Effect of flavonoids in preclinical models of experimental obesity

Anti-Obesity Effect of Jeju Roasted Citrus Peel Extract in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice and 3T3-L1 Adipocytes Via Lipid Metabolism Regulation

Lipid accumulation in adipocytes occurs through multifactorial effects such as overnutrition due to unbalanced eating habits, reduced physical activity, and genetic factors. In addition, obesity can be intensified by the dis-regulation of various metabolic systems such as differentiation, lipogenesis, lipolysis, and energy metabolism of adipocytes. In this study, the Jeju roasted peel extract from Citrus unshiu S.Markov. (JRC), which is discarded as opposed to the pulp of C. unshiu S.Markov., is commonly consumed to ameliorate obesity. To investigate the anti-obesity effect of JRC, these studies were conducted on differentiated 3T3-L1 cells and in high-fat diet-induced mice, and related methods were used to confirm whether it decreased lipid accumulation in adipocytes. The mechanism of inhibiting obesity by JRC was confirmed through mRNA expression studies. JRC suppressed lipid accumulation in adipocytes and adipose tissue, and significantly improved enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase and serum lipid profiles. In addition, it effectively modulated the expression of genes related to lipid and energy metabolism in adipose tissue. As a result, these findings suggest that JRC could be a therapeutic regulator of body fat accumulation by significantly alleviating the dis-regulation of intracellular lipid metabolism in adipocytes and by enhancement of energy metabolism (Approval No. CNU IACUC-YB-2023-98).

Discovery of bioactive-chemical Q-markers of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus leaves: An integrated strategy of plant metabolomics, fingerprint and spectrum-efficacy relationship research

An integrated bioactive-chemical quality markers (Q-markers) discovery strategy, which was based on the LC-MS plant metabolomics, HPLC fingerprint as well as the chemical spectrum-efficacy relationships, was designed to develop a methodology for accurate and comprehensive evaluation of the quality of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus leaves (ASL). Firstly, a high resolution and sensitivity UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS method was used for plant metabolomics analysis to obtain component characterization and screen potential chemical markers that differentiate between different harvesting periods. A total of 53 chemical components were identified, and 8 potential chemical markers were discovered, such as sucrose, maltol and phenylalanine. Secondly, a selective HPLC fingerprint analysis of ASL and its pancreatic lipase activity assay method was successfully investigated in vitro. In the study of chemical spectrum-efficacy relationships, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and hyperoside were screened and showed the inhibited pancreatic lipase activity with IC50 values, 0.16 ± 0.01, 0.13 ± 0.01, 0.31 ± 0.01, and 0.44 ± 0.02 mg/mL, respectively, which indicated the above four constituents were selected as the bioactive-chemical Q-markers of ASL. Finally, an accurate and reliable quantitative HPLC assay was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of four bioactive-chemical Q-markers in ASL, and their content levels in ASL varied widely in different harvesting periods. The systematic and efficient screening strategy for bioactive-chemical Q-markers in this study, based on " LC-MS plant metabolomics, HPLC fingerprint, and spectrum-efficacy relationships," could have effectively improved the quality assessment level of ASL.

Prebiotic Activity of Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) Shell on Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium Strains: A Medicinal Food Ingredient

Pequi is a native and popular fruit in Cerrado biome. The internal yellow-orange mesocarp is the edible fraction of the fruit, but its shell (peel and external mesocarp), which comprises 80% of the fruit, is not used by the agro-industry during fruit processing. There is a growing interest in the reduction of food loss and waste because of environmental, economic, and social impacts. So this study evaluated the chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro prebiotic activity of pequi shell flour. Pequi shell flour was obtained from the lyophilization and milling of pequi shell. The content of dietary fibers, oligosaccharides, sugars, organic acids, total phenolics and tannins, polyphenol profile, and antioxidant capacity was determined in pequi shell flour. In addition, its prebiotic activity was evaluated on growth and metabolism of probiotics Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains. Pequi shell flour has a high content of dietary fibers (47.92 g/100 g), soluble fibers (18.65 g/100 g), raffinose (2.39 g/100 g), and phenolic compounds (14,062.40 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g). For the first time, the polyphenols epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2 were identified in this by-product. Pequi shell flour promoted greater growth of Lacticaseibacillus casei L-26 (at 24-48 h) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, as well as higher prebiotic activity scores than fructooligosaccharides (standard prebiotic). Pequi shell flour is rich in prebiotic compounds and has a high antioxidant and prebiotic potential. The promising results encourage its use as an ingredient with antioxidant and potential prebiotic properties to elaborate new functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Dietary supplementation with casein/cyanidin-3-O-glucoside nanoparticles alters the gut microbiota in high-fat fed C57BL/6 mice

