Stability of Enzyme-Modified Flavonoid C- and O-Glycosides from Common Buckwheat Sprout Extracts during In Vitro Digestion and Colonic Fermentation.

Common buckwheat sprout (CBS) contains more flavone C-glycosides (FCGs) and flavonol O-glycosides (FOGs) than does common buckwheat seed. Both flavonoids in CBS are well known for providing benefits to human health. However, they are relatively less bioaccessible and more directly degradable to aglycone during digestion than are multiglycosylated flavonoids. To overcome such limitations, the water solubility and digestion stability of FCGs and FOGs were enhanced by transglycosylation using cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase. Gastric conditions had little effect on the stability of FCGs and FOGs and their enzyme-modified compounds. In contrast, under intestinal conditions, transglycosylated FCGs lost a glucose moiety and reverted to their parent compounds before transglycosylation. Under colonic fermentation using human fecal samples, the different profiles and concentrations of short-chain fatty acids were suggested to be mainly due to the presence of transglycosylated FCGs and FOGs. These findings indicate that the process of transglycosylation changes the bioaccessibility of flavonoids in CBS.

Role of the central amygdala in acupuncture inhibition of methamphetamine-induced behaviors in rats.

Methamphetamine (METH) enhances dopamine (DA) transmission in the mesolimbic system implicated in its reinforcing effects. Our previous studies have shown that acupuncture attenuates drug-seeking behaviors by modulating GABAergic transmission in the ventral tegmental area and DA release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of the striatum. The effects of acupuncture on METH-induced behaviors and its mediation by neural pathways remain a relatively understudied area of research. The central amygdala (CeA) plays a critical role in physiological and behavioral responses to somatosensory and drug stimuli and has been implicated in negative reinforcement. Thus, we evaluated the role of the CeA in acupuncture effects on locomotor activity, positive affective states, and DA release in the NAc following acute administration of METH. Acupuncture at acupoint HT7 reduced locomotor activity, 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), and NAc DA release following systemic injection of METH, which was prevented by electrolytic lesions or optogenetic inhibition of the CeA. Acupuncture alone excited CeA neurons and reversed the suppression of CeA neurons induced by METH. These results suggest that acupuncture can relieve psychomotor responses and positive affective states following METH by inhibiting NAc DA release and this effect is mediated by activation of CeA neurons.

Acupuncture inhibits reinstatement of intravenous methamphetamine self-administration via gamma aminobutyric acid pathway.

Methamphetamine is one of the widely abused drugs. Nevertheless, there is little predominant therapy for the abuse. In the previous study, acupuncture had shown to attenuate methamphetamine self-administration behavior, and based on, the present study investigated whether acupuncture inhibits the reinstatement of methamphetamine self-administration. As well, a possible neuronal mechanism was investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 270-300 g were trained to intravenously self-administer methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. Following training, rats who administered stable amount of methamphetamine underwent extinction period of 1 week. Thereafter, priming injection was performed to induce reinstatement, and acupuncture was given immediately before priming. In the second experiment, the selective antagonists of GABAA and GABAB receptors were treated prior to acupuncture to investigate a neuronal mechanism of GABAergic pathway. Acupuncture treatment at HT7, but not at the control acupoint LI5, reduced the active lever responses on the reinstatement session, showing that HT7 suppressed craving for methamphetamine induced by reexposure to the drug during abstinence. And, the effects of acupuncture were blocked by the GABA receptors' antagonists. In addition, HT7 did not influence saline self-administration, indicating that acupuncture effect was selective to the methamphetamine. Results of the present study show that acupuncture at HT7 suppresses reinstatement of methamphetamine self-administration behavior through the GABA receptor system without affecting the normal state. From the results, it may be suggested that acupuncture at HT7 can be a useful option in the treatment of methamphetamine addiction.

Enrichment of Polyglucosylated Isoflavones from Soybean Isoflavone Aglycones Using Optimized Amylosucrase Transglycosylation.

Isoflavones in soybeans are well-known phytoestrogens. Soy isoflavones present in conjugated forms are converted to aglycone forms during processing and storage. Isoflavone aglycones (IFAs) of soybeans in human diets have poor solubility in water, resulting in low bioavailability and bioactivity. Enzyme-mediated glycosylation is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to modify the physicochemical properties of soy IFAs. In this study, we determined the optimal reaction conditions for Deinococcus geothermalis amylosucrase-mediated α-1,4 glycosylation of IFA-rich soybean extract to improve the bioaccessibility of IFAs. The conversion yields of soy IFAs were in decreasing order as follows: genistein > daidzein > glycitein. An enzyme quantity of 5 U and donor:acceptor ratios of 1000:1 (glycitein) and 400:1 (daidzein and genistein) resulted in high conversion yield (average 95.7%). These optimal reaction conditions for transglycosylation can be used to obtain transglycosylated IFA-rich functional ingredients from soybeans.

Korean meditation music suppressed relapse to methamphetamine in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Methamphetamine is a drug abused worldwide. Even though its abuse is a serious problem in many countries, there are few safe and effective therapies to treat addiction. In a previous study, music therapy attenuated relapse to morphine. Based on the study, we investigated whether music therapy suppresses the reinstatement of methamphetamine self-administration behavior. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to intravenously self-administer methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg) using a fixed ratio 1 schedule in a daily 2 h session. Following 3 weeks of training, rats who had established a stable daily intake were subjected to extinction for 1 week. On the next day, priming injection was performed to induce reinstatement. Music therapy was played twice daily during the extinction period and immediately before the test session. In the second experiment, the selective GABAA and GABAB receptor antagonists were treated prior to the last music therapy to investigate a possible neuronal mechanism. Immunofluorescence was performed to immunohistochemically examine the behavioral effects. RESULTS: The meditation music by Young-Dong Kim but not the control music by Jeff Beck reduced active lever responding during the reinstatement session. And the effects of music therapy were blocked by GABA receptors antagonists. Also, immunofluorescence showed the pattern of c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens paralleled the behavioral results. CONCLUSION: Results of the present study suggest that meditation music by Young-Dong Kim can be a useful therapy to prevent the reinstatement of methamphetamine addiction during abstinence.