Tannic acid: A possible therapeutic agent for hypermethioninemia-induced neurochemical changes in young rats.

This study explores the therapeutic benefits of tannic acid (TnA) in an experimental protocol of chronic hypermethioninemia in rats. Rats were categorized into four groups: Group I - control, Group II - TnA 30 mg/kg, Group III - methionine (Met) 0.2-0.4 g/kg + methionine sulfoxide (MS) 0.05-0.1 g/kg, Group IV - TnA/Met + MS. Saline was administered by subcutaneous pathway into groups I and II twice daily from postnatal day 6 (P6) to P28, whereas those in groups III and IV received Met + MS. From P28 to P35, groups II and IV received TnA orally. Animals from group III presented cognitive and memory impairment assessed through object recognition and Y-maze tests (p < 0.05). Elevated levels of reactive species, lipid peroxidation, and nitrites followed by a decline in sulfhydryl content, catalase activity, and superoxide dismutase activity were observed in animals treated with Met + MS (p < 0.05). However, TnA treatment reversed all these effects (p < 0.05). In group III, there was an increase in acetylcholinesterase activity and IL-6 levels, coupled with a reduction in Na+/K+-ATPase activity (p < 0.05). TnA was able to protect against these effects (p < 0.05). The gene expression of catalase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 was decreased in the hippocampus and striatum from group III (p < 0.05). TnA reversed almost all of these alterations (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that TnA is a therapeutic target for patients with hypermethioninemia.

Selective in vitro anticancer effect of blueberry extract (Vaccinium virgatum) against C6 rat glioma: exploring their redox status.

The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer potential of blueberry extract (Vaccinium virgatum) against a C6 rat glioma lineage. Cultures of the C6 cells were exposed to blueberry extract at concentrations of 50 to 600 µg/mL for 12, 24, 48, or 72 h and then evaluated for cell viability, proliferation, migration, colony formation and oxidative stress. We also evaluated the effects of blueberry extract on primary rat cortical astrocytes. Our results show that treatment with blueberry extract did not alter the viability or proliferation of normal primary astrocytes but it did significantly reduce the viability in 21.54 % after 48 h and proliferation in 8.59 % after 24 h of C6 cells at 200 µg/mL. We also observed a reduction in the size of the colonies of 29.99 % at 100 µg/mL when compared to the control cells and cell migration was also reduced at 50 µg/mL. After 72 h, there was a reduction in the reactive oxygen species levels ranging from 46.26 to 34.73 %, in addition to a 380.2 % increase in total thiol content. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase activities were also enhanced when compared to the control. Taken together this data suggests that blueberry extract exerts some selective anticancer activity in C6 glioma cells.

Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Gut Microbiota and Sport Performance in Athletes and Physically Active Individuals: A Systematic Review.

The present systematic review aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplementation on gut microbiota and sport performance in athletes and physically active individuals. This review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (P RISMA). The search had no time limits and included the following databases: MEDLINE, LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and SP ORT Discus. The risk of bias was assessed through the updated version of the Cochrane tool for assessing the risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB 2). Nine randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included, accounting for 216 participants. Of these, seven studies found positive results on sport performance. Additionally, some studies showed significant decrease in biochemical parameters linked to inflammation. It was also observed direct results in the microbiota composition of the participants, such as an increase in the abundance of probiotics and a decrease in certain pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, the use of probiotics showed improvement in inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress, which indirectly may contribute to the improvement of sport performance. However, the majority of the studies presented a high risk of bias, which impair the reproducibility of the results. While the field of probiotic supplementation and sport performance is emerging, the promising results from this systematic review suggest that further investigation through larger and more robust randomized clinical trials can provide valuable insights for athletes and their performance.