Hymenaea rubriflora Ducke stem bark extract has vasorelaxant and contractile inhibition capacity

Abstract We investigated the vasodilatory effects of Hymenaea rubriflora Ducke stem bark extract (HRHAc). Vascular reactivity of the aortic rings of Wistar rats was tested by in vitro cumulative doses (0.1 - 729 µg/mL). Rats (n=5) were treated with 25 (G25), 50 (G50) and 100 (G100) mg/ kg of HR-HAc or saline (control group - CG) for four weeks. An in vitro assay resulted in dose-dependent relaxation of the aortic rings with functional endothelium, which was inhibited in the presence of L-NAME. Rings of the treated animals increased acetylcholine relaxing potency at all doses, with a greater effect on G50 (pD2 = 7.8±0.1, Emax = 95.6±1.1) and a decreased contractile potency to phenylephrine in G25 (pD2 = 6.9±0.06, Emax = 61.5±6.0%) and G50 (pD2= 6.6±0.06, Emax = 71.0±8.5%) when compared to the CG in the presence and absence of endothelium (pD2= 6.4± 0.1, 6.4±0.1 and 6.9±0.1, respectively). Cumulative doses of nitroprusside resulted in increased relaxing potency in all treated groups and maintained Emax at 100%. It is concluded that HR-HAc has vasorelaxant capacity and inhibitory vascular contraction activity applied either directly to aortic rings or after treatment with in vivo supplementation, which places this extract as a potential nutraceutical or pharmacological agent for treating diseases associated with vascular dysfunction.

Clinical Guide to Obesity and Nonherbal Nutraceuticals in Canine Orthopedic Conditions.

The typical canine rehabilitation patient with orthopedic disease may differ in its nutritional needs, with the assumption that most patients will be on a complete and balanced commercial dog food that is not enriched with agents for ameliorating their condition. For a significant number of rehabilitation patients, obesity is a major issue where hypocaloric diet plans are often implemented and are covered extensively elsewhere (VCNA Small Animal Practice May 2021). The focus of this article will be implementation of physical activity or structured physical exercise protocols and how they might be used in combination with a typical hypocaloric diet plan, a diet low in calories. Considering the limited information regarding physical activity or structured exercise programs in dogs, a human comparative assessment of efficacy is fundamental as a baseline of information regarding typical interventions. In addition, many of these long-term rehabilitation cases typically exhibit osteoarthritis (OA) and as part of case management, there is a need to implement nutrient or nutraceutical intervention to either diminish the progression of OA or help with pain control measures, particularly for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory intolerant patient. Nutraceutical intervention comes in many forms from botanicals to nutritional enhancement; botanicals will be covered elsewhere in this issue. This overview of nutraceuticals will cover nonbotanical interventions including fish oil, glucosamine/chondroitin, avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, undenatured collagen, green lipped mussel, and egg shell membrane supplementation.

Iron and Zinc Determination in Dietary Supplements by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Abstract Recent studies have demonstrated that 30% of the world's population suffers of anemia, half of the cases are related to iron deficiency, and the most common treatment is the use of iron supplementation. In this framework, the iron and zinc determination from different dietary supplements was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Concerning the dissolution of supplements, direct acid dissolution, wet digestion, and microwave digestion (MW) techniques were used for sample preparation. The iron and zinc recovery results demonstrated that the MW technique was the most appropriate for all of the supplements with the highest metal recovery yields. Moreover, the method validation parameters referred to a linear range for iron of 0.1-4 mg L-1 with a regression coefficient (R2) of 0.9998 ± 0.002, while for zinc it was 0.01-1 mg L-1 (R2 = 0.9997 ± 0.003). The limit of detection and quantification values were calculated as 0.03 and 0.09 mg L-1 for iron and 0.01 and 0.02 mg L-1 for zinc, respectively. The accuracy of the method was evaluated from the % recovery yield for iron and zinc, which, respectively, resulted in an oscillate of 99.2% to 102%, and 99.4% to 100.4% for the dietary investigated supplements. The precision of the method was determined by intra-day and inter-day precision with a relative standard deviation that was <2.0%

