Faizan Kalekhan

Dietary Agents and Phytochemicals in the Prevention and Treatment of Experimental Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), consisting mainly of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn′s disease (CD), are important immune-mediated diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology of the disease includes environmental and genetic factors. Its management presents a constant challenge for gastroenterologists and conventional surgeon. 5-Amninosalicylates, antibiotics, steroids, and immune modulators have been used to reduce the symptoms and for maintenance of remission. Unfortunately, long-term usage of these agents has been found to lead to severe toxicities, which are deterrent to the users. Pre-clinical studies carried out in the recent past have shown that certain dietary agents, spices, oils, and dietary phytochemicals that are consumed regularly possess beneficial effects in preventing/ameliorating UC. For the first time, this review addresses the use of these dietary agents and spices in the treatment and prevention of IBD and also emphasizes on the mechanisms responsible for their effects.

Amla in the Prevention of Aging: Scientific Validation of the Ethnomedicinal Claims

Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis), commonly known as the Indian gooseberry, is an important medicinal plant in the traditional Indian system of Ayurvedic medicine. The fruits, which are of both dietary and medicinal use, are shown to possess myriad medicinal benefits and to possess anti-aging effects. Scientific studies carried out in accordance with the philosophy of modern medicine have shown amla to possess properties that can combat age-related illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, cardiac ailments, renal failure, immune suppression, arthritis, cataracts, and wrinkling of skin. The present chapter addresses these aspects in detail.

Polyphenols in the Prevention of Ulcerative Colitis: Past, Present and Future

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic disease of the intestine. The etiology ranges from immune dysfunction, bacterial infiltration, and genetics to environment. Several medications have been employed to treat UC, but most have several side effects. To counter this problem, alternate therapy has been employed, which includes the use of plant-derived phytochemicals that have been investigated. Reports indicate them to be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms associated with UC with concomitant reductions in several markers of inflammation. This chapter deals with polyphenols in the prevention of UC due to their widely accepted benefits and ease of availability. Polyphenols have several applications, ranging from industrial to household and recently in medicine. They have been implicated in the treatment of several diseases and disorders like hypertension, allergies, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, hypercholesterolemia, and several other metabolic and genetic disorders. Several polyphenols, including curcumin and their role in the different pathways leading to the inflammation and pathology of UC, are discussed in this chapter. Curcumin is an active compound found in the turmeric plant and has been found to reduce inflammation, ulcerations and prevent the formation of the pre-cancerous lesions. Clinical trials have shown that curcumin could prevent clinical relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with an additional benefit of free radical scavenging leading to reduced oxidative stress. Tea, native to China and Southeast Asia, has several active components like catechins, flavonols, gallic acids and theanine, which were found to be protective against colitis by downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and COX-2. Grape seed polyphenols were also found to be effective in reducing the macroscopic and microscopic lesions of colitis, histological score and reducing translocation of NF-κB in the colon mucosa. Cocoa, another common beverage and the content of chocolate, was found to be protective when co-administered with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and decreased colon crypt damage and leucocyte infiltration. Resveratrol is another common polyphenol produced by plants under stress led by pathogenic attack like bacteria and fungi. It is widely accepted for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous effects and has also been found to reduce the pathology of UC. It mediates its protective effects by decreasing neutrophil’s percentage and downregulation of inflammatory markers with reduced myeloperoxidase (MPO) and lipid peroxidation in colon. It is mainly found in the skin of red grapes. Therefore, although the amount in red wine is insignificant, it is available commercially for use as a supplement. Quercetin, silymarin, kaempferol, ellagic acid, and rutoside are some of the other polyphenols discussed in this chapter. They were found to be effective in reducing the pathology and symptoms associated with UC. There are very few studies that indicate the adverse effects of these polyphenols, including the oral administration of 1% green tea polyphenols which increased kidney weight and decreased mRNA expression of HSPs and several antioxidant enzymes. There could be a few exceptions regarding the safety of the use of polyphenols as therapeutic agents in the treatment of UC, and hence more intensive research is needed to declare polyphenols, or any other phytochemicals obtained, as safe for medicinal use. Also, their dosage and the adverse effects of different polyphenols in different disease models need to be established with human studies before the declaration of their use in a particular disease.

Detection of Rotavirus and Adenovirus diarrhea in children below five years, in Dakshina Kannada District, a coastal region of Karnataka State, India

Context: Diarrheal disease is the second largest cause of death of children under 5 years. Viral diarrhea is most common which is usually caused by Rotavirus followed by enteric Adenovirus. Rotaviruses are responsible for approximately 527,000 deaths mainly in low-income countries of Africa and Asia. There is limited number of studies done on viral diarrhea in this coastal belt. Aim: To determine the prevalence of Rotavirus and Adenovirus diarrhea among children below 5 years of age and its epidemiological importance in this coastal region of Karnataka State, India. The impact of factors like socio-economic status, drinking water, and Rotavirus immunization status that can contribute to the disease were also evaluated and recommendations are formulated for disease prevention. Materials and Methods: Children below 5 years of age with history of diarrhea, vomiting and fever of less than 3 days were included in this study. The sample size was 35. General physical examination, clinical findings and other details like socio-economic status, personal hygiene, growth milestones and family income were also recorded. A commercial Rotavirus and Adenovirus antigen detection kit was used to detect the presence of Rotavirus and Adenovirus antigen from the stool sample. Results: Out of 35 patients screened, 25 (71.43%) patients were negative for both Adenovirus and Rotavirus, 10 children (28.57%) were positive for Rotavirus and no patients were positive for Adenovirus. Severe dehydration, fever, loose stools and vomiting were the commonest symptoms seen in Rotavirus positive children. The highest incidence of infection with Rotavirus was seen among 7-12 months age group. Children whose stool was positive for Rotavirus used public water supply. Conclusions: Rotavirus is an important cause of diarrhea in children below 5 years in this coastal region. A simple, rapid immunochromatography test is useful and economical tool to simultaneously detect and screen Adenovirus and Rotavirus. Low socioeconomic state and unsafe water supply contributes to diarrheal disease.

