Rutin and Quercetin Decrease Cholesterol in HepG2 Cells but Not Plasma Cholesterol in Hamsters by Oral Administration.

Rutin (R) and quercetin (Q) are two widespread dietary flavonoids. Previous studies regarding the plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of R and Q generated inconsistent results. The present study was therefore carried out to investigate the effects of R and Q on cholesterol metabolism in both HepG2 cells and hypercholesterolemia hamsters. Results from HepG2 cell experiments demonstrate that both R and Q decreased cholesterol at doses of 5 and 10 µM. R and Q up-regulated both the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα). The immunofluorescence study revealed that R and Q increased the LDLR expression, while only Q improved LDL-C uptake in HepG2 cells. Results from hypercholesterolemia hamsters fed diets containing R (5.5 g/kg diet) and Q (2.5 g/kg diet) for 8 weeks demonstrate that both R and Q had no effect on plasma total cholesterol. In the liver, only Q reduced cholesterol significantly. The discrepancy between the in vitro and in vivo studies was probably due to a poor bioavailability of flavonoids in the intestine. It was therefore concluded that R and Q were effective in reducing cholesterol in HepG2 cells in vitro, whereas in vivo, the oral administration of the two flavonoids had little effect on plasma cholesterol in hamsters.

Cholesterol-Lowering Activity of Tartary Buckwheat Protein.

Previous research has shown that Tartary buckwheat flour is capable of reducing plasma cholesterol. The present study was to examine the effect of rutin and Tartary buckwheat protein on plasma total cholesterol (TC) in hypercholesterolemia hamsters. In the first animal experiment, 40 male hamsters were divided into four groups fed either the control diet or one of the three experimental diets containing 8.2 mmol rutin, 8.2 mmol quercetin, or 2.5 g kg-1 cholestyramine, respectively. Results showed that only cholestyramine but not rutin and its aglycone quercetin decreased plasma TC, which suggested that rutin was not the active ingredient responsible for plasma TC-lowering activity of Tartary buckwheat flour. In the second animal experiment, 45 male hamsters were divided into five groups fed either the control diet or one of the four experimental diets containing 24% Tartary buckwheat protein, 24% rice protein, 24% wheat protein, or 5 g kg-1 cholestyramine, respectively. Tartary buckwheat protein reduced plasma TC more effectively than cholestyramine (45% versus 37%), while rice and wheat proteins only reduced plasma TC by 10-13%. Tartary buckwheat protein caused 108% increase in the fecal excretion of total neutral sterols and 263% increase in the fecal excretion of total acidic sterols. real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analyses showed that Tartary buckwheat protein affected the gene expression of intestinal Niemann-Pick C1-like protein 1 (NPC1L1), acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), and ATP binding cassette transporters 5 and 8 (ABCG5/8) in a down trend, whereas it increased the gene expression of hepatic cholesterol-7α -hydroxylase (CYP7A1). It was concluded that Tartary buckwheat protein was at least one of the active ingredients in Tartary buckwheat flour to lower plasma TC, mainly mediated by enhancing the excretion of bile acids via up-regulation of hepatic CYP7A1 and also by inhibiting the absorption of dietary cholesterol via down-regulation on intestinal NPC1L1, ACAT2 and ABCG5/8.

Purple sweet potato anthocyanin attenuates fat-induced mortality in Drosophila melanogaster.

A high fat diet induces the accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides (LPO), accelerates the ageing process and causes a greater mortality in Drosophila melanogaster. Purple sweet potato is rich in antioxidant anthocyanin. The purpose of the present study was to examine if supplementation of purple sweet potato anthocyanin (PSPA) could reduce the mortality of fruit flies fed a high-fat diet. Results showed that the mean lifespan of fruit flies was shortened from 56 to 35days in a dose-dependent manner when lard in the diet increased from 0% to 20%. PSPA supplementation partially attenuated the lard-induced mortality. The maximum lifespan and 50% survival time were 49 and 27days, respectively, for the 10% lard control flies, in contrast, these parameters increased to 57 and 30days in the PSPA-supplemented fruit flies. Similarly, addition of lard into diet increased the total body LPO, while addition of PSPA partially attenuated its increase. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that PSPA-supplemented diet significantly up-regulated the mRNA of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and Rpn11, compared with the control lard diet. The western blot analysis also demonstrated that PSPA supplementation was associated with up-regulation protein mass of SOD1, SOD2, and CAT. In addition, PSPA supplementation could restore the climbing ability of fruit flies fed a 10% lard diet. We could conclude that the lifespan-prolonging activity of PSPA was potentially mediated by modulating the genes of SOD, CAT and Rpn11.

