Feeding tomato and broccoli powders enriched with bioactives improves bioactivity markers in rats

Chemical Characterisation and Antihypertensive Effects of Locular Gel and Serum of Lycopersicum esculentum L. var. "Camone" Tomato in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Blood pressure control in hypertensive subjects calls for changes in lifestyle, especially diet. Tomato is widely consumed and rich in healthy components (i.e., carotenoids, vitamins and polyphenols). The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and antihypertensive effects of locular gel reconstituted in serum of green tomatoes of "Camone" variety. Tomato serum and locular gel were chemically characterised. The antihypertensive effects of the locular gel in serum, pure tomatine, and captopril, administered by oral gavage, were investigated for 4 weeks in male spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were monitored using the tail cuff method. Body and heart weight, serum glucose, triglycerides and inflammatory cytokines, aorta thickness and liver metabolising activity were also assessed. Locular gel and serum showed good tomatine and polyphenols content. Significant reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as in inflammatory blood cytokines and aorta thickness, were observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats treated both with locular gel in serum and captopril. No significant effects were observed in normotensive rats. Green tomatoes locular gel and serum, usually discarded during tomato industrial processing, are rich in bioactive compounds (i.e., chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and rutin, as well as the glycoalkaloids, α-tomatine and dehydrotomatine) that can lower in vivo blood pressure towards healthier values, as observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Consumption of Walnuts in Combination with Other Whole Foods Produces Physiologic, Metabolic, and Gene Expression Changes in Obese C57BL/6J High-Fat-Fed Male Mice

BACKGROUND

Although a reductionist approach has sought to understand the roles of individual nutrients and biochemicals in foods, it has become apparent that there can be differences when studying food components in isolation or within the natural matrix of a whole food.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the ability of whole-food intake to modulate the development of obesity and other metabolic dysfunction in mice fed a high-fat (HF), Western-style obesogenic diet. To test the hypothesis that an n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich food could synergize with other, largely polyphenol-rich foods by producing greater reductions in metabolic disease conditions, the intake of English walnuts was evaluated in combination with 9 other whole foods.

METHODS

Eight-week-old male C57Bl/6J mice were fed low-fat (LF; 10% fat) and HF control diets, along with an HF diet with 8.6% (wt:wt) added walnuts for 9 wk. The HF control diet contained 46% fat with added sucrose (10.9%, wt:wt) and cholesterol (1%, wt:wt); the added sucrose and cholesterol were not present in the LF diet. Other groups were provided the walnut diet with a second whole food-raspberries, apples, cranberries, tart cherries, broccoli sprouts, olive oil, soy protein, or green tea. All of the energy-containing whole foods were added at an energy level equivalent to 1.5 servings/d. Body weights, food intake, and glucose tolerance were determined. Postmortem, serum lipids and inflammatory markers, hepatic fat, gene expression, and the relative concentrations of 594 biochemicals were measured.

RESULTS

The addition of walnuts with either raspberries, apples, or green tea reduced glucose area under the curve compared with the HF diet alone (-93%, -64%, and -54%, respectively, P < 0.05). Compared with HF-fed mice, mice fed walnuts with either broccoli sprouts or green tea (-49% and -61%, respectively, P < 0.05) had reduced hepatic fat concentrations. There were differences in global gene expression patterns related to whole-food content, with many examples of differences in LF- and HF-fed mice, HF- and walnut-fed mice, and mice fed walnuts and walnuts plus other foods. The mean ± SEM increase in relative hepatic concentrations of the n-3 fatty acids α-linolenic acid, eicosapentanoic acid, and docosapentanoic acid in all walnut-fed groups was 124% ± 13%, 159% ± 11%, and 114% ± 10%, respectively (P < 0.0001), compared with LF- and HF-fed mice not consuming walnuts.

CONCLUSIONS

In obese male mice, walnut consumption with an HF Western-style diet caused changes in hepatic fat concentrations, gene expression patterns, and fatty acid concentrations. The addition of a second whole food in combination with walnuts produced other changes in metabolite concentrations and gene expression patterns and other physiologic markers. Importantly, these substantial changes occurred in mice fed typical amounts of intake, representing only 1.5 servings each food/d.

