Glyconutrients

The glycocalyx of the endothelium is an intravascular compartment that creates a barrier between circulating blood and the vessel wall. The glycocalyx is suggested to play an important role in numerous physiological processes including the regulation of vascular permeability, the prevention of the margination of blood cells to the vessel wall, and the transmission of shear stress. Various theoretical models and experimental approaches provide data about changes to the structure and functions of the glycocalyx under various types of inflammatory conditions. These alterations are suggested to promote inflammatory processes in vessels and contribute to the pathogenesis of number of diseases. In this review we summarize current knowledge about the modulation of the glycocalyx under inflammatory conditions and the consequences for the course of inflammation in vessels. The structure and functions of endothelial glycocalyx are briefly discussed in the context of methodological approaches regarding the determination of endothelial glycocalyx and the uncertainty and challenges involved in glycocalyx structure determination. In addition, the modulation of glycocalyx structure under inflammatory conditions and the possible consequences for pathogenesis of selected diseases and medical conditions (in particular, diabetes, atherosclerosis, ischemia/reperfusion, and sepsis) are summarized. Finally, therapeutic strategies to ameliorate glycocalyx dysfunction suggested by various authors are discussed.

Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, is a dicotyledonous angiosperm plant. It belongs to the Cactaceae family and is characterized by its remarkable adaptation to arid and semi-arid climates in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. In the last decade, compelling evidence for the nutritional and health benefit potential of this cactus has been provided by academic scientists and private companies. Notably, its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids has been highlighted through the use of a large panel of extraction methods. The identified natural cactus compounds and derivatives were shown to be endowed with biologically relevant activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial and neuroprotective properties. The present review is aimed at stressing the major classes of cactus components and their medical interest through emphasis on some of their biological effects, particularly those having the most promising expected health benefit and therapeutic impacts.

In this video, we speak to Dr. Matt Macauley (University of Alberta), Dr. Chris Phenix (University of Saskatchewan), Dr. David Vocadlo (Simon Fraser University) and Dr. Jagdeep S. Walia (Queen's University) about the glycomics-based research being done on diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's.

Dr. Hans VInk discusses the endothelial glycocalyx: your vascular system's first line of defense.

Current research efforts are centered on delineating the novel health benefits of naturally derived saccharides, including growing interest in their abilities to influence neurologic health. We performed a comprehensive review of the literature to consolidate ...

Polysaccharides are an important class of phytochemicals, and many studies have demonstrated their beneficial effects in the context of a number of pathologies including neurological disorders. Numerous studies have indicated that polysaccharides exhibit neuroprotection through a variety of mechanis …

Provides a unique forum dedicated to research into the biological functions of glycans, including glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans and free oligosaccha

The impact of gum arabic (GA), ghatti gum (GG), and sugar beet pectin (SBP) on the digestion rate of emulsified lipids is investigated in vitro under model duodenal digestion condition. The aim was to understand the role of the interfacial layer surrounding the lipid droplets on lipid hydrolysis in order to control lipid digestion. The emulsifier concentration required to provide the same emulsion droplet size decreased in the order: GA > GG > SBP, demonstrating the best emulsifying activity of SBP. The rate and extent of free fatty acid release during lipid digestion did not differ significantly among the three types of gums in emulsions with D[2,3] < 2 μm. However, considerable difference was observed in emulsions with D[2,3] > 2 μm, and the digestive rate decreased in the order: GA > SBP > GG. The difference in digestion rate was attributed to the stability of the emulsified lipid droplets in the stimulated intestinal juice and the resistance of interfacial layer against displacement by bile salts. The difference of resisting against displacement by bile salts for the interfacial layers was detected with bile salts concentration of 0.025 mg/mL, and all of the pre-adsorbed emulsifiers could be completely displaced from interface by bile salts at 5 mg/mL. Emulsions with SBP were susceptible to Ca2+ and Na+ in simulated intestinal juice, resulting in the flocculation and coalescence of emulsion droplets. A reduction of the surface area of lipids would contribute to a slow digestion. Emulsion stabilized by GG was very effective at retarding lipolysis mainly due to the affinity of linked protein moieties of GG and its hydrophobic binding with bile salts. The knowledge gained in the study has important implications in designing proper emulsion-based systems for controlling lipid digestibility at specific sites within the gastrointestinal tract.

