Important Dietary Supplement Research Articles

Comparative Analysis of Purification and Characterization Process of Phycocyanin Pigment from Spirulina Subsalsa with Arthrospira Platensis from Mexico

The Arthrospira maxima, Spirulina major, and Spirulina subsalsa are plenty available in Mexican lakes and ponds. This cyanobacterium is used as an important dietary supplement due to its high protein content and vitamins. However, the most commercial strain in use is A. platensis, and very few reports exist on other Spirulina species from Mexico and their potential phycocyanin production. To use at a commercial scale, it is essential to evaluate native strains in an efficient purification process. In this work, we demonstrated the potential of Spirulina subsalsa for phycocyanin pigment production and purification process, compared with native A. platensis from Mexico. The biomass yield with S. subsalsa was 4.50±0.10 g/Lt, which was higher than A. platensis, which was 1.36 g/lt. The crude phycocyanin pigment from S. subsalsa was 267±0.37 mg/g, whereas 221±0.04mg/g in the case of A. platensis. After partial purification, we found a higher purity grade in S. subsalsa, with a higher yield and a recovery percent of 39.75%. In the case of A. platensis, after partial purification, the recovery percentage was 35.37. After ionic chromatography purification, the purity of phycocyanin was 2.57±0.03 in the case of S. subsalsa, whereas 1.91±0.02 in the case of A. platensis. SDS gel electrophoresis demonstrated two phycocyanin bands showing 17 kDa and 12 kDa in the case of both species. The two-step purification process functions very well for S. subsalsa species, whereas A. platensis demonstrated efficiency with one step. The extracted C-PC from S. Sulsalsa is safe as per the cytotoxicity assay.

Chemopreventive effect of a milk whey by-product derived from Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in protecting from colorectal carcinogenesis

BackgroundSeveral studies show that natural foods are a source of compounds with anticancer properties that affect the gut microbiota and its metabolites. In the present study, we investigate the effect of a delactosed buffalo milk whey by-product (DMW) on colorectal carcinogenesis.MethodsThe effect of DMW on colorectal carcinoma (CRC) was investigated in the established mouse model of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinoma, which closely resembles the human clinical condition of CRC. The effect of DMW on CRC immortalized cell lines was also evaluated to further identify the antineoplastic mechanism of action.ResultsPretreatment of AOM-treated mice with DMW significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the percentage of mice bearing both aberrant crypt foci with more than four crypts (which are early precancerous lesions that progress to CRC) and tumors. In addition, DMW completely counteracted the effect of AOM on protein expression of caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase in colonic tissue. Administration of DMW alone (i.e. without AOM) resulted in changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, leading to enrichment or depletion of genera associated with health and disease, respectively. DMW was also able to restore AOM-induced changes in specific genera of the gut microbiota. Specifically, DMW reduced the genera Atopobiaceae, Ruminococcus 1 and Lachnospiraceae XPB1014 and increased the genera Parabacteroides and Candidatus Saccharimonas, which were increased and reduced, respectively, by AOM. Blood levels of butyric acid and cancer diagnostic markers (5-methylcytidine and glycerophosphocholine), which were increased by AOM treatment, were reduced by DMW. Furthermore, DMW exerted cytotoxic effects on two human CRC cell lines (HCT116 and HT29) and these effects were associated with the induction of apoptotic signaling.ConclusionsOur results suggest that DMW exerts chemopreventive effects and restores the gut microbiota in AOM-induced CRC, and induces cytotoxic effect on CRC cells. DMW could be an important dietary supplement to support a healthy gut microbiota and reduce the prevalence of CRC in humans.ATYCseWUm9Z2DGDMVykgy6Video

Engineering of Methionine Adenosyltransferase Reveals Key Roles of Electrostatic Interactions in Enhanced Catalytic Activity.

