scholarly journals New food components and gastrointestinal health

2001 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian T. Johnson

Apart from its main functions of digestion, absorption and faecal processing, the human gastrointestinal tract has a complex pattern of muscular activity regulated by a largely autonomous nervous system, and its various organs contain large concentrations of immune and endocrine tissues. Any failure of these closely-integrated systems can lead to diseases ranging from the mildly irritating to the life threatening. Food contains a huge variety of chemical species, many of which are biologically active, and the distal regions of the gut are colonised by a rich and metabolically-active commensal flora that depend on nutrients derived ultimately from the host’s dietary residues. The present paper explores the evidence for significant effects of food ingredients on functional bowel disorders, intestinal infections, and aspects of epithelial cell physiology involved in the development of colo-rectal neoplasia. Various strategies, including the manipulation of the colo-rectal microflora with pre- and probiotics, and the development of new products and plant varieties containing biologically-active constituents, have the potential to underpin the development of novel functional food products. However, these products will need to be based on proven biological principles, and fully tested for efficacy and safety. The rapidly-developing fields of functional genomics and cell biology will open up new experimental strategies to explore these possibilities, and emerging processing technologies seem likely to provide novel methods for their exploitation.

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1669-1699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Montrucchio ◽  
Giuseppe Alloatti ◽  
Giovanni Camussi

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a phospholipid mediator that belongs to a family of biologically active, structurally related alkyl phosphoglycerides. PAF acts via a specific receptor that is coupled with a G protein, which activates a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. In this review we focus on the aspects that are more relevant for the cell biology of the cardiovascular system. The in vitro studies provided evidence for a role of PAF both as intercellular and intracellular messenger involved in cell-to-cell communication. In the cardiovascular system, PAF may have a role in embryogenesis because it stimulates endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis and may affect cardiac function because it exhibits mechanical and electrophysiological actions on cardiomyocytes. Moreover, PAF may contribute to modulation of blood pressure mainly by affecting the renal vascular circulation. In pathological conditions, PAF has been involved in the hypotension and cardiac dysfunctions occurring in various cardiovascular stress situations such as cardiac anaphylaxis and hemorrhagic, traumatic, and septic shock syndromes. In addition, experimental studies indicate that PAF has a critical role in the development of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Indeed, PAF cooperates in the recruitment of leukocytes in inflamed tissue by promoting adhesion to the endothelium and extravascular transmigration of leukocytes. The finding that human heart can produce PAF, expresses PAF receptor, and is sensitive to the negative inotropic action of PAF suggests that this mediator may have a role also in human cardiovascular pathophysiology.


Author(s):  
Н.Н. АЛЕХИНА ◽  
Е.И. ПОНОМАРЕВА ◽  
И.М. ЖАРКОВА ◽  
К.К. ПОЛЯНСКИЙ ◽  
А.С. ЖЕЛТИКОВА

Проведена сравнительная оценка хлебопекарных смесей (ХПС) Ливенка и Амарантус, включающих биоактивированное зерно пшеницы и ржи и биоактивированные злаковые культуры и амарантовую муку соответственно, и хлеба на их основе. Исследованы химический состав, биологическая и энергетическая ценность ХПС и выпеченных на их основе образцов зернового хлеба Ливенский и Амарантус. Установлено, что ХПС Амарантус и хлеб Амарантус отличаются несколько большим содержанием белка, кальция, лизина по сравнению с ХПС Ливенка и хлебом Ливенский. Однако по количеству пищевых волокон и витаминов ХПС с амарантовой мукой и изделия на ее основе несколько уступают образцам, приготовленным без добавки амарантовой муки. Внесение амарантовой муки в дозировке 5,5% взамен части ржаной муки незначительно повышает энергетическую и биологическую ценность ХПС и хлеба на ее основе. Установлено, что ХПС Ливенка и Амарантус относятся к функциональным пищевым ингредиентам за счет содержания значимого количества биологически активных веществ, а изделия на их основе – к функциональным пищевым продуктам. Comparative evaluation of baking mixes (BM) of Livenka and Amarantus, including bioactivated grains of wheat and rye and bioactivated cereals and amaranth flour, respectively, and bread on their basis was carried out. Chemical composition, biological and energy value of BM and baked on their basis samples of grain bread Livenskiy and Amarantus were investigated. It is established that the BM Amarantus and bread Amarantus are slightly high content of protein, calcium, lysine, compared with BM Livenka and bread Livenskiy. However, the number of dietary fibers and vitamins BM with amaranth flour and products on it based are concede to samples a little prepared without the addition of amaranth flour. The introduction of amaranth flour in a dosage of 5,5% instead of a portion of rye flour slightly increases the energy and biological value of BM and bread on it based. It was found that the BM Livenka and Amarantus are functional food ingredients due to the content of a significant amount of biologically active substances, and products on their based – to functional foods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (30) ◽  
pp. 10293-10306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiquan Wang ◽  
Xianling Bian ◽  
Lin Zeng ◽  
Fei Pan ◽  
Lingzhen Liu ◽  
...  

