EXPLORING the prophylactic potential of Azadirachta indica leaf extract against dyslipidemia.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Several studies revealed that different parts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss, has therapeutic potential against inflammatory issues and dyslipidemia which is a major contributing cause to cardiovascular diseases, oxidative stress and serum glucose levels, etc. AIM OF STUDY: Present study was conducted to evaluate anti-dyslipidemic capacity of Azadirachta indica leaf extract in dyslipidemic rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethanolic extract of Azadirachta indica leaves was obtained by using Soxhlet apparatus. This extract was used for efficacy study on rabbits. In this context, 25 healthy rabbits were selected for study, Efficacy trial involved five groups of rabbits, 5 rabbits in each group; NC (Negative Control); healthy rabbits received normal diet. In remaining 20 rabbits, dyslipidemia was induced by using high fat diet for 28 days followed by administration of Azadirachta indica leaf ethanolic extract for 60 days in a dose-dependent manner. PC (Positive Control) include dyslipidemic rabbits received normal diet while G1, G2, G3 groups included dyslipidemic rabbits receiving different concentrations of Azadirachta indica leaf extract (i.e. 300, 500 and 700 mg/kg of body weight, respectively). Blood samples were analyzed for serum lipid profile after every 15 days to determine the effect of treatments. RESULTS: Significant reduction in total cholesterol (60 ± 3.4 mg/dL), triglycerides (40.31 ± 2.5 mg/dL) and low-density lipoprotein (28.87 ± 2.1 mg/dL) was observed in G2 (P ≤ 0.05)while a significant increase was observed in high-density lipoprotein (60.47 ± 1.7 mg/dL) of G2 (P ≤ 0.05) as compared to other groups. CONCLUSION: Results revealed that ethanolic extract of Azadirachta indica leaves in G2 group (@ 500 mg/kg of body weight) normalized lipid profile in dyslipidemic rabbits after 60 days of extract administration which significantly lowered TC, TG, LDL levels (P ≤ 0.05) and improved HDL level.

Dynamic stability of cholesterol and desmosterol in human milk from four Asian countries.

Cholesterol is one of the functional nutrients in human milk, which is indispensable for infant growth. In this study, the concentration of cholesterol and desmosterol in human milk from four Asian countries (n = 578), including Korea, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan, were investigated. The average cholesterol concentrations of Korea and China were similar ranging between 90.2-91.6 mg/L, but those from Vietnam and Pakistan were higher at 113.8 and 175.7 mg/L, respectively. The relative standard deviations were 31-36%, except for Pakistan (51%), showing a broad distribution of 48 to 612 mg/L. Desmosterol concentrations were similar, ranging between 11.2 and 12.8 mg/L except for Pakistan, which was lower than other countries at 9.4 mg/L. In addition, the cholesterol and desmosterol concentrations during the lactation periods were not significantly different in all four Asian countries. Mothers' BMI did not significantly impact the cholesterol and desmosterol concentration in maternal milk within the same country. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-022-01141-9.

Comprehensive analysis of fatty acids in human milk of four Asian countries.

Human milk lipids provide not only energy but also indispensable bioactive components such as essential fatty acids. To establish the recommended daily intake value and guidelines for infant formula, a reference library of fatty acid composition has been generated from 4 Asian countries (South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan). Regardless of country, palmitic acid (C16:0), linoleic acid (C18:1), and linolenic acid (C18:2) were the 3 most abundant fatty acids in human milk and account for more than 75% of total fatty acids (total FA). However, there were several considerable differences between fatty acids, particularly n-3 and n-6 (omega-3 and omega-6) groups. Chinese mothers' milk had a high concentration of linoleic acid at 24.38 ± 10.02% of total FA, which may be due to maternal diet. Among the 4 countries, Pakistani mothers' milk contained a high amount of saturated fatty acid (56.83 ± 5.96% of total FA), and consequently, polyunsaturated fatty acids, including n-3 and n-6, were significantly lower than in other countries. It is noteworthy that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in Pakistani mothers' milk was 44.8 ± 33.3 mg/L, which is only 25 to 30% of the levels in the other 3 countries, suggesting the need for DHA supplementation for infants in Pakistan. Moreover, the ratio of n-6 to n-3 was also remarkably high in Pakistani mothers' milk (15.21 ± 4.96), being 1.4- to 1.7-fold higher than in other countries. The average DHA:ARA ratio in Asian human milk was 1.01 ± 0.79. Korean mothers' milk showed a high DHA:ARA ratio, with a value of 1.30 ± 0.98, but Pakistani mothers' milk had a significantly lower value (0.42 ± 0.12). The fatty acid compositions and anthropometric data of mother (body mass index, age) did not show any correlation. The obtained data might provide information about human milk compositions in the Asian region that could benefit from setting up recommended nutrient intake and infant formula for Asian babies.

