scholarly journals Microbial Phenolic Metabolites: Which Molecules Actually Have an Effect on Human Health?

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2725 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Marhuenda-Muñoz ◽  
Emily P. Laveriano-Santos ◽  
Anna Tresserra-Rimbau ◽  
Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós ◽  
Miriam Martínez-Huélamo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Human Health ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Microbial Population ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Phenolic Metabolites ◽  
Food Components

The role of gut microbiota in human health has been investigated extensively in recent years. The association of dysbiosis, detrimental changes in the colonic population, with several health conditions has led to the development of pro-, pre- and symbiotic foods. If not absorbed in the small intestine or secreted in bile, polyphenols and other food components can reach the large intestine where they are susceptible to modification by the microbial population, resulting in molecules with potentially beneficial health effects. This review provides an overview of studies that have detected and/or quantified microbial phenolic metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography as the separation technique, followed by detection through mass spectrometry. Both in vitro experimental studies and human clinical trials are covered. Although many of the microbial phenolic metabolites (MPM) reported in in vitro studies were identified in human samples, further research is needed to associate them with clinical health outcomes.

scholarly journals Placental 13C-DHA metabolism and relationship with maternal BMI, glycemia and birthweight

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver C. Watkins ◽  
Preben Selvam ◽  
Reshma Appukuttan Pillai ◽  
Victoria K. B. Cracknell-Hazra ◽  
Hannah E. J. Yong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Fasting Glycemia ◽  
Glucose Treatment ◽  
Maternal Bmi

Abstract Background Fetal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supply relies on preferential transplacental transfer, which is regulated by placental DHA lipid metabolism. Maternal hyperglycemia and obesity associate with higher birthweight and fetal DHA insufficiency but the role of placental DHA metabolism is unclear. Methods Explants from 17 term placenta were incubated with 13C-labeled DHA for 48 h, at 5 or 10 mmol/L glucose treatment, and the production of 17 individual newly synthesized 13C-DHA labeled lipids quantified by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Results Maternal BMI positively associated with 13C-DHA-labeled diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, lysophospholipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens, while maternal fasting glycemia positively associated with five 13C-DHA triacylglycerols. In turn, 13C-DHA-labeled phospholipids and triacylglycerols positively associated with birthweight centile. In-vitro glucose treatment increased most 13C-DHA-lipids, but decreased 13C-DHA phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens. However, with increasing maternal BMI, the magnitude of the glucose treatment induced increase in 13C-DHA phosphatidylcholine and 13C-DHA lysophospholipids was curtailed, with further decline in 13C-DHA phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens. Conversely, with increasing birthweight centile glucose treatment induced increases in 13C-DHA triacylglycerols were exaggerated, while glucose treatment induced decreases in 13C-DHA phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens were diminished. Conclusions Maternal BMI and glycemia increased the production of different placental DHA lipids implying impact on different metabolic pathways. Glucose-induced elevation in placental DHA metabolism is moderated with higher maternal BMI. In turn, findings of associations between many DHA lipids with birthweight suggest that BMI and glycemia promote fetal growth partly through changes in placental DHA metabolism.

scholarly journals The Neuroinflammatory Role of Pericytes in Epilepsy

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Gaku Yamanaka ◽  
Fuyuko Takata ◽  
Yasufumi Kataoka ◽  
Kanako Kanou ◽  
Shinichiro Morichi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proinflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Neurovascular Unit ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Intractable Epilepsy ◽  
In Vivo Studies

Pericytes are a component of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) neurovascular unit, in which they play a crucial role in BBB integrity and are also implicated in neuroinflammation. The association between pericytes, BBB dysfunction, and the pathophysiology of epilepsy has been investigated, and links between epilepsy and pericytes have been identified. Here, we review current knowledge about the role of pericytes in epilepsy. Clinical evidence has shown an accumulation of pericytes with altered morphology in the cerebral vascular territories of patients with intractable epilepsy. In vitro, proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6, cause morphological changes in human-derived pericytes, where IL-6 leads to cell damage. Experimental studies using epileptic animal models have shown that cerebrovascular pericytes undergo redistribution and remodeling, potentially contributing to BBB permeability. These series of pericyte-related modifications are promoted by proinflammatory cytokines, of which the most pronounced alterations are caused by IL-1β, a cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Furthermore, the pericyte-glial scarring process in leaky capillaries was detected in the hippocampus during seizure progression. In addition, pericytes respond more sensitively to proinflammatory cytokines than microglia and can also activate microglia. Thus, pericytes may function as sensors of the inflammatory response. Finally, both in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the potential of pericytes as a therapeutic target for seizure disorders.

