Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2024 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Prosthechea karwinskii is an endemic orchid of Mexico with cultural significance for its ornamental, food, religious, and medicinal uses. In traditional medicine, diabetic patients use the leaves of this plant to lower glucose levels. The present study evaluated the effect of P. karwinskii leaves extract on the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in a model of obese rats with insulin resistance for its nutraceutical potential to reduce insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Obesity and insulin resistance were induced with 40% sucrose in water for 20 weeks. Four groups (control rats, obese rats, obese rats administered the extract, and obese rats administered metformin) were evaluated. Extract compounds were identified by UHPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS. Glucose, insulin, triglyceride, and insulin resistance indices (HOMA-IR and TyG), as well as the activity of the antioxidant enzymes, increased in rats in the obese group. Administration of P. karwinskii extract and metformin reduced glucose, insulin, triglyceride, and insulin resistance indices and antioxidant enzyme activity to values similar to those of the control group. Therefore, this study shows the nutraceutical potential of P. karwinskii extract as an ingredient in the formulation of dietary supplements or functional foods to help treat diseases whose pathophysiology is related to oxidative stress and insulin resistance....
Krill oil (KO), extracted from the Antarctic marine crustacean Euphausia superba, is a nutrient-dense substance that includes rich profiles of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), phospholipids (PLs), astaxanthin (ASX), as well as vitamins A and E, minerals, and flavonoids. As a high-quality lipid resource, KO has been widely used as a dietary supplement for its health-protective properties in recent years. KO has various benefits, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, metabolic regulatory, neuroprotective, and gut microbiome modulatory effects. Especially, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects make KO have potential in skin care applications. With increasing demands for natural skin anti-aging solutions, KO has emerged as a valuable nutraceutical in dermatology, showing potential for mitigating the effects of skin aging and enhancing overall skin health and vitality. This review provides an overview of existing studies on the beneficial impact of KO on the skin, exploring its functional roles and underlying mechanisms through which it contributes to dermatological health and disease management....
Drug discovery based on medicinal plants remains an important source of bioactive compounds, many of which have been the basis for new chemical structures for the pharmaceutical and food industries. According to the World Health Organization, about 80% of the worldwide population still depends on plant drugs, and several medicines have been obtained from medicinal plants. Unfortunately, the potential benefits of these plants have led to unscientific exploration of natural resources, a fact that is being globally observed. The aim of this study was to evaluate eleven aromatic medicinal plants and compare them to Azorean Camellia sinensis green tea in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolics, and flavonoid content, and also to evaluate the possibility of their valorization as a nutraceutical material. The results revealed that Camellia sinensis presented higher values for free radical scavenging activity (FRSA, EC50 = 3.43 μg/mL), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP, EC50 = 5.12 μg/mL), and total phenolic content (TPC, 294.43 mg acid gallic equivalents per g of dry extract (DE)). However, the aromatic medicinal plants also presented significant results in terms of FRSA and FRAP, particularly Aloysia citrodora, Mentha pulegium, and Stevia rebaudiana. For ferric ion chelating (FIC), the highest value was found in Cymbopogon citratus (80.60%). Mentha pulegium and Aloysia citrodora had significant values for TPC (199.15 and 187.15 mg GAE/g DE, respectively), but were lower than the values of Camellia sinensis. For flavonoid content (TFC), the highest value was shown in Achyrocline satureioides (265.75 mg rutin equivalents per g DE). This study revealed the importance of some aromatic medicinal plants in terms of bioactivities, and that their combination with green tea is a perfect blend for added value with beneficial nutraceutical effects for human health....
Previous studies have shown encouraging results regarding the efficacy and safety of nutraceuticals, such as “red yeast rice (RYR) extract”, on reducing hypercholesterolemia in humans. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted from January 2012 to May 2022. The search was strictly focused on clinical trials that examined the association between RYR extract consumption and parameters of the lipid profile in humans. Fourteen double-blinded clinical trials were identified. The interventions lasted 4–24 weeks. In most studies, there was one intervention group and one control group. RYR extract consumption statistically significantly reduced total cholesterol (mean absolute reduction: 37.43 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −47.08, −27.79) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; mean absolute reduction: 35.82 mg/dL; 95% CI: −43.36, −28.29), but not high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoproteins A-I and B. As regards the safety, RYR extract was considered a safe choice with neither threatening nor frequent side effects. The consumption of RYR extract by people with hypercholesterolemia was associated with statistically significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL-C, whereas it was not associated with an increase in life-threatening side effects. Further research on specific subpopulations and outcomes could establish a consensus on determining the clinical benefits and potential risks, if any, of this nutraceutical....
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder marked by extreme weight control behaviors and significant impacts on physical and psychosocial health. This study explores the relationship between vitamin D (Vit-D) levels and impulsivity in women with AN. Forty-six cisgender White women participants were assessed upon admission and before discharge from a specialized eating disorder treatment center, with an average duration of 2.5 ± 0.10 months. Methods included self-reported questionnaires and behavioral tasks to measure impulsivity, alongside serum Vit-D levels. Our results showed significant improvements in Vit-D levels and certain impulsivity measures, such as faster reaction times and fewer errors on the go/no-go task, correlating with higher Vit-D levels. However, no significant correlations were found between Vit-D levels and self-reported impulsivity. These findings suggest that adequate Vit-D levels may enhance cognitive functions related to impulse control in AN. Given this study’s limitations, including its exclusive focus on women and small sample size, future research should involve larger, more diverse populations and randomized clinical trials to better understand the causal relationships and therapeutic potential of Vit-D in managing AN-related impulsivity....
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