Hypolipidemic effect of polysaccharides from Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle in hyperlipidemic rats

Kumquat Fruit Administration Counteracts Dysmetabolism-Related Neurodegeneration and the Associated Brain Insulin Resistance in the High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Metabolic disorders and brain insulin resistance (IR) are major risk factors for the development of neurodegenerative conditions. Kumquat fruit (KF) administration has demonstrated significant anti-dysmetabolic effects, improving peripheral IR in murine models of metabolic syndrome. Along these lines, this study evaluated the neuroprotective effects of KF supplementation in a model of dysmetabolism-induced neuronal damage and its ability to counteract the disruption of brain insulin signalling. To this end, biochemical and histological analysis assessed neuroapoptosis, disruption of brain insulin signalling and neuroinflammation in a model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced neuronal damage. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that KF supplementation significantly counteracts HFD-induced neuroapoptosis downregulating pro-apoptotic genes (FAS-L, BIM and P27) and upregulating the anti-apoptotic ones (BDNF and BCL-2). Coherently, KF positively influenced the expression of selected genes related to Alzheimer's Disease. Relevantly, these effects were associated to KF ability to restore brain insulin signalling by increasing insulin receptor expression, reducing IRS-1 serine phosphorylation, enhancing both AKT activation and GSK-3β inactivation. Accordingly, KF suppressed HFD-neuroinflammation, counteracting the overexpression of NF-κB and its downstream enzymatic products, iNOS and COX-2. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the neuroprotective benefits of KF administration, supporting its potential as a dietary intervention for dysmetabolic-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Progress of plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides and their challenges and applications in future foods

The development of future food is devoted not only to obtaining a sustainable food supply but also to providing high-quality foods for humans. Plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides (PNPs) are widely available, biocompatible, and nontoxic and have been largely applied to the food industry owing to their mechanical properties and biological activities. PNPs are considered excellent biomaterials and food ingredients contributing to future food development. However, a comprehensive review of the potential applications of PNPs in future food has not been reported. This review summarized the physicochemical and biological activities of PNPs and then discussed the structure-activity relationships of PNPs. Latest studies of PNPs on future foods including cell-cultured meat, food for special medical purposes (FSMPs), and three-dimensional-printed foods were reviewed. The challenges and prospects of PNPs applied to future food were critically proposed. PNPs with strong thermal stability are considered good thickeners, emulsifiers, and gelatinizers that greatly improve the processing adaptability of foods. The mechanical properties of PNPs and decellularized plant-based PNPs make them desirable scaffolds for cultured meat manufacturing. In addition, the biological activities of PNPs exhibit multiple health-promoting effects; therefore, PNPs can act as food ingredients producing FSMP to promote human health. Three-dimensional printing technology enhances food structures and biological activities of functional foods, which is in favor of expanding the application scopes of PNPs in future food. PNPs are promising in future food manufacturing, and more efforts need to be made to realize their commercial applications.

Lipid metabolism regulation by dietary polysaccharides with different structural properties

Lipid metabolism plays an important role in energy homeostasis maintenance in response to stress. Nowadays, hyperlipidemia-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and fatty liver pose significant health challenges. Dietary polysaccharides (DPs) have gained attention for their effective lipid-lowering properties. This review examines the multifaceted mechanisms that DPs employ to lower lipid levels in subjects with hyperlipidemia. DPs could directly inhibit lipid intake and absorption, promote lipid excretion, and regulate key enzymes involved in lipid metabolism pathways, including triglyceride and cholesterol anabolism and catabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and bile acid synthesis. Additionally, DPs indirectly improve lipid homeostasis by modulating gut microbiota composition and alleviating oxidative stress. Moreover, the lipid-lowering mechanisms of particular structural DPs (including β-glucan, pectin, glucomannan, inulin, arabinoxylan, and fucoidan) are summarized. The relationship between the structure and lipid-lowering activity of DPs is also discussed based on current researches. Finally, potential breakthroughs and future directions in the development of DPs in lipid-lowering activity are discussed. The paper could provide a reference for further exploring the mechanism of DPs for lipid regulations and utilizing DPs as lipid-lowering dietary ingredients.

