Barana C. Jayawardana

Involvement of the bone morphogenetic protein/receptor system during follicle development in the bovine ovary: Hormonal regulation of the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) and its receptors (ActRII and ALK-2).

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are crucial factors in follicular growth and development. Among the BMP ligands, BMP-7 which use ActRII as their type II receptor, strongly bind to ALK-2 as their type I receptor. However, whether their receptors are expressed and the regulatory mechanisms controlling their expression during the process of bovine follicle development are still unknown. The aim of the present study was to clarify the involvement of the receptor system for BMP-7 in follicular selection by examining the effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) on the regulation of ActRII and ALK-2 mRNA expression in bovine granulosa cells (GCs). To observe mRNA expression, follicles were obtained from heifers and GCs were classified into two groups: pre-selection follicles (PRF; follicles with an average diameter of 7 mm and low E2) and post-selection follicles (POF; follicles with an average diameter of 15 mm and high E2). The theca cell (TC) layer and GCs were harvested from aspirated follicles. For in vitro studies, GCs were obtained from bovine follicles of 4-7 mm diameter and cultured in Dulbeccos modified Eagles/F12 (DMEM/F-12) medium with 10% fetal calf serum for 24h. The medium was then replaced with serum-free DMEM/F-12 supplemented with different doses of E2 (1, 10,100 ng/ml), FSH (1, 5, 10 ng/ml) or combinations of 1 ng/ml of E2 with different FSH doses (1, 5, 10 ng/ml). Total RNA was extracted from GCs and the mRNA expression of ActRII and ALK-2 was estimated by the quantitative PCR method using LightCycler. The expression of BMP-7 mRNA in TCs did not differ between the PRF and POF. ActRII and ALK-2 expression was detected in GCs from bovine antral follicles and was higher in the GCs of POF than in those of PRF, while the expression of the ActRII and ALK-2 genes in the TCs was not different between PRF and POF. Treatment of GCs with E2 (10 ng/ml) alone increased the expression of both ActRII and ALK-2 mRNAs, whereas FSH alone had no effect. However, ActRII and ALK-2 mRNA levels were up-regulated by the combination of E2 (1 ng/ml) and FSH (5 ng/ml). The results of the present study provide the first evidence that FSH and E2 regulate the expression of the ActRII and ALK-2 genes in bovine GCs. Thus, our data suggest that the BMP7/ActRII/ALK-2 system may be critically involved in the process of selection of bovine follicles.

Utilization of adzuki bean extract as a natural antioxidant in cured and uncured cooked pork sausages

A commercial adzuki bean extract (AE) was evaluated for antioxidant effectiveness in cured and uncured cooked pork sausages. TBARS values, instrumental color evaluation and sensory panel scores were assessed. For uncured sausages, AE at 0.2% was equally effective as 0.1% butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in reducing TBARS values. Similarly, AE at 0.2% significantly (P<0.01) reduced the TBARS in cured sausages. Incorporation of 0.2% AE into sausages produced higher (P<0.05) CIE lab color a* value and lower (P<0.05) L* and b* values. Sensory panels did not detect any difference in color, odor, taste, flavor, and overall acceptance in uncured pork sausages with addition of 0.2% AE. However, there were adverse changes in the color and odor of cured sausages, even though the taste, flavor, and overall acceptance were similar. Therefore, the results suggest that AE is a potential antioxidant.

Health-beneficial properties of potato and compounds of interest.

Potatoes have shown promising health-promoting properties in human cell culture, experimental animal and human clinical studies, including antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, anticancer and antidiabetic effects. Compounds present such as phenolics, fiber, starch and proteins as well as compounds considered antinutritional such as glycoalkaloids, lectins and proteinase inhibitors are believed to contribute to the health benefits of potatoes. However, epidemiological studies exploring the role of potatoes in human health have been inconclusive. Some studies support a protective effect of potato consumption in weight management and diabetes, while other studies demonstrate no effect and a few suggest a negative effect. As there are many biological activities attributed to the compounds present in potato, some of which could be beneficial or detrimental depending on specific circumstances, a long-term study investigating the association between potato consumption and diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer while controlling for fat intake is needed.