As an important dietary supplement, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is currently synthesized by methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) using ATP and methionine as substrates. However, the activity of MAT is severely inhibited by product inhibition, which limits the industrial production of SAM. Here, MAT from Bacteroides fragilis (BfMAT), exhibiting relatively low product inhibition and moderate specific activity, was identified by gene mining. Based on molecular docking, residues within 5Å of ATP in BfMAT were subjected to mutagenesis for enhanced catalytic activity. Triple variants M3-1 (E42M/E55L/K290I), M3-2 (E42R/E55L/K290I), and M3-3 (E42C/E55L/K290I) with specific activities of 1.83, 1.81, and 1.94 U/mg were obtained, which were 110.5-125.6% higher than that of the wild type (WT). Furthermore, compared with WT, the Km values of M3-1 and M3-3 were decreased by 31.4% and 60.6%, leading to significant improvement in catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) by 322.5% and 681.1%. All triple variants showed shifted optimal pH from 8.0 to 7.5. Moreover, interaction analysis suggests that the enhanced catalytic efficiency may be attributed to the decreased electrostatic interactions between ATP and the mutation sites (E42, E55, and K290). Based on MD simulation, coulomb energy and binding free energy analysis further reveal the importance of electrostatic interactions for catalytic activity of BfMAT, which could be an efficient strategy for improving catalytic performance of MATs.

Mushroom Powder Ameliorates the Metabolic Syndromes by Maintaining Glucose and Lipid Homeostasis in High Sugar Diet-fed Mice

Diets high in added sugar both directly and indirectly promote the development of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mushroom powder (MP) in preventing the development of metabolic disorders caused by a high sugar diet. Swiss albino male mice were fed with normal diet (ND) or high sugar diet (HSD) in supplementation with or without mushroom powder. The results showed that supplementation of MP in high sugar diet effectively reduced the food intake and body weight of mice. Moreover, MP sustained glucose tolerance in HSD-fed mice and a significantly lower glucose level was observed in the MP supplemented group than that of the HSD group. Furthermore, kidney and heart weight were almost similar among the groups. However, MP supplementation significantly reduced the liver weight in comparison to that of HSD control group. The wet weights of white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue were also lower in the MP supplemented groups in comparison to that of HSD group. In addition, supplementation of MP in the high sugar diet significantly decreased the level of total cholesterol, triacylglycerides, and LDL content. In conclusion, these results suggest that mushroom powder was effective in preventing the development of diabetes and obesity induced by a high sugar diet. As mushroom powder is an abundant source of nutrients, therefore, this powder can be an important dietary supplement for treating metabolic disorders instigated by a high-sugar diet.&#x0D; J. of Sci. and Tech. Res. 4(1): 13-24, 2022

Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles in Biomedical Sciences: Properties, Current Trends, Novel Opportunities and Emerging Challenges in Theranostic Nanomedicine.

Selenium is an important dietary supplement and an essential trace element incorporated into selenoproteins with growth-modulating properties and cytotoxic mechanisms of action. However, different compounds of selenium usually possess a narrow nutritional or therapeutic window with a low degree of absorption and delicate safety margins, depending on the dose and the chemical form in which they are provided to the organism. Hence, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are emerging as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic platform with decreased toxicity and the capacity to enhance the biological properties of Se-based compounds. Consistent with the exciting possibilities offered by nanotechnology in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, SeNPs are useful tools in current biomedical research with exceptional benefits as potential therapeutics, with enhanced bioavailability, improved targeting, and effectiveness against oxidative stress and inflammation-mediated disorders. In view of the need for developing eco-friendly, inexpensive, simple, and high-throughput biomedical agents that can also ally with theranostic purposes and exhibit negligible side effects, biogenic SeNPs are receiving special attention. The present manuscript aims to be a reference in its kind by providing the readership with a thorough and comprehensive review that emphasizes the current, yet expanding, possibilities offered by biogenic SeNPs in the biomedical field and the promise they hold among selenium-derived products to, eventually, elicit future developments. First, the present review recalls the physiological importance of selenium as an oligo-element and introduces the unique biological, physicochemical, optoelectronic, and catalytic properties of Se nanomaterials. Then, it addresses the significance of nanosizing on pharmacological activity (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) and cellular interactions of SeNPs. Importantly, it discusses in detail the role of biosynthesized SeNPs as innovative theranostic agents for personalized nanomedicine-based therapies. Finally, this review explores the role of biogenic SeNPs in the ongoing context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and presents key prospects in translational nanomedicine.