Epigenetic Regulation by Sulforaphane: Opportunities for Breast and Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables that has multiple molecular targets and anti-cancer properties. Researchers have demonstrated several chemopreventive benefits of SFN consumption, such as reductions in tumor growth, increases in cancer cell apoptosis, and disruption of signaling within tumor microenvironments both in vitro and in vivo. Emerging evidence indicates that SFN exerts several of its chemopreventive effects by altering epigenetic mechanisms. This review summarizes evidence of the impact of SFN on epigenetic events and how they relate to the chemopreventive effects of SFN observed in preclinical and clinical studies of breast and prostate cancers. Specific areas of focus include the role of SFN in the regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, inflammation, antioxidant defense, and cancer cell signaling and their relationships to epigenetic mechanisms. Finally, remaining challenges and research needs for translating mechanistic work with SFN into human studies and clinical intervention trials are discussed.

Enhancement of broccoli indole glucosinolates by methyl jasmonate treatment and effects on prostate carcinogenesis

Broccoli is rich in bioactive components, such as sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, which may impact cancer risk. The glucosinolate profile of broccoli can be manipulated through treatment with the plant stress hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Our objective was to produce broccoli with enhanced levels of indole glucosinolates and determine its impact on prostate carcinogenesis. Brassica oleracea var. Green Magic was treated with a 250 μM MeJA solution 4 days prior to harvest. MeJA-treated broccoli had significantly increased levels of glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and gluconasturtiin (P < .05). Male transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice (n = 99) were randomized into three diet groups at 5-7 weeks of age: AIN-93G control, 10% standard broccoli powder, or 10% MeJA broccoli powder. Diets were fed throughout the study until termination at 20 weeks of age. Hepatic CYP1A was induced with MeJA broccoli powder feeding, indicating biological activity of the indole glucosinolates. Following ∼ 15 weeks on diets, neither of the broccoli treatments significantly altered genitourinary tract weight, pathologic score, or metastasis incidence, indicating that broccoli powder at 10% of the diet was ineffective at reducing prostate carcinogenesis in the TRAMP model. Whereas broccoli powder feeding had no effect in this model of prostate cancer, our work demonstrates the feasibility of employing plant stress hormones exogenously to stimulate changes in phytochemical profiles, an approach that may be useful for optimizing bioactive component patterns in foods for chronic-disease-prevention studies.

Extraction, chemical characterization and biological activity determination of broccoli health promoting compounds

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica) contains substantial amount of health-promoting compounds such as vitamins, glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, and dietary essential minerals; thus, it benefits health beyond providing just basic nutrition, and consumption of broccoli has been increasing over the years. This review gives an overview on the extraction and separation techniques, as well as the biological activity of some of the above mentioned compounds which have been published in the period January 2008 to January 2013. The work has been distributed according to the different families of health promoting compounds discussing the extraction procedures and the analytical techniques employed for their characterization. Finally, information about the different biological activities of these compounds has been also provided.

Biomedical importance of indoles

The indole nucleus is an important element of many natural and synthetic molecules with significant biological activity. This review covers some of the relevant and recent achievements in the biological, chemical and pharmacological activity of important indole derivatives in the areas of drug discovery and analysis.

Differential modulation of dibenzo[def,p]chrysene transplacental carcinogenesis: maternal diets rich in indole-3-carbinol versus sulforaphane

Cruciferous vegetable components have been documented to exhibit anticancer properties. Targets of action span multiple mechanisms deregulated during cancer progression, ranging from altered carcinogen metabolism to the restoration of epigenetic machinery. Furthermore, the developing fetus is highly susceptible to changes in nutritional status and to environmental toxicants. Thus, we have exploited a mouse model of transplacental carcinogenesis to assess the impact of maternal dietary supplementation on cancer risk in offspring. In this study, transplacental and lactational exposure to a maternal dose of 15mg/Kg B.W. of dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) resulted in significant morbidity of offspring due to an aggressive T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. As in previous studies, indole-3-carbinol (I3C, feed to the dam at 100, 500 or 1000ppm), derived from cruciferous vegetables, dose-dependently reduced lung tumor multiplicity and also increased offspring survival. Brussels sprout and broccoli sprout powders, selected for their relative abundance of I3C and the bioactive component sulforaphane (SFN), respectively, surprisingly enhanced DBC-induced morbidity and tumorigenesis when incorporated into the maternal diet at 10% wt/wt. Purified SFN, incorporated in the maternal diet at 400ppm, also decreased the latency of DBC-dependent morbidity. Interestingly, I3C abrogated the effect of SFN when the two purified compounds were administered in equimolar combination (500ppm I3C and 600ppm SFN). SFN metabolites measured in the plasma of neonates positively correlated with exposure levels via the maternal diet but not with offspring mortality. These findings provide justification for further study of the safety and bioactivity of cruciferous vegetable phytochemicals at supplemental concentrations during the perinatal period.

Combined consumption of soy germ and tomato powders results in altered isoflavone and carotenoid bioavailability in rats

The efficacy of combinations of food for enhanced anticancer activity is of clinical interest, but there is limited information on the effect of combined consumption on bioactive bioavailability. Male Copenhagen rats consumed diets containing 10% tomato powder (TP), 2% soy germ (SG), neither, or a combination (TP+SG) for 25 weeks (n = 63) or 7 days (n = 24). After 7 days, serum carotenoids were significantly lower after TP+SG feeding compared to TP alone. After 25 weeks, the TP+SG group had significantly lower lycopene and β-carotene concentration in the testes, seminal vesicles, and ventral prostate compared to the TP group and significantly higher urinary isoflavone excretion compared to the SG group. These differences were not explained by mRNA expression of scavenger receptor class B type I, carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase I, carotene 9',10'-monooxygenase II, or activity of hepatic detoxification enzymes. The results suggest interactions between soy germ and tomato powder that enhance isoflavone absorption but reduce carotenoid bioavailability.

Nutritional aspects of phytoene and phytofluene, carotenoid precursors to lycopene

Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between tomato consumption and serum and tissue lycopene (LYC) levels with risk of some chronic diseases, including several cancers and cardiovascular disease. LYC, the red carotenoid found in tomatoes, is often considered to be the primary bioactive carotenoid in tomatoes that mediates health benefits, but other colorless precursor carotenoids, phytoene (PE) and phytofluene (PF), are also present in substantial quantities. PE and PF are readily absorbed from tomato foods and tomato extracts by humans. Animal models of carotenoid absorption suggest preferential accumulation of PE and PF in some tissues. The reasonably high concentrations of PE and PF detected in serum and tissues relative to the concentrations in foods suggest that absorption or metabolism of these compounds may be different from that of LYC. Experimental studies, both in vitro and in vivo, suggest that PE and PF exhibit bioactivity but little is known about their impact in humans. Methods for producing isotopically labeled PE, PF, and LYC tracers from tomato plant cell culture offer a unique tool for further understanding the differential bioavailability and metabolism of these 3 prominent tomato carotenoids and how they may affect health.

Dietary broccoli sprouts protect against myocardial oxidative damage and cell death during ischemia-reperfusion

Cruciferous vegetables are known for antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic effects. In the current study we asked whether dietary broccoli sprouts can protect the heart from ischemia-reperfusion. Rats were fed either control diet (sham and control groups) or a diet mixed with 2% dried broccoli sprouts for 10 days. After 10 days the isolated hearts were subjected to ischemia for 20 min and reperfusion for 2 h, and evaluated for cell death, oxidative damage, and Nrf2-regulated phase 2 enzyme activities. Broccoli sprouts feeding inhibited markers of necrosis (lactate dehydrogenase release) and apoptosis (caspase-3 activity) by 78-86%, and decreased indices of oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and aconitase inactivation) by 82-116%. While broccoli sprouts increased total glutathione and activities of the phase 2 enzymes glutamate cysteine ligase and quinone reductase in liver, they did not affect these in ischemic-reperfused heart. While the mechanism is not clear, the results show that a relatively short dietary treatment with broccoli sprouts can strongly protect the heart against oxidative stress and cell death caused by ischemia-reperfusion.

Changes in nutritional value and cytotoxicity of garden cress germinated with different selenium solutions

The selenium supply in almost all European countries is below the recommended daily intake, and different strategies are followed to fortify foods. In the present work, the influence of germination of garden cress ( Lepidium sativum cv. Ogrodowa) in different selenium solutions (Na(2)SeO(3) and Na(2)SeO(4)) on Se uptake, total antioxidant capacity, glucosinolates, protein, and amino acids was studied. Cytotoxicity in HL-60 human leukemic cell line was also assessed. The addition of selenite (Na(2)SeO(3)) or selenate (Na(2)SeO(4)) led to a significant increment in Se uptake in garden cress sprouts, and the highest Se content was observed at 8 mg/L in both inorganic Se solutions (36-38 microg/g of dm). The Se-enriched sprouts presented a large total antioxidant capacity (142-157 mumol of Trolox/g of dm), total glucosinolate content (99-124 microg/g of dm), protein (36-37% dm), and total essential amino acid content (40-41 g/100 g of protein), and no cytotoxicity on HL-60 human leukemic cells was observed. Garden cress sprouts obtained with selenite solution at 8 mg/L presented the best nutritional qualities and might provide a substantial proportion of Se in European diets. Bearing in mind the high nutritional value of sprouts, these may serve for the production of functional foods.