This study aims to investigate the dietary intervention effect of casein/cyanidin-3-O-glucoside nanoparticles (Cs-C3G) on high-fat-diet (HFD)induced gut microbiota disorders. In HFD-fed C57BL/6mice, Cs-C3G has ameliorated HFD-caused fat accumulation and liver oxidative stress. Cs-C3G as a dietary supplementation can restore the abundance and diversity of gut microbiota with descending the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, increasing some beneficial microorganisms, and reducing some opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. In general, Cs-C3G has a effect on regulating the disturbance of gut microbiota, and then prevents HFD-induced obesity and liver damage.

Polyphenol-rich oolong tea alleviates obesity and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice

Obesity is a major public health issue worldwide. Oolong tea (OT), which is partially fermented from Camellia sinensis leaves, has proven health benefits and potential preventive applications in multiple studies. However, research on the role of OT in obesity prevention and potential mechanisms is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulatory effects of OT intervention on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and gut microbiota dysbiosis using an obese mouse model. Our results showed that 8-week OT supplementation with 93.94% polyphenols significantly decreased body weight gain, adipose tissue mass, and serum levels of triglyceride (2.60 mmol/L), cholesterol (5.49 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.61 mmol/L) in HFD-fed mice. Meanwhile, OT intervention was observed to improve fat accumulation, hepatic damage, glucose intolerance, and endotoxemia and alleviate inflammation by decreasing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors. OT also upregulated the expression of genes including Srebf1, Ppara, Lxra, Pgc1a, and Hsl and downregulated the expression of genes including Leptin, Il-6, and Il-1b. In addition, the gut dysbiosis characterized by decreased flora diversity and increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in obese mice was recovered by OT intervention. Certain differentially abundant microbes caused by HFD feeding, including Enterococcus, Intestinimonas, Blautia, and Bilophila, were also improved by OT treatment. This study demonstrated that OT, as a novel resource of dietary polyphenols, exhibited a protective effect on HFD-induced obesity and gut microbiota disorder.

Genistein-Opportunities Related to an Interesting Molecule of Natural Origin

Nowadays, increasingly more attention is being paid to a holistic approach to health, in which diet contributes to disease prevention. There is growing interest in functional food that not only provides basic nutrition but has also been demonstrated to be an opportunity for the prevention of disorders. A promising functional food is soybean, which is the richest source of the isoflavone, genistein. Genistein may be useful in the prevention and treatment of such disorders as psoriasis, cataracts, cystic fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. However, achievable concentrations of genistein in humans are low, and the use of soybean as a functional food is not devoid of concerns, which are related to genistein's potential side effects resulting from its estrogenic and goitrogenic effects.

Natural Dietary and Medicinal Plants with Anti-Obesity Therapeutics Activities for Treatment and Prevention of Obesity during Lock Down and in Post-COVID-19 Era

Overweight and obesity have become global epidemics, especially during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential of medicinal plants as a better and safe option in treating obesity and overweight has gained attention in recent years. Obesity and overweight has become a major public health concern, and its incidence rising at an alarming rate. Obesity is one of the major types of metabolic syndrome, resulting in various types of problems such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and excess fat accumulation. The current searching was done by the keywords in main indexing systems including Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, the search engine of Google Scholar, and Institute for Scientific Web of Science. The keywords were traditional medicine, health benefits, pharmaceutical science, pomegranate, punicalin, punicalagin, and ellagitannins. Google Scholar was searched manually for possible missing manuscripts, and there was no language restriction in the search. This review was carried out to highlight the importance of medicinal plants which are common in traditional medicinal sciences of different countries, especially Asia to prevent and treatment of obesity and overweight during the global pandemic and the post-COVID-19 era.