Association of coexistence of frailty and depressive symptoms with mortality in community-dwelling older adults: Kashiwa Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the longitudinal associations of the coexistence of frailty and depressive symptoms with mortality among older adults. METHODS: The study participants were community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years who participated in the baseline survey of the Kashiwa Cohort Study in Japan in 2012. We used Fried's frailty phenotype criteria to classify participants as non-frail (score = 0), pre-frail (1 or 2), or frail (≥3). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the GDS-15 (≥6 points). Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of co-occurring frailty and depressive symptoms with all-cause mortality, after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The study included 1920 participants, including 810 non-frail, 921 pre-frail, and 189 frail older adults, of which 9.0 %, 15.7 %, and 36.0 %, respectively, had depressive symptoms. Ninety-one (4.7 %) participants died during the average follow-up period of 4.8 years. Compared with non-frail participants without depressive symptoms, frail participants had greater adjusted hazard ratios for mortality: 2.47 (95 % CI, 1.16 to 5.25) for frail participants without depressive symptoms and 4.34 (95 % CI, 1.95 to 9.65) for frail participants with depressive symptoms. However, no statistically significant associations were observed in non-frail or pre-frail participants irrespective of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Frail older adults with depressive symptoms have a substantially greater risk of mortality. Screening for depressive symptoms and frailty in older adults should be incorporated into health checkups and clinical practice to identify high-risk populations.

Relationship between a gum-chewing routine and oral, physical, and cognitive functions of community-dwelling older adults: A Kashiwa cohort study.

AIM: As associations between oral function and general health have been reported in community-dwelling older adults, easily implementable preventive measures are urgently required. We focused on the health benefits of gum chewing, as no studies have been carried out on the impact of gum-chewing routines on the health of older adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether the gum-chewing routine is associated with oral, physical and cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This study included 1617 community-dwelling older participants in a health survey carried out in 2021. The gum-chewing routine and weekly chewing time were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The outcome measures, including actual measurements of oral function, physical function, cognitive function, dietary intake and lifestyle, were evaluated using self-administered questionnaires or health surveys. RESULTS: We analyzed 1474 (mean age 76.1 ± 5.8 years, 45% women) participants for whom all data were not missing, and 14% of them had a gum-chewing routine for more than 30 min weekly. Oral functions were significantly higher in older adults with a gum-chewing routine, and there were substantially fewer participants with oral frailty (adjusted odds ratio 0.581, 95% confidence interval 0.340-0.993). Additionally, cognitive and physical functions, including grip strength, were significantly higher in the gum-chewing routine group. CONCLUSIONS: Community-dwelling older adults with a gum-chewing routine have higher oral, physical and cognitive functions. These findings indicate that a gum-chewing routine might contribute to maintaining oral function and preventing frailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 68-74.

Integrated effects of nutrition-related, physical, and social factors on frailty among community-dwelling older adults: A 7-year follow-up from the Kashiwa cohort study.

AIM: To investigate the impact of nutrition-related, physical, and social factors as well as their transitions on frailty over a 7-year follow-up period among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Participants were 868 non-frail older adults. Frailty was assessed using the Cardiovascular Health Study index. Nutrition-related, physical, and social factors have been defined in our previous study. Cox regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association between the three factors at baseline and new-onset frailty during a 7-year follow-up period. Furthermore, transitions in the three factors over two/three consecutive years and their association with frailty were investigated using lagged generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.8 ± 4.8 years (women, 47.0%), and the incidence of frailty was 12.5% during the 7-year follow-up period. Compared with participants who met the three factors' criteria at baseline, those who met two, one, and none showed associations with greater adjusted hazard ratios of new-onset frailty (1.73, 95% confidence interval 0.87-3.42; 2.04 [1.01-4.12]; and 5.69 [2.82-11.47]). Generalized estimating equation analysis showed that, compared with older adults who maintained all the three criteria met, those who improved the quantity of criteria met, who maintained the less than three criteria met, and who decreased the quantity of criteria met showed (marginally) significant associations with greater adjusted odds ratios of frailty (2.86 [0.88-9.31], 3.70 [1.10-12.45], and 4.75 [1.42-15.85]). CONCLUSIONS: Practicing and maintaining all three factors in daily life are crucial for frailty prevention. Future research should explore strategies to motivate behavioral modifications in these factors at the population level. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 162-169.

