Venugopal P. Menon

Ferulic Acid: therapeutic potential through its antioxidant property.

There has been considerable public and scientific interest in the use of phytochemicals derived from dietary components to combat human diseases. They are naturally occurring substances found in plants. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phytochemical commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn and rice bran. It arises from metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine by Shikimate pathway in plants. It exhibits a wide range of therapeutic effects against various diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative. A wide spectrum of beneficial activity for human health has been advocated for this phenolic compound, at least in part, because of its strong antioxidant activity. FA, a phenolic compound is a strong membrane antioxidant and known to positively affect human health. FA is an effective scavenger of free radicals and it has been approved in certain countries as food additive to prevent lipid peroxidation. It effectively scavenges superoxide anion radical and inhibits the lipid peroxidation. It possesses antioxidant property by virtue of its phenolic hydroxyl group in its structure. The hydroxy and phenoxy groups of FA donate electrons to quench the free radicals. The phenolic radical in turn forms a quinone methide intermediate, which is excreted via the bile. The past few decades have been devoted to intense research on antioxidant property of FA. So, the present review deals with the mechanism of antioxidant property of FA and its possible role in therapeutic usage against various diseases.

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES OF CURCUMIN

Curcumin, a yellow pigment from Curcuma longa, is a major component of turmeric and is commonly used as a spice and food-coloring agent. It is also used as a cosmetic and in some medical preparations. The desirable preventive or putative therapeutic properties of curcumin have also been considered to be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Because free-radical-mediated peroxidation of membrane lipids and oxidative damage of DNA and proteins are believed to be associated with a variety of chronic pathological complications such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, curcumin is thought to play a vital role against these pathological conditions. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin is most likely mediated through its ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). COX-2, LOX, and iNOS are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. Improper upregulation of COX-2 and/or iNOS has been associated with the pathophysiology of certain types of human cancer as well as inflammatory disorders. Because inflammation is closely linked to tumor promotion, curcumin with its potent anti-inflammatory property is anticipated to exert chemopreventive effects on carcinogenesis. Hence, the past few decades have witnessed intense research devoted to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. In this review, we describe both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, the mode of action of curcumin, and its therapeutic usage against different pathological conditions.

Hypoglycaemic and other related actions of Tinospora cordifolia roots in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Tinospora cordifolia is widely used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for treating diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of an aqueous T. cordifolia root extract (TCREt) to alloxan diabetic rats caused a significant reduction in blood glucose and brain lipids. The extract caused an increase in body weight, total haemoglobin and hepatic hexokinase. The root extract also lowers hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase and serum acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase in diabetic rats. Thus TCREt has hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effect.

Neuroprotective role of curcumin from Curcuma longa on ethanol‐induced brain damage

In the present study, curcumin from Curcuma longa was screened for neuroprotective activity using ethanol as a model of brain injury. Oral administration of curcumin to rats caused a significant reversal in lipid peroxidation, brain lipids and produced enhancement of glutathione, a non‐enzymic antioxidant in ethanol intoxicated rats, revealing that the antioxidative and hypolipidaemic action of curcumin isresponsible for its protective role against ethanol induced brain injury. Copyright

Protective effects of ferulic acid on hyperlipidemic diabetic rats

Abstract.Diabetes, when uncontrolled, causes dyslipidemia often followed by atherogenic abnormalities. The present study was focused to determine whether ferulic acid (FA), a flavonoid, has any role to play in diabetes-induced dyslipidemia. Diabetes in rats was induced with streptozotocin. The levels of blood glucose and plasma triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol and phospholipids were elevated during diabetes. Treatment with FA significantly reduced the elevated plasma lipid and blood glucose levels; a more pronounced effect was found with low-dose ferulic acid than with high dose. Thus, our study demonstrates that ferulic acid lowers the lipid levels in diabetic rats and hence prevents further complications.

Antioxidant activity of Tinospora cordifolia roots in experimental diabetes

We made an attempt to study the antioxidant properties of Tinospora cordifolia roots, an indigenous plant used in Ayurvedic medicine in India in alloxan diabetic rats. Oral administration of an aqueous T. cordifolia root extract (TCREt) (2.5 and 5.0 g/kg) for 6 weeks resulted in a decrease in the levels of plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, ceruloplasmin and alpha-tocopherol in alloxan diabetic rats. The root extract also causes an increase in the levels of glutathione and vitamin C in alloxan diabetes. The root extract at a dose of 5.0 g/kg showed the highest effect. The effect of TCREt was more effective than glibenclamide. Insulin restored all the parameters to near normal levels.