Cranberry anthocyanin extract prolongs lifespan of fruit flies.

Cranberry is an excellent source of dietary antioxidants. The present study investigated the effect of cranberry anthocyanin (CrA) extract on the lifespan of fruit flies with focus on its interaction with aging-related genes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), methuselah (MTH), insulin receptor (InR), target of rapamycin (TOR), hemipterus (Hep), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). Results showed that diet containing 20mg/mL CrA could significantly prolong the mean lifespan of fruit flies by 10% compared with the control diet. This was accompanied by up-regulation of SOD1 and down-regulation of MTH, InR, TOR and PEPCK. The stress resistance test demonstrated that CrA could reduce the mortality rate induced by H2O2 but not by paraquat. It was therefore concluded that the lifespan-prolonging activity of CrA was most likely mediated by modulating the genes of SOD1, MTH, InR, TOR and PEPCK.

Cholesterol side chain analogs but not its ether analogs possess cholesterol-lowering activity.

Cholesterol analogs can be used to treat hypercholesterolemia. The present study was to test the effects of cholesteryl 3ß-ethoxy (CE) and cholesteryl 3ß-methoxy (CM) on plasma total cholesterol (TC) compared with that of ß-sitosterol (SI) in hamsters fed a high cholesterol diet. CM and CE are the methoxy and ethoxy analogs of cholesterol while SI is an analog of cholesterol having an additional ethyl group on the side chain. Results showed that SI at a dose of 0.1% could effectively reduce plasma TC by 18%. The analysis of sterols in the plasma and liver did not detect the presence of SI, proving that it was poorly absorbed in the intestine. In contrast, both CE and CM had no effect on plasma TC. However, CE and CM were found to accumulate in both plasma and liver, indicating that they could be well absorbed in the intestine. It was therefore concluded that analogs having different side chains possessed plasma TC-lowering activity, while analogs or derivatives on the hydroxyl group had no hypocholesterolemic activity.

Plasma cholesterol-raising potency of dietary free cholesterol versus cholesteryl ester and effect of ß-sitosterol.

The present study (i) compared plasma cholesterol-raising activity of free cholesterol (FC) with that of cholesteryl palmitate (CP) and (ii) examined plasma cholesterol-reducing activity of ß-sitosterol in FC-induced and CP-induced hypercholesterolemia. Male hamsters were divided into five groups and fed one of the five diets containing no cholesterol (NC), 2.6mmol cholesterol (C), 2.6mmol cholesterol plus 2.6mmol ß-sitosterol (C+S), 2.6mmol cholesteryl palmitate (CP), and 2.6mmol CP plus 2.6mmol ß-sitosterol (CP+S), respectively, for 8weeks. Hamsters fed diet C had plasma TC of 317.5mg/dl whereas hamsters fed diet CP has plasma TC of 281.3mg/dl. ß-Sitosterol reduced plasma TC by 17.4% and 11.6%, respectively, in FC-induced and CP-induced hypercholesterolemia (not significant). It was concluded that plasma cholesterol-raising activity of dietary cholesterol was a function of its chemical forms in diet, and ß-sitosterol could similarly suppress the hypercholesterolemia induced by both dietary FC and CP.

Plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of gingerol- and shogaol-enriched extract is mediated by increasing sterol excretion.

