The influence of raw and processed garlic and onions on plasma classical and non-classical atherosclerosis indices: investigations in vitro and in vivo.

Garlic and white and red varieties of onion were subjected to processing by a variety of culinary methods, and bioactive compounds then determined. For in vivo studies, 84 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 14 diet groups, each of six rats, including two control groups (one with no supplementation and one with cholesterol supplementation only). During the 30-day trial, the basal diets of the other 12 groups were supplemented with 1% cholesterol and raw or processed vegetables. Both raw red onion and red onion subjected to blanching for 90 s hindered the rise in plasma lipids more than the other vegetables studied in the supplemented diets. The decrease in antioxidant activity compared to the cholesterol-supplemented control group was significantly less for the group fed with red onion subjected to blanching for 90 s. No histological changes were detected in the studied organs of rats that had been fed cholesterol. In conclusion, blanching for 90 s most fully preserved the bioactive compounds and antioxidant potentials, and hindered the rise in plasma lipid levels and the decrease in plasma antioxidant activity of rats fed cholesterol. Alkaline phosphatase levels correlated with classical atherosclerosis indices, and determination of alkaline phosphatase is suggested as an additional index in atherosclerosis testing.

Antiproliferative activity of Korean wild vegetables on different human tumor cell lines.

This study was conducted to determine the antiproliferative activity of 24 Korean wild vegetables. The methanol extracts of these wild vegetables were used against lung, breast, colon and gastric cancer cells, and the results were assessed by MTT assay. It was found that at the extract concentration of 400 mgL(-1) 14 plants exercised antiproliferative activity over 80% against the lung cancer cells, one plant among six--against breast cancer cells, and two plants among six--against colon cancer cells, respectively. Eighteen wild vegetables had the hyperplasia inhibition activity against gastric cancer cells over 23.6% at all extract concentrations, however, only six plants had the antiproliferative activity over 80% in 600 mgL(-1). It was found that the extracts from Youngia sonchifolia, Synurus deltoides, Syneilesis palmata, and Cephalonoplos segetum, in concentration of 400 mgL(-1) inhibited the hyperplasia of lung cancer cells over 95% and Angelica gigas-both lung and colon cancer cells over 95%. In conclusion, the studied wild vegetables' methanol extracts possess dose dependent antiproliferative properties, based on their bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, but some of them as Hypericum ascyron against lung cancer are not effective and even course harm.

Fructus Ligustrum lucidi inhibits inflammatory mediator release through inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Fructus Ligustrum lucidi (FLL) is a widely used herbal medicine for the treatment of a variety of pathologies. We have investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of FLL in mouse peritoneal macrophages. FLL exerted an anti-inflammatory action through inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production in mouse peritoneal macrophages. The maximal inhibition rate of TNF-alpha production by FLL (0.5 mg mL(-1)) was 60.88 +/- 0.30%. In the inflammatory process, nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) increased in peritoneal macrophages. FLL decreased the protein level of NO and PGE(2) in LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. In addition, FLL inhibited nuclear factor-kappaB activation and IkappaB-alpha degradation by the decrease in IkappaB-alpha phosphorylation. Our study suggested that FLL reduced inflammation via an important molecular mechanism, which might explain its beneficial effect in the regulation of inflammatory reactions.