Irregular and long time work schedules not only makes people feel fatigue, but also brings great risks of diseases, due to gastrointestinal disorder and immune dysfunction. Therefore, it has positive...

In vivo an ecological network of polysaccharides utilization by gut microbiota is not only an intense competition but also an impressive cooperation p…

Pages Introduction Dictionary Economic Alternatives Fucose Galactose Glucosamine Glucose Mannose N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Nacetylgalactosamine Sugar

What is the Glycocalyx?

Glycosylation engineering is used to generate glycoproteins, glycolipids or proteoglycans with a more defined complement of glycans on their glycoconjugates. For example, a mammalian cell glycosylation mutant lacking a specific glycosyltransferase generates ...

The present opinion deals with the re-evaluation of konjac (E 425), comprising konjac gum (E 425 i) and konjac glucomannan (E 425 ii) when used as food additives. Following the conceptual framework f...

Background. D-tagatose is an isomer of fructose and is &#x007E;90&#x0025; as sweet as sucrose with less caloric value. Nowadays, D-tagatose is used as a nutritive or low-calorie sweetener. Despite clinical findings suggesting that D-tagatose could be beneficial in subjects with type 2 diabetes, there are no experimental data comparing D-tagatose with fructose, in terms of metabolic derangements and related molecular mechanisms evoked by chronic exposure to these two monosaccharides. Materials and methods. C57Bl/6j mice were fed with a control diet plus water (CD), a control diet plus 30&#x0025; fructose syrup (L-Fr), a 30&#x0025; fructose solid diet plus water (S-Fr), a control diet plus 30&#x0025; D-tagatose syrup (L-Tg), or a 30&#x0025; D-tagatose solid diet plus water (S-Tg), during 24 weeks. Results. Both solid and liquid fructose feeding led to increased body weight, abnormal systemic glucose homeostasis, and an altered lipid profile. These effects were associated with vigorous increase in oxidative markers. None of these metabolic abnormalities were detected when mice were fed with both the solid and liquid D-tagatose diets, either at the systemic or at the local level. Interestingly, both fructose formulations led to significant Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) accumulation in mouse hearts, as well as a robust increase in both myocardial AGE receptor (RAGE) expression and NF-&#x03BA;B activation. In contrast, no toxicological effects were shown in hearts of mice chronically exposed to liquid or solid D-tagatose. Conclusion. Our results clearly suggest that chronic overconsumption of D-tagatose in both formulations, liquid or solid, does not exert the same deleterious metabolic derangements evoked by fructose administration, due to differences in carbohydrate interference with selective proinflammatory and oxidative stress cascades.

Improvements in health care and lifestyle have led to an elevated lifespan and increased focus on age-associated diseases, such as neurodegeneration, …

The appearance of the endothelial glycocalyx in Question 18 from the second paper of 2014 demonstrates that this topic has high penetrance and popularity among the college examiners. For a more thorough overview, the pathologically curious reader is directed to Weinbaum et al (2007)- The Structure and Function of the Endothelial Glycocalyx Layer. Additionally, there is an entire website devoted to the activities of a glycocalyx research team, which features professional-looking diagrams and a list of recent publications. For the rest of us, a brief summary will suffice. Owing to certain cognitive defects on the part of the author, the summary offered below can hardly be described as brief. Fortunately, a brilliant LITFL CCC alternative waits to rescue the time-poor exam candidate.

Mushrooms have long been used for medicinal and food purposes for over a thousand years, but a complete elucidation of the health-promoting properties of mushrooms through regulating gut microbiota has not yet been fully exploited. Mushrooms comprise ...