Heat-Treated Solar Sea Salt Has Antioxidant Activity In Vitro and Produces Less Oxidative Stress in Rats Compared with Untreated Solar Sea Salt

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of solar salt brined kimchi

Salt is an essential ingredient in the kimchi fermentation process. Solar salt has antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-obesity properties. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of solar salt brined kimchi. Purified salt (PS), dehydrated solar salt (DSS), 1-year aged solar salt (SS1), and 3-years aged solar salt (SS3) were investigated. Anti-inflammatory effects were determined by analyzing cytotoxicity, nitric oxide (NO) production, and inflammation-related gene expression in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW264.7 cells. Antioxidant activities of DSS, SS1, and SS3 were higher than that of PS. Solar salt significantly inhibited NO production with low cytotoxicity and decreased inflammation-related gene expression. Kimchi containing solar salt (DSSK, SS1K, and SS3K) showed higher antioxidant activity than PSK. Additionally, DSSK, SS1K, and SS3K significantly inhibited NO production and decreased the expression of inflammation-related genes. Owing to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, using solar salt in kimchi preparation could have potential health benefits.

Bamboo Salt and Triple Therapy Synergistically Inhibit Helicobacter pylori-Induced Gastritis In Vivo: A Preliminary Study

Helicobacter pylori infections are a major cause of gastrointestinal disorders, including gastric ulcers, gastritis, and gastric cancer. Triple therapy, using two antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor, is recommended for the treatment of H. pylori infections. However, antibiotic resistance in H. pylori is an emerging issue. Bamboo salt, a traditional Korean salt made by baking solar sea salt in bamboo barrels, can ameliorate the symptoms of various gastrointestinal diseases. Herein, we compared the anti-H. pylori activity of triple therapy (clarithromycin, metronidazole, and omeprazole), solar salt, and bamboo salt in vivo as a preliminary study. Four-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were inoculated for eight weeks with the H. pylori Sydney Strain 1 (SS-1) and orally administered triple therapy drugs and salts for five days. The transcript levels of the H. pylori-expressed gene CagA and inflammatory cytokines Tnfα and Il-1β significantly decreased in the bamboo salt treated mice than those in the H. pylori-infected control group. This effect was further enhanced by using triple therapy and bamboo salt together. Solar salt caused modest inhibition of H. pylori-induced inflammation. We also demonstrated the synergistic effects of bamboo salt and triple therapy against H. pylori. Thus, bamboo salt may be a potential candidate agent against the treatment of H. pylori-associated gastritis.

Structural characterization of Himalayan black rock salt by SEM, XRD and in-vitro antioxidant activity

Salt is an essential component of daily life that balances the physiological functions of the human body as well as other living systems. Different varieties of salts are available in the global market. Out of many salt varieties, Himalayan rock salts have gained tremendous importance among consumers due to its diverse nutritional and medicinal properties. There are two types of Himalayan rock salts. One is the Himalayan pink salt and the other one is Himalayan black salt. Out of the two, the Himalayan pink salt is studied extensively but the black salt is underexplored. In the present study, the Himalayan black rock salt was explored to generate more scientific evidence in terms of its geochemical characterization using FE-SEM, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), elemental content using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and in vitro antioxidant activity by different methods for the first time. The study revealed that Himalayan black salt was irregular in shape with a quadrilateral, cubic, irregular crystalline structure. The Himalayan black salt exhibited antioxidant effect and interestingly showed low Na levels than common sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. The Himalayan black salt also contained important minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium which are beneficial to human health thus exhibiting superior characteristics over other conventional table salts.