Impact Of Plasma Bubbling On Cow Milk: Microbial Reduction And Improvement Of Milk Quality

Raw milk has high nutritive value and is used as an important dietary supplement for humans. But, microbial contamination in milk has been a problem for era, while existing thermal technology often deteriorates the quality of milk and its valuable ingredients. Again, consumer demand for least processing technology without degradation of the product quality forced the scientist to develop novel methods relevant to the application of non-thermal technology which does not create any detrimental effect to the composition of milk are now being under scrutiny. One of the novel methods is plasma bubbling technique and is not yet examined for liquid foods like milk. In the present study, the plasma bubbling system was established for the decontamination of raw cow milk. The plasma bubbling was generated at voltage of 160V, for 5, 10 and 15 minutes (min) and was evaluated for microbial reduction at an air flow rate of 5 and 10 Litre/hour (L/h). It accounted for a maximum 1.33 log reduction for coliforms at 160V, flow rate of air was 10 L/h, for a 100mL of milk sample with 15 min exposure time, while for yeast the log reduction was 1.40. The plasma bubbled milk was analysed for its quality evaluation such as pH, acidity, colour and lactose content of milk. The value of pH was found to be 6.77 at 160V, 10L/h, 15 min and 100mL of sample volume while the control value of pH was 6.60. The findings from this study revealed that the atmospheric plasma bubbling system could be used for the pasteurisation of raw cow milk by reducing the microbial load without compromising milk quality. This work on novel atmospheric plasma bubbling is an initiative for the pasteurization of raw cow milk, which could have a potential impact on the food industry in future.

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Context Spirulina platensis (SP) has been found to be an important dietary supplement for boosting animal growth performance, having a high protein content (60–70% on a dry-matter basis) with minimal toxicity. Aims The effect of Spirulina platensis (SP) supplementation on the growth and performance of two Omani goat breeds (Jabbali and Sahrawi) was investigated. Methods Thirty-six 11-month-old bucks from two Omani goat breeds were studied for 70 days at the Livestock Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Oman. Each breed was divided into three groups (n = 6) and fed one of the following three rations: (1) control (CON): concentrate with 14% crude protein and 11.9% energy (MJ/kg DM); (2) Treatment 1 (T1): the same concentrate with 2 g/head.day SP; and (3) Treatment 2 (T2): the same concentrate with 4 g/head.day SP. Weekly growth, performance and body conformation data collected included live bodyweight (BWT), body condition score (BCS), average daily gain (ADG), chest girth (CG), wither height (WH) and body length (BL). Key results The Jabbali breed had a higher feed conversion ratio for T1 and T2 than did the Sahrawi breed. During the trial, no differences in total DM intake were found between treatments for either breed. T1 and T2 SP supplementation levels significantly (P &lt; 0.05) improved the BWT and ADG of the Sahrawi breed compared with the CON group. Analysis of all traits indicated a significant (P &lt; 0.05) effect of feeding spirulina on all the studied traits except WH and BL. ANOVAs for fixed effects in this study (dam age and kid birth type, i.e. single, twin or triple) were not significant (P &gt; 0.05) for any of the studied traits. However, the breed effect was highly significant (P &lt; 0.001) on BWT, ADG, BCS and treatment effect was significant (P &lt; 0.05) on CG traits. Conclusions Spirulina platensis could be used as a supplement feed to improve growth, performance and morphological traits in Omani goat production. Feeding spirulina to kids led to increased growth, herd performance and buck selection facilitation at an earlier age. Implications These findings will benefit Omani goat producers in managing productivity and product quality.

