PMID: 

Front Immunol. 2019 ;10:2326. Epub 2019 Oct 4. PMID: 31636639

Abstract Title: 

Suppresses the Production of Proinflammatory Cytokines in-Infected Macrophages by Inhibiting the Expression of ADAM17.

Abstract: 

The ability ofto evade the host immune system allows the bacterium to colonize the host for a lifetime. Long-term infection withcauses chronic inflammation, which is the major risk factor for the development of gastric ulcers and gastric cancer. Lactobacilli are part of the human microbiota and have been studied as an adjunct treatment ineradication therapy. However, the molecular mechanisms by which lactobacilli act againstinfection have not been fully characterized. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects ofstrains upon coincubation of host macrophages with. We found thatKx110A1 (L. gas), a strain isolated from a human stomach, but not other testedspecies, blocked the production of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6 in-infected macrophages. Interestingly, L. gas also inhibited the release of these cytokines in LPS or LTA stimulated macrophages, demonstrating a general anti-inflammatory property. The inhibition of these cytokines did not occur through the polarization of macrophages from the M1 (proinflammatory) to M2 (anti-inflammatory) phenotype or through the altered viability ofor host cells. Instead, we show that L. gas suppressed the release of TNF and IL-6 by reducing the expression of ADAM17 (also known as TNF-alpha-converting enzyme, TACE) on host cells. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism by which L. gas prevents the production of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6 in host macrophages.

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PMID: 

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Dec 23:110747. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31924469

Abstract Title: 

Lycium barbarum lipid-based edible nanoparticles protect against experimental colitis.

Abstract: 

Edible plant-derived nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted increasing attention in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Lycium barbarum (LB), a popular functional fruit, possesses various biological functions. Here, fat-soluble contents were extracted from LB and further processed into LB lipid-derived NPs (LBLNs). The resultant NPs had an average hydrodynamic diameter around 189.2 nm, narrow size distribution (polydispersity index = 0.2), and negative surface charge (-34.9 mV). Moreover, they could be efficiently taken up by UC therapy-related target cells (macrophages), and over 69.0 % of macrophages internalized LBLNs after 4 h co-incubation. We further found from the in vitro results that LBLNs had strong capacities to inhibit the secretion of the main pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-12) and up-regulate the expression of the typical anti-inflammatory factor (IL-10). Finally, mice experiments confirmed that LBLNs after oral administration could specifically accumulate into inflamed colon tissues, and further attenuate UC-relevant symptoms (e.g., bodyweight loss, colon shortening, increase of spleen weight, and histopathological appearance, as well as ulceration). Collectively, this study demonstrates the excellent therapeutic outcomes of LBLNs against UC and provides a promising edible nanotherapeutic for UC treatment.

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PMID: 

Molecules. 2020 Jan 22 ;25(3). Epub 2020 Jan 22. PMID: 31979068

Abstract Title: 

Effects ofL. Polysaccharides on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Markers in a Pressure Overload-Induced Heart Failure Rat Model.

Abstract: 

Despite recent advances in disease management and prevention, heart failure (HF) prevalence is still high. Hypertension, inflammation and oxidative stress are being investigated as important causative processes in HF.L. polysaccharides (LBPs) are widely used for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of LBPs on inflammation and oxidative stress markers in a pressure overload-induced HF rat model, surgically induced by abdominal aorta banding in Wistar rats (AAB) (= 28). Also, control rats (= 10) were subjected to a sham operation. After echocardiographic confirmation of HF (week 24), AAB rats were divided into three groups: rats treated with LBPs for 12 weeks: 100 mg/kg body weight /day (AAB_100,= 9), 200 mg/kg body weight /day (AAB_200,= 7) and no-treatment group (control AAB,= 12). After 12 weeks of treatment with LBPs, the decline of cardiac function was prevented compared to the control AAB rats. Treatment with 200 mg/kg body weight /day LBPs significantly reduced the inflammation as seen by cytokine levels (IL-6 and TNF-α) and the plasma lipid peroxidation, as seen by malondialdehyde levels. These results suggest that LBPs present anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects with utility in a HF animal model and encourage further investigation of the cardioprotective effects of these polysaccharides.

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PMID: 

Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 Jan 25 ;149:639-650. Epub 2020 Jan 25. PMID: 31991207

Abstract Title: 

Arabinogalactan derived from Lycium barbarum fruit inhibits cancer cell growth via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Abstract: 

Previous studies have shown that crude polysaccharides from the Lycium barbarum fruit could inhibit cancer cell growth, but the major effective constituents are yet to be identified. In this study, we compared the effects of L. barbarum fruit polysaccharide fractions on the growth of hepatoma cells (SMMC-7721 and HepG2), cervical cancer cells (HeLa), gastric carcinoma cells (SGC-7901), and human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). LBGP-I-3 showed stronger inhibitory effects on MCF-7 cells (cell viability of 48.96%) than SMMC-7721 (cell viability of 78.91%) and HeLa cells (cell viability of 55.94%), and had no effect on HepG2 and SGC-7901 cells. In addition, LBGP-I-3 had no inhibitory effect on normal liver cells (L02, cell viability of 115.58%). Investigation of the underlying mechanism suggested that LBGP-I-3 inhibited the growth of cancer cells by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. LBGP-I-3 arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, altered mitochondrial function, activated oxidative stress, and regulated the MAPK signaling pathway to induce apoptosis. Thus, LBGP-I-3 may be a potential functional food ingredient for the prevention of cancer without toxicity to normal cells in vitro. These results could help further elucidate the structure-activity relationship of L. barbarum fruit polysaccharides and functional food development.

