Modulatory effect of inulin with soya isoflavones on plasma lipid profile and liver SCD-18 index in rats with induced type-2 diabetes mellitus

Obesity and type-2 diabetes are often associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Soya isoflavones act as antidiabetic agents and protect against NAFLD. There are data suggesting that inulin may increase the plasma concentration and effect of soya isoflavones. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of soya isoflavones, as opposed to the effect of soya isoflavones with inulin, on plasma lipid profile, liver morphology, and liver fatty acids in rats with induced type-2 diabetes mellitus. Data were collected on thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats divided into control and diabetic groups. Animals in the diabetic (DM) group were on a high-fat diet and were injected with low doses of streptozotocin. Animals in the control groups were fed a regular diet and were injected with a buffer. After the injections, the animals were divided into three groups of nondiabetic rats (nDM)-controls (c-nDM), rats treated with isoflavones (IS-nDM), and rats treated with isoflavones plus inulin (IS+IN-nDM)-and three parallel diabetic (DM) subgroups: controls (c-DM), rats treated with isoflavone (IS-DM), and rats treated with isoflavones plus inulin (IS+IN-DM). Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were examined using hematoxylin-eosin staining and Mallory's trichrome methods respectively. Liver fatty acids were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography. A lipid blood test was performed. The study showed significant changes in liver fatty acids, liver morphology, and plasma lipid profile. The estimated SCD-18 index significantly decreased in both the control and DM groups after isoflavone supplementation. The level of liver steatosis and fibrosis also decreased after isoflavone supplementation in the DM groups. The plasma lipid profile showed increased levels of HDL-C after isoflavone supplementation in the DM groups. These results support the protective use of isoflavones in liver steatosis and as beneficial to plasma lipid profile in individuals with diabetes. A novelty of this work is its comparison of supplementation using soya isoflavones with supplementation using both soya isoflavones and inulin. Surprisingly, additional supplementation with inulin modulates the positive effect of isoflavones.

Pre-and postnatal exposition to fluorides induce changes in rats liver morphology by impairment of antioxidant defense mechanisms and COX induction

INTRODUCTION

Fluorides are common in the environment and are absorbed mostly in the stomach and gut, it can easily move through cell membranes and its accumulation can cause harmful effects in skeletal and soft tissues. One of the most important F- accumulation sites is the liver. The aim of this study was to determine whether F- can cause inflammation in rat liver by affecting the activity of antioxidant enzymes and changes in the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An in vivo model of prenatal and postnatal exposure to sodium fluoride (NaF) was used to carry out the experiment. Animals from control group received tap water to drink, while animals exposed to F- received drinking water containing NaF, 50 mg/L. In serum and liver we analyzed F- concentration, in liver - antioxidant enzymes activity, PGE2 and TXB2 concentration and immunolocalization of COX1 and COX2 proteins were measured.

RESULTS

We observed significant changes in F- concentration only in liver. The results of this study showed that F- affects antioxidant enzymes activity, COX2 protein expression and PGE2 synthesis in liver. Also, in some regions of the liver of rats exposed to F-, the hepatocytes were diffusely altered, with changes resembling microvesicular steatosis.

CONCLUSION

Chronic exposure to F^- during development causes an accumulation of this element in the liver and changes in antioxidant enzymes activity and cyclooxygenase expression. Long term exposure to this element is toxic to the liver and can cause disturbances in its homeostasis.

The short chain fatty acids and lipopolysaccharides status in Sprague-Dawley rats fed with high-fat and high-cholesterol diet

