Abstract
STUDY QUESTION
Is dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) associated with the odds of developing asthenozoospermia in Chinese men?
SUMMARY ANSWER
There is no statistically significant ...association between DTAC indices and the odds of developing asthenozoospermia.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Both diet and oxidative stress may be related to sperm quality; however, few studies have investigated the association between DTAC and sperm quality.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
This case–control study was conducted from June 2020 to December 2020. Those diagnosed with asthenozoospermia were assigned to the case group, whereas those with normal sperm parameters were assigned to the control group. Data from a total of 553 cases and 586 controls were included in the final analysis.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Men who had been referred to the infertility clinic of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were enrolled. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. DTAC was based on ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (T-ORAC), hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC), lipophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (L-ORAC), total phenolics (TP), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). Asthenozoospermia was defined according to the criteria published in the fifth edition of the World Health Organization laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
No significant association was observed between the DTAC indices and the odds of asthenozoospermia after multivariable adjustment (T3 vs T1, odds ratio (OR) = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.73–1.33 for FRAP; OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.77–1.42 for T-ORAC; OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.65–1.18 for H-ORAC; OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.71–1.34 for L-ORAC; OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.76–1.39 for TP; OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.87–1.59 for TRAP; and OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.85–1.55 for TEAC). Both additive and multiplicative interaction analyses suggested that smoking might modify the association of T-ORAC with the odds of developing asthenozoospermia (relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.07–0.83, attributable proportion due to interaction = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.07–0.84 for additive interaction; P = 0.033 for multiplicative interaction).
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
Recall bias and protopathic bias were inevitable in this retrospective case–control study. The estimation accuracy of the DTAC indices may have also affected the findings.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to specifically investigate whether an association exists between DTAC and the odds of developing asthenozoospermia. Although no significant association was found, this study provides novel information pertaining to the fields of nutrition and human reproduction.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
This work was supported by the JieBangGuaShuai Project of Liaoning Province (2021JH1/10400050), the Shengjing Hospital Clinical Research Project (M0071), and the Outstanding Scientific Fund of Shengjing Hospital (M1150). All authors have no competing interests to disclose.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
N/A.
•US-CD significantly improved antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of dried apples.•US-CD reduced drying time by nearly 45% compared to traditional hot air drying (HAD).•US-CD reserved the ...micro-structure of the dried apples better than the HAD samples.•US-CD samples had improved rehydration ratio, color, and textural properties compared to the HAD treatment.
Drying is one of the most prevalent methods to reduce water activity and preserve foods. However, it is also the most energy-intensive food processing unit operation. Although a number of drying methods have been proposed and tested for the purpose of achieving a time- and energy-efficient drying process, almost all current drying methods still rely on thermal energy to remove moisture from the product. In this study, a novel use of power ultrasound was explored for drying of apple slices without the application of heat. The non-thermal ultrasound contact drying (US-CD) was performed in the presence of an air stream (26–40 °C) flowing over product surface to remove mist or vapor produced by the ultrasound treatment. The effects of the non-thermal US-CD, hot-air drying (HAD), and freeze drying (FD) on the changes in rehydration ratio, pH, titratable acidity, water activity, color, glass transition temperature, texture, antioxidant capacity, total phenols, and microstructures of the samples were evaluated. The moisture content of the apple slices reached below 5% (w.b.) after 75–80 min of US-CD, which was about 45% less than that of the HAD method. The antioxidant capacity and total phenol contents of the US-CD samples were significantly higher than that of the AD samples. The non-thermal ultrasonic contact drying is a promising method which has the potential to significantly reduce drying time and improve product quality.
•Solar reduction affected the morphometric and biochemical profile of novel foods.•Rocket sprouts and baby-leaves exhibited the highest morphometric values.•Broccoli were significantly positively ...correlated with antioxidant capacity.•These findings useful for selecting genotypes efficient with solar reduction.•Optimizing the crop productivity valorising the reduction of solar radiation.
