Bioactives in Commonly Consumed Cereal Grains: Implications for Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Composition of Whole Grain Dietary Fiber and Phenolics and Their Impact on Markers of Inflammation

Inflammation is an important biological response to any tissue injury. The immune system responds to any stimulus, such as irritation, damage, or infection, by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. The overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines can lead to several diseases, e.g., cardiovascular diseases, joint disorders, cancer, and allergies. Emerging science suggests that whole grains may lower the markers of inflammation. Whole grains are a significant source of dietary fiber and phenolic acids, which have an inverse association with the risk of inflammation. Both cereals and pseudo-cereals are rich in dietary fiber, e.g., arabinoxylan and β-glucan, and phenolic acids, e.g., hydroxycinnamic acids and hydroxybenzoic acids, which are predominantly present in the bran layer. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the widely reported association between whole grain consumption and a lower risk of disease are not fully understood. The modulatory effects of whole grains on inflammation are likely to be influenced by several mechanisms including the effect of dietary fiber and phenolic acids. While some of these effects are direct, others involve the gut microbiota, which transforms important bioactive substances into more beneficial metabolites that modulate the inflammatory signaling pathways. Therefore, the purpose of this review is twofold: first, it discusses whole grain dietary fiber and phenolic acids and highlights their potential; second, it examines the health benefits of these components and their impacts on subclinical inflammation markers, including the role of the gut microbiota. Overall, while there is promising evidence for the anti-inflammatory properties of whole grains, further research is needed to understand their effects fully.

Causal Associations between Dietary Habits and Chronic Pain: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition with significant impacts on individuals and society. While the role of diet in chronic pain is well-known, the relationship between special dietary choices and chronic pain remains unclear. This study investigates the causal associations between 20 dietary habits and chronic pain using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Publicly available genome-wide association study data from the UK Biobank dataset were utilized for secondary analysis, and genetic instrumental variables strongly correlated with 20 different dietary habits were selected. Multisite chronic pain (MCP) scores were used as the primary outcome, with site-specific chronic pain (SSCP) including back pain, headache, knee pain, neck pain, and hip pain as secondary outcomes. The inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) method was the primary method used in the MR. The weighted median (WM) and Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier test (MR-PRESSO) methods were used as sensitivity analyses. This study identified causal associations between specific dietary habits and chronic pain. A high intake of cheese, cereal, dried fruits, and fresh fruits was associated with lower MCP scores. Conversely, high alcohol, salt, pork, and poultry intakes were associated with higher MCP scores. Similar associations between special dietary habits and some types of SSCP, such as back and neck pain, were also observed. The findings were consistent across different statistical methods, and sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of the results. In conclusion, our study provides evidence of a causal relationship between various dietary habits and different types of chronic pain based on secondary analysis of the UK Biobank dataset. Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet, including increased consumption of fruits and cereal while reducing salt and pork intake, may potentially alleviate chronic pain symptoms.

Topical Intervention of Natural Products Applied in Patients with Pressure Injuries: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

Pressure injuries (PIs) represent a major medical and nursing problem in individuals with decreased or limited mobility. This scoping review aimed to map the controlled clinical trials with topical interventions of natural products applied to patients with PIs and to verify the existence of phytochemical similarities among these products.

DATA SOURCES

This scoping review was developed according to the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Controlled trials were searched in the following electronic databases from their inceptions until February 1, 2022: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PubMed, SciELO, Science Direct, and Google Scholar.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies involving individuals with PIs, individuals treated with topical natural products compared to a control treatment, and outcomes with wound healing or wound reduction were included in this review.

DATA EXTRACTION

The search identified 1,268 records. Only six studies were included in this scoping review. Data were independently extracted using a template instrument from the JBI.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The authors summarized the characteristics of the six included articles, synthesized outcomes, and compared similar articles. Honey and Plantago major dressings were the topical interventions that significantly reduced wound size. The literature suggests that the effect on wound healing of these natural products may be related to the presence of phenolic compounds.

CONCLUSIONS

The studies included in this review show that natural products can positively impact the healing of PIs. However, there are limited controlled clinical trials addressing natural products and PIs in the literature.

The protective effect of quinoa on the gastric mucosal injury induced by absolute ethanol

BACKGROUND

Gastric mucosal injury caused by ethanol is a common gastrointestinal disease. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), as a nutrient-rich grain, plays a significant role in preventing and treating gastric mucosal damage. The present study aimed to explore the protective effect of quinoa on alcohol-induced gastric mucosal damage and its possible mechanism.

RESULTS

The ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury rat model was used for in vivo experiments and H₂ O₂ -induced GES-1 cells for in vitro experiments to elucidate the protective effect of quinoa. The results show that quinoa water extract can increase the superoxide dismutase level and decrease the malondialdehyde level in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, quinoa also reduced the bleeding point and bleeding area in rats with ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and improved gastric histopathological changes. H₂ O₂ significantly increased the levels of inflammatory factors in GES-1 cells, which were markedly ameliorated by quinoa water extract. Likewise, quinoa water extract regulated the protein expression levels of Nrf2, Keap1, HO-1, p-IKK, and p-NF-κB through Nrf2 and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways, reducing the production of oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby repairing the damaged gastric mucosa.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study demonstrated that quinoa shows protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. We propose that our research will provide a reference for quinoa as a functional food. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Exploring Molecular Insights of Cereal Peptidic Antioxidants in Metabolic Syndrome Prevention

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is presently an alarming public health problem globally. Oxidative stress has been postulated to be strongly correlated with MetS, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Cereals are important staple foods which account for a huge proportion of the human diet. However, owing to recent growing demand and the search for natural antioxidants for the prevention and management of MetS, cereal peptides have gained increasing attention for developing functional ingredients or foods with substantial antioxidant properties. This review explores the current production techniques for cereal peptidic antioxidants and their potential mechanism of action in the prevention and management of MetS.

Next Generation Health Claims Based on Resilience: The Example of Whole-Grain Wheat

Health claims on foods are a way of informing consumers about the health benefits of a food product. Traditionally, these claims are based on scientific evaluation of markers originating from a pharmacological view on health. About a decade ago, the definition of health has been rephrased to 'the ability to adapt' that opened up the possibility for a next generation of health claims based on a new way of quantifying health by evaluating resilience. Here, we would like to introduce an opportunity for future scientific substantiation of health claims on food products by using whole-grain wheat as an example. Characterization of the individual whole wheat grain food product or whole wheat flour would probably be considered as sufficiently characterized by the European Food Safety Authority, while the food category whole grain is not specific enough. Meta-analysis provides the scientific evidence that long-term whole-grain wheat consumption is beneficial for health, although results from single 'gold standard' efficacy studies are not always straight forward based on classic measurement methods. Future studies may want to underpin the scientific argumentation that long-term whole grain wheat consumption improves resilience, by evaluating the disruption and rate of a selected panel of blood markers in response to a standardized oral protein glucose lipid tolerance test and aggregated into biomarkers with substantiated physiological benefits, to make a next-generation health claim for whole-grain wheat achievable in the near future.

Consumption of whole purple and regular wheat modestly improves metabolic markers in adults with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein: a randomised, single-blind parallel-arm study

Whole-grain wheat, in particular coloured varieties, may have health benefits in adults with chronic metabolic disease risk factors. Twenty-nine overweight and obese adults with chronic inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) > 1·0 mg/l) replaced four daily servings of refined grain food products with bran-enriched purple or regular whole-wheat convenience bars (approximately 41-45 g fibre, daily) for 8 weeks in a randomised, single-blind parallel-arm study where body weight was maintained. Anthropometrics, blood markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipaemia and metabolites of anthocyanins and phenolic acids were compared at days 1, 29 and 57 using repeated-measures ANOVA within groups and ANCOVA between groups at day 57, with day 1 as a covariate. A significant reduction in IL-6 and increase in adiponectin were observed within the purple wheat (PW) group. TNF-α was lowered in both groups and ferulic acid concentration increased in the regular wheat (RW) group. Comparing between wheats, only plasma TNF-α and glucose differed significantly (P < 0·05), that is, TNF-α and glucose decreased with RW and PW, respectively. Consumption of PW or RW products showed potential to improve plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in participants with evidence of chronic inflammation, with modest differences observed based on type of wheat.

