Buckwheat and buckwheat enriched products exert an anti-inflammatory effect on the myofibroblasts of colon CCD-18Co

Analysis of characteristic aromas of buckwheat with different germplasm using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics and multivariate statistical analysis

In this study, the volatile components in 40 samples of Tartary buckwheat and common buckwheat from 6 major producing areas in China were analyzed. A total of 77 volatile substances were identified, among which aldehydes and hydrocarbons were the main volatile components. Odor activity value analysis revealed 26 aromatic compounds, with aldehydes making a significant contribution to the aroma of buckwheat. Seven key compounds that could be used to distinguish Tartary buckwheat from common buckwheat were identified. The orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis was effectively used to classify Tartary buckwheat and common buckwheat from different producing areas. This study provides valuable information for evaluating buckwheat quality, breeding high-quality varieties, and enhancing rational resource development.

Mechanism of action of buckwheat quercetin in regulating lipid metabolism and intestinal flora via Toll-like receptor 4 or nuclear factor κB pathway in rats on a high-fat diet

OBJECTIVES

Buckwheat quercetin (QUE) was used as a dietary supplement to investigate the mechanism of QUE on the regulation of lipid metabolism and intestinal flora in hyperlipidemic rats.

METHODS

Here, using a high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia model, the intervention was carried out by gavage of QUE at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. Serum lipid levels, liver biochemical parameters, and histopathologic changes in the liver and intestinal microorganisms were measured in rats by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hematoxylin-eosin, and high-throughput sequencing, respectively.

RESULTS

Our results found that QUE, at a dose of 200 mg/kg, significantly reduced body weight, liver index, and lipid levels in rats (P < 0.05); improved hepatic oxidative stress; and repaired liver injury. In addition, the upregulation of beneficial bacteria, such as christensenellaceae and Bifidobacterium, in the organism increased the content of short-chain fatty acids, thus interfering with intestinal pH and improving the intestinal environment, while downregulating the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, and regulating the overproduction of butyrate. The real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction results found that QUE inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) mRNA content and blocked the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, thus affecting the downregulation of lipid levels and restoring intestinal homeostasis.

CONCLUSIONS

A QUE dose of 200 mg/kg may improve lipid levels and the composition of intestinal flora through the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, suggesting that proteobacteria and christensenellaceae abundance changes may be biomarkers of potential diseases.

Systematic Review of Human and Animal Evidence on the Role of Buckwheat Consumption on Gastrointestinal Health

BACKGROUND

Buckwheat is a commonly cultivated crop with growing evidence that it is beneficial to gastrointestinal (GI) health. This systematic review summarizes the role of buckwheat in modifying GI health outcomes and microbiomes.

METHODS

Four medical databases and Google Scholar were systematically searched. Clinical trials, observational studies, animal in vivo, and in vitro studies with human and animal GI-derived samples were included.

RESULTS

There were 32 studies (one randomized controlled trial [RCT], one non-randomized trial, 3 observational, 9 in vitro, and 18 animal in vivo studies) included. In preclinical studies, buckwheat extracts were observed to have cytotoxic potential against human-derived GI cancer cell lines. Animals fed with buckwheat had lower GI mucosal inflammation, higher alpha diversity in the GI microbiome, and higher levels of fecal short-chain fatty acids. Human evidence studies and clinical trials were limited and predominantly of moderate risk of bias. The majority of in vitro studies with GI-derived samples and in vivo studies were reliable without restrictions in study design.

CONCLUSION

In vivo and in vitro studies show that buckwheat may have potential GI benefits due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory potential; however, human evidence remains limited, and its impact on health in humans remains to be elucidated in future trials.

