Effects of stem bark aqueous extract of Fagara tessmannii Engl (Rutaceae) on cardiovascular risks related to monosodium glutamate-induced obesity in rat: In vivo and in vitro assessments

An Early and Sustained Inflammatory State Induces Muscle Changes and Establishes Obesogenic Characteristics in Wistar Rats Exposed to the MSG-Induced Obesity Model

The model of obesity induced by monosodium glutamate cytotoxicity on the hypothalamic nuclei is widely used in the literature. However, MSG promotes persistent muscle changes and there is a significant lack of studies that seek to elucidate the mechanisms by which damage refractory to reversal is established. This study aimed to investigate the early and chronic effects of MSG induction of obesity upon systemic and muscular parameters of Wistar rats. The animals were exposed to MSG subcutaneously (4 mg·g^-1 b.w.) or saline (1.25 mg·g^-1 b.w.) daily from PND01 to PND05 (n = 24). Afterwards, in PND15, 12 animals were euthanized to determine the plasma and inflammatory profile and to assess muscle damage. In PND142, the remaining animals were euthanized, and samples for histological and biochemical analyses were obtained. Our results suggest that early exposure to MSG reduced growth, increased adiposity, and inducted hyperinsulinemia and a pro-inflammatory scenario. In adulthood, the following were observed: peripheral insulin resistance, increased fibrosis, oxidative distress, and a reduction in muscle mass, oxidative capacity, and neuromuscular junctions, increased fibrosis, and oxidative distress. Thus, we can conclude that the condition found in adult life and the difficulty restoring in the muscle profile is related to the metabolic damage established early on.

Natural Dietary and Medicinal Plants with Anti-Obesity Therapeutics Activities for Treatment and Prevention of Obesity during Lock Down and in Post-COVID-19 Era

Overweight and obesity have become global epidemics, especially during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential of medicinal plants as a better and safe option in treating obesity and overweight has gained attention in recent years. Obesity and overweight has become a major public health concern, and its incidence rising at an alarming rate. Obesity is one of the major types of metabolic syndrome, resulting in various types of problems such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and excess fat accumulation. The current searching was done by the keywords in main indexing systems including Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, the search engine of Google Scholar, and Institute for Scientific Web of Science. The keywords were traditional medicine, health benefits, pharmaceutical science, pomegranate, punicalin, punicalagin, and ellagitannins. Google Scholar was searched manually for possible missing manuscripts, and there was no language restriction in the search. This review was carried out to highlight the importance of medicinal plants which are common in traditional medicinal sciences of different countries, especially Asia to prevent and treatment of obesity and overweight during the global pandemic and the post-COVID-19 era.

Zanthoxylum Species: A Comprehensive Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Applications

Zanthoxylum species (Syn. Fagara species) of the Rutaceae family are widely used in many countries as food and in trado-medicinal practice due to their wide geographical distribution and medicinal properties. Peer reviewed journal articles and ethnobotanical records that reported the traditional knowledge, phytoconstituents, biological activities and toxicological profiles of Z. species with a focus on metabolic and neuronal health were reviewed. It was observed that many of the plant species are used as food ingredients and in treating inflammation, pain, hypertension and brain diseases. Over 500 compounds have been isolated from Z. species, and the biological activities of both the plant extracts and their phytoconstituents, including their mechanisms of action, are discussed. The phytochemicals responsible for the biological activities of some of the species are yet to be identified. Similarly, biological activities of some isolated compounds remain unknown. Taken together, the Z. species extracts and compounds possess promising biological activities and should be further explored as potential sources of new nutraceuticals and drugs.

Effects of total flavonoids from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves on polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance model rats induced by letrozole combined with a high-fat diet

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves are the dry leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Modern studies have shown that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves and its extracts have many pharmacological effects, such as regulating hypothalamus pituitary ovary (HPO) axis function, estrogen like effects, correcting insulin resistance (IR), regulating lipids, and reducing weight, which are consistent with the clinical manifestations in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. PCOS patients often have HPO axis disorder, low estrogen, high androgen, high IR complication rate, and obesity. Previous preclinical studies have shown that total flavonoids from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves (TFEL) can improve the imbalance in sex hormone secretion in perimenopausal animal models by regulating the function of the HPO axis. Thus, it is important to understand if flavonoids are the active parts of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves that interfere with polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance (PCOS-IR), and determine the regulatory role they play in sex hormones and IR?

AIM OF THE STUDY

Investigate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway in the ovary and kisspeptin/insulin like growth factor/leptin receptor1/androgen receptor (Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR) in the HPO axis to determine the mechanism of TFEL intervention in a rat model of PCOS-IR model rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A rat model of PCOS-IR was established using a high-fat diet (49 d) combined with letrozole (1 mg/kg·d, for 28 d). Then, metformin (300 mg/kg·d) and TFEL (220 mg/kg·d, 110 mg/kg·d, and 55 mg/kg·d) were administered continuously for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, samples were taken and the related indexes were measured.

