Ginpreet Kaur

Bovine colostrum: an emerging nutraceutical

Abstract Nutraceutical, a term combining the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceuticals”, is a food or food product that provides health benefits as an adjuvant or alternative therapy, including the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in children and adults. There is emerging evidence that bovine colostrum (BC) may be one of the promising nutraceuticals which can prevent or mitigate various diseases in newborns and adults. Immunity-related disorders are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. BC is rich in immunity, growth and antimicrobial factors, which promote tissue growth and the maturation of digestive tract and immune function in neonatal animals and humans. The immunoglobulins and lactoferrin present in colostrum are known to build natural immunity in newborns which helps to reduce the mortality rate in this population. Also, the side-effect profile of colostrum proteins and possible lactose intolerance is relatively less in comparison with milk. In general, BC is considered safe and well tolerated. Since colostrum has several important nutritional constituents, well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with colostrum products should be conducted to widen its therapeutic use. The objectives of this review are to create awareness about the nutraceutical properties of colostrum and to discuss the various ongoing alternative treatments of colostrum and its active ingredients as well as to address colostrum’s future nutraceutical and therapeutic implications in humans.

Evaluation of anti-osteoarthritic activity of Vigna mungo in papain induced osteoarthritis model

Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of Vigna mungo hydroalcoholic extract (VMHA) by papain induced osteoarthritis (OA) in the rat model. Materials and Methods: OA was induced by intra-articular injection of papain (4% w/v) along with cysteine (0.03 M) on day 1, 4 and 7 in rats and VMHA was administered orally in three doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) after last papain injection. The anti-osteoarthritic activity was evaluated by measuring knee joint diameter, grip strength, locomotion activity and hanging time. Histopathological analysis and acute toxicity study were also performed. Results: VMHA improved inflammatory condition with all the doses, but significant (P < 0.05) attenuation of inflammation was present only with 400 mg/kg dose. The grip strength, locomotion activity and hanging time were also significantly (P < 0.05) improved at dose level of 100 mg/kg however other two doses (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) were not found to be effective. VMHA did not show any mortality or any toxic clinical signs after oral administration of 2 g/kg dose. Conclusion: VMHA improved arthritic condition by significantly reducing pain and inflammation.

Nutraceutical Approaches in the Management of Cardiovascular Dysfunctions Associated with Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is a prime risk factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Management of cardiovascular dysfunctions associated with diabetes has been a challenge for decades. The nutraceutical approach for prevention of diabetic cardiovascular complications has been a considerably newer trend. Nutraceuticals are medicinal foods that help in maintaining the health of individuals, thereby preventing or treating diseases. A literature search showed that several nutraceuticals used as dietary supplements have the ability to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, the nutraceutical approach can be very promising in the treatment of diabetic cardiovascular complications. In this review, we summarize the recent research findings on dietary fiber, antioxidants, prebiotics, and probiotics to highlight the benefits of using nutraceuticals in the management of diabetes-associated cardiovascular dysfunctions.

Antibacterial and Antiinflammatory Properties of Bovine Colostrum

CONTEXT Immunity related disorder is one of the leading causes of disease in the world. Oxidative stress and microbial infections play a major role in inflammation-induced diseases. Bovine colostrum (BC) contains immunoglobulins and lactoferrins which help in building the immunity and protect against the bacterial proliferation and growth. AIM This study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities of BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS Antimicrobial activity was determined by the pour-plate method using five different strains of bacteria (Gram -ve and +ve), and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema method was used for the evaluation of antiinflammatory activity in adult Wistar rats. Diclofenac was used as standard antiinflammatory drug, and amoxicillin was used as standard antimicrobial agent. RESULTS BC showed significant antimicrobial activity against Escherichia. coli, Staphylococcus. aureus, Proteus. vulgaris, Enterobacter. aerogenes and Salmonella. typhi. At 100 µg/mL of BC, the inhibition zones were found to be 13mm, 11mm, 12mm, 12mm, and 11mm, respectively. The BC zones were comparatively smaller than those of amoxicillin at 10µg/mL, where the inhibition zones were 16mm, 30mm, 23mm, 22mm and 23mm, respectively. In the BC treated animals, the percentage edema inhibition was found to be 67.94% at the third hour, suggesting high antiinflammatory activity of BC in rats. CONCLUSION BC may be beneficial in reducing the risks of inflammation associated diseases. Further studies are needed before BC can be recommended for therapeutic interventions in humans.

Evaluation of the antidepressant activity of Moringa oleifera alone and in combination with fluoxetine.

