Botanical Foods Research Articles

Unraveling the Potential Anti-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Mechanisms of Ginger by Computational Target Fishing.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most commonly consumed botanical foods. Owing to its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, ginger has been widely used as a homemade remedy during the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the mechanisms of its therapeutic activities against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain obscure. In this study, we used a drug-likeness approach to screen the active compounds of ginger. Next, we identified candidate targets of active compounds responsible for the anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects of ginger using chemical similarity searching and SARS-CoV-2-human protein-protein interaction (PPI) data. Finally, we analyzed PPIs, Gene Ontology enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment of the candidate proteins using different bioinformatics tools. A network comprising ginger compounds, human proteins, and SARS-CoV-2 proteins was built through Cytoscape 3.3. The results indicate that the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of ginger involves 20 active compounds, 18 potential human targets, and 12 SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These form a pharmacological network in which sigma nonopioid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR1) and histone deacetylase 2 may be druggable hub proteins. In addition, molecular docking showed that 8-gingerdione and dihydrocapsaicin may preferentially interact with SIGMAR1, which was confirmed by further molecular dynamics simulation (150 ns) experiments. In conclusion, ginger targets multiple human proteins and affects multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins to exert anti-COVID-19 effects. Although further experimental verification is needed, this study provides a quick visual overview of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 action of ginger.

Mechanism-Driven and Clinically Focused Development of Botanical Foods as Multitarget Anticancer Medicine: Collective Perspectives and Insights from Preclinical Studies, IND Applications and Early-Phase Clinical Trials.

Cancer progression and mortality remain challenging because of current obstacles and limitations in cancer treatment. Continuous efforts are being made to explore complementary and alternative approaches to alleviate the suffering of cancer patients. Epidemiological and nutritional studies have indicated that consuming botanical foods is linked to a lower risk of cancer incidence and/or improved cancer prognosis after diagnosis. From these observations, a variety of preclinical and clinical studies have been carried out to evaluate the potential of botanical food products as anticancer medicines. Unfortunately, many investigations have been poorly designed, and encouraging preclinical results have not been translated into clinical success. Botanical products contain a wide variety of chemicals, making them more difficult to study than traditional drugs. In this review, with the consideration of the regulatory framework of the USFDA, we share our collective experiences and lessons learned from 20 years of defining anticancer foods, focusing on the critical aspects of preclinical studies that are required for an IND application, as well as the checkpoints needed for early-phase clinical trials. We recommend a developmental pipeline that is based on mechanisms and clinical considerations.

Identification and quantification of tricin present in medicinal herbs, plant foods and by-products using UPLC-QTOF-MS

Tricin, one of the flavones present in edible Poaceae species, was shown to interfere with intestinal inflammatory-related carcinogenesis and suppress metastasis in colon cancer mice models. Those botanical foods and medicinal herbs which contain high content of tricin may be considered as health supplements for colon health. Hence, the present study aimed to identify and quantify the content of tricin in various medicinal herbs, edible botanicals and some agricultural by-products by LC-MS. A list of “top 10 tricin-rich botanicals/medicinal herbs” was built. From the results, the top three high tricin content botanicals are the dried culms of Triticum aestivum (wheat straw), dried culms of Oryza sativa (rice straw) and mature fruits of Imperata cylindrica. Furthermore, a simple, straightforward isolation method has been developed to isolate tricin from wheat straw which achieved 50% isolation rate (percentage yield of 0.05% w/w) with purity of not less than 98%.

BIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE CIGARETTE BEETLE, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) ON DIFFERENT BOTANICAL FOODS