Hypolipidemic Activity and Mechanism of Action of Sargassum fusiforme Polysaccharides

Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP) is a kind of biologically active macromolecule with biological functions. In this study, oxidative stress and high-fat HepG2 cell models were established to investigate its lipid-lowering activity and mechanism of action. It was found that SFP and its two isolated fractions had antioxidant effects on the cells. It was also found the polysaccharides decreased the content of total cholesterol and total triglyceride in the high-fat cells. RT-qPCR assays revealed that the three polysaccharides down-regulated the mRNA expression level of ACC, PPARγ, and SREBP-2. It could be concluded that the hypolipidemic effect of SFPs is achieved via multiple pathways, including the regulation on the expression level of lipid metabolism-related key enzymes and factors, and binding with bile acids. The hypolipidemic effect of SFPs could be partially due to their antioxidant activity. SFPs developed in the present work have potential as ingredients of functional foods with hypolipidemic effect.

Inhibition of A1 Astrocytes and Activation of A2 Astrocytes for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious injury to the central nervous system that causes significant physical and psychological trauma to the patient. SCI includes primary spinal cord injuries and secondary spinal cord injuries. The secondary injury refers to the pathological process or reaction after the primary injury. Although SCI has always been thought to be an incurable injury, the human nerve has the ability to repair itself after an injury. However, the reparability is limited because glial scar formation impedes functional recovery. There is a type of astrocyte that can differentiate into two forms of reactive astrocytes known as 'A1' and 'A2' astrocytes. A1 astrocytes release cytotoxic chemicals that cause neurons and oligodendrocytes to die and perform a harmful role. A2 astrocytes can produce neurotrophic factors and act as neuroprotectors. This article discusses ways to block A1 astrocytes while stimulating A2 astrocytes to formulate a new treatment for spinal cord injury.

Ginger polysaccharides enhance intestinal immunity by modulating gut microbiota in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice

In this study, the immunity-enhancing effect of ginger polysaccharides UGP1 and UGP2 on CTX-induced immunosuppressed mice was evaluated. The results showed that ginger polysaccharide could effectively alleviate the symptoms of weight loss and dietary intake reduction induced by CTX, increase fecal water content, reduce fecal pH, and protect immune organs of immunosuppressed mice. In addition, ginger polysaccharides also stimulated the secretion of cytokines IL-2, IL-4, TNF-α and immunoglobulin Ig-G in the serum of mice, increased the expression of Occludin and Claudin-1, and restored the level of short-chain fatty acids in the intestine to improve immune deficiency. Furthermore, ginger polysaccharides significantly reduced the relative abundance ratio of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in mice and increased the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes at the phylum level. At the family level, ginger polysaccharides increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Muribaculaceae, Bacteroidaceae and Lactobacillaceae, and decreased the relative abundance of harmful bacteria such as Rikenellaceae and Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that ginger polysaccharides could enhance intestinal immunity by modulating gut microbiota associated with immune function. These results indicated that ginger polysaccharides have the potential to be a functional food ingredients or a natural medicine for the treatment of intestinal barrier injury.

Phloridzin Highly Accumulated in Malus rockii Rehder and Its Structure Revision and Hypolipidemic Activity

Phloridzin is a lead compound of the prestigious antidiabetic gliflozins. The present study found that phloridzin highly accumulated in Malus rockii Rehder. The content of phloridzin in M. rockii was the highest among wild plants, with the percentage of 15.54% in the dry leaves. The structure of phloridzin was revised by proton exchange experiments and extensive 2D NMR spectra. Phloridzin exhibited significant hypolipidemic activity in golden Syrian hamsters maybe by increasing the expression of CYP7A1, at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg. The total performance of anti-hyperlipidemic effect of phloridzin may be superior to that of lovastatin, though lovastatin was more active than phloridzin. In addition, phloridzin exhibited moderate antimalarial activity with inhibition ratio of 31.3 ± 10.9% at a dose of 25 mg/kg/day, and showed moderate analgesic activity with 28.0% inhibition at a dose of 50 mg/kg.

