Diosgenin, a yam-derived compound, was found to facilitate the repair of axonal atrophy and synaptic degeneration and improve memory dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It was also found to enhance neuronal excitation and memory function even in normal mice. We hypothesized that diosgenin, either isolated or in an extract, may represent a new category of cognitive enhancers with essential activities that morphologically and functionally reinforce neuronal networks. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a diosgenin-rich yam extract on cognitive enhancement in healthy volunteers. For this placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 28 healthy volunteers (age: 20-81 years) were recruited from Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and was randomly assigned to receive either a yam extract or placebo. Preliminary functional animal experiments indicated that an oil solvent mediated the most efficient distribution of diosgenin into the blood and brain after oral administration, and was a critical factor in the cognitive benefits. Therefore, test samples (placebo and yam extract) were prepared with olive oil and formulated as soft capsules. The intake period was 12 weeks, and a 6-week washout period separated the two crossover intake periods. The Japanese version of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) test was used for neurocognitive assessment, and the adverse effects were monitored through blood testing. Diosgenin-rich yam extract consumption for 12 weeks yielded significant increases in total RBANS score. Among the 12 individual standard cognitive subtests, diosgenin-rich yam extract use significantly improved the semantic fluency. No adverse effects were reported. The diosgenin-rich yam extract treatment appeared to safely enhance cognitive function in healthy adults.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu9101160 | DOI Listing |
Foods
January 2025
School of Food Science & Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
Korean yams are abundant in bioactive compounds with significant health-promoting properties. This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory potential of ethanol and water extracts from and in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Paraíba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil; Department of Consumer Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address:
This study aimed to investigate the impact of adding aroeira leaf extract (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) to a yam starch film matrix, focusing on the development of potentially active films and the evaluation of their physicochemical, mechanical, optical, and antioxidant properties. Films were produced using the casting method with varying extract concentrations (0, 3, 6, 12, and 15 %), yam starch (2 %), and glycerol (1 %). The antioxidant properties were analyzed by determining the total phenolic content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing power, and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical elimination, which revealed a significant increase in antioxidant properties as the extract concentration increased.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiosci Biotechnol Biochem
December 2024
Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan.
Purple yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is a tuber widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics. We previously isolated several acylated anthocyanins from purple yam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
November 2024
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), 6/F Lui Che Woo Clinical Sciences Building, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
Unlabelled: The study highlights the significant changes in respiratory virus epidemiology following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
Method: In this single-centre retrospective study, the virological readouts of adenovirus (AdV), influenza virus A (IAV), influenza virus B (IBV), parainfluenza viruses (PIV) 1, 2, 3, 4, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and coupled enterovirus and rhinovirus (EV/RV) were extracted from the respiratory specimens of paediatric patients in Hong Kong from January 2015 to February 2024. The subjects were stratified into five age groups.
J Fish Dis
February 2025
Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Sdot Yam, Israel.
The classic epidemiological triangle model of host-environment-pathogen is recently being reshaped into a tetrahedron, with the growing understanding of the importance of the microbiome in this array. The gills, being a gateway into the fish body, bearing an important role in fish homeostasis, host a complex microbiome that reflects the ambient water, while also showing resemblance to gut microbiome. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and improvements in data analysis tools enable researchers to gather and analyse a lot more data than ever before, take a closer, more detailed look at microbiota, and gain a much better understanding of the biological processes at work in these complex relations.
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