Buckwheat-enriched diet alleviates bisphenol A mediated oxidative stress via modulation of sirtuin 1 and antioxidant status in experimental rats

Present study investigated effect of dietary buckwheat in alleviating bisphenol A (BPA) mediated oxidative stress, concomitant sirtuin1 levels in serum, stomach, and liver of rats. Experimental group A and B ingested standard diet, C and D consumed buckwheat (30%); group A and C drank normal water, B and C had BPA contamination (10 mg L^-1). Sirtuin1 mean B/A ratio nearing unity in all tissues reveals inertness of BPA towards sirtuin1. Dietary buckwheat improved sirtuin1 levels both in normal (mean C/A ratio of serum, 1.65; liver, 1.24; stomach, 1.78) and BPA fed state (mean D/B ratio of serum, 1.9; liver, 1.26; stomach, 1.75). Buckwheat augmented antioxidant status in BPA fed rats as seen in mean D/B ratio of serum (catalase, 2.4; glutathione reductase (GR), 1.33; Thiols, 1.2), liver (catalase, 2; GR, 2.5; Thiols, 1.36) and stomach (catalase, 1.31; GR, 1.5; Thiols, 1.33). Therefore, buckwheat counters BPA-led oxidative stress and modulates sirtuin1.

Technological Potential of a Lupin Protein Concentrate as a Nutraceutical Delivery System in Baked Cookies

Previous reports have shown that lupin protein extracts (LE) contain a polypeptide named deflamin with a potent matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 inhibitory activity. The aim of our study was to develop an efficient delivery method for incorporating deflamin into cookies using different alternative flours. A lupin protein concentrate (10 g protein/100 g cookie dough) was added to gluten and gluten-free flours to produce savoury cookies, and its impacts on the physical properties of doughs and cookies, as well on the maintenance of deflamin's anti-MMP-9 activity, were analysed. The results showed that the biochemical compositions of all cookies with LE presented higher protein and ash contents when compared to the control cookies. Rice, buckwheat and oat doughs were firmer than the others, whereas the addition of LE to kamut and buckwheat flours made cookies significantly firmer than the controls. Additionally, strong interactions between LE and several flours were observed, yielding different impacts on the MMP-9 bioactivity. Overall, the only flour that did not interfere with the desired nutraceutical activities was buckwheat, with 60% MMP-9 inhibitory activity and a concomitant reduction of colon cancer migration; hence, buckwheat flour was revealed to be a good vehicle to deliver bioactive deflamin, showing strong potential as a functional food to be used in preventive or curative approaches to gastrointestinal diseases.

In Vitro Expanded Bioaccessibility of Quercetin-3-Rutinoside and Quercetin Aglycone from Buckwheat Biscuits Formulated from Flours Fermented by Lactic Acid Bacteria

The expanded bioaccessibility of rutin (Ru) and quercetin (Q) from buckwheat biscuits (BBs) formulated from liquid-state fermented flours by selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were determined after gastrointestinal digestion. Fermentation of buckwheat flours caused a LAB-dependent variation in Ru and Q content. BBs baked at 220 °C for 30 min showed lower content of Ru and Q, and no correlation was found between the content of these compounds in fermented flours and BBs. The expanded bioaccessibility of Ru from BBs was low when its content in the soluble and insoluble fractions remaining after digestion in vitro was taken into account. Contrary results were found for Q bioaccessibility which had an index greater than 1, indicating the high Q bioaccessibility from BBs. Since very low Q content was noted in the insoluble fraction remaining after BBs digestion, the high Q bioaccessibility was determined to be due to its concentration in the soluble fraction.

Buckwheat Secondary Metabolites: Potential Antifungal Agents

Research groups have put significant emphasis on the evaluation of nutritional, health-promoting, and other biological activities of secondary metabolites from buckwheat. Among these phytochemicals, phenolic and lipophilic antioxidants, particularly, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tocopherols, have been the focus of the latest studies since antioxidant activity has recently been associated with the possibility of inhibiting fungal growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis. The mycotoxin contamination of cereal and pseudocereal grains caused primarily by Fusarium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus species poses a significant hazard to human health. Therefore, efforts to examine the involvement of plant antioxidants in the biosynthesis of mycotoxins at the transcriptional level have emerged. In addition, hydrophobic interactions of buckwheat phenolics with cell membranes could also explain their capacity to reduce fungal development. Eventually, possibilities of enhancing the biological activity of cereal and pseudocereal phytochemicals have been studied, and sourdough fermentation has been proposed as an efficient method to increase antioxidant activities. This effect could result in an increased antifungal effects of sourdough and bakery products. This review reports the main advances in research on buckwheat phenolics and other antioxidant phytochemicals, highlighting possible mechanisms of action and processes that could improve their biological activities.

