Publications by authors named "Ruozhi Zhao"

Wild rice (WLD) attenuated hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and chronic inflammation in mice receiving a high-fat diet (HFD) versus white rice (WHR), but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. We examined the influence of HFD + WLD on gut microbiota, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the correlation with metabolic or inflammatory markers in mice versus HFD + WHR. C57BL/6J mice received HFD + 26 g weight (wt) % WHR or WLD or 13 g wt% WHR + 13 g wt% WLD (WTWD) for 12 weeks.

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Intake of whole grain foods is associated with improving metabolic profile compared to refined grain products, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study examined the effects of brown rice (BRR) or germinated brown rice (GBR) supplementation on fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and relationship with gut microbiota, metabolism and inflammation in high fat (HF)-diet-fed mice. The results demonstrated that an HF diet supplemented with BRR or GBR comparably increased the abundance of fecal isobutyric acid compared to that in mice receiving HF+white rice (WHR) diet ( < 0.

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Previous studies demonstrated that oral administration of Saskatoon berry powder (SBp) reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin resistance, lipids, and inflammatory markers in diet-induced insulin resistant rodents. Mechanism for the beneficial effects of SB remains unclear. The present study examined the effects of high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet supplemented with or without 5% SBp, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G, an anthocyanin rich in SBp) at a dosage of C3G in 5% SBp, or equimolar concentration of protocatechuic acid (PCA, a relatively stable metabolite of C3G) for 11 weeks on FPG, cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), circulatory inflammatory markers, fecal microbiota, and short chain fatty acids in mice.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigated the effects of germinated brown rice (GBR), brown rice (BRR), and white rice (WHR) on metabolism, inflammation, and gut microbiota in mice on a high-fat diet.
  • - BRR and GBR were found to lower levels of fasting plasma glucose, lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammation more effectively than WHR.
  • - GF+GBR increased beneficial gut bacteria more than BRR or WHR, while both GBR and BRR showed better overall health outcomes for the mice compared to WHR.
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Administration of freeze-dried powder of Saskatoon berry (SB), a popular fruit enriched with antioxidants, reduced glucose level, inflammatory markers and gut microbiota disorder in high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced insulin resistant mice. The present study examined the dose-response relationship in metabolic, inflammatory and gut microbiotic variables to SB power (SBp) supplementation in HFHS diet-fed mice. Male C57 BL/6J mice were fed with HFHS diet supplemented with 0, 1%, 2.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a common metabolic disorder associated with insulin resistance and lacks a specific treatment. Our previous studies demonstrated that freeze-dried Saskatoon berry powder (SBp) reduced high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in mice. The present study examined the effect of SBp and one of its active components, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), on hepatic steatosis in mice fed with HFHS diet for 10 weeks.

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The present study assessed the effects of freeze-dried cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), an anthocyanin enriched in dark-red berries, compared to Saskatoon berry powder (SBp) on metabolism, inflammatory markers and gut microbiota in high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced insulin-resistant mice. Male C57 BL/6J mice received control, HFHS, HFHS + SBp (8.0 g/kg/day) or HFHS + C3G (7.

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Previous studies indicated that North American wild rice (WIR) reduced atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice. The effects of WIR on hyperglycemia in diabetic animal models have not been documented. The present study aims to determine the impact of WIR on glucose metabolism in high-fat (HF)-induced diabetic mice and a key modulator.

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The present study examined the impact of Saskatoon berry powder (SBp) on insulin resistance, inflammation and intestinal microbiota in diet-induced obese mice. Male C57 BL/6 J mice were fed control diet, high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet or HFHS+5% SBp (HFHS+B) diet for 15 weeks. The composition of fecal bacterial community was characterized using the Illumina sequencing of V4 region of 16S rRNA gene.

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The present study investigates the impact of germinated brown rice (GBR) on atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanism in low-density lipoprotein receptor-knockout (LDLr-KO) mice. The intensity of atherosclerosis in aortas of LDLr-KO mice receiving diet supplemented with 60% GBR (weight/weight) was significantly less than that in mice fed with 60% white rice (WR) or control diet ( p < 0.05); all diets contained 0.

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The present study examined the effects of wild rice on monocyte adhesion, inflammatory and fibrinolytic mediators in low-density lipoprotein receptor-knockout (LDLr-KO) mice. Male LDLr-KO mice received a cholesterol (0.06%, w/w)-supplemented diet with or without white or wild rice (60%, w/w) for 20 weeks.

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Objective And Design: To determine the requirement of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-knockout (PAI-1) for monocyte adhesion in animals and cells under diabetic conditions.

Methods And Subjects: Monocyte adhesion assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blotting were used in analyzing samples from PAI-1-knockout (PAI-1-KO) mice or cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

Treatments: Diabetes in PAI-1-KO and wild-type mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ).

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Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of mortality in diabetes patients. Increased levels of glycated low density lipoprotein (glyLDL) are detected in diabetic patients. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) generates nitric oxide, which is responsible to endothelium-dependent vasodilation.

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Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with insulin resistance and diabetic cardiovascular complications, and mechanism or remedy for ER stress remains to be determined. The results of the present study demonstrated that the levels of ER stress or unfolded protein response (UPR) markers, the intensity of thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence and the abundances of GRP78/94, XBP-1 and CHOP proteins were elevated in cardiovascular tissue of diabetic leptin receptor-deficient (db/db) mice. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) and cyanidin-3-galactoside (C3Ga) are major anthocyanins in Saskatoon berry (SB) powder.

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Hypothesis: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death in diabetic patients. Monocyte adhesion is an early event for atherogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated that dark-skin berries had cardiovascular protective effects.

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Diabetes mellitus accelerates the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Monocyte adhesion is an early cellular event of atherogenesis. Elevated levels of glyLDL were common in diabetic patients.

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Cardiovascular disease is the predominant cause of death in diabetic patients. Fibroblasts are one of the major types of cells in the heart or vascular wall. Increased levels of glycated low-density lipoprotein (glyLDL) were detected in diabetic patients.

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Elevated levels of glycated low density lipoprotein (glyLDL) are frequently detected in diabetic patients. Previous studies demonstrated that glyLDL increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activated NADPH oxidase (NOX) and suppressed mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) enzyme activities in vascular endothelial cells (EC). The present study examined the effects of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), a type of anthocyanin abundant in dark-skinned berries, on glyLDL-induced ROS production, NOX activation and mETC enzyme activity in porcine aortic EC (PAEC).

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The predominant cause of death in diabetic patients is atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). Major gross cellular changes in the vascular wall of persons with CAD include endothelial injury and foam cell formation, as well as smooth muscle cell and fibroblast proliferation. This study examined the effects of glycated low density lipoprotein (glyLDL), a biochemical marker of diabetes, on cell viability, proliferation, and the expression of multiple growth factors in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF).

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Increased oxidative stress and apoptosis were detected in atherosclerotic lesions. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oLDL) may induce oxidative stress and apoptosis via multiple pathways in vascular endothelial cells (EC). Delphinidin-3-glucoside (D3G), an anthocyanidin glycan enriched in dark-skin berries, may neutralize those effects of oLDL in EC.

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The present study demonstrated that oxidized LDL (oLDL) increased the generation of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), the abundances of NADPH oxidase (NOX)4, NOX2, p22-phox and lectin-like oLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) in wild-type or heat shock factor-1 (HSF1)-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF). LOX-1 antibody inhibited LDL or oLDL-induced expression of NOX components in MEF. Abundance of HSF1 or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) was increased by oLDL in wild-type, but not in HSF1-deficient MEF.

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Atherothrombotic cardiovascular diseases are the predominant causes of mortality of diabetic patients. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the major physiological inhibitor for fibrinolysis, and it is also implicated in inflammation and tissue remodeling. Increased levels of PAI-1 and glycated low-density lipoprotein (glyLDL) were detected in patients with diabetes.

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Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is implicated in thrombogenesis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Previous studies indicated that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) stimulated the generation of PAI-1 in vascular endothelial cells (EC). The present study demonstrated that LDL oxidized by copper, iron, or 3-morpholinosydnonimine increased the expression of NADPH oxidase (NOX) 2, PAI-1, and heat shock factor-1 (HSF1) in human umbilical vein EC or coronary artery EC compared with LDL or vehicle.

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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for adults in Western society. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the major physiological inhibitor of plasminogen activators, has been implicated in both thrombogenesis and atherogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated that copper-oxidized low-density lipoprotein (C-oLDL) stimulated production of PAI-1 in vascular endothelial cells (EC).

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