Freshwater Macroalgae, Oedogonium, Grown in Wastewater Reduce Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats.

Macroalgae produce compounds with industrial, pharmaceutical and nutritional applications. In this study, biomass from the freshwater macroalgal genus Oedogonium was grown in either treated municipal wastewater (M) or ash dam water from a coal-fired power station (D). The biomass was investigated for its metabolic responses in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats, a model of human metabolic syndrome. The Oedogonium biomass cultured in M contained higher amounts of K, Mg, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), insoluble fibre and ß-carotene, while biomass grown in D contained higher amounts of Al, Fe, V, Zn, Mn and As. Biomass from M further increased body weight and inflammation in the heart and colon in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats. In contrast, biomass from D prevented changes in metabolic, cardiovascular and liver parameters without changing tissue histology. We suggest that increased intake of metals and metalloids through macroalgal biomass from D may decrease abdominal fat deposition while polysaccharides, PUFA and carotenoids from M may improve blood glucose responses in an obesogenic diet. Thus, macroalgal biomass grown in different wastewater sources could be acceptable for feed or food applications. This biomass could even provide potential health benefits in diet-induced metabolic syndrome.

Potential Benefits of Anthocyanins in Chronic Disorders of the Central Nervous System.

Anthocyanins have been shown to be effective in chronic diseases because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects together with changes in the gut microbiota and modulation of neuropeptides such as insulin-like growth factor-1. This review will examine whether these mechanisms may be effective to moderate the symptoms of disorders of the central nervous system in humans, including schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy. Thus, anthocyanins from fruits and berries should be considered as complementary interventions to improve these chronic disorders.

Modulation of gut microbiota by spent coffee grounds attenuates diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

Coffee brewing produces spent coffee grounds as waste; few studies have investigated the health benefits of these grounds. This study investigated responses to spent coffee grounds in a diet-induced rat model of metabolic syndrome. Male Wistar rats aged 8-9 weeks were fed either corn starch-rich diet or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet for 16 weeks, which were supplemented with 5% spent coffee grounds during the last 8 weeks. Rats fed non-supplemented diets were used as controls. High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats developed metabolic syndrome including abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular and liver damage. Body weight, abdominal fat, total body fat mass, systolic blood pressure, and concentrations of plasma triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids were reduced by spent coffee grounds along with improved glucose tolerance and structure and function of heart and liver. Spent coffee grounds increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and decreased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Changes in gut microbiota correlated with the reduction in obesity and improvement in glucose tolerance and systolic blood pressure. These findings indicate that intervention with spent coffee grounds may be useful for managing obesity and metabolic syndrome by altering the gut microbiota, thus increasing the value of this food waste.

Pelargonidin 3-glucoside-enriched strawberry attenuates symptoms of DSS-induced inflammatory bowel disease and diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the anthocyanin, pelargonidin 3-glucoside (P3G), attenuates symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and metabolic syndrome in rats. METHODS: We tested P3G-enriched strawberry in two models of chronic inflammation in rats, chronic IBD induced by 0.5% dextran sodium sulphate in the drinking water for 12 weeks (D) and metabolic syndrome induced by a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H) for 16 weeks. P3G-enriched strawberry was added to the diet for the final 6 weeks in IBD rats (DP) or 8 weeks in H rats (HP) to provide a dose of 8 mg P3G/kg/day. RESULTS: D rats had marked diarrhoea, bloody stools, erosion of mucosal epithelium, crypt atrophy, loss of villi and goblet cells, and inflammatory cell infiltration. These symptoms were reversed by P3G with healthy stools and mucosal lining of ileum and colon including increased villi, crypts and goblet cells and reduced inflammation. H rats developed hypertension, dyslipidaemia, central obesity, increased ventricular stiffness, cardiac and liver inflammation, and steatosis. P3G treatment in H rats improved systolic blood pressure, ventricular stiffness, and cardiac and liver structure, and reduced abdominal fat, abdominal circumference and body weight gain. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that dietary P3G decreased inflammation to decrease the symptoms of IBD, and to improve cardiovascular, liver and metabolic functions in metabolic syndrome.

Carrageenans from the Red Seaweed Sarconema filiforme Attenuate Symptoms of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats.