Validity of a simple self-reported questionnaire "Eleven-Check" for screening of frailty in Japanese community-dwelling older adults: Kashiwa cohort study.

PURPOSE: Frailty was indicated to be closely related to older adults' lifestyles, especially in nutrition-related factors (such as balanced diet and oral functions), physical factors, and social factors in our previous study. Here, we developed an "Eleven-Check" (EC) questionnaire containing the aforementioned three factors. This study tested whether the EC questionnaire can estimate frailty in community-dwelling older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample comprised 1,523 independent older adults. The primary outcome of frailty was assessed using the Cardiovascular Health Study index. The secondary outcome of sarcopenia was assessed by the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019. The EC questionnaire comprised 11 dichotomous factors related to nutrition-related (diet and oral functions), physical, and social factors. RESULTS: Frailty prevalence was 8.5 % (76.1 ± 5.8y, 45.1 % women). The accuracy of the EC questionnaire for frailty was optimal when the total scores of 4/5 were used as the threshold. Compared to the low-risk group (<5), the high-risk group (≥5) had a significant association between frailty with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 4.68 (95 %CI, 3.10-7.05). Moreover, the high-risk group also had a significant association with sarcopenia, with an aOR of 1.82 (1.27-2.61). CONCLUSIONS: For community-dwelling older adults, the EC questionnaire was able to simply screen frailty and sarcopenia status. Further, it might raise older adults' self-awareness from a multifaceted perspective in their daily life to prevent steady decline and frailty sustainably in a community setting.

Impact of the anti-inflammatory diet on serum high-sensitivity C-Reactive protein and new-onset frailty in community-dwelling older adults: A 7-year follow-up of the Kashiwa cohort study.

AIM: Chronic inflammation is a pathophysiological cause of age-related diseases, including frailty. Although diet is a determinant of inflammation, few prospective studies have investigated its role in frailty onset. This study used the dietary inflammatory index to investigate whether a proinflammatory diet affects the incidence of frailty in a 7-year follow-up of older Japanese adults. METHODS: We enrolled community-dwelling older adults without frailty from the 2014 Kashiwa cohort study. Energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) scores were calculated using a brief self-administered diet history questionnaire. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured by immunoassays. Frailty was defined as meeting three of Fried's five phenotypic criteria. Cox regression was used to analyze associations between E-DII scores and new-onset frailty after adjusting for relevant confounders. RESULTS: Overall, 95 (11.7%) of 811 participants (73.7 ± 4.8 years, women 47.3%) developed new-onset frailty during the 7-year follow-up. The baseline E-DII scores significantly correlated with log-hsCRP levels, even after adjustment (ß = 0.075, P = 0.035). The highest tertile of E-DII scores (proinflammatory diet) showed a 2.03 times (95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.36) higher risk of new-onset frailty than that associated with the lowest tertile (P = 0.006). When E-DII was calculated on the basis of anti-inflammatory food parameters only, the highest tertile showed a 2.32 times (95% confidence interval, 1.36-3.95) higher risk than that associated with the lowest tertile (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: E-DII scores significantly correlated with serum hsCRP levels. High E-DII scores caused by low intake of anti-inflammatory foods are associated with frailty incidence. For community-dwelling older adults, dietary interventions that lower E-DII scores (e.g., encouraging dietary fiber intake) may help prevent frailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 189-195.

The Co-Design/Co-Development and Evaluation of an Online Frailty Check Application for Older Adults: Participatory Action Research with Older Adults.

Frailty is an age-related condition characterized by a decline in physical capacity with an increased vulnerability to stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was considerable progression in frailty in older adults. Therefore, an online frailty check (FC) is required for continuous screening, especially acceptable to older adults. We aimed to co-design/co-develop an online FC application with FC supporters who were facilitators in a pre-existing onsite FC program in the community. It consisted of a self-assessment of sarcopenia and an 11-item questionnaire assessing dietary, physical, and social behaviors. Opinions obtained from FC supporters (median 74.0 years) were categorized and implemented. The usability was assessed using the system usability scale (SUS). For both FC supporters and participants (n = 43), the mean score was 70.2 ± 10.3 points, which implied a "marginally high" acceptability and a "good" adjective range. Multiple regression analysis showed that the SUS score was significantly correlated with onsite-online reliability, even after adjusting for age, sex, education level, and ICT proficiency (b = 0.400, 95% CI: 0.243-1.951, p = 0.013). We also validated the online FC score, which showed a significant association between onsite and online FC scores (R = 0.670, p = 0.001). In conclusion, the online FC application is an acceptable and reliable tool to check frailty for community-dwelling older adults.

