Bioactive compounds of parsley (Petroselinum crispum), chives (Allium schoenoprasum L) and their mixture (Brazilian cheiro-verde) as promising antioxidant and anti-cholesterol oxidation agents in a food system

Exploratory Role of Flavonoids on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in a South Italian Cohort

BACKGROUND

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most recent definition for steatotic liver disease associated with metabolic syndrome. The results of recent metabolic and observational studies suggest a potential beneficial effect of food-derived flavonoids in some chronic diseases, including MASLD. The study aims to evaluate the protective role of diet flavonoids in subjects with and without MASLD belonging to a cohort living in the South of Italy.

METHODS

The study cohort comprised 1297 participants assessed in the NUTRIHEP cohort (2015-2018), divided into two groups, based on presence or absence of MASLD.

RESULTS

The results indicated statistically significant flavonoid consumption, showing a protective role against MASLD, at an optimal concentration of 165 mg/day, with an OR value of 0.63, (p = 0.001, 95% C.I.: 0.47; 0.83 t). The OR remained almost unchanged when the intake increased from 165 mg per day to 185 mg per day.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our study results show a protective role of flavonoids against MASLD. Consuming only 165 mg of flavonoids daily can activate this protective function, reducing the risk of MASLD.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside ameliorates hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress by regulating HMGCR-mediated cholesterol anabolism in HEK-293T cells

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), as a typical anthocyanin, exhibits excellent antioxidant effects. This study aimed to demonstrate the role and mechanism of C3G in regulating 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR)-mediated cholesterol anabolism on H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HEK-293T cells. Firstly, the inhibitory effect of C3G on oxidative stress was confirmed by CCK-8, ROS, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) experiments. Then, proteomics was used to investigate and screen differentially expressed proteins in inhibiting cellular oxidative stress by C3G. HMGCR was screened as a key differentially expressed protein by proteomic analysis. The results verified that C3G could reduce cholesterol levels by inhibiting sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP2)/HMGCR pathway, increasing ATP, and reducing acetyl-CoA. Finally, HMGCR had been shown to positively increase ROS accumulation and decrease MMP, which were reversed by intervention of C3G through a series of knockdown and overexpression experiments. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that C3G could inhibit the disorder of cholesterol synthesis in oxidative stress cells by regulating the ROS/SREBP2/HMGCR pathway.

Effects of Dietary Medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) Extract on Growth Performance, Innate Immune Characteristics, Antioxidant Status, and Responses to Crowding Stress in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

High stocking density is a stress factor that potentially affects physiological and immune responses. In this study, the effects of medlar (Mespilus germanica) extract (ME) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant, immune status, and stress responses in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were studied. Six hundred fish (40.19 ± 1.09 g; average fish weight ± standard error) were distributed randomly into five experimental groups (assayed in triplicates). The experimental diets were formulated as follows: 0 (T1, control), 0.5% (T2), 1% (T3), 1.5% (T4), and 2% (T4). After 60 days feeding trial, the fish were confined, and the density increased (60 kg/m3) for further 14 days. Results showed significant increases in final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate, and feed intake in the T4 compared to the control (P < 0.05). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) in T4 significantly decreased compared to the control (P < 0.05). Also, the treated groups showed significant improvements in catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), lysozyme (LYZ), total immunoglobulin (total Ig), respiratory burst activity (RBA), total protein, and phagocytosis (PHA) (P < 0.05). Moreover, compared with the control group, supplementation could significantly decrease glucose (GLU) and cortisol (CORT), alanine transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.05). After the challenge, FW and WG in all treated challenge groups were significantly improved compared to the control group (P < 0.05). FCR showed a significant decrease in all treated challenged groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). However, malondialdehyde, CAT, GPx, SOD, LYZ, complement activity (C3 and C4), total Ig, RBA, peroxidase, and PHA in challenged treated groups were significantly increased compared to the control group (P < 0.05). All treated challenged groups showed lower ALT, LDH, AST, ALP, GLU, and CORT levels than the control group (P < 0.05). The experiment herein successfully demonstrated that dietary ME stimulated fish growth, antioxidant status, and immune responses in crowding conditions and can be recommended as beneficial feed additives for rainbow trout.

Root Vegetables-Composition, Health Effects, and Contaminants

Root vegetables are known all over the world, but they are being less and less consumed by individuals. The main purpose of this article was to summarize the benefits, health effects, and threats associated with the consumption of carrot, celery, parsley, beetroot, radish, turnip, and horseradish. They are characterized by high nutritional value due to their richness in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. One of their most important features is their high content of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, phenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C. These compounds are responsible for antioxidant potential. Comparison of their antioxidant effects is difficult due to the lack of standardization among methods used for their assessment. Therefore, there is a need for a reference method that would allow for correct interpretation. Moreover, root vegetables are characterized by several health-promoting effects, including the regulation of metabolic parameters (glucose level, lipid profile, and blood pressure), antioxidant potential, prebiotic function, and anti-cancer properties. However, due to the type of cultivation, root vegetables are vulnerable to contaminants from the soil, such as toxic metals (lead and cadmium), pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, microplastics, and nitrates. Regardless, the low levels of toxic substances present in root vegetables do not pose health risks to the average consumer.

Computation Screening of Multi-Target Antidiabetic Properties of Phytochemicals in Common Edible Mediterranean Plants

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease and one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Numerous studies support that the Mediterranean diet has preventive and treatment effects on diabetes. These effects have been attributed to the special bioactive composition of Mediterranean foods. The objective of this work was to decipher the antidiabetic activity of Mediterranean edible plant materials using the DIA-DB inverse virtual screening web server. A literature review on the antidiabetic potential of Mediterranean plants was performed and twenty plants were selected for further examination. Subsequently, the most abundant flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenes in plant materials were studied to predict their antidiabetic activity. Results showed that flavonoids are the most active phytochemicals as they modulate the function of 17 protein-targets and present high structural similarity with antidiabetic drugs. Their antidiabetic effects are linked with three mechanisms of action, namely (i) regulation of insulin secretion/sensitivity, (ii) regulation of glucose metabolism, and (iii) regulation of lipid metabolism. Overall, the findings can be utilized to understand the antidiabetic activity of edible Mediterranean plants pinpointing the most active phytoconstituents.