NMR- and GCMS -Based Metabolomics Approach of Morinda citrifolia

Morinda citrifolia or Noni is known as an important dietary supplement, food functional ingredient, or as natural health enhancer that is used throughout the world. Different parts of the plant have been proven to carry compounds that have high medicinal values such as terpenoids, alkaloids and anthraquinones. The stem bark of Morinda citrifolia collected from different types of soil were studied. It aimed to investigate the influence of different geographical factor on its metabolite profile by multivariate statistical analyses of spectral data deduced by NMR methods. A metabolomic approach employing concatenated GCMS and NMR data was utilized to study the relationships between environment and plant metabolism. Morinda citrifolia stem barks were pulverized into fine powder. They were extracted using chloroform and were taken to dryness in a rotary evaporator under reduced pressure. The Morinda citrifolia crudes were proceeded for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis. Visual inspection on the 1H-NMR Morinda citrifolia spectra showed that the different geographical areas have similar profile, but they have different concentration of various constituents. Major constituents identified were aromatics (δH 7.25-7.50), sugars and glycosides (δH 2.25-5.0), fatty acids/aliphatics (δH 0.5-2.0) and aldehydic compound (δH 9.75). However, since the difference among the geographical areas were not clear from visual analysis, the analysis was proceeded using multivariate analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) model. Thus, further analysis was done to examine the consistency of geographical area for each batch of Morinda citrifolia. This is to identify which type of soil is suitable as class model.

Palmitoylethanolamide: A Natural Compound for Health Management.

All nations which have undergone a nutrition transition have experienced increased frequency and falling latency of chronic degenerative diseases, which are largely driven by chronic inflammatory stress. Dietary supplementation is a valid strategy to reduce the risk and severity of such disorders. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endocannabinoid-like lipid mediator with extensively documented anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects. It is well tolerated and devoid of side effects in animals and humans. PEA’s actions on multiple molecular targets while modulating multiple inflammatory mediators provide therapeutic benefits in many applications, including immunity, brain health, allergy, pain modulation, joint health, sleep and recovery. PEA’s poor oral bioavailability, a major obstacle in early research, has been overcome by advanced delivery systems now licensed as food supplements. This review summarizes the functionality of PEA, supporting its use as an important dietary supplement for lifestyle management.

Dietary Camellia sinensis Influences the Broilers: A Review

This study was conducted in order to understand the impact of using dietary Camellia sinensis in broilers. In this regards several studies were explored and obtained findings were found to be much interesting and useful. In summary it has been reported by researchers that Camellia sinensis supports the feed intake (4480 g/b), water intake (8960 ml/b), live body weight (2356.8 g/b), weekly weight gain (2322.8 g/b), carcass weight (1381.8 g/b) and feed conversion ratio (1.92). Further, it was stated that Camellia sinensis reduces the relative weight of heart, liver, spleen, proventriculus, intestine and fat pad by 13.53, 61.1, 2.26, 58.13, 10.2 and 81.41%, respectively compared to their normal weights. Camellia sinensis enhances the immunity of broilers that results lower infection rate and mortality rate. Concerning digestibility it was indicated by researchers that digestibility of crude protein improves by 80.33%, ether extract by 76%, crude fiber 33.83% and metabolizable energy by 79.66%. In conclusion, Camellia sinensis has been proved an important dietary supplement for the broilers. It supports birds’ immunity, production and performance.

Construction of a framework linkage map and genetic dissection of drought- and yield-related QTLs in horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum)

Horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is a legume species that is widely distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent. It is considered to be an important dietary protein supplement and nutraceutical. Horsegram has a great potential for fulfilling future pulse crop demand due to its inherent ability to grow under very low moisture conditions. However, the genome structure and organization of this crop is poorly understood, thereby limiting the effective use of gene resources for genetic improvement. We report here our construction of the first framework linkage map of horsegram, consisting of 211 molecular markers (157 SSR, 39 RAPD, 8 ISSR and 7 COS), using a mapping population of 190 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between parental lines HPK4 and HPKM249. The map comprises 13 linkage groups (LGs) that span 1423.4 cM, with a mean marker interval of 9.6 cM. Phenotypic data for eight agronomic traits were recorded for 2 years and utilized to detect associated quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Five QTLs for four traits related to drought (days to temporary wilting, root length) and yield (numbers of seeds per plant, days to maturity) were detected on five LGs, with an LOD threshold of 4.0. The linkage and QTL analysis reported here provides useful information for future research work pertaining to the construction of highly enriched genetic maps as well as to the development of drought-resistant and high-yielding varieties of horsegram using marker-assisted selection.

