The coffee diterpene cafestol increases plasma triacylglycerol by increasing the production rate of large VLDL apolipoprotein B in healthy normolipidemic subjects

The Association between Cafestol and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Cafestol, a bioactive compound found in coffee, has attracted considerable attention due to its potential impact on cardiovascular health. This review aims to comprehensively explore the association between cafestol and cardiovascular diseases. We delve into the mechanisms through which cafestol influences lipid metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function, all of which are pivotal in cardiovascular pathophysiology. Moreover, we meticulously analyze epidemiological studies and clinical trials to elucidate the relationship between cafestol and cardiovascular outcomes. Through a critical examination of existing literature, we aim to provide insights into the potential benefits and risks associated with cafestol concerning cardiovascular health.

Sex Related Differences in the Complex Relationship between Coffee, Caffeine and Atrial Fibrillation

This literature review aims to explore the data of articles published on the association between coffee, caffeine and atrial fibrillation and to analyze any differences between the two sexes. Several factors influence this complex relationship; genetic, environmental and psychosocial factors come into play in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. These factors are expressed differently in women and men. However, the analysis of the literature has shown that comparison works between the two sexes are extremely rare. Most population-based and prospective studies either analyze aggregated data or focus on exclusively male or female populations. This results in a lack of information that could be useful in the prevention of and treatment approach to atrial fibrillation. It is necessary to deepen this issue with dedicated studies.

Mendelian Randomization Identifies the Potential Causal Impact of Dietary Patterns on Circulating Blood Metabolites

Nutrition plays an important role in the development and progress of several health conditions, but the exact mechanism is often still unclear. Blood metabolites are likely candidates to be mediating these relationships, as their levels are strongly dependent on the frequency of consumption of several foods/drinks. Understanding the causal effect of food on metabolites is thus of extreme importance. To establish these effects, we utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization using the genetic variants associated with dietary traits as instrumental variables. The estimates of single-nucleotide polymorphisms' effects on exposures were obtained from a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 25 individual and 15 principal-component dietary traits, whereas the ones for outcomes were obtained from a GWAS of 123 blood metabolites measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We identified 413 potentially causal links between food and metabolites, replicating previous findings, such as the association between increased oily fish consumption and higher DHA, and highlighting several novel associations. Most of the associations were related to very-low-density, intermediate-density (IDL), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). For example, we found that constituents of IDL particles and large LDL particles were raised by coffee and alcohol while lowered by an overall healthier diet and fruit consumption. Our findings provide a strong base of evidence for planning future RCTs aimed at understanding the role of diet in determining blood metabolite levels.

Kahweol Exerts Skin Moisturizing Activities by Upregulating STAT1 Activity

Kahweol is a diterpene present in coffee. Until now, several studies have shown that kahweol has anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic functions. Due to the limited research available about skin protection, this study aims to discern the potential abilities of kahweol and the possible regulation targets. First, the cytotoxicity of kahweol was checked by 3-4-5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, while 2,20-azino-bis (3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt and 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl were used to examine the radical scavenging ability. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to explore the proper time points and doses affecting skin hydration and barrier-related genes. Luciferase assay and Western blotting were used to explore the possible transcription factors. Finally, fludarabine (a STAT1 inhibitor) was chosen to discern the relationship between skin-moisturizing factors and STAT1. We found that HaCaT cells experienced no toxicity from kahweol, and kahweol displayed moderate radical scavenging ability. Moreover, kahweol increased the outcome of HAS1, HAS2, occludin, and TGM-1 from six hours in a dose-dependent manner as well as the activation of STAT1 from six hours. Additionally, kahweol recovered the suppression of HAS2, STAT1-mediated luciferase activity, and HA secretion, which was all downregulated by fludarabine. In this study, we demonstrated that kahweol promotes skin-moisturizing activities by upregulating STAT1.

Cafestol and Kahweol: A Review on Their Bioactivities and Pharmacological Properties

Cafestol and kahweol are natural diterpenes extracted from coffee beans. In addition to the effect of raising serum lipid, in vitro and in vivo experimental results have revealed that the two diterpenes demonstrate multiple potential pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammation, hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-osteoclastogenesis activities. The most relevant mechanisms involved are down-regulating inflammation mediators, increasing glutathione (GSH), inducing apoptosis of tumor cells and anti-angiogenesis. Cafestol and kahweol show similar biological activities but not exactly the same, which might due to the presence of one conjugated double bond on the furan ring of the latter. This review aims to summarize the pharmacological properties and the underlying mechanisms of cafestol-type diterpenoids, which show their potential as functional food and multi-target alternative medicine.

