Analysis of potential anti-aging beverage Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment, by desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and FTICR tandem mass spectrometry.

Aging has been established as a major risk factor for prevalent diseases and hence, the development of anti-aging medicines is of great importance. Recently, herbal fermented beverages have emerged as a promising source of potential anti-aging drug. Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment produced by decoction and fermentation of multispecies plants with sugar, has been consumed for many years and is claimed to have multiple medicinal properties. Besides the traditional method, Pru is also manufactured industrially. The present study analyzed the major components of both traditional Pru (TP) and industrial Pru (IP) to reveal their potential application in promoting the health span. We performed desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) and acquired mass spectra by scanning over the 50-1200 m/z range in both positive and negative ion modes. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was performed for validating the compound assignments. Three important compounds were identified by comparing the MS and MS/MS spectra with reported literature and the online database. One of the identified compounds, gluconic acid, was found to be the most abundant shared metabolite between TP and IP whereas the other two compounds, magnoflorine and levan were exclusively detected in TP. The present study is the first report of component profiling in Cuban traditional and industrial Pru using DESI-MS and FTICR MS/MS, and reveals the potential application of Pru as a health-promoting agent.

Preferential Incorporation of Administered Eicosapentaenoic Acid Into Thin-Cap Atherosclerotic Plaques.

OBJECTIVE: n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. Although specific salutary actions have been reported, the detailed distribution of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in plaque and their relevance in disease progression are unclear. Our aim was to assess the pharmacodynamics of EPA and DHA and their metabolites in atherosclerotic plaques. Approach and Results: Apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe-/-) mice were fed a Western diet supplemented with EPA (1%, w/w) or DHA (1%, w/w) for 3 weeks. Imaging mass spectrometry analyses were performed in the aortic root and arch of the Apoe-/- mice to evaluate the distribution of EPA, DHA, their metabolites and the lipids containing EPA or DHA in the plaques. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and histological analysis were also performed. The intima-media thickness of atherosclerotic plaque decreased in plaques containing free EPA and EPAs attached with several lipids. EPA was distributed more densely in the thin-cap plaques than in the thick-cap plaques, while DHA was more evenly distributed. In the aortic root, the distribution of total EPA level and cholesteryl esters containing EPA followed a concentration gradient from the vascular endothelium to the media. In the aortic arch, free EPA and 12-hydroxy-EPA colocalized with M2 macrophage. CONCLUSIONS: Administered EPA tends to be incorporated from the vascular lumen side and preferentially taken into the thin-cap plaque.

N-3 fatty acids modulate repeated stress-evoked pain chronicity.

N-3 fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have a beneficial effect in both pain and psychiatric disorders. In fact, we previously reported that stress-induced pain prolongation might be mediated through the suppression of the G-protein coupled-receptor 40/free fatty acid receptor 1 (GPR40/FFAR1), which is activated by DHA and long-chain fatty acids. However, the involvement of GPR40/FFAR1 ligands in the development of stress-induced chronic pain has not yet been described. In this study, we investigated the role of DHA in stress-evoked pain chronicity using diet-induced n-3 fatty acid deficient mice. The n-3 fatty acid deficient mice showed exacerbation of anxiety-like behavior after repeated exposure to social defeat stress. The intact n-3 fatty acid deficient mice showed a decrease in paw threshold values. On the other hand, paw withdrawal thresholds of defeated but not non-stressed, n-3 fatty acid deficient mice continued until day 49 after paw surgery. We evaluated changes in phosphatidylcholine composition in the brains of repeat stress-evoked chronic pain model mice which were not on n-3 fatty acid deficiency diets. On day 7 after paw surgery, phosphatidylcholines with DHA and other long-chain fatty acids were found to have decreased in the brains of stressed mice. Moreover, stress-induced persistent mechanical allodynia was improved by oral DHA supplementation. These results indicated that chronic stress may directly affect brain lipid composition; the related changes could be involved in chronic pain development. Our findings suggested that n-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are useful as a potential therapeutic target for stress-evoked chronic pain.