Determination of S-methyl-L-methionine (SMM) from Brassicaceae Family Vegetables and Characterization of the Intestinal Transport of SMM by Caco-2 Cells

Association and Interaction Effect of BHMT Gene Polymorphisms and Maternal Dietary Habits with Ventricular Septal Defect in Offspring

This study attempted to learn the association between maternal betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) gene polymorphisms, maternal dietary habits, and their interactions with the risk of ventricular septal defects (VSD) in offspring. A total of 426 mothers of VSD children and 740 control mothers were included in the study. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the level of associations and interaction effects. Our study suggested that mothers reporting excessive intake of smoked foods (aOR = 2.44, 95%CI: 1.89–3.13), barbecued foods (aOR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.39–2.48), fried foods (aOR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.51–2.46), and pickled vegetables (aOR = 2.50, 95%CI: 1.92–3.25) were at a significantly higher risk of VSD in offspring, instead, mothers reporting regular intake of fresh fruits (aOR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.36–0.62), fish and shrimp (aOR = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.28–0.44), fresh eggs, (aOR = 0.56, 95%CI: 0.45–0.71), beans (aOR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.56–0.83), and milk products (aOR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.56–0.80) were at a lower risk of VSD in offspring. In addition, maternal BHMT gene polymorphisms at rs1316753 (CG vs. CC: aOR = 2.01, 95%CI: 1.43–2.83) and rs1915706 (CT vs. TT: (aOR = 1.81, 95%CI: 1.33–2.46) were significantly associated with increased risk of VSD in offspring. Furthermore, a significant interaction between BHMT polymorphisms and maternal bean intake was identified in the study. In conclusion, Maternal BHMT polymorphisms at rs1316753 and rs1915706, dietary habits as well as their interaction were observed to be significantly associated with the risk of VSD in offspring.

Increased Intestinal Absorption of Vitamin U in Steamed Graviola Leaf Extract Activates Nicotine Detoxification

Graviola leaves contain much vitamin U (vit U), but their sensory quality is not good enough for them to be developed as food ingredients. Addition of excipient natural ingredients formulated alongside vit U as active ingredients could enhance not only its sensory quality but also its bioavailability. The objectives of this study were to measure the bioaccessibility and intestinal cellular uptake of bioactive components, including rutin, kaempferol-rutinoside, and vit U, from steamed extract of graviola leaves (SGV) and SGV enriched with kale extract (SGK), and to examine how much they can detoxify nicotine in HepG2 cells. The bioaccessibility of vit U from SGV and SGK was 82.40% and 68.03%, respectively. The cellular uptake of vit U in SGK by Caco-2 cells was higher than that in SGV. Cotinine content converted from nicotine in HepG2 cells for 120 min was 0.22 and 0.25 μg/mg protein in 50 μg/mL of SGV and SGK, respectively, which were 2.86 and 3.57 times higher than the no-treatment control. SGK treatment of HepG2 cells upregulated CYP2A6 three times as much as did that of SGV. Our results suggest that graviola leaf extract enriched with excipient ingredients such as kale could improve vit U absorption and provide a natural therapy for detoxifying nicotine.

Amino Acids Influencing Intestinal Development and Health of the Piglets

Simple Summary

The health of piglets is an important issue in pig production. Nutritional support for intestinal development is a significant component of piglet care, and amino acids are essential for intestinal growth and development. For suckling piglets, the sows’ milk and the maternal environment shape the structure and support the function of the intestinal tract. The composition of milk affects intestinal morphology and the digestive, absorption and barrier function. After weaning, the optimal nutritional strategies of their diet are necessary to guarantee the piglets’ intestinal development and growth performance. Amino acids are the most important ingredient in piglet diets. The aim of this review is to collect and analyze the relationship between amino acid nutrition and intestinal development of piglets, and elucidate the impacts on piglet health.

Abstract

The amino acids and other components of diet provide nourishment for piglet intestinal development and maturation. However, early-weaned piglets struggle with tremendous stress, impairing normal intestinal health and leading to intestinal dysfunction and even death. The high prevalence worldwide of post-weaning diarrhoea syndrome (PWDS) in piglets has led to much interest in understanding the important role of nutrients in the establishment and maintenance of a functional intestinal tract. In particular, the impacts of amino acids on these functions must be considered. Amino acid levels greatly influence intestinal development in weaning piglets. The lack of amino acids can cause marked structural and functional changes in the intestine. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the functions of amino acids is necessary to optimize amino acid requirements of the developing intestinal tract to maximize piglet health and growth performance. This review summarizes the role of specific amino acids (arginine, glutamate, threonine, sulphur-containing amino acids (SCAAs), and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)) that have been proven to be beneficial for the intestinal health of weaned piglets.

The Serum Metabolome Identifies Biomarkers of Dietary Acid Load in 2 Studies of Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND

Dietary acid load is a clinically important aspect of the diet that reflects the balance between acid-producing foods, for example, meat and cheese, and base-producing foods, for example, fruits and vegetables.

METHODS

We used metabolomics to identify blood biomarkers of dietary acid load in 2 independent studies of chronic kidney disease patients: the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK, n = 689) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD, n = 356) study. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the cross-sectional association between serum metabolites whose identity was known (outcome) and dietary acid load (exposure), estimated with net endogenous acid production (NEAP) based on 24-h urine urea nitrogen and potassium, and adjusted for age, sex, race, randomization group, measured glomerular filtration rate, log-transformed urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, history of cardiovascular disease, BMI, and smoking status.

RESULTS

Out of the 757 known, nondrug metabolites identified in AASK, 26 were significantly associated with NEAP at the Bonferroni threshold for significance (P < 6.6 × 10-5). Twenty-three of the 26 metabolites were also identified in the MDRD study, and 13 of the 23 (57%) were significantly associated with NEAP (P < 2.2 × 10-3), including 5 amino acids (S-methylmethionine, indolepropionylglycine, indolepropionate, N-methylproline, N-δ-acetylornithine), 2 cofactors and vitamins (threonate, oxalate), 1 lipid (chiro-inositol), and 5 xenobiotics (methyl glucopyranoside, stachydrine, catechol sulfate, hippurate, and tartronate). Higher levels of all 13 replicated metabolites were associated with lower NEAP in both AASK and the MDRD study.

CONCLUSION

Metabolomic profiling of serum specimens from kidney disease patients in 2 study populations identified 13 replicated metabolites associated with dietary acid load. Additional studies are needed to validate these compounds in healthy populations. These 13 compounds may potentially be used as objective markers of dietary acid load in future nutrition research studies.

In vitro digestion with bile acids enhances the bioaccessibility of kale polyphenols

Kale (Brassica oleracea) polyphenols and dietary fiber have key roles in bile acid binding, and these bile acids enhanced significanlty higher (69.4%) bioaccessibility of certain health-promoting polyphenolics.