Hepatoprotective and Renoprotective Properties of Lovastatin-Loaded Ginger and Garlic Oil Nanoemulsomes: Insights into Serum Biological Parameters

Lipid Nanoparticles: An Effective Tool to Improve the Bioavailability of Nutraceuticals

Nano-range bioactive colloidal carrier systems are envisaged to overcome the challenges associated with treatments of numerous diseases. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), one of the extensively investigated drug delivery systems, not only improve pharmacokinetic parameters, transportation, and chemical stability of encapsulated compounds but also provide efficient targeting and reduce the risk of toxicity. Over the last decades, nature-derived polyphenols, vitamins, antioxidants, dietary supplements, and herbs have received more attention due to their remarkable biological and pharmacological health and medical benefits. However, their poor aqueous solubility, compromised stability, insufficient absorption, and accelerated elimination impede research in the nutraceutical sector. Owing to the possibilities offered by various LNPs, their ability to accommodate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules and the availability of various preparation methods suitable for sensitive molecules, loading natural fragile molecules into LNPs offers a promising solution. The primary objective of this work is to explore the synergy between nature and nanotechnology, encompassing a wide range of research aimed at encapsulating natural therapeutic molecules within LNPs.

A herb mixture to ameliorate non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats fed a high-fat diet

This study was performed to investigate the effects of an herb extract mixture (HM) in ameliorating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The HM contained equal amounts of 70% ethanol extracts from Zingiber officinale, Centella asiatica, and Boehmeria nivea. In vitro, the HM significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in oleic acid-stimulated HepG2 cells. We further evaluated the anti-NAFLD activities of the HM in vivo in an animal model. Rats were fed two different amounts of the HM (50 and 200 mg/kg body weight) along with a high-fat diet for 6 weeks. HM supplementation reduced liver weight; epididymal, peri-renal, and intra-abdominal fat content; and serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels as well as increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in a dose-dependent manner. Histological evaluation of liver specimens further demonstrated that administration of HM significantly prevented hepatic lipid accumulation and subsequent development of hepatic steatosis. These findings suggest that HM can be used as an alternative nutraceutical for ameliorating NAFLD.

Lycopene Modulates Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

The complicated disorder of hypercholesterolemia has several underlying factors, including genetic and lifestyle factors. Low LDL cholesterol and elevated serum total cholesterol are its defining features. A carotenoid with antioxidant quality is lycopene. Examining lycopene activity in an animal model of hypercholesterolemia induced using food was the aim of this investigation. Triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and plasma total cholesterol were all measured. Biomarkers of renal and cardiac function were also examined. Apoptotic indicators, pro-inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress were also assessed. Additionally, the mRNA expression of paraoxonase 1 (PON-1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), and PPAR-γ coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) in cardiac and renal tissues was examined. Rats showed elevated serum lipid levels, renal and cardiac dysfunction, significant oxidative stress, and pro-inflammatory and apoptotic markers at the end of the study. Treatment with lycopene significantly corrected and restored these changes. Additionally, lycopene markedly increased the mRNA expression of PGC-1α and PON-1, and decreased PPAR-γ expression. It was determined that lycopene has the capacity to modulate the PPAR-γ and PON-1 signaling pathway in order to preserve the cellular energy metabolism of the heart and kidney, which in turn reduces tissue inflammatory response and apoptosis. According to these findings, lycopene may be utilized as a medication to treat hypercholesterolemia. However, further studies should be conducted first to determine the appropriate dose and any adverse effects that may appear after lycopene usage in humans.

Insights into the pivotal role of statins and its nanoformulations in hyperlipidemia

Hyperlipidemia is the primary cause of heart disorders and has been manifested as the condition with remarkable higher levels of very-low-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, intermediate-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and cholesterol in blood circulation. Genetic causes or systemic metabolic illnesses like diabetes mellitus, increased alcohol consumption, hypothyroidism, and primary biliary cirrhosis are several reasons behind development of hyperlipidemia. Higher levels of lipids and lipoproteins in plasma are responsible for various health disorders in human body like occlusion of blood vessels, acute pancreatitis, and reduced artery lumen elasticity. Both primary and secondary prophylaxis of heart disease can be achieved through combination of pharmacologic therapy with therapeutic lifestyle adjustments. Statins which belongs to HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are preferred for primary prevention of hyperlipidemia particularly for individuals at higher risk of development of heart disease. This review discusses the recent advancements and outcomes of nanoparticle drug carriers for statins in the therapy of hyperlipidemia.