Background: The prevalence of mental depression has increased in recent years, and has become a serious health problem in most countries of the world, including India. Due to the high cost of antidepressant synthetic drugs and their accompanying side effects, the discovery of safer antidepressant herbal remedies is on the rise. Moringa oleifera (MO) (drumstick) has been used in traditional folk medicine, and in Ayurveda, it is considered as a valuable remedy for treating nervous system disorders as well as memory enhancing agent. Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the acute and chronic behavioral and antidepressant effects of alcoholic extracts of MO leaves in standardized mouse models of depression. Materials and Methods: Alcoholic extracts of MO (MOE) leaves were prepared, and phytoconstituents were determined using appropriate chemical analytical methods. Following preliminary dose-finding toxicity studies, the biological activity of MOE was tested in Swiss albino mice. Animals were divided into six groups: Groups 1 and 2 served as vehicle control and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) standard control, respectively. Groups 3 and 4 served as treatment groups and were orally administered ethanolic MOE at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Groups 5 and 6, respectively, received combination doses of MOE 100 mg/kg + 10 mg fluoxetine, and MOE 200 mg/kg + 10 mg/kg fluoxetine. Following acute and 14 days chronic treatments, all animals were tested using behavioral models of depression, such as forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and locomotor activity test (LAT). Results: Significant changes in all tested activities (FST, TST, LAT) of chronically dosed mice were observed, especially in animals given simultaneously combined doses of 200 mg/kg/day MOE + 10 mg/kg/day fluoxetine for 14 days. The antidepressant effect of MOE may have been invoked through the noradrenergic-serotonergic neurotransmission pathway, which is the hallmark of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) class of drugs. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that combined administration of MOE with low doses of fluoxetine or other SSRI drugs seems to have promising potential.

TNF-α modulation by natural bioactive molecules in mouse RAW 264.7 macrophage cells

Abstract Background: The present study was designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of plant-derived products marketed for human health benefits. Methods: The tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α) was used as a proinflammatory biomarker generated by mouse macrophage RAW 264.6 cells. The in vitro tested plant products include Saskatoon berry (SKB), quercetin, purified oat beta-glucan (OBG), curcumin, and turmeric. Quantification of TNF-α in cell culture supernatants was carried out using mouse TNF-α assay kit and the cell proliferation was determined by MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The cells were grown in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum and 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 µg/mL streptomycin. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at a concentration of 500 ng/mL was employed to stimulate the TNF-α production in mouse macrophage cells. Results: Results showed that curcumin at 10 µM (3.7 µg/mL) level effectively attenuated the LPS-induced inflammatory response, and at 100 µM completely inhibited macrophage RAW cell growth (p<0.05). The aqueous turmeric extract caused inhibitory effect on TNF-α at 25, 50, 100, and 500 µg/mL. SKB inhibited TNF-α production at 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 µg/mL. On the other hand, at 10, 25, 500, and 1,000 µg/mL SKB promoted significant cell growth/proliferation. Quercetin at 10, 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL inhibited TNF-α, but at 500 and 1,000 µg/mL stimulated cell growth. OBG at 10, 25, and 50 µg/mL inhibited TNF-α, but in some cases OBG stimulated TNF-α At 1,000 and 10,000 µg/mL OBG proved to be extremely toxic or lethal to the macrophage cells. Conclusions: Overall, the plant products showed anti-inflammatory effects as well as cell proliferation or inhibition in the in vitro system used in this investigation. The underlying mechanisms of dualistic actions caused by plant-derived ingredients, viz., macrophage cellular growth stimulation or retardation, remain to be elucidated.

Influence of Piperine and Quercetin on Antidiabetic Potential of Curcumin.

Abstract Background: Curcumin is a nutraceutical obtained from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa with a significant medicinal value against numerous disorders. However, the potential cannot be completely exploited due to low in vivo bioavailability. Hence, in order to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin, we combined it with the bioavailability enhancers like piperine and quercetin. Methods: The present study was targeted to explore the antidiabetic potential of combinatorial extract of curcumin with piperine and quercetin (CPQ) in streptozotocin- and nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg) and nicotinamide (120 mg/kg–1). CPQ was orally administered at 100 mg kg–1 dose/day for a period of 28 days. At the end of 28 days, blood was analyzed for glucose, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol level. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also conducted at the end of 28 days. Results: Oral administration of CPQ at the dose of 100 mg kg–1 significantly (p<0.01) reduced plasma glucose at the end of 28 days, as compared to the diabetic control group. The reduction in the plasma glucose produced by the CPQ extract was equivalent to that of glibenclamide and significantly more compared to curcumin alone (p<0.01). Furthermore, a significant (p<0.01) reduction in the raised LDL, cholesterol and triglycerides and improvement was observed in the group fed with CPQ compared to diabetic control as well as the alone (p<0.05) curcumin group. There was a significant improvement in the body weight with CPQ compared to diabetes control group. OGTT revealed a significantly high glucose tolerance in CPQ fed rats compared to the diabetic control as well as the rats fed with curcumin alone. Conclusions: Treatment with combinatorial extract of curcumin presented a significantly better therapeutic potential when compared with curcumin alone, which reveals that CPQ, with reduced dose of curcumin may serve as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Antibacterial activity of combination of synthetic and biopolymer non-woven structures.