The solar radiation (SR) is one of the key factors for plant adaptation, and of its growth and development, and for several horticultural crops is important for reaching good yield and produce quality. The SR vary in Europe from 2189 to 517 kwh m−2 from Sicily to North cape. Sprouts, microgreens, and baby-leaves, recognized as novel foods due to their high nutraceutical value, have attracted significant attention in the market. The novel foods production could be affected by solar radiation especially when it is carried out in greenhouse in several countries and along their latitudes. Our study aimed to investigate how solar radiation affects the growth of these plants by conducting a thorough analysis of their morphometric characteristics and biochemical profiles. Two different genotypes of commercial rocket, namely Eruca sativa L. var. darkita and var. lobata, along with the Sicilian Black sprouting broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck, Broccolo nero), were examined at different initial plant growth stages, sprouts, microgreens, and baby-leaves. The experimental trial was carried out in Sicily (Italy) utilizing black shade nets with varying levels of solar radiation (SR100, SR60, SR40). The harvested plantlets were analysed for their main morphometric traits, as sprout weight, hypocotyl length, cotyledon dimensions, in addition to the dimensions of the first true leaf for microgreens, and stem length for baby-leaves. Several biochemical parameters, such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and several antioxidant assays including DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) were determined. The total glucosinolate content, the sucrose, fructose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and total sugars amount were detected. We observed significant variations in the sugar content, particularly under reduced solar radiation and during the baby-leaves stage, characterized by decreased FOS levels and simultaneous increases in sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Moreover, antioxidant capacity showed a progressive enhancement from sprouts to baby-leaves. FRAP and DPPH capacity were significantly affected by the genotype. Interestingly, TFC was the most influenced by SR100, particularly in microgreens. This expanded knowledge base not only advances scientific understanding of these novel foods but also provides substantial adaptation to the different solar radiation conditions in different latitude of the world, permitting to individuate the genotypes more efficient in relation to the solar radiation available.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary lipid levels on growth, body composition and liver oxidative stress of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Fish were fed isonitrogenous ...(crude protein 45%) practical diets with five lipid levels (3.3%，8.2%，13.2%，18.1% and 23.3%, respectively) for 60 days. The results showed that weight gain (WG) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were all significantly improved by dietary lipid levels up to 18.1% and then levelled off beyond this level. Both feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed a decreasing trend with dietary lipid increased. Body lipid content, liver lipid content, total n-3 and n-6 PUFA content in muscle, and triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) contents in plasma significantly increased with increasing dietary lipid levels. However, body protein content, and HDL-C/TC and HDL-C/LDL-C values significantly reduced. The carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-1), lipoprtein lipase (LPL), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) activities in liver increased significantly as dietary lipid levels increased, whereas both fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activities showed the opposite trend. Moreover, higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and oxide synthase (NOS) activities, and nitric oxide (NO) concent in liver were recorded in fish fed diets with 18.1% lipid, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver increased as dietary lipid levels increased. Results indicated that high dietary lipid level (23.3%) inhibit weight gain and induce oxidative stress, which affect the health status of largemouth bass. Based on WG, a dietary lipid level of 18.42% was optimal for growth performance of juvenile largemouth bass.
•The lipid levels may affect growth performance of M. salmoides.•The largemouth bass can achieve a well growth performance with dietary lipid level at 18.42%.•Excess dietary lipid could increase the lipid deposition in liver of M.salmoides juveniles.•Excess dietary lipid could result in oxidative stress of the fish.•Excess dietary lipid could suppress metabolic enzyme activities of the fish.
The purpose of present study was to separate novel antioxidant peptides from duck breast protein hydrolysates and characterize their primary sequence, secondary and tertiary structure using ...Nano-LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS, NICOLET IS10 FT-IR and PEPstr server, respectively. Results indicated that peptide fraction P1 via gel filtration chromatography displayed high DPPH radical quenching effect and reducing power. Fraction P1 was further purified chromatographically and sequenced as eleven novel antioxidant peptides, in which AGPSIVH possessed the best DPPH inhibition, and LLCVAV exhibited active reducing power, whereas FLLPH and LLCVAV were effective ABTS•+ scavengers. IR study and PEPstr server prediction suggested that spatial structure could play an influential part in antioxidant capacity. Importantly, these peptides were predicted as non-toxic oxidative stress inhibitors, allowing their applications in functional foods.
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•Novel antioxidant peptide was prepared from duck breast protein hydrolysates.•Peptide was purified via ultrafiltration, gel chromatography and RP-HPLC.•Three novel potent antioxidant peptide AGPSIVH, FLLPH and LLCVAV were identified.•Spatial conformation also affected antioxidant potency beyond primary sequence.•AGPSIVH, FLLPH, LLCVAV had no toxic effects and possessed digestive resistances.
