Phenolic acids from Anisopus mannii modulates phosphofructokinase 1 to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A double-blind, randomized, clinical trial.

Phenolic acid-rich fraction from Anisopus mannii (PhAM) contains abundance of ferulic acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and syringic acid. Among other glycolytic enzymes, in vitro, PhAM counteracted the binding of sodium orthovanadate to phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK-1), improving its activities. In a rat model of diet-induced diabetes, PhAM monotherapy reduced HbA1c by an average of 0.

Efficacy of using walnuts as statin adjuvants in hypertension management.

Background: Due to the widespread unorthodox use of nuts to improve cardiovascular health, this clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of walnut as an adjuvant statin in hypertensive subjects.

Method: A single-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial that lasted for 3 months. Forty-five screened hypertensive subjects on treatment, aged 45-65 years, were randomized into intervention and placebo groups according to their blood pressure defined by the American Heart Association criteria.

Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria.

Most pregnant women living in high malaria endemic regions of Nigeria use herbal remedies for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy, rather than the commonly prescribed drugs. Remedies common to this area involve a suspension of (AI) leaves and in some cases, a suspension containing a mixture of AI and (PS). This study examined the therapeutic efficacies of AI, PS, or a combination of AI and PS in a pregnant rat model for exoerythrocytic stages of parasite.

Lettuce-avicularin treatment reverses insulin resistance through stimulation of glycolytic kinases and insulin signaling molecules.

Objectives: In order to recommend a more effective approach to manage insulin resistance, we monitored the activities of glycolytic kinases, insulin signaling molecules, and incretin hormones and identified the possible targets related to the insulin-sensitizing effects of combined pharmacological and dietary intervention involving avicularin and lettuce.

Materials And Methods: Insulin resistance was induced in rats with a fructose-rich diet and confirmed from baseline analysis of FBS (>250 mg/dl), insulin (>25 µIU/ml), and HOMA-IR (>10). For 12 weeks, the insulin-resistant rats were treated exclusively with 5000 mg/kg b.

Nutritional modulation of blood pressure and vascular changes during severe menstrual cramps.

Objectives: This study examined the influence of nutrition on the severity of menstrual pains and associated transient changes in blood pressure (BP) and vascular-health indicators. It has also investigated the influence of nutrition on angiotensin (ANG II) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM-1).

Methods: A total of 207 university students, aged between 18 and 25 years, were grouped into three groups: a no-dysmenorrhoea (control) group, a moderate dysmenorrhoea (MDys) group, and a severe dysmenorrhoea (SDys) group, using the NRS-11 scale and initial contactin-1 (CNTN-1) levels.

Potentiation of incretin hormones and modulation of metabolic enzymes as possible mechanisms behind the insulin sensitizing effects of cabbage-metformin treatment.

In our study, we treated high fructose diet-induced insulin resistance in rats with any of metformin, cabbage (80%w/w) or combined metformin and cabbage (MetCabb), and observed the activities of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis regulatory enzymes, incretin hormones and other hormones affecting glucose homeostasis. Comparisons were made with normoglycemic noninsulin resistance rats (control) and insulin-resistant untreated rats (INres). Baseline analysis showing elevated fasting blood sugar (>250 mg/dl), insulin (>25 µIU/ml) and HOMA-IR (>10) satisfied the criteria for recruitment into the insulin-resistant groups.

Okra Modulates Regulatory Enzymes and Metabolites of Glucose-Utilizing Pathways in Diabetic Rats.

Objective: Using a rat diabetes model, the authors examined how substrates and products of glycolysis and key regulatory enzymes for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, Kreb's cycle, and glycogen metabolism react to treatment with okra diet therapy, relative to glibenclamide treatment.

Method: The animal grouping involved normoglycemic rats, untreated diabetic rats, and diabetic rats treated with glibenclamide, 50% w/w okra sauce, exclusive okra sauce diet, or sauce without okra. Alloxan monohydrate was the diabetogenic agent.

The Relationship between Pain and Vascular Function Biomarkers in Dysmenorrheal University Students.

Our aim was to establish if the secretion of contactin 1 (CNTN-1), a widely researched pain biomarker correlates with the severity of dysmenorrhea and circulating levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and angiotensin II (ANG-II). This study was a longitudinal randomized clinical study that involved 95 female students between 17-25 years. The control participant group were students who, without medications, had not experienced dysmenorrhea, while the inclusion criteria were primary dysmenorrhea without medications.

Modulatory properties of cardiac and quercetin glycosides from Dacryodes edulis seeds during L-NAME-induced vascular perturbation.

Background Numerous food wastes have been identified to possess potent bioactive compounds used for the treatment of several diseases. Therefore this study evaluated the potentials of cardiac and quercetin glycosides extracted from Dacryodes edulis seeds to reverse vascular and endothelial damage (VAED). Methods The glycoside composition of the seeds was extracted using standard methods and characterized by gas chromatography.

Vascular Effects of Avocado Seed Glycosides during Diabetes-induced Endothelial Damage.

Background And Objectives: The relationship between vascular damage and diabetes mellitus was exploited using avocado seed extracts. The purpose of the study was to understand the therapeutic relevance of glycosides compared to standard vascular and anti-diabetic drugs. Constituent Avocado Seed Glycosides (ASG) were analysed and administered to rats with Diabetes-Induced Vascular Damage (DIVD).

Biochemical Implications of Biotransformation of Some Toxic Floras Using Natural Local Enzyme Sources.

Background: Recently, it has been established that simultaneous saccharification and fermentation is a potent technique for the detoxification of harmful plant materials.

Objective: Following encouraging simultaneous medicinal applications of snail slime and yeast, we exploited their hydrolytic and fermentation potentials to prevent toxicities of the selected floras; Erythrodontium barteri (EB), bracken fern (BF), and crustose lichens (CL). The applicability of the saccharification process has been described in a patent (WO2005010193A2).

Gestational Geophagia Affects Nephrocardiac Integrity, ATP-Driven Proton Pumps, the Renin⁻Angiotensin⁻Aldosterone System, and F2-Isoprostane Status.

Pregnancy brings about strong cravings for nonfood materials, the gestational toxicities of which are not yet ascertained. In this study, we used rat models to investigate the effect of clay beverage consumption during early and late gestation on p-Type ATPases, nephrocardiac integrity, the antioxidant system, and on the activities of the renin⁻angiotensin⁻aldosterone system (RAAS). The rats at early (7th day) and late gestation (20th) were administered single doses (500 mg/kg body weight of clay beverage and examined using ELISA and spectrophotometry.