The present study investigated the cholesterol-lowering activity of gingerol- and shogaol-enriched ginger extract (GSE). Thirty hamsters were divided into three groups and fed the control diet or one of the two experimental diets containing 0.5 and 1.0% GSE. Plasma total cholesterol, liver cholesterol, and aorta atherosclerotic plaque were dose-dependently decreased with increasing amounts of GSE added into diets. The fecal sterol analysis showed dietary GSE increased the excretion of both neutral and acidic sterols in a dose-dependent manner. GSE down-regulated the mRNA levels of intestinal Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 protein (NPC1L1), acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), microsomal triacylglycerol transport protein (MTP), and ATP binding cassette transporter 5 (ABCG5), whereas it up-regulated hepatic cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1). It was concluded that beneficial modification of the lipoprotein profile by dietary GSE was mediated by enhancing excretion of fecal cholesterol and bile acids via up-regulation of hepatic CYP7A1 and down-regulation of mRNA of intestinal NPC1L1, ACAT2, and MTP.

Biology of ageing and role of dietary antioxidants.

Interest in relationship between diet and ageing is growing. Research has shown that dietary calorie restriction and some antioxidants extend lifespan in various ageing models. On the one hand, oxygen is essential to aerobic organisms because it is a final electron acceptor in mitochondria. On the other hand, oxygen is harmful because it can continuously generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are believed to be the factors causing ageing of an organism. To remove these ROS in cells, aerobic organisms possess an antioxidant defense system which consists of a series of enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR). In addition, dietary antioxidants including ascorbic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, α-tocopherol, and plant flavonoids are also able to scavenge ROS in cells and therefore theoretically can extend the lifespan of organisms. In this connection, various antioxidants including tea catechins, theaflavins, apple polyphenols, black rice anthocyanins, and blueberry polyphenols have been shown to be capable of extending the lifespan of fruit flies. The purpose of this review is to brief the literature on modern biological theories of ageing and role of dietary antioxidants in ageing as well as underlying mechanisms by which antioxidants can prolong the lifespan with focus on fruit flies as an model.

Black tea theaflavins extend the lifespan of fruit flies.

Black tea extract (BTE) is a mixture of epicatechins and theaflavins. The present study investigated the effect of BTE on the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. Results showed the mean lifespan was significantly extended from 51 to 56days upon BTE treatment. Gene expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD1 and SOD2), catalase (CAT), and methuselah (MTH) was characterized by an increase in young and then a decrease in aged fruit flies. Higher gene expression of SOD1 and CAT was observed in the BTE-treated group than the control flies. However, BTE exerted a minimal effect on the expression of SOD2 and MTH genes. Dietary fat could induce oxidative stress and shorten the maximum lifespan to 15days, while addition of 10mg/ml BTE into diet extended it to 28days. Paraquat and H(2)O(2) challenge tests demonstrated that BTE prolonged the survival time only for Oregon-R wild type flies but not for SOD(n108) or Cat(n1) mutants. This suggests that the lifespan-prolonging activity of BTE is mediated at least in part through SOD and CAT.

Green tea catechins and broccoli reduce fat-induced mortality in Drosophila melanogaster.

Dietary fat accelerates the ageing process and causes a greater mortality by accumulating lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) in Drosophila melanogaster. The present study found that the life span of D. melanogaster was shortened from 54 to 6 days in a dose-dependent manner when fat in diet increased from 0% to 25%. The results showed that supplementation of both green tea catechins (GTC) and broccoli extract (BE) reversed partially the fat-induced mortality. The maximum life span was 44 days for the control group fed with a 5% fat, whereas it increased to 50 and 59 days in the GTC- and BE-supplemented groups, respectively. The 50% survival time for the control flies fed with a 5% fat diet was 30 days. In contrast, it increased to 32 and 48 days when GTC and BE were supplemented in the diet. This was consistent with a significant reduction in total body LPO level in D. melanogaster maintained on the GTC- and BE-supplemented diet. Accordingly, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increased significantly in the flies fed with a GTC or a BE diet compared with those fed with a control 5% fat diet. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the increase in enzymatic activities of catalase and SOD was accompanied by up-regulation of genes for catalase, copper-zinc containing SOD and manganese-containing SOD. It was concluded that GTC and BE reversed the fat-induced mortality in D. melanogaster, most likely but necessarily solely, by up-regulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes.