Objective
Hair loss is a major source of psychological distress for affected people. Safe and natural ingredients are therefore needed to help reduce hair loss and stimulate hair growth. This pilot ...clinical study aimed at exploring the efficacy of a wheat polar lipid complex (WPLC, Ceramosides™), containing sphingolipids and digalactosyl diglycerides, on hair characteristics improvement in women showing acute hair shedding.
Methods
Sixty‐six women presenting a proportion of hair in the telogen phase greater than 15% were recruited and allocated to two groups, each including at least 10 postmenopausal women. For 84 days, participants consumed 30 mg/day of the WPLC supplement, or the placebo. Their hair characteristics were assessed after 56 and 84 days using phototrichogram evaluations of hairs in anagen/telogen phases, measuring hair shedding by a pull test, hair diameter and elongation at break point, hair growth and scalp sebum content. Hair density and volume were also clinically evaluated. All these parameters were also investigated in the subgroup of postmenopausal women.
Results
WPLC supplementation decreased telogen hair density/proportion while increasing the anagen hair density/proportion. These effects were significant compared with the placebo as early as within 56 days. It also led to reduced hair shedding upon pull test analyses. If no changes were evidenced in hair diameter, WPLC improved hair growth and resistance to breakage after 84 days. Clinical evaluations also showed hair density and volume improvement. Furthermore, supplementation decreased scalp sebum content in women with oily hair. The beneficial effects were also observed in the subgroup of postmenopausal women. Finally, WPLC supplementation improved participants' perception of their hair conditions.
Conclusion
Through a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth, WPLC dietary supplementation was shown to significantly reduce hair loss in women.
Résumé
Objectif
La chute de cheveux est une source importante de détresse psychologique pour les personnes concernées. Des ingrédients naturels et sûrs sont nécessaires pour permettre de réduire la chute et stimuler la croissance des cheveux. Cette étude clinique pilote avait pour objectif d'étudier la capacité d'un complexe de lipides polaires extraits du blé (WPLC), composé de sphingolipides et de digalactosyl diglycerides, à améliorer la qualité des cheveux chez des femmes présentant une chute de cheveux diffuse et aiguë.
Méthodes
Soixante‐six femmes présentant un taux de cheveux en phase télogène supérieur à 15% ont été recrutées et séparées en deux groupes, chacun comprenant au moins dix femmes ménopausées. Pendant 84 jours, les volontaires ont consommé le supplément à une dose de 30 mg/jour, ou le placebo. Leur chevelure a été évaluée après 56 et 84 jours de supplémentation en quantifiant les cheveux en phase anagène/télogène grâce à un phototrichogramme, en évaluant la chute de cheveux grâce à un test de traction, en mesurant le diamètre, l'élongation et la croissance des cheveux, et en quantifiant le taux de sébum du cuir chevelu. La densité et le volume de la chevelure ont été évalués cliniquement. Tous ces paramètres ont également été analysés dans le sous‐groupe de femmes ménopausées.
Résultats
Une diminution de la densité et de la proportion des cheveux en phase télogène a été observée, en association avec une augmentation de la densité et de la proportion des cheveux en phase anagène. Ces résultats sont statistiquement significatifs en comparaison avec le placebo, et ce, dès 56 jours. La chute de cheveux, mesurée par le test de traction, a également été significativement réduite.
Bien qu'aucun changement n'ait été observé concernant le diamètre des cheveux, le supplément a amélioré la résistance à la casse et la croissance des cheveux après 84 jours d’utilisation. L’évaluation clinique a montré une amélioration de la densité et du volume de la chevelure. De plus, la supplémentation a entraîné une réduction du taux de sébum du cuir chevelu chez les femmes présentant des cheveux à tendance grasse. Les effets bénéfiques de la supplémentation ont également été observés dans le sous‐groupe des femmes ménopausées. Enfin, la prise du supplément a également été associée à une amélioration de la perception des volontaires concernant la qualité de leurs cheveux.
Conclusion
Grâce à un effet réducteur sur la chute de cheveux et un effet stimulateur sur la repousse et la croissance des cheveux, cette étude a démontré l'efficacité de la supplémentation nutritionnelle avec WPLC à atténuer la perte de cheveux chez la femme.
