Effects of green tea extract on overweight and obese women with high levels of low density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C): a randomised, double-blind, and cross-over placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the effects of green tea extract (GTE) supplement on overweight and obese women with high levels of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C). METHODS: The randomized, double-blind, crossover and placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted from August 2012 to December 2013. Seventy-three out of 90 subjects aged between 18 and 65 years, with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m2 and LDL-C ≥ 130 mg/dl were included in the analysis. The subjects were randomly divided into Groups A and B. Group A received GTE supplement treatment for the first 6 weeks, while Group B received placebo daily. After 6 weeks of treatment and 14 days of washout period, Group A switched to placebo and Group B switched to GTE treatment for 6 weeks. The reduction of LDL-C level between treatments was assessed as the outcome. Additionally, anthropometric measurements, plasma lipoproteins and hormone peptides of both groups were measure at the beginning of weeks 6, 8, and 14 after treatment. RESULTS: Subjects treated with GTE (n = 73) for 6 weeks showed significant differences, with 4.8% (p = 0.048) reduction in LDL-C and 25.7% (p = 0.046) increase in leptin. However, there was no statistical difference in the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein between the GTE and placebo groups after treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that green tea extract effectively increases leptin and reduces LDL in overweight and obese women after 6 weeks of treatment even though there were no significant changes in other biochemical markers related to overweight. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This clinical trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02116517 on 17 April 2014. Retrospectively registered. The first patient enrolled in October 2012 and the study was completed December 2013.

Quercetin 3-O-methyl ether protects FL83B cells from copper induced oxidative stress through the PI3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk pathway.

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that exhibits several biological functions in vitro and in vivo. Quercetin 3-O-methyl ether (Q3) is a natural product reported to have pharmaceutical activities, including antioxidative and anticancer activities. However, little is known about the mechanism by which it protects cells from oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms by which Q3 protects against Cu(2+)-induced cytotoxicity. Exposure to Cu(2+) resulted in the death of mouse liver FL83B cells, characterized by apparent apoptotic features, including DNA fragmentation and increased nuclear condensation. Q3 markedly suppressed Cu(2+)-induced apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction, characterized by reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activation, and PARP cleavage, in Cu(2+)-exposed cells. The involvement of PI3K, Akt, Erk, FOXO3A, and Mn-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was shown to be critical to the survival of Q3-treated FL83B cells. The liver of both larval and adult zebrafish showed severe damage after exposure to Cu(2+) at a concentration of 5µM. Hepatic damage induced by Cu(2+) was reduced by cotreatment with Q3. Survival of Cu(2+)-exposed larval zebrafish was significantly increased by cotreatment with 15µM Q3. Our results indicated that Cu(2+)-induced apoptosis in FL83B cells occurred via the generation of ROS, upregulation and phosphorylation of Erk, overexpression of 14-3-3, inactivation of Akt, and the downregulation of FOXO3A and MnSOD. Hence, these results also demonstrated that Q3 plays a protective role against oxidative damage in zebrafish liver and remarked the potential of Q3 to be used as an antioxidant for hepatocytes.

Effects of green tea extract on insulin resistance and glucagon-like peptide 1 in patients with type 2 diabetes and lipid abnormalities: a randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of green tea extract on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid abnormalities on glycemic and lipid profiles, and hormone peptides by a double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial. This trial enrolled 92 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid abnormalities randomized into 2 arms, each arm comprising 46 participants. Of the participants, 39 in therapeutic arm took 500 mg green tea extract, three times a day, while 38 in control arm took cellulose with the same dose and frequency to complete the 16-week study. Anthropometrics measurements, glycemic and lipid profiles, safety parameters, and obesity-related hormone peptides were analyzed at screening and after 16-week course. Within-group comparisons showed that green tea extract caused a significant decrease in triglyceride and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index after 16 weeks. Green tea extract also increased significantly high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The HOMA-IR index decreased from 5.4±3.9 to 3.5±2.0 in therapeutic arm only. Adiponectin, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B100 increased significantly in both arms, but only glucagon-like peptide 1 increased in the therapeutic arm. However, only decreasing trend in triglyceride was found in between-group comparison. Our study suggested that green tea extract significantly improved insulin resistance and increased glucagon-like peptide 1 only in within-group comparison. The potential effects of green tea extract on insulin resistance and glucagon-like peptide 1 warrant further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01360567.

