Effect of various roasting, extraction and drinking conditions on furan and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural levels in coffee.

Furan and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were quantified in 108 coffee models prepared considering the species/origin of the coffee beans, roasting temperature/time, mesh size used to sieve the ground coffee beans, type of extraction water and extraction method. The effect of drinking conditions, such as adding sugar or cream, on furan and 5-HMF levels, was also studied. The range of furan and 5-HMF in coffee samples were 5-362 ppb and 51-1143 ppm, respectively. Furan levels were increased by 198-560% with increasing roasting temperature/time and by 106-399% in cold-brew extracts compared with espresso extracts. Among the mesh sizes used, 500 µm with espresso extraction, and 710 µm with cold-brew extraction led to maximal furan levels. 5-HMF concentration was highest in Robusta coffee and espresso extracts, and decreased by 17-76% with increasing roasting temperature/time. In a drinking condition study, furan level was remained unchanged, even when sugar or cream were added.

Lycopene Improves In Vitro Development of Porcine Embryos by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis.

In vitro culture (IVC) for porcine embryo development is inferior compared to in vivo development because oxidative stress can be induced by the production of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) under high oxygen tension in the in vitro environment. To overcome this problem, we investigated the effect of lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid, on developmental competence and the mechanisms involved in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathways in porcine embryos. In vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos were cultured in IVC medium supplemented with 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, or 0.2 µM lycopene. The results indicate that 0.1 µM lycopene significantly increased the rate of blastocyst formation and the total cell numbers, including trophectoderm cell numbers, on Day In terms of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, IVF embryos treated with 0.1 µM lycopene exhibited significantly decreased levels of ROS, increased mitochondrial membrane potential, and decreased expression of cytochrome c on Days 2 and Furthermore, 0.1 µM lycopene significantly decreased the number and percentage of caspase 3-positive and apoptotic cells in Day-6 blastocysts. In addition, Day-2 embryos and Day-6 blastocysts treated with 0.1 µM lycopene showed significantly reduced mRNA expression related to antioxidant enzymes (SOD1, SOD2, CATALASE) and apoptosis (BAX/BCL2L1 ratio). These results indicate that lycopene supplementation during the entire period of IVC enhanced embryonic development in pigs by regulating oxidative stress and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.

Prunus yedoensis bark inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine synthesis by IκBα degradation and MAPK activation in macrophages.

The bark of Prunus yedoensis is used in antitussive medicines and in oral herbal formulations for inflammatory skin disorders. In the present study, we explored whether P. yedoensis bark extract (PYE) and its solvent partitioned fractions could modulate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 in vivo and in vitro. In addition, we examined the effect of PYE extract and its fractions on LPS-induced NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Oral treatment of PYE decreased serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS injected mice. PYE inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 in macrophages at the transcriptional level and also suppressed LPS-induced IκBα degradation and MAPK activation in vitro. Among the fractions, the chloroform fraction, which contains genistein, naringenin, sakuranetin, prunetin, and amygdalin, showed inhibitory effects at much lower concentrations than the water and ethyl acetate fractions. Taken together, our results indicate that PYE was able to inhibit LPS-induced expression of TNF-α and IL-6, the latter of which was more prominent. The effects of PYE on inflammatory cytokine synthesis may involve modulation of NF-κB and MAPK activation.

Effect of cinnamon water extract on monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and scavenger receptor activity.

BACKGROUND: Water soluble cinnamon extract has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and modulate macrophage activation, a desirable trait for the management of obesity or atherosclerosis. Our present study investigated whether cinnamon water extract (CWE) may influence the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages and the activity of macrophage scavenger receptors, commonly observed in atherosclerotic lesions. METHODS: We investigated the effect of CWE on the expression of various surface markers and the uptake of acetylated low density lipoprotein (LDL) in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated THP-1 cells. The protein levels of PMA or macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF)-stimulated type 1 macrophage scavenger receptor (SRA) were analyzed. Finally, the role of extracellar signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 in SRA synthesis and the effect of CWE on PMA-stimulated ERK1/2 were determined. RESULTS: CWE inhibited the differentiation of monocyte by decreasing the expression of CD11b, CD36 and SRA and the uptake of acetyl LDL. CWE suppressed the upregulation of SRA by M-CSF and modulated ERK1/2 activity, which was required for PMA-induced SRA synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that CWE was able to interfere with monocyte differentiation and macrophage scavenger activity, indicating its potential in preventing the development of atherosclerotic lesions.

Preclinical evidence of rapid-onset antidepressant-like effect in Radix Polygalae extract.

Radix Polygalae (the root of Polygala tenuifolia) is a herb widely used in traditional Asian medicine that is thought to exert a variety of neuropsychiatric effects. Radix Polygalae extract can protect against N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) neurotoxicity and induce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, suggesting modulatory roles at glutamatergic synapses and possible antidepressant action. In accordance with this hypothesis, Radix Polygalae extract demonstrated antidepressant-like effects in 8-week-old male C57Bl/6 mice by decreasing behavioral despair in the forced swim and tail suspension tasks and increasing hedonic-like behavior in the female urine sniffing test 30 minutes after a single oral administration of 0.1 mg/kg. Reduced latency to acquire a food pellet in the novely suppressed feeding paradigm, without change in anxiety-like behaviors suggested a rapid-onset nature of the antidepressant-like effect. In addition, it decreased the number of failed escapes in the learned helplessness paradigm after two oral administrations 24 hours and 30 minutes before the first test. Finally, it reversed anhedonia as measured by saccharin preference in mice exposed to the chronic stress model after two administrations of 0.1 mg/kg, in contrast to the repeated administration generally needed for similar effect by monoamergic antidepressants. Immobility reduction in tail suspension task was blocked by the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist NBQX, a pattern previously demonstrated by ketamine and other ketamine-like rapid-onset antidepressants. Also similarly to ketamine, Radix Polygalae appeared to acutely decrease phosphorylation of GluR1 serine-845 in the hippocampus while leaving the phosphorylation of hippocampal mTOR serine 2448 unchanged. These findings serve as preclinical evidence that Radix Polygalae extract exerts rapid-onset antidepressant effects by modulating glutamatergic synapses in critical brain circuits of depression and may be worthy of further evaluation as a safe substitute to other rapid-onset antidepressants known to have unacceptable side effects.