Oxysterols and lipidomic profile of myocardium of rats supplemented with pomegranate seed oil and/or bitter melon aqueous extract - Cardio-oncological animal model research

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.

Vegetable oils: Classification, quality analysis, nutritional value and lipidomics applications

Lipids are widespread in nature and play a pivotal role as a source of energy and nutrition for the human body. Vegetable oils (VOs) constitute a significant category in the food industry, containing various lipid components that have garnered attention for being natural, environmentally friendly and health-promoting. The review presented the classification of raw materials (RMs) from oil crops and quality analysis techniques of VOs, with the aim of improving comprehension and facilitating in-depth research of VOs. Brief descriptions were provided for four categories of VOs, and quality analysis techniques for both RMs and VOs were generalized. Furthermore, this study discussed the applications of lipidomics technology in component analysis, processing and utilization, quality determination, as well as nutritional function assessment of VOs. Through reviewing RMs and quality analysis techniques of VOs, this study aims to encourage further refinement and development in the processing and utilization of VOs, offering valuable references for theoretical and applied research in food chemistry and food science.

Splenic Elemental Composition of Breast Cancer-Suffering Rats Supplemented with Pomegranate Seed Oil and Bitter Melon Extract

The aim of this study was to investigate how dietary modifications with pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and bitter melon aqueous extract (BME) affect mineral content in the spleen of rats both under normal physiological conditions and with coexisting mammary tumorigenesis. The diet of Sprague-Dawley female rats was supplemented either with PSO or with BME, or with a combination for 21 weeks. A chemical carcinogen (7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene) was applied intragastrically to induce mammary tumors. In the spleen of rats, the selected elements were determined with a quadrupole mass spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma ionization (ICP-MS). ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in elemental composition among experimental groups. Multivariate statistical methods were used to discover whether some subtle dependencies exist between experimental factors and thus influence the element content. Experimental factors affected the splenic levels of macroelements, except for potassium. Both diet modification and the cancerogenic process resulted in significant changes in the content of Fe, Se, Co, Cr, Ni, Al, Sr, Pb, Cd, B, and Tl in rat spleen. Chemometric analysis revealed the greatest impact of the ongoing carcinogenic process on the mineral composition of the spleen. The obtained results may contribute to a better understanding of peripheral immune organ functioning, especially during the neoplastic process, and thus may help develop anticancer prevention and treatment strategies.

Exploring the Influence of the Selected Conjugated Fatty Acids Isomers and Cancerous Process on the Fatty Acids Profile of Spleen

The spleen, traditionally associated with blood filtration and immune surveillance, has recently been recognized for its role in systemic lipid metabolism and potential influence on cancer development and progression. This study investigates effects of dietary supplements, specifically conjugated linolenic acids from pomegranate seed oil and bitter melon extract, on the fatty acid (FA) composition of the spleen in the context of cancerous processes. Advanced methods, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and silver ion-impregnated high-performance liquid chromatography, were employed to analyze the spleen's FA profile. Our research uncovered that dietary supplementation leads to alterations in the spleen's FA profile, especially under the carcinogenic influence of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. These changes did not align with a simple protective or anti-carcinogenic pattern, as previously suggested in in vitro studies. We observed shifts in conjugated FA isomer concentrations and variations in desaturase activities, suggesting disrupted lipid metabolism in cancerous conditions. The findings underscore the spleen's vital role in lipid metabolism within the body's systemic health framework, highlighting the complexity of dietary supplements' impact on FA profiles in the spleen and their potential implications in cancer progression and treatment. This study adds valuable insight into the complex interplay between diet, disease, and metabolic regulation, particularly in cancerous environments.

The Role of Bitter Melon in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Phytotherapy has long represented a widely accepted treatment alternative to conventional therapy. Bitter melon is a vine with potent antitumor effects against numerous cancer entities. To date, no review article has, however, been published on the role of bitter melon in breast and gynecological cancer prevention and therapy. The current work constitutes the most comprehensive, up-to-date review of the literature, which highlights the promising anticancer effects of bitter melon on breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cells and discusses future research recommendations.

Momordicine I alleviates isoproterenol-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through suppression of PLA2G6 and DGK-ζ

This study aimed to observe the protective effect of momordicine I, a triterpenoid compound extracted from momordica charantia L., on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced hypertrophy in rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes and investigate its potential mechanism. Treatment with 10 μM ISO induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as evidenced by increased cell surface area and protein content as well as pronounced upregulation of fetal genes including atrial natriuretic peptide, β-myosin heavy chain, and α-skeletal actin; however, those responses were markedly attenuated by treatment with 12.5 μg/ml momordicine I. Transcriptome experiment results showed that there were 381 and 447 differentially expressed genes expressed in comparisons of model/control and momordicine I intervention/model, respectively. GO enrichment analysis suggested that the anti-cardiomyocyte hypertrophic effect of momordicine I may be mainly associated with the regulation of metabolic processes. Based on our transcriptome experiment results as well as literature reports, we selected glycerophospholipid metabolizing enzymes group VI phospholipase A₂ (PLA2G6) and diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGK-ζ) as targets to further explore the potential mechanism through which momordicine I inhibited ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Our results demonstrated that momordicine I inhibited ISO-induced upregulations of mRNA levels and protein expressions of PLA2G6 and DGK-ζ. Collectively, momordicine I alleviated ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, which may be related to its inhibition of the expression of glycerophospholipid metabolizing enzymes PLA2G6 and DGK-ζ.

Lipidomic Profile and Enzymes Activity in Hepatic Microsomes of Rats in Physiological and Pathological Conditions

Among the risk factors affecting the development of cancer, nutritional factors occupy a significant place. Pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and bitter melon extract (BME), used for ages in folk medicine, are nowadays used in the prevention of many diseases and as ingredients of dietary supplements. Despite numerous publications on these raw materials or their active substances, their mechanism of action in various pathological states has not been recognized yet, nor has the safety of their simultaneous use been evaluated. The study aimed to assess how dietary supplementation with either PSO, with BME, or both, affects fatty acids’ profiles and their metabolism in hepatic microsomes, as well as the activity of selected microsomal enzymes (COX-2 and CYP1B1). Experimental animals (Sprague-Dawley rats) were divided into eight parallel experimental groups, differing in applied dietary modifications (control, PSO, BME and both PSO and BME) and introduction of chemical carcinogen—7,12-dimethylbenz[a]nthracene. Obtained results indicated the pronounced effect of the cancerous process on lipid metabolism and demonstrated the antagonistic effect of applied dietary supplements on the content of individual fatty acids and the activity of CYP1B1 and COX-2. The applied broad analytical approach and chemometric data analysis confirmed that raw materials, for which potential cancer prevention has been previously demonstrated, may differ in effects depending on the coexisting pathological state.