Effects of select dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral respiratory tract infections: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) have been recognized as a global public health burden. Despite current theories about their effectiveness, the true benefits of dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs remain elusive, due to contradictory reports. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs.Areas covered: We systematically searched databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar through 4 March 2020, to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of consuming selected dietary supplements on the prevention or treatment of viral RTIs.Expert opinion: Thirty-nine randomized controlled trials (n = 16,797 participants) were eligible and included. Namely, vitamin D supplementation appeared to improve viral RTIs across cohorts particulate in those with vitamin D deficiency. Among the evaluated dietary supplements, specific lactobacillus strains were used most commonly with selected prebiotics that showed potentially positive effects on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs. Further, ginseng extract supplementation may effectively prevent viral RTIs as adjuvant therapy. However, longitudinal research is required to confirm these observations and address the optimal dose, duration, and safety of dietary supplements being publicly recommended.

Frailty syndrome: A target for functional nutrients?

Frailty is a late life phenotype characterized by a decline in physiological reserve across several organ systems, resulting in the increased susceptibility to endogenous and/or exogenous stressors. Although the etiology of frailty remains poorly understood, an interconnected network of putative mechanisms linked to the ageing process has been proposed. However, frailty is a dynamic process that may be prevented, delayed, or even reversed. The syndromic nature of frailty requires a multidomain approach, such as proper nutrition, as part of modifiable environmental factors, and represents one of the most promising and least costly ways to prevent and reduce frailty among older adults. Nutrient deficiencies have been consistently associated with frailty; however, mounting evidence also supports the hypothesis that beyond the traditional nutritional value, specific dietary components may exert function-enhancing effects and mitigate the extent of frailty. Thus, further mechanistic studies, along with large clinical trials, are imperative to establish the exact role of functional nutrients in the clinical management of frailty. Here, we provide a contemporary discussion of how emerging functional nutrients may contribute to modify the trajectory of the frailty syndrome.

Athletes using ergogenic and medical sport supplements report more favourable attitudes to doping than non-users.

OBJECTIVES: Our study objectives were twofold: 1) examine whether users and non-users of different types of sport supplements vary in doping attitudes and sport supplement beliefs, and 2) determine whether the type of sport supplement is directly and indirectly (via sport supplement beliefs) related to doping attitudes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Athletes (N=557; 77% male, mean±standard deviation; age=20.8±4.5 years, training=5.7±4.2h per week, competing=11.1±5.2 years) completed measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs, and doping attitudes. Sport supplements were classified into: ergogenic, medical, sport food and drinks, and superfoods. RESULTS: Compared to non-users, users of ergogenic (d=0.31, p<0.01) and medical (d=0.42, p<0.01) sport supplements reported more favourable attitudes towards doping. In addition, compared to non-users, users of ergogenic (d=1.10, p<0.01), medical (d=0.80, p<0.01) and sport food/drink (d=0.58, p<0.01) supplements reported stronger beliefs in the effectiveness of sport supplements to improve sport performance. Use of ergogenic, medical and sport food/drink supplements was indirectly related to doping attitudes via sport supplement beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers examining the relationship between sport supplement use and doping should differentiate between sport supplement types to improve measurement accuracy. Sport practitioners administering ergogenic and medical sport supplements to athletes may need to provide additional anti-doping education to counteract any favourable attitudes towards doping.

Supplement (mis)use in adolescents.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dietary supplement usage by adolescents has been on the rise in the last decade and is expected to continue to grow, although the evidence of their benefits in healthy individuals remains unclear. This review aims to spread awareness about the poorly regulated supplements and their effects on the health of adolescents to minimize medical hazards. RECENT FINDINGS: In this review, we have attempted to summarize some of the commonly consumed supplements, their alleged benefits, effects and side effects, along with the motivation that drives adolescents into consuming them. SUMMARY: The widespread use of dietary supplements among adolescents, in the background of lack of knowledge and medical guidance, predisposes adolescents to significant health risks. Although supplements may be necessary and safely consumed in certain specific situations, most healthy adolescents do not need them. The lack of regulation of supplements encourages contamination and ensures indiscriminate, easy access.