Abstract Background: Fibrous structures and synthetic polymer blends offer potential usages in making biomedical devices, textiles used in medical practices, food packaging, tissue engineering, environmental applications and biomedical arena. These products are also excellent candidates for building scaffolds to grow stem cells for implantation, to make tissue engineering grafts, to make stents to open up blood vessels caused by atherosclerosis or narrowed by blood clots, for drug delivery systems for micro- to nano-medicines, for transdermal patches, and for healing of wounds and burn care. The current study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of woven and non-woven forms of nano- and macro-scale blended polymers having biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of non-woven fibrous structures created with the combination of synthetic and biopolymer was assessed using Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes using pour plate method. Structural evaluation of the fabricated samples was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results: Broad spectrum antibacterial activities were found from the tested materials consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with chitosan and nylon-6 combined with chitosan and formic acid. Conclusions: The combination of PVA with chitosan was more bactericidal or bacteriostatic than that of nylon-6 combined with chitosan and formic acid. PVA combination with chitosan appears to be a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent.

New insights into molecular targets for urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a disease affecting quality of life of 200 million patients worldwide. It is characterized by involuntary loss of urine. The factors involved are cystitis, detrusor hyperreflexia, spinal injury, benign prostatic hyperplasia, etc. The surge in the number of reviews on this subject indicates the amount of research devoted to this field. The prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate but unfortunately, only a few medications are currently available for this condition. There are peripheral as well as central targets including cholinergic, vanilloid, prostaglandin, kinin, calcium channel, cannabinoid, serotonin, and GABA-receptors, which act by different mechanisms to treat different types of incontinence. Drugs acting on the central nervous system (CNS) increase urinary bladder capacity, volume, or pressure threshold for micturition reflex activation while peripherally acting drugs decrease the amplitude of micturition contraction and residual volume. Anticholinergic drugs specifically M3 receptor antagonists are the first choice but have frequent side effects such as dry mouth, CNS disturbances, etc. Therefore, there is a need to understand the biochemical pathways that control urinary dysfunction to determine the potential to which they can be exploited in the treatment of this condition. This article reviews the central and peripheral molecular targets and the potential therapeutic approaches to the treatment of UI.

Health Benefits of Bovine Colostrum in Children and Adults

Abstract Colostrum is a thick, sticky, yellowish mammary secretion that all mammals provide to their newborns during the first 24–48 hours after delivery. Human newborns receive colostrum from their mothers during the first few hours after birth, and this “Elixir of Life” not only provides naturally produced nutrients and antibodies in a highly concentrated low volume but also creates the foundation of life-long immunity. Colostrum is rich in immunoglobulins and lactoferrin, growth, and antimicrobial factors, all of which promote tissue growth and maturation of digestive tract and immune function in neonatal animals and humans. The immunoglobulins present in colostrum invoke antimicrobial activity by forming a chelated complex with bacterial and viral antigens. It has been reported that constituents from bovine colostrum (BC) are 100-fold to 1000-fold more potent than human colostrum. This means that if the human neonates do not get enough maternal colostrum to build their passive immunity, then they can rely on cow or buffalo colostrum to gain health benefits. There is emerging evidence that BC may be one of the promising nutraceuticals which can prevent or mitigate various diseases in newborns and adults. Immunity-related disorders are one of the leading causes of morbidity in the world. BC has the potential to enhance the immune function and well-being of healthy persons and patients. The immunoglobulins and lactoferrin present in colostrum are known to build natural immunity in newborns, which helps to reduce the mortality rate in this population. Lactoferrin is involved in several physiological and protective functions, including regulation of iron absorption in the bowel, antioxidant, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. As opposed to milk, BC has less lactose, and therefore may be suitable for patients suffering from lactose intolerance. A limited number of human and animal studies done with colostrum supplements are indicative of future prospects for helping in curing diseases like AIDS, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders, infectious diseases, wound healing, and certain cancers. Since colostrum has several naturally occurring important nutritional components, well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with colostrum products are needed to widen their therapeutic role in children and adults. It indeed seems to be a treasure trove that, if tapped, could eventually reveal many health benefits and cost-effective cures in humans. This review summarizes the comparative amounts of fat, proteins, lactose, vitamins, and minerals present in human, cow, buffalo, and goat colostrum. The major objectives of this review are to create awareness about the nutraceutical properties of colostrum, and to discuss the various ongoing alternative treatments of colostrum and its active ingredients as well as to address colostrum’s future nutraceutical and therapeutic intervention in humans.