A polysaccharide from Inonotus obliquus ameliorates intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a global disease that endangers human health, and the need for the development of nontoxic treatment candidates is urgent. In the present work, one homogeneous polysaccharide from Inonotus obliquus (IN) was isolated, and the protective effect and mechanism of IN on type 2 diabetes mellitus were investigated from the aspects of the intestinal barrier. IN mainly consisted of 9 monosaccharides with a Mw of 373 kDa. IN attenuated body weight loss, alleviated pathological damage, and suppressed the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Additionally, IN repaired the intestinal barrier by upregulating the expression of Ki-67, ZO-1 and MUC2. Furthermore, the abundance of Firmicutes was significantly increased with IN treatment, while the levels of Bacteroidetes were significantly inhibited. In conclusion, IN protected against type 2 diabetes mellitus by ameliorating intestinal barrier dysfunction and might serve as a novel drug candidate for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Activity of Wheat Germ and Wheat Germ Protein in High-Fat Diet-Induced Rats

Background: So far, no articles have discussed the hypolipidemic effect of wheat germ protein in in vivo experiments. Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of wheat germ protein (WGP, 300 mg/kg/day) and wheat germ (WG, 300 mg/kg/day) on cholesterol metabolism, antioxidant activities, and serum and hepatic lipids in rats fed a high-fat diet through gavage. Methodology: We used 4-week-old male Wistar 20 rats in our animal experiment. Biochemical indicators of fecal, serum and liver were tested by kits or chemical methods. We also conducted the cholesterol micellar solubility experiment in vitro. Results: After 28 days of treatment, our results showed that WGP significantly reduced the serum levels of total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05), improved the enzymatic activities of cholesterol 7-α hydroxylase (p < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein receptor (p < 0.01) and increased bile acid excretion in feces (p < 0.05). Conclusion: WG did not significantly increase bile acid excretion in feces or decrease serum levels of total cholesterol. Moreover, WGP and WG both presented significant antioxidant activity in vivo (p < 0.05) and caused a significant reduction in cholesterol micellar solubility in vitro (p < 0.001). Therefore, WGP may effectively prevent hyperlipidemia and its complications as WGP treatment enhanced antioxidant activity, decreased the concentration of serum lipids and improved the activity of enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism.

Microglia Polarization from M1 toward M2 Phenotype Is Promoted by Astragalus Polysaccharides Mediated through Inhibition of miR-155 in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Activated microglia is considered to be major mediators of the neuroinflammatory environment in demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Activated microglia are mainly polarized into M1 type, which plays a role in promoting inflammation and demyelinating. However, the proportion of microglia polarized into M2 type is relatively low, which cannot fully play the role of anti-inflammatory and resistance to demyelinating. Our previous study found that Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) has an immunomodulatory effect and can inhibit neuroinflammation and demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is a classic animal model of CNS demyelinating disease. In this study, we found that APS was effective in treating EAE mice. It restored microglia balance by inhibiting the polarization of microglia to M1-like phenotype and promoting the polarization of microglia to M2-like phenotype in vivo and in vitro. miR-155 is a key factor in regulating microglia polarization. We found that APS could inhibit the expression level of miR-155 in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we performed transfection overexpression and blocking experiments. The results showed that miR-155 mediated the polarization of microglia M1/M2 phenotype, while the selective inhibitor of miR-155 attenuated the inhibition of APS on microglia M1 phenotype and eliminated the promotion of APS on microglia M2 phenotype. Microglia can secrete IL-1α, TNF-α, and C1q after polarizing into M1 type and induce the activation of A1 neurotoxic astrocytes, further aggravating neuroinflammation and demyelination. APS reduced the secretion of IL-1α, TNF-α, and C1q by activated microglia, thus inhibited the formation of A1 neurotoxic astrocytes. In summary, our study suggests that APS regulates the polarization of microglia from M1 to M2 phenotype by inhibiting the miR-155, reduces the secretion of inflammatory factors, and inhibits the activation of neurotoxic astrocytes, thus effectively treating EAE.