Dietary Supplements: Which Place between Food and Drugs?

Healthy dietary habits and food choices, a part of lifestyle, are recognized as major environmental factors for the prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases over the life course; their modifiable features promise a reduced socio-economic global burden load in aging societies [...].

Classification of the crystallization tendency of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and nutraceuticals based on their nucleation and crystal growth behaviour in solution state.

Supersaturated drug delivery systems are commonly used to address the problems of poor aqueous solubility posed by most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). However, the supersaturated systems are highly unstable due to their high free energy levels and demonstrate a tendency to precipitate. Understanding the crystallization tendency based on the mechanisms of crystallization, that is nucleation and crystal growth, is imperative to design formulation strategies and select appropriate precipitation inhibitors. This study aims to provide a classification system, based on both the nucleation and crystal growth tendency in the solution state of 60 APIs and nutraceuticals (in absence of polymer) from their desupersaturation profiles monitored by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The APIs and nutraceuticals are divided into four classes based on their induction time (tind) and crystal growth rate as fast nucleators-fast crystal growth (class I), fast nucleators-slow crystal growth (class II), slow nucleators-fast crystal growth (class III) and slow nucleators-slow crystal growth (class IV). Most of the molecules fall in the class I and class IV. An easy-to-use protocol for nucleation and crystal growth studies has been optimized. This protocol will find application to assess the crystallization tendency of the molecules in the preliminary screening stages, enabling appropriate formulation strategies to inhibit crystallization.

Effects of glutamine and alanine supplementation, in their free form or as dipeptide, on fatigue parameters of rats submitted to resistance training / Efeitos da suplementação com glutamina e alanina, na forma livre ou como dipeptídeo, sobre parâmetros de fadiga de ratos submetidos ao treinamento resistido

Fatigue is defined as the inability to maintain muscle power and strength, impairing performance. Nutritional interventions have been used to delay this phenomenon, such as glutamine and alanine supplementation. These amino acids might attenuate several causes of fatigue, since they are important energy substrates, transport ammonia avoiding the accumulation of this toxic metabolite and attenuate muscle damage and oxidative stress. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of glutamine and alanine supplementation on central and muscle fatigue parameters of rats submitted to resistance training (RT). Forty adult Wistar rats (60 days) were distributed into five groups: SED (sedentary, receiving water), CON (trained, receiving water), ALA, G+A and DIP (trained and supplemented with alanine, glutamine and alanine in their free form, and Lalanyl-L-glutamine, respectively). Trained groups underwent a ladder-climbing exercise, with progressive loads, for eight weeks. Supplements were diluted in water to a 4% concentration and offered ad libitum during the last 21 days of experiment. RT increased plasma glucose, the muscle concentrations of ammonia and glutathione (GSH) and the muscle damage parameters - plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), whereas decreased muscle glycogen. G+A supplementation prevented the increase of muscle ammonia by RT, while ALA and G+A administration reduced plasma CK and LDH, and DIP supplementation increased the muscle content of glycogen and LDH. Contrary to expectations, DIP administration increased central fatigue parameters, such as plasma concentration of free fatty acids (FFA), hypothalamic content of serotonin and serotonin/dopamine ratio. Despite these results, there was no difference between groups in the maximum carrying capacity (MCC) tests. In conclusion, supplementation with glutamine and alanine improves some fatigue parameters, but does not affect physical performance of rats submitted to RT