Virtual Prediction of the Delphinidin-3-O-glucoside and Peonidin-3-O-glucoside as Anti-inflammatory of TNF-α Signaling

INTRODUCTION

Anthocyanin is the bioactive compound in black rice, which promotes some health benefits for human body. Present study revealed that black rice anthocyanins improve the biomarker of the metabolic syndrome, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). However, the mechanism of anthocyanin in preventing metabolic syndrome has not been elucidated.

AIM

This study was performed to identify the interaction of six types of black rice anthocyanin towards TNF-α protein and TNF-α receptor through in silico studies, to assess the molecular properties and bioactivity of black rice anthocyanin.

METHODS

We retrieved the black rice anthocyanin compounds from the PubChem database and the proteins (TNF-α protein and TNF-α receptor) from Protein Data Bank (PDB) database. Protein and ligands were docked using Hex 8.0 software and visualized by Discovery Studio 4.1 program.

RESULTS

This study found the possibility that black rice anthocyanins interacted with TNF-α have no influence into TNF-α and TNF-α receptor interaction. The binding of delphinidin-3-O-glucoside & peonidin-3-O-glucoside to TNF-α receptor inhibited the TNF-α and TNF-α receptor signaling. The black rice anthocyanins had low activity as a drug. Interestingly, black rice anthocyanins had a potency as an antioxidant due to the hydrogen donor or acceptor in their structure, as protein kinase inhibitor, nuclear receptor ligand, and enzyme kinase inhibitor.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that delphinidin-3-O-glucoside and peonidin-3-O-glucoside might have function as anti-inflammatory factor related with TNF-α signaling.

A 12-wk whole-grain wheat intervention protects against hepatic fat: the Graandioos study, a randomized trial in overweight subjects

Background

Whole-grain wheat (WGW) is described as nutritionally superior to refined wheat (RW) and thus advocated as the healthy choice, although evidence from intervention studies is often inconsistent. The liver, as the central organ in energy metabolism, might be an important target organ for WGW interventions.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of WGW consumption compared with RW consumption on liver health and associated parameters.

Design

We performed a double-blind, parallel trial in which 50 overweight 45- to 70-y-old men and postmenopausal women were randomly allocated to a 12-wk intervention with either WGW (98 g/d) or RW (98 g/d) products. Before and after the intervention we assessed intrahepatic triglycerides (IHTGs) and fat distribution by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy/magnetic resonance imaging, fecal microbiota composition, adipose tissue gene expression, and several fasting plasma parameters, as well as postprandial plasma lipids after a mixed meal.

Results

Fasting plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids, and insulin were not affected by RW or WGW intervention. We observed a substantial increase of 49.1% in IHTGs in the RW when compared with the WGW group (P = 0.033). Baseline microbiota composition could not predict the increase in IHTGs after RW, but gut microbiota diversity decreased in the RW group when compared with the WGW group (P = 0.010). In the WGW group, we observed increased postprandial triglyceride levels compared with the RW group (P = 0.020). In addition, the WGW intervention resulted in a trend towards lower fasting levels of the liver acute-phase proteins serum amyloid A (P = 0.057) and C-reactive protein (P = 0.064) when compared to the RW intervention.

Conclusions

A 12-wk RW intervention increases liver fat and might contribute to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, whereas a 12-wk 98-g/d WGW intervention prevents a substantial increase in liver fat. Our results show that incorporating feasible doses of WGW in the diet at the expense of RW maintains liver health. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02385149.

Isotopic labelling for the characterisation of HNE-sequestering agents in plant-based extracts and its application for the identification of anthocyanidins in black rice with giant embryo

Reactive carbonyl species (RCS) are cytotoxic molecules that originate from lipid peroxidation and sugar oxidation. Natural derivatives can be an attractive source of potential RCS scavenger. However, the lack of analytical methods to screen and identify bioactive compounds contained in complex matrices has hindered their identification. The sequestering actions of various rice extracts on RCS have been determined using ubiquitin and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) as a protein and RCS model, respectively. Black rice with giant embryo extract was found to be the most effective among various rice varieties. The identification of bioactive compounds was then carried out by an isotopic signature profile method using the characteristic isotopic ion cluster generated by the mixture of HNE: ²H₅-HNE mixed at a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. An in-house database was used to obtain the structures of the possible bioactive components. The identified compounds were further confirmed as HNE sequestering agents through HPLC-UV analysis.