Dietary Spices in the Prevention of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Past, Present, and Future

Spices, defined by the US Food and Drug Administration as aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition, are an integral part of any Indian cuisine and are added to impart tastes, flavor, and color to the curries. In addition to their use in cooking, spices are also known to possess medicinal benefits and have been used in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine to treat ailments. Scientific studies carried out in the past have shown conclusively that most of the commonly used Indian spices and some of their phytochemicals possess antioxidant, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral effects; modulate detoxification enzymes, stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and modulate steroid metabolism; and have antimutagenic, gastroprotective, and anticarcinogenic effects. Studies carried out during the past two decades have shown that commonly used Indian spices, such as fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L., family Fabaceae), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L., family Apiaceae), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, family Zingiberaceae), turmeric (Curcuma longa L., family Zingiberaceae), and their phytochemicals 6-shogaol (present in ginger), curcumin (present in turmeric), eugenol (present in clove Syzygium aromaticum L., family Myrtaceae), and thymoquinone (present in black cumin Nigella sativa L., family Ranunculaceae), possess beneficial effects in amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis in preclinical studies. Of these, ginger, turmeric and the oil of Nigella sativa have been shown also to possess beneficial effects in humans. For the first time, this chapter summarizes the findings from both preclinical and clinical studies with these spices and phytochemicals in rheumatoid arthritis, and also emphasizes the mechanisms of action responsible for the observed effects of each of the spices/phytochemicals.Spices, defined by the US Food and Drug Administration as aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition, are an integral part of any Indian cuisine and are added to impart tastes, flavor, and color to the curries. In addition to their use in cooking, spices are also known to possess medicinal benefits and have been used in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine to treat ailments. Scientific studies carried out in the past have shown conclusively that most of the commonly used Indian spices and some of their phytochemicals possess antioxidant, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral effects; modulate detoxification enzymes, stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and modulate steroid metabolism; and have antimutagenic, gastroprotective, and anticarcinogenic effects. Studies carried out during the past two decades have shown that commonly used Indian spices, such as fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L., family Fabaceae), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L., family Apiaceae), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, family Zingiberaceae), turmeric (Curcuma longa L., family Zingiberaceae), and their phytochemicals 6-shogaol (present in ginger), curcumin (present in turmeric), eugenol (present in clove Syzygium aromaticum L., family Myrtaceae), and thymoquinone (present in black cumin Nigella sativa L., family Ranunculaceae), possess beneficial effects in amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis in preclinical studies. Of these, ginger, turmeric and the oil of Nigella sativa have been shown also to possess beneficial effects in humans. For the first time, this chapter summarizes the findings from both preclinical and clinical studies with these spices and phytochemicals in rheumatoid arthritis, and also emphasizes the mechanisms of action responsible for the observed effects of each of the spices/phytochemicals.

Ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis: Clinical Observations and Mechanistic Insights

Osteoarthritis (OA), a clinical condition caused in part by injury, loss of cartilage structure and function, and an imbalance in inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways, is a major health problem in older adults. To complicate this, a complete cure is not available, especially when the cartilage is destroyed; in such conditions the treatment is restricted towards relieving pain, maintaining or improving joint mobility, increasing the strength of the joints, and minimizing the disabling effects of the disease. The rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (family Zingiberaceae), known colloquially as ginger, has been used since time immemorial as a anti-arthritic agent, and scientific studies have validated the ethnomedicinal effects of ginger. The present chapter addresses these aspects in detail, and also emphasizes the molecular anti-osteoarthritic mechanisms.

Fruits in the Prevention of Cataractogenesis by Targeting the Aldose Reductase: Promise from Preclinical Observations

Cataract-opacification of the lens is one of the leading causes of blindness in elderly populations, and the NADPH-dependent enzyme aldose reductase (AR), which catalyzes reduction of the aldehyde to the corresponding alcohols, is being considered as a major target to prevent or retard the process. Preclinical studies carried out in the recent past indicate that dietary agents such as the Indian gooseberry or amla (Phyllanthus emblica syn. Emblica officinalis; family Euphorbiaceae), lemon (Citrus limettoides; family Rutaceae), sweet orange (Citrus sinensi; family Rutaceae), grapes (Vitis vinifera; family Vitaceae), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana; family Guttiferae), and litchi (Litchi chinensis; family Sapindaceae) possess beneficial effects as an inhibitors of aldose reductase. For the first time, this chapter addresses the beneficial effects of these agents in inhibiting aldose reductase and hence retarding cataractogenesis.