine 2 weeks prior to administration of moderate spinal cord crush injury. 20 additional sham rats were treated with control vehicle. H&E staining, Nissl staining, western blot, and immunofluorescence studies were conducted to examine nerve morphology and quantify autophagy and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis at various time points after surgery. Functional recovery was assessed over a period of 4 weeks after surgery. Trehalose promotes autophagosome recruitment via an mTOR-independent pathway, enhances autophagy flux in neurons, inhibits apoptosis via the intrinsic mitochondria-dependent pathway, reduces lesion cavity expansion, decreases neuron loss, and ultimately improves functional recovery following SCI (all ). Furthermore, these effects were diminished upon administration of chloroquine, an autophagy flux inhibitor, indicating that trehalose’s beneficial effects were due largely to activation of autophagy. This study presents new evidence that autophagy plays a critical neuroprotective and neuroregenerative role in SCI, and that mTOR-independent activation of autophagy with trehalose leads to improved outcomes. Thus, trehalose has great translational potential as a novel therapeutic agent after SCI.

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is relatively prevalent among the Yemenite Jewish subpopulation living in Israel. Currently, there is no treatment able to modify the disease progression. Trehalose is a disaccharide with protein-stabilizing and autophagy-enhancing properties. In animal models of MJD, tr …

This study aimed to investigate the interactive effect of aloe vera intake and eight weeks’ aerobic exercise on serum BDNF, glucose, and insulin levels in women with type 2 diabetes. In this experimental study, 32 women with type 2 diabetes were selected and randomly divided into four groups of control, supplement, exercise, exercise + supplement. The exercise program was performed 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks (40 min of exercise with 50-60% of heart rate reserve in the first four weeks and 60 min of exercise with 60-80% of heart rate reserve in the second four weeks). The supplement taking groups received 400 mg/kg of oral aloe Vera 3 days per week for 8 weeks. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A significant increase was observed in BDNF levels, insulin sensitivity of patients in the supplement, exercise, and exercise + supplement groups (p=0.001). The glucose and insulin levels, insulin resistance, BMI, and body fat percentage significantly decreased in the supplement, exercise, and exercise + supplement groups (p=0.001). It seems aloe Vera intake and aerobic exercise to have protective effects against development of type 2 diabetes complications in women.

ScholarWorks@Gachon: The Role of Processed Aloe vera Gel in Intestinal Tight Junction: An In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Seaweed Laminaria japonica is widely consumed worldwide. This seaweed has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. Recent studies have shown that Laminaria japonica has multiple beneficial effects for human health, however, little is known about its anti-tumour effects. In the current study, we extracted Laminaria japonica peptides (LJPs) using an activity tracking method and explored the anti-tumour (liver cancer) activity of the peptides both in vivo and in vitro.

Acacia gum (AG) is a branched-polysaccharide gummy exudate that consists of arabinose and galactose. The traditional practice in African-Middle Eastern countries uses this gum as medicine. Traditional use of AG is to treat stomach disease, which can be a potential functional food. In this research, commercially available AG from Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal was investigated as the prebiotic. The experiment employed a pH-controlled in vitro colon model inoculated with human fecal microbiota to mimic the human colon. Fermentation samples at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h were brought for short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography and bacterial enumeration via fluorescent in situ hybridization. Results showed that AG significantly promotes Bifidobacteria proliferation similar to fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) while inhibiting the Clostridium histolyticum group, commonly associated with gut dysbiosis. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate showed a similar trend to FOS (p > 0.05). The AG shows potential against gut dysbiosis, as it promotes gut-probiotics, through modulation of microbial population and SCFA production, especially butyrate.

To investigate whether supplementation with iodine-reduced kelp (Laminaria japonica) powder decreases body fat composition in overweight Japanese subjects, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study was conducted in 50 Japanese subjects with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 and

Glucosamine (GLU) is a natural compound found in cartilage, and supplementation with glucosamine has been shown to improve joint heath and has been linked to reduced mortality rates. GLU is poorly absorbed and may exhibit functional properties in the gut. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of glucosamine on gastrointestinal function as well as changes in fecal microbiota and metabolome. Healthy males (n = 6) and females (n = 5) (33.4 ± 7.7 years, 174.1 ± 12.0 cm, 76.5 ± 12.9 kg, 25.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2, n = 11) completed two supplementation protocols that each spanned three weeks separated by a washout period that lasted two weeks. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover fashion, participants ingested a daily dose of GLU hydrochloride (3000 mg GlucosaGreen®, TSI Group Ltd., Missoula, MT, USA) or maltodextrin placebo. Study participants completed bowel habit and gastrointestinal symptoms questionnaires in addition to providing a stool sample that was analyzed for fecal microbiota and metabolome at baseline and after the completion of each supplementation period. GLU significantly reduced stomach bloating and showed a trend towards reducing constipation and hard stools. Phylogenetic diversity (Faith’s PD) and proportions of Pseudomonadaceae, Peptococcaceae, and Bacillaceae were significantly reduced following GLU consumption. GLU supplementation significantly reduced individual, total branched-chain, and total amino acid excretion, with no glucosamine being detected in any of the fecal samples. GLU had no effect on fecal short-chain fatty acids levels. GLU supplementation provided functional gut health benefits and induced fecal microbiota and metabolome changes.

Trehalose is a disaccharide and fasting-mimetic that has been both canonized and vilified for its putative cardiometabolic and microbial effects. Trehalose analogues are currently under development to extend the key metabolic therapeutic actions of trehalose ...

Dr. Lisa Willis, Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, is introduced by Dr. Lara Mahal (University of Alberta) in this episode of Joint Webinar Series to speak about glycoengineering sialic acid and insights into sex differences in human sialic acid. The Joint Webinar Series is a collaborative effort by GlycoNet and American Chemical Society's Carbohydrate Chemistry Division. The series is sponsored by New England Biolabs. To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/glycowebinar

Glucosamine is an amino monosaccharide with a small molecular weight and has a protective effect against various neurological diseases including multi…

Hyperlipidemia due to a high-fat diet (HFD) is a risk factor for inducing insulin resistance (IR) and adverse effects onpancreatic β-cells in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This relationship may be due to activation of the hexosaminebiosynthesis pathway. Administration of exogenous glucosamin …

The report describes two individuals who suffered from significant hair loss related to alopecia who were treated for a gastrointestinal disorder, C. Diff.

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Researchers have discovered that the devastating bacterial superbug Clostridioides difficile hijacks the human wound healing system in order to cause serious and persistent disease, opening up the development of new therapies to treat the disease.