Impacts of microwave-assisted extraction parameters on total phenolic compounds yield from Algerian Moringa oleifera leaves, using response surface methodology.

The study aimed to optimise the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of total phenolic compounds (TPC) from Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken designs (BBD). Factors such as ethanol concentration, microwave power, irradiation time, and solvent to solid ratio were assessed in single-factor tests. Under optimal extraction conditions (48.86% ethanol, 626.53 W microwave power, 99.48 s irradiation, 29.67 mL/g solvent to solid ratio and 21.12 W/mL power density), TPC was 58.45 ± 0.68 mg GAE/g DW, close to the predicted 59.78 ± 1.47 mg GAE/g DW. The MAE method outperformed maceration extraction (8.41 ± 0.25 mg GAE/g DW) and decoction extraction (38.74 ± 0.81 mg GAE/g DW) in terms of extraction time, solvent use, and efficiency. The optimised extract exhibited significant antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 0.294 ± 0.004 mg/mL (DPPH) and 0.425 ± 0.005 mg/mL (ABTS), confirming the efficacy of MAE in preparing antioxidant-rich plant extracts.

[Prevalence of malnutrition and absolute and functional iron deficiency anemia in nondialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis Algerian patients]. / Prévalence de la malnutrition et de l'anémie avec carence en fer absolue et fonctionnelle dans l'insuffisance rénale chronique chez des patients non dialysés et hémodialysés de la ville d'Alger (Algérie).

In chronic kidney disease, anemia and malnutrition coupled with inflammation as malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrom are common and considered as morbidity-mortality factors. The link between these two factors has been described at length in the literature highlighting an association of malnutrition with iron deficiency considered itself as one of the causes of anemia in chronic kidney disease (non-dialysis and hemodialysis). Our study aims to know the prevalence of these two factors in a population of chronic kidney disease (non-dialysis and hemodialysis) of Algiers and to highlight the possible associations between them. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a multicentre, cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out over a period of 6months (August 2018 to January 2019). Anemia and malnutrition were assessed by various biological and clinical tools such as the malnutrition inflammation score and the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism criteria. Statistical tests were performed on the R studio software, considering P<0.05 as a statistically significant value. RESULTS: Two hundred and nine patients on chronic kidney disease were included (90 non dialysis and 119 hemodialysis). The median age was 70 (IQR=16) for non dialysis and 56 (IQR=16.5) for hemodialysis. The prevalence of anemia was 66.66% (n=60) in non dialysis and 70.58% (n=84) in hemodialysis. Absolute iron deficiency anemia was higher in non dialysis (48.33%; n=29) while functional iron deficiency anemia was higher in hemodialysis (34.52%; n=29). The prevalence of malnutrition by malnutrition inflammation score was relatively low. Only functional iron deficiency anemia was associated with malnutrition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anemia was higher in Algerian chronic kidney disease (non-dialysis and hemodialysis) unlike malnutrition which remains associated with functional iron deficiency anemia.

Effect of Spirulina platensis ingestion on the abnormal biochemical and oxidative stress parameters in the pancreas and liver of alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

CONTEXT: Previous studies have shown that Spirulina platensis Gomont (Phormidiaceae) (SP) extract has beneficial effects on many disease conditions. The putative protective effects of SP were investigated in diabetic rats. OBJECTIVE: The current study investigates the antioxidant effects of SP in diabetic Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg body weight) was intraperitoneally administrated to induce diabetes. An aqueous suspension of SP powder in distillate water (10% w/v) was administrated orally by gavage (1 mL/day) for 50 days. Histopathological, biochemical and antioxidant analyses were performed. Glycemia, liver function and HOMA-IR were assessed using Spinreact and ELISA kits. RESULTS: SP exhibited high-antioxidant activity. The IC50 values of the SP aqueous extract were 70.40 and 45.69 mg/L compared to those of the standard antioxidant BHT, which were 27.97 and 19.77 mg/L, for the DPPH and ABTS tests, respectively. The diabetic animals showed a significant increase in glycaemia (from 4.05 to 4.28 g/L) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (50.17 mmol/g protein) levels. Treatment with SP significantly reduced glycaemia by 79% and liver function markers [glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and alkaline phosphatase (Alk-p)]) by 25, 36 and 20%, respectively, compared to that of the controls. There was a significant increase in superoxide dismutase (48%), total antioxidant status (43%), glutathione peroxidase (37%) and glutathione reductase (16%) in the diabetic rats treated with SP. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results showed that SP has high antioxidant activity, free radical scavenging, antihyperglycemic and hepatoprotective effects in diabetes.