A Comparison of Vitamin and Lutein Concentrations in Breast Milk from Four Asian Countries.

Vitamins are the essential elements for human life and, particularly, for infant health. Human milk is the best source of nutrients for newborns, however, the information of vitamins in Asian maternal milk is still limited. In this study, we have collected 580 Asian maternal milk samples from Korea (n = 254), China (n = 137), Pakistan (n = 92), and Vietnam (n = 97). The vitamin concentrations, including vitamin B-groups (8 vitamins), fat-soluble vitamin (retinol, D, E, K) and lutein in the breast milk of were investigated. The concentration of thiamin (B1), biotin (B7), and folic acid (B9) in mother's milk of four countries were not considerably different, while riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (B5), and pyridoxine (B6) level in Vietnam samples were significantly lower than those in other countries. In contrast, retinol (A) and tocopherol (E) were found to be higher levels in Vietnamese maternal milk. Korean and Chinese maternal milk had low concentrations of retinol that may cause vitamin A deficiency in children. However, Chinese mother's milk was distinguished with a high concentration of lutein. Pakistani mother's milk was observed as having a significant problem of folic acid (B9) deficiency. Regardless of the country, vitamin B12, K, and D did not seem to be provided sufficiently through maternal milk. The moderate positive correlations were found between vitamin concentrations in each country and the pooled sample. The data obtained in this study were able to provide vital information to assess the nutritional status of breast milk in Asian countries and contributed to the efforts of ensuring the best nutrition for Asian children.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of phytate and effects on soluble oxalate concentration in foods.

Soluble oxalate in foods is major concern for kidney stone formers due to its tendency to increase urinary oxalate concentration. Phytate forms complexes with cations, which increases soluble oxalate by making cations unavailable to precipitate oxalate. Thus, in order to reduce soluble oxalate, bran samples (wheat, oat and barley) and bean samples (red kidney bean and white bean) were treated with phytase. Release of phosphate after phytate degradation and its association with calcium was determined. Phosphate concentration increased after application of phytase in all samples, but effect on soluble oxalate concentration varied. Wheat and oat bran showed significant reduction (P<0.05) in soluble oxalate compared to bean samples. Wheat bran, oat bran and white bean had a lower calcium:phosphate ratio than barley bran and red kidney beans. Correlation of the calcium:phosphate molar ratio with release of phosphate depends on concentration of calcium ions and this influences soluble oxalate concentration.

Impact of Lactic Acid and Hydrogen Ion on the Simultaneous Fermentation of Glucose and Xylose by the Carbon Catabolite Derepressed Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869.

Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869 exhibited a carbon catabolite de-repressed (CCR) phenotype which has ability to consume fermentable sugar simultaneously with glucose. To evaluate this unusual phenotype under harsh conditions during fermentation, the effect of lactic acid and hydrogen ion concentrations on L. brevis ATCC 14869 were examined. Kinetic equations describing the relationship between specific cell growth rate and lactic acid or hydrogen ion concentration has been reduced. The change of substrate utilization and product formation according to lactic acid and hydrogen ion concentration in the media were quantitatively described. Moreover; utilization of other compounds were also observed along with hydrogen ion and lactic acid concentration simultaneously. It has been found that substrate preference changes significantly regarding to utilization of compounds in media. That could result into formation of two-carbon products. In particular, acetic acid present in the media as sodium acetate were consumed by L. brevis ATCC 14869 under extreme pH of both acid and alkaline conditions.

Effects of phytate and minerals on the bioavailability of oxalate from food.

Phytate and mineral cations are both considered as important dietary factors for inhibiting the crystallisation of calcium oxalate kidney stones in susceptible individuals. In this paper, the phytate and mineral composition of whole bran cereals (wheat, barley and oat) and legumes were determined together with their soluble and insoluble oxalate concentrations in order to investigate the effects on oxalate solubility. The oat bran sample had the highest soluble oxalate concentration at 79±1.3 mg/100 g, while total and soluble oxalate concentrations in the food samples studied range from 33 to 199 mg/100 g and 14 to 79 mg/100 g, respectively. The phytate concentration was in the range from 227 to 4393 mg/100 g and the concentrations of cations were in the range 54-70 mg/100 g for calcium, 75-398 mg/100 g for magnesium, 244-1529 mg/100 g for potassium and 4-11 mg/100 g for iron. Soluble oxalate concentration did not increase in proportion to total oxalate, and the phytate concentration in all foods was sufficient to contribute to an increase in soluble oxalate concentration by binding calcium.