WPLC decreased hair shedding and improved hair reappearance and growth in women showing acute hair loss, as of 56 days of supplementation. WPLC improved hair resistance to breakage and decreased scalp sebum content after 84 days of supplementation. The beneficial effects were also observed in the subgroup of postmenopausal women.
Background
Aging, menopause, and seasonal changes alter the lipid composition of the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum, resulting in dry and itchy skin.
Aims
This clinical trial aimed at ...evaluating the effects of a wheat polar lipid complex (WPLC) on skin characteristics in women showing dry and wrinkled skin, investigating its effects in a subgroup of postmenopausal women, and assessing if benefits were maintained after supplementation.
Methods
Seventy‐two women with dry and wrinkled skin were recruited in this double‐blind, randomized, parallel‐group study, and allocated to three groups of 24 subjects, each including at least 10 postmenopausal women. For 56 days, subjects consumed the WPLC supplement (oil or powder), or the placebo. Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), elasticity, and profilometry were evaluated at baseline, after 14, 28, and 56 days of supplementation, and 56 days after the end of supplementation. Additionally, a lipidomic analysis was performed to examine changes in superficial skin layers over 56 days.
Results
Dietary supplementation with WPLC rapidly improved all parameters. It increased skin hydration, smoothness, and elasticity while decreasing TEWL, roughness, and wrinkle depth after only 14 days of supplementation. These effects were also observed in the subpopulation of postmenopausal women and led to an improved self‐perception of skin. For all the parameters, outcomes were not maintained after the supplementation was stopped. The lipidomic analysis revealed 10 compounds evolving over the 56 days of WPLC supplementation.
Conclusion
WPLC supplementation improved skin hydration, smoothness, elasticity, and wrinkledness within 14 days and, as expected, did not last after supplementation was stopped.
No effective preventive treatment is available for age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Epidemiological studies indicate that a diet rich in fruit is associated with cognitive ...improvement. It was thus proposed that high polyphenol concentrations found in berries can prevent cognitive impairment associated with aging and AD. Therefore, the Neurophenols project aimed at investigating the effects of a polyphenolic extract from blueberries and grapes (PEBG) in the triple-transgenic (3xTg-AD) mouse model of AD, which develops AD neuropathological markers, including amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, leading to memory deficits. In this study, 12-month-old 3xTg-AD and NonTg mice were fed a diet supplemented with standardized PEBG (500 or 2500 mg/kg) for 4 months (n = 15-20/group). A cognitive evaluation with the novel object recognition test was performed at 15 months of age and mice were sacrificed at 16 months of age. We observed that PEBG supplementation with doses of 500 or 2500 mg/kg prevented the decrease in novel object recognition observed in both 15-month-old 3xTg-AD mice and NonTg mice fed a control diet. Although PEBG treatment did not reduce Aβ and tau pathologies, it prevented the decrease in mature BDNF observed in 16-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Finally, plasma concentrations of phenolic metabolites, such as dihydroxyphenyl valerolactone, a microbial metabolite of epicatechin, positively correlated with memory performances in supplemented mice. The improvement in object recognition observed in 3xTg-AD mice after PEBG administration supports the consumption of polyphenols-rich extracts to prevent memory impairment associated with age-related disease, without significant effects on classical AD neuropathology.
Increasing evidence indicates that fruits contain functional bio-active compounds that have several preventive and therapeutic health benefits. Our group has recently conducted studies to assess the ...potential effects of cranberry polyphenolic fractions on intestinal Caco-2/15 epithelial cells and a substantial reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation was observed. The aim of the present work was to determine the polyphenolic species most likely responsible for the observed biological activity. Low, medium, and high molecular weight cranberry fractions were generated with a Sephadex LH-20 column by elution with 60% MeOH, 100% MeOH, and 70% acetone, respectively. The total phenolic content in these fractions was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. A combination of LC–MS and MALDI-TOF methods were used to characterize the nature of polyphenolic compounds in the cranberry extracts. High resolution mass spectrometry was used to generate empirical formulae for the detected species. The low molecular weight fraction was essentially constituted of small phenolic acids (hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids). The medium fraction was mostly composed of anthocyanin, flavonols (quercetin, myricetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol), procyanidins monomers (epicatechin, catechin), dimers, and few small oligomers. The heavy fraction was devoid of phenolic acids and anthocyanins, and it contained for the most part oligomers and polymers of procyanidins. Proanthocyanidins oligomers up to n = 22 were detected, which is, to our knowledge, the largest individual polymers reported to date. With this approach, it was also possible to distinguish between the A-type and B-type linkages.
