Estrogen Receptor-Mediated Transcriptional Activities of Spent Coffee Grounds and Spent Coffee Grounds Compost, and Their Phenolic Acid Constituents.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the most abundant coffee byproduct and are generally discarded as waste. The horticultural use of SCG and SCG compost (SCGC) has become popular due to a growing interest in environmentally friendly measures for waste disposal. Estrogen-like endocrine disrupting chemicals in the soil can be absorbed by plants and subsequently by humans who consume these plants. The objectives of this study are to determine the phytochemical profiles of extracts of SCG and SCGC and to evaluate the estrogen-like activities of SCG, SCGC, and the major coffee phenolic acids, specifically, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (CQA), caffeic acid, and ferulic acid. Their inductive effects on estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated gene transcription have been examined in cultured cell lines. CQA was the most abundant phenolic acid in SCG and SCGC and was further examined for its ER-mediated estrogen-like activity using various assays. This is the first study to report the estrogen-like signaling activities of coffee byproducts and their major constituents.

Efficient synthesis of polymethoxyselenoflavones via regioselective direct C-H arylation of selenochromones.

Substantial research has suggested that the configuration and the total number of functional groups on flavones influence their bioactivity. To investigate the changes in the biological activities of selenoflavones in relationship to structural changes, the development of a generally applicable synthetic method was a key. Until now, an efficient pathway for palladium-catalyzed direct arylation with the selenocyclic enone systems is not known in the literature. We herein introduce a simple direct C-H arylation of two difficult coupling partners, selenochromones and electron-rich aryl bromide, affording diverse polymethoxyselenoflavones with great efficiency and high selectivity.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Neuroprotective Selenoflavanones.

The physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of a molecule could be improved by the substitution of an oxygen atom in a molecule with selenium. We synthesized selenoflavanones and flavanones to evaluate their neuroprotective effects. The selenoflavanones showed improved physicochemical properties, suggestive of the ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). They showed in vitro antioxidant effects against hydrogen peroxide, and did not result in severe cytotoxicity. Moreover, infarction volumes in a transient ischemia mouse model were significantly reduced by the selenoflavanone treatments.

Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol isolated from Cucurbita moschata shows anti-adipogenic and anti-lipogenic effects in 3T3-L1 cells and primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

A water-soluble extract from the stems of Cucurbita moschata, code named PG105, was previously found to contain strong anti-obesity activities in a high fat diet-induced obesity mouse model. One of its biological characteristics is that it inhibits 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. To isolate the biologically active compound(s), conventional solvent fractionation was performed, and the various fractions were tested for anti-adipogenic activity using Oil Red O staining method. A single spot on thin layer chromatography of the chloroform fraction showed a potent anti-adipogenic activity. When purified, the structure of its major component was resolved as dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DHCA), a lignan, by NMR and mass spectrometry analysis. In 3T3-L1 cells, synthesized DHCA significantly reduced the expression of several adipocyte marker genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (Pparg), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (Cebpa), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (Fabp4), sterol response element-binding protein-1c (Srebp1c), and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase-1 (Scd), and decreased lipid accumulation without affecting cell viability. DHCA also suppressed the mitotic clonal expansion of preadipocytes (an early event of adipogenesis), probably by suppressing the DNA binding activity of C/EBPß, and lowered the production level of cyclinA and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2), coinciding with the decrease in DNA synthesis and cell division. In addition, DHCA directly inhibited the expression of SREBP-1c and SCD-1. Similar observations were made, using primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Taken together, our data indicate that DHCA may contain dual activities, affecting both adipogenesis and lipogenesis.

The genome-wide expression profile of Nelumbinis semen on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells.

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective mechanisms of Nelumbinis semen (NS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of BV-2 microglial cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of NS were determined by analyzing nitric oxide production and proinflammatory cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism was evaluated in BV-2 cells with or without NS treated with LPS for various lengths of time using oligonucleotide microarray and real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The oligonucleotide microarray analysis revealed that mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway-related genes such as Fgfr3, Fgf12, Rasal2, Nfkb2, Map2k5, Mapk1, Map3k7, and NFatc2 were down-regulated in LPS activated BV-2 cells by pretreatment with NS. In addition, significant decreases in Nos1ap gene expression were observed with NS pretreatment. Cluster linked pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database revealed that the effects of NS were closely associated with the regulation of mitochondria functions. These results suggested that NS can affect the MAPK signaling pathway and mitochondrial functions in BV-2 cells activated with LPS.

Synthesis of new diselenide compounds as anti-inflammatory agents.

Many diselenide compounds are used as antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors and cytokine inducers. Three new diselenide compounds, bis-(2-hydroxyphenyl) diselenide, bis-(3-hydroxyphenyl) diselenide and bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl) diselenide were designed and synthesized as anti-inflammatory agent. All of them were found to have strong in vitro activity in anti-inflammatory assays.