Synergistic Effects of Lotus Seed Resistant Starch and Sodium Lactate on Hypolipidemic Function and Serum Nontargeted Metabolites in Hyperlipidemic Rats

The synergistic effects of lotus seed resistant starch (LRS3) and sodium lactate (SL; a postbiotics of RS3) on hypolipidemic function and serum nontargeted metabolites of hyperlipidemia rats were investegated. Rats fed a high-fat diet were orally administered with LRS3 (HLRS group) or SL (HSL group) either alone or in combination (HLRSSL group) for consecutive 4 weeks. HLRSSL was found to control weight gain, regulate blood lipid levels, reduce accumulation of fat in liver cells, and improve lesions in rat cardiac arteries, liver, small intestine, and colon tissues more effectively compared to HLRS or HSL group alone. Compared to the high-fat control group (HMC), l-phenylalanine and LysoPC(22:6(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)) in serum were upregulated in HLRSSL rats, while aconitic acid and suberic acid were decreased. Correlation analysis showed that SM(d18:0/16:1(9Z)), taurochenodeoxycholic acid, LysoPC(22:6(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)), oleic acid, and retinol were negatively correlated with total cholesterol (TCHO), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Moreover, glutamic acid and serine showed a significant positive correlation with LDL-C and negative correlation with HDL-C. These differential metabolites were associated with reducing serum lipid levels in hyperlipidemia rats potentially through metabolic pathways such as linoleic acid, glutamine and glutamate, pyruvate, citric acid cycle, and glycerophospholipid.

[Research progress in the role and mechanism of polysaccharides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism]

Polysaccharides are a group of compounds composed of multiple monosaccharides of the same or different structures combined by glycosidic bonds, and are widely found in animals and plants and in the cell walls of microorganisms. Polysaccharides possess the advantages of high safety and low toxicity. Recent studies revealed that polysaccharides have a wide range of biological activities including immunoregulation, anti-tumor, antiviral, antioxidant activities, and blood glucose-and lipid- lowering effects. The effects of polysaccharides in improving insulin sensitivity and regulating glucose and lipid metabolism have drawn much attention from researchers. Many polysaccharides can reduce blood glucose and blood lipid by repairing pancreatic islet cells, improving insulin resistance, regulating intestinal flora, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and regulating the activities of key enzymes in glucose and lipid metabolism. This reviews examines the role and mechanism of polysaccharides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. The mechanisms of polysaccharide in regulating glucose metabolism include repairing islet cells and increasing insulin content, increasing insulin sensitivity and improving insulin resistance, regulating the activity of key enzymes in glucose metabolism, increasing synthesis of liver glycogen, and regulating intestinal flora. Polysaccharides can also regulate glucose metabolism by improving immune regulation and antagonizing glucagon. Polysaccharide also regulate lipid metabolism by regulating lipid absorption, expression of the related genes such as PPAR-α, enzyme activities in lipid metabolism, improving antioxidant capacity, and modulating intestinal flora and signaling pathways.