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PMID: 

Neural Regen Res. 2020 Aug ;15(8):1526-1531. PMID: 31997818

Abstract Title: 

polysaccharides protects retinal ganglion cells against oxidative stress injury.

Abstract: 

The accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species can exacerbate any injury of retinal tissue because free radicals can trigger lipid peroxidation, protein damage and DNA fragmentation. Increased oxidative stress is associated with the common pathological process of many eye diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and ischemic optic neuropathy. Many studies have demonstrated that Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) protects against oxidative injury in numerous cells and tissues. For the model of hypoxia we used cultured retinal ganglion cells and induced hypoxia by incubating with 200µM cobalt chloride (CoCl) for 24 hours. To investigate the protective effect of LBP and its mechanism of action against oxidative stress injury, the retinal tissue was pretreated with 0.5 mg/mL LBP for 24 hours. The results of flow cytometric analysis showed LBP could effectively reduce the CoCl-induced retinal ganglion cell apoptosis, inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species and the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential. These findings suggested that LBP could protect retinal ganglion cells from CoCl-induced apoptosis by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species.

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PMID: 

Am J Transl Res. 2020 ;12(1):70-89. Epub 2020 Jan 15. PMID: 32051738

Abstract Title: 

Tartary buckwheat extract alleviates alcohol-induced acute and chronic liver injuries through the inhibition of oxidative stress and mitochondrial cell death pathway.

Abstract: 

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is an enormous public health problem that poses significant social, medical, and economic burdens. Under AUD, the liver is one of the most adversely affected organs. As current therapies and protective drugs for AUD-mediated liver injury are very limited, the prevention and therapy of alcoholic liver disease are urgently needed. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of tartary buckwheat extract (TBE), the important component of Maopu tartary buckwheat liquor, on both alcoholic-induced acute and chronic liver injuries. We show that the TBE administration, similar to curcumin, significantly reduces the elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels, improves liver index, alleviates the elevated contents of hepatic malondialdehye, and restores the decreased contents of hepatic glutathione both in acute and chronic liver injuries in alcohol-exposed rats. Furthermore, histopathological analyses show that a medium dose of TBE (16.70 ml/kg body weight) alleviates hepatocyte morphology changes in both acute and chronic alcohol exposure models. We also show the protective effects of TBE on the cell death rates of alcohol-exposed primary cultured hepatocytes, HepG2 hepatoma, and Huh 7 hepatoma cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TBE exerts hepatoprotection partly through inhibiting the mitochondrial cell death pathway by reducing cytochrome c release, caspase-9 and -3 activities, and the number of TUNEL-positive cells. These effects of TBE were accompanied by enhanced levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and autophagic cell death pathway by reducing Beclin-1 expression, as well as through promoting its anti-oxidant capacity by suppressing reactive oxygen species production. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the protective effect of TBE against alcohol-induced acute and chronic liver injuryand. Given the dietary nature of tartary buckwheat, pueraria, lycium barbarum, and hawthorn, the oral intake of TBE or liquor contained TBE,, Maopu Tartary buckwheat liquor, compared with pure liquor consumption alone, may have the potential to alleviate alcoholic-induced liver injuries.

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PMID: 

J Agric Food Chem. 2020 Feb 14. Epub 2020 Feb 14. PMID: 32059104

Abstract Title: 

Phenolic Amides with Immunomodulatory Activity from the Nonpolysaccharide Fraction of Lycium barbarum Fruits.

Abstract: 

The fruits of Lycium barbarum have a long history as an edible and medicinal food in Asian regions and have multiple consumption methods, the polysaccharides (LBPs) are commonly considered as their major immunological constituents. The current study revealed that the total phenolic amide moieties from L. barbarum fruits showed greater potential immunomodulatory activity in vivo than that of LBPs. Though subsequent investigation on the immunological bioactive phenolic amides, three new phenolic amides, lyciumamides L-N (1-3), as well as twelve analogs, were obtained from the total phenolic amide fraction. Extensive spectroscopic methods were used to elucidate the new structures. Compounds 4-6 and 15 significantly promoted LPS-stimulated B splenocyte, while compounds 4-6 displayed accelerative effects on the proliferation of Con A-stimulated T lymphocytes at a concentration of 20.0μg/mL. These data indicated that extracts from L. barbarum fruits enriched with phenolic amides could be developed as a nutritional dietary supplement for immunocompromised individuals.