Carrageenans are thickening and gelling agents that may provide health benefits. Iota (ι)-carrageenan, a linear sulfated polysaccharide, is produced by the red seaweed, Sarconema filiforme. This study investigated the potential of this seaweed as a functional food for the reversal of metabolic syndrome and possible mechanisms. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups in a 16-week protocol: corn starch diet-fed rats (C); C rats supplemented with 5% S. filiforme for the last 8 weeks (CSF); high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats (H); and H rats supplemented with 5% S. filiforme for the last 8 weeks (HSF). S. filiforme was produced in tank-based aquaculture yielding 27 g dry weight/day/m2 of culture area. H rats developed obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance, fatty liver and increased left ventricular collagen deposition. S. filiforme supplementation decreased body weight, abdominal and liver fat, systolic blood pressure, plasma total cholesterol concentrations, and plasma activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase. S. filiforme supplementation modulated gut microbiota without changing the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. S. filiforme improved symptoms of high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats. Possible mechanisms include a reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells into organs as well as prebiotic actions in the gastrointestinal tract.

Redefining Spinal Cord Stimulation "Trials": A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Single-Stage Wireless Permanent Implantable Devices.

BACKGROUND: "Traditional" spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trials with percutaneous electrodes externalized to a pulse generator (PG) are typically limited in duration due to risk of infection. Newer miniaturized wireless SCS technology eliminates the percutaneous extension (as well as PGs implanted for chronic use), thus facilitating a single-stage implantation after which the device can remain indefinitely. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fully implanted wireless SCS devices during a 30-day screening trial in subjects with chronic low back pain and leg pain and a history of lumbosacral spine surgery. METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial of single-stage wireless SCS using a wireless percutaneous system, 99 subjects received either 10 kHz high frequency stimulation (HFS) or lower frequency stimulation (LFS) below 1500 Hz (Bolash R, Creamer M, Rauck R, et al. Wireless high frequency spinal cord stimulation (10 kHz) compared to multi-waveform low frequency spinal cord stimulation in the management of chronic pain in failed back surgery syndrome subjects: preliminary results of a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled study. Pain Med 2019, https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnz019). In this report, we assess the 30-day trial success rate (≥50% pain relief from baseline) and complications. RESULTS: The overall trial success rate was 88% (87/99): 92% (46/50) for HFS and 84% (41/49) for LFS (NS). The trial success rate in the 64 subjects with predominant low back pain was 92% (59/64) vs. 80% (28/35) in those with leg pain ≥ low back pain (NS). During the screening trial, one infection occurred (1%) and one subject withdrew and was explanted (1%). Electrode migrations were seen on routine follow-up x-rays in 10 cases (10%). CONCLUSION: Using wireless SCS devices that allow for an extended trial period and evaluation of various waveforms, we observed a high rate trial success rate with both HFS and LFS waveforms, with minimal incidence of infection. Long-term follow-up will address the cost-effectiveness and morbidity associated with this technology, which facilitates single-stage treatment.

Wireless High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation (10 kHz) Compared with Multiwaveform Low-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation in the Management of Chronic Pain in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Subjects: Preliminary Results of a Multicenter, Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the wireless Freedom Spinal Cord Stimulator (WSCS) System for the treatment of chronic back and/or leg pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) refractory to standard medical treatment utilizing 10-kHz stimulation (high-frequency [HF]) in comparison with 10-1,500-Hz stimulation (low-frequency [LF]) waveforms. METHODS: Ninety-nine subjects were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either HF or LF stimulation waveforms utilizing the same Freedom WSCS System. All subjects were implanted with two 8-electrode arrays in the exact same anatomical positions within the dorsal epidural spinal column, with the top electrode positioned at the T8 and T9 vertebrae levels, respectively, and the wireless receiver placed under the skin in a subcutaneous pocket. RESULTS: Seventy-two (HF: N = 38; LF: N = 34) subjects had completed the six-month follow-up after an initial 30-day trial period at the time of this report. For both the HF and LF arms, mean visual analog scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain decreased significantly: 77% and 76%, respectively, for the HF arm and 64% and 64%, respectively, for the LF arm. In addition, most subjects experienced significant improvements in VAS, Oswestry Disability Index, European Quality of Life 5 Dimension questionnaire, Patient Global Impression of Change, and sleep duration. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results demonstrate that WSCS devices can reduce FBSS chronic pain substantially with both LF and HF stimulation waveforms over a seven-month period (30-day trial period and six-month post-trial evaluation).

