A high consumption of vegetables belonging to the
family has been related to a lower incidence of chronic diseases including different kinds of cancer. These beneficial effects of, e.g., broccoli, ...cabbage or rocket (arugula) intake have been mainly dedicated to the sulfur-containing glucosinolates (GLSs)-secondary plant compounds nearly exclusively present in
and in particular to their bioactive breakdown products including isothiocyanates (ITCs). Overall, the current literature indicate that selected
-derived ITCs exhibit health-promoting effects in vitro, as well as in laboratory mice in vivo. Some studies suggest anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties for ITCs which may be communicated through an activation of the redox-sensitive transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) that controls the expression of antioxidant and phase II enzymes. Furthermore, it has been shown that ITCs are able to significantly ameliorate a severe inflammatory phenotype in colitic mice in vivo. As there are studies available suggesting an epigenetic mode of action for
-derived phytochemicals, the conduction of further studies would be recommendable to investigate if the beneficial effects of these compounds also persist during an irregular consumption pattern.
Curcumin-From Molecule to Biological Function Esatbeyoglu, Tuba; Huebbe, Patricia; Ernst, Insa M. A. ...
Angewandte Chemie (International ed.),
May 29, 2012, Volume:
51, Issue:
22
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Turmeric is traditionally used as a spice and coloring in foods. It is an important ingredient in curry and gives curry powder its characteristic yellow color. As a consequence of its intense yellow ...color, turmeric, or curcumin (food additive E100), is used as a food coloring (e.g. mustard). Turmeric contains the curcuminoids curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Recently, the health properties (neuroprotection, chemo‐, and cancer prevention) of curcuminoids have gained increasing attention. Curcuminoids induce endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms in the organism and have anti‐inflammatory activity. Curcuminoids influence gene expression as well as epigenetic mechanisms. Synthetic curcumin analogues also exhibit biological activity. This Review describes the development of curcumin from a “traditional” spice and food coloring to a “modern” biological regulator.
The spice of life: The main ingredient of the condiment and dye, turmeric, is “golden” curcumin (see structure). Recently, the beneficial health properties of curcuminoids have been increasingly discussed, since they induce endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms in organisms, have anti‐inflammatory effects, and modulate gene expression and epigenetic mechanisms.
Drosophila melanogaster has been widely used in the biological sciences as a model organism. Drosophila has a relatively short life span of 60–80 days, which makes it attractive for life span ...studies. Moreover, approximately 60% of the fruit fly genes are orthologs to mammals. Thus, metabolic and signal transduction pathways are highly conserved. Maintenance and reproduction of Drosophila do not require sophisticated equipment and are rather cheap. Furthermore, there are fewer ethical issues involved in experimental Drosophila research compared with studies in laboratory rodents, such as rats and mice. Drosophila is increasingly recognized as a model organism in food and nutrition research. Drosophila is often fed complex solid diets based on yeast, corn, and agar. There are also so-called holidic diets available that are defined in terms of their amino acid, fatty acid, carbohydrate, vitamin, mineral, and trace element compositions. Feed intake, body composition, locomotor activity, intestinal barrier function, microbiota, cognition, fertility, aging, and life span can be systematically determined in Drosophila in response to dietary factors. Furthermore, diet-induced pathophysiological mechanisms including inflammation and stress responses may be evaluated in the fly under defined experimental conditions. Here, we critically evaluate Drosophila melanogaster as a versatile model organism in experimental food and nutrition research, review the corresponding data in the literature, and make suggestions for future directions of research.
•Betanin is a free radical scavenger.•Betanin enhances endogenous cellular antioxidant defense mechanism via induction of Nrf2, heme oxygenase 1, paraoxonase 1 and glutathione.•Betanin protects DNA ...against reactive oxygen species.
Betanin is a red pigment present in red beetroot. Recently, potential health benefits of betanin-rich beetroot have been suggested. However, little is known regarding the free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of betanin. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and spin trapping techniques were applied to evaluate the ability of betanin to scavenge hydroxyl, superoxide, 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and galvinoxyl free radicals. In addition, we tested in cultured cells the ability of betanin to prevent DNA damage and to induce the transcription factor Nrf2 (nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) as well as its down-stream target heme oxygenase1 (HO-1), paraoxonase1 (PON1) and glutathione (GSH). Betanin dose-dependently scavenged DPPH-, galvinoxyl-, superoxide-, and hydroxyl-radicals in the ESR and spin trapping studies and prevented hydrogen peroxide induced DNA damage as determined by the Comet assay. Furthermore, betanin treatment induced the transcription factor Nrf2 and resulted in an increase of HO-1 protein levels, PON1-transactivation and cellular GSH. Present data suggest that betanin is both a free radical scavenger and an inducer of antioxidant defense mechanism in cultured cells.
Since infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause increasing problems worldwide, the identification of alternative therapies is of great importance. Plant-derived bioactives, including ...allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC), have received attention for their antimicrobial properties. The present study therefore investigates the impact of AITC on survival and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) levels in
challenged with the fly pathogenic bacteria
subsp.
and
. AITC, a sulfur-containing compound derived from glucosinolates, exhibits antimicrobial properties and has been suggested to modulate AMP expression. By using
, we demonstrate that AITC treatment resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease of survival rates among female flies, particularly in the presence of the Gram-negative bacterium
subsp.
, whereas AITC did not affect survival in male flies. Despite the ability of isothiocyanates to induce AMP expression in cell culture, we did not detect significant changes in AMP mRNA levels in infected flies exposed to AITC. Our findings suggest sex-specific differences in response to AITC treatment and bacterial infections, underlining the complexity of host-pathogen interactions and potential limitations of AITC as a preventive or therapeutic compound at least in
models of bacterial infections.
