Attenuation of arsenic induced high fat diet exacerbated oxidative stress mediated hepatic and cardiac injuries in male Wistar rats by piperine involved antioxidative mechanisms

Comprehensive review of the phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of alkamides (2016-2022)

Alkamides refer to a class of natural active small-molecule products composed of fatty acids and amine groups. These compounds are widely distributed in plants, and their unique structures and various pharmacological activities have caught the attention of scholars. This review provides a collection of literatures related to the phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of alkamides published in 2016-2022 and their summary to provide references for further development of this class of ingredients. A total of 234 components (including chiral isomers) were summarized, pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antidiabetic, analgesic, neuroprotective, insecticidal, antioxidant, and antibacterial, and miscellaneous properties of alkamides were discussed. In addition, the pharmacokinetic characteristics and toxicity of alkamides were reviewed. However, information on the pharmacological mechanisms of the action, drug safety, and pharmacokinetics of alkamides is limited and thus requires further investigation and evaluation.

Melatonin as an Ameliorative Agent Against Cadmium- and Lead-Induced Toxicity in Fish: an Overview

Diverse anthropogenic activities and lack of knowledge on its consequences have promoted serious heavy metal contaminations in different aquatic systems throughout the globe. The non-biodegradable nature of most of these toxic heavy metals has increased the concern on their possible bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms as well as in other vertebrates. Among these aquatic species, fish are most sensitive to such contaminated water that not only decreases their chance of survivability in the nature but also increases the probability of biomagnifications of these heavy metals in higher order food chain. After entering the fish body, heavy metals induce detrimental changes in different vital organs by impairing multiple physiological and biochemical pathways that are essential for the species. Such alterations may include tissue damage, induction of oxidative stress, immune-suppression, endocrine disorders, uncontrolled cell proliferation, DNA damage, and even apoptosis. Although uncountable reports have explored the toxic effects of different heavy metals in diverse fish species, but surprisingly, only a few attempts have been made to ameliorate such toxic effects. Since, oxidative stress seems to be the underlying common factor in such heavy metal-induced toxicity, therefore, a potent and endogenous antioxidant with no side effect may be an appropriate therapeutic solution. Apart from summarizing the toxic effects of two important toxicants, i.e., cadmium and lead in fish, the novelty of the present treatise lies in its arguments in favor of using melatonin, an endogenous free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant, in ameliorating the toxic effects of heavy metals in any fish species.

Insights into the antioxidative mechanisms of melatonin in ameliorating chromium-induced oxidative stress-mediated hepatic and renal tissue injuries in male Wistar rats

Chromium (Cr), a hazardous heavy metal, is toxic to human health and the environment. Severe detrimental effects of Cr on different physiological systems involve oxidative stress. In the current study, sodium dichromate di-hydrate was subcutaneously injected to male Wistar rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg b.w. and experimented up to 14 days to induce alterations in hepatic and renal tissues. Another group of rats was pre-treated with melatonin at three different doses (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg b.w.; orally) and 20 mg/kg b.w. dose was evidenced to provide maximal protection against Cr-induced alterations. The study demonstrated that melatonin efficiently preserved body weight, organ weight, intracellular antioxidant enzymes, and tissue morphology. Furthermore, melatonin was also found to protect organ damage markers, oxidative stress-biomarkers, activities of pro-oxidant enzymes, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and collagen content through its antioxidative mechanisms. Moreover, melatonin effectively decreased tissue Cr content through its metal-chelating activity. Hence, the present study has established melatonin as a promising antioxidant for conserving the liver and kidney tissues from Cr-induced oxidative damage thereby strengthening the notion that this small indoleamine can act as a future therapeutic against Cr-induced oxidative stress-mediated tissue damage.

Critical Review on Nutritional, Bioactive, and Medicinal Potential of Spices and Herbs and Their Application in Food Fortification and Nanotechnology

Medicinal or herbal spices are grown in tropical moist evergreen forestland, surrounding most of the tropical and subtropical regions of Eastern Himalayas in India (Sikkim, Darjeeling regions), Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, a few Central Asian countries, Middle East, USA, Europe, South East Asia, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. According to the cultivation region surrounded, economic value, and vogue, these spices can be classified into major, minor, and colored tropical spices. In total, 24 tropical spices and herbs (cardamom, black jeera, fennel, poppy, coriander, fenugreek, bay leaves, clove, chili, cassia bark, black pepper, nutmeg, black mustard, turmeric, saffron, star anise, onion, dill, asafoetida, celery, allspice, kokum, greater galangal, and sweet flag) are described in this review. These spices show many pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, central nervous system, and antioxidant activities. Numerous bioactive compounds are present in these selected spices, such as 1,8-cineole, monoterpene hydrocarbons, γ-terpinene, cuminaldehyde, trans-anethole, fenchone, estragole, benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, piperine, linalool, malabaricone C, safrole, myristicin, elemicin, sinigrin, curcumin, bidemethoxycurcumin, dimethoxycurcumin, crocin, picrocrocin, quercetin, quercetin 4'-O-β-glucoside, apiol, carvone, limonene, α-phellandrene, galactomannan, rosmarinic acid, limonene, capsaicinoids, eugenol, garcinol, and α-asarone. Other than that, various spices are used to synthesize different types of metal-based and polymer-based nanoparticles like zinc oxide, gold, silver, selenium, silica, and chitosan nanoparticles which provide beneficial health effects such as antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, enzyme retardation effect, and antimicrobial activity. The nanoparticles can also be used in environmental pollution management like dye decolorization and in chemical industries to enhance the rate of reaction by the use of catalytic activity of the nanoparticles. The nutritional value, phytochemical properties, health advantages, and both traditional and modern applications of these spices, along with their functions in food fortification, have been thoroughly discussed in this review.

