Pomegranate peel attenuates dextran sulfate sodium-induced lipid peroxidation in rat small intestine by enhancing the glutathione/glutathione disulfide redox potential

The power of Punica granatum: A natural remedy for oxidative stress and inflammation; a narrative review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pomegranate 'Punica granatum' offers multiple health benefits, including managing hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and enhancing wound healing and infection resistance, thanks to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been symbolized by life, health, femininity, fecundity, and spirituality.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Although laboratory and animal studies have been conducted on the healing effects of pomegranate, there needs to be a comprehensive review on its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in chronic disorders. We aim to provide a comprehensive review of these effects based on in-vitro, in-vivo, and clinical studies conducted in managing various disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search of in-vitro, in-vivo, and clinical findings of pomegranate and its derivatives focusing on the highly qualified original studies and systematic reviews are carried out in valid international web databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library.

RESULTS

Relevant studies have demonstrated that pomegranate and its derivatives can modulate the expression and activity of several genes, enzymes, and receptors through influencing oxidative stress and inflammation pathways. Different parts of pomegranate; roots, bark, blossoms, fruits, and leaves contain various bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and ellagitannins, that have preventive and therapeutic effects against many disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurological diseases, and cancers without any serious adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Most recent scientific evidence indicates that all parts of the pomegranate can be helpful in treating a wide range of chronic disorders due to its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Since the safety of pomegranate fruit, juice, and extracts is established, further investigations can be designed by targeting its active antioxidant and anti-inflammatory constituents to discover new drugs.

Crosstalk between dietary pomegranate and gut microbiota: evidence of health benefits

Gut microbiota (GM) is an invisible organ that plays an important role in human health. Increasing evidence suggests that polyphenols in pomegranate (punicalagin, PU) could serve as prebiotics to modulate the composition and function of GM. In turn, GM transform PU into bioactive metabolites such as ellagic acid (EA) and urolithin (Uro). In this review, the interplay between pomegranate and GM is thoroughly described by unveiling a dialog in which both actors seem to affect each other's roles. In a first dialog, the influence of bioactive compounds from pomegranate on GM is described. The second act shows how the GM biotransform pomegranate phenolics into Uro. Finally, the health benefits of Uro and that related molecular mechanism are summarized and discussed. Intake of pomegranate promotes beneficial bacteria in GM (e.g. Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp.) while reducing the growth of harmful bacteria (e.g. Bacteroides fragilis group, Clostridia). Akkermansia muciniphila, and Gordonibacter spp., among others, biotransform PU and EA into Uro. Uro contributes to strengthening intestinal barrier and reducing inflammatory processes. Yet, Uro production varies greatly among individuals and depend on GM composition. Uro-producing bacteria and precise metabolic pathways need to be further elucidated therefore contributing to personalized and precision nutrition.

Huang Bai Jian Pi decoction alleviates diarrhea and represses inflammatory injury via PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway: In vivo and in vitro studies

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Huang Bai Jian Pi (HBJP) decoction, a Chinese herbal formula based on the Pulsatilla decoction (PD) and Si Junzi decoction, is efficacy to treat clinical diarrhea in calves.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The mechanism of HBJP decoction to treat calf diarrhea remains unclear. This study was to investigate the therapeutic effect and anti-inflammatory mechanism of HBJP decoction on diarrhea in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-six Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, PD group and three treated groups with HBJP decoction. The diarrheal model in rats was established by multiple factors including high-sugar and fat diet, high temperature and dampness environment, biological pathogenic factors. The diarrheal animals were treated with HBJP decoction or PD for 5 days. The inflammatory model of the intestinal epithelioid cell line 6 (IEC-6) was induced by TNF-α. The clinical symptoms, blood routine and biochemistry parameters, histopathology of main organs were detected. The proteins associated with PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway and the expression levels of cytokines associated with inflammation were detected in vivo and in vitro by Western blot and ELISA.

RESULTS

The model rats showed obvious diarrheal symptoms, and the obvious systemic inflammatory response accompanied with abnormal change in blood routine, biochemistry parameters and histopathology. HBJP decoction alleviated obviously the clinical symptoms, and pathological changes of the liver, colon and lung, and abnormal blood routine and biochemistry indexes in rats. The expression of P-PI3K, P-Akt, P-NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-6 was significantly increased, and the expression of IL-10 was markedly decreased in diarrheal rats and IEC-6 with inflammation. HBJP decoction significantly inhibited the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signal pathway and adjusted the expression of these inflammatory cytokines.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding suggested that HBJP decoction alleviate the inflammation in diarrhea through inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signal pathway, which provides scientific evidences for the clinical application of HBJP decoction in diarrhea.

Butyric acid glycerides in the diet of broilers to replace conventional growth promoters: effects on performance, metabolism, and intestinal health

This study aimed to determine whether butyric acid glycerides can replace conventional growth promoters, favour intestinal health, and improve performance. A total of 420 birds were used, divided into four groups with seven repetitions per group (n = 15), as follows: NC, negative control (no promoter); PC, positive control (basal diet + enramycin + salinomycin); MDT-BUT, a diet supplemented with mono-, di-, and triglycerides of butyric acid; TRI-BUT, a diet supplemented with tributyrin of butyric acid glycerides. Productive performance was measured on days 1, 21, 35, and 42. Excreta were collected for counting Escherichia coli and coliforms on days 21 and 42. Blood samples were collected at 42 days of age to analyse oxidant/antioxidant status, and the intestine was removed for intestinal morphometry. From 1 to 42 days, there was greater body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion in the PC, MDT-BUT, and TRI-BUT groups than in the NC group; the production efficiency index was 21.10% higher in all groups than in the NC group (p = 0.001). At 21 days, there were lower E. coli counts of 86.8% in the TRI-BUT and 99.7% in PC groups than in the NC and MDT-BUT groups (p < 0.001), while at 42 days, lower counts were found in the PC, MDT-BUT, and TRI-BUT groups than the NC group (p < 0.001). There were lower total protein and globulin levels in the MDT-BUT and TRI-BUT groups than in the NC group (p = 0.001). Cholesterol levels were lower in the TRI-BUT group, followed by MDT-BUT and PC groups, than in the NC group (p = 0.001), while lower triglyceride levels were found in the TRI-BUT group than in the NC and PC groups (p = 0.001). There were lower levels of lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species in the TRI-BUT group, followed by the PC group than the NC group (p < 0.001); on the other hand, there were higher protein thiol levels in the TRI-BUT group than the NC group (p = 0.041). The villus:crypt ratio increase was 79.4% in the TRI-BUT group, followed by the 45.1% PC and 19.8% MDT-BUT groups than the NC (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that adding butyric acid confers antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and improves birds' production efficiency, intestinal health, and metabolism. Butyric acid glycerides are an effective alternative to conventional growth promoters.