Cowpea: an overview on its nutritional facts and health benefits: Nutritional and health properties of cowpea

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a legume consumed as a high-quality plant protein source in many parts of the world. High protein and carbohydrate contents with a relatively low fat content and a complementary amino acid pattern to that of cereal grains make cowpea an important nutritional food in the human diet. Cowpea has gained more attention recently from consumers and researchers worldwide as a result of its exerted health beneficial properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties. Among the mechanisms that have been proposed in the prevention of chronic diseases, the most proven are attributed to the presence of compounds such as soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, phytochemicals, and proteins and peptides in cowpea. However, studies on the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties of cowpea have produced conflicting results. Some studies support a protective effect of cowpea on the progression of cancer and inflammation, whereas others did not reveal any. Because there are only a few studies addressing health-related effects of cowpea consumption, further studies in this area are suggested. In addition, despite the reported favorable effects of cowpea on diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, a long-term epidemiological study investigating the association between cowpea consumption and diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer is also recommended.

Boiled, sprouted, and raw cowpea-incorporated diets modulate high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

Abstract This study was carried out to investigate the effect of processed (boiled and sprouted) cowpea‐incorporated experimental diets on serum cholesterol and serum antioxidant capacity in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed Wistar rats. Seven weeks old male Wistar rats were fed 20% fat as a control (CD), for comparison with 20% fat‐enriched diets containing 20% whole raw cowpea diets (Bombay Raw Diet; BRD and MI35 Raw Diet; MRD), boiled cowpea diets (Bombay Boiled Diet; BBD and MI35 Boiled Diet; MBD) and sprouted cowpea diet (Bombay Sprouted Diet; BSD) for 6 weeks. The increase in serum total cholesterol as a result of high‐fat diet was significantly countered by boiled and raw cowpea‐incorporated diet‐fed rats. Increased serum non‐HDL‐C level caused by HFD was significantly (p < 0.05) countered by raw, boiled, and sprouted cowpeas, while HDL–C was increased by raw MI and boiled Bombay incorporated diets. Boiling has improved the hypocholesterolemic ability of Bombay cowpea and BBD has significantly (p < 0.05) modulated serum HDL‐C level and liver weight in rats. These findings were supported significantly high soluble fiber content in processed cowpea powder than that in raw cowpea powder. The decrease in serum antioxidant activity as a result of HFD was significantly countered by BRD. Processing has reduced the antioxidant activity in cowpeas and serum antioxidant activity in rats. Cecal lactobacilli population was significantly high in all cowpea diet‐fed groups compared to control. Modulated serum cholesterol level in cowpea diet‐fed rats was accompanied by dietary fiber composition, antioxidant activity in cowpeas and fecal weight, cecal weight and cecal lactobacilli population in rats compared to control. Both processed and raw cowpea‐incorporated diets have modulated HFD‐induced hypercholesterolemia by modulating serum antioxidative capacity, cholesterol metabolism, and cecal fermentation.

Banana Blossom ( Musa acuminate Colla) Incorporated Experimental Diets Modulate Serum Cholesterol and Serum Glucose Level in Wistar Rats Fed with Cholesterol

Hypocholesterolaemic and hypoglycaemic effect of banana blossom were studied in high-cholesterol fed rats. Experimental groups were fed for 4 weeks, with casein as the basal diet (CN), in comparison with two diets containing 0.5% cholesterol (CD) and 0.5% cholesterol + 21% banana blossom powder (CDB). Serum total cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol level, and serum glucose concentrations were lower in CDB fed group compared with CD fed group. Lower serum cholesterol and glucose level (P < 0.05) in CDB fed group were followed by higher faecal weight, caecal weight, caecal Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria population in CDB fed group compared to CD diet fed group. Lower serum AST level in banana blossom fed rats showed the reduction in oxidative stress induced by high cholesterol diet. Based on these data, it could be speculated that banana blossom incorporated experimental diets may modulate the hypocholesterolaemic and hypoglycaemic responses in Wistar rats.