Genome-wide sequencing and metabolic annotation of Pythium irregulare CBS 494.86: understanding Eicosapentaenoic acid production

BackgroundPythium irregulare is an oleaginous Oomycete able to accumulate large amounts of lipids, including Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPA is an important and expensive dietary supplement with a promising and very competitive market, which is dependent on fish-oil extraction. This has prompted several research groups to study biotechnological routes to obtain specific fatty acids rather than a mixture of various lipids. Moreover, microorganisms can use low cost carbon sources for lipid production, thus reducing production costs. Previous studies have highlighted the production of EPA by P. irregulare, exploiting diverse low cost carbon sources that are produced in large amounts, such as vinasse, glycerol, and food wastewater. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about its biosynthetic pathways, because no functional annotation of any Pythium sp. exists yet. The goal of this work was to identify key genes and pathways related to EPA biosynthesis, in P. irregulare CBS 494.86, by sequencing and performing an unprecedented annotation of its genome, considering the possibility of using wastewater as a carbon source.ResultsGenome sequencing provided 17,727 candidate genes, with 3809 of them associated with enzyme code and 945 with membrane transporter proteins. The functional annotation was compared with curated information of oleaginous organisms, understanding amino acids and fatty acids production, and consumption of carbon and nitrogen sources, present in the wastewater. The main features include the presence of genes related to the consumption of several sugars and candidate genes of unsaturated fatty acids production.ConclusionsThe whole metabolic genome presented, which is an unprecedented reconstruction of P. irregulare CBS 494.86, shows its potential to produce value-added products, in special EPA, for food and pharmaceutical industries, moreover it infers metabolic capabilities of the microorganism by incorporating information obtained from literature and genomic data, supplying information of great importance to future work.

Korean Thistle (Cirsium japonicum var. maackii (Maxim.) Matsum.): A Potential Dietary Supplement against Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease.

In the search for natural products having a dual inhibitory action on diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, this study investigated the activity of different parts of Korean thistle (Cirsium japonicum var. maackii (Maxim.) Matsum), and its fractional constituents by in vitro enzymatic and in silico molecular docking studies. Cirsium maackii has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The ethyl acetate and dichloromethane fractions of a leaf extract showed α-glucosidase and BACE1 inhibitory activity, respectively. Furthermore, the isolated compound, luteolin, exhibited concentration-dependent non-competitive inhibition against both α-glucosidase and BACE1 (IC50 = 51.27 ± 1.23 and 13.75 ± 0.26 μM; Ki value = 52.04 and 14.76 μM, respectively). Moreover, docking studies showed that luteolin formed a strong hydrogen bond with the peripheral binding amino acid residues, and hydrophobic interactions with the α-glucosidase and BACE1 enzymes. Therefore, Korean thistle may act as an important dietary supplement against diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, especially the leaves, because of the preponderance of the active component, luteolin, making Korean thistle a promising candidate for more detailed in vitro and in vivo studies.

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in Chinese tonic liquors by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry

ABSTRACTChinese tonic liquor is an important dietary supplement in daily use, but it often happens that illicitly adulterated drugs in Chinese tonic liquor could lead to food safety issues. In this survey, an analytical method consisting of a liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (LC-Q-TOF-MS), coupled with quick easy cheap effective rugged safe (QuEChERS) pretreatment, was established for identification of phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme (PDE-5) inhibitors in Chinese tonic liquors. 86 PDE-5 inhibitors were qualitatively analysed by employing information dependent acquisition mass spectrometry (IDA-MS) in comparison with the accurate mass of the protonated molecular ion, isotopic pattern, library and chemical formula. This method was used to test 28 Chinese tonic liquor samples. The results revealed that the IDA-MS screening method is suitable for qualitative analysis of 86 PDE-5 inhibitors. Four samples were found to be adulterated with sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, isopiperazinoafil, nortadalafil and desmethylsidenafil, which was 14.3% of the tested samples.

EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND MINERAL CONTENT OF TRADITIONALLY DRIED SMALL INDIGENOUS FISHES

Small indigenous fish species (SIS) are rich in nutrients and can be ensure nutritional security even in their dried state. Four dried cyprinid food fishes viz. Salmophasia bacaila , Aspidoparia morar , Amblypharyngodon mola and Puntius sophore were studied. All the four species are rich in protein content so they are important source of animal protein. The results showed variation in moisture, protein, fat, ash, fiber and in mineral content. Moisture was estimated 5.69% ( P. sophore ) to 7.42% ( A. morar ). Protein content varied from 52.32% ( S . bacaila ) to 60.79% ( A. morar ). Fat, ash, fiber, Ca and P content varied from 15.56% to 29.76%, 11.52% to 17.96%, 0.09% to 0.35%, 3.17% to 5.87% and 1.54% to 3.06% respectively. Higher levels of protein in SIS make them an important dietary supplement to promote growth and tissue healing and can be able to reduce the animal protein requirements for increasing human population. The overall result reveals that the SIS of the region are highly nutritious.

Presence of postprandial antidysmetabolic and antioxidative stress properties in aqueous methanol extract of seeds and tuber of aquatic food plant Nymphaea nouchali (Burm.f.)

AbstractAqueous methanol extract of seeds and tuber of food and medicinal plant Nymphaea nouchali (Burm.f.) displayed potent pancreatic lipase and intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory properties. These properties may help reduce development of diet induced postprandial hyperlipidaemia and postprandial hyperglycaemia respectively. In addition, seeds and tuber extracts possess potent free radicals scavenging activities and reducing power. Furthermore, extracts also displayed strong inhibitory activities against formation of various advanced glycation end-products which is an important link inducing postprandial oxidative stress due to postprandial hyperlipidaemia and postprandial hyperglycaemia. Seeds and tubers of N. nouchali are rich sources of polyphenolic and flavonoids. Results of this study show for the first time that N. nouchali seeds and tuber may become an important dietary supplement to counter development of diet induced hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and resultant oxidative stress and can be ut...

Changes in sperm characteristics of the three main breeds of sheep in Algeria after dietary supplementation

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of an important dietary supplement on sperm quantity and quality breeding rams of the three main breeds of sheep at the artificial insemination center, called Belhandjir, in the region of Naama in Algeria. Methods Twenty-four breeding rams of the three major breeds in Algeria, namely Ouled Djellal , Hamra and Rumbi breeds are divided into two groups CR and SR, and subjected to two different diets. The first group CR followed a regime R based on barley and fodder and the second SR group to follow a regime R + a vitamin and mineral dietary supplement for 15 weeks of collection. Analysis of sperm quality (motility) and quantity (volume, concentration and doses produced) were followed after collection. Results The quantitative effect was more significant in supplemented rams SR, volume and concentration were higher in rams SR. Therefore, the doses produced differ significantly compared to the group of control rams CR. Results of motility were more mixed, motility showed a significant difference in rams supplemented of Ouled Djellal breed only; however, the other two breeds Hamra and Rumbi , showed no significant differences. Conclusions Supplementation could significantly improve the characteristics of quantitative sperm in the breeding rams of the three main Algerian sheep breeds. Motility, only qualitative parameter studied, was not significantly improved.

Glucose- and glycaemic factor-lowering effects of probiotics on diabetes: a meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials.

