The effects of capsaicin intake on weight loss among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Animal studies have shown that capsaicin plays a positive role in weight management. However, the results in human research are controversial. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of capsaicin on weight loss in adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane library and clinical registration centre, identifying all randomised controlled trials (RCT) published in English and Chinese to 3 May 2022. A random-effect model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and I-squared tests (I 2 ). Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 15.1. P-values < 0·05 were considered as statistically significant. From 2377 retrieved studies, fifteen studies were finally included in the meta-analyses. Fifteen RCT with 762 individuals were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the supplementation of capsaicin resulted in significant reduction on BMI (WMD: -0·25 kg/m2, 95 % CI = -0·35, -0·15 kg/m2, P < 0·05), body weight (BW) (WMD: -0·51 kg, 95 % CI = -0·86, -0·15 kg, P < 0·05) and waist circumference (WC) (WMD: -1·12 cm, 95 % CI = -2·00, -0·24 cm, P < 0·05). We found no detrimental effect of capsaicin on waist-to-hip ratio (WMD: -0·05, 95 % CI = -0·17, 0·06, P > 0·05). The current meta-analysis suggests that capsaicin supplementation may have rather modest effects in reducing BMI, BW and WC for overweight or obese individuals.

Near-infrared light activated photosensitizer with specific imaging of lipid droplets enables two-photon excited photodynamic therapy.

Two-photon excited phototherapy has attracted considerable attention due to its advantages such as deeper penetration depth and higher spatial resolution. The lack of a high-performance photosensitizer with large two-photon absorption cross-sections and specific targeting ability makes the efficacy of phototherapy in the treatment of cancer unsatisfactory. Here, a new BODIPY-derived photosensitizer 6DBF2 is designed with two-photon photosensitization for two-photon excited photodynamic therapy in vivo. 6DBF2 possesses good two-photon absorption and efficient 1O2 generation upon near-infrared laser excitation. Excellent targeting specificities to lipid droplets of 6DBF2 without any encapsulation or modification at a low working concentration of 0.1 µM is in favor of efficient photodynamic therapy. In vitro cancer cell ablation and in vivo tumor ablation inside mice models upon two-photon irradiation in NIR demonstrate the outstanding therapeutic performance of 6DBF2 in two-photon excited photodynamic therapy. This work thus discusses a rare example of lipid droplets targeting two-photon excited photodynamic therapy for deep cancer tissue imaging and treatment under near-infrared light irradiation.

Self-Monitoring the Endo-Lysosomal Escape and Near-Infrared-Activated Mitophagy To Guide Synergistic Type-I Photodynamic and Photothermal Therapy.

Considering the multiple biological barriers before the entry of photosensitizers (PSs) into cytoplasm, it is of paramount importance to track PSs to elucidate their behaviors and distributions to guide the photodynamic therapy (PDT). Also, the developed PSs suffer from strong oxygen dependency. However, reports on such ideal theranostic platforms are rare. Herein, we developed a theranostic platform (CMTP-2) based on the coumarin-based D-π-A system, which, for the first time, can reveal the holistic intracellular delivery pathway and near-infrared (NIR)-activated mitophagy to guide synergistic type-I PDT and photothermal therapy. The dynamic endo-lysosomal escape of CMTP-2 was monitored, as well as its changeable distributions in endosomes, lysosomes, and mitochondria, demonstrating the preferential accumulation in mitochondria at the end. Upon NIR-I irradiation, CMTP-2 generated toxic radicals and heat, triggering the execution of mitophagy and apoptosis. In vivo experiments on mice indicated that CMTP-2 under 808 nm irradiation realized complete cancer ablation, showing great potential for advancements in synergistic phototherapy.

Defective transition metal hydroxide-based nanoagents with hypoxia relief for photothermal-enhanced photodynamic therapy.

Recently, phototherapy has attracted much attention due to its negligible invasiveness, insignificant toxicity and excellent applicability. The construction of a newly proposed nanosystem with synergistic photothermal and photodynamic tumor-eliminating properties requires a delicate structure design. In this work, a novel therapeutic nanoplatform (denoted as BCS-Ce6) based on defective cobalt hydroxide nanosheets was developed, which realized hypoxia-relieved photothermal-enhanced photodynamic therapy against cancer. Defective cobalt hydroxide exhibited high photothermal conversion efficacy at the near-infrared region (49.49% at 808 nm) as well as enhanced catalase-like activity to produce oxygen and greatly boost the singlet oxygen generation by a photosensitizer, Ce6, realizing efficacious dual-modal phototherapy. In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that BCS-Ce6 can almost completely extinguish implanted tumors in a mouse model and present satisfactory biocompatibility during the treatment. This work sets a new angle of preparing photothermal agents and constructing comprehensive therapeutic nanosystems with the ability to modulate the hypoxic tumor microenvironment for efficient cancer therapy.

Genetic polymorphisms of key enzymes in folate metabolism affect the efficacy of folate therapy in patients with hyperhomocysteinaemia.

The aim of this study is to analyse the efficacy rate of folate for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy) and to explore how folate metabolism-related gene polymorphisms change its efficacy. This study also explored the effects of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on the efficacy of folate. A prospective cohort study enrolling HHcy patients was performed. The subjects were treated with oral folate (5 mg/d) for 90 d. We analysed the efficacy rate of folate for the treatment of HHcy by measuring homocysteine (Hcy) levels after treatment. Unconditioned logistic regression was conducted to analyse the association between SNP and the efficacy of folic acid therapy for HHcy. The efficacy rate of folate therapy for HHcy was 56·41 %. The MTHFR rs1801133 CT genotype, TT genotype and T allele; the MTHFR rs1801131 AC genotype, CC genotype and C allele; the MTRR rs1801394 GA genotype, GG genotype and G allele; and the MTRR rs162036 AG genotype and AG+GG genotypes were associated with the efficacy of folic acid therapy for HHcy (P<0·05). No association was seen between other SNP and the efficacy of folic acid. The optimal model of gene-gene interactions was a two-factor interaction model including rs1801133 and rs1801394. The optimal model of gene-environment interaction was a three-factor interaction model including history of hypertension, history of CHD and rs1801133. Folate supplementation can effectively decrease Hcy level. However, almost half of HHcy patients failed to reach the normal range. The efficacy of folate therapy may be genetically regulated.

Efficacy of Folic Acid Therapy in Patients with Hyperhomocysteinemia.

BACKGROUND: Increased plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels are a risk factor for stroke and can be reduced with folic acid therapy. Therefore, it is extremely important for patients with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) to obtain the normal level of Hcy after folate intervention. Thus far, few studies have reported the effective rate defined as percentage of patients who achieved normal plasma Hcy levels after folic acid therapy. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the effective rate of folic acid for the treatment of HHcy and the impact of plasma baseline Hcy levels and the compliance of oral folic acid on the efficacy. METHODS: A total of 858 patients with HHcy were treated with oral folic acid (5 mg/d) for 3 months. Fasting blood samples collected at baseline and at the end of treatment were assayed for plasma Hcy levels. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, the plasma Hcy levels of 484 patients were reduced to below the normal levels (15 µmol/L), corresponding to an effective rate of 56.41%. The average of Hcy levels decreased by 28.05%. The effective rates of folic acid therapy in a mild Hcy elevated group and an intermediate Hcy elevated group were 61.34% and 27.78%, respectively (p = 0.000). The effective rates among patients with good and poor compliance of oral folic acid were 65.29% and 35.18%, respectively (p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: More than 40% patients with HHcy failed to reach the normal range (5-15 µmol/L) after 3 months of folic acid supplementation. Further prospective studies are warranted to explore the reasons for failure.