The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) is a serious economic insect pest of many stored products, spices and dried fruits. This work was carried out in the Laboratory of Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt, to study the effect of eight different botanical foods as insect diets (standard insect rearing diet, wheat germ, oat grains, cumin seeds, corn flakes, chamomile flowers, roselle flowers and fenugreek seeds) on some biological aspects of this insect, population growth after one and three months as well as percentage of weight loss. Also, the effect of the heavy insect infestation on certain chemical constituents of the tested foods as food moisture content, total carbohydrates, total proteins, ash, total fats and total fibers was determined and compared to control after three months of storage. The standard insect rearing diet and wheat germ were the best foods since the insect larval period was very short (14.45 and 15.36 days, respectively), while fenugreek was less preferred food as larval diet (30.55 days). Pupal period ranged from 7.18 to 11.81 days on wheat germ and corn flakes, respectively. The shortest complete developmental period was 30.67 days on wheat germ and the longest one was 53.21 days on fenugreek seeds. Values of the susceptibility index ranged from 3.03 to 8.08% for fenugreek seeds and wheat germ, respectively. The standard insect rearing diet and wheat germ were the best food kinds since they produced the highest mean progeny number after one and three months of storage (204.33, 151.67 and 3151.30, 4313.30 adults, respectively). Mean weight loss percentage ranged from 0.52 to 5.20% on corn flakes and oat grains after one month from insect infestation, respectively. However, it reached its maximum value (31.13%) on the standard insect rearing diet and minimum value on cumin seeds (1.23%) after three months. The highest relative weight loss per each adult insect was 23.75% on chamomile flowers and the lowest one valued 2.66% on corn flakes after one month of storage. After three months the value increased on corn flakes, standard insect rearing diet, roselle flowers and cumin seeds, while decreased on the other tested food kinds. A positive correlation was found between the heavy insect infestation on some foods and the chemical constituents as moisture content, total carbohydrate, total proteins, total fats, ash and total fibers. In contrast a negative one was recorded on the other foods. Positive correlation coefficients with all tested chemical constituents on sound and infested foods were detected by highly significant for total carbohydrates and total proteins as well as significant for total fats. The heavy insect infestation increased both the progeny number and the incurred weight loss and affected the chemical constituents of the different tested food kinds compared to control. All tested food kinds were infested by the cigarette beetle L. serricorne and no immune food was found free from the insect infestation with preferable some tested food kinds to the insect. Moreover, the heavy insect infestation after three months affected the chemical constituents of the tested food kinds.

Network Biology Approach to Identify the Active Ingredients, Potential Targets, and Signaling Pathways in Phellinus Baumii and Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge on Vascular Health (P15-025-19)

ObjectivesIncreasing attention has been paid to a range of botanical food supplement that help to maintain vascular health. Multiple components in botanical foods are expected to be working in concert with various targets. In a previous our animal study, Phellinus baumii and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (PS) ameliorated endothelial and vascular dysfunction in a platelet activation rat model. This study aimed to provide the components, target molecules, phenotypes, signaling pathways, and investigate the mechanism of PS on vascular health. MethodsNetwork biology analysis was based on the data from two clinical trials. The first clinical trial was performed in healthy subjects using high-fat-induced vascular dysfunction model. The second clinical trial was performed in healthy smokers. Differential markers obtained from clinical data, Affymetrix microarray, metabolomics, together with ingredient of PS, were mapped onto the network platform termed the context-oriented directed associations. A network of “component-target-phenotype-pathway” was constructed. ResultsThe resulting vascular health network demonstrates that the components of PS are linked various target molecules for adhesion molecule production, platelet activation, endothelial inflammation, vascular dilation, and mitochondrial metabolism and detoxification, implicated with various metabolic pathways. ConclusionsUsing network biology methods, this study revealed the components and their target molecules, phenotypes, signaling pathways and provided wider information to support the synergistic mechanisms of PS on vascular health. Funding SourcesThis research was funded by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation funded by the Ministry of Science & ICT and the BK21PLUS of the National Research Foundation.

Determining precolonial botanical foodways: starch recovery and analysis, Long Island, The Bahamas

Descriptions of precolonial foodways in the Caribbean Islands have relied primarily on contact-period European descriptions, which have been used to inform archaeological research. The use of ethnohistoric and indirect archaeological evidence is debated, and competing reconstructions of potential botanical foods and their cooking processes have resulted. To address this issue, starch analysis, which is suitable to provide information on human-plant interactions in tropical regions with poor botanical preservation, was carried out on samples from shell and limestone potential plant-processing tools from the Rolling Heads site, Long Island, The Bahamas. Results of this study revealed that some of these shell and lithic tools were used to process several different starchy food sources: maize (Zea mays L.), manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and coontie (Zamia spp.). The presence of more than one plant species on both the microlith and shell tools, demonstrates their multi-purpose use. These novel data have also generated interpretations of plant processing with limestone grater chips. Overall, our research provides integral data regarding regional-specific processing of manioc, maize, and coontie. This report provides new information regarding human-plant interactions in the Caribbean. Finally, this study provides data on the use of shell tools and lithic graters for processing plants it contributes to ongoing discussions of reconstructing ancient Bahamian and related Caribbean foodways.