Functional characterization of three Coffea arabica L. monoterpene synthases: insights into the enzymatic machinery of coffee aroma

The chemical composition of the coffee beverage is extremely complex, being made up of hundreds of volatile and non-volatile compounds, many of which are generated in the thermal reactions that occur during the roasting process. However, in the raw coffee bean there are also compounds that survive roasting and are therefore extracted into the beverage. Monoterpenes are an example of this category, as their presence has been reported in the coffee flower, fruit, seed, roasted bean and in the beverage aroma. The present work describes the isolation, heterologous expression and functional characterization of three Coffea arabica cDNAs coding for monoterpene synthases. RNA was purified from C. arabica (cv. Catuai Red) flowers, seeds and fruits at 4 successive ripening stages. Degenerate primers were designed on the most conserved regions of the monoterpene synthase gene family, and then used to isolate monoterpene synthase-like sequences from the cDNA libraries. After 5'- and 3'-RACE, the complete transcripts of 4 putative C. arabica monoterpene synthases (CofarTPS) were obtained. Gene expression in different tissues and developmental stages was analysed. After heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, enzyme activity and substrate specificity were evaluated in vitro by incubation of the recombinant proteins with geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), precursors respectively of mono-, di- and sesquiterpenes. The reaction products were characterized by HS-SPME GC-MS. CofarTPS1 was classified as a limonene synthase gene, while CofarTPS2 and 3 showed lower activity with the production of linalool and β-myrcene.

Coffee extract attenuates changes in cardiovascular and hepatic structure and function without decreasing obesity in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed male rats

Coffee, a rich source of natural products, including caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and diterpenoid alcohols, has been part of the human diet since the 15th century. In this study, we characterized the effects of Colombian coffee extract (CE), which contains high concentrations of caffeine and diterpenoids, on a rat model of human metabolic syndrome. The 8-9 wk old male Wistar rats were divided into four groups. Two groups of rats were fed a corn starch-rich diet whereas the other two groups were given a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet with 25% fructose in drinking water for 16 wk. One group fed each diet was supplemented with 5% aqueous CE for the final 8 wk of this protocol. The corn starch diet contained ~68% carbohydrates mainly as polysaccharides, whereas the high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet contained ~68% carbohydrates mainly as fructose and sucrose together with 24% fat, mainly as saturated and monounsaturated fat from beef tallow. The high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats showed the symptoms of metabolic syndrome leading to cardiovascular remodeling and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. CE supplementation attenuated impairment in glucose tolerance, hypertension, cardiovascular remodeling, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease without changing abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia. This study suggests that CE can attenuate diet-induced changes in the structure and function of the heart and the liver without changing the abdominal fat deposition.

Using mass measurements in tracer studies--a systematic approach to efficient modeling

Tracer enrichment data are fitted by multicompartmental models to estimate rate constants and fluxes or transport rates. In apolipoprotein turnover studies, mass measurements are also available, for example, apolipoprotein B levels in very low-density lipoprotein, intermediate-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein, and are often essential to calculate some of the rate constants. The usual method to use mass measurements is to estimate pool masses along with rate constants. A systematic alternative approach is developed to use flux balances around pools to express some rate constants in terms of the other rate constants and the measured masses. The resulting reduction in the number of parameters to be estimated makes the modeling more efficient. In models that would be unidentifiable without mass measurements, the usual approach and the proposed approach yield identical results. In a simple two-pool model, the number of unknown parameters is reduced from 4 to 2. In a published five-pool model for apolipoprotein B kinetics with three mass measurements, the number of parameters is reduced from 12 to 9. With m mass measurements, the number of responses to be fitted and the number of parameters to be estimated are each reduced by m, a simplification by 1/4 to 1/3 in a typical pool model. Besides a proportionate reduction in computational effort, there is a further benefit because the dimensionality of the problem is also decreased significantly, which means ease of convergence and a smaller likelihood of suboptimal solutions. Although our approach is conceptually straightforward, the dependencies get considerably more complex with increasing model size. To generate dependency definitions automatically, a Web-accessible program is available at http://biomath.info/poolfit/constraints.

