Effect of Systemic Subnormal Deuterium Level on Metabolic Syndrome Related and other Blood Parameters in Humans: A Preliminary Study

Synergistic anticancer effects of crocin combined with deuterium-depleted water on HT-29 cells

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world and the study of the role of nutrients in preventing or inhibiting the growth of this cancer is of interest to scientists. In this article, the synergistic effect of deuterium-depleted water(DDW) and crocin at specific concentrations on HT-29 cells was investigated. In this regard, HT-29 cells were grown in RPMI medium containing DDW, alone and in combination with crocin for 24, 48 and 72 h. Cell viability, cell cycle changes and antioxidant enzymes status were determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry and quantitative luminescence methods, respectively. The results of these analyses proved the cell growth inhibitory effect of deuterium alone and its synergistic effect in combination with crocin. The cell cycle analysis showed an increase in the number of cells in the G0 and G1 phases whereas there was a decrease in the number of cells in the S, G2 and M phases. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes also decreased compared to the control group that is a reason to increase Malonyl dialdehyde factor. The results suggested that a combination of DDW and crocin can open a new strategic approach in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.

Deuterium Content of the Organic Compounds in Food Has an Impact on Tumor Growth in Mice

Research with deuterium-depleted water (DDW) in the last two decades proved that the deuterium/hydrogen ratio has a key role in cell cycle regulation and cellular metabolism. The present study aimed to investigate the possible effect of deuterium-depleted yolk (DDyolk) alone and in combination with DDW on cancer growth in two in vivo mouse models. To produce DDyolk, the drinking water of laying hens was replaced with DDW (25 ppm) for 6 weeks, resulting in a 60 ppm D level in dried egg yolk that was used as a deuterium-depleted food additive. In one model, 4T1, a cell line with a high metastatic capacity to the lung was inoculated in the mice's mammary pad. After three weeks of treatment with DDW and/or DDyolk, the tumor volume in the lungs was smaller in all treated groups vs. controls with natural D levels. Tumor growth and survival in mice transplanted with an MCF-7 breast cancer cell line showed that the anticancer effect of DDW was enhanced by food containing the deuterium-depleted yolk. The study confirmed the importance of the D/H ratio in consumed water and in metabolic water produced by the mitochondria while oxidizing nutrient molecules. This is in line with the concept that the initiation of cell growth requires the cells to generate a higher D/H ratio, but DDW, DDyolk, or the naturally low-D lipids in a ketogenic diet, have a significant effect on tumor growth by preventing the cells from raising the D/H ratio to the threshold.

Reduction of Deuterium Level Supports Resistance of Neurons to Glucose Deprivation and Hypoxia: Study in Cultures of Neurons and on Animals

The effect of a reduced deuterium (D) content in the incubation medium on the survival of cultured neurons in vitro and under glucose deprivation was studied. In addition, we studied the effect of a decrease in the deuterium content in the rat brain on oxidative processes in the nervous tissue, its antioxidant protection, and training of rats in the T-shaped maze test under hypoxic conditions. For experiments with cultures of neurons, 7-8-day cultures of cerebellar neurons were used. Determination of the rate of neuronal death in cultures was carried out using propidium iodide. Acute hypoxia with hypercapnia was simulated in rats by placing them in sealed vessels with a capacity of 1 L. The effect on oxidative processes in brain tissues was assessed by changes in the level of free radical oxidation and malondialdehyde. The effect on the antioxidant system of the brain was assessed by the activity of catalase. The study in the T-maze was carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methodology, the skill of alternating right-sided and left-sided loops on positive reinforcement was developed. This work has shown that a decrease in the deuterium content in the incubation medium to a level of -357‱ has a neuroprotective effect, increasing the survival rate of cultured neurons under glucose deprivation. When exposed to hypoxia, a preliminary decrease in the deuterium content in the rat brain to -261‱ prevents the development of oxidative stress in their nervous tissue and preserves the learning ability of animals in the T-shaped maze test at the level of the control group. A similar protective effect during the modification of the 2H/1H internal environment of the body by the consumption of DDW can potentially be used for the prevention of pathological conditions associated with the development of oxidative stress with damage to the central nervous system.

Deuterium-depleted water stimulates GLUT4 translocation in the presence of insulin, which leads to decreased blood glucose concentration

Deuterium (D) is a stable isotope of hydrogen (H) with a mass number of 2. It is present in natural waters in the form of HDO, at a concentration of 16.8 mmol/L, equivalent to 150 ppm. In a phase II clinical study, deuterium depletion reduced fasting glucose concentration and insulin resistance. In this study, we tested the effect of subnormal D-concentration on glucose metabolism in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Animals were randomly distributed into nine groups to test the effect of D2O (in a range of 25-150 ppm) on glucose metabolism in diabetic animals with or without insulin treatment. Serum glucose, fructose amine-, HbA1c, insulin and urine glucose levels were monitored, respectively. After the 8-week treatment, membrane-associated GLUT4 fractions from the soleus muscle were estimated by Western blot technique. Our results indicate that, in the presence of insulin, deuterium depletion markedly reduced serum levels of glucose, -fructose amine, and -HbA1c, in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal concentration of deuterium was between 125 and 140 ppm. After a 4-week period of deuterium depletion, the highest membrane-associated GLUT4 content was detected at 125 ppm. These data suggest that deuterium depletion dose-dependently enhances the effect of insulin on GLUT4 translocation and potentiates glucose uptake in diabetic rats, which explains the lower serum glucose, -fructose amine, and -HbA1c concentrations. Based on our experimental data, deuterium-depleted water could be used to treat patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) by increasing insulin sensitivity. These experiments indicate that naturally occurring deuterium has an impact on metabolic regulations.

