Mucopolysaccharidosis and Autophagy Controversies on the Contribution of the Process to the Pathogenesis and Possible Therapeutic Applications
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 ...
Trehalose Augments Neuron Survival and Improves Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury via mTOR-Independent Activation of Autophagy
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.
Aloe vera gel extract Safety evaluation for acute and chronic oral administration in Sprague-Dawley rats and anticancer activity in breast and lung cancer cells - ScienceDirect
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…
Trehalose in Machado-Joseph Disease Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy - PubMed
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 …
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) variation to aerobic exercise and aloe vera intake in women with type 2 diabetes
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.
P-268 Seaweed laminaria japonica peptides possess strong anti-liver cancer effects - Annals of Oncology
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.
1 Microbial and metabolic impacts of trehalose and trehalose analogues
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 ...
1 Nutrients Free Full-Text Impact of Glucosamine Supplementation on Gut Health HTML
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.
Effects of Daily Kelp (Laminaria japonica) Intake on Body Composition, Serum Lipid Levels, and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Healthy Japanese Adults A Randomized, Double-Blind Study
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
Manipulation of Gut Microbiota Using Acacia Gum Polysaccharide ACS Omega
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.
GlycoNet#ACSCARB Webinar ft. Dr. Lisa Willis - YouTube
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
Ameliorative Effects of Oral Glucosamine on Insulin Resistance and Pancreatic Tissue Damage in Experimental Wistar rats on a High-fat Diet - PubMed
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 …
Glucosamine promotes seizure activity via activation of the PI3KAkt pathway in epileptic rats - ScienceDirect
Glucosamine is an amino monosaccharide with a small molecular weight and has a protective effect against various neurological diseases including multi…
An injectable particle-hydrogel hybrid system for glucose-regulatory insulin delivery. - PubMed - NCBI
Phenylboronic acid (PBA)-based polymeric hydrogels have been widely considered as one of the most promising insulin delivery system to replace the frequent insulin injections. However, these hydrogels, mostly based on a variety of PBA-containing acrylamide monomers, are still far from clinical reali …
Glucose-Responsive Trehalose Hydrogel for Insulin Stabilization and Delivery. - PubMed - NCBI
Effective delivery of therapeutic proteins is important for many biomedical applications. Yet, the stabilization of proteins during delivery and long-term storage remains a significant challenge. Herein, a trehalose-based hydrogel is reported that stabilizes insulin to elevated temperatures prior to …
Increasing storage stability of freeze-dried plasma using trehalose - PubMed
Preservation of blood plasma in the dried state would facilitate long-term storage and transport at ambient temperatures, without the need of to use liquid nitrogen tanks or freezers. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of dry preservation of human plasma, using sugars as lyopro …
Polymers Free Full-Text Trehalose-Rich, Degradable Hydrogels Designed for Trehalose Release under Physiologically Relevant Conditions
Trehalose, a natural disaccharide, is primarily known for its ability to protect proteins from inactivation and denaturation caused by a variety of stress conditions. Furthermore, over the past few years, it has emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we examine the attachment of trehalose to polymers for release under selected physiologically relevant conditions. The proposed strategies are evaluated specifically using hydrogels undergoing simultaneous degradation during trehalose release. These materials are fabricated via copolymerization of the appropriate acrylamide-type monomers with polymerizable trehalose esters or benzylidene acetals. This provides trehalose release in a slightly alkaline (i.e., pH 7.4) or mildly acidic (i.e., pH 5.0) environment, respectively. Using this method materials containing up to 51.7 wt% of trehalose are obtained. The presented results provide a solid basis for future studies on polymeric materials intended for trehalose release in biological systems.
Trehalose Hydrogels For Stabilization And Delivery Of Proteins - Available technology for licensing from the UCLA
UCLA researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have developed a novel trehalose hydrogel to help stabilize proteins for drug delivery.
Trehalose triggers hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide to participate in melon seedlings oxidative stress tolerance under cold stress - ScienceDirect
Cold stress is an important environmental factor restricting the cultivation of melons in winter and spring. Exogenous trehalose (Tre) can improve the…
1 Genetic determinants of trehalose utilization are not associated with severe Clostridium difficile infection outcome
Abstract. In a case–control study of patients with Clostridium difficile infection, we found no statistically significant association between the presence of tr
Antibiotics pave way for C. diff infections by killing bile acid-alter (...)
Bile acids, which are altered by bacteria normally living in the large intestine, inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, new research indicates. The work sheds light on the ways in which some commonly used antibiotics can promote C. diff infections by killing off the bile acid-altering microbes.