Selenium enrichment improves anti-proliferative effect of oolong tea extract on human hepatoma HuH-7 cells.

Selenium (Se)-enriched tea is attracting increasing interests due to its significantly improved health benefits. This study was to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of Se-enriched oolong tea against human hepatoma HuH-7 cells. Compared with regular oolong tea extract (TE, 0.04 µg selenium/g), Se-enriched oolong tea extract (Se-TE, 0.51 µg selenium/g) exhibited more prominent anti-proliferative effect against HuH-7 cells with an IC50 of 203.1 µg/mL, mainly due to the synergistic effects of organic selenium and tea polyphenols. Our results found that Se-TE increased intracellular ROS production, arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase, and thus induced cell apoptosis. In addition, western blotting assay revealed the increased expressions of the p53, Bax, caspase 3, and a reduction of Bcl-2 and CDK2, resulting in Se-TE-induced apoptosis. The improved anti-proliferative effect makes Se-enriched oolong tea extract a promising health-promoting ingredient in food industry.

Genome-wide transcriptional changes in type 2 diabetic mice supplemented with lotus seed resistant starch.

Resistant starch has been studied extensively for its hypoglycemic activity, while its underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the hypoglycemic effect of different doses of lotus seed resistant starch (LSRS) supplementation on type 2 diabetic mice and elucidated the molecular basis of its hypoglycemic effect. LSRS supplementation significantly reduced blood glucose level by 16.0%-33.6%, recovered serum insulin level by 25.0%-39.0% and improved lipid metabolism disorder in the diabetic mice. The genome-wide expression patterns in pancreatic tissue were analyzed, and 511 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The analysis results of gene ontology (GO) functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways indicated that the protective effect of LSRS supplementation was most likely driven by modulating expression levels of various key factors involved in insulin secretion, insulin signal transmission, cell apoptosis, antioxidant activity and p53 signaling pathways.

Cytotoxic, Antitumor and Immunomodulatory Effects of the Water-Soluble Polysaccharides from Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) Seeds.

Lotus is an edible and medicinal plant, and the extracts from its different parts exhibit various bioactivities. In the present study, the hot water-soluble polysaccharides from lotus seeds (LSPS) were evaluated for their cancer cell cytotoxicity, immunomodulatory and antitumor activities. LSPS showed significant inhibitory effects on the mouse gastric cancer MFC cells, human liver cancer HuH-7 cells and mouse hepatocarcinoma H22 cells. The animal studies showed that LSPS inhibited tumor growth in H22 tumor-bearing mice with the highest inhibition rate of 45.36%, which is comparable to that induced by cyclophosphamide (30 mg/kg) treatment (50.79%). The concentrations of white blood cells were significantly reduced in cyclophosphamide-treated groups (p < 0.01), while LSPS showed much fewer side effects according to the hematology analysis. LSPS improved the immune response in H22 tumor-bearing mice by enhancing the spleen and thymus indexes, and increasing the levels of serum cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-2. Moreover, LSPS also showed in vivo antioxidant activity by increasing superoxide dismutase activity, thus reducing the malondialdehyde level in the liver tissue. These results suggested that LSPS can be used as an antitumor and immunomodulatory agent.

Introduction to the 1st International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (ISPMF 2015).

The 1st International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (ISPMF 2015) was held in Shanghai, China, from June 26th to 29th, 2015. The 1st ISPMF was organized by the Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE) and the Phytochemical Society of Asia (PSA). More than 270 scientists from 48 countries attended this meeting. The program of ISPMF 2015 consisted of 12 plenary lectures, 20 invited talks, and 55 short oral presentations in 16 sessions, including phytochemistry, phytomedicine, pharmacology, and application of phytochemicals in medicine and food. The 1st ISPMF has obtained support from Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Food Chemistry, Phytochemistry Reviews, and Nutrients. As supported by Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, a special issue on Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS) for the 1st ISPMF was initiated in January 2015.

Optimization of microwave vacuum drying of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) seeds by response surface methodology.

Drying is the main process used to treat lotus seeds for storage. In this study, response surface methodology was used to optimize processing methods for microwave vacuum (MWV) drying of lotus seeds and to create a desirable product. A central composite design with three important factors: microwave output power (2.0-4.0 kW), vacuum degree (-0.070 to -0.090 MPa) and on/off ratio (68/52 s to 99/21 s) was used to study the response variables of drying time, shrinkage ratio, rehydration ratio and whiteness index. The optimum conditions for MWV drying of lotus seeds were determined to obtain a minimal drying time, minimal shrinkage ratio, maximum rehydration ratio and maximum whiteness index. The optimum drying conditions were found to be: microwave output power 3.2 kW, vacuum degree -0.083 MPa and on/off ratio 94/26 s. Under these optimal conditions, drying time, shrinkage ratio, rehydration ratio and whiteness index were found to be 10 min, 37.66%, 157.1% and 68.83, respectively.