Comparative Study of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activities of Unifloral Quillay Tree ( Molina) and Multifloral Honeys from Chile.

Honey is a natural sweet element that bees make with flower nectar, revered for its distinct flavor, nutritional value, and potential health benefits. Chilean beekeeping has a diverse range of honey varieties, many of which are unique. The quillay ( Molina, soapbark tree) is a Chilean endemic tree whose honey has not been studied in depth.

The Gut-Heart Axis: Molecular Perspectives and Implications for Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains the leading cause of death globally, imposing a significant burden on healthcare systems and patients. The gut-heart axis, a bidirectional network connecting gut health to cardiovascular outcomes, has recently emerged as a critical factor in MI pathophysiology. Disruptions in this axis, including gut dysbiosis and compromised intestinal barrier integrity, lead to systemic inflammation driven by gut-derived metabolites like lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), both of which exacerbate MI progression.

Unbiased and reproducible liver MRI-PDFF estimation using a scan protocol-informed deep learning method.

Objective: To estimate proton density fat fraction (PDFF) from chemical shift encoded (CSE) MR images using a deep learning (DL)-based method that is precise and robust to different MR scanners and acquisition echo times (TEs).

Methods: Variable echo times neural network (VET-Net) is a two-stage framework that first estimates nonlinear variables of the CSE-MR signal model, to posteriorly estimate water/fat signal components using the least-squares method. VET-Net incorporates a vector with TEs as an auxiliary input, therefore enabling PDFF calculation with any TE setting.

The Cervical and Meningeal Lymphatic Network as a Pathway for Retrograde Nanoparticle Transport to the Brain.

Introduction: The meningeal lymphatic vessels have been described as a pathway that transports cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid in a unidirectional manner towards the deep cervical lymph nodes. However, these vessels exhibit anatomical and molecular characteristics typical of initial lymphatic vessels, with the absence of surrounding smooth muscle and few or absent valves. Given its structure, this network could theoretically allow for bidirectional motion.

Enhanced Peripheral Chemoreflex Drive Is Associated with Cardiorespiratory Disorders in Mice with Coronary Heart Disease.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease characterized by coronary artery blood flow reductions caused by lipid deposition and oxidation within the coronary arteries. Dyslipidemia is associated with local tissue damage by oxidative stress/inflammation and carotid bodies (CB) peripheral chemoreceptors are heavily modulated by both reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory molecules (i.e.

Characterization of hepatic fatty acids using magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the assessment of treatment response to metformin in an eNOS mouse model of metabolic nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis and staging of disease. There is a clinical need for noninvasive diagnostic tools for risk stratification, follow-up, and monitoring treatment response that are currently lacking, as well as preclinical models that recapitulate the etiology of the human condition.

The IL-1 Family and Its Role in Atherosclerosis.

The IL-1 superfamily of cytokines is a central regulator of immunity and inflammation. The family is composed of 11 cytokines (with agonist, antagonist, and anti-inflammatory properties) and 10 receptors, all tightly regulated through decoy receptor, receptor antagonists, and signaling inhibitors. Inflammation not only is an important physiological response against infection and injury but also plays a central role in atherosclerosis development.

Soluble Free, Esterified and Insoluble-Bound Phenolic Antioxidants from Chickpeas Prevent Cytotoxicity in Human Hepatoma HuH-7 Cells Induced by Peroxyl Radicals.

Chickpeas are rich sources of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids. However, the contribution of insoluble-bound phenolics to their antioxidant properties remains unclear. Four varieties of chickpeas were evaluated for the presence of soluble (free and esterified) and insoluble-bound phenolics as well as their antiradical activity, reducing power and inhibition of peroxyl-induced cytotoxicity in human HuH-7 cells.

Quantitative MRI of Endothelial Permeability and (Dys)function in Atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death worldwide. A permeable/leaky and dysfunctional endothelium is considered the earliest marker of vascular damage and thought to drive atherosclerosis. A method to identify these changes in vivo would be desirable in the clinic.

Exercise training reduces brainstem oxidative stress and restores normal breathing function in heart failure.

Enhanced central chemoreflex drive and irregular breathing are both hallmarks in heart failure (HF) and closely related to disease progression. Central chemoreceptor neurons located within the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) are known to play a role in breathing alterations in HF. It has been shown that exercise (EX) effectively reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HF rats.

Assessment of hepatic fatty acids during non-alcoholic steatohepatitis progression using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Introduction And Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of liver abnormalities including steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard method to determine the disease stage in NAFLD but is an invasive and risky procedure. Studies have previously reported that changes in intrahepatic fatty acids (FA) composition are related to the progression of NAFLD, mainly in its early stages.

Lipoprotein receptor SR-B1 deficiency enhances adipose tissue inflammation and reduces susceptibility to hepatic steatosis during diet-induced obesity in mice.

Scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1) is a membrane lipoprotein receptor/lipid transporter involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but its role in obesity and fatty liver development is unclear. Here, we determined the effects of SR-B1 deficiency on plasma metabolic and inflammatory parameters as well as fat deposition in adipose tissue and liver during obesity. To induce obesity, we performed high-fat diet (HFD) exposure for 12 weeks in male SR-B1 knock-out (SR-B1, n = 14) and wild-type (WT, n = 12) mice.

Honeybee Pollen Extracts Reduce Oxidative Stress and Steatosis in Hepatic Cells.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Additional therapies using functional foods and dietary supplements have been investigated and used in clinical practice, showing them to be beneficial. Honeybee pollen from Chile has shown a large concentration of phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activity.

Hepatoprotective species from the Chilean medicinal flora: Junellia spathulata (Verbenaceae).

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chilean population relies on medicinal plants for treating a wide range of illnesses, especially those of the gastrointestinal system. Junellia spathulata (Gillies & Hook.) Moldenke var.

Metabolite cycled liver H MRS on a 7 T parallel transmit system.

Introduction: Single-voxel H MRS in body applications often suffers from respiratory and other motion induced phase and frequency shifts, which lead to incoherent averaging and hence to suboptimal results.

Methods: Here we show the application of metabolite cycling (MC) for liver STEAM-localized H MRS on a 7 T parallel transmit system, using eight transmit-receive fractionated dipole antennas with 16 additional, integrated receive loops. MC-STEAM measurements were made in six healthy, lean subjects and compared with STEAM measurements using VAPOR water suppression.

Intrahepatic fatty acids composition as a biomarker of NAFLD progression from steatosis to NASH by using H-MRS.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world and it is becoming one of the most frequent cause of liver transplantation. Unfortunately, the only available method that can reliably determine the stage of this disease is liver biopsy, however, it is invasive and risky for patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in the intracellular composition of the liver fatty acids during the progression of the NAFLD in a mouse model fed with Western diet, with the aim of identify non-invasive biomarkers of NAFLD progression based in H-MRS.

Red Wine Grape Pomace Attenuates Atherosclerosis and Myocardial Damage and Increases Survival in Association with Improved Plasma Antioxidant Activity in a Murine Model of Lethal Ischemic Heart Disease.

A healthy dietary pattern and high quality nutrient intake reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Red wine grape pomace (RWGP)-a rich natural source of dietary fiber and antioxidants-appears to be a potential functional food ingredient. The impact of a dietary supplementation with RWGP flour was evaluated in atherogenic diet-fed SR-B1 KO/ApoER61 mice, a model of lethal ischemic heart disease.

Tropoelastin: an in vivo imaging marker of dysfunctional matrix turnover during abdominal aortic dilation.

Aims: Dysfunctional matrix turnover is present at sites of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and leads to the accumulation of monomeric tropoelastin rather than cross-linked elastin. We used a gadolinium-based tropoelastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent (Gd-TESMA) to test whether quantifying regional tropoelastin turnover correlates with aortic expansion in a murine model. The binding of Gd-TESMA to excised human AAA was also assessed.

Simultaneous Assessment of Cardiac Inflammation and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Optimal healing of the myocardium following myocardial infarction (MI) requires a suitable degree of inflammation and its timely resolution, together with a well-orchestrated deposition and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins.

Methods And Results: MI and SHAM-operated animals were imaged at 3,7,14 and 21 days with 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a F/H surface coil. Mice were injected with F-perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoparticles to study inflammatory cell recruitment, and with a gadolinium-based elastin-binding contrast agent (Gd-ESMA) to evaluate elastin content.

Tropoelastin: A novel marker for plaque progression and instability.

Background: Elastolysis and ineffective elastogenesis favor the accumulation of tropoelastin, rather than cross-linked elastin, in atherosclerotic plaques. We developed gadolinium-labeled tropoelastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agents (Gd-TESMAs) for tropoelastin imaging in animal models.

Methods And Results: Two peptides, VVGSPSAQDEASPLS and YPDHVQYTHY were selected to target tropoelastin.