Physiological and Metabolic Effects of Yellow Mangosteen (Garcinia dulcis) Rind in Rats with Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of disorders that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This study has investigated the responses to rind of yellow mangosteen (Garcinia dulcis), usually discarded as waste, in a rat model of human metabolic syndrome. The rind contains higher concentrations of phytochemicals (such as garcinol, morelloflavone and citric acid) than the pulp. Male Wistar rats aged 8-9 weeks were fed either corn starch diet or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet for 16 weeks, which were supplemented with 5% freeze-dried G. dulcis fruit rind powder during the last 8 weeks. We characterised metabolic, cardiovascular, liver and gut microbiota parameters. High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats developed abdominal obesity, hypertension, increased left ventricular diastolic stiffness, decreased glucose tolerance, fatty liver and reduced Bacteroidia with increased Clostridia in the colonic microbiota. G. dulcis fruit rind powder attenuated these changes, improved cardiovascular and liver structure and function, and attenuated changes in colonic microbiota. G. dulcis fruit rind powder may be effective in metabolic syndrome by appetite suppression, inhibition of inflammatory processes and increased fat metabolism, possibly related to changes in the colonic microbiota. Hence, we propose the use of G. dulcis fruit rind as a functional food to ameliorate symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Nutraceuticals in rodent models as potential treatments for human Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of all or part of the digestive tract. Nutraceuticals include bioactive compounds such as polyphenols with anti-inflammatory activities, thus these products have the potential to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. We have emphasized the role of nutraceuticals in ameliorating the symptoms of IBD in rodent models of human IBD through modulation of key pathogenic mechanisms including dysbiosis, oxidative stress, increased inflammatory cytokines, immune system dysregulation, and inflammatory cell signaling pathways. Nutraceuticals have an important role in IBD patients as a preventive approach to extend remission phases and as a therapeutic intervention to suppress active IBD. Further clinical trials on nutraceuticals with positive results in rodent models are warranted.

Attenuation of Metabolic Syndrome by EPA/DHA Ethyl Esters in Testosterone-Deficient Obese Rats.

Inducing testosterone deficiency, as the standard treatment of prostate cancer, may cause metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, central obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. This study measured responses to testosterone deficiency in high-carbohydrate, high-fat (H) diet-fed rats. We then tested whether eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl esters (Omacor) reversed these metabolic changes. Male Wistar rats (8⁻9 weeks old) were divided into eight groups with four groups fed corn starch and four groups fed H diet. For each diet, one group received diet only; one group was orchidectomized; one group was given leuprolide (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist, 2 mg/kg every 4th week); and the last group was treated with leuprolide and their diet was supplemented with 3% Omacor for the last eight weeks. The protocol was for 16 weeks. Leuprolide worsened metabolic syndrome symptoms and cardiovascular function, and orchidectomy produced greater responses. In H fed leuprolide-treated rats, Omacor decreased systolic blood pressure and left ventricular diastolic stiffness, reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and collagen deposition in the heart, and reduced lipid accumulation and inflammatory cell infiltration without improving liver damage. These results suggest that Omacor has potential to attenuate metabolic complications in prostate cancer patients with induced testosterone deprivation.

Antero posterior elongation of midbrain in traumatic brain injury- significant sign yet a mistaken entity.

BACKGROUND: Antero posterior elongation of the midbrain is observed occasionally in severe traumatic brain injury and generally implies a bad outcome. The objective of the study was to document midbrain elongation and identify the implications of this finding. METHODS: This prospective study included 100 patients with traumatic intracranial haematoma of more than 20 cc in volume. Key measurements were taken in the midbrain and pontine regions and the status of perimesencephalic basal cisterns was noted. All the predictors were analyzed for the outcome. RESULTS: In twenty-nine patients the distorted midbrain appeared to be elongated in the antero posterior direction on visual inspection of CT head images. However, on statistical analysis, it was made out that there is no demonstrable anteroposterior lengthening of the midbrain. The factors influencing the appearance and outcome were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Although not a true sign, the finding of the elongated appearance of the midbrain in traumatic brain injury still holds significance as a predictor of mortality. Hence, this finding should alert neurosurgeons or intensivists to expedite the administration of suitable interventions in a salvageable patient.

Selenium, Vanadium, and Chromium as Micronutrients to Improve Metabolic Syndrome.

Trace metals play an important role in the proper functioning of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Some of the trace metals are thus essential for maintaining homeostasis, while deficiency of these trace metals can cause disorders with metabolic and physiological imbalances. This article concentrates on three trace metals (selenium, vanadium, and chromium) that may play crucial roles in controlling blood glucose concentrations possibly through their insulin-mimetic effects. For these trace metals, the level of evidence available for their health effects as supplements is weak. Thus, their potential is not fully exploited for the target of metabolic syndrome, a constellation that increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Given that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increasing throughout the world, a simpler option of interventions with food supplemented with well-studied trace metals could serve as an answer to this problem. The oxidation state and coordination chemistry play crucial roles in defining the responses to these trace metals, so further research is warranted to understand fully their metabolic and cardiovascular effects in human metabolic syndrome.

Coconut Products Improve Signs of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats.

Increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome warrants identification of potential therapeutic options for intervention. This study tested commercially available Virgin Coconut Oil and Coconut Nourish, as coconuts are rich sources of lauric and myristic acids. Male Wistar rats were fed either corn starch diet (C); high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H); high-carbohydrate, high-virgin coconut oil diet (HV); or high-carbohydrate, high-coconut Nourish diet (HN) for 16 weeks. Metabolic, liver, and cardiovascular health parameters were measured during and at the end of the study. Virgin coconut oil lowered body weight (C 386±8g, H 516±13g, HV 459±10g), blood glucose concentrations (C 4.2±0.1 mmol/L, H 5.4±0.2 mmol/L, HV 4.6±0.2 mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (C 127±5mmHg, H 149±4mmHg, HV 133±3mmHg,) and diastolic stiffness (C 25.0±1.7, H 31.4±1.2, HV 25.2±2.3,) with improved structure and function of the heart and liver. Coconut Nourish increased total body lean mass (C 255±10g, H 270±16g, HN 303±15g) and lowered plasma total cholesterol concentrations (C 1.6±0.2 mmol/L, H 1.7±0.1 mmol/L, HN 1.0±0.0 mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (C 127±5mmHg, H 149±4mmHg, HN 130±3mmHg) and diastolic stiffness (C 25.0±1.7, H 31.4±1.2, HN 26.5±1.0), improved structure and function of the heart and liver but increased plasma concentrations of triglycerides (C 0.3±0.1 mmol/L, H 1.1±0.4 mmol/L, HN 1.8±0.2 mmol/L) and non-esterified fatty acids (C 1.2±0.3 mmol/L, H 3.3±0.8 mmol/L, HN 5.6±0.4 mmol/L). Thus, the fiber and protein in coconut Nourish and the medium-chain saturated fatty acids in virgin coconut oil may improve cardiovascular and liver complications in obesity.

Cyanidin 3-glucoside improves diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

Increased consumption of dark-coloured fruits and vegetables may mitigate metabolic syndrome. This study has determined the changes in metabolic parameters, and in cardiovascular and liver structure and function, following chronic administration of either cyanidin 3-glucoside (CG) or Queen Garnet plum juice (QG) containing cyanidin glycosides to rats fed either a corn starch (C) or a high-carbohydrate, high-fat (H) diet. Eight to nine-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups for 16-week feeding with C, C with CG or QG, H or H with CG or QG. C or H were supplemented with CG or QG at a dose of ∼ 8 mg/kg/day cyanidin glycosides from week 8 to 16. H rats developed signs of metabolic syndrome including visceral adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, cardiovascular remodelling, increased collagen deposition in left ventricle, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, increased plasma liver enzymes and increased inflammatory cell infiltration in the heart and liver. Both CG and QG reversed these cardiovascular, liver and metabolic signs. However, no intact anthocyanins or common methylated/conjugated metabolites could be detected in the plasma samples and plasma hippuric acid concentrations were unchanged. Our results suggest CG is the most likely mediator of the responses to QG but that further investigation of the pharmacokinetics of oral CG in rats is required.

Guidelines for the management of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer.

The moral imperative to adequately manage pain is being increasingly recognized worldwide. A comprehensive pain management approach that addresses the various presentations of pain in patients with cancer is required, including appropriate management of breakthrough pain. Breakthrough pain commonly occurs in patients with advanced cancer and is disabling to the individual and burdensome to society, yet it is often inadequately managed. Because pain is heterogeneous, the best management of an individual's pain, including breakthrough pain in cancer, requires a thorough assessment to tailor the treatment strategies. Recently developed guidelines support this approach and recommend treating breakthrough pain using rapid- or short-acting opioids with pharmacodynamics that mirror the rapid onset and short duration of the presenting pain. This approach should be part of a comprehensive strategy to treat pain within the context of the primary disease trajectory, offering continuity of care and access to specialized palliative care when appropriate.

Cardioprotective and hepatoprotective effects of ellagitannins from European oak bark (Quercus petraea L.) extract in rats.