Effects of Turmeric Extract on Age-Related Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Senescence-Accelerated Mice.

Muscle atrophy is one of the main causes of sarcopenia-the age-related loss of skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated the effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa) extract (TE) supplementation on age-related muscle atrophy in a senescence-accelerated mouse model and explored the underlying mechanisms. Twenty-six-week-old male, senescence-accelerated mouse resistant (SAMR) mice received the AIN-93G basal diet, while twenty-six-week-old male, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice received the AIN-93G basal diet or a 2% TE powder-supplemented diet for ten weeks. Our findings revealed that TE supplementation showed certain effects on ameliorating the decrease in body weight, tibialis anterior weight, and mesenteric fat tissue weight in SAMP8 mice. TE improved gene expression in the glucocorticoid receptor-FoxO signaling pathway in skeletal muscle, including redd1, klf15, foxo1, murf1, and mafbx. Furthermore, TE might have the certain potential on improving the dynamic balance between anabolic and catabolic processes by inhibiting the binding of glucocorticoid receptor or FoxO1 to the glucocorticoid response element or FoxO-binding element in the MuRF1 promoter in skeletal muscle, thereby promoting muscle mass and strength, and preventing muscle atrophy and sarcopenia prevention. Moreover, TE may have reduced mitochondrial damage and maintained cell growth and division by downregulating the mRNA expression of the genes mfn2 and tsc2. Thus, the results indicated TE's potential for preventing age-related muscle atrophy and sarcopenia.

Predictive validity of the Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old for functional disability: Using the National Health Insurance Database System.

AIM: To enhance health services that can address multifaceted issues, the Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old (QMCOO) was strategically developed to ascertain frailty status. Using the National Health Insurance database system, we aimed to clarify whether the QMCOO can predict new certifications for long-term care for disabilities. METHOD: Of 20 151 adults aged ≥75 years who underwent health checkups in Kashiwa City, Japan, in fiscal year 2020 (examination rate 36.8%), 18 130 persons were included (mean age 80.1 ± 4.1 years, 55.1% women). The outcome was the new certification of long-term care until January 2022. From the medical care receipt data, QMCOO, age, sex, living arrangement, body mass index, comorbidity, and musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases were evaluated. RESULT: During the follow-up period, 727 (4.0%) participants had an incident disability (median follow up 457 days [quartile range 408-519 days]). The QMCOO's predictive accuracy for new long-term care needs was optimal when the total score of 3/4 was used as the threshold. Older adults with scores ≥4 had a higher adjusted hazard ratio for incident disability (adjusted hazard ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 2.1-2.9). Furthermore, the adjusted hazard ratio was greatly enhanced with comorbidity (6.6, 95% confidence interval 4.8-8.9). CONCLUSION: The QMCOO, which reflects multifaceted frailty, might be predictive of incident disability, and its predictive accuracy could be improved by considering comorbidities. The comprehensive QMCOO could contribute to extending healthy life expectancy through efficiently assessing health care and preventing long-term care, even among the old-old in the latter stage who tended to suffer from multimorbidity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 124-130.

Associations of Nutrition-Related, Physical, and Social Factors and Their Combinations with Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Kashiwa Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is a major cause of frailty, which relates to nutrition-related, physical, and social factors. In this study, we aimed to discuss the cross-sectional association of sarcopenia with the above three factors both individually and comprehensively. METHODS: Overall, 1257 older adults (≥65 years old) participated in this study. Sarcopenia was determined via the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. The independent variables for nutrition-related, physical, and social factors and especially their criteria for health condition were defined separately. Binomial logistic regression analysis was carried out to testify the associations of sarcopenia with three factors individually and in combination. RESULTS: The mean age was 74.6 (±5.5), and women were 47.7%. Sarcopenia prevalence was 7.5%. Participants who did not meet the criteria of nutritional health, physical fitness, or social robustness independently had significant associations with a higher adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of sarcopenia or its indices of lower grip strength, muscle mass, or gait speed. In comparison to participants meeting three criteria, those who met two, one, or none showed (marginally) significant association with increased aOR for sarcopenia (aOR (95% confidence interval)): two: 1.97 (0.84-4.64); one: 2.35 (1.00-5.23); none: 5.52 (2.30-13.23). CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive countermeasures with the above three factors are indispensable for sarcopenia prevention.