Electrophysiological Activity and Survival Rate of Rats Nervous Tissue Cells Depends on D/H Isotopic Composition of Medium

The deuterium content modification in an organism has a neuroprotective effect during the hypoxia model, affecting anxiety, memory and stress resistance. The aim of this work was to elucidate the possible mechanisms of the medium D/H composition modification on nerve cells. We studied the effect of an incubation medium with a 50 ppm deuterium content compared to a medium with 150 ppm on: (1) the activity of Wistar rats' hippocampus CA1 field neurons, (2) the level of cultured cerebellar neuron death during glucose deprivation and temperature stress, (3) mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the generation of reactive oxygen species in cultures of cerebellar neurons. The results of the analysis showed that the incubation of hippocampal sections in a medium with a 50 ppm deuterium reduced the amplitude of the pop-spike. The restoration of neuron activity was observed when sections were returned to the incubation medium with a 150 ppm deuterium content. An environment with a 50 ppm deuterium did not significantly affect the level of reactive oxygen species in neuron cultures, while MMP decreased by 16-20%. In experiments with glucose deprivation and temperature stress, the medium with 50 ppm increased the death of neurons. Thus, a short exposure of nerve cells in the medium with 50 ppm deuterium acts as an additional stressful factor, which is possibly associated with the violation of the cell energy balance. The decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, which is known to be associated with ATP synthesis, indicates that this effect may be associated with the cell energy imbalance. The decrease in the activity of the CA1 field hippocampal neurons may reflect reversible adaptive changes in the operation of fast-reacting ion channels.

High-fiber diets attenuate emphysema development via modulation of gut microbiota and metabolism

Dietary fiber functions as a prebiotic to determine the gut microbe composition. The gut microbiota influences the metabolic functions and immune responses in human health. The gut microbiota and metabolites produced by various dietary components not only modulate immunity but also impact various organs. Although recent findings have suggested that microbial dysbiosis is associated with several respiratory diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, and allergy, the role of microbiota and metabolites produced by dietary nutrients with respect to pulmonary disease remains unclear. Therefore, we explored whether the gut microbiota and metabolites produced by dietary fiber components could influence a cigarette smoking (CS)-exposed emphysema model. In this study, it was demonstrated that a high-fiber diet including non-fermentable cellulose and fermentable pectin attenuated the pathological changes associated with emphysema progression and the inflammatory response in CS-exposed emphysema mice. Moreover, we observed that different types of dietary fiber could modulate the diversity of gut microbiota and differentially impacted anabolism including the generation of short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and sphingolipids. Overall, the results of this study indicate that high-fiber diets play a beneficial role in the gut microbiota-metabolite modulation and substantially affect CS-exposed emphysema mice. Furthermore, this study suggests the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota and metabolites from a high-fiber diet in emphysema via local and systemic inflammation inhibition, which may be useful in the development of a new COPD treatment plan.

Inequality in the Frequency of the Open States Occurrence Depends on Single 2H/1H Replacement in DNA

In the present study, the effect of 2H/1H isotopic exchange in hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous base pairs on occurrence and open states zones dynamics is investigated. These processes are studied using mathematical modeling, taking into account the number of open states between base pairs. The calculations of the probability of occurrence of open states in different parts of the gene were done depending on the localization of the deuterium atom. The mathematical modeling study demonstrated significant inequality (dependent on single 2H/1H replacement in DNA) among three parts of the gene similar in length of the frequency of occurrence of the open states. In this paper, the new convenient approach of the analysis of the abnormal frequency of open states in different parts of the gene encoding interferon alpha 17 was presented, which took into account both rising and decreasing of them that allowed to make a prediction of the functional instability of the specific DNA regions. One advantage of the new algorithm is diminishing the number of both false positive and false negative results in data filtered by this approach compared to the pure fractile methods, such as deciles or quartiles.

Mathematical model of blood glucose dynamics by emulating the pathophysiology of glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Mathematical modelling has established itself as a theoretical tool to understand fundamental aspects of a variety of medical-biological phenomena. The predictive power of mathematical models on some chronic conditions has been helpful in its proper prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Such is the case of the modelling of glycaemic dynamics in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), whose physiology-based mathematical models have captured the metabolic abnormalities of this disease. Through a physiology-based pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic approach, this work addresses a mathematical model whose structure starts from a model of blood glucose dynamics in healthy humans. This proposal is capable of emulating the pathophysiology of T2DM metabolism, including the effect of gastric emptying and insulin enhancing effect due to incretin hormones. The incorporation of these effects lies in the implemented methodology since the mathematical functions that represent metabolic rates, with a relevant contribution to hyperglycaemia, are adjusting individually to the clinical data of patients with T2DM. Numerically, the resulting model successfully simulates a scheduled graded intravenous glucose test and oral glucose tolerance tests at different doses. The comparison between simulations and clinical data shows an acceptable description of the blood glucose dynamics in T2DM. It opens the possibility of using this model to develop model-based controllers for the regulation of blood glucose in T2DM.