A Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Pilot Trial of Rice Endosperm Protein Supplementation in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

In maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, low protein intake is associated with protein-energy wasting, a risk factor that affects outcome. However, increased protein intake may lead to hyperphosphatemia and hyperkalemia, which are also mortality risk factors. Here, we evaluated the safety and effects of purified rice endosperm protein (REP), which contains less phosphorus and potassium than soy and casein proteins, as a supplemental protein source for MHD patients. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot study of REP supplementation (5 g/day × 4 weeks) was carried out in 50 Japanese adult MHD patients (1 dropped out); the primary outcome was the change in the urea kinetic-based normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR), an indicator of protein intake in MHD patients. Intention-to-treat analyses of 24 patients in the REP-first group and 25 in the placebo-first group showed that REP supplementation increased nPCR significantly by 0.07 g/kg/day (95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.11), whereas changes in serum phosphorus and potassium concentrations were not different from the placebo. REP supplementation did not show a significant effect on other nutritional or metabolic parameters and no specific complications. In conclusion, purified REP with efficient bioavailability may be safe and useful for dietary supplementation in MHD patients.

Enhanced antiamyloidal activity of hydroxy cinnamic acids by enzymatic esterification with alkyl alcohols.

Lipophilic derivatives of hydroxyl cinnamic acids (HCAs) including caffeic acid (CA), ferulic acid, sinapic acid (SA), and chlorogenic acid were synthesized by esterification with butanol, octanol, or hexadecanol catalyzed by the lipase from Candida antarctica to investigate the effect of lipophilicity on their antiamyloidal activity assessed by the inhibitory activities toward fibrillization of amyloid ß (Aß) peptide. Among them, CA showed the highest activity at 50 µM, reducing the amyloid fibril formation of Aß to 34.4 ± 6.8%. The antiamyloidal effects of HCAs were enhanced by esterification with alkyl alcohols, and the longer alkyl chain tended to be more effective except for SA. Aß fibril formation was suppressed by the hexadecyl ester of CA, which was reduced to 8.8 ± 2.3%. In contrast, those of octyl and butyl esters were 19.3 ± 2.3% and 41.6 ± 6.1%, respectively. These results show that lipophilicity plays an important role in the antiamyloidal activities of esterified phenolic compounds.