O termo fadiga é definido como a incapacidade de manutenção da força e da potência musculares, prejudicando a performance. Intervenções nutricionais têm sido utilizadas para retardar este fenômeno, como a suplementação com glutamina e alanina. Estes aminoácidos poderiam atenuar diversas causas de fadiga, pois são importantes substratos energéticos, carreiam amônia evitando o acúmulo deste metabólito tóxico e atenuam a lesão muscular e o estresse oxidativo. Logo, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da suplementação com glutamina e alanina sobre parâmetros de fadiga central e muscular em ratos submetidos ao treinamento resistido (TR). Foram utilizados 40 ratos Wistar adultos (60 dias de idade), distribuídos nos grupos: SED (não treinados, recebendo água), CON (treinados, recebendo água), ALA, G+A e DIP (treinados e suplementados com alanina, glutamina e alanina livres, e L-alanil-L-glutamina, respectivamente). Os grupos treinados realizaram um exercício de escalada em escada, com aumento progressivo de carga, durante oito semanas. A suplementação foi diluída a 4% em água e ofertada via oral, ad libitum, durante os últimos 21 dias de experimento. O TR aumentou a glicemia, as concentrações musculares de amônia e de glutationa (GSH) e os parâmetros de lesão muscular - creatina quinase (CK) e lactato desidrogenase (LDH) no plasma, enquanto reduziu o glicogênio no músculo. A suplementação com G+A preveniu o aumento de amônia muscular promovido pelo TR, enquanto a administração de ALA e G+A reduziu as concentrações de CK e LDH no plasma, e a suplementação com DIP aumentou o conteúdo muscular de glicogênio e de LDH. Ao contrário do esperado, a administração de DIP aumentou parâmetros de fadiga central, como as concentrações plasmáticas de ácidos graxos livres, o conteúdo hipotalâmico de serotonina e a razão serotonina/dopamina. Apesar disso, não houve diferença entre os grupos nos testes de carga máxima. Em conclusão, a suplementação com glutamina e alanina melhora alguns parâmetros de fadiga, mas não afeta o desempenho físico em ratos submetidos ao TR

Effects of a New Combination of Medical Food on Endothelial Function and Lipid Profile in Dyslipidemic Subjects: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

Nutritional approaches to improve dyslipidemias have been recently developed, but evidences on different medical foods are often incomplete. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the effects on endothelial function, lipid profile, and glucose metabolism of two different combinations of nutraceuticals, first one containing Bergavit (200 mg Citrus bergamia), Omega-3 (400 mg), Crominex 3+ (10 mcg trivalent chromium), and red yeast rice (100 mg; 5 mg monacolin K) and second one containing red yeast rice (200 mg; 3 mg monacolin K), Berberine (500 mg), Astaxanthin (0.5 mg), folic acid (200 mcg), Coenzyme Q10 (2 mg), and Policosanol (10 mg). Fifty subjects affected by dyslipidemia not requiring statin treatment were enrolled in this randomized, blind, controlled trial and submitted to blood sampling for lipid and glucose profiles and instrumental evaluation of endothelial function before and after 6 weeks of treatment with nutraceuticals. Both nutraceutical combinations improved the lipid profile; the nutraceutical containing 5 mg of monacolin K, 200 mg of the extract Citrus bergamia, 400 mg of Omega-3, and 10 mcg of trivalent chromium entailed a significant improvement of endothelial function with enhanced cholesterol lowering effect. In conclusion, this study confirms the positive effect of functional food on lipid profile and endothelial function in absence of major undesirable effects.

Medical Nutrition Terminology and Regulations in the United States and Europe-A Scoping Review: Report of the ISPOR Nutrition Economics Special Interest Group.

BACKGROUND: The term medical nutrition (MN) refers to nutritional products used under medical supervision to manage disease- or condition-related dietary needs. Standardized MN definitions, aligned with regulatory definitions, are needed to facilitate outcomes research and economic evaluation of interventions with MN. OBJECTIVES: Ascertain how MN terms are defined, relevant regulations are applied, and to what extent MN is valued. METHODS: ISPOR's Nutrition Economics Special Interest Group conducted a scoping review of scientific literature on European and US MN terminology and regulations, published between January 2000 and August 2015, and pertinent professional and regulatory Web sites. Data were extracted, reviewed, and reconciled using two-person teams in a two-step process. The literature search was updated before manuscript completion. RESULTS: Of the initial 1687 literature abstracts and 222 Web sites identified, 459 records were included in the analysis, of which 308 used MN terms and 100 provided definitions. More than 13 primary disease groups as per International Classification of Disease, Revision 10 categories were included. The most frequently mentioned and defined terms were enteral nutrition and malnutrition. Less than 5% of the records referenced any MN regulation. The health economic impact of MN was rarely and insufficiently (n = 19 [4.1%]) assessed, although an increase in economic analyses was observed. CONCLUSIONS: MN terminology is not consistently defined, relevant European and US regulations are rarely cited, and economic evaluations are infrequently conducted. We recommend adopting consensus MN terms and definitions, for example, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism consensus guideline 2017, as a foundation for developing reliable and standardized medical nutrition economic methodologies.

From pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals: bridging disease prevention and management.

INTRODUCTION: Nutraceuticals, up today, do not have a specific definition distinct from those of other food-derived categories, e.g. food supplements, herbal products, pre and probiotics, functional foods, etc. They have, however, a pharmacological beneficial effect on health. Many studies have been recently addressed to assess their safety, efficacy, and regulation since they are getting growing attention by market and research, with the aim to clear the difference between them and other market available food-derived products that claim beneficial effect on health. Areas covered: The understanding of the potential mechanisms of action of pharmaceutically active substances contained in nutraceuticals that may improve health and reduce the risk of pathological conditions while enhancing overall well-being is the challenge for nutraceuticals to be considered as a preventive and therapeutic efficient tool in facing some diseases. Expert commentary: It is of utmost importance to have a proper and unequivocal definition of nutraceuticals and a shared regulation. Nevertheless, there is a lack of clear information and, often, the claimed health benefits may not be properly substantiated by safety and by efficacy in vivo data, which can induce false expectations and miss the target for a product to be effective, as claimed.

" Not Intended to Diagnose, Treat, Cure or Prevent Any Disease." 25 Years of Botanical Dietary Supplement Research and the Lessons Learned.

Botanical dietary supplements (BDS) are complex mixtures of phytochemicals exhibiting complex pharmacology and posing complex research challenges. For 25 years, clinical pharmacologists researching BDS have confronted a litany of issues unlike those encountered with conventional medications. Foundational to these concerns is the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which exempted BDS from premarket safety and efficacy trials. In the ensuing period, safety concerns regarding multi-ingredient products formulated as "proprietary blends" and herb-drug interactions have garnered significant attention. Idiosyncrasies unique to BDS can affect the outcome and interpretation of in vitro and in vivo studies, and although "omics" approaches hold promise in uncovering BDS efficacy mechanisms, purposeful adulteration threatens their safety. Despite a quarter century of public use, healthcare professionals still know little about BDS, thus it falls to industry, government, and academia to join forces in promoting a new paradigm for BDS research and product development.

Botanicals and Hepatotoxicity.

The use of botanicals, often in the form of multi-ingredient herbal dietary supplements (HDS), has grown tremendously in the past three decades despite their unproven efficacy. This is paralleled by an increase in dietary supplement-related health complications, notably hepatotoxicity. This article reviews the demographics and motivations of dietary supplement (DS) consumers and the regulatory framework for DS in the US and other developed countries. It examines in detail three groups of multi-ingredient HDS associated with hepatotoxicity: OxyElite Pro (two formulations), green tea extract-based DS, and "designer anabolic steroids." These examples illustrate the difficulties in identifying and adjudicating causality of suspect compound(s) of multi-ingredient HDS-associated liver injury in the clinical setting. The article outlines future directions for further study of HDS-associated hepatotoxicity as well as measures to safeguard the consumer against it.

