Perinatal Use of Citrulline Rescues Hypertension in Adult Male Offspring Born to Pregnant Uremic Rats.

The growing recognition of the association between maternal chronic kidney disease (CKD) and fetal programming highlights the increased vulnerability of hypertension in offspring. Potential mechanisms involve oxidative stress, dysbiosis in gut microbiota, and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Our prior investigation showed that the administration of adenine to pregnant rats resulted in the development of CKD, ultimately causing hypertension in their adult offspring. Citrulline, known for enhancing nitric oxide (NO) production and possessing antioxidant and antihypertensive properties, was explored for its potential to reverse high blood pressure (BP) in offspring born to CKD dams. Male rat offspring, both from normal and adenine-induced CKD models, were randomly assigned to four groups (8 animals each): (1) control, (2) CKD, (3) citrulline-treated control rats, and (4) citrulline-treated CKD rats. Citrulline supplementation successfully reversed elevated BP in male progeny born to uremic mothers. The protective effects of perinatal citrulline supplementation were linked to an enhanced NO pathway, decreased expression of renal (pro)renin receptor, and changes in gut microbiota composition. Citrulline supplementation led to a reduction in the abundance of Monoglobus and Streptococcus genera and an increase in Agothobacterium Butyriciproducens. Citrulline's ability to influence taxa associated with hypertension may be linked to its protective effects against maternal CKD-induced offspring hypertension. In conclusion, perinatal citrulline treatment increased NO availability and mitigated elevated BP in rat offspring from uremic mother rats.

Evaluation of the Feasibility of In Vitro Metabolic Interruption of Trimethylamine with Resveratrol Butyrate Esters and Its Purified Monomers.

Resveratrol (RSV), obtained from dietary sources, has been shown to reduce trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) levels in humans, and much research indicates that TMAO is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of RSV and RSV-butyrate esters (RBE) on the proliferation of co-cultured bacteria and HepG2 cell lines, respectively, and also investigated the changes in trimethylamine (TMA) and TMOA content in the medium and flavin-containing monooxygenase-3 (FMO3) gene expression. This study revealed that 50 µg/mL of RBE could increase the population percentage of Bifidobacterium longum at a rate of 53%, while the rate was 48% for Clostridium asparagiforme. In contrast, co-cultivation of the two bacterial strains effectively reduced TMA levels from 561 ppm to 449 ppm. In addition, regarding TMA-induced HepG2 cell lines, treatment with 50 µM each of RBE, 3,4'-di-O-butanoylresveratrol (ED2), and 3-O-butanoylresveratrol (ED4) significantly reduced FMO3 gene expression from 2.13 to 0.40-1.40, which would also contribute to the reduction of TMAO content. This study demonstrated the potential of RBE, ED2, and ED4 for regulating TMA metabolism in microbial co-cultures and cell line cultures, which also suggests that the resveratrol derivative might be a daily dietary supplement that will be beneficial for health promotion in the future.

Cardiovascular risk of dietary trimethylamine oxide precursors and the therapeutic potential of resveratrol and its derivatives.

Overall diet, lifestyle choices, genetic predisposition, and other underlying health conditions may contribute to higher trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels and increased cardiovascular risk. This review explores the potential therapeutic ability of RSV to protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and affect TMAO levels. This review considers recent studies on the association of TMAO with CVD. It also examines the sources, mechanisms, and metabolism of TMAO along with TMAO-induced cardiovascular events. Plant polyphenolic compounds, including resveratrol (RSV), and their cardioprotective mechanism of regulating TMAO levels and modifying gut microbiota are also discussed here. RSV's salient features and bioactive properties in reducing CVD have been evaluated. The close relationship between TMAO and CVD is clearly understood from currently available data, making it a potent biomarker for CVD. Precise investigation, including clinical trials, must be performed to understand RSV's mechanism, dose, effects, and derivatives as a cardioprotectant agent.

Evaluation of the amelioration effect of Ganoderma formosanum extract on delaying PM2.5 damage to lung macrophages.

SCOPE: Particulate matter (PM) contains toxic organic matter and heavy metals that enter the entire body through blood flow and may cause mortality. Ganoderma formosanum mycelium, a valuable traditional Chinese medicine that has been used since ancient times, contains various active ingredients that can effectively impede inflammatory responses on murine alveolar macrophages induced by PM particles. METHODS AND RESULTS: An experimental study assessing the effect of G. formosanum mycelium extract's water fraction (WA) on PM-exposed murine alveolar macrophages using ROS measurement shows that WA reduces intracellular ROS by 12% and increases cell viability by 16% when induced by PM particles. According to RNA-Sequencing, western blotting, and real-time qPCR are conducted to analyze the metabolic pathway. The WA reduces the protein ratio in p-NF-κB/NF-κB by 18% and decreases the expression of inflammatory genes, including IL-1ß by 38%, IL-6 by 29%, and TNF-α by 19%. Finally, the identification of seven types of anti-inflammatory compounds in the WA fraction is achieved through UHPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-Elite-MS/MS analysis. These compounds include anti-inflammatory compounds, namely thiamine, adenosine 5'-monophosphate, pipecolic acid, L-pyroglutamic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, D-mannitol, and L-malic acid. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that the WA has the potential to alleviate the PM -induced damage in alveolar macrophages, demonstrating its anti-inflammatory properties.

The Impact of Gut Microbiota Changes on Methotrexate-Induced Neurotoxicity in Developing Young Rats.

Methotrexate (MTX) is an essential part of therapy in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children, and inferior intellectual outcomes have been reported in children who are leukemia survivors. Although several studies have demonstrated that the interaction between gut microbiota changes and the brain plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced brain injury, preexisting studies on the effect of MTX on gut microbiota changes focused on gastrointestinal toxicity only. Based on our previous studies, which revealed that MTX treatment resulted in inferior neurocognitive function in developing young rats, we built a young rat model mimicking MTX treatment in a child ALL protocol, trying to investigate the interactions between the gut and brain in response to MTX treatment. We found an association between gut microbiota changes and neurogenesis/repair processes in response to MTX treatment, which suggest that MTX treatment results in gut dysbiosis, which is considered to be related to MTX neurotoxicity through an alteration in gut-brain axis communication.

Resveratrol Propionate Ester Supplement Exerts Antihypertensive Effect in Juvenile Rats Exposed to an Adenine Diet via Gut Microbiota Modulation.

Resveratrol, acting as a prebiotic, and propionate, functioning as a postbiotic, hold promise for preventing hypertension in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previously, we employed propionate to enhance the bioavailability of resveratrol through esterification, resulting in the production of a resveratrol propionate ester (RPE) mixture. In this study, we purified 3-O-propanoylresveratrol (RPE2) and 3,4'-di-O-propanoylresveratrol (RPE4) and investigated their protective effects in a juvenile rat adenine-induced CKD model. To this end, male Sprague Dawley rats aged three weeks (n = 40) were divided into five groups: control; CKD (rats fed adenine); CKRSV (CKD rats treated with 50 mg/L resveratrol); CDRPE2 (CKD rats treated with 25 mg/L RPE2); and CKRPE4 (CKD rats treated with 25 mg/L RPE 4). RPE2 and PRE4 similarly exhibited blood pressure-lowering effects comparable to those of resveratrol, along with increased nitric oxide (NO) availability. Furthermore, RPE2 and RPE4 positively influenced plasma short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels and induced distinct alterations in the gut microbial composition of adenine-fed juvenile rats. The supplementation of RPE2 and RPE4, by restoring NO, elevating SCFAs, and modulating the gut microbiota, holds potential for ameliorating CKD-induced hypertension.

Promoting the Aging Process and Enhancing the Production of Antioxidant Components of Garlic through Pulsed Electric Field Treatments.

Shortening the aging duration and enhancing the functional components of garlic present significant technical challenges that need to be addressed. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the potential role of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, a novel nonthermal food processing method, in promoting and enhancing the functional attributes of aged garlic. Our results showed that 2-4 kV/cm PEF pretreatment increased S-allyl cysteine (SAC), total polyphenol (TPC), and flavonoid contents (TFC) compared with un-pretreated garlic during aging. The browning and texture-softening were also significantly improved during processing time, though the latter showed no significant difference from the eighth day to the end of the aging process. The principal component analysis results showed that PEF positively affects the SAC and TFC formations without adverse effects. Among the PEF pretreatments, 3 kV/cm is the most effective in enhancing functional component production compared with the other PEF pretreatments. Therefore, PEF pretreatment is a time-saving process that promotes and enhances the functionality of aged garlic.

Protective Role of Taurine on Rat Offspring Hypertension in the Setting of Maternal Chronic Kidney Disease.

Taurine is a natural antioxidant with antihypertensive properties. Maternal chronic kidney disease (CKD) has an impact on renal programming and increases the risk of offspring hypertension in later life. The underlying mechanisms cover oxidative stress, a dysregulated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) system, dysbiotic gut microbiota, and inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). We investigated whether perinatal taurine administration enables us to prevent high blood pressure (BP) in offspring complicated by maternal CKD. Before mating, CKD was induced through feeding chow containing 0.5% adenine for 3 weeks. Taurine was administered (3% in drinking water) during gestation and lactation. Four groups of male offspring were used (n = 8/group): controls, CKD, taurine-treated control rats, and taurine-treated rats with CKD. Taurine treatment significantly reduced BP in male offspring born to mothers with CKD. The beneficial effects of perinatal taurine treatment were attributed to an augmented H2S pathway, rebalance of aberrant RAAS activation, and gut microbiota alterations. In summary, our results not only deepen our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying maternal CKD-induced offspring hypertension but also afford us the impetus to consider taurine-based intervention as a promising preventive approach for future clinical translation.

Optimization of Plasma Activated Water Extraction of Pleurotus ostreatus Polysaccharides on Its Physiochemical and Biological Activity Using Response Surface Methodology.

This study focused on optimizing the extraction of P. ostreatus polysaccharides (POPs) using plasma-activated water (PAW). A single factor and response surface methodology were employed to optimize and evaluate the polysaccharide yield, physiochemical characteristics, and biological activities of POPs. The observed findings were compared to those obtained by the conventional hot water extraction method (100 °C, 3 h), as the control treatment. The optimal extraction conditions were obtained at 700 W PAW power, 58 s treatment time, 1:19 sample-to-water ratio, and 15 L/min gas flow rate. In these conditions, the PAW-treated samples experienced changes in surface morphology due to plasma etching, leading to a 288% increase in the polysaccharide yield (11.67%) compared to the control sample (3.01%). Furthermore, the PAW-treated sample exhibited superior performance in terms of biological activities, namely phenolic compounds (53.79 mg GAE/100 g), DPPH scavenging activity (72.77%), and OH scavenging activity (65.03%), which were 29%, 18%, and 38% higher than those of control sample, respectively. The results highlighted the importance of process optimization and provided new evidence for PAW as an alternative approach to enhance the extraction efficiency of POPs, a novel source of natural antioxidants which enables diverse applications in the food industry.