The correlation of lab data, hormone peptides, quality of life, and different traditional chinese medicine syndrome groups in type 2 diabetes patients.

The aim of this study is to explore the correlation of laboratory data, hormone peptides, and quality of life with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome groups in type 2 diabetes patients. Of 513 registered patients, 179 subjects aged between 20 and 65 years and having type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for more than 1 year were enrolled in the study. All the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire on diabetic TCM syndrome groups, which was designed by professional TCM doctors, and two questionnaires on the quality of life (QOL), WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version and Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form-12 (SF-12). The biochemical characteristics and hormone peptide levels were collected at the same time. The patients in any one of the six TCM syndrome groups had the trend to have worse QOL. Especially, patients with qi deficiency had worse life quality on every aspect compared to those without qi deficiency and were fatter than others. We also found that the subjects who had qi deficiency, qi stagnation, and yin deficiency at the same time had worsened condition. We consider that patients with qi deficiency may also be at a higher risk of developing other complications. They need more advanced health care than others. This self-reported questionnaire will be a reference for health care workers screening those T2DM patients who have a higher possibility of developing other complications. Especially in remote areas, where there is a lack of medical resources, an easy-to-use tool such as the one in the present study for detecting and evaluating disease conditions is needed.

Waist circumference is a better predictor than body mass index of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.

UNLABELLED: Summay: BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is an important pathogenic factor in type 2 diabetes patents. An easy and efficiency measurement predicting insulin resistance; which can be done easily by type 2 patients is desired. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether waist circumference is a better predictor of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes than body mass index (BMI). METHODS: From a population of 1356 registered diabetic patients, 144 who met (1) aged between 30 and 75 years, (2) being Chinese, (3) having had type 2 diabetes for more than one year, and (4) having been taking gliclazide and metformin for more than 6 months were enrolled in this study. The main outcome evaluated is the associations of HOMA insulin resistance index (HOMA index); which were assessed using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The coefficients of multiple regression analysis with stepwise model showed that waist circumference (ß = 0.35, p < 0.001) but not BMI (ß = 0.01, p = 0.94), adiponectin (ß = -0.25, p = 0.04) and hemoglobulin A1c% (HbA1c) (ß = 0.25, p = 0.01) were the main predictors of HOMA index. CONCLUSIONS: These initial findings indicate that waist circumference is a better predictor of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes than BMI.

Synergistic anticancer activity of triptolide combined with cisplatin enhances apoptosis in gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Cisplatin is an anticancer agent that is effective against several types of cancer, including gastric cancer. However, its therapeutic application is limited by its toxicity in normal tissues and complications caused in patients. In this study, we attempted to clarify how triptolide, an active component extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TWHF), enhances cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in gastric cancer SC-M1 cells. After low-dose combined treatments with triptolide and cisplatin, a decrease in viability with a concomitant increase in apoptosis was observed in SC-M1 cells but not in normal cells. Apoptosis induced by the combined treatments was accompanied by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c. Triptolide increased the cisplatin-induced activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and the downstream cleavage of PARP in SC-M1 cells. Results of these in vitro experiments indicated that triptolide enhanced cytotoxicity in cisplatin-treated SC-M1 cells and that this effect is mediated by apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway. Furthermore, using a SCID mouse xenograft model, we demonstrated that the combined treatment completely suppressed tumor growth via down-regulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression without significant side effects. These results suggest that lower concentrations of cisplatin and triptolide used in combination may produce a synergistic anticancer effect that warrants further investigation for its potential clinical applications.