Study on the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of Penthorum chinense Pursh in normal and acute alcoholic liver injury rats using validated UPLC-MS/MS method.

Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP), as a traditional medicine of Miao nationality in China, is often used for the treatment of various liver diseases. At present, information regarding the in vivo process of PCP is lacking. Herein, a sensitive and robust ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the quantification of several components to study their pharmacokinetics, tissues distribution and excretion in normal and acute alcoholic liver injury (ALI) rats. Prepared samples were separated on a Thermo C18 column (4.6 mm × 50 mm, 2.4 µm) using water containing 0.1 % formic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B) as the mobile phase for gradient elution. Negative electrospray ionization was performed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for each component. The validated UPLC-MS/MS assay gave good linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery rate, matrix effect and stability. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion in normal and acute ALI rats. There were differences in pharmacokinetic process, tissue distribution and excretion characteristics, indicating that ALI had a significant influence on the in vivo process of PCP in rats. The research provided an experimental basis for the study of PCP quality control and further application in the clinic.

Clinical effectiveness of fish oil on arterial stiffness: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIMS: The increase of arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Fish oil supplementation was shown to reduce the risk of CVD outcomes. However, the effects of fish oil on arterial stiffness remains controversial. This meta-analysis summarized existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to determine whether fish oil can affect arterial stiffness in adults. DATA SYNTHESIS: Systematic searches were performed using the PubMed/Medline, EMbase, Cochrane database, Clinical trials, and Web of Science. All RCTs assessed the effect of fish oil intervention on carotid to femoral-Pulse Wave Velocity (cf-PWV), brachial to ankle-PWV (ba-PWV), augmentation index (AIx) and AIx75 were considered. A fixed-effect model was used to calculate the pooled effect. A total of 14 RCTs were included. The pooled data analysis showed that fish oil significantly reduced PWV levels (SMD: -0.145, 95%CI: -0.265 to -0.033, P = 0.012) compared to the control group. In subgroup analyses, a significant decrease in PWV was found in trials that fish oil with low dosages (≤1.8 g/d), short time (<24 weeks), low DHA to EPA ratio (DHA/EPA<1) and among young participant (<50 years old). Besides, the effect of fish oil was more obvious in ba-PWV compared to cf-PWV. In contrast, the effect of fish oil supplementation on AIx (WMD: -0.588%, 95% CI: -2.745 to 1.568, P = 0.593) and AIx75 (WMD: 0.542%, 95% CI: -1.490 to 2.574, P = 0.601) was nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed that fish oil supplementation had a beneficial effect on pulse wave velocity.

Effect of Fish Oil on Insulin Sensitivity in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: Fish oil has been shown to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders. However, the effects of fish oil intervention on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity are still controversial, especially in children. The current meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of fish oil intervention on insulin sensitivity in children. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched up to August 2020 for relevant studies evaluating fish oil intake compared with placebo on insulin sensitivity indications (Homeostatic Model for Insulin Resistance). A fixed-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies with 1,132 participants (567 in placebo group and 565 in fish oil group) were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the placebo group, fish oil intervention had beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity in the pooled analysis (weighted mean difference, -0.219; 95% confidence interval, -0.392 to -0.046; p=0.013). In subgroup analyses, when the fish oil intervention period was short-term (≤6 months), low dose (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid dose <1.5 g/day) and high ratio (eicosapentaenoic acid to docosahexaenoic acid ≥1), it could improve insulin sensitivity. No heterogeneity was found for the pooled and subgroup analyses. CONCLUSION: Fish oil intervention has a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity in children.

The effects of dietary fatty acid composition in the post-sucking period on metabolic alterations in adulthood: can ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent adverse programming outcomes?

Early life nutrition is important in the regulation of metabolism in adulthood. We studied the effects of different fatty acid composition diets on adiposity measures, glucose tolerance, and peripheral glucocorticoid (GC) metabolism in overfed neonatal rats. Rat litters were adjusted to a litter size of three (small litters (SLs)) or ten (normal litters (NLs)) on postnatal day 3 to induce overfeeding or normal feeding respectively. After weaning, SL and NL rats were fed a ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) diet (14% calories as fat, soybean oil) or high-saturated fatty acid (high-fat; 31% calories as fat, lard) diet until postnatal week 16 respectively. SL rats were also divided into the third group fed a ω3 PUFA diet (14% calories as fat, fish oil). A high-fat diet induced earlier and/or more pronounced weight gain, hyperphagia, glucose intolerance, and hyperlipidemia in SL rats compared with NL rats. In addition, a high-fat diet increased 11ß-hsd1 (Hsd11b1) mRNA expression and activity in the retroperitoneal adipose tissue of both litter groups compared with standard chow counterparts, whereas high-fat feeding increased hepatic 11ß-hsd1 mRNA expression and activity only in SL rats. SL and a high-fat diet exhibited significant interactions in both retroperitoneal adipose tissue and hepatic 11ß-HSD1 activity. Dietary ω3 PUFA offered protection against glucose intolerance and elevated GC exposure in the retroperitoneal adipose tissue and liver of SL rats. Taken together, the results suggest that dietary fatty acid composition in the post-sucking period may interact with neonatal feeding and codetermine metabolic alterations in adulthood.