Resveratrol and ω-3 PUFAs Promote Human Macrophage Differentiation and Function.

Monocytes differentiate into M1 and M2 macrophages, which are classically activated by microbial products such as LPS or IFN-γ and interleukins (e.g., the anti-inflammatory and T2 promoting IL-4), respectively.

Resveratrol, EGCG and Vitamins Modulate Activated T Lymphocytes.

Vitamins and bioactives, which are constituents of the food chain, modulate T lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation, antibody production, and prevent inflammation and autoimmunity. We investigated the effects of vitamins (vitamin A (VA), D (VD), E (VE)) and bioactives (i.e.

Fermentation of Selected Prebiotics and Their Effects on the Composition and Activity of the Adult Gut Microbiota.

Recently, the concept of prebiotics has been revisited to expand beyond non-digestible oligosaccharides, and the requirements for selective stimulation were extended to include microbial groups other than, and additional to, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Here, the gut microbiota-modulating effects of well-known and novel prebiotics were studied. An fermentation screening platform (i-screen) was inoculated with adult fecal microbiota, exposed to different dietary fibers that had a range of concentrations (inulin, alpha-linked galacto-oligosaccharides (alpha-GOS), beta-linked GOS, xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) from corn cobs and high-fiber sugar cane, and beta-glucan from oats), and compared to a positive fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) control and a negative control (no fiber addition).

Correction: The effects of fermentation products of prebiotic fibres on gut barrier and immune functions in vitro.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5288.

The effects of fermentation products of prebiotic fibres on gut barrier and immune functions in vitro.

The beneficial effects of prebiotic fibres on human health have been related to their capacities to alter the gut microbiota and modify the growth of beneficial microorganisms. It is long appreciated that bacterial metabolites affect the host's physiology. The inner lining of the intestinal tract is the first level of interaction between the host and bacteria and their metabolites.

Cardiovascular and Antiobesity Effects of Resveratrol Mediated through the Gut Microbiota.

Encouraging scientific research into the health effects of dietary bioactive resveratrol has been confounded by its rapid first-pass metabolism, which leads to low in vivo bioavailability. Preliminary studies have shown that resveratrol can modulate gut microbiota composition, undergo biotransformation to active metabolites via the intestinal microbiota, or affect gut barrier function. In rodents, resveratrol can modify the relative Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio and reverse the gut microbial dysbiosis caused by a high-fat diet.

Resveratrol distinctively modulates the inflammatory profiles of immune and endothelial cells.

Background: The phenolic substance resveratrol (RES) is a plant metabolite known to modulate numerous physiological functions and to exert beneficial effects as a cancer-chemopreventing agent and on neurological, hepatic, and cardiovascular systems. Since the compound affects the lifespan of yeast and flies it might be an anti-aging substance. Mechanistically, RES is involved in down regulating the inflammatory response.

Effect of Consuming Oat Bran Mixed in Water before a Meal on Glycemic Responses in Healthy Humans-A Pilot Study.

Background: Viscous dietary fibers including oat β-glucan are one of the most effective classes of functional food ingredients for reducing postprandial blood glucose. The mechanism of action is thought to be via an increase in viscosity of the stomach contents that delays gastric emptying and reduces mixing of food with digestive enzymes, which, in turn, retards glucose absorption. Previous studies suggest that taking viscous fibers separate from a meal may not be effective in reducing postprandial glycemia.

Acute Resveratrol Consumption Improves Neurovascular Coupling Capacity in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Poor cerebral perfusion may contribute to cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that resveratrol can enhance cerebral vasodilator function and thereby alleviate the cognitive deficits in T2DM. We have already reported that acute resveratrol consumption improved cerebrovascular responsiveness (CVR) to hypercapnia.

Fruitflow: the first European Food Safety Authority-approved natural cardio-protective functional ingredient.

Hyperactive platelets, in addition to their roles in thrombosis, are also important mediators of atherogenesis. Antiplatelet drugs are not suitable for use where risk of a cardiovascular event is relatively low. It is therefore important to find alternative safe antiplatelet inhibitors for the vulnerable population who has hyperactive platelets in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Carnosol and Related Substances Modulate Chemokine and Cytokine Production in Macrophages and Chondrocytes.

Phenolic diterpenes present in Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis have anti-inflammatory and chemoprotective effects. We investigated the in vitro effects of carnosol (CL), carnosic acid (CA), carnosic acid-12-methylether (CAME), 20-deoxocarnosol and abieta-8,11,13-triene-11,12,20-triol (ABTT) in murine macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) and human chondrocytes.

Tomato Aqueous Extract Modulates the Inflammatory Profile of Immune Cells and Endothelial Cells.

Nutrients transiently or chronically modulate functional and biochemical characteristics of cells and tissues both in vivo and in vitro. The influence of tomato aqueous extract (TAE) on the in vitro inflammatory response of activated human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and macrophages was investigated. Its effect on endothelial dysfunction (ED) was analyzed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Nutritional Solutions to Reduce Risks of Negative Health Impacts of Air Pollution.

Air pollution worldwide has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, particularly in urban settings with elevated concentrations of primary pollutants. Air pollution is a very complex mixture of primary and secondary gases and particles, and its potential to cause harm can depend on multiple factors-including physical and chemical characteristics of pollutants, which varies with fine-scale location (e.g.

Vitamin E function and requirements in relation to PUFA.

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) is recognised as a key essential lipophilic antioxidant in humans protecting lipoproteins, PUFA, cellular and intra-cellular membranes from damage. The aim of this review was to evaluate the relevant published data about vitamin E requirements in relation to dietary PUFA intake. Evidence in animals and humans indicates a minimal basal requirement of 4-5 mg/d of RRR-α-tocopherol when the diet is very low in PUFA.

Ascorbic acid modulates cell migration in differentiated HL-60 cells and peripheral blood leukocytes.

Scope: The impact of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) on the chemokinesis (CK) and chemotaxis (CT) of HL-60 cells and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) was investigated.

Methods And Results: HL-60 cells were differentiated with DMSO, retinoic acid (RA), vitamin D, or L-AA. Chemokinesis and chemotaxis of differentiated HL-cells were assayed.

Resveratrol, from experimental data to nutritional evidence: the emergence of a new food ingredient.

The polyphenol resveratrol is found notably in grapes and in a variety of medicinal plants. Recently, resveratrol has been suggested to have cardioprotective effects and to improve metabolic health by mimicking the effects of calorie restriction. Numerous animal and in vitro studies suggest that resveratrol could improve cardiovascular and metabolic health in humans.

Dietary fish oil preserves cardiac function in the hypertrophied rat heart.

Regular fish or fish oil intake is associated with a low incidence of heart failure clinically, and fish oil-induced reduction in cardiac remodelling seen in hypertrophy models may contribute. We investigated whether improved cardiac energy efficiency in non-hypertrophied hearts translates into attenuation of cardiac dysfunction in hypertrophied hearts. Male Wistar rats (n 33) at 8 weeks of age were sham-operated or subjected to abdominal aortic stenosis to produce pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy.

Acute effects of epigallocatechin gallate from green tea on oxidation and tissue incorporation of dietary lipids in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Objective: To examine in mice the acute effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea bioactive polyphenol on substrate metabolism with focus on the fate of dietary lipids.

Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were fed high-fat diets supplemented with EGCG extracted from green tea (TEAVIGO, DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, Basel, Switzerland) at different dosages up to 1% (w/w). Effects of EGCG on body composition (quantitative magnetic resonance), food intake and digestibility, oxidation and incorporation of exogenous lipids (stable isotope techniques: (13)C-labeled palmitate and diet supplemented with corn oil as a natural source of (13)C-enriched lipids) as well as gene expression (quantitative real-time PCR) in liver and intestinal mucosa were investigated.

Antioxidant activity of olive polyphenols in humans: a review.

In vitro and animal studies show that polyphenols from olives have potent antioxidant activities; 50 % of the phenolic compounds contained in olives and virgin olive oil are hydroxytyrosol and derivatives thereof. Hydroxytyrosol is the major olive polyphenol consumed and well absorbed in humans. It is considered to have the highest antioxidant potency compared to the other olive polyphenols.

Docosahexaenoic acid, but not eicosapentaenoic acid, lowers ambulatory blood pressure and shortens interval QT in spontaneously hypertensive rats in vivo.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of individual dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) on hypertension and cardiac consecutive disorders in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) as compared to Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Rats were fed for 2 months an eicosapentaenoic (EPA)- or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich diet (240 mg/day) or an n-3 PUFA-free diet. Male SHR (n=6), implanted with cardiovascular telemetry devices, were housed in individual cages for continuous measurements of cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR)) during either activity or rest periods, ECG were recorded during the quiet period.

A low dose of dietary resveratrol partially mimics caloric restriction and retards aging parameters in mice.

Resveratrol in high doses has been shown to extend lifespan in some studies in invertebrates and to prevent early mortality in mice fed a high-fat diet. We fed mice from middle age (14-months) to old age (30-months) either a control diet, a low dose of resveratrol (4.9 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), or a calorie restricted (CR) diet and examined genome-wide transcriptional profiles.

Epigallocatechin gallate supplementation alleviates diabetes in rodents.

As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing at an alarming rate, effective nutritional and exercise strategies for the prevention of this disease are required. Specific dietary components with antidiabetic efficacy could be one aspect of these strategies. This study investigated the antidiabetic effects of the most abundant green tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, TEAVIGO), in rodent models of type 2 diabetes mellitus and H4IIE rat hepatoma cells.

TEAVIGO (epigallocatechin gallate) supplementation prevents obesity in rodents by reducing adipose tissue mass.

Background: This study investigated the antiobesity effects of TEAVIGO, a product providing the most abundant green tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in a pure form. Two models of diet-induced obesity and an in vitro adipocyte differentiation assay were employed.

Methods: Prevention and regression of diet-induced obesity by dietary supplementation with EGCG was studied in C57BL/6J mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, respectively.

Effect of EGCG on lipid absorption and plasma lipid levels in rats.

Catechins, compounds derived from green tea, have been shown to reduce plasma cholesterol levels and the rate of cholesterol absorption. We investigated the dose response and the mechanism of action of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on these parameters in rats. Wistar rats were fed a diet high in cholesterol and fat containing either none, 0.

Preterm infant formula supplementation with alpha linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

Objectives: To investigate if supplementation of preterm infant formula with a high docosahexaenoic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA/EPA) ratio together with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) was able to maintain plasma and red blood cell DHA levels similar to that obtained with breast milk feeding without altering n-6 fatty acid status.

Design And Subjects: Preterm infants of mothers who elected not to breast feed (n=13) were assigned to ALA- and DHA-enriched formula (DHA group: DHA/EPA=5/l). Infants fed breast milk (n=25) constituted a reference group (BM group).