Bile acids and vitamin A absorption in man: the effects of two bile acid-binding agents, cholestyramine and lignin

Lignin - An underutilized, renewable and valuable material for food industry

Lignin is the second most abundant biorenewable polymers only next to cellulose and is ubiquitous in various plant foods. In food industry, lignin often presented as a major component of by-products from plant foods. In the last decade, the food and nutritional interests of lignin attracted more and more attentions and great progresses have been accomplished. In the present review, the structure, physicochemical properties, dietary occurrence and preparation methods of lignin from food resources were summarized. Then, the versatile activities of food lignin were introduced under the subtitles of antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic and other activities. Finally, the potential applications of food lignin were proposed as a food bioactive ingredient, an improver of food package films and a novel material in fabricating drug delivery vehicles and contaminant passivators. Hopefully, this review could bring new insights in exploiting lignin from nutrition- and food-directed views.

Gut microbiota derived metabolites in cardiovascular health and disease

Trillions of microbes inhabit the human gut, not only providing nutrients and energy to the host from the ingested food, but also producing metabolic bioactive signaling molecules to maintain health and elicit disease, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. In this review, we presented gut microbiota derived metabolites involved in cardiovascular health and disease, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), uremic toxins, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), phytoestrogens, anthocyanins, bile acids and lipopolysaccharide. These gut microbiota derived metabolites play critical roles in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular function, and if dysregulated, potentially causally linked to CVD. A better understanding of the function and dynamics of gut microbiota derived metabolites holds great promise toward mechanistic predicative CVD biomarker discoveries and precise interventions.

Lignins and Their Derivatives with Beneficial Effects on Human Health

A review of the pharmacological applications of lignins provides evidence of their protective role against the development of different diseases. In many cases, the effects of lignins could be explained by their antioxidant capacity. Here, we present a systematic review of the literature from the period 2010–2016 which provides information concerning new applications of lignins derived from recent research. The most promising findings are reported, including the methodologies employed and results obtained with lignins or their derivatives which may improve human health. We highlight potential applications in the treatment of obesity, diabetes, thrombosis, viral infections and cancer. Moreover, we report both that lignins can be used in the preparation of nanoparticles to deliver different drugs and also their use in photoprotection.

Lignosulfonic acid promotes hypertrophy in 3T3-L1 cells without increasing lipid content and increases their 2-deoxyglucose uptake

Objective

Adipose tissue plays a key role in the development of obesity and diabetes. We previously reported that lignosulfonic acid suppresses the rise in blood glucose levels through the inhibition of α-glucosidase activity and intestinal glucose absorption. The purpose of this study is to examine further biological activities of lignosulfonic acid.

Methods

In this study, we examined the effect of lignosulfonic acid on differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells.

Results

While lignosulfonic acid inhibited proliferation (mitotic clonal expansion) after induction of differentiation, lignosulfonic acid significantly increased the size of accumulated lipid droplets in the cells. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that lignosulfonic acid increased the expression of the adipogenic transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), leading to increased glucose transporter 4 (Glut-4) expression and 2-deoxyglucose uptake in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Additionally, feeding lignosulfonic acid to diabetic KK-Ay mice suppressed increase of blood glucose level.

Conclusion

Lignosulfonic acid may be useful as a functional anti-diabetic component of food.

Flupenthixol and cefotiam: effects on vitamin A metabolism in rats

We examined the alterations in vitamin A metabolism as a result of flupenthixol or cefotiam administration. The impact of these drugs on indices of vitamin A status was evaluated in Brown Norway and Long-Evans rats. Intramuscular drug administration for 28 d resulted in a decline in systemic retinol. Changes in circulating retinol with time for chronic dosing showed drug treatment (P<0.001) and time (P<0.03) to be significant factors, but rat strain (P=0.33) was not a significant factor. Flupenthixol was the most active retinol-lowering compound (P<0.005). At the end of the 28 d period, hepatic retinyl ester hydrolase activity was greater in drug-treated rats than in controls (P<0.05). With regard to effects on liver reserves: (1) flupenthixol treatment resulted in vitamin A depletion (P<0.05); (2) cefotiam treatment stimulated vitamin A accumulation; (3) distinctive patterns of retinol and its esters were seen in response to treatment. It is reasonable to assume that the drugs interfere with vitamin A in at least two ways: (1) lowering of plasma retinol, an early event in the interaction, may be caused by inhibition of hepatic holo-retinol-binding protein secretion or stimulation of clearance, or both; (2) when plasma retinol levels are persistently low, and as the hepatic deposits of the xenobiotics build up, there are changes in the vitamin A pool size and composition of the liver. Candidate enzymes are retinyl ester hydrolase and cytochrome P450. The relationship between these two events will be studied in further detail.

The effects of dietary taurocholate, fat, protein, and carbohydrate on the distribution and fate of dietary beta-carotene in ferrets

Dietary beta-carotene has been shown to have cancer chemopreventive action on the basis of epidemiologic evidence and studies in animals. Because the anticarcinogenic property of beta-carotene may be exerted per se, it is desirable to achieve the maximum absorption and accumulation of intact beta-carotene in various parts of the body. Therefore the effects of dietary taurocholate, fat, protein, and carbohydrate on the absorption, accumulation, and fate of dietary beta-carotene (3.730 nmol/g diet) in selected tissues of ferrets were explored. Taurocholate (0.2-1.0% wt/wt) and fat (6-23% wt/wt) caused two- to threefold (p < 0.05) increases in the absorption and accumulation of beta-carotene in the liver, lungs, and adipose tissue in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, neither dietary protein (10-40% wt/wt) nor carbohydrate (25-55% wt/wt) affected the absorption and accumulation of beta-carotene in various tissues. Significantly, taurocholate, 23% fat, or 40% protein also markedly increased the amounts of hepatic retinol and retinyl esters derived from dietary beta-carotene. These results indicate that dietary taurocholate, fat, and high protein have a marked influence on the exposure of beta-carotene to intestinal carotene cleavage enzyme or its activity. Thus an ideal combination of dietary components (wt/wt) in ferrets for the maximal absorption and accumulation of beta-carotene in different tissues is 0.5% taurocholate and 13.4% fat, whereas 1% taurocholate, 23% fat, or 40% protein stimulates its conversion to vitamin A.

Effects of the fibre components pectin, cellulose, and lignin on bile salt metabolism and biliary lipid composition in man

Randomised crossover studies in three separate groups of 10 healthy volunteers were undertaken to determine the effects of biliary lipid composition and bile salt metabolism of daily dietary supplementation for four weeks with the purified fibre components pectin (12 g/day), cellulose (15 g/day) and lignin (12 g/day). The subjects' biles were initially unsaturated with cholesterol and no significant changes in the lithogenic indices or mean percentages of cholesterol, phospholipid, or total bile acids after any of the supplements were observed. After pectin, the mean (+/- SD) percentage of cholic acid decreased significantly from 42.8 (+/- 10.8) to 39.0 (+/- 11.2), the mean (+/- SD) percentage of deoxycholic acid increased significantly from 18.2 (+/- 13.7) to 25.4 (+/- 13.5) and C14-deoxycholate metabolites were raised significantly by 65%. After cellulose, the mean (+/- SD) percentage of chenodeoxycholic acid was increased significantly from 33.6 (+/- 6.3) to 35.4 (+/- 7.0), the mean (+/- SD) percentage of deoxycholic acid decreased significantly from 18.6 (+/- 9.6) to 14.2 (+/- 8.3) and C14-deoxycholate metabolites halved. Lignin did not exert any significant effects. Though these results show that individual fibre components are associated with quite different effects on bile acid metabolism, in the short term no significant effect on biliary cholesterol saturation was observed in bile initially unsaturated with cholesterol. The bile acid changes most likely result from the different effects on colonic metabolism induced by the individual fibre components.

Dietary fibre, diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia. Progress and prospects

When diabetes and cardiovascular disease were first classed as possible fibre-deficiency diseases, laboratory and clinical evidence was lacking. Subsequent studies indicated that the gums and viscous types of fibre (e.g., guar and pectin) are more effective than other fibres in slowing carbohydrate absorption and hence in reducing the postprandial rise in blood glucose and serum insulin. This effect has longer term metabolic consequences. In addition, gums and viscous fibres reduce serum cholesterol, possibly by mechanisms other than simply increasing bile-salt loss. If these potential therapeutic effects of fibre are to be exploited, palatable formulations must be developed. The effect of fibre in whole foods should also be determined.