Treasure from garden: Bioactive compounds of buckwheat

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An extensive review on diverse bioactive components of buckwheat.

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Versatile beneficial phytochemicals are abundant in buckwheat.

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Buckwheat has a wide range of pharmacological and beneficial health effects.

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Huge research scope on Fagopyrum cymosum to identify the beneficial phytochemicals.

Buckwheat is a gluten-free crop under the family Polygonaceae abundant with beneficial phytochemicals that provide significant health benefits. It is cultivated and adapted in diverse ecological zones all over the world. Recently its popularity is expanding as a nutrient-rich healthy food with low-calories. The bioactive compounds in buckwheat are flavonoids (i.e., rutin, quercetin, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin), fatty acids, polysaccharides, proteins, and amino acids, iminosugars, dietary fiber, fagopyrins, resistant starch, vitamins, and minerals. Buckwheat possesses high nutritional value due to these bioactive compounds. Additionally, several essential bioactive factors that have long been gaining interest because these compounds are beneficial for healing and preventing several human diseases. The present review demonstrates an overview of the recent researches regarding buckwheat phytochemicals and particularly focusing on the distinct function of bioactive components with their health benefits.

Effect of calcium chloride and sucrose on the composition of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities in buckwheat sprouts

In this study, we evaluated the effect of sucrose and CaCl₂ on the growth profile, nutritional quality, and antioxidant capacity of sprouted buckwheat. Buckwheat seeds were germinated at 25 °C for 8 days and sprayed with four different solutions: distilled water, 3% sucrose, 7.5 mM CaCl₂, and 3% sucrose plus 7.5 mM CaCl₂. Our results showed that CaCl₂ effectively improved sucrose-elicitation induced growth reduction in buckwheat sprouts. Elicitation with both sucrose and CaCl₂ in buckwheat sprouts markedly enhanced the accumulation of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, γ-aminobutyric acid, vitamin C, and E, without negatively affecting sprout growth. Elicitation with both sucrose and CaCl₂ not only significantly enhanced the antioxidant activities but also exerted cytoprotective effects against oxidative damage in HepG2 cells and fibroblasts. These findings suggested that simultaneous elicitation with 3% sucrose and 7.5 mM CaCl₂ can potentially improve the nutritional value and potential health benefits of buckwheat sprouts.

Berberine inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes apoptosis of tumour-associated fibroblast-induced colonic epithelial cells through regulation of TGF-β signalling

Tumour-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) mediate the differentiation of adjacent stromal cells. Berberine (BBR), a monomer of traditional Chinese herbs, exhibits a potent therapeutic effect against cancer. However, the effects of BBR on the differentiation of normal colonic epithelial cells induced by TAFs have not been determined. In the present study, we selected the TAF-like myofibroblast cell line CCD-18Co. CCD-18Co-derived conditioned medium (CM) and co-culture induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes in colonic epithelial HCoEpiC cells with decreased E-cadherin and increased vimentin and α-SMA expression. In addition, CCD-18Co stimulated the expression of ZEB1 and Snail and promoted motility. We used LY364947, a TGF-β receptor kinase type I (TβRI) inhibitor, and BBR. Our results showed that LY364947 and BBR inhibited these phenomena. BBR decreased the expression of ZEB1 and Snail, and this effect was concentration dependent. BBR also downregulated the expression of TβRI, TβRII, Smad2/p-Smad2 and Smad3/p-Smad3. In addition, BBR induced apoptosis in EMT-like HCoEpiC cells in a concentration-dependent manner with upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. However, VX-702, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, significantly suppressed the apoptosis rate. BBR promoted the expression of p38 MAPK and phosphorylated p38 MAPK. In conclusion, berberine inhibits EMT and promotes apoptosis in TAF-induced colonic epithelial cells through mediation of the Smad-dependent and SMAD-independent TGF-β signalling pathways.

