Hércia Stampini Duarte Martino

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.): Nutrients, bioactive compounds, and potential impact on human health.

ABSTRACT Sorghum is the fifth most produced cereal in the world and is a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds for the human diet. We summarize the recent findings concerning the nutrients and bioactive compounds of sorghum and its potential impact on human health, analyzing the limitations and positive points of the studies and proposing directions for future research. Sorghum is basically composed of starch, which is more slowly digested than that of other cereals, has low digestibility proteins and unsaturated lipids, and is a source of some minerals and vitamins. Furthermore, most sorghum varieties are rich in phenolic compounds, especially 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and tannins. The results obtained in vitro and in animals have shown that phenolics compounds and fat soluble compounds (polycosanols) isolated from sorghum benefit the gut microbiota and parameters related to obesity, oxidative stress, inflammation, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cancer, and hypertension. The effects of whole sorghum and its fractions on human health need to be evaluated. In conclusion, sorghum is a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, especially 3-deoxyanthocyanidins, tannins, and polycosanols, which beneficially modulate, in vitro and in animals, parameters related to noncommunicable diseases. Studies should be conducted to evaluate the effects of different processing on protein and starch digestibility of sorghum as well as on the profile and bioavailability of its bioactive compounds, especially 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and tannins. Furthermore, the benefits resulting from the interaction of bioactive compounds in sorghum and human microbiota should be studied.

Consumption of polyphenol-rich peach and plum juice prevents risk factors for obesity-related metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease in Zucker rats

Polyphenols from fruits have been implied in the prevention of risk factors for cardiometabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the consumption of peach and plum juice has a protective effect against obesity and metabolic disorders that promote the development of cardiovascular diseases. Obese Zucker and lean rats were fed with peach, plum juice ad libitum or placebo. Body weight gain, biochemical markers and molecular markers for inflammation and cardiovascular disease in heart tissue were quantified. Results show that peach and plum juice consumption protected against a combination of obesity-induced metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia, insulin and leptin resistance, dyslipidemia and low-density lipoprotein oxidation. This was accompanied by a decreased expression of pro-atherogenic and pro-inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and heart tissues including intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, NF-κB and foam cell adherence to aortic arches. In addition, peach and plum juice consumption decreased the levels of angiotensin II in plasma and its receptor Agtr1 in heart tissues, suggesting a role of peach and plum polyphenols as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists. Furthermore, only plum juice significantly prevented body weight gain and increased the ratio high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol in plasma. This effect is most likely attributed to the plums higher content of polyphenols (three times that of peach). Altogether, these results imply that cardioprotective effects can be achieved by replacing drinks high in sugar content with fruit juice rich in polyphenols in a diet.

Carbohydrate-Free Peach (Prunus persica) and Plum (Prunus domestica) Juice Affects Fecal Microbial Ecology in an Obese Animal Model

Background Growing evidence shows the potential of nutritional interventions to treat obesity but most investigations have utilized non-digestible carbohydrates only. Peach and plum contain high amounts of polyphenols, compounds with demonstrated anti-obesity effects. The underlying process of successfully treating obesity using polyphenols may involve an alteration of the intestinal microbiota. However, this phenomenon is not well understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Obese Zucker rats were assigned to three groups (peach, plum, and control, n = 10 each), wild-type group was named lean (n = 10). Carbohydrates in the fruit juices were eliminated using enzymatic hydrolysis. Fecal samples were obtained after 11 weeks of fruit or control juice administration. Real-time PCR and 454-pyrosequencing were used to evaluate changes in fecal microbiota. Over 1,500 different Operational Taxonomic Units at 97% similarity were detected in all rats. Several bacterial groups (e.g. Lactobacillus and members of Ruminococcacea) were found to be more abundant in the peach but especially in the plum group (plum juice contained 3 times more total polyphenolics compared to peach juice). Principal coordinate analysis based on Unifrac-based unweighted distance matrices revealed a distinct separation between the microbiota of control and treatment groups. These changes in fecal microbiota occurred simultaneously with differences in fecal short-chain acids concentrations between the control and treatment groups as well as a significant decrease in body weight in the plum group. Conclusions This study suggests that consumption of carbohydrate-free peach and plum juice has the potential to modify fecal microbial ecology in an obese animal model. The separate contribution of polyphenols and non-polyphenols compounds (vitamins and minerals) to the observed changes is unknown.