RESULTS

TFEL reduced the body weight, Lee's index, ovarian index, ovarian area and ovarian volume, increased serum E2, SHBG levels and ISI, decreased serum levels of T, LEP, INS, and FBG (whole blood), and reduced the HOMA-IR in rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL downregulate Kiss1, IGF-1, and AR in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1 and AR in the pituitary gland, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1, LEPR, and AR in the ovary of rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL could downregulate p-IRS-1Ser307, upregulate IRS-1, p-IRS-1Tyr895, PI3Kp85α, p-PI3Kp85α, AKT, p-AKT, and GLUT4 in the ovary, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the ovary and pancreas of rats with PCOS-IR.

CONCLUSION

TFEL can inhibit ovarian hyperplasia, regulate disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism and improve the secretion of sex hormones, by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related proteins in the ovary and Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR in the HPO axis.

Glutamate - A multifaceted molecule: Endogenous neurotransmitter, controversial food additive, design compound for anti-cancer drugs. A critical appraisal

One of the most widely used flavour enhancers in the food industry is monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG consumption has been on an upward trend, worrying in terms of potential toxic effects. This review is focused on the long-term toxicity of MSG and the experimental evidence that supports it. The article's primary purpose was to survey recently published data regarding the consumption of MSG within safe limits. The administered doses in animal models are very varied and have given rise to controversy. Also, the paper comprises pathways to lower MSG toxicity and highlight other underexploited biological effects, as anti-cancer potential. The administration of MSG, combined with various compounds, has been shown benefit against toxic effects. Several recent studies have identified a possible mechanism that recommends MSG and some derivatives as potential anti-cancer agents. New anti-cancer compounds based on the glutamic acid structure must be studied and further exploited. International regulations require harmonization of safe doses of MSG based on current scientific studies. Replacing MSG with other umami flavour enhancers may be a safer alternative for human health in the future. The biological consequences of MSG consumption or therapeutical administration have not been fully deciphered yet.

Leptin administration during lactation leads to different nutritional, biometric, hemodynamic, and cardiac outcomes in prepubertal and adult female Wistar rats

Literature reports that insults, such as hormonal disturbances, during critical periods of development may modulate organism physiology and metabolism favoring cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) later in life. Studies show that leptin administration during lactation leads to cardiovascular dysfunction in young and adult male Wistar rats. However, there are sex differences regarding CVD. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate neonatal leptin administration's consequences on different outcomes in female rats at prepubertal and adult age. Newborn Wistar female rats were divided into two groups, Leptin and Control, receiving daily subcutaneous injections of this adipokine (8 μg/100 g) or saline for the first 10 of 21 d of lactation. Nutritional, biometric, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic parameters, as well as maximal effort ergometer performance, were determined at postnatal days (PND) 30 and 150. Leptin group presented lower food intake (p = 0.0003) and higher feed efficiency (p = 0.0058) between PND 21 and 30. Differences concerning echocardiographic parameters revealed higher left ventricle internal diameter (LVID) in systole (p = 0.0051), as well as lower left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) (p = 0.0111) and fractional shortening (FS) (p = 0.0405) for this group at PND 30. Older rats treated with leptin during lactation presented only higher LVID in systole (p = 0.0270). Systolic blood pressure and maximum effort ergometer test performance was similar between groups at both ages. These data suggest that nutritional, biometric, and cardiac outcomes due to neonatal leptin administration in female rats are age-dependent.

Biochanin A Regulates Cholesterol Metabolism Further Delays the Progression of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

PURPOSE

To discover the possible target of biochanin A (BCA) in the lipid metabolism pathway and further explore its mechanism to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODS

We adopted a high-fat and high-glucose diet for 12 weeks to build the NAFLD rat model, which was then treated with different proportions of BCA for 4 weeks. General condition, body weight, Lee index, and liver index were then evaluated. Furthermore, blood lipid level and insulin resistance (IR) were detected. Moreover, hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O staining were used to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of CYP7A1, HMGCR, LDLR, PPAR-α, PPAR-γ, and SREBP-1c in the liver.

RESULTS

The vital signs of rats in each group were stable. The treatment with BCA effectively reduced Lee index and liver index (F = 104.781, P < 0.05); however, the weight was not effected in each group. Additionally, BCA effectively reduced the related lipid metabolism indexes of NAFLD, such as total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), blood glucose, insulin, IR (F =12.463 (TC), 6.909 [TG], and 15.3 effected 75 [LDL], P < 0.05), and increased HDL (F = 11.580, P < 0.05). We observed that BCA could significantly improve steatosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in liver slices. Furthermore, BCA significantly increased the CYP7A1, LDLR, and PPAR-α protein expression in the liver and downregulated the HMGCR, SREBP-1c, and PPAR-γ protein expression.

CONCLUSION

BCA could delay the liver damage of NAFLD induced by a high-fat diet, regulate the blood lipid level, and improve the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes in rats.