Trichostatin a inhibits phenotypic transition and induces apoptosis of the TAF-treated normal colonic epithelial cells through regulation of TGF-β pathway

Tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) contribute to transdifferentiation of stromal cells in tumor microenvironment. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a procedure of phenotypic remodeling of epithelial cells and extensively exists in local tumoral stroma. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Tricostatin A (TSA) and sodium butyrate (SB) are reported to play important roles in the regulation of biological behaviour of cancer cells. However, whether TSA or SB is involved in control of EMT in colon epithelial cells induced by TAFs remains unidentified. In present study, we used conditioned medium (CM) form TAF-like CCD-18Co cells to stimulate 2D- and 3D-cultured colon epithelial HCoEpiC cells for 24 h and 4 d. We found that the CCD-18Co CM triggered multiple morphological changes in HCoEpiCs including prolonged cell diameters, down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of vimentin and α-SMA. Besides, ZEB1 and Snail expression and migration were also promoted by the CM. These phenomena were abolised by 5 μg/ml LY364947, a TGF-β receptor inhibitor. CCD-18Co induced up-regulation of HDAC1 and HDAC2 in the 2D and 3D models, while no change of HDAC4 exprerssion was found. Treatment of 2 μg/ml TSA reversed the CCD-18Co-induced morphological changes and migration of the HCoEpiCs, and suppressed the downregulation of E-cadherin and upregulation of vimentin, α-SMA, ZEB1 and Snail. However, the suppressive effect of 4 mg/ml SB on the EMT was not observed. TSA down-regulated the expressions of Smad2/3, p-Smad2/3 amd HDAC4. Besides, TSA promoted the apoptosis rate (36.84 ± 6.52%) comparing with the CCD-18Co-treated HCoEpiCs (3.52 ± 0.85%, P < 0.05), with promotion of Bax (0.5893±0.0498 in 2D and 0.8867±0.0916 in 3D) and reduction of Bcl-2 (0.0476±0.0053 in 2D and 0.0294±0.0075 in 3D). TSA stimulated expression of phosphorylated-p38 MAPK in 2D (0.3472±0.0249) and 3D (0.3188±0.0248). After pre-treatment with p38 MAPK inhibitor VX-702 (0.5 mg/ml), the apoptosis rate of TSA was decreased in 2D (10.32%) and 3D (5.26%). Our observations demonstrate that epigenetic treatment with HDAC inhibitor TSA may be a useful therapeutic tool for the reversion of TAF-induced EMT in colon epithelium through mediating canonical Smads pathway and non-canonical p38 MAPK signalling.

Difference of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in epithelial-mesenchymal transition of normal colonic epithelial cells induced by tumor-associated fibroblasts and colon cancer cells

Tumor microenvironment (TME) crucially functions in tumor initiation and progression. Stroma-tumor interactions and cellular transdifferentiation are the prerequisite for tumor formation. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), a major cytokine secreted by tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) and cancer cells, is a crucial player involving cell transdifferentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that these TAFs and cancer cells also affect normal colon epithelium. In our study, we found for the first time that colon cancer cells HCT116 and TAF-like CCD-18Co cells induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like transdifferentiation in colon epithelial cells HCoEpiCs, with enhanced migratio. Dysfunction of TGF-β/Smads signal was also observed in the EMT-transformed HCoEpiCs. We wondered whether these phenomena were regulated by TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway. A TGFβ receptor kinase I (TβRI) inhibitor LY364947 was used. We found that the EMT induced by the HCT116- and CCD-18Co-derived CM was suppressed by the LY364947. Besides, different expression profiles for the components of TGF-β/Smads pathway were found in the EMT-like HCoEpiCs, but high expression of p-Smad2/3 and Smad4 was the common feature. Our observations suggest that the mechanisms of phenotypic transition of colon epithelial cells are cellular environment-dependent, which maybe a basis of potential therapy targeting TME.