Betanin-A food colorant with biological activity Esatbeyoglu, Tuba; Wagner, Anika E.; Schini-Kerth, Valérie B. ...
Molecular nutrition & food research,
January 2015, Volume:
59, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Betalains are water‐soluble nitrogen‐containing pigments that are subdivided in red‐violet betacyanins and yellow‐orange betaxanthins. Due to glycosylation and acylation betalains exhibit a huge ...structural diversity. Betanin (betanidin‐5‐O‐β‐glucoside) is the most common betacyanin in the plant kingdom. According to the regulation on food additives betanin is permitted quantum satis as a natural red food colorant (E162). Moreover, betanin is used as colorant in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Recently, potential health benefits of betalains and betalain‐rich foods (e.g. red beet, Opuntia sp.) have been discussed. Betanin is a scavenger of reactive oxygen species and exhibits gene‐regulatory activity partly via nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like 2‐(Nrf2) dependent signaling pathways. Betanin may induce phase II enzymes and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Furthermore, betanin possibly prevents LDL oxidation and DNA damage. Potential blood pressure lowering effects of red beet seem to be mainly mediated by dietary nitrate rather than by betanin per se.
Several studies have been published introducing
as a research model to investigate the effects of high-calorie diets on metabolic dysfunctions. However, differences between the use of high-sugar ...diets (HSD) and high-fat diets (HFD) to affect fly physiology, as well as the influence on sex and age, have been seldom described. Thus, the aim of the present work was to investigate and compare the effects of HSD (30% sucrose) and HFD (15% coconut oil) on symptoms of metabolic dysfunction related to obesity and type-2 diabetes mellitus, including weight gain, survival, climbing ability, glucose and triglycerides accumulation and expression levels of
insulin-like peptides (dIlps). Female and male flies were subjected to HSD and HFD for 10, 20 and 30 days. The obtained results showed clear differences in the effects of both diets on survival, glucose and triglyceride accumulation and dIlps expression, being gender and age determinant. The present study also suggested that weight gain does not seem to be an appropriate parameter to define fly obesity, since other characteristics appear to be more meaningful in the development of obesity phenotypes. Taken together, the results demonstrate a key role for both diets, HSD and HFD, to induce an obese fly phenotype with associated diseases. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms how both diets differently affect fly metabolism.
The gastrointestinal system is responsible for the digestion and the absorption of nutrients. At the same time, it is essentially involved in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. The strongest ...antigen contact in an organism takes place in the digestive system showing the importance of a host to develop mechanisms allowing to discriminate between harmful and harmless antigens. An efficient intestinal barrier and the presence of a large and complex part of the immune system in the gut support the host to implement this task. The continuous ingestion of harmless antigens via the diet requires an efficient immune response to reliably identify them as safe. However, in some cases the immune system accidentally identifies harmless antigens as dangerous leading to various diseases such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and allergies. It has been shown that the intestinal immune function can be affected by bioactive compounds derived from the diet. The present review provides an overview on the mucosal immune reactions in the gut and how bioactive food ingredients including secondary plant metabolites and probiotics mediate its health promoting effects with regard to the intestinal immune homeostasis.
Dietary isoflavones, a group of secondary plant compounds that exhibit phytoestrogenic properties, are primarily found in soy. Prunetin, a representative isoflavone, was recently found to affect cell ...signaling in cultured cells; however, in vivo effects remain elusive. In this study, the model organism Drosophila melanogaster was used to investigate the effects of prunetin in vivo with respect to lifespan, locomotion, body composition, metabolism, and gut health. Adult flies were chronically administered a prunetin‐supplemented diet. Prunetin improved median survival by 3 d, and climbing activity increased by 54% in males. In comparison with the females, male flies exhibited lower climbing activity, which was reversed by prunetin intake. Furthermore, prunetin‐fed males exhibited increased expression of the longevity gene Sirtuin 1 (Sir2) (22%), as well as elevated AMPK activation (51%) and triglyceride levels (29%), whereas glucose levels decreased (36%). As females are long‐lived compared with their male counterparts and exhibit higher triglyceride levels, prunetin apparently “feminizes” male flies via its estrogenicity. We conclude that the lifespan‐prolonging effects of prunetin in the male fruit fly depend on changes in AMPK‐regulated energy homeostasis via male “feminization.” Collectively, we identified prunetin as a plant bioactive compound capable of improving health status and survival in male D. melanogaster.—Piegholdt, S., Rimbach, G., Wagner, A. E. The phytoestrogen prunetin affects body composition and improves fitness and lifespan in male Drosophila melanogaster. FASEB J. 30, 948–958 (2016). www.fasebj.org
The anti-inflammatory properties of the flavonol quercetin have been intensively investigated using in vitro cell systems and are to a great extent reflected by changes in the expression of ...inflammatory markers. However, information relating to the degree at which quercetin affects inflammatory gene expression in vivo is limited. Recently, micro RNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as powerful post-transcriptional gene regulators. The effect of quercetin on miRNA regulation in vivo is largely unknown. Laboratory mice were fed for six weeks with control or quercetin enriched high fat diets and biomarkers of inflammation as well as hepatic levels of miRNAs previously involved in inflammation (miR-125b) and lipid metabolism (miR-122) were determined. We found lower mRNA steady state levels of the inflammatory genes interleukin 6, C-reactive protein, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and acyloxyacyl hydrolase in quercetin fed mice. In addition we found evidence for an involvement of redox factor 1, a modulator of nuclear factor κB signalling, on the attenuation of inflammatory gene expression mediated by dietary quercetin. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that hepatic miR-122 and miR-125b concentrations were increased by dietary quercetin supplementation and may therefore contribute to the gene-regulatory activity of quercetin in vivo.
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