Cytology, biochemistry and molecular changes during coffee fruit development

In commercial coffee species (Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora), fruit development is a lengthy process, characterized by tissue changes and evolutions. For example, soon after fecundation and up to mid development, the fruit is mainly constituted of the pericarp and perisperm tissue. Thereafter, the perisperm gradually disappears and is progressively replaced by the endosperm (true seed). Initially present in a "liquid" state, the endosperm hardens as it ripens during the maturation phase, as a result of accumulation of storage proteins, sucrose and complex polysaccharides representing the main reserves of the seed. The last step of maturation is characterized by the dehydration of the endosperm and the color change of the pericarp. Important quantitative and qualitative changes accompany fruit growth, highlighting the importance of its study to better understand the final characteristics of coffee beans. Following a description of the coffee fruit tissues, this review presents some data concerning biochemical, enzymatic and gene expression variations observed during the coffee fruit development. The latter will also be analyzed in the light of recent data (electronic expression profiles) arising from the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project.

Coffee consumption and human health--beneficial or detrimental?--Mechanisms for effects of coffee consumption on different risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Coffee is probably the most frequently ingested beverage worldwide. Especially Scandinavia has a high prevalence of coffee-drinkers, and they traditionally make their coffee by boiling ground coffee beans and water. Because of its consumption in most countries in the world, it is interesting, from both a public and a scientific perspective, to discuss its potential benefits or adverse aspects in relation to especially two main health problems, namely cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of boiled coffee is associated with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. This is mainly due to the two diterpenes identified in the lipid fraction of coffee grounds, cafestol and kahweol. These compounds promote increased plasma concentration of cholesterol in humans. Coffee is also a rich source of many other ingredients that may contribute to its biological activity, like heterocyclic compounds that exhibit strong antioxidant activity. Based on the literature reviewed, it is apparent that moderate daily filtered, coffee intake is not associated with any adverse effects on cardiovascular outcome. On the contrary, the data shows that coffee has a significant antioxidant activity, and may have an inverse association with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Coffee and incidence of diabetes in Swedish women: a prospective 18-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the long-term incidence of diabetes in relation to coffee consumption in Swedish women.

DESIGN

Prospective longitudinal cohort study.

SETTING

City of Göteborg, Sweden.

SUBJECTS

A random population sample of 1361 women, aged 39-65 years, without prior diabetes or cardiovascular disease took part in a screening study in 1979-1981 with questionnaires, physical examination and blood sampling.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The development of diabetes until 1999 was identified by questionnaires in a second screening and the Swedish hospital discharge register.

RESULTS

Altogether, there were 74 new cases of diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes was 475 per 100 000 person-years in women who consumed two cups of coffee or less per day, 271 in women who consumed three to four cups per day, 202 with a consumption of five to six cups per day, and 267 in drinkers of seven cups or more per day. Associated hazard ratios, after adjustment for age, smoking, low physical activity, education and body mass index were 0.55 (0.32-0.95), 0.39 (0.20-0.77) and 0.48 (0.22-1.06) for daily consumption of three to four, five to six and seven cups or more, respectively, with a consumption of less than two per day as reference. Additional adjustment for serum cholesterol and triglycerides attenuated the relation between coffee and diabetes slightly, indicating a possible mediating effect on the effect of coffee by serum lipids.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that coffee consumption protects from the development of diabetes in women.

Reproducibility of the serum lipid response to coffee oil in healthy volunteers

Background

Humans and animals show a certain consistency in the response of their serum lipids to fat-modified diets. This may indicate a genetic basis underlying this response. Coffee oil might be used as a model substance to investigate which genes determine differences in the serum lipid response. Before carrying out such studies our objective was to investigate to what extent the effect of coffee oil on serum lipid concentrations is reproducible within subjects.

Methods

The serum lipid response of 32 healthy volunteers was measured twice in separate five-week periods in which coffee oil was administered (69 mg cafestol / day).

Results

Total cholesterol levels increased by 24% in period 1 (range:0;52%) and 18% in period 2 (1;48%), LDL cholesterol by 29 % (-9;71%) and 20% (-12;57%), triglycerides by 66% (16;175%) and 58% (-13;202%), and HDL cholesterol did not change significantly: The range of the HDL response was -19;25% in period 1 and -20;33% in period 2.

The correlation between the two responses was 0.20 (95%CI -0.16, 0.51) for total cholesterol, 0.16 (95%CI -0.20, 0.48) for LDL, 0.67 (95%CI 0.42, 0.83) for HDL, and 0.77 (95%CI 0.56, 0.88) for triglycerides.

Conclusions

The responses of total and LDL cholesterol to coffee oil were poorly reproducible within subjects. The responses of HDL and triglycerides, however, appeared to be highly reproducible. Therefore, investigating the genetic sources of the variation in the serum-lipid response to coffee oil is more promising for HDL and triglycerides.