Potential Protective Effect of Zingiber officinale in Comparison to Rosuvastatin on High-fat diet-induced Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Rats

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease affecting nearly 25% of adults worldwide with related risk factors including obesity, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases. Many therapeutic remedies of natural or synthetic properties were used. AIM: This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of ginger/rosuvastatin (ROSU) on the liver of rats with induced NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty adult male albino rats were used in this study and divided into four equal subgroups, Group I, control received the standard rat chow diet and given normal saline (1 ml/kg/day), Group II, high-fat diet (HFD) group, Group III, received HFD+ ROSU (15 mg/kg/day), and Group IV, HFD+ Zingiber officinale (10% W/V) for 6 weeks. At the end of our experiment, the rats were sacrificed then blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis of lipid profiles and liver enzymes, liver specimen was prepared for light and electron microscopic examination, and measurement of tissue level of malondialdehyde. RESULTS: NAFLD caused degenerative changes and lipid deposition in liver cells as evidenced by microscopic results and laboratory tests. Treatment with ginger/ROSU alleviated those changes. CONCLUSION: Ginger and ROSU could ameliorate liver functions in NAFLD and ginger effect is superior to ROSU.

Development and Characterization of Eudragit® EPO-Based Solid Dispersion of Rosuvastatin Calcium to Foresee the Impact on Solubility, Dissolution and Antihyperlipidemic Activity

Poor solubility is the major challenge involved in the formulation development of new chemical entities (NCEs), as more than 40% of NCEs are practically insoluble in water. Solid dispersion (SD) is a promising technology for improving dissolution and, thereby, the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. This study investigates the influence of a pH-sensitive acrylate polymer, EPO, on the physicochemical properties of rosuvastatin calcium, an antihyperlipidemic drug. In silico docking was conducted with numerous polymers to predict drug polymer miscibility. The screened-out polymer was used to fabricate the binary SD of RoC in variable ratios using the co-grinding and solvent evaporation methods. The prepared formulations were assessed for physiochemical parameters such as saturation solubility, drug content and in vitro drug release. The optimized formulations were further ruled out using solid-state characterization (FTIR, DSC, XRD and SEM) and in vitro cytotoxicity. The results revealed that all SDs profoundly increased solubility as well as drug release. However, the formulation RSE-2, with a remarkable 71.88-fold increase in solubility, presented 92% of drug release in the initial 5 min. The molecular interaction studied using FTIR, XRD, DSC and SEM analysis evidenced the improvement of in vitro dissolution. The enhancement in solubility of RoC may be important for the modulation of the dyslipidemia response. Therefore, pharmacodynamic activity was conducted for optimized formulations. Our findings suggested an ameliorative effect of RSE-2 in dyslipidemia and its associated complications. Moreover, RSE-2 exhibited nonexistence of cytotoxicity against human liver cell lines. Convincingly, this study demonstrates that SD of RoC can be successfully fabricated by EPO, and have all the characteristics that are favourable for superior dissolution and better therapeutic response to the drug.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical and clinical studies on the efficacy of ginger for the treatment of fatty liver disease

Fatty liver disease (FLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease is closely related to obesity and insulin resistance. Ginger has hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects and acts as an insulin sensitizer. This study aims to evaluate the effect of ginger supplementation on the fatty liver. A comprehensive search of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science/ISI, and Cochrane databases was conducted without time or language restrictions. Eighteen eligible studies were identified, including 17 in-vivo experiments in quantitative analysis and 3 clinical trials in qualitative analysis. The present study provides comprehensive evidence of the efficacy of ginger to improve the liver levels of cholesterol (-5.60 mg/g), triglycerides (TG, -4.28 mg/g), malondialdehyde (-3.16 nmol/mg), catalase (CAT) (3.35 nmol/mg), superoxide dismutase (SOD, 3.01 U/mg), serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, -2.85 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, -0.98 U/L), TG (-4.98 mg/dL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL, -3.94 mg/dL), total cholesterol (TC, -3.45 mg/dL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL, 1.27 mg/dL), and fasting blood sugar (FBS, -2.54 mg/dL). Ginger administration may reduce many clinical aspects of FLD by several mechanisms, including insulin-sensitive effects, stimulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes, reducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), having antidyslipidemic activities, and reducing hepatic fat content. However, future clinical trials are essential to investigate the clinical application of ginger in this area.