This meta-analysis examined the effect of probiotics on glucose and glycaemic factors in diabetes and its associated risk factors. All randomised-controlled trials published in English in multiple databases from January 2000 to June 2015 were systematically searched. Only studies that addressed glucose- and glycaemic-related factors as outcome variables were included. The main outcomes of interest in trials were mean changes in glucose, HbA1c, insulin and homoeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale to assess the quality of studies, a total of eleven studies with 614 subjects were included. The pooled mean difference and effect size with a 95% CI were extracted using a random-effect model. It was found that there are statistically significant pooled mean differences between the probiotics and the placebo-controlled groups on the reduction of glucose (-0·52 mmol/l, 95% CI -0·92, -0·11 mmol/l; P=0·01) and HbA1c (-0·32%, 95% CI -0·57, -0·07%; P=0·01). There was no statistically significant pooled mean difference between the probiotics and the placebo-controlled groups on the reduction of insulin (-0·48 µIU/ml, 95% CI -1·34, 0·38 µIU/ml; P=0·27) and HOMA-IR (pooled effect of -0·44, 95% CI -1·57, 0·70; P=0·45). Meta-regression analysis identified that probiotics had significant effects on reduction of glucose, HbA1c, insulin and HOMA-IR in participants with diabetes, but not in participants with other risk factors. The present meta-analysis suggested that probiotics may be used as an important dietary supplement in reducing the glucose metabolic factors associated with diabetes.

Directing positional specificity in enzymatic synthesis of bioactive 1-phosphatidylinositol by protein engineering of a phospholipase D.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) holds a potential of becoming an important dietary supplement due to its effects on lipid metabolism in animals and humans manifested as a decrease of the blood cholesterol and lipids, and relief of the metabolic syndrome. To establish an efficient, enzymatic system for PI production from phosphatidylcholine and myo-inositol as an alcohol acceptor, our previous study started with the wild-type Streptomyces antibioticus phospholipase D (SaPLD) as a template for generation of PI-synthesizing variants by saturation mutagenesis targeting positions involved in acceptor accommodation, W187, Y191, and Y385. The isolated variants generated PI as a mixture of positional isomers, among which only 1-PI exists in nature. Thus, the current study has focused to improve positional specificity of W187N/Y191Y/Y385R SaPLD (NYR) which generates PI as a mixture of 1-PI and 3-PI in the ratio of 76/24, by subjecting four residues of its acceptor-binding site to saturation mutagenesis. Subsequent screening pointed at NYR-186T and NYR-186L as the most improved variants producing PI with a ratio of 1-/3-PI = 93/7 and 87/13, respectively, at 37°C. Lowering the reaction temperature further improved the specificity of both variants to 1-/3-PI > 97/3 at 20°C with no change in total PI yield. Structure model analyses imply that G186T and G186L mutations increased rigidity of the acceptor-binding site, thus limiting the possible orientations of myo-inositol. The two newly isolated PLDs are promising for future application in large-scale 1-PI production.

Effects of androgen on the folic acid‐induced inhibitions of endothelial cell proliferation and migration

Folic acid (FA) has been suggested as an important daily dietary supplement, especially for women during pregnancy need to add a lot of FA to prevent some of the embryonic development of the lesions. Our previous studies have indicated that FA has anti‐angiogenic effect. However, there is no relevant studies indicated that pregnant women ingestion of FA induce lesions due to anti‐angiogenesis. Therefore, we proposed that estrogen might be able to antagonize the folic acid‐induced anti‐angiogenesis activity, and this hypothesis has been proved. However, previous studies showed endothelial cells also express androgen receptors (AR). Accordingly, this study was aimed to investigate whether androgen could influence the FA‐induced anti‐angiogenesis. We conducted in vitro study to investigate whether androgen has any impact on proliferation and migration. The preliminarydata showed that treatment with androgen agonist, R1881 or FA alone could inhibit cell proliferation and migration. However, co‐treatment will abolish the FA‐induced inhibitions on cell proliferation and migration. Moreover, we previously found that FA inhibits proliferation by increasing the levels of p21 and p27 proteins, and reduced the cell migration activity by inhibiting the RhoA activity. Thus, we examined the androgen on the signaling pathway involved in cell proliferation and migration. Our results showed R1881 could reduce the cSrc and up‐regulations of p21 and p27. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that activation of AR could abolish the FA‐induced inhibitions on endothelial cell proliferation and migration.