[Effective nutritional supplements or pharmaceuticals : How can they be classified and used?] / Wirksame Nahrungsergänzungsmittel oder Arzneimittel : Wie einordnen und nutzen?

Health awareness is increasing in the population, which means that more and more dietary supplements are being bought. These are very similar to well known medicines and sometimes indistinguishable both for healthcare professionals as well as for the consumer. Unclear legal terms and missing maximum quantities and substance lists contribute to this. Both product groups are subject to completely different legal norms and have different market access procedures and risk assessment systems. They also differ in purpose. Thus, medicines are used to cure, alleviate and prevent disease. In contrast dietary supplements should complement the normal diet. Whether this is always necessary and useful is contentiously discussed. Last but not least, there is also a great deal of controversy over the amounts of nutrients added in food supplements. European rules on the use of nutritional supplements for nutrition and health claims in foodstuffs are intended to protect consumers from misleading and false promises; however, numerous competition procedures show that further action is needed in this respect.

Species identification approach for both raw materials and end products of herbal supplements from Tinospora species.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays herbal products used in traditional medicine are sold in processed forms and thus morphological authentication is almost impossible. With herbal industry rapidly growing size, consumer safety becomes an important issue that requires special attention. Identification of herbal species in the products is therefore needed. METHODS: Sequences from the selected regions (matK, rbcL, trnL and ITS1) were retrieved and analysed. Then the most suitable barcode was assessed for discrimination of T. crispa from closely related species by HRM analysis and used in authentication of commercial products. RESULTS: The ITS1 barcode was found to be the suitable primer as melting data from the HRM assay proved to be capable of distinguishing T. crispa from its related species. The developed protocol was then employed to authenticate medicinal products in powdered form. HRM analysis of all tested samples here revealed that five out of eight products contained not only the indicated species T. crispa but also other Tinospora, that have a high level of morphological similarity. CONCLUSION: Misrepresentation, poor packaging and inappropriate labeling of the tested medicinal herbal products are thought to be the reason of the results here. Using Bar-HRM with the ITS marker lead to success in authenticating the tested herbal products.

Dietary Supplements: Regulatory Challenges and Research Resources.

Many of the scientific and regulatory challenges that exist in research on the safety, quality and efficacy of dietary supplements are common to all countries as the marketplace for them becomes increasingly global. This article summarizes some of the challenges in supplement science and provides a case study of research at the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health, USA, along with some resources it has developed that are available to all scientists. It includes examples of some of the regulatory challenges faced and some resources for those who wish to learn more about them.

Live or let die: Neuroprotective and anti-cancer effects of nutraceutical antioxidants.

Diet sources are closely involved in the pathogenesis of diverse neuropsychiatric disorders and cancers, in addition to inherited factors. Currently, natural products or nutraceuticals (commonly called medical foods) are increasingly employed for adjunctive therapy of these patients. However, the potential molecular mechanisms of the nutrient efficacy remain elusive. In this review, we summarized the neuroprotective and anti-cancer mechanisms of nutraceuticals. It was concluded that the nutraceuticals exerted neuroprotection and suppressed tumor growth possibly through the differential modulations of redox homeostasis. In addition, the balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ROS elimination was manipulated by multiple molecular mechanisms, including cell signaling pathways, inflammation, transcriptional regulation and epigenetic modulation, which were involved in the therapeutic potential of nutraceutical antioxidants against neurological diseases and cancers. We specifically proposed that ROS scavenging was integral in the neuroprotective potential of nutraceuticals, while alternation of ROS level (either increase or decrease) or disruption of redox homeostasis (ROS addiction) constituted the anti-cancer property of these compounds. We also hypothesized that ROS-associated ferroptosis, a novel type of lipid ROS-dependent regulatory cell death, was likely to be a critical mechanism for the nutraceutical antioxidants. Targeting ferroptosis is advantageous to develop new nutraceuticals with more effective and lower adverse reactions for curing patients with neuropsychiatric diseases or carcinomas.