Long-Term Blackcurrant Supplementation Modified Gut Microbiome Profiles in Mice in an Age-Dependent Manner: An Exploratory Study.

Recent studies have suggested that blackcurrant (BC) anthocyanins have promising health benefits, possibly through regulating gut microbiome. Three- and eighteen-month old female mice were fed standard mouse diets for 4 months, each with or without BC (1% ) supplementation ( = 3 in each treatment group, 12 in total). We then assessed gut microbiome profiles using 16S sequencing of their feces.

Astaxanthin attenuates the increase in mitochondrial respiration during the activation of hepatic stellate cells.

Upon liver injury, quiescent hepatic stellate cells (qHSCs) transdifferentiate to myofibroblast-like activated HSCs (aHSCs), which are primarily responsible for the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins during the development of liver fibrosis. Therefore, aHSCs may exhibit different energy metabolism from that of qHSCs to meet their high energy demand. We previously demonstrated that astaxanthin (ASTX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, prevents the activation of HSCs.

The relationship between zinc intake and cadmium burden is influenced by smoking status.

A preliminary study by our group suggested that the absorption and accumulation of cadmium may be affected by zinc intake. Tobacco smoke is one major source of cadmium exposure that highly influences cadmium burden among smokers, but it is unclear whether this zinc-cadmium relationship differs by smoking status. The objective of this study was to examine whether the association between zinc intake and cadmium burden differs by smoking status using data from 3900 US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012.

Dietary Cadmium Intake and Sources in the US.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that can contribute to numerous diseases as well as increased mortality. Diet is the primary source of Cd exposure for most individuals, yet little is known about the foods and food groups that contribute most substantially to dietary Cd intake in the US. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate dietary Cd intake and identify major food sources of Cd in the US population and among subgroups of the population.

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) Prevents Obesity-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Mice.

Objective: With increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), effective strategies to prevent NASH are needed. This study investigated whether the consumption of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) can prevent the development of obesity-induced NASH in vivo.

Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a low-fat control diet, a low-fat diet with 6% whole blackcurrant powder, an obesogenic high-fat/high-sucrose control diet (HF), or a high-fat/high-sucrose diet containing 6% whole blackcurrant powder (HF-B) for 24 weeks.

Blackcurrant Supplementation Improves Trabecular Bone Mass in Young but Not Aged Mice.

Due to deleterious side effects of currently available medications, the search for novel, safe, and effective preventive agents for improving bone health in aging continues and is urgently needed. This study aimed to determine whether dietary blackcurrants (BC), an anthocyanin-rich berry, can improve bone mass in a mouse model of age-related bone loss. Thirty-five female C57BL/6J mice, 3 months old ( = 20) and 18 months old ( = 15), were randomized to consume either a standard chow diet or a standard chow diet with 1% (/) BC for four months.

Astaxanthin inhibits inflammation and fibrosis in the liver and adipose tissue of mouse models of diet-induced obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

The objective of this study was to determine if astaxanthin (ASTX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, can prevent obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities, inflammation and fibrosis in diet-induced obesity (DIO) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) mouse models. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a low-fat (6% fat, w/w), a high-fat/high-sucrose control (HF/HS; 35% fat, 35% sucrose, w/w), or a HF/HS containing ASTX (AHF/HS; 0.03% ASTX, w/w) for 30 weeks.

Histone deacetylase 9 plays a role in the antifibrogenic effect of astaxanthin in hepatic stellate cells.

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is critical for liver fibrosis development. Previously, we showed that astaxanthin (ASTX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, has antifibrogenic effects in LX-2 cells, a human HSC cell line. We sought to determine the effect of ASTX on HSC activation, and to identify molecular mediators that are critically involved in the processes.

Validation of Analytical Methods for Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity by Comparing with Urinary 8-Isoprostane Level.

Although several analytical methods for measuring total antioxidant capacity (TAC) have been applied to biological samples, there were often dissimilar results due to the different principles of methods applied. Thus, this study aimed to validate four conventional analytical methods for measuring plasma TAC, including the ABTS assay, DPPH assay, FRAP assay, and ORAC assay, by comparing with urinary 8-isoprostane concentration. In addition, TAC results were compared with antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocyte, and catalase in plasma.

Blueberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant differentially affect plasma lipids and pro-inflammatory markers in diet-induced obesity mice.

Background/objectives: Evidence indicates that berry anthocyanins are anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. However, berries differ vastly in their anthocyanin composition and thus potentially in their biological and metabolic effects. The present study compared hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberry (BB), blackberry (BK), and blackcurrant (BC) in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model.

Anthocyanin-Rich Blackcurrant Extract Attenuates Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss in Mice.

Although several animal and cell studies have indicated that blackcurrant anthocyanins exert antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which could potentially improve bone mass, the effect of blackcurrant on bone health has not been reported yet. Thus, this study was aimed to evaluate the effect of blackcurrant anthocyanins on bone mass in an estrogen deficiency mouse model. Fourteen-week-old C57BL/6J mice (n = 54) were ovariectomized or sham operated.

Estimated daily intake of phenolics and antioxidants from green tea consumption in the Korean diet.

To estimate daily intake of total phenolics and flavonoids from green tea and the contribution of green tea to the antioxidant intake from the Korean diet, 24 commercial brands of green tea were selected and analyzed. Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2008 and 2011 indicate that the green tea consumption in these 2 years was 2.8 g/tea drinker/day and 2.

Astaxanthin prevents and reverses the activation of mouse primary hepatic stellate cells.

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a critical step that leads to the development of liver fibrosis. We showed that astaxanthin (ASTX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, displays antifibrogenic effects in LX-2 cells, a human HSC cell line. In this study, we further determined the effect of ASTX on HSC activation and inactivation using primary HSCs from C57BL/6J mice.

Intake of dietary antioxidants is inversely associated with biomarkers of oxidative stress among men with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the USA. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer. In this study, the association between antioxidants from diet and supplements and biomarkers of oxidative stress in blood (n 278), urine (n 298) and prostate tissue (n 55) were determined among men from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project.

Contribution of Anthocyanin Composition to Total Antioxidant Capacity of Berries.

The present study aimed to evaluate the contribution of anthocyanin composition to the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of berries having different anthocyanin composition; blackberry, black currant, and blueberry. Blackberry demonstrated the highest TAC, while it had the lowest total anthocyanin content among the three berries in both of the phenolic extract and anthocyanin fractions. On the other hand, black currant had the highest total anthocyanin content, but the lowest TAC.

Eliciting the mitochondrial unfolded protein response by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide repletion reverses fatty liver disease in mice.

Unlabelled: With no approved pharmacological treatment, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries and its worldwide prevalence continues to increase along with the growing obesity epidemic. Here, we show that a high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet, eliciting chronic hepatosteatosis resembling human fatty liver, lowers hepatic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+) ) levels driving reductions in hepatic mitochondrial content, function, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, in conjunction with robust increases in hepatic weight, lipid content, and peroxidation in C57BL/6J mice. To assess the effect of NAD(+) repletion on the development of steatosis in mice, nicotinamide riboside, a precursor of NAD(+) biosynthesis, was added to the HFHS diet, either as a preventive strategy or as a therapeutic intervention.

Thioredoxin 1 in Prostate Tissue Is Associated with Gleason Score, Erythrocyte Antioxidant Enzyme Activity, and Dietary Antioxidants.

Background. Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men in the US. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in prostate cancer.

Astaxanthin prevents TGFβ1-induced pro-fibrogenic gene expression by inhibiting Smad3 activation in hepatic stellate cells.

Background: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a subset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in the U.S. Fibrosis, a common feature of NASH, results from the dysregulation of fibrogenesis in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).

Relationship between oxidative stress and bone mass in obesity and effects of berry supplementation on bone remodeling in obese male mice: an exploratory study.

Berry consumption can prevent bone loss. However, the effects of different berries with distinct anthocyanin composition have not been thoroughly examined. The present study compared the effects of blueberry, blackberry, and black currant on bone health using a mouse model of diet-induced obesity.

Lithospermum erythrorhizon extract protects keratinocytes and fibroblasts against oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress damages dermal and epidermal cells and degrades extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, ultimately leading to skin aging. The present study evaluated the potential protective effect of the aqueous methanolic extract obtained from Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE) against oxidative stress, induced by H2O2 and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, on human keratinocyte (HaCaT) and human dermal fibroblast-neonatal (HDF-n) cells. Exposure of cells to H2O2 or UVB irradiation markedly increased oxidative stress and reduced cell viability.

Impact of orange juice consumption on bone health of the U.S. population in the national health and nutrition examination survey 2003-2006.

Orange juice (OJ) fortified with calcium (Ca) and vitamin D has turned OJ into a readily available source of these nutrients for children and adults. However, the impact of OJ consumption on Ca and vitamin D adequacy and bone health has not been documented. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the contribution of 100% OJ consumption to dietary and serum Ca and vitamin D status, and bone health parameters in the U.

Dietary carotenoids are associated with cardiovascular disease risk biomarkers mediated by serum carotenoid concentrations.

Hyperlipidemia and elevated circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Previous studies indicated that higher serum carotenoid concentrations were inversely associated with some of these biomarkers. However, whether dietary carotenoid intake is inversely associated with these CVD risk biomarkers is not well known.

Berry anthocyanins suppress the expression and secretion of proinflammatory mediators in macrophages by inhibiting nuclear translocation of NF-κB independent of NRF2-mediated mechanism.

The objectives of this study were to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanins from blueberry (BBA), blackberry (BKA), and blackcurrant (BCA) and to determine the relationship between their antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory effect in macrophages. Major anthocyanins in BBA, BKA and BCA were malvidin-3-glucoside (16%), cyanidin-3-glucoside (98%) and delphinidin-3-rutinoside (44%), respectively. BKA showed higher total antioxidant capacity than BBA and BCA.

Diets high in total antioxidant capacity improve risk biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: a 9-month observational study among overweight/obese postmenopausal women.

Background: Previous studies have shown that total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of typical diets is associated with higher plasma TAC and antioxidant enzyme activities. At present, however, little is known for the association between dietary TAC and inflammatory biomarkers.

Aim: The present study was designed to examine the association between dietary TAC and inflammatory biomarkers in a group of overweight/obese postmenopausal women, a population with high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, during a 9-month period.

Dietary fructose feeding increases adipose methylglyoxal accumulation in rats in association with low expression and activity of glyoxalase-2.

Methylglyoxal is a precursor to advanced glycation endproducts that may contribute to diabetes and its cardiovascular-related complications. Methylglyoxal is successively catabolized to D-lactate by glyoxalase-1 and glyoxalase-2. The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary fructose and green tea extract (GTE) differentially regulate methylglyoxal accumulation in liver and adipose, mediated by tissue-specific differences in the glyoxalase system.