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced by the gut microbiota during the fermentation of non-digestible polysaccharides. Diet is a major factor driving the composition and metabolism of the colonic microbiota. The aim of our study was to examine how a fat-rich and cholesterol-rich diet that, which leads to many metabolic disorders, affects the SCFA profile and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentration. The experiment was carried out on 72 male, 8-weeks-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The study group (n = 30 rats) received high-fat and high cholesterol diet (HFHCh). The control group (n = 30) received standard food for laboratory rats. The rats from study and control groups were sacrificed after 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after start of dietary exposure. The analysis of SFA in feces was performed using gas chromatography (Agilent Technologies 1260 A GC). The exposure to high-fat and high-cholesterol diet was associated with significant changes in SCFA levels. Relative to the control, each of HFHCh subgroup revealed a statistically significant decrease in butyrate (12.5% ± 5.7% versus 32.8% ± 9.1%) and an increase in propionate level (45.4% ± 6.2% versus 19.14% ± 7.1%). The ratio of acetate: propionate: butyrate was also changed (from 1.1: 0.6: 1 for control groups to 3 : 3,6 : 1 for HFHCh groups). The main SCFA in the HFHCh group was propionate instead of acetate. The dietary exposure resulted in significant differences in LPS concentration. After 12 weeks of HFD exposure, LPS concentration was significantly higher compared to control groups (P < 0.05). Our study showed that HFHCh diet affected butyrate and propionate production associated with an increase in LPS secretion. The hypothesis that observed changes could result in intestinal imbalance secondary to gut barrier dysfunction requires further studies.

Correction: Development of highly active anti-Pneumocystis bisbenzamidines: insight into the influence of selected substituents on the in vitro activity

Correction for ‘Development of highly active anti-Pneumocystis bisbenzamidines: insight into the influence of selected substituents on the in vitro activity’ by D. Maciejewska et al., Med. Chem. Commun., 2017, 8, 2003–2011.

Development of highly active anti-Pneumocystis bisbenzamidines: insight into the influence of selected substituents on the in vitro activity

Here we describe the potency of 21 pentamidine analogues against the fungal pathogen, Pneumocystis carinii, in an ATP bioluminescent assay with toxicity profiles in 2 mammalian cell lines. Reduction of two 5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole rings was applied to the synthesis of acid-labile bisamidines. Anti-Pneumocystis activity is discussed in the context of 3 groups of compounds depending on the main structural changes of the pentamidine lead structure. The groups include: 1) 1,4-bis(methylene)piperazine derivatives 1-5; 2) alkanediamide derivatives 6-10; 3) alkane-derived bisbenzamidines 11-21. IC50 values of 18 compounds were lower than the IC50 of pentamidine. Four bisamidines were active at nanogram concentrations. Introduction of sulfur atoms in the alkane bridge, replacement of the amidino groups with imidazoline rings, or attachment of nitro or amino groups to the benzene rings is responsible for remarkable activity of the new leading structures. The vast majority of compounds, including four highly active ones, can be classified as mild or nontoxic to host cells. These compounds show promise as candidates for new anti-Pneumocystis agents.

The Influence of Fluorine on the Disturbances of Homeostasis in the Central Nervous System

Fluorides occur naturally in the environment, the daily exposure of human organism to fluorine mainly depends on the intake of this element with drinking water and it is connected with the geographical region. In some countries, we can observe the endemic fluorosis-the damage of hard and soft tissues caused by the excessive intake of fluorine. Recent studies showed that fluorine is toxic to the central nervous system (CNS). There are several known mechanisms which lead to structural brain damage caused by the excessive intake of fluorine. This element is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and it accumulates in neurons affecting cytological changes, cell activity and ion transport (e.g. chlorine transport). Additionally, fluorine changes the concentration of non-enzymatic advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the metabolism of neurotransmitters (influencing mainly glutamatergic neurotransmission) and the energy metabolism of neurons by the impaired glucose transporter-GLUT1. It can also change activity and lead to dysfunction of important proteins which are part of the respiratory chain. Fluorine also affects oxidative stress, glial activation and inflammation in the CNS which leads to neurodegeneration. All of those changes lead to abnormal cell differentiation and the activation of apoptosis through the changes in the expression of neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and MAP kinases. Excessive exposure to this element can cause harmful effects such as permanent damage of all brain structures, impaired learning ability, memory dysfunction and behavioural problems. This paper provides an overview of the fluoride neurotoxicity in juveniles and adults.

Effect of IGF-I and TNF-α on intensification of steroid pathways in women with PCOS phenotypes are not identical. Enhancement of progesterone pathway in women with PCOS increases the concentration of TNF-α

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the correlations between the concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in each woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes based on the levels of androgen.

METHODS

Two groups of women with PCOS differing in their levels of androgens. The test group composed of 39 women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria in their reproductive age. The hormonal levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin (PRL), androstenedione, testosterone (T), estradiol (E₂) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured. Correlations analysis were performed calculating Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of hormones with relation to TNF-α and IGF-I.

RESULTS

There was a medium positive correlation of IGF-1 with LH levels (p < 0.05) and negative medium correlation of TNF-α with of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-SO₄ levels (p < 0.05) only in group of PCOS women with elevated androgens.

CONCLUSION

Analysis of TNF-α showed that women with high testosterone negative correlation between level of TNF-α and the concentration of DHEA-SO4. Inflammatory state involving TNF-α in women with PCOS and high concentration of androgens is caused by intensified Δ4 (progesterone) pathway and omitted or limited Δ5 (dehydroepiandrosterone) pathway of testosterone biosynthesis.

The Fluoride Content of Yerba Mate Depending on the Country of Origin and the Conditions of the Infusion

There are many reports of the positive effect of yerba mate on the human body. Elemental composition analysis of yerba mate revealed the presence of many microelements and macroelements, but there is no literature data referencing the content and the effect of the method of preparing the yerba mate infusion on the amount of released fluoride and thus the amount of this element supplied to the human body. Therefore, in the traditional way (cold and hot), we prepared infusions of yerba mate from different countries and determined in samples content of fluoride using potentiometric method. Hot infusions resulted in statistically significant (p = 0.03) increases in the amount of fluoride released from the dried material to the water, compared to brewing with water at room temperature. The successive refills of hot water also resulted in a release of the same amount of fluoride, although smaller than the infusion with water at room temperature (at the third refill, it was statistically significantly smaller at p = 0.003). With an increase in the number of hot water refills, the amount of fluoride released from the sample portion significantly decreased. Similar results were recorded when analyzing samples depending on the country of origin. The amount of fluoride released into the water differed statistically significantly depending on the country of origin. The most fluoride was determined in the infusions of yerba mate from Argentina and the least in infusions from Paraguay.

A computational exploration of imprinted polymer affinity based on voriconazole metabolites

The aim of this study was to create a new computational model capable of evaluating the affinity of imprinted materials to the specific target. A 1-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)ethanone (L1), the main metabolite of voriconazole (L2)--a modern antifungal drug, was proposed as a template. In a computational analysis of polymerization systems composed of the template, the monomers and the cross-linker molecules the appropriate porogens were simulated. A non-covalent approach for the formation of a polymer matrix from eight functional monomers was employed in the theoretical and experimental studies. The binding affinities towards the template were measured for eight synthesized polymers. The experimental results confirmed that the proposed theoretical model properly showed isopropenylbenzene 1 as the most suitable monomer to synthesize the polymer with the best affinity to L1. The novel computational protocol was more suitable to predict the properties of polymer systems than the simple analysis of template-monomer interactions. On the basis of the polymerization complex P(MC1) (template-isopropenylbenzene 1-cross-linker), the adsorption cavity was modeled and the intermolecular interactions of the template molecule and the other voriconazole metabolites inside the cavity were analyzed to get an insight into the polymer matrix selectivity.

Apolipoprotein E4 allele is associated with substantial changes in the plasma lipids and hyaluronic acid content in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Fat may affect progression of liver damage in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study we characterize the state of lipid metabolism in 22 patients with NAFLD and different Apo-E variants. Total concentration of plasma total fatty acids was quantified by gas chromatography, while their derivatives by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC ESI MS/MS). The ratio of plasma saturated fatty acid to monounsaturated fatty acid increased, whereas the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids was reduced in Apo-E4 carriers. Simultaneously, the levels of individual plasma linoleic, arachidonic, and alpha linolenic acids significantly increased in subjects with the Apo-E4 allele. The 15-lipoxygenase metabolite, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, was significantly higher in Apo-E3 carriers (p<0.006). 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid was significantly elevated in Apo-E4 carriers (p<0.009). A significant difference in hyaluronic acid concentration (p<0.0016) as well as predicted advanced fibrosis (using the BARD scoring system) was found in Apo-E4 carriers (p<0.01). We suggest that a distinct mechanism of fibrosis between Apo E alleles. In Apo-E4 carriers, an elevation in 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid synthesis and fatty acid dysfunction may induce fibrosis, while an inflammatory process may be the main cause of fibrosis in Apo-E3 carriers.