The role of glutathione in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is emerging as a major topic, due to its role in the maintenance of the intracellular redox balance. Several studies have implicated ...glutathione redox imbalance as a leading factor in ASD, and both ASD and many other neurodevelopmental disorders involve low levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), high levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and abnormalities in the expressions of glutathione-related enzymes in the blood or brain. Glutathione metabolism, through its impact on redox environment or redox-independent mechanisms, interferes with multiple mechanisms involved in ASD pathogenesis. Glutathione-mediated regulation of glutamate receptors e.g., N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, as well as the role of glutamate as a substrate for glutathione synthesis, may be involved in the regulation of glutamate excitotoxicity. However, the interaction between glutathione and glutamate in the pathogenesis of brain diseases may vary from synergism to antagonism. Modulation of glutathione is also associated with regulation of redox-sensitive transcription factors nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) and downstream signaling (proinflammatory cytokines and inducible enzymes), thus providing a significant impact on neuroinflammation. Mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as neuronal apoptosis, may also provide a significant link between glutathione metabolism and ASD. Furthermore, it has been recently highlighted that glutathione can affect and modulate DNA methylation and epigenetics. Review analysis including research studies meeting the required criteria for analysis showed statistically significant differences between the plasma GSH and GSSG levels as well as GSH:GSSG ratio in autistic patients compared with healthy individuals (P = 0.0145, P = 0.0150 and P = 0.0202, respectively). Therefore, the existing data provide a strong background on the role of the glutathione system in ASD pathogenesis. Future research is necessary to investigate the role of glutathione redox signaling in ASD, which could potentially also lead to promising therapeutics.
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•Glutathione (GSH) redox imbalance is a key factor in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).•GSH metabolism interferes with multiple mechanisms involved in ASD pathogenesis.•In ASD, plasma GSH and GSSG levels and their ratio is different from neurotypical controls.
Effects of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) on peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities, ultrastructure, water distribution, drying time, and key quality attributes ...of apricots were investigated under air temperature of 110 °C and relative humidity of 35%–40% for various exposure times ranging from 30 to 150 s. HHAIB inactivated POD and PPO fully within 120 s, induced alteration of cellular structure and resulted in redistribution of water among the cell compartments. Compared to the untreated sample, HHAIB reduced the drying time by 19.36%–36.40%. Optimal pretreatment (120 s) resulted in dried apricots with higher total phenolics (TP) and total carotenoids (TC) along with enhanced antioxidant capacity, as well as better color. The TP, TC and antioxidant capacity were observed to be significantly correlated to POD and PPO activities, water distribution and drying time. Over-blanching (150 s) prolonged drying time, induced higher degradation of TP, TC, antioxidant capacity and color compared to dried products pre-blanched for 120 s. Hence, proper HHAIB pretreatment enhances drying process and improves the quality attributes of dried apricots.
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•High-humidity hot air impingement blanching improved the quality of dried apricots.•The blanching efficiently denatured PPO and POD, and reduced drying time of apricots.•The blanching induced cellular structure alteration and water redistribution.
•Antioxidant activity varies considerably with types of honey.•Profile of flavonoids and phenolic compounds permits discrimination of honeys.•Year of collection does not alter this discrimination by ...botanical origin.•Industrial thermal treatment has lower impact than year of collection.
Total antioxidant activity, physicochemical parameters, and the profile of flavonoids and phenolic acid compounds were evaluated for: their ability to distinguish between the botanical origins of four types of Spanish honey, the impact of industrial thermal treatment, and the effect of the year of collection. Citrus honey had the lowest levels of all the analysed variables, then rosemary and polyfloral, and honeydew the highest ones. Botanical origin affects the profile of flavonoids and phenolic compounds sufficiently to permit discrimination thanks to the predominance of particular compounds such as: hesperetin (in citrus honey); kaempferol, chrysin, pinocembrin, caffeic acid and naringenin (in rosemary honey) and myricetin, quercetin, galangin and particularly p-coumaric acid (in honeydew honey). The impact of industrial thermal treatments is lower than the expected variability as a consequence of the year of collection, though neither factor has enough influence to alter these constituent compounds to the point of affecting the discrimination of honey by botanical origin.
•In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities of cereal grains are summarized.•Cereals provide significant levels of bioactive phytochemicals including phenolic acids and carotenoids.•These ...phytochemicals are unevenly distributed in the grain kernel and possess antioxidant properties.•Consumption of cereal grain products favorably alters endogenous antioxidant markers.•Adequate intake of cereal grains may potentially mitigate oxidative stress.
Cereal grains and products have gained popularity in contributing to healthy eating behavior because of their antioxidant properties associated with protection against chronic diseases. In this review, notable studies on the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of commonly consumed cereal grains are summarized. Cereals contain phytochemicals or certain minor components with antioxidant properties. The antioxidant potential of cereals depends on their bioaccessibility, absorption in the gastrointestinal and their bioavailability utilization in vivo. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and fermentation of cereals increased their antioxidant potentials which are significantly correlated with their total phenolic contents. Most studies performed in vivo have been concerned with the antioxidant properties of colored rice, wheat bran and rye products. There are inadequate in vitro and in vivo studies on antioxidative potentials of fermented versus unfermented cereals. Therefore, further studies are necessary to maximize possible health benefits of cereal antioxidative phytochemicals.
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