Dietary Eggshell Membrane Powder Improves Survival Rate and Ameliorates Gut Dysbiosis in Interleukin-10 Knockout Mice.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is known to be associated with compositional and metabolic changes in the gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dietary eggshell membrane (ESM) improves survival rate or ameliorates gut dysbiosis in a spontaneous IBD model of interleukin-10 knockout (IL10-/-) mice. Female C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and IL10-/- mice (KO) were fed an AIN-93G basal diet or an ESM diet (KOE) for 19 weeks. Gut microbiota profiles were analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing, and short-chain fatty acids in cecal content were analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography. The results demonstrated that ESM supplementation significantly improved the survival rate and body composition in KO mice. Alpha diversity analysis of the microbiota revealed that ESM supplementation significantly increased gut microbial diversity, which was decreased in IL10-/- mice. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was recovered to a normal level by ESM supplementation, suggesting that ESM helps maintain the compositional balance of the gut microbiota. ESM increased relative abundance of commensal bacterial Ruminococcus and Bacteroidales S24-7 and reduced the abundance of the proinflammatory-related bacterium, Enterobacteriaceae. Additionally, ESM supplementation promoted the production of butyrate in cecal contents and downregulated the expression of proinflammatory genes, including interleukin-1ß (Il-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnf-α) in IL10-/- mice colon, indicating anti-inflammatory functions. These findings suggest that ESM may be used as a beneficial dietary intervention for IBD.

Eggshell membrane modulates gut microbiota to prevent murine pre-cachexia through suppression of T helper cell differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Cachexia is a life-threatening condition observed in several pathologies, such as cancer or chronic diseases. Interleukin 10 (Il10) gene transfer is known to improve cachexia by downregulating Il6. Here, we used an IL10-knockout mouse model to simulate cachexia and investigate the effects of eggshell membrane (ESM), a resistant protein, on general pre-cachexia symptoms, which is particularly important for the development of cachexia therapeutics. METHODS: Five-week-old male C57BL6/J mice were fed an AIN-93G powdered diet (WT), and 5-week-old male B6.129P2-Il10 < tm1Cgn>/J (IL10-/- ) mice were fed either the AIN-93G diet (KO) or an 8% ESM-containing diet (KOE) for 28 weeks. The tissue weight and levels of anaemia-, blood glucose-, lipid metabolism-, and muscular and colonic inflammation-related biochemical markers were measured. Transcriptomic analysis on liver and colon mucus and proteomic analysis on skeletal muscle were performed. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used to identify molecular pathways and networks. Caecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were identified using HPLC, and caecal bacteria DNA were subjected to metagenomic analysis. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to measure the CD4+ IL17+ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes. RESULTS: The body weight, weight of gastrocnemius muscle and fat tissues, colon weight/length ratio, plasma HDL and NEFA, muscular PECAM-1 levels (P < 0.01), plasma glucose and colonic mucosal myeloperoxidase activity (P < 0.05) and T helper (Th) 17 cell abundance (P = 0.071) were improved in KOE mice over KO mice. Proteomic analysis indicated the protective role of ESM in muscle weakness and maintenance of muscle formation (>1.5-fold). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ESM supplementation suppressed the LPS/IL1-mediated inhibition of RXR function pathway in the liver and downregulated the colonic mucosal expression of chemokines and Th cell differentiation-related markers (P < 0.01) by suppressing the upstream BATF pathway. Analysis of the intestinal microenvironment revealed that ESM supplementation ameliorated the microbial alpha diversity and the abundance of microbiota associated with the degree of inflammation (P < 0.05) and increased the level of total organic acids, particularly of SCFAs such as butyrate (2.3-fold), which could inhibit Th1 and Th17 production. CONCLUSIONS: ESM supplementation ameliorated the chief symptoms of cachexia, including anorexia, lean fat tissue mass, skeletal muscle wasting and reduced physical function. ESM also improved colon and skeletal muscle inflammation, lipid metabolism and microbial dysbiosis. These results along with the suppressed differentiation of Th cells could be associated with the beneficial intestinal microenvironment and, subsequently, attenuation of pre-cachexia. Our findings provide insights into the potential of ESM in complementary interventions for pre-cachexia prevention.