An insight into anti-diabetic properties of dietary phytochemicals

Diabetes are a serious metabolic diseases characterized by abnormally increased plasma glucose levels. Botanical food products have been used for combating human diseases for thousands of years, since they exhibit a wide range of biological properties that can be exploited for medical application. Phytochemicals from foods, including flavonoids, monoterpenes, terpenoids, stilbenes, lignans, coumarins, alkaloids, and others, have been proposed as effective supplements for diabetes management and prevention of its long-term complications in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism of antidiabetic activity of dietary phytochemicals could be summarized as: stimulation of insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cell, reduction of insulin resistance and increasing of insulin sensitivity, stimulation of glycogenesis and hepatic glycolysis, activation of PPARγ, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, inhibition of α-amylase, β-galactocidase and α-glucocidase, and inhibition intestinal absorption of glucose. Therefore the anti-diabetic effects and their mechanism of action of phytochemicals from botanical foods used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes mellitus are critically reviewed.

Alanine-fortified tomatoes relieve the acute alcohol-induced adverse effects in healthy men: a randomized cross-over study.

BackgroundLittle is known about the effects of dietary components on the regulation of the gastric emptying rate of alcohol and its impact on alcohol metabolism. We recently found that the crude water-insoluble dietary fibers from several types of botanical foods maintained aqueous ethanol solutions. Additionally, the ethanol-absorbing ability of the dietary fibers correlated with the inhibition of the blood ethanol elevation by delaying gastric emptying. Moreover, we found that the synergism between tomatoes and alanine to reduce the absorption of alcohol in rats was attributable to the effect of alanine on precipitates, such as the crude water-insoluble dietary fibers of tomatoes. In the present study, we assess whether an alanine-fortified tomato (AFT) is effective in relieving acute alcohol-induced adverse effects by lowering the alcohol action in healthy human volunteers following the ingestion of alcohol with a meal.MethodsTwenty healthy males ingested the AFT or sugar as the control, with 1.2 g/kg of alcohol and a micronutrient-fortified meal in a randomized cross-over study. Breath alcohol concentrations were temporally measured, and blood and urine samples were obtained during the trial. The study protocol was repeated with the AFT and sugar groups reversed 4 weeks later.ResultsVarious analyses were performed using the data from the 15 subjects. The breath alcohol concentrations significantly decreased when AFT was ingested. A decrease in the urinary pH was also noted following the ingestion of AFT. Moreover, the sum of seven sedative scores as subjective sensation after alcohol ingestion was significantly reduced by AFT the next morning.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that the simultaneous ingestion of AFT under the consumption of excess alcohol and a micronutrient-fortified meal relieved the acute alcohol-induced adverse effects in male volunteers. These results are consistent with the effectiveness observed in rats as previously reported.

Antidiabetic Effects of Simple Phenolic Acids: A Comprehensive Review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a major public health threat across the globe. Current antidiabetic therapies are based on synthetic drugs that very often have side effects. It has been widely acknowledged that diet plays an important role in the management of diabetes. Phenolic acids are widely found in daily foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and wine and they provide biological, medicinal, and health properties. Simple phenolic acids have been shown to increase glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, improve glucose and lipid profiles of certain diseases (obesity, cardiovascular diseases, DM, and its complication). The current review is an attempt to list out the antidiabetic effects of simple phenolic acids from medicinal plants and botanical foods.