Aqueous extracts of 30 plants were investigated for their antioxidant properties using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity assay, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, superoxide ...dismutase (SOD) assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay. Total phenolic content was also determined by the Folin−Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant properties and total phenolic content differed significantly among selected plants. It was found that oak (Quercus robur), pine (Pinus maritima), and cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) aqueous extracts possessed the highest antioxidant capacities in most of the methods used, and thus could be potential rich sources of natural antioxidants. These extracts presented the highest phenolic content (300−400 mg GAE/g). Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and clove (Eugenia caryophyllus clovis) aqueous extracts also showed strong antioxidant properties and a high phenolic content (about 200 mg GAE/g). A significant relationship between antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content was found, indicating that phenolic compounds are the major contributors to the antioxidant properties of these plants.
Blueberries are a rich source of polyphenols, widely studied for the prevention or attenuation of metabolic diseases. However, the health contribution and mechanisms of action of polyphenols depend ...on their type and structure. Here, we evaluated the effects of a wild blueberry polyphenolic extract (WBE) (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) on cardiometabolic parameters, gut microbiota composition and gut epithelium histology of high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced obese mice and determined which constitutive polyphenolic fractions (BPF) was responsible for the observed effects. To do so, the whole extract was separated in three fractions, F1) Anthocyanins and phenolic acids, F2) oligomeric proanthocyanidins (PACs), phenolic acids and flavonols (PACs degree of polymerization DP < 4), and F3) PACs polymers (PACs DP > 4) and supplied at their respective concentration in the whole extract. After 8 weeks, WBE reduced OGTT AUC by 18.3% compared to the HFHS treated rodents and the F3 fraction contributed the most to this effect. The anthocyanin rich F1 fraction did not reproduce this response. WBE and the BPF restored the colonic mucus layer. Particularly, the polymeric PACs-rich F3 fraction increased the mucin-secreting goblet cells number. WBE caused a significant 2-fold higher proportion of Adlercreutzia equolifaciens whereas oligomeric PACs-rich F2 fraction increased by 2.5-fold the proportion of Akkermansia muciniphila. This study reveals the key role of WBE PACs in modulating the gut microbiota and restoring colonic epithelial mucus layer, providing a suitable ecological niche for mucosa-associated symbiotic bacteria, which may be crucial in triggering health effects of blueberry polyphenols.
Blueberries contain significant amounts of flavonoids to which a number of beneficial health effects in humans have been associated. The present study investigated the effect of a polyphenol-rich ...lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) extract on the two main etiologic components of periodontitis, a multifactorial disorder affecting the supporting structures of the teeth. Phenolic acids, flavonoids (flavonols, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols), and procyanidins made up 16.6, 12.9, and 2.7% of the blueberry extract, respectively. The blueberry extract showed antibacterial activity (MIC = 1 mg/mL) against the periodontopathogenic bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum. This property may result from the ability of blueberry polyphenols to chelate iron. Moreover, the blueberry extract at 62.5 μg/mL inhibited F. nucleatum biofilm formation by 87.5 ± 2.3%. Subsequently, the ability of the blueberry extract to inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway in U937-3xκB cells was investigated. The blueberry extract dose-dependently inhibited the activation of NF-κB induced by F. nucleatum. In addition, a pretreatment of macrophages with the blueberry extract (62.5 μg/mL) inhibited the secretion of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 by 87.3 ± 1.3, 80.7 ± 5.6, and 28.2 ± 9.3%, respectively, following a stimulation with F. nucleatum. Similarly, the secretion of MMP-8 and MMP-9 was also dose-dependently inhibited. This dual antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action of lowbush blueberry polyphenols suggests that they may be promising candidates for novel therapeutic agents.