Pro-Apoptotic Activities of Polyphenolics From Açai (Euterpe oleracea Martius) in Human SW-480 Colon Cancer Cells

This study aimed to evaluate the cell growth inhibition activity of açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolic extract against colon cancer HT-29 and SW-480 cells and the nonmalignant CCD-18Co colon fibroblast cells. Results showed that açai polyphenolic extract (5–20 mg/L) inhibited preferentially the growth of SW-480 cells with no toxicity in CCD-18Co cells, and this was accompanied by reduction of H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The mechanisms involved in SW-480 cell growth-inhibition by açai polyphenolic extract included the downregulation of NF-κB proinflammatory transcription factor and the nuclear factor-kappa B targets intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Furthermore, prooncogenic specificity proteins (Sp) were downregulated as well as Sp-targets Bcl-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and survivin. This was accompanied by activation of mitochondrial proapoptotic pathway involving increase of cytochrome c, cleavage of caspase-3, and decrease of PARP-1. Results strongly suggest that açai polyphenolic extract has antiinflammatory and cytotoxic activities in colon cancer cells and can be effective as natural colon cancer chemopreventive agents.

Studies on mechanistic role of natural bioactive compounds in the management of obesity an overview

Obesity is recognised as a condition of low-grade chronic inflammation resulting from macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue and activation of inflammatory pathways by oxidative stress mechanisms that lead to the development of insulin resistance. Various natural bioactive compounds (NBCs) with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects may im- prove adipocyte dysfunction associated with metabolic syndrome. The present review focuses on the effects of phenolic compounds, n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) and lipoic acid (LA) on the pathophysiological mechanisms of obesity. In this review, a total of 120 studies were included, and data thus obtained reflect beneficial physiological effects of n-3 LC-PUFA, LA and different phenolic compounds, including kaempferol, luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, resveratrol, curcumin, catechins, phenolic acids, in the prevention and/or attenuation of metabolic disturbances associated with obesity. Additionally, information from clinical studies provides new insights for defining the dose- response relationship of dietary compounds, necessary time of exposure and potential side effects of these NBCs in the treatment of obesity and indicates further study is needed to verify these relationships.

Development of a low calorie yacon jam: physico chemical, microbiological and sensory characterization

This study aimed to evaluate the physical-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of four formulations of yacon jams. The following characteristics were analyzed: chemical composition, soluble solids, pH, microbiological presence of total coliforms and salmonella at 45 °C, and presence of fungi and yeasts. The yacon jams exhibited high moisture content (> 62%) as well as high concentrations of carbohydrates (> 28%) and total dietary fiber (2.5%), mainly fructooligosaccharides (> 0.9%). The average energy value was 124.6 kcal/100 g. The average pH was 3.8 and the soluble solids measured 27.6 °Brix. All yacon jams complied with standard microbiological requirements and received high acceptance scores, especially the yacon jam and yacon jam with cinnamon. Yacon jam products may offer an excellent alternative to more common jams due to their lower concentrations of simple sugar, lower calorie value, increased presence of dietary fibers, and desirable sensory characteristics.