Hypolipidaemic action of Tinospora cordifolia roots in alloxan diabetic rats

We undertook the present study to evaluate the hypolipidaemic effect of an aqueous extract of Tinospora cordifolia roots, an indigenous plant used in Ayurvedic medicine in India. Administration of the extract of T. cordifolia roots (2.5 and 5.0 g/kg body weight) for 6 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in serum and tissue cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids in alloxan diabetic rats. The root extract at a dose of 5.0 g/kg body weight showed highest hypolipidaemic effect. The effect of T. cordifolia roots at 2.5 and 5.0 g/kg body weight was better than glibenclamide. Insulin restored all the parameters to near normal values.

Ferulic acid, a natural protector against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity

The present work is aimed at evaluating the protective effect of ferulic acid (FA), a naturally occurring phenolic compound on CCl4 induced toxicity. The activities of liver markers (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, γ‐glutamyl transferase), lipid peroxidative index (thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances, hydroperoxides, nitric oxide, protein carbonyl content), the antioxidant status (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione) were used as biomarkers to monitor the protective role of FA. The liver marker enzymes in plasma and lipid peroxidative index in liver and kidney were increased in CCl4‐treated groups, which were decreased significantly on treatment with FA. The antioxidants, which were depleted in CCl4‐treated groups, were improved significantly by FA treatment. Administration of FA to normal rats did not produce any harmful effects. Thus our results show that FA is an effective antioxidant without any side‐effects and may be a great gain in the current search for natural therapy.

Prebiotic and Probiotic Fortified Milk in Prevention of Morbidities among Children: Community-Based, Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial

Background Recent reviews suggest common infectious diseases continue to be a major cause of death among preschool children in developing countries. Identification of feasible strategies to combat this disease burden is an important public health need. We evaluated the efficacy of adding prebiotic oligosaccharide and probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 to milk, in preventing diarrhea, respiratory infections and severe illnesses, in children aged 1–4 years as part of a four group study design, running two studies simultaneously. Methods and Findings In a community based double-masked, randomized controlled trial, children 1–3 years of age, willing to participate, were randomly allocated to receive either control milk (Co; n = 312) or the same milk fortified with 2.4 g/day of prebiotic oligosaccharide and 1.9×107 colony forming unit (c.f.u)/day of probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 (PP; n = 312). Children were followed up for 1 year providing data for 1–4 years. Biweekly household surveillance was conducted to gather information on compliance and morbidity. Both study groups were comparable at baseline; compliance to intervention was similar. Overall, there was no effect of prebiotic and probiotic on diarrhea (6% reduction, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: −1 to 12%; p = 0.08). Incidence of dysentery episodes was reduced by 21% (95% CI: 0 to 38%; p = 0.05). Incidence of pneumonia was reduced by 24% (95% CI: 0 to 42%; p = 0.05) and severe acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) by 35% (95% CI: 0 to 58%; p = 0.05). Compared to children in Co group, children in PP group had 16% (95% CI: 5 to 26%, p = 0.004) and 5% (95% CI: 0 to 10%; p = 0.05) reduction in days with severe illness and high fever respectively. Conclusions/Significance Milk can be a good medium for delivery of prebiotic and probiotic and resulted in significant reduction of dysentery, respiratory morbidity and febrile illness. Overall, impact of diarrhea was not significant. These findings need confirmation in other settings. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00255385

Antihyperlipidemic effect of chlorogenic acid and tetrahydrocurcumin in rats subjected to diabetogenic agents.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with dyslipidemia, which is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular complications. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) alone and in combination on alterations in lipids, lipoproteins and enzymes involved in lipid metabolism in streptozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide (NA)-induced type 2 diabetic rats. A significant (p<0.05) increase in the concentrations of plasma and tissue (liver and kidney) lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), free fatty acids (FFAs) and phospholipids (PLs)) and low density and very low-density lipoproteins (LDL and VLDL), and a decrease in the concentration of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) were noticed in STZ administered diabetic rats. In addition, the activity of 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase increased significantly (p<0.05) in the liver and kidney whereas the activities of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) were decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the plasma of diabetic rats. Combined administration of CGA (5mg/kg b.w.) and THC (80mg/kg b.w.) for 45 days remarkably reduced the STZ-induced changes in lipids, lipoproteins and lipid metabolising enzymes when compared to the effects of CGA or THC alone in diabetic rats. These results indicate that combination of THC and CGA can potentially ameliorate lipid abnormalities in experimental type 2 diabetes.