BACKGROUND: Red wine contains many potentially bioactive polyphenols including resveratrol, catechins, anthocyanins and flavonoids as well as tannins derived from oak during maturation. This study examined the effects of a mixture of ellagitannins from oak bark (Quercus petraea L.) on cardiovascular, metabolic and liver changes in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats and in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR). METHODS: First, 8-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and given either cornstarch diet, cornstarch diet + oak bark extract (0.5 mL/kg food), high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet + oak bark extract (0.5 mL/kg food) for 16 weeks. Oak bark extract was added to the diets for last 8 weeks of the feeding period. Secondly, SHR aged 42 weeks fed on standard chow diet were divided into two groups with and without oak bark extract treatment for 12 weeks (0.5 mL/kg food). RESULTS: The high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet induced signs of metabolic syndrome along with cardiovascular remodelling and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Oak bark extract attenuated the signs of metabolic syndrome in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats and improved the structure and function of the heart and the liver. SHR after oak bark extract treatment for 12 weeks showed lower systolic blood pressure, lower cardiac fibrosis and cardiac stiffness and improved vascular reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Oak bark extract containing ellagitannins improved cardiovascular, metabolic and liver parameters in these rat models of human disease, suggesting that part of the benefits attributed to red wine may be produced by these ellagitannins.

Ellagic acid attenuates high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

BACKGROUND: Fruits and nuts may prevent or reverse common human health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension; together, these conditions are referred to as metabolic syndrome, an increasing problem. This study has investigated the responses to ellagic acid, present in many fruits and nuts, in a diet-induced rat model of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Eight- to nine-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into four groups for 16-week feeding with cornstarch diet (C), cornstarch diet supplemented with ellagic acid (CE), high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H) and high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet supplemented with ellagic acid (HE). CE and HE rats were given 0.8 g/kg ellagic acid in food from week 8 to 16 only. At the end of 16 weeks, cardiovascular, hepatic and metabolic parameters along with protein levels of Nrf2, NF-κB and CPT1 in the heart and the liver were characterised. RESULTS: High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats developed cardiovascular remodelling, impaired ventricular function, impaired glucose tolerance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with increased protein levels of NF-κB and decreased protein levels of Nrf2 and CPT1 in the heart and the liver. Ellagic acid attenuated these diet-induced symptoms of metabolic syndrome with normalisation of protein levels of Nrf2, NF-κB and CPT1. CONCLUSIONS: Ellagic acid derived from nuts and fruits such as raspberries and pomegranates may provide a useful dietary supplement to decrease the characteristic changes in metabolism and in cardiac and hepatic structure and function induced by a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Beyond lockdowns: a systematic review of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on dietary pattern, physical activity, body weight, and food security.

CONTEXT: COVID-19 lockdowns may have impacted dietary patterns and nutritional outcomes in many populations. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on nutritional patterns, investigating behaviors in the periods before, during, and after lockdowns. DATA SOURCE: This systematic review followed the PRISMA-P methodology. The articles included were identified by searching the key words in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. The key words used in the search included: "COVID19" AND "diet*", "coronavirus" AND "diet*", "coronavirus 2" AND "diet*", "COVID19" AND "nutri*", "coronavirus" AND "nutri*", "coronavirus 2" AND "nutri*", "COVID19" AND "food". DATA EXTRACTION: Twenty-two original studies were included in this review. Data extraction tables were created for recording author names, year of publication, location of study, duration, lockdown phase, design, methods, aims, number of participants, age, gender, health status, education, socioeconomic status, dietary patterns, food security, physical activity, body weight change or body mass index, and associations with sociodemographic characteristics. DATA ANALYSIS: Impacts of lockdowns on eating patterns, physical activity, body weight or body mass index, and food security were the primary outcomes investigated. Secondary outcomes investigated were associations with sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 lockdowns were associated with significant changes in dietary and lifestyle behaviors of worldwide populations. Impacts were seen during and post-lockdown likely due to more time spent at home, working from home, decreased food availability and accessibility, and augmented stress associated with lockdown.

Capsicum Waste as a Sustainable Source of Capsaicinoids for Metabolic Diseases.

Capsaicinoids are pungent alkaloid compounds enriched with antioxidants, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, analgesics, anti-carcinogenic, anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties. These compounds are primarily synthesised in the placenta of the fruit and then transported to other vegetative parts. Different varieties of capsicum and chillies contain different capsaicinoid concentrations. As capsicums and chillies are grown extensively throughout the world, their agricultural and horticultural production leads to significant amount of waste generation, in the form of fruits and plant biomass. Fruit wastes (placenta, seeds and unused fruits) and plant biowaste (stems and leaves) can serve as sources of capsaicinoids which can provide opportunities to extract these compounds for development of nutraceutical products using conventional or advanced extraction techniques. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are two most abundantly found pungent compounds. Considering the health benefits of capsaicinoids, these compounds can help in reducing metabolic disease complications. The development of an advanced encapsulation therapy of safe and clinically effective oral capsaicinoid/capsaicin formulation seem to require evaluation of strategies to address challenges related to the dosage, limited half-life and bioavailability, adverse effects and pungency, and the impacts of other ligands antagonising the major capsaicinoid receptor.