Diet supporting therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases.

PURPOSE: Non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. More and more often attention is paid to the possibility of dietary support for inflammatory bowel diseases. METHODS: The following review article considers the role of dietary components in the treatment of IBD as: pteridines, probiotics, bovine immunoglobulin, vitamin D, omega-3, flavonoids, polyphenols, curcumin and phosphatidylcholine. The article also discusses plant raw materials of arjuna, soy protein and nettles, trying to summarize their effect on quenching the inflammatory process within the intestines. This review focuses on the possibilities of dietary components and supplementation use to improve the pharmacotherapy response as well as the general clinical patients' condition. RESULTS: The mechanism of action of supportive therapy is based on reduction in oxidative stress, maintaining the adequate balance between Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes by affecting cytokines, increasing riboflavin supply for macrophages, increasing expression of vitamin D receptor, regulation by decreasing the expression of NF-κB in liver cells and ability to inhibit the COX2 entrance and inactivate prostaglandins that are involved in the inflammatory process and 12-lipoxygenase pathway inhibition. CONCLUSION: Considering clinical researches, it seems that the use of the above-mentioned ingredients in the diet of patients suffering IBD may positively influence the treatment process and maintenance of remission.

The Associations of SCFA with Anthropometric Parameters and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Pregnant Women.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) mediate the transmission of signals between the microbiome and the immune system and are responsible for maintaining balance in the anti-inflammatory reaction. Pregnancy stages alter the gut microbiota community structure, which also synthesizes SCFAs. The study involved 90 pregnant women, divided into two groups: 48 overweight/obese pregnant women (OW) and 42 pregnant women with normal BMI (CG). The blood samples for glucose, insulin, and HBA1c were analyzed as well as stool samples for SCFA isolation (C2:0; C3:0; C4:0i; C4:0n; C5:0i; C5:0n; C6:0i; C6:0n) using gas chromatography. The SCFA profile in the analyzed groups differed significantly. A significant positive correlation between C2:0, C3:0, C4:0n and anthropometric measurements, and between C2:0, C3:0, C4:0n, and C5:0n and parameters of carbohydrate metabolism was found. SCFA levels fluctuate during pregnancy and the course of pregnancy and participate in the change in carbohydrate metabolism as well. The influence of C2:0 during pregnancy on anthropometric parameters was visible in both groups (normal weight and obese). Butyrate and propionate regulate glucose metabolism by stimulating the process of intestinal gluconeogenesis. The level of propionic acid decreases with the course of pregnancy, while its increase is characteristic of obese women, which is associated with many metabolic adaptations. Propionic and linear caproic acid levels can be an important critical point in maintaining lower anthropometric parameters during pregnancy.

Effect of AuNPs and AgNPs on the Antioxidant System and Antioxidant Activity of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) from In Vitro Cultures.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of gold and silver nanoparticles on the activity of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POX), and catalase (CAT)), the free radical scavenging capacity, and the total polyphenol capacity of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) cultivar "Munstead" propagated in vitro. In the experiment, fragments of lavender plants were cultivated in vitro on medium with the addition of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 mg∙dm-3 of AgNPs or AuNPs (particle sizes 24.2 ± 2.4 and 27.5 ± 4.8 nm, respectively). It was found that the nanoparticles increase the activity of the antioxidant enzymes APX and SOD; however, the reaction depends on the NP concentration. The highest APX activity is found in plants propagated on media with 2 and 5 mg∙dm-3 of AgNPs. AuNPs significantly increase the APX activity when added to media with a concentration of 10 mg∙dm-3. The highest SOD activity is recorded at 2 and 5 mg∙dm-3 AgNP and AuNP concentrations. The addition of higher concentrations of nanoparticles to culture media results in a decrease in the APX and SOD activity. The addition of AuNPs to culture media at concentrations from 2 to 50 mg∙dm-3 increases the POX activity in comparison to its activity when AgNPs are added to the culture media. No significant influence of NPs on the increase in CAT activity was demonstrated. AgNPs and AuNPs increased the free radical scavenging capacity (ABTS•+). The addition of NPs at concentrations of 2 and 5 mg∙dm-3 increased the production of polyphenols; however, in lower concentrations it decreased their content in lavender tissues.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Analysis of Essential Oils from AgNPs and AuNPs Elicited Lavandula angustifolia in vitro Cultures.