Alanine with the Precipitate of Tomato Juice Administered to Rats Enhances the Reduction in Blood Ethanol Levels

Delay in gastric emptying (GE) lowers the blood ethanol concentration (BEC) after alcohol administration. We previously demonstrated that water-insoluble fractions, mainly comprising dietary fiber derived from many types of botanical foods, possessed the ability to absorb ethanol-containing aqueous solutions. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the absorption of ethanol and lowering of BEC because of delay in GE. Here we identified dietary nutrients that synergize with the water-insoluble fraction of tomatoes to lower BEC in rats. Consequently, unlike tomato juice without alanine, tomato juice with 5.0% alanine decreased BEC depending on the delay in GE and mediated the ethanol-induced decrease in the spontaneous motor activity (an indicator of drunkenness). Our findings indicate that the synergism between tomato juice and alanine to reduce the absorption of ethanol was attributable to the effect of alanine on precipitates such as the water-insoluble fraction of tomatoes.

Abstract A22: Associations between dietary intake and novel genotoxic estrogen biomarkers implicated in breast cancer risk

Abstract Background: An expansive body of evidence implicates estrogen in the development of breast cancer (BC). Recently, a novel estrogen biomarker, the genotoxoic estrogen ratio (GER), was shown to be associated with BC. In addition, an elevated GER was observed in women at high-risk of BC, and furthermore, high GER has been shown to be reversible. Because of the potential for phytochemicals to inhibit activating enzymes and induce protective enzymes within the metabolism pathway resulting in reduced GER, we sought to examine associations between dietary factors and GER. Methods: This analysis was conducted in 53 pre-menopausal, healthy women aged 40-45 years from a cross-sectional study in which participants provided first-void urine samples and 3-day food records. The estrogen metabolites, conjugates and depurinating DNA adducts comprising the GER were identified from urine samples using ultraperformance liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry. The numerator of GER contains estrogen compounds which are bound to DNA as depurinating adducts, and thus have the potential to be genotoxic; the denominator contains the unbound estrogen counterparts consisting of estrogen metabolites and conjugates. A trend test was used to assess associations between tertiles of nutrient and food intake. Results: We observed GER to be associated with dietary intake after adjustment for age, total calories, percent adiposity, and estradiol. Specifically, elevated GER was associated with low vegetable intake (p=0.01), low carbohydrate consumption (p=0.01), low botanical intake (p=0.04), and high animal protein consumption (p=0.05). In particular, elevated GER was associated with the increasing servings of eggs (p=0.01) and fish (p=0.02) per day. In addition, low GER was associated with three botanical groupings: highest category of umbelliferae consumption (which includes carrots and celery; p=0.01), middle category of cruciferae consumption (which includes broccoli and cabbages; p=0.05), and middle category of ericaceae consumption (which includes blueberries and cranberries; p=0.05). Conclusion: These data provide the first investigation of lifestyle factors in relation to this novel GER biomarker. While these data would require replication, this early report suggesting inverse associations between dietary intake of botanical foods and GER provides an intriguing link between dietary factors and a novel biomarker with implications for breast cancer risk. Citation Format: Kerryn W. Reding, Muhammed Zahid, Ercole Cavalieri, Eleanor G. Rogan, Charlotte Atkinson, Mellissa Yong, Katherine Newton, Johanna Lampe. Associations between dietary intake and novel genotoxic estrogen biomarkers implicated in breast cancer risk. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A22.

Ethnopharmacology of liakra: traditional weedy vegetables of the Arbëreshë of the Vulture area in southern Italy

An ethnobiological field study on food plants and medicinal foods traditionally consumed in three Arbëresh (ethnic Albanian) communities in northern Lucania (southern Italy) document approximately 120 botanical taxa used for these purposes. Non-domesticated food vegetables (liakra), mostly gathered during the spring season, play a central role as traditional functional food. Quantitative ethnobotanical, ethnotaxonomical, ethnoecological, ethnogastronomical, and ethnopharmacological aspects related to gathering, processing, cooking and consumption of liakra are discussed. Unusual food species, such as Lycium europeaum, Centaurea calcitrapa, and a few spontaneous weedy Asteraceae and Brassicaceae species are locally used in the kitchen. Most of these are very poorly known phytochemically and phytopharmacologically. Moreover, an analysis of taste perception of the most commonly used botanical foods was conducted in the village of Ginestra. Arbëresh taste classification and indigenous criteria related to the perception of bitter taste in considering non-cultivated plants as food or medicine are discussed as well.