Fruit vinegars attenuate cardiac injury via anti-inflammatory and anti-adiposity actions in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

CONTEXT: Fruit vinegars (FVs) are used in Mediterranean folk medicine for their hypolipidemic and weight-reducing properties. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the preventive effects of three types of FV, commonly available in Algeria, namely prickly pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill (Cectaceae)], pomegranate [Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae)], and apple [Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae)], against obesity-induced cardiomyopathy and its underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into 12 groups. The first group served as normal control (distilled water, 7 mL/kg bw), and the remaining groups were respectively treated with distilled water (7 mL/kg bw), acetic acid (0.5% w/v, 7 mL/kg bw) and vinegars of pomegranate, apple or prickly pear (at doses of 3.5, 7 and 14 mL/kg bw, acetic acid content as mentioned above) along with a high-fat diet (HFD). The effects of the oral administration of FV for 18 weeks on the body and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) weights, plasma inflammatory and cardiac enzymes biomarkers, and in heart tissue were evaluated. RESULTS: Vinegars treatments significantly (p < .05) attenuated the HFD-induced increase in bw (0.2-0.5-fold) and VAT mass (0.7-1.8-fold), as well as increase in plasma levels of CRP (0.1-0.3-fold), fibrinogen (0.2-0.3-fold), leptin (1.7-3.7-fold), TNF-α (0.1-0.6-fold), AST (0.9-1.4-fold), CK-MB (0.3-1.4-fold) and LDH (2.7-6.7-fold). Moreover, vinegar treatments preserved myocardial architecture and attenuated cardiac fibrosis. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that pomegranate, apple and prickly pear vinegars may prevent HFD-induced obesity and obesity-related cardiac complications, and that this prevention may result from the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-adiposity properties of these vinegars.

Effect of fruit vinegars on liver damage and oxidative stress in high-fat-fed rats.

CONTEXT: Vinegar has long been used as a condiment and a traditional medicine worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The current study investigates the antioxidant effect of three types of fruit vinegars (FV) namely pomegranate [Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae)], prickly pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae)], and apple [Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae)] vinegars in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups; HFD (80 cal/d) fed rats were orally dosed with fruit vinegars (7 ml/kg) once daily for 28 weeks. At the end of the experiment, lipid profile, lipid peroxidation products, antioxidant enzymes, and trace elements were assessed in serum. In addition, a liver histopathological study was performed. RESULTS: HFD showed a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in lipid profile and TBARS levels when compared with normal control. Daily oral administration of FV normalized various biochemical, metabolic, and histopathological changes. However, pomegranate vinegar exhibited a very significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in lipid profile levels (total cholesterol: 165%, triglycerides: 68%, LDL-c: 76%, and atherogenic index: 80%), whereas an increase in antioxidant status (SOD: 7-fold, GPx: 4.81-fold, GRx: 1.66-fold, and TAS: 3.45-fold) when compared with hyperlipidemic control. Histopathological examinations also confirmed the protective effects of pomegranate vinegar against lipid accumulation and the improvement of hepatic lesions. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The fruit vinegars regulate lipid metabolism and decrease liver damage in high-fat fed rats as shown in this study.

Eicosapentaenoic acid modulates fatty acid metabolism and inflammation in Psammomys obesus.

The desert gerbil, Psammomys obesus, is a unique polygenic animal model of metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes), and these pathological conditions resemble to those in human beings. In this study, the animals were fed ad libitum either a natural diet (ND) which contained desertic halophile plants or a standard laboratory diet (STD) or a diet which contained eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), hence, termed as EPA diet (EPAD). In EPAD, 50% of total lipid content was replaced by EPA oil. By employing real-time PCR, we assessed liver expression of key genes involved in fatty acid metabolism such as PPAR-α, SREBP-1c, LXR-α and CHREBP. We also studied the expression of two inflammatory genes, i.e., TNF-α and IL-1ß, in liver and adipose tissue of these animals. The STD, considered to be a high caloric diet for this animal, triggered insulin resistance and high lipid levels, along with high hepatic SREBP-1c, LXR-α and CHREBP mRNA expression. TNF-α and IL-1ß mRNA were also high in liver of STD fed animals. Feeding EPAD improved plasma glucose, insulin and triacylglycerol levels along with hepatic lipid composition. These observations suggest that EPA exerts beneficial effects in P. obesus.

Oro-gustatory perception of dietary lipids and calcium signaling in taste bud cells are altered in nutritionally obesity-prone Psammomys obesus.

Since the increasing prevalence of obesity is one of the major health problems of the modern era, understanding the mechanisms of oro-gustatory detection of dietary fat is critical for the prevention and treatment of obesity. We have conducted the present study on Psammomys obesus, the rodent desert gerbil which is a unique polygenic natural animal model of obesity. Our results show that obese animals exhibit a strong preference for lipid solutions in a two-bottle test. Interestingly, the expression of CD36, a lipido-receptor, in taste buds cells (TBC), isolated from circumvallate papillae, was decreased at mRNA level, but remained unaltered at protein level, in obese animals. We further studied the effects of linoleic acid (LA), a long-chain fatty acid, on the increases in free intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) concentrations, [Ca(2+)]i, in the TBC of P. obesus. LA induced increases in [Ca(2+)]i, largely via CD36, from intracellular pool, followed by the opening of store-operated Ca(2+) (SOC) channels in the TBC of these animals. The action of this fatty acid on the increases in [Ca(2+)]i was higher in obese animals than that in controls. However, the release of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores, studied also by employing thapsigargin, was lower in TBC of obese animals than control rodents. In this study, we show, for the first time, that increased lipid intake and altered Ca(2+) signaling in TBC are associated with obesity in Psammomys obesus.