Endolysosomes are key players in cell physiology, including molecular exchange, immunity, and environmental adaptation. They are the molecular targets of some pore-forming aerolysin-like proteins (ALPs) that are widely distributed in animals and plants and are functionally related to bacterial toxin aerolysins. βγ-CAT is a complex of an ALP (BmALP1) and a trefoil factor (BmTFF3) in the firebelly toad (Bombina maxima). It is the first example of a secreted endogenous pore-forming protein that modulates the biochemical properties of endolysosomes by inducing pore formation in these intracellular vesicles. Here, using a large array of biochemical and cell biology methods, we report the identification of BmALP3, a paralog of BmALP1 that lacks membrane pore-forming capacity. We noted that both BmALP3 and BmALP1 contain a conserved cysteine in their C-terminal regions. BmALP3 was readily oxidized to a disulfide bond-linked homodimer, and this homodimer then oxidized BmALP1 via disulfide bond exchange, resulting in the dissociation of βγ-CAT subunits and the elimination of biological activity. Consistent with its behavior in vitro, BmALP3 sensed environmental oxygen tension in vivo, leading to modulation of βγ-CAT activity. Interestingly, we found that this C-terminal cysteine site is well conserved in numerous vertebrate ALPs. These findings uncover the existence of a regulatory ALP (BmALP3) that modulates the activity of an active ALP (BmALP1) in a redox-dependent manner, a property that differs from those of bacterial toxin aerolysins.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121
Author(s):  
Ragini Raj Singh ◽  
◽  
Amit Ron ◽  
Nick Fishelson ◽  
Irena Shur ◽  
...  

Dielectric spectroscopy (DS) of living biological cells is based on the analysis of cells suspended in a physiological medium. It provides knowledge of the polarization-relaxation response of the cells to external electric field as function of the excitation frequency. This response is strongly affected by both structural and molecular properties of the cells and, therefore, can reveal rare insights into cell physiology and behaviour. This study demonstrates the mapping potential of DS after cytoplasmic and membranal markers for cell-based screening analysis. The effect of membrane permittivity and cytoplasm conductivity was examined using tagged MBA and MDCK cell lines respectively. The comparison of the dielectric spectra of tagged and native cell lines reveals clear differences between the cells. In addition, the differences in the matching dielectric properties of the cells were discovered. Those findings support the high distinction resolution and sensitivity of DS after fine molecular and cellular changes, and hence, highlight the high potential of DS as non invasive screening tool in cell biology research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita Aleksandrovich Petrov ◽  
◽  
Yuliya Sergeevna Sidorova ◽  
Alla Alekseevna Kochetkova ◽  
Vladimir Kimovich Mazo ◽  
...  

The paper presents the results of a preclinical assessment of the effectiveness of food ingredients: a concentrate of blueberry leaf polyphenols sorbed on buckwheat flour, and a concentrate of phytoecdysteroid 20-hydroxyecdysone and quinoa grain flavonoids sorbed on chicken egg white.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iuliana Maria Enache ◽  
Aida Mihaela Vasile ◽  
Elena Enachi ◽  
Vasilica Barbu ◽  
Nicoleta Stănciuc ◽  
...  

Anthocyanins from black currant extract and lactic acid bacteria were co-microencapsulated using a gastro-intestinal-resistant biocomposite of whey protein isolate, inulin, and chitosan, with an encapsulation efficiency of 95.46% ± 1.30% and 87.38% ± 0.48%, respectively. The applied freeze-drying allowed a dark purple stable powder to be obtained, with a satisfactory content of phytochemicals and 11 log colony forming units (CFU)/g dry weight of powder (DW). Confocal laser microscopy displayed a complex system, with several large formations and smaller aggregates inside, consisting of biologically active compounds, lactic acid bacteria cells, and biopolymers. The powder showed good storage stability, with no significant changes in phytochemicals and viable cells over 3 months. An antioxidant activity of 63.64 ± 0.75 mMol Trolox/g DW and an inhibitory effect on α-amylase and α-glucosidase of 87.10% ± 2.08% and 36.96% ± 3.98%, respectively, highlighted the potential biological activities of the co-microencapsulated powder. Significantly, the in vitro digestibility profile showed remarkable protection in the gastric environment, with controlled release in the intestinal simulated environment. The powder was tested by addition into a complex food matrix (yogurt), and the results showed satisfactory stability of biologically active compounds when stored for 21 d at 4 °C. The obtained results confirm the important role of microencapsulation in ensuring a high degree of protection, thus allowing new approaches in developing food ingredients and nutraceuticals, with enhanced functionalities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 279-306
Author(s):  
Peter Fantes ◽  
Sally Mitchison