The aim of this study was to determine how the addition of gold and silver nanoparticles to culture media affects the composition of essential oils extracted from Lavandula angustifolia propagated on MS media with the addition of 10 and 50 mg•dm-3 of gold (24.2 ± 2.4 nm) and silver (27.5 ± 4.8 nm) nanocolloids. The oil extracted from the lavender tissues propagated on the medium with 10 mg•dm-3 AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) differed the most with respect to the control; oil-10 compounds were not found at all, and 13 others were detected which were not present in the control oil. The addition of AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) and AgNPs to the media resulted in a decrease of lower molecular weight compounds (e.g., α- and ß-pinene, camphene, δ-3-carene, p-cymene, 1,8-cineole, trans-pinocarveol, camphoriborneol), which were replaced by those of a higher molecular weight (τ- and α-cadinol 9-cedranone, cadalene, α-bisabolol, cis-14-nor-muurol-5-en-4-one, (E,E)-farnesol).

Doubtful Justification of the Gluten-Free Diet in the Course of Hashimoto's Disease.

The popularization of the gluten-free diet brings with it a fashion for its use, which can harm the treatment of Hashimoto's disease. The few studies in this regard do not confirm positive changes resulting from a gluten-free diet. At the same time, the presence of other comorbid autoimmune diseases in this group of patients is increasing. This may have important implications for the interpretation of test results and the need for a gluten-free diet in some patients. In this review, the PubMed database was searched for links between a gluten-free diet, Hashimoto's disease, and autoimmune diseases. When analyzing the available literature, we found no basis for introducing a gluten-free diet for the standard management of Hashimoto patients. The recommended diet is instead an anti-inflammatory diet that levels the supply (to compensate for deficiencies) of vitamin D, iodine, and selenium, which are found in plant products rich in polyphenols, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, as illustrated in this article.

Type of Explant Affects In Vitro Development and Multiplication Success of the Rare Halophyte Plant Honckenya Peploides L. Ehrh.

The sea sandwort-Honckenya peploides (L.) Ehrh. is-a rare halophilous plant growing on dunes and is an endangered species on the Polish coast. It contributes to the stabilization of volatile sandy substrate, facilitating the colonization of other species. The present study determined the reaction of two types of explant: apical shoot fragments and fragments from a lower portion of the shoot. Apical shoot fragments were used to propagate and root sea sandwort plants due to the positive impact on the development of shoots and roots. Regardless of the plant growth regulators applied in the medium, the lateral meristems on the explants from the lower parts of the shoot stopped growing, and then yellowed and died out. Apical fragments of shoots developed higher and more numerous shoots and longer and more numerous roots than explants, which were fragments collected from lower parts of shoots. The findings indicated that propagation should be conducted on Murashige and Skoog medium with the addition of 1 mg∙dm-3 kinetin, whereas shoots with their apical fragments should be rooted with the addition of 1.5 mg∙dm-3 1-naphthaleneacetic acid. The results also showed that the addition of NaCl at concentrations of 25 and 50 mM did not restrict their growth, thereby indicating the tolerance of the plant to soil salinity. However, an increase in the concentration of NaCl in the medium to 75 mM restricted the development of plants, and the shoots were lower and roots were shorter and less numerous.

Micropropagation of Stevia rebaudiana plants / Micropropagação de plantas de Stevia rebaudiana

ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to develop optimum composition of plant growth regulators in media for the propagation and rooting of shoots of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) in in vitro cultures. Single-node shoot fragments obtained from plants propagated on MS medium were placed onto media supplemented with: BAP, 2iP and KIN at concentrations: 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 mg∙dm-3, whereas at the rooting stage with addition of: IAA, IBA and NAA at concentrations 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg∙dm-3. The highest number of shoots and leaves was reported for plants propagated on MS medium enriched with 0.5 mg∙dm-3 BAP. The greatest number of the longest roots was developed by stevia on the MS medium enriched with 1 mg∙dm-3 IAA.

RESUMO: O objetivo do estudo foi desenvolver uma composição ótima de reguladores de crescimento em meios para a propagação e enraizamento de brotos de estévia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) em culturas in vitro. Fragmentos de parte aérea obtidos de plantas propagadas em meio MS foram colocados em meio suplementado com: BAP, 2iP e KIN nas concentrações: 0.5, 1, 2 e 5 mg∙dm-3, enquanto no estádio de enraizamento com adição de: IAA, IBA e ANA nas concentrações 1, 2, 4 e 8 mg∙dm-3.O maior número de brotações e folhas foi encontrado para plantas propagadas em meio MS enriquecido com 0.5 mg∙dm-3 de BAP. O maior número de raízes mais longas foi desenvolvido por estévia no meio MS enriquecido com 1 mg∙dm-3 de IAA.