Nutritional and Bioactive Compounds of Soybean: Benefits on Human Health

The soybean (Glycine Max. (L) Merrill) is a leguminous which originated from China and has been cultivated in this country for around five thousand years. It was considered for centuries the staple food of the countries of East Asia. In the West, its introduction was made experimentally in the Europe in 15th century. In the USA the first reports of cultivation of soybean date from 1765. Unlike East Asia, the USA soybean was initially cultivated as forage plant being used as a source of edible oil starting at 1915. A major technological progress for the use of soybean meal as protein source in nutrition was made in 1917, when Osborne and Mendel demonstrated that unheated soybean meal presents nutritional quality lower than that of heated soybean meal. Thus, the finding of the nutritional value of soybean meal as a feed for animal nutrition, coupled with growing demand for vegetable oils allowed the deployment of many industries for the processing of soybeans in the USA (Muller, 1981). In Brazil, the introduction of soybeans occurred in Bahia state, in 1882 (Bonetti, 1981). But the first statistics showing the use of soybean for grain production are from 1941. In this same year, the first soybean processing industry in the country was installed in Rio Grande do Sul (Teixeira, 2003). However, only from the 1960, soybean crop became important in the country, initially in the South where it showed better adaptation because of the similarity with regions of cultivation in southern United States. From the 70s, the soybean crop has evolved significantly in the cultivation states, not only in the south, but also in the middle western of Brazil. With the development of new cultivars adapted to different agro-climatic regions of the country, Brazil has become the second largest soybean producer in the world. Advances in new technologies for increased acceptability of soy proteins as human food occurred as result of protein deficiency worldwide, after the World War II. Since the 1950’s, USA and Canadian public research institutions worked on the development of soybean cultivars for human food use for export, mainly to Japan. In 1999, there were 16 breeding programs in public institutions working on soybean for human consumption (food-type). By

Evaluation of the health benefits of consumption of extruded tannin sorghum with unfermented probiotic milk in individuals with chronic kidney disease

This study investigated the chemical and nutritional composition of breakfast cereal based on whole sorghum, and the effect of its association with unfermented probiotic milk on the inflammation and oxidative stress of individuals with chronic kidney disease. Extruded sorghum breakfast meal presented higher carbohydrate concentration (approximately 71%), followed by protein (approximately 11%) and lipid (approximately 0.4%). When compared to extruded maize breakfast meal, it presented higher percentage of dietary fiber (p < 0.05), and higher content of phenolic compounds and tannin, consequently higher antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). Extruded sorghum breakfast cereal combined with unfermented probiotic milk decreased the C-reactive protein (p < 0.05) and malondialdehyde (p < 0.05) serum levels and increased the total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase (p < 0.05) in patients with chronic kidney disease. Therefore, the extruded sorghum, source of tannin, anthocyanin, and dietary fiber, when consumed with unfermented probiotic milk alleviates the inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Anti-obesity effects of tea from Mangifera indica L. leaves of the Ubá variety in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Due to the high content of bioactive compounds, herbal teas are being investigated as adjuvant in chronic disease management. Studies have shown that mango leaf tea contain mangiferin, total phenolics and antioxidants, compounds with many functional properties. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of tea from Mangifera indica L. leaves, Ubá variety (TML), in obese rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). For this, adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (n=8): the control group (fed AIN-93 diet), obese group (fed a HFD) and treated group (fed a HFD and supplemented with TML for 8 weeks). We analysed biometric measures and serum biochemical parameters of metabolic control, inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers, histomorphometry of visceral adipose tissue and mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha (PPAR-γ), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). The consumption of TML (24.7±2.1mL/day) exerted antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, increasing total antioxidant capacity and interleukin-10 serum concentrations, reduced abdominal fat accumulation, upregulated PPAR-γ and LPL and downregulated FAS expression. Our data suggest that TML has therapeutic potential in treating obesity and related diseases through regulating the expression of transcriptional factors and enzymes associated with adipogenesis.

A high fat diet does not affect the iron bioavailability in Wistar rats fed with chia and increases gene expression of iron metabolism proteins

This study evaluated the effect of chia on the iron bioavailability and gene expression of proteins involved in iron metabolism in animals fed with a high fat diet and a standard diet. Four experimental groups were tested (n = 8): standard diet + ferrous sulfate (SD + FS), standard diet + chia (SD + C), high fat diet + ferrous sulfate (HFD + FS), high fat diet + chia (HFD + C). The hemoglobin gain, hemoglobin regeneration efficiency, biological relative value of HRE, serum ferritin and transferrin, liver iron concentration and gene expression of proteins were evaluated. The SD + C group showed lower transferrin expression when compared to the control group. The control group showed serum transferrin concentration higher than the other groups. Serum ferritin and liver iron concentration did not differ among the animals that received chia ferritin and hephaestin expression was lower in experimental groups when compared with the control group. The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor expression was higher in animals fed with SD + C than in the control group. The expression of duodenal cytochrome B and divalent metal transporter 1 in the HFD + C group was higher and ferroportin was lower in the groups containing chia. Animals fed with chia showed similar iron bioavailability compared to animals fed with ferrous sulfate.