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PMID: 

Microorganisms. 2019 Dec 28 ;8(1). Epub 2019 Dec 28. PMID: 31905688

Abstract Title: 

The Effect of Encapsulated Powder of Goji Berry () on Growth and Survival of Probiotic Bacteria.

Abstract: 

The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential prebiotic action of Goji berry powder on selected probiotic bacteria grown in a nutritive synthetic substrate and in simulated gastric and intestinal juices. Different probiotic strains ofandwere grown in these substrates with or without the addition of encapsulated goji berry extracts of different polysaccharide and polyphenol contents. The results proved that the addition of the extracts promoted the proliferation of probiotic strains and, in particular, increased the number of bacterial colonies of(Bb),(Bb), andby 2, 0.26, and 1.34 (log cfu/mL), respectively. Furthermore, the prebiotic effect seems to be correlated to Goji berry polysaccharides and/or polyphenols, higher contents of which (under the tested concentrations) could increase the stress tolerance ofandin a simulated gastrointestinal environment. According to the findings of the present research, it can be suggested that the Goji berry encapsulated extracts could be used as prebiotic additives in food or nutraceuticals, in order to stimulate growth or protect the viability of probiotic strains ofand.

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PMID: 

Front Neurol. 2019 ;10:625. Epub 2019 Jun 13. PMID: 31249551

Abstract Title: 

The Efficacy of Ketogenic Diet in 60 Chinese Patients With Dravet Syndrome.

Abstract: 

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ketogenic diet (KD) in patients with Dravet syndrome (DS).60 DS patients receiving treatment of KD for more than 12 weeks from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Modified Johns Hopkins protocol was used to initiate KD. Seizure frequency, electroencephalogram (EEG), cognition, language, and motor function of the patients were assessed. Side effects were monitored and adjusted accordingly. SPSS 23.0 software was used for all statistical analysis.In total, 60 DS patients (34 boys, 26 girls) received treatment of KD for more than 12 weeks, and among them 41 (68.3%) patients remained on the diet for more than 24 weeks, 22 (36.7%) patients for more than 48 weeks. Seizures in 35 patients (58.3%) were reduced by over 50% at 12 weeks, and the KD effect was observed within 2 weeks in most of them. At 24 weeks, 61.1% (25/41) of the patients had a>50% seizure reduction. At 48 weeks, 77.3% (17/22) had an over 50% reduction in their seizure frequency. With the treatment of KD in the 60 DS patients, 10 patients had ever been seizure free for 12 months to 24 months (The median duration was 20 months). In 10 KD-effective patients, the background rhythm of their EEG showed obvious improvement, and interictal epileptic discharges decreased significantly. Cognitive function of 22 patients was improved. Language progressed in 14 patients. Motor function was improved in 13 patients. The efficacy of KD in DS patients did not correlate with the seizure onset age, the starting age of KD treatment, themutation and the numbers of antiepileptic drugs combined with KD treatment. The main adverse reactions of KD in the treatment process were gastrointestinal symptoms and metabolic disorders.KD treatment in DS patients has many advantages, including working rapidly, being effective in more than half of the DS patients and tolerable adverse reactions. Pharmoco-resistant DS patients are suggested to receive KD treatment.

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PMID: 

Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2019 ;11:1758835919853958. Epub 2019 Jun 21. PMID: 31258628

Abstract Title: 

Ketogenic diet treatment as adjuvant to standard treatment of glioblastoma multiforme: a feasibility and safety study.

Abstract: 

Background: High-grade glioma cells consume mainly glucose and cannot compensate for glucose restriction. Apoptosis may potentially occur under carbohydrate restriction by a ketogenic diet (KD). We explored the feasibility and safety of KD during standard treatment of chemoradiation in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.Methods: A full liquid KD induced ketosis within 2 weeks before start of chemoradiation. After 6 weeks, the KD was modified with solid foods and medium-chain-triglyceride emulsions and used for an additional 6 weeks while maintaining ketosis. During the total study period (14 weeks), feasibility, safety, coping (both patient and partner), quality of life (QoL), neurological functioning and impairment were measured. Overall survival was analyzed with actuarial estimates.Results: Eleven patients started the study protocol, nine reached ketosis and six (67%) completed the study. Severe adverse effects did not occur. The majority of coping scores ranged from 3 to 6 on a 10-point scale at all timepoints; QoL, neurological functioning, and impairment did not essentially change over time; overall survival ranged between 9.8 and 19.0 months.Conclusion: KD was feasible and safe as an adjuvant to standard chemoradiation treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. A supportive partner and intensive counseling were essential for coping. Future research should identify possible beneficial effects on overall survival.Clinical trial registration: Netherlands Trial Registry: NTR5167 (registration date 29-01-2015), https://ift.tt/2V5s6yf.

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