scholarly journals N-Acetylcysteine (NAC): Impacts on Human Health

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 967
Author(s):  
Micaely Cristina dos Santos Tenório ◽  
Nayara Gomes Graciliano ◽  
Fabiana Andréa Moura ◽  
Alane Cabral Menezes de Oliveira ◽  
Marília Oliveira Fonseca Goulart
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽  
Biochemical Basis ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Factor Alpha ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a medicine widely used to treat paracetamol overdose and as a mucolytic compound. It has a well-established safety profile, and its toxicity is uncommon and dependent on the route of administration and high dosages. Its remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity is the biochemical basis used to treat several diseases related to oxidative stress and inflammation. The primary role of NAC as an antioxidant stems from its ability to increase the intracellular concentration of glutathione (GSH), which is the most crucial biothiol responsible for cellular redox imbalance. As an anti-inflammatory compound, NAC can reduce levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL-6 and IL-1β) by suppressing the activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Despite NAC’s relevant therapeutic potential, in several experimental studies, its effectiveness in clinical trials, addressing different pathological conditions, is still limited. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the medicinal effects and applications of NAC to human health based on current therapeutic evidence.

scholarly journals MicroRNAs in the tumour microenvironment: big role for small players

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. R257-R267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy Soon ◽  
Hippokratis Kiaris
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Anticancer Therapy ◽  
Tumour Microenvironment ◽  
Regulatory Role ◽  
Tumour Stroma ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Non Coding Rnas

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small non-coding RNAs with an important regulatory role in various physiological processes as well as in several pathologies including cancers. It is noteworthy that recent evidence suggests that the regulatory role of miRNAs during carcinogenesis is not limited to the cancer cells but they are also implicated in the activation of tumour stroma and its transition into a cancer-associated state. Results from experimental studies involving cells culturedin vitroand mice bearing experimental tumours, corroborated by profiling of clinical cancers for miRNA expression, underline this role and identify miRNAs as a potent regulator of the crosstalk between cancer and stroma cells. Considering the fundamental role of the tumour microenvironment in determining both the clinical characteristics of the disease and the efficacy of anticancer therapy, miRNAs emerge as an attractive target bearing important prognostic and therapeutic significance during carcinogenesis. In this article, we will review the available results that underline the role of miRNAs in tumour stroma biology and emphasise their potential value as tools for the management of the disease.

Protein, not adenosine or adenine nucleotides, mediates platelet decrease in endothelial permeability

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (5) ◽  
pp. H2304-H2311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Patil ◽  
John E. Kaplan ◽  
Fred L. Minnear
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Adenine Nucleotides ◽  
Endothelial Permeability ◽  
Platelet Response ◽  
Cell Monolayers ◽  
Adenosine Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Albumin Clearance ◽  
Protein Permeability

Platelets and platelet-conditioned medium (PCM) decrease endothelial protein permeability in vitro. Adenosine and a >100-kDa protein have previously been implicated as the soluble factors released from platelets that decrease endothelial permeability. The objective of this study was to further investigate the role of adenosine in this platelet response. Measurements of adenosine and its precursor adenine nucleotides by high-performance liquid chromatography were correlated with the assessment of permeability by125I-labeled albumin clearance and electrical resistance across endothelial cell monolayers derived from the bovine pulmonary artery. PCM contained micromolar concentrations of AMP, ADP, and ATP, but adenosine was below detectable levels (≤0.1 μM). Adenosine deaminase, an enzyme that converts adenosine to inactive inosine, or an adenosine-receptor antagonist did not block the platelet- or PCM-mediated decrease in endothelial permeability. A <3-kDa fraction of PCM that contained micromolar concentrations of AMP and ADP did not affect endothelial permeability, whereas a >3-kDa fraction that contained much reduced levels of AMP and ADP significantly decreased permeability. This activity of PCM was sensitive to insoluble trypsin. This study rules out adenosine and adenine nucleotides as primary factors in the platelet-induced decrease in endothelial permeability and suggests that the active factor is a protein.

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