Associations of multi-faceted factors and their combinations with frailty in Japanese community-dwelling older adults: Kashiwa cohort study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the cross-sectional associations of nutrition-related, physical, and social factors and their combinations with frailty in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The participants in this study were 1,161 adults (≥ 65 years). The outcome was frailty severity as assessed by the Cardiovascular Health Study index (score 0: no-frailty, score 1-2: pre-frailty, score ≥ 3: frailty). The independent variables included nutrition-related factors comprising a balanced diet and oral functions, physical factors including exercise habits and awareness of physical function, and social factors including social organizational participation, social support, and social networks. According to the quantity of factors the participants met, four groups were divided. An ordinal logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between frailty severity and the three factors individually and comprehensively. RESULTS: The mean age was 74.6 (±5.4) and the women is 47.8%. 47.7% and 8.7% of participants had pre-frailty or frailty respectively. Meeting no nutrition-related, physical, or social factors individually showed significantly associated with greater adjusted odds ratio (aORs) of frailty severity [aORs (95% confidence interval)]: nutrition-related factors: 1.58 [1.25-2.01]; physical factors: 2.53 [1.98-3.22]; social factors: 1.52 [1.19-1.93]. Referred to participants who met three factors, participants who met two, one, or none showed significantly associated with increased aORs of frailty severity: two: 1.88 [1.34-2.65]; one: 2.97 [2.09-4.23]; none: 7.52 [4.87-11.62]. CONCLUSION: Meeting no nutrition-related, physical, or social factors individually showed higher risk of being (pre-)frailty. Meeting three factors showed lowest risk of being (pre-)frailty and this risk increased with the quantity decreasing of met factors.

Impact of social engagement on the development of sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults: A Kashiwa cohort study.

AIM: How older adults develop sarcopenia in the community setting is unclear. Focusing on social engagement, we aimed to validate our hypothesized model of sarcopenia development with various contributing factors, such as physical activity, oral function, psychological status and nutritional status. We also clarified direct and indirect effects of social engagement, physical activity, nutritional status, oral function and psychological status on new-onset sarcopenia. METHODS: We analyzed 1483 participants' (72.6 ± 5.4 years) longitudinal data from the Kashiwa study. Sarcopenia was assessed in all the surveys in the Kashiwa study. Measures regarding social engagement, physical activity, oral function, psychological status and nutritional status were assessed at baseline. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the efficiency of the hypothesized model, and calculate direct and indirect effects of factors affecting new-onset sarcopenia. RESULTS: Over the follow-up period (median 6 years [interquartile range 4-6 years]), 12% of individuals developed new-onset sarcopenia. Our structural hypothesis model starting from social engagement to new-onset sarcopenia was suitable (root mean square error of approximation = 0.031, goodness-of-fit index = 0.967, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.954, comparative fix index = 0.911, parsimonious comparative fit index = 0.755; all paths were significant), showing direct effects of social engagement on psychological status, physical activity and oral function, and indirect effects on nutritional status through oral function and psychological status. CONCLUSIONS: The present results showed that social engagement could potentially decrease new-onset sarcopenia risks by influencing multidimensional factors, such as physical activity, oral function, and psychological and nutritional status. To prevent sarcopenia, it might be essential to promote social engagement through populational approaches. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 384-391.

Zeolite-containing mixture alleviates microbial dysbiosis in dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial immunomodulatory disorder. In relative nosogenesis, gut microbiota has been the focus of research on IBD. In our previous study, we demonstrated the ameliorating effect of zeolite-containing mixture (Hydryeast®, HY) on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis, through transcriptomics and proteomics. In the present study, we performed further investigation from the perspective of metagenomics using the gut microbiota. C57BL6 mice were provided an AIN-93G basal diet or a 0.8% HY-containing diet, and sterilized tap water for 11 days. Thereafter, colitis was induced by providing 1.5% (w/v) DSS-containing water for 9 days. DNA was extracted from the cecal contents and pooled into libraries in a single Illumina MiSeq run. The resulting sequences were analyzed using Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) software. According to the alterations in the relative abundance of certain bacteria, and the related gene and protein expressions, HY supplementation could improve the gut microbiota composition, ameliorate the degree of inflammation, inhibit the colonic mucosal microbial growth, and, to some extent, promote energy metabolism in the colon compared with the DSS treatment. Thus, we believe that HY may be a candidate to prevent and treat IBD.

