Cinnamon: an aromatic condiment applicable to chronic kidney disease

Integrated serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics to clarify the effective components and pharmacological mechanisms of the proprietary Chinese medicine Jinkui Shenqi Pill in treating kidney yang deficiency syndrome

The proprietary Chinese medicine Jinkui Shenqi Pill (PCM-JKSQP) is a classic compound used for the effective clinical treatment of kidney yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS), a metabolic disease accompanied by kidney injury. However, its active ingredients and therapeutic mechanisms are not clear. This study employed serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics (PK) to identify the bioactive components of PCM-JKSQP and preliminarily clarify its mechanism in treating KYDS. One hundred and forty chemical components of PCM-JKSQP, 47 (20 parent compouds and 27 metabolites) of which were absorbed into the blood, were identified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). The topological parameters of network pharmacology and high concentrations in blood found six parent components as PK markers (cinnamic acid, paeonol, loganin, morroniside, apigenin, and poricoic acid A). PK analysis further identified these six compounds as active ingredients. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and molecular docking simulation predicted and verified eight core targets (TP53, ESR1, CTNNB1, EP300, EGFR, AKT1, ERBB2, and TNF). Most were concentrated in the MAPK, HIF-1, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways, indicating that these six active ingredients may mainly exert therapeutic effects through these three pathways via their core targets. The PK results also showed these six components were absorbed quickly, although cinnamic acid and paeonol were rapidly metabolized, with a short half-life and retention time. Loganin and morroniside did not have high peak concentrations, and apigenin and poricoic acid A had long retention times. This study provides a new overall perspective for exploring the bioactive components and mechanisms underlying the effects of PCM-JKSQP in treating KYDS.

Using the concept of food as medicine to mitigate inflammation in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis

The most common kidney replacement therapy (KRT) worldwide is hemodialysis (HD), and only 5%-10% of patients are prescribed peritoneal dialysis (PD) as KRT. Despite PD being a different method, these patients also present particular complications, such as oxidative stress, gut dysbiosis, premature aging, and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to an inflammation process and high cardiovascular mortality risk. Although recent studies have reported nutritional strategies in patients undergoing HD with attempts to mitigate these complications, more information must be needed for PD patients. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent studies of nutritional intervention to mitigate inflammation in PD patients.

Application of HPLC-UV combined with chemometrics for the detection and quantification of 'true cinnamon' adulteration

Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices used in cuisines worldwide. Among its different species, Ceylon cinnamon ("true cinnamon") is the one with the most health benefits due to its high concentration in the antioxidant eugenol and the ultra-low content of the hepatotoxic compound coumarin. However, the higher price of Ceylon cinnamon makes it vulnerable to fraudulent adulteration with more economic species of cinnamon, such as Cassia and Saigon. Thus, for the detection of frauds in cinnamon samples, a HPLC-UV method was developed for the determination of 4 characteristic cinnamon compounds: eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, coumarin and cinnamic acid. The obtained data were analyzed by PLS to attain not only the authentication of cinnamon species but also the detection and quantification of partial adulterations. Several mixtures prepared in the laboratory using different cinnamon powder samples considered 'pure' Ceylon, Cassia or Saigon were tested, concluding that the proposed approach allows a clear identification of Ceylon cinnamon and a suitable quantification of the Ceylon: non-Ceylon ratio regardless of the commercial sample selected (RMSE <0.06 for both training and test sets).

Associations between diet quality, demographics, health conditions and spice and herb intake of adults with chronic kidney disease

Scant literature has been able to demonstrate an association between dietary habits and spice and herb consumption, especially for those who have chronic kidney disease. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the frequency and quantity of spices and herbs consumed and 2) determine the associations between diet quality and its food components, demographics, and health conditions with spice and herb frequency and variety consumption of adults with chronic kidney disease. A cross-sectional online study was conducted with adults with various stages of chronic kidney disease (n = 71). Participants responded to an online demographic, diet and spice and herb questionnaire on RedCap. Diet quality was determined through the diet questionnaire. Descriptives, frequencies and Spearman correlations were conducted using SPSS v28 with a significance of p<0.05. Most participants were in chronic kidney disease stage 3 (42.3%) with a majority (98.6%) self-identifying as non-Hispanic white. On average, participants consumed black pepper more than once daily (47.9%) with the spice quantity at 5 g. The median diet quality score was 38.5 (range 31.5-48.5). Positive associations were identified with overall diet quality scores and certain spices such as basil (r = 0.33; p<0.01) and cinnamon (r = 0.37; p<0.002). Further associations were seen with food groups, self-identifying as white and health conditions with spice frequency and variety of spices and herbs consumed. Overall, positive associations were observed with diet quality and spice and herb intake, in which higher diet quality scores would indicate higher consumption of spices and herbs. Further research should focus on diet quality and spice and herb consumption in reducing progression of this disease.

Gut Microbiota Interventions to Retain Residual Kidney Function

Residual kidney function for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with better quality of life and outcome; thus, strategies should be implemented to preserve kidney function. Among the multiple causes that promote kidney damage, gut dysbiosis due to increased uremic toxin production and endotoxemia need attention. Several strategies have been proposed to modulate the gut microbiota in these patients, and diet has gained increasing attention in recent years since it is the primary driver of gut dysbiosis. In addition, medications and faecal transplantation may be valid strategies. Modifying gut microbiota composition may mitigate chronic kidney damage and preserve residual kidney function. Although various studies have shown the influential role of diet in modulating gut microbiota composition, the effects of this modulation on residual kidney function remain limited. This review discusses the role of gut microbiota metabolism on residual kidney function and vice versa and how we could preserve the residual kidney function by modulating the gut microbiota balance.