Safety and efficacy of adzuki bean extract in subjects with moderate to high LDL-C: a randomized trial.

The safety and efficacy of polyphenol-containing adzuki bean extract on lipid metabolism were evaluated in human subjects in an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel intervention study. No adverse effects were observed in the participants receiving adzuki bean extract. The adzuki bean group showed a significant increase in the ΔHDL-C concentration compared with the placebo group after 4 weeks of intervention (3.76 ± 7.79 mg/dL vs. -0.08 ± 6.03 mg/dL), respectively, and both groups showed reduced ∆HDL-C concentrations, with the adzuki bean extract group showing a return to the baseline levels (0.36 ± 5.36 mg/dL) and the placebo group showing a decrease to below the baseline levels (-3.17 ± 7.79 mg/dL) at week 8. This short-term study represents the first step in establishing the practicality, safety, and plausibility of HDL-C maintaining effects of adzuki bean extract in human subjects.

Effect of a combination of inulin and polyphenol-containing adzuki bean extract on intestinal fermentation in vitro and in vivo.

The effect of a combination of inulin (INU) and polyphenol-containing adzuki bean extract (AE) on intestinal fermentation was examined in vitro using fermenters for 48 h and in vivo using rats for 28 d. The total short-chain fatty acid concentrations in the fermenters were decreased by a combination of INU and AE, but the concentration in the INU + AE group was higher than the cellulose (CEL) and CEL + AE groups. The cecal propionate concentration was increased by a combination of INU and AE compared with their single supplement. The ammonia-nitrogen concentration in the fermenters and rat cecum was decreased by INU and AE. Cecal mucin levels were increased by INU and AE respectively. Therefore, our observations suggested that the combination of INU and AE might be a material of functional food that includes several healthy effects through intestinal fermentation.

Anti-obesity role of adzuki bean extract containing polyphenols: in vivo and in vitro effects.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of polyphenol-rich adzuki bean extract on lipid metabolism, triglyceride accumulation and proinflammatory cytokine secretion in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: For the in vivo study, rats were divided into four groups: group C was fed a control diet, group A was fed the control diet with 1% adzuki bean extract, group CF was fed a high fat diet, and group AF was fed a high fat diet with 1% adzuki bean extract. For the in vitro study, the ability of adzuki bean extract to suppress triglyceride incorporation, glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase activity and inflammatory response was investigated in cultured human adipocytes. Data from the animal study showed that adzuki bean extract improved lipid metabolism in both the normal and high-fat diet groups. Adzuki bean extract treatment in the high-fat group resulted in significant reductions in total hepatic lipid accumulation and lipid secretion into the feces. Incubation of adipocytes with adzuki bean extract significantly decreased triglyceride accumulation, glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase activity and inflammatory responses without affecting cell viability. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that adzuki bean extract has high potential to serve as a natural anti-obesity agent.

Effects of dietary supplementation with betaine on a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) mouse model.

The effects of betaine supplementation on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model mice were examined by measuring the accumulation of fat in the livers of NASH model mice compared to a control. Betaine from sugar beets was provided to the model mice as a dietary supplement. After 3 wk of dietary supplementation, there were no significant differences in body weight or liver weight between the groups. However, the liver to body weight ratio in the high-fat diet with betaine (HFB) group was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in the high-fat diet (HF) group. There were no differences in serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations, AST and ALT activities, or hepatic glutathione concentrations between the groups. Hepatic TG level in the HFB group was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that in the HF group. Hepatic cells obtained from the HF group showed increased occurrence of explosive puff and necrosis as compared with those in the HFB group. Betaine supplementation had an inhibitory effect on fat accumulation in the liver: the Oil red-positive area in the HFB group (0.82 ± 0.85%) was significantly (p<0.001) smaller than that in the HF group (9.06 ± 2.24%). These results indicate the potential of betaine to serve as an agent for amelioration of hepatic steatosis in NASH model mice.

Amelioration of D-galactosamine-induced acute liver injury in rats by dietary supplementation with betaine derived from sugar beet molasses.

The effects of betaine supplementation on D-galactosamine-induced liver injury were examined in terms of hepatic and serum enzyme activities and of the levels of glutathione and betaine-derived intermediates. The rats induced with liver injury showed marked increases in serum enzyme activity, but those receiving dietary supplementation of 1% betaine showed enzyme activity levels similar to a control group without liver injury. Administration of betaine also increased both hepatic and serum glutathione levels, even following D-galactosamine injection. The activity of glutathione-related enzymes was markedly decreased following injection of D-galactosamine, but remained comparable to that of the control group in rats receiving 1% betaine. The concentrations of hepatic S-adenosyl methionine and cysteine showed similar trends to that observed for hepatic glutathione levels. These results indicate that 1% betaine has a hepatoprotective effect by increasing hepatic and serum glutathione levels along with glutathione-related enzyme activities in rats.

Anti-inflammatory effect of buckwheat sprouts in lipopolysaccharide-activated human colon cancer cells and mice.

In conducting an in vitro screening of ethanol extracts from various natural foods using a human colon cancer cell line (CoLoTC cells), an extract of buckwheat sprouts (ExtBS) was found to express significant anti-inflammatory activity. The anti-inflammatory activity of ExtBS was confirmed by oral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mice. Inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha) were markedly up-regulated in the spleen and liver from LPS-administrated mice, and combinatory treatment with LPS and ExtBS decreased up-regulation of them in both cytokines. Both serum cytokine levels corresponded to their gene expressions in tissues, but no anti-inflammatry effect in mice was observed when ExtBS was treated intraperitoneally. ExtBS oral administration also showed protective activity as to hepatic injury induced by galactosamine/LPS treatment. Based on these data, we suggest that ExtBS contains anti-inflammatory compounds.

Hepatoprotective effects of the water extract from adzuki bean hulls on acetaminophen-induced damage in rat liver.

We examined the hepatoprotective effect of water-extract from adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) hulls on acetaminophen (AAP)-induced damage in rat liver. F344/DuCrj rats of 8 weeks of age were fed diets without and with 0.5% AAP or besides it 5% adzuki extract (lyophilized) on a daily basis over a period of 4 wk. At that time, serum aspartate aminotransferase activity in only AAP-treated group was higher than in both control and AAP plus adzuki extract (AAPA)-treated groups, while hepatic glutathione content and hepatic glutathione reductase and catalase activities in the AAP-treated group were lower than in the control group in contrast to the reverse in the AAPA-treated group. Hepatic phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide and phosphatidylethanolamine hydroperoxide concentrations were higher in the AAP-treated group than in the control group, and were lower in the AAPA-treated group than in the AAP-treated group. Hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity was higher in the AAP-treated group than in the control group, although there was no significant difference between both AAP- and AAPA-treated groups in this respect. These findings suggest that the adzuki extract will serve as a prophylactic against oxidative damage to the liver.