The Evaluation of Drug Delivery Nanocarrier Development and Pharmacological Briefing for Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): An Update

Current research indicates that the next silent epidemic will be linked to chronic liver diseases, specifically non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which was renamed as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in 2020. Globally, MAFLD mortality is on the rise. The etiology of MAFLD is multifactorial and still incompletely understood, but includes the accumulation of intrahepatic lipids, alterations in energy metabolism, insulin resistance, and inflammatory processes. The available MAFLD treatment, therefore, relies on improving the patient's lifestyle and multidisciplinary pharmacotherapeutic options, whereas the option of surgery is useless without managing the comorbidities of the MAFLD. Nanotechnology is an emerging approach addressing MAFLD, where nanoformulations are suggested to improve the safety and physicochemical properties of conventional drugs/herbal medicines, physical, chemical, and physiological stability, and liver-targeting properties. A wide variety of liver nanosystems were constructed and delivered to the liver, only those that addressed the MAFLD were discussed in this review in terms of the nanocarrier classes, particle size, shape, zeta potential and offered dissolution rate(s), the suitable preparation method(s), excipients (with synergistic effects), and the suitable drug/compound for loading. The advantages and challenges of each nanocarrier and the focus on potential promising perspectives in the production of MAFLD nanomedicine were also highlighted.

Modulation of the Gut Microbiota and Liver Transcriptome by Red Yeast Rice and Monascus Pigment Fermented by Purple Monascus SHM1105 in Rats Fed with a High-Fat Diet

Hyperlipidemia can easily cause atherosclerosis and induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Red yeast rice (RYR) contains a variety of active ingredients and is commonly used as medicine and food, and has pharmacological effects such as lowering blood lipids. In this study, we select Monascus strain SHM1105 with a high yield of Monacolin K and monascus pigment (PIG), and studied the effects of the RYR and PIG fermented by this strain on blood lipids, intestinal flora, and liver transcriptome in hyperlipidemia model rats. The experimental results show that, compared with the high-fat model group, the weight growth rate, liver weight ratio, kidney weight ratio, spleen weight ratio, and fat weight ratio of rats in the gavage lovastatin (LOV), RYR, and PIG group were all significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Intervention with RYR and PIG can significantly reduce the serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels, which has the effect of lowering blood lipids. The 16SrDNA sequencing results showed that the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.01) after the intervention of LOV, RYR, and PIG; the abundance of the ratio of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Bacteroidales-S24-7-group also changed. The combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome showed that lovastatin, RYR, and PIG can all improve lipid metabolism in rats by regulating Steroid hormone biosynthesis, Glycerolipid metabolism, and the Arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. In addition, RYR and PIG also have a unique way of regulating blood lipids. Although a lot of research on the lipid-lowering components of Monascus rice and the single pigment component of Monascus has been carried out, the actual application is RYR and pigments as mixtures, as a mixture of RYR and PIG contains a variety of biologically active ingredients, and each component may have a synergistic effect. Hence it has a lipid-lowering mechanism that lovastatin does not have. Therefore, RYR and PIG are effective in reducing lipid potential development and can be utilized in functional foods.

Exercise reduces hyperlipidemia-induced kidney damage in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor of kidney damage that can lead to chronic kidney disease. Studies have shown that exercise reduces kidney damage; however, the specific mechanisms underlying the protective effects of exercise remain unclear. For 12 weeks, 8-week-old male apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mice were randomly divided into four treatment groups (n=7/group) as follows: Mice fed a normal diet (ND group); mice fed a ND and exercised (ND + E group); mice fed a high-fat diet (HD group); and mice fed a HD and exercised (HD + E group). Exercise training consisted of swimming for 40 min, 5 days/week. Metabolic parameters, such as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol and creatinine levels were higher in the ApoE^-/- HD mice compared with those in the ApoE^-/- HD + E mice. Serum levels of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were significantly decreased in the HD group compared with those in the HD + E group. Significant pathological changes were observed in the HD + E group compared with in the HD group. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting revealed increased levels of oxidative stress (nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2) and fibrosis (Smad3 and TGF-β) markers in the ApoE^-/- HD group; however, the expression levels of these markers were significantly decreased in the ApoE^-/- HD + E group. Furthermore, NF-κB expression in the HD + E group was significantly lower compared with that in the HD group. These results suggested that exercise may exert protective effects against kidney damage caused by hyperlipidemia.

The effect of high-fat diet and 13-cis retinoic acid application on lipid profile, glycemic response and oxidative stress in female Lewis rats

Vitamin A and its metabolites are key regulators of the development of adipose tissue and associated metabolic complications. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high fat diet and 13-cis retinoic acid (13 cRA) application on metabolic parameters, adipogenic and inflammatory indicators in female Lewis rats. Female rats of Lewis strain were fed standard laboratory diet (STD) and high fat diet (HFD, 45% of saturated fatty acids) during 30 days. The groups were divided into additional 3 groups (6 rats each): two experimental groups that received 13 cRA orally on a daily basis during 30 days (7.5 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg, respectively) and the control group that was given sunflower oil. Animals were sacrificed after 60 days. Feeding of Lewis rats with chronic HFD diet with 13 cRA supplementation increased weight gain, adiposity index, dyslipidaemia, hyperleptinaemia, insulin resistance, VLDL concentrations, oxidative stress and atherogenic indices. Administration of 13 cRA in Lewis rats fed STD did not change the weight of the animals, but it slightly increased the atherogenic parameters. 13 cRA and HFD affect metabolic parameters, glucose and lipid metabolism in Lewis rats and its administration has a completely different effect on metabolism in rats fed STD, highlighting the complex role of vitamin A supplementation in obesity. Other factors, such as genetics, age, sex, adipose tissue distribution, also must be taken into consideration.

Anti-obesity potential of Moringa olifera seed extract and lycopene on high fat diet induced obesity in male Sprauge Dawely rats

Present research explored the anti-obesity effect of Moringa olifera seed oil extract and lycopene (LYC). Forty eight male Sprauge Dawely rats were divided equally into 6 groups. Group Ι (C) served as control, group ΙΙ (MC) was given Moringa olifera seed oil extract (800 mg/kg b.wt) for 8 weeks, group ΙΙΙ (LC) was given (20 mg/kg b.wt) LYC for 8 weeks, group ΙV (O) received high fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks, group Ѵ (MO), was given HFD for 20 weeks and received (800 mg/kg b.wt) Moringa olifera seed oil extract for last 8 weeks and group ѴΙ (LO), received HFD for 20 weeks and was given (20 mg/kg b.wt) LYC for last 8 weeks. Hematology, lipid peroxidation and antioxidants, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose, lipid profile, serum liver and kidney biomarkers, inflammatory markers, leptin, resistin and heart fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) were determined. Also histopathology for liver, kidney and aorta were performed besides immunohistochemistry (IHC) for aortic inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Administration of Moringa olifera seed oil extract and LYC significantly ameliorated the HFD induced hematological and metabolic perturbations as well as reduced leptin and resistin. Both treatments exerted these effects through promotion of antioxidant enzymes and reducing lipid peroxidation as well as inflammatory cytokines along with reduced iNOS protein expression. Administration of Moringa olifera seed oil extract and LYC have anti-obesity potential in HFD induced obesity in male Sprauge Dawely rats.

Potential application of nanoemulsified garlic oil blend in mitigating the progression of type 2 diabetes-mediated nephropathy in Wistar rats

The renoprotective potential of nanoemulsified garlic oil blend (GNE) in alleviating the progressive stages of hyperlipidemia-mediated diabetic nephropathy was examined. The study was carried out in high fat-fed, streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic Wistar rats for five months. The diabetic rats showed a significant increase of area under the curve in OGTT (p < 0.01) and IPITT (p < 0.01), increased urinary albumin (p < 0.01), urinary microprotein (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p < 0.01), triglycerides (p < 0.001) and LDL cholesterol (p < 0.001), with decreased serum albumin (p < 0.01), serum protein (p < 0.001) and HDL-cholesterol levels (p < 0.05) than the control rats. The histopathological analysis evidenced mesangial expansion and hypercellularity at the end of the first and third month, and glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy at the end of the fifth month in diabetic rats. Moreover, on disease progression, increase in urinary podocalyxin, NGAL and CD36 was observed, and the renal mRNA and protein expression of podocalyxin decreased significantly with a concomitant increase in NGAL and CD36 expression from first till fifth month end. The treatment with GNE (20 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated the serum albumin (p < 0.001) and urine albumin (p < 0.01) from the end of the third month with significant attenuation in the lipid profile than GO (20 mg/kg) or Ator (8 mg/kg). Moreover, GNE reverted the histopathological alterations and attenuated the aberrant mRNA, protein expression and urinary excretion level of renal CD36, podocalyxin and NGAL in diabetic rats from an early stage of disease till the end of the study period. This study demonstrated the enhanced efficacy of GO in nanoemulsified form in mitigating the progression of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic rats.