Rice Bran Extract Suppresses High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia and Hepatosteatosis through Targeting AMPK and STAT3 Signaling.

Rice bran, a by-product of rice milling, is abundant in bioactive molecules and is highly recognized for its health-promoting properties, particularly in improving metabolic conditions. Building on this knowledge, we aimed to optimize the extraction conditions to maximize the functional efficacy of rice bran extract (RBE) and further validate its impact on lipid metabolism. We found that the optimized RBE (ORBE) significantly suppressed high-fat diet-induced weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and hepatosteatosis in mouse models. ORBE treatment not only suppressed lipid uptake in vivo, but also reduced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Importantly, we discovered that ORBE administration resulted in activation of AMPK and inhibition of STAT3, which are both crucial players in lipid metabolism in the liver. Collectively, ORBE potentially offers promise as a dietary intervention strategy against hyperlipidemia and hepatosteatosis. This study underlines the value of optimized extraction conditions in enhancing the functional efficacy of rice bran.

Functional foods with antiviral activity.

Viruses are known to cause a variety of diseases, ranging from mild respiratory diseases, such as the common cold, to fatal illnesses. Although the development of vaccines and targeted drugs have significantly improved the mortality rate and disease severity against a number of viral infections, there are still many viruses without proper treatment/prevention options and newly emerging viruses can pose serious health threats. For instance, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is producing significant healthcare and socio-economic burden worldwide, which may jeopardize the lives and livelihoods for years to come. Studies have identified functional foods with antiviral activity. Certain foods may target the viral life cycle or modulate the host immune system to enhance defense against viral infections. In this review, we will discuss some of the food products reported to display protective effects against viruses including the influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.