Enhanced Antioxidant Activity of Bioactives in Colored Grains by Nano-Carriers in Human Lens Epithelial Cells

The use of phytochemicals for preventing chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress such as cataracts is hindered by their low bioavailability. The effects of nano-carriers on the antioxidant activities of extracts of black rice with giant embryo (BRGEx) and soybeans (SBx) have been determined in human lens epithelial B3 cells. Scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that rGO (reduced graphene oxide) has a flat surface unlike GO (graphene oxide), which has a distinctive wrinkled structure with defects. UPLC analysis revealed 41.9 μg/100 g of γ-oryzanols in water extract of BRGE, and 111.8 μg /100 g of lutein, 757.7 μg/100 g of γ-tocotrienol, 4071.4 μg/100 g of γ-tocopherol in 40% ethanol extract of soybeans, respectively. Even though a low concentration of BRGEx alone did not show any antioxidant activity in B3 cells, co-treatment of BRGEx with rGO together substantially reduced hydrogen peroxide and methylglyoxal-induced DNA damage, as determined by phosphorylated γH2AX. In addition, SBx with rGO also attenuated DNA damage. Furthermore, intracellular reactive oxygen species were significantly decreased by combining extracts of these colored grains with rGO. These results suggest a potential application of nanocarriers for enhancing the bioavailability of phytochemicals.

Colonic and systemic effects of extruded whole-grain sorghum consumption in growing Wistar rats

Colonic effects of extruded whole-grain sorghum diets were evaluated using a model of growing rats. In all, twenty-four male Wistar rats were fed control (C), extruded white sorghum (EWS) or red sorghum (ERS). Consumption of sorghum diets showed satiety properties, with reduction of caecal pH, and lower activity ofβ-glucosidase andβ-glucuronidase enzymes. Decreased copper zinc superoxide dismutase and manganese superoxide dismutase and increased catalase and glutathione peroxidase levels were observed in colonic mucosa. The induction of antioxidant enzymes occurred through the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 protein and its subsequent translocation into the nucleus. ERS was able to decrease the proliferation of proximal mucosa of colon, demonstrating a possible effect against colorectal tumourigenesis. EWS increased proliferation and also apoptosis, ensuring the re-establishment of homoeostasis of the colonic mucosa. No antioxidant systemic effect (serum or hepatic level) was observed. It is likely that despite the extrusion the low bioavailability of the phenolic compounds of sorghum diets caused them to exert mainly acute effects at the colon level. Extruded whole-grain sorghum is a good functional ingredient that might be promising in dietary prevention of intestinal diseases.

From seed to cooked pasta: influence of traditional and non-conventional transformation processes on total antioxidant capacity and phenolic acid content

The aim of this work was to compare the traditional with a non-conventional (i.e. kernel micronisation) durum wheat milling process by monitoring the content of bound, conjugated and free phenolic acids (PAs) and the level of the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) occurring in the durum wheat pasta production chain, from seed to cooked pasta. The traditional transformation processes negatively influenced TAC and PA content (40% and 89% decrease from seed to cooked pasta, respectively), mainly during the milling process (25% and 84% decrease of TAC and PA, respectively), which has been related to the removal of external layers of kernels. Conversely, the micronisation applied on durum wheat kernels allowed to obtain whole-wheat pasta that preserved the seed endowment of antioxidant compounds even in cooked pasta. These results indicate the micronisation as a valuable approach to produce pasta with improved nutritional value and potential health-promoting effects compared to the traditional pasta.

Establishment of a ternary network system for evaluating the antioxidant fraction of Danhong injection

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in numerous cardiovascular diseases. As an effective therapy, Danhong injection (DHI) is considered to act through an antioxidant mechanism for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In our study, we focused on the potential contribution of the antioxidant capacity of DHI fractions (Frs) and established an innovative screening method based on a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity assay. A ternary network evaluation system, which was constructed based on the radical scavenging activity, the area under the activity-concentration curve and the solid content of the fractions, was implemented to select the fractions that posed the greatest antioxidant effect. As a result, Frs 5-7 and Frs 17-19 were shown to exhibit superior antioxidant activity according to the regression area of the ternary network, which was >0.5. Furthermore, the active fractions were characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with nuclear magnetic resonance. This study provided an effective method for the comprehensive evaluation of the antioxidant effect of DHI fractions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.