Long-term Intake of Pasta Containing Barley (1-3)Beta-D-Glucan Increases Neovascularization-mediated Cardioprotection through Endothelial Upregulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Parkin.

Barley (1-3)ß-D-Glucan (BBG) enhances angiogenesis. Since pasta is very effective in providing a BBG-enriched diet, we hypothesized that the intake of pasta containing 3% BBG (P-BBG) induces neovascularization-mediated cardioprotection. Healthy adult male C57BL/6 mice fed P-BBG (n = 15) or wheat pasta (Control, n = 15) for five-weeks showed normal glucose tolerance and cardiac function. With a food intake similar to the Control, P-BBG mice showed a 109% survival rate (P < 0.01 vs. Control) after cardiac ischemia (30 min)/reperfusion (60 min) injury. Left ventricular (LV) anion superoxide production and infarct size in P-BBG mice were reduced by 62 and 35% (P < 0.0001 vs. Control), respectively. The capillary and arteriolar density of P-BBG hearts were respectively increased by 12 and 18% (P < 0.05 vs. Control). Compared to the Control group, the VEGF expression in P-BBG hearts was increased by 87.7% (P < 0.05); while, the p53 and Parkin expression was significantly increased by 125% and cleaved caspase-3 levels were reduced by 33% in P-BBG mice. In vitro, BBG was required to induce VEGF, p53 and Parkin expression in human umbelical vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, the BBG-induced Parkin expression was not affected by pifithrin-α (10 uM/7days), a p53 inhibitor. In conclusion, long-term dietary supplementation with P-BBG confers post-ischemic cardioprotection through endothelial upregulation of VEGF and Parkin.

Barley beta-glucan promotes MnSOD expression and enhances angiogenesis under oxidative microenvironment.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a foremost antioxidant enzyme, plays a key role in angiogenesis. Barley-derived (1.3) ß-d-glucan (ß-d-glucan) is a natural water-soluble polysaccharide with antioxidant properties. To explore the effects of ß-d-glucan on MnSOD-related angiogenesis under oxidative stress, we tested epigenetic mechanisms underlying modulation of MnSOD level in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Long-term treatment of HUVECs with 3% w/v ß-d-glucan significantly increased the level of MnSOD by 200% ± 2% compared to control and by 50% ± 4% compared to untreated H2 O2 -stressed cells. ß-d-glucan-treated HUVECs displayed greater angiogenic ability. In vivo, 24 hrs-treatment with 3% w/v ß-d-glucan rescued vasculogenesis in Tg (kdrl: EGFP) s843Tg zebrafish embryos exposed to oxidative microenvironment. HUVECs overexpressing MnSOD demonstrated an increased activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), reduced load of superoxide anion (O2 (-) ) and an increased survival under oxidative stress. In addition, ß-d-glucan prevented the rise of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)1-α under oxidative stress. The level of histone H4 acetylation was significantly increased by ß-d-glucan. Increasing histone acetylation by sodium butyrate, an inhibitor of class I histone deacetylases (HDACs I), did not activate MnSOD-related angiogenesis and did not impair ß-d-glucan effects. In conclusion, 3% w/v ß-d-glucan activates endothelial expression of MnSOD independent of histone acetylation level, thereby leading to adequate removal of O2 (-) , cell survival and angiogenic response to oxidative stress. The identification of dietary ß-d-glucan as activator of MnSOD-related angiogenesis might lead to the development of nutritional approaches for the prevention of ischemic remodelling and heart failure.

Barley ß-glucans-containing food enhances probiotic performances of beneficial bacteria.

Currently, the majority of prebiotics in the market are derived from non-digestible oligosaccharides. Very few studies have focused on non-digestible long chain complex polysaccharides in relation to their potential as novel prebiotics. Cereals ß-glucans have been investigated for immune-modulating properties and beneficial effects on obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cholesterol levels. Moreover, ß-glucans have been reported to be highly fermentable by the intestinal microbiota in the caecum and colon, and can enhance both growth rate and lactic acid production of microbes isolated from the human intestine. In this work, we report the effects of food matrices containing barley ß-glucans on growth and probiotic features of four Lactobacillus strains. Such matrices were able to improve the growth rate of the tested bacteria both in unstressed conditions and, importantly, after exposure to in vitro simulation of the digestive tract. Moreover, the effect of ß-glucans-containing food on bacterial adhesion to enterocyte-like cells was analyzed and a positive influence on probiotic-enterocyte interaction was observed.