The Use of Green Leaf Membranes to Promote Appetite Control, Suppress Hedonic Hunger and Loose Body Weight.

On-going research aims at answering the question, which satiety signal is the most potent or which combination of satiety signals is the most potent to stop eating. There is also an aim at finding certain food items or food additives that could be used to specifically reduce food intake therapeutically. Therapeutic attempts to normalize body weight and glycaemia with single agents alone have generally been disappointing. The success of bariatric surgery illustrates the rationale of using several hormones to treat obesity and type-2-diabetes. We have found that certain components from green leaves, the thylakoids, when given orally have a similar rationale in inducing the release of several gut hormones at the same time. In this way satiety is promoted and hunger suppressed, leading to loss of body weight and body fat. The mