Effect of phytosterols/stanols on LDL concentration and other surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk

Pentalinonsterol, a Phytosterol from Pentalinon andrieuxii, is Immunomodulatory through Phospholipase A2 in Macrophages toward its Antileishmanial Action

Our earlier in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed that the phytosterol, pentalinonsterol (cholest-4,20,24-trien-3-one) (PEN), isolated from the roots of Pentalinon andrieuxii, possesss immunomodulatory properties in macrophages and dendritic cells. Leishmaniasis, caused by the infection of Leishmania spp. (a protozoan parasite), is emerging as the second-leading cause of mortality among the tropical diseases and there is an unmet need for a pharmacological intervention of leishmaniasis. Given the beneficial immunomodulatory actions and lipophilic properties of PEN, the objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism(s) of action of the immunomodulatory action(s) of PEN in macrophages through the modulation of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) activity that might be crucial in the antileishmanial action of PEN. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether PEN would modulate the activity of PLA₂ in RAW 264.7 macrophages and mouse bone marrow-derived primary macrophages (BMDMs) in vitro and further determined how the upstream PLA₂ activation would regulate the downstream cytokine release in the macrophages. Our current results demonstrated that (i) PEN induced PLA₂ activation (arachidonic acid release) in a dose- and time-dependent manner that was regulated upstream by the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs); (ii) the PEN-induced activation of PLA₂ was attenuated by the cPLA₂-specific pharmacological inhibitors; and (iii) the cPLA₂-specific pharmacological inhibitors attenuated the release of inflammatory cytokines from the macrophages. For the first time, our current study demonstrated that PEN exhibited its immunomodulatory actions through the activation of cPLA₂ in the macrophages, which potentially could be used in the development of a pharmacological intervention against leishmaniasis.

Sea Cucumber Sterol Alleviates the Lipid Accumulation in High-Fat-Fructose Diet Fed Mice

The effect of marine-derived sea cucumber sterol (SS) with a special sulfate group on lipid accumulation remains unknown, although phytosterol has been proved to have many biological activities, including lowering blood cholesterol. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the alleviation of SS on lipid accumulation and the possible underlying mechanism using high-fat-fructose diet fed mice. Dietary administration with SS for 8 weeks reduced significantly the body weight gain and lipid levels in serum and liver. Especially, SS was superior to phytosterol in lowering lipid accumulation due to the great promotion of fatty acid β-oxidation, the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, and the acceleration of cholesterol efflux. The findings found that sea cucumber sterol exhibited a more significant effect than phytosterol on alleviating HFF-diet-induced lipid accumulation through regulating lipid and cholesterol metabolism, which might be attributed to the difference in the branch chain and sulfate group.

Effects of a low-fat dietary regimen enriched with soy in children affected with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

INTRODUCTION

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inheritable, autosomal dominant disorder leading to pathologically increased levels of low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Dietary treatment remains an important tool in the management of affected children even after the decision for the initiation of pharmacotherapy is made. However, little evidence is available regarding the optimal dietary regimen for the treatment of children affected with FH.

METHODS

We present results from a randomized controlled trial in paediatric patients affected with heterozygous FH, assessing the effect of a soy-enriched fat modified diet (soy group) compared to fat modified diet (Control group) alone on LDL-C over a period of 13 weeks. Furthermore, we monitored isoflavone levels in plasma and urine as markers of adherence to the dietary treatments.

RESULTS

LDL-C decrease was statistically significantly greater in the soy group compared to the control group at week 7 (Control group 176.3 ± 27.8 mg/dl, soy group 154.7 ± 29.2 mg/dl, p = 0.038), and showed a trend towards significant at week 13 (Control group 179.9 ± 41.8 mg/dl, soy group 155.0 ± 30.2 mg/dl, p = 0.089). Relative LDL-C decrease correlated significantly with the following plasma isoflavone concentrations measured in week 7: daidzein (p < 0.004, r = 0.576) and genistein (p < 0.017, r = 0.490).

CONCLUSIONS

We provide evidence from a small randomized-controlled trial for the effectiveness and safety of a dietary treatment with soy in paediatric patients affected with heterozygous FH. The decrease in LDL-C was highly correlated with isoflavone levels, further highlighting a direct effect of soy ingestion. This study was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier No. NCT03563547.

Processing of oat: the impact on oat's cholesterol lowering effect

Epidemiological and interventional studies have clearly demonstrated the beneficial impact of consuming oat and oat-based products on serum cholesterol and other markers of cardiovascular disease. The cholesterol-lowering effect of oat is thought to be associated with the β-glucan it contains. However, not all food products containing β-glucan seem to lead to the same health outcome. Overall, highly processed β-glucan sources (where the oat tissue is highly disrupted) appear to be less effective at reducing serum cholesterol, but the reasons are not well understood. Therefore, the mechanisms involved still need further clarification. The purpose of this paper is to review current evidence of the cholesterol-lowering effect of oat in the context of the structure and complexity of the oat matrix. The possibility of a synergistic action and interaction between the oat constituents promoting hypocholesterolaemia is also discussed. A review of the literature suggested that for a similar dose of β-glucan, (1) liquid oat-based foods seem to give more consistent, but moderate reductions in cholesterol than semi-solid or solid foods where the results are more variable; (2) the quantity of β-glucan and the molecular weight at expected consumption levels (∼3 g day-1) play a role in cholesterol reduction; and (3) unrefined β-glucan-rich oat-based foods (where some of the plant tissue remains intact) often appear more efficient at lowering cholesterol than purified β-glucan added as an ingredient.

A positive impact on the serum lipid profile and cytokines after the consumption of a plant sterol-enriched beverage with a milk fat globule membrane: a clinical study

Positive impact on serum lipids and cytokines after functional beverage's intake by postmenopausal women.

Testing the Short-Term Efficacy of a Lipid-Lowering Nutraceutical in the Setting of Clinical Practice: A Multicenter Study

The main guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention suggest that nutraceuticals could be an efficacious tool to improve lipid pattern. Our aim was to carry out a clinical trial comparing the metabolic effects of a combined nutraceutical containing both red yeast rice and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a phytosterol-based approach in a setting of clinical practice. This was a multicenter open study with parallel control. We consecutively enrolled 107 pharmacologically untreated subjects affected by primary polygenic hypercholesterolemia and metabolic syndrome, assigned to 8-week treatment with a combined treatment with red yeast rice (Dif1Stat(®), including 5 mg monacolin K) and 610 mg PUFAs. A parallel group of 30 subjects with similar characteristics was treated with phytosterols 1600 mg/die. In the combined nutraceutical group, compared with the baseline level, we observed a significant decrease in total cholesterol (TC; -42.50 ± 18.1 mg/dL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; -37.6 ± 13.6 mg/dL), triglycerides (TG; -19.8 ± 25.1 mg/dL), and non-HDL-C (-43.1 ± 17.7 mg/dL) (all P < .001). In the phytosterol-treated group, compared to the baseline level, we observed a significant decrease in TC (-13.7 ± 4.3 mg/dL), LDL-C (-17.6 ± 8.5 mg/dL), and non-HDL-C (-14.1 ± 5.6 mg/dL) (all P < .001). When comparing the combined nutraceutical effect with that of phytosterols, we observed that the combined nutraceutical intake was associated with a significantly higher decrease in TC, LDL-C, TG, and non-HDL-C (all P < .001). In the short term, a combined nutraceutical containing red yeast rice and PUFAs is well tolerated and efficacious in reducing plasma lipid levels in subjects affected by primary polygenic hypercholesterolemia and metabolic syndrome.