Eggshell membrane powder lowers plasma triglyceride and liver total cholesterol by modulating gut microbiota and accelerating lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Obesity is a major global lifestyle disorder associated with gut microbiota. The health benefits of eggshell membrane (ESM) have been shown in previous reports, particularly as regards gut microbiota composition. Here, we investigated whether ESM improves lipid metabolism and alters gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice. A total of 20 C57BL/6J mice aged 6 weeks were given either a control diet (CON), high-fat diet (HFD), or high-fat diet + 8% ESM powder (HESM) for 20 weeks. ESM supplementation in HFD-fed mice reduced plasma triglycerides (TG) and liver total cholesterol (TC) and upregulated the expression of lipid metabolism genes carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and suppressor of cytokine signaling 2. Microbiota analysis showed increased relative abundance of the anti-obesity bacterium, Lactobacillus reuteri, at 4, 12, and 16 weeks and reduced the abundance of inflammation-related Blautia hydrogenotrophica, Roseburia faecis, and Ruminococcus callidus at 12 and 20 weeks. ESM-supplemented mice had increased cecal isobutyrate, negatively correlated with B. hydrogenotrophica and Parabacteroides goldsteinii abundance. The results indicate that ESM supplementation in HFD-fed mice reduced plasma TG and liver TC, possibly through alteration of lipid metabolism gene expression and gut microbiota composition, suggesting that ESM may be effective in obesity management.

Integrated omics profiling of dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitic mice supplemented with Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum).

We used a multi-omics profiling approach to investigate the suppressive effects of 2% Wolfberry (WOL)-enriched diets on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. It was observed that in mice fed the WOL diet, the disease activity index, colon shortening, plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-3 and relative mesenteric fat weight were significantly improved as compared to the DSS group. Results from colon transcriptome and proteome profiles showed that WOL supplementation significantly ameliorated the expression of genes and proteins associated with the integrity of the colonic mucosal wall and colonic inflammation. Based on the hepatic transcriptome, proteome and metabolome data, genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, proteins involved in inflammation and metabolites related to glycolysis were downregulated in WOL mice, leading to lowered inflammation and changes in these molecules may have led to improvement in body weight loss. The integrated nutrigenomic approach thus revealed the molecular mechanisms underlying the ameliorative effect of whole WOL fruit consumption on inflammatory bowel disease.

Zeolite-Containing Mixture Supplementation Ameliorated Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Mice by Suppressing the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathway and Improving Apoptosis in Colon Mucosa.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is induced by multiple environmental factors, and there is still no known treatment capable of curing the disease completely. We propose a zeolite-containing mixture (Hydryeast®, HY)-a multi-component nutraceutical of which the main ingredients are Azumaceramics (mixture of zeolite and oyster shell burned under high temperature), citric acid, red rice yeast (monascus) and calcium stearate-as a nutraceutical intervention in IBD to ameliorate dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. We show the mechanism through integrated omics using transcriptomics and proteomics. C57BL6 mice were given an AIN-93G basal diet or a 0.8% HY containing diet and sterilized tap water for 11 days. Colitis was then induced by 1.5% (w/v) DSS-containing water for 9 days. HY fed mice showed significantly improved disease activity index and colon length compared to DSS mice. Colonic mucosa microarray analysis plus RT-PCR results indicate HY supplementation may ameliorate inflammation by inhibiting the intestinal inflammatory pathway and suppress apoptosis by curbing the expression of genes like tumor protein 53 and epidermal growth factor receptor and by upregulating epithelial protection-related proteins such as epithelial cell adhesion molecule and tenascin C, thus maintaining mucosal immune homeostasis and epithelial integrity, mirroring the proteome analysis results. HY appears to have a suppressive effect on colitis.