Inhibitory effect of flavonoids on the efflux of N-acetyl 5-aminosalicylic acid intracellularly formed in Caco-2 cells

Diagnosis by Microbial Culture, Breath Tests and Urinary Excretion Tests, and Treatments of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is characterized as the increase in the number and/or alteration in the type of bacteria in the upper gastrointestinal tract and accompanies various bowel symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, gases, diarrhea, and so on. Clinically, SIBO is diagnosed by microbial culture in duodenum/jejunum fluid aspirates and/or the breath tests (BT) of hydrogen/methane gases after ingestion of carbohydrates such as glucose. The cultural analysis of aspirates is regarded as the golden standard for the diagnosis of SIBO; however, this is invasive and is not without risk to the patients. BT is an inexpensive and safe diagnostic test but lacks diagnostic sensitivity and specificity depending on the disease states of patients. Additionally, the urinary excretion tests are used for the SIBO diagnosis using chemically synthesized bile acid conjugates such as cholic acid (CA) conjugated with para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA-CA), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) conjugated with PABA (PABA-UDCA) or conjugated with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA-UDCA). These conjugates are split by bacterial bile acid (cholylglycine) hydrolase. In the tests, the time courses of the urinary excretion rates of PABA or 5-ASA, including their metabolites, are determined as the measure of hydrolytic activity of intestinal bacteria. Although the number of clinical trials with this urinary excretion tests is small, results demonstrated the usefulness of bile acid conjugates as SIBO diagnostic substrates. PABA-UDCA disulfate, a single-pass type unabsorbable compound without the hydrolysis of conjugates, was likely to offer a simple and rapid method for the evaluation of SIBO without the use of radioisotopes or expensive special apparatus. Treatments of SIBO with antibiotics, probiotics, therapeutic diets, herbal medicines, and/or fecal microbiota transplantation are also reviewed.

Polyphenols Beyond Barriers: A Glimpse into the Brain

BACKGROUND

Ageing can be simply defined as the process of becoming older, which is genetically determined but also environmentally modulated. With the continuous increase of life expectancy, quality of life during ageing has become one of the biggest challenges of developed countries. The quest for a healthy ageing has led to the extensive study of plant polyphenols with the aim to prevent age-associated deterioration and diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. The world of polyphenols has fascinated researchers over the past decades, and in vitro, cell-based, animal and human studies have attempted to unravel the mechanisms behind dietary polyphenols neuroprotection.

METHODS

In this review, we compiled some of the extensive and ever-growing research in the field, highlighting some of the most recent trends in the area.

RESULTS

The main findings regarding polypolyphenols neuroprotective potential performed using in vitro, cellular and animal studies, as well as human trials are covered in this review. Concepts like bioavailability, polyphenols biotransformation, transport of dietary polyphenols across barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, are here explored.

CONCLUSION

The diversity and holistic properties of polypolyphenol present them as an attractive alternative for the treatment of multifactorial diseases, where a multitude of cellular pathways are disrupted. The underlying mechanisms of polypolyphenols for nutrition or therapeutic applications must be further consolidated, however there is strong evidence of their beneficial impact on brain function during ageing. Nevertheless, only the tip of the iceberg of nutritional and pharmacological potential of dietary polyphenols is hitherto understood and further research needs to be done to fill the gaps in pursuing a healthy ageing.

Effect of quercetin on the transport of N-acetyl 5-aminosalicylic acid

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the transporter-mediated transport of N-acetyl 5-aminosalicylic acid (Ac-5-ASA) and the effect of quercetin on Ac-5-ASA transport.

METHODS

Caco-2 cell monolayers grown in Transwells were used to study the transport of Ac-5-ASA in the absence or presence of quercetin, and apical-to-basolateral and basolateral-to-apical apparent permeability (PappAB and PappBA values, respectively) was determined. The effect of transporter inhibitors, such as MK571, quinidine and mitoxantrone, on the transport of Ac-5-ASA was investigated.

KEY FINDINGS

In the absence of transporter mediators, the transport of Ac-5-ASA was much higher in the basolateral-to-apical direction than in the opposite direction. The PappBA/PappAB ratio of Ac-5-ASA was 4.89. Quercetin inhibited the apical efflux of Ac-5-ASA and decreased the PappBA/PappAB ratio to 1.05. Of the transporter inhibitors, MK571 decreased the PappBA/PappAB ratio to 1.07; however, neither quinidine nor mitoxantrone had an effect on Ac-5-ASA transport.

CONCLUSIONS

Ac-5-ASA was excreted by multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 from Caco-2 cells, and its transport was inhibited by quercetin. Our findings suggest that dose levels of sulfasalazine or 5-aminosalicylic acid can be decreased by coadministration of quercetin, leading to improved pharmaceutical care for inflammatory bowel diseases.