Piperine attenuates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-induced obesity in Sprague-Dawley rats

Substantial evidence suggests that pepper consumption is associated with a reduced risk of obesity-related complications. However, whether piperine, the main component of pepper, improves obesity-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance and the action mechanism of piperine still remain unclear. We hypothesized that piperine attenuates high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and improves the related metabolic complications in HFD-induced obese rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats were fed a control diet (CON) or an HFD for 16 weeks. Obese rats were divided into 4 groups: HFD and HFD with daily gavage of piperine 2.7 mg/kg body weight (PIP-Low), 13.5 mg/kg body weight (PIP-Medium), and 27 mg/kg body weight (PIP-High) for another 8 weeks. Rats were euthanized after an 8-hour fast, and the liver, heart, kidney, and white adipose tissue were collected and stored at -80 °C. Piperine administration significantly reduced weight gain, plasma insulin, and glucose concentration. For oral piperine at a dose of 27 mg/kg body weight, body weight significantly decreased by 5.7% compared with that in the HFD group. Additionally, oral piperine administration considerably reduced serum triglyceride concentration. Furthermore, piperine administration reversed the HFD-induced downregulation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling molecules and increased the plasma levels of adiponectin and the messenger RNA expression of the adiponectin receptor; additionally, it increased the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B. Overall, oral piperine administration reversed HFD-induced liver lipid accumulation and insulin resistance, possibly via the inactivation of adiponectin-AMPK and PI3K-Akt signaling. These findings imply that piperine could serve as an effective agent for healthy weight loss.

Dietary diversity, diet quality, and oxidative stress in older adults

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between diet quality, dietary diversity, and oxidative stress levels in older adults in parts of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China. A total of 335 participants voluntarily participated in the study from April to July 2021. Laboratory tests and questionnaires were used to obtain general characteristics, dietary conditions, and indicators of oxidative stress. The dietary diversity scores of the participants were 5.20±1.39, the diet quality indices were 56.91±11.14, and most had poor diet quality. The levels of the oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, and total antioxidant capacity were 4.77±1.77, 40.33±9.85, 763.10±245.41, and 1.02±0.14, respectively. The results showed that the diet quality scores of participants were related to dietary diversity and whether the scores passed or not was significantly related to total antioxidant capacity.

The Molecular Mechanism of Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Disorder Caused by NaAsO2 through Regulating the ERK/PPAR Signaling Pathway

Chronic arsenic exposure is a risk factor for human fatty liver disease, and the ERK signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of liver lipid metabolism. However, whether ERK plays a role in the progression of arsenic-induced liver lipid metabolism disorder and the specific mechanism remain unclear. Here, by constructing a rat model of liver lipid metabolism disorder induced by chronic arsenic exposure, we demonstrated that ERK might regulate arsenic-induced liver lipid metabolism disorders through the PPAR signaling pathway. Arsenic could upregulate the expression of PPARγ and CD36 in the rat liver, decrease the expression of PPARα and CPT-1 in the rat liver, increase the organ coefficient of the rat liver, decrease the content of TG in rat serum, and promote fat deposition in the rat liver. In the arsenic-induced rat model of hepatic lipid metabolism disorder, we found that the expression of p-ERK was increased. In order to further explore whether the ERK signaling pathway was involved in arsenic-induced liver lipid metabolism disorder, we exposed L-02 cells to different arsenic concentrations, and the results showed that arsenic significantly increased the expression of P-ERK in L-02 cells in a dose-dependent manner. We further treated L-02 cells with ERK inhibitors and found that the expression of TG, PPARα, and CPT-1 in L-02 cells increased, while the expression of P-ERK, PPARγ, and CD36 decreased. In conclusion, ERK may be involved in arsenic-induced liver lipid metabolism disorder by regulating the PPAR signaling pathway. These findings are expected to provide a new targeting strategy for arsenic-induced liver lipid metabolism disorder.

Ferulic Acid Ameliorates Atherosclerotic Injury by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Lipid Metabolism

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Recent studies have emphasized the significance of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in the development of atherosclerosis. Herein, the effects and molecular mechanisms involving ferulic acid (FA) was examined in atherosclerosis using the ApoE-knockout (ApoE^-∕-, c57BL/6 background) mouse model. Eighteen male ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and then randomly divided into three groups: the model group, the FA (40 mg/kg/day) group and simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) group. As results, FA could significantly alleviate atherosclerosis and regulate lipid levels in mice. Liver injury and hepatocyte steatosis induced by HFD were also mitigated by FA. FA improved lipid metabolism involving up-regulation of AMPKα phosphorylation and down-regulation of SREBP1 and ACC1 expression. Furthermore, FA induced marked structural changes in the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites and specifically reduced the relative abundance of Fimicutes, Erysipelotrichaceae and Ileibacterium, which were positively correlated with serum lipid levels in atherosclerosis mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that FA could significantly ameliorate atherosclerotic injury, which may be partly by modulating gut microbiota and lipid metabolism via the AMPKα/SREBP1/ACC1 pathway.