John Murdoch Mitchison, known as Murdoch, was elected FRS in recognition of his work on the cell cycle. This emerged from a lifelong interest in the natural sciences, interrupted by war-time work in Operational Research which developed his critical appraisal of research technique. Post-war, he completed a PhD at Cambridge, then worked with Sir Michael Swann FRS (1962) on mitotic membrane changes in sea urchins. In 1953 Murdoch joined the University of Edinburgh Zoology Department and in time switched his interest to the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe . Over the next 30 years he investigated cell growth and division, employing a meticulous approach to experiments. He considered there to be a ‘growth cycle’ in cells, independent of the DNA-division cycle. There is experimental evidence to support this idea, but further investigations of it have been limited. Actively fostering a relaxed but industrious and enquiring ethos in the lab, Murdoch ran the department jointly with Aubrey Manning. The Mitchison group's work at Edinburgh attracted students including Paul Nurse (later Sir Paul Nurse; FRS 1989, PRS 2010–2015), Béla Novak, Kim Nasmyth (FRS 1989) and Peter Fantes as well as many visiting academics. Murdoch's work on S. pombe came to both national and international recognition, forming a foundation for the current thriving community of researchers in cell physiology, cell genetics and molecular biology. Murdoch is remembered for his single-minded commitment to cell biology research and his generous, fair-minded support of younger colleagues and students. He was, additionally, an expert landscape gardener, a convivial host and phenomenally well-informed on most subjects.


2007 ◽  
Vol 05 (06) ◽  
pp. 1193-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHI-REN SHYU ◽  
JATURON HARNSOMBURANA ◽  
JASON GREEN ◽  
ADRIAN S. BARB ◽  
TONI KAZIC ◽  
...  

There are thousands of maize mutants, which are invaluable resources for plant research. Geneticists use them to study underlying mechanisms of biochemistry, cell biology, cell development, and cell physiology. To streamline the understanding of such complex processes, researchers need the most current versions of genetic and physical maps, tools with the ability to recognize novel phenotypes or classify known phenotypes, and an intimate knowledge of the biochemical processes generating physiological and phenotypic effects. They must also know how all of these factors change and differ among species, diverse alleles, germplasms, and environmental conditions. While there are robust databases, such as MaizeGDB, for some of these types of raw data, other crucial components are missing. Moreover, the management of visually observed mutant phenotypes is still in its infant stage, let alone the complex query methods that can draw upon high-level and aggregated information to answer the questions of geneticists. In this paper, we address the scientific challenge and propose to develop a robust framework for managing the knowledge of visually observed phenotypes, mining the correlation of visual characteristics with genetic maps, and discovering the knowledge relating to cross-species conservation of visual and genetic patterns. The ultimate goal of this research is to allow a geneticist to submit phenotypic and genomic information on a mutant to a knowledge base and ask, "What genes or environmental factors cause this visually observed phenotype?".


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Dimidi ◽  
Selina Rose Cox ◽  
Megan Rossi ◽  
Kevin Whelan

Fermented foods are defined as foods or beverages produced through controlled microbial growth, and the conversion of food components through enzymatic action. In recent years, fermented foods have undergone a surge in popularity, mainly due to their proposed health benefits. The aim of this review is to define and characterise common fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, kimchi, sourdough bread), their mechanisms of action (including impact on the microbiota), and the evidence for effects on gastrointestinal health and disease in humans. Putative mechanisms for the impact of fermented foods on health include the potential probiotic effect of their constituent microorganisms, the fermentation-derived production of bioactive peptides, biogenic amines, and conversion of phenolic compounds to biologically active compounds, as well as the reduction of anti-nutrients. Fermented foods that have been tested in at least one randomised controlled trial (RCT) for their gastrointestinal effects were kefir, sauerkraut, natto, and sourdough bread. Despite extensive in vitro studies, there are no RCTs investigating the impact of kombucha, miso, kimchi or tempeh in gastrointestinal health. The most widely investigated fermented food is kefir, with evidence from at least one RCT suggesting beneficial effects in both lactose malabsorption and Helicobacter pylori eradication. In summary, there is very limited clinical evidence for the effectiveness of most fermented foods in gastrointestinal health and disease. Given the convincing in vitro findings, clinical high-quality trials investigating the health benefits of fermented foods are warranted.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document