The Populus species possess great potential for therapeutical applications, especially for their known anti-inflammatory properties. The antioxidant properties of propolis, a hive product collected ...by honey bees mainly from poplar bud exudates, suggest that poplar buds also possess antioxidant properties. Here is reported the characterization of the antioxidant properties of an aqueous poplar bud (Populus nigra) extract. It presented a high total phenolic content, and moderate antioxidant properties as determined by ORAC assay. The main phenolic compounds identified were phenolic acids and flavonoid aglycons. These phenolic compounds were analyzed by ORAC assay for their individual antioxidant activity, in order to determine the major contributors to the total antioxidant activity of the extract. Thanks to their high antioxidant activity, caffeic and p-coumaric acids were identified as the major antioxidant components. Representing only 3.5% of its dry weight, these compounds represented together about 50% of the total antioxidant activity of the extract. The antioxidant properties of poplar bud extract and the phenolic compounds identified were also analyzed by cellular antioxidant activity assay (CAA), which was weakly correlated with ORAC assay. The transcriptional effect of poplar bud extract on skin aging was evaluated in vitro on a replicative senescence model of normal human dermal fibroblasts, using a customized DNA macroarray specifically designed to investigate skin aging markers. Among the detected genes, poplar bud extract significantly regulated genes involved in antioxidant defenses, inflammatory response and cell renewal. The collective antioxidant properties and transcriptional effect of this extract suggest potential antiaging properties which could be utilized in cosmetic and nutraceutical formulations.
Berries are rich in polyphenols and plant cell wall polysaccharides (fibers), including cellulose, hemicellulose, arabinans and arabino-xyloglucans rich pectin. Most of polyphenols and fibers are ...known to be poorly absorbed in the small intestine and reach the colon where they interact with the gut microbiota, conferring health benefits to the host. This study assessed the contribution of polyphenol-rich whole cranberry and blueberry fruit powders (CP and BP), and that of their fibrous fractions (CF and BF) on modulating the gut microbiota, the microbial functional profile and influencing metabolic disorders induced by high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet for 8 weeks. Lean mice-associated taxa, including
,
, and
, were selectively induced by diet supplementation with polyphenol-rich CP and BP. Fiber-rich CF also triggered polyphenols-degrading families
and
. Diet supplementation with polyphenol-rich CP, but not with its fiber-rich CF, reduced fat mass depots, body weight and energy efficiency in HFHS-fed mice. However, CF reduced liver triglycerides in HFHS-fed mice. Importantly, polyphenol-rich CP-diet normalized microbial functions to a level comparable to that of Chow-fed controls. Using multivariate association modeling, taxa and predicted functions distinguishing an obese phenotype from healthy controls and berry-treated mice were identified. The enterotype-like clustering analysis underlined the link between a long-term diet intake and the functional stratification of the gut microbiota. The supplementation of a HFHS-diet with polyphenol-rich CP drove mice gut microbiota from
enterotype into an enterotype linked to healthier host status, which is
. This study highlights the prebiotic role of polyphenols, and their contribution to the compositional and functional modulation of the gut microbiota, counteracting obesity.
The increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) demonstrates the failure of conventional treatments to curb these diseases. The gut microbiota has been put forward as a key player in ...the pathophysiology of diet-induced T2D. Importantly, cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) is associated with a number of beneficial health effects. We aimed to investigate the metabolic impact of a cranberry extract (CE) on high fat/high sucrose (HFHS)-fed mice and to determine whether its consequent antidiabetic effects are related to modulations in the gut microbiota.
C57BL/6J mice were fed either a chow or a HFHS diet. HFHS-fed mice were gavaged daily either with vehicle (water) or CE (200 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. The composition of the gut microbiota was assessed by analysing 16S rRNA gene sequences with 454 pyrosequencing.
CE treatment was found to reduce HFHS-induced weight gain and visceral obesity. CE treatment also decreased liver weight and triglyceride accumulation in association with blunted hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation. CE administration improved insulin sensitivity, as revealed by improved insulin tolerance, lower homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and decreased glucose-induced hyperinsulinaemia during an oral glucose tolerance test. CE treatment was found to lower intestinal triglyceride content and to alleviate intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress. Interestingly, CE treatment markedly increased the proportion of the mucin-degrading bacterium Akkermansia in our metagenomic samples.
CE exerts beneficial metabolic effects through improving HFHS diet-induced features of the metabolic syndrome, which is associated with a proportional increase in Akkermansia spp.
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