Protein-enriched fiber vegan meal promote satiety and suppress food intake in rats.

Dietary preferences were closely associated with the pathogenesis of numbers of metabolic disorders, in particularly, obesity. Dietary fiber was shown to be capable of preventing weight gain and excessive food intake mainly through stimulating chewing and saliva secretion, and promote satiety signals. In this study, we characterized the "Vitamin World® Vegan Meal" Formula of Feihe, a novel protein-enriched fiber dietary supplement contained potato protease inhibitor II (PI2) that developed. And we demonstrated that this particular fiber formula was effective in preventing weight gain, increasing satiety signals, and reducing food intake in rats in a dosage-dependent manner. Our study provides lines of evidence and would further bolster the use of this nutritious vegan meal in regulating satiety and food intake in clinics.

Calycosin Influences the Metabolism of Five Probe Drugs in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Calycosin (CAL), a type of O-methylated isoflavone extracted from the herb Astralagusmembranaceus (AM), is a bioactive chemical with antioxidative, antiphlogistic and antineoplastic activities commonly used in traditional alternative Chinese medicine. AM has been shown to confer health benefits as an adjuvant in the treatment of a variety of diseases. AIM: The main objective of this study was to determine whether CAL influences the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) system involved in drug metabolism. METHODS: Midazolam, tolbutamide, omeprazole, metoprolol and phenacetin were selected as probe drugs. Rats were randomly divided into three groups, specifically, 5% Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) for 8 days (Control), 5% CMC for 7 days + CAL for 1 day (single CAL) and CAL for 8 days (conc CAL), and metabolism of the five probe drugs evaluated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). RESULTS: No significant differences were observed for omeprazole and midazolam, compared to the control group. T max and t1/2 values of only one probe drug, phenacetin, in the conc CAL group were significantly different from those of the control group (T max h: 0.50±0.00 vs 0.23±0.15; control vs conc CAL). C max of tolbutamide was decreased about two-fold in the conc CAL treatment group (conc vs control: 219.48 vs 429.56, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Calycosin inhibits the catalytic activities of CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP2C9. Accordingly, we recommend caution, particularly when combining CAL as a modality therapy with drugs metabolized by CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP2C9, to reduce the potential risks of drug accumulation or ineffective treatment.

Effects of salidroside on rat CYP enzymes by a cocktail of probe drugs.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of salidroside on the activities of the different drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 in rats, in which a specific probe drug was used for each enzyme. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After pretreatment with salidroside, five probe drugs were simultaneously administered to rats by gavage. The given dose was 2.0 mg/kg for phenacetin (CYP1A2 activity), 4.0 mg/kg for bupropion (CYP2B6 activity), 2.0 mg/kg for losartan (CYP2C9 activity), 8.0 mg/kg for metoprolol (CYP2D6 activity) and 1.0 mg/kg for midazolam (CYP3A4 activity). Then, an ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the concentrations of rats' blood, which were collected at different corresponding times. RESULTS: Our data showed that salidroside exhibited an inductive effect on CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 activities by changing the main pharmacokinetic parameters (t1/2, CL/F, Cmax and AUC(0-∞)) of the four probe drugs in rats. However, no significant changes in CYP2D6 activity were observed. CONCLUSION: In a word, the results displayed that salidroside could induce the activities of CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, which may influence the disposition of the drugs that are mainly metabolized by these pathways. Our research can provide the basis for the study of related herb-drug interactions in clinic.

The complex jujube genome provides insights into fruit tree biology.

The jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), a member of family Rhamnaceae, is a major dry fruit and a traditional herbal medicine for more than one billion people. Here we present a high-quality sequence for the complex jujube genome, the first genome sequence of Rhamnaceae, using an integrated strategy. The final assembly spans 437.65 Mb (98.6% of the estimated) with 321.45 Mb anchored to the 12 pseudo-chromosomes and contains 32,808 genes. The jujube genome has undergone frequent inter-chromosome fusions and segmental duplications, but no recent whole-genome duplication. Further analyses of the jujube-specific genes and transcriptome data from 15 tissues reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying some specific properties of the jujube. Its high vitamin C content can be attributed to a unique high level expression of genes involved in both biosynthesis and regeneration. Our study provides insights into jujube-specific biology and valuable genomic resources for the improvement of Rhamnaceae plants and other fruit trees.