Traditional Applications, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Eupatorium lindleyanum DC.: A Comprehensive Review

Eupatorium lindleyanum DC. (EL) has a long history of traditional use in China to cure coughs, chronic bronchitis, lobar pneumonia, and hypertension. Because of this extensive use of EL in traditional medicine, this present review gives a systematic overview of the conventional applications, phytochemistry, and pharmacological effects of the herb. Literature was systematically searched using the scientific databases ScienceDirect, SciFinder, CNKI, Wiley, Baidu Scholar, SpringerLink, PubMed, Web of Science, and other professional websites. Information was also gathered from books on traditional Chinese herbal medicine, the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Materia Medica. To date, many preparations of EL have been widely used clinically to treat various diseases of the respiratory system. More than 100 compounds have been isolated from the herb, including triterpenes, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, acyclic diterpenoids, sterols, and so on. Among them, terpenoids are considered to be the most important bioactive substances in EL. The pharmacological functions of EL, including anti-asthmatic, anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-virus, and anti-tumor activities, have been widely investigated. However, most of the studies are preclinical research. Further studies are required to examine the underlying mechanisms of action. Traditionally, EL is used for treating many diseases, especially respiratory diseases. Unfortunately, up to now, modern studies have not yet well elucidated the conventional usage of EL. Most importantly, its biological activities and the corresponding constituents are still unclear. Moreover, studies on the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of EL are few, so data on the clinical safety of EL are lacking. Taken together, research work on EL is quite preliminary. More in-depth studies of phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of the herb are needed. This review aims to provide valuable information on EL to guide future investigations and applications.

Antioxidant, Hypolipidemic and Hepatic Protective Activities of Polysaccharides from Phascolosoma esculenta

The aims of this study were to investigate the antioxidant, hypolipidemic and hepatic protective effects of Phascolosoma esculenta polysaccharides (PEP). PEP was prepared from Phascolosoma esculenta by enzyme hydrolysis and its characterization was analyzed. The antioxidant activities of PEP were evaluated by the assays of scavenging 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion, hydroxyl radicals and chelating ferrous ion in vitro. It showed that PEP could scavenge radicals effectively and had favorable antioxidant activities. In the meantime, the hypolipidemic effect of PEP was investigated in vivo by using mice model fed with high-fat diet with or without PEP treatment. Compared with the hyperlipidemic mice without treatment, the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) (30.1–35.7%, p < 0.01), triglyceride (TG) (24.5–50.8%, p < 0.01 or p < 0.05), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (49.6–56.8%, p < 0.01) and liver levels of TC (21.0–28.4%, p < 0.01), TG (23.8–37.0%, p < 0.01) decreased significantly, whereas serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (47.7–59.9%, p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) increased significantly after treatment with different dosage of PEP (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g per kg body weight, respectively). In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD) (10.2–22.2% and 18.8–26.9%, p < 0.05), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (11.9–15.4% and 26.6–30.4%, p < 0.05) activities in serum and liver enhanced markedly while aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (18.7–29.6% and 42.4–58.0%, p < 0.05), alanine transaminase (ALT) (42.7–46.0% and 31.2–42.2%, p < 0.05) activities, as well as the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (15.9–24.4% and 15.0–16.8%, p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) in serum and liver reduced markedly. Moreover, the histopathological observation of livers indicated that PEP could attenuate liver cell injury. The animal experimental results demonstrated that PEP exerted hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective roles in hyperlipidemic mice. In summary, our results above suggest that PEP might be a potential natural antioxidant and utilized as a therapeutic candidate for hyperlipidemia.

A sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota) polysaccharide improves the gut microbiome to alleviate the symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Goto-Kakizaki rats

Diabetes mellitus has become a worldwide concern in recent years. In this study, the effect of Holothuria leucospilota polysaccharide (HLP) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was investigated in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. The results showed that HLP significantly improved glucose intolerance and regulated blood lipid and hormone levels (p < 0.05). Pathological analysis showed that HLP repaired the impairments of the pancreas and colon in diabetic rats. In addition, a high dose of HLP (200 mg/kg) significantly upregulated the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (PKB/AKT), glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2), and downregulated the mRNA levels of pro-apoptotic (Bax) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). Furthermore, HLP treatment increased the short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and decreased the opportunistic bacterial pathogen in the feces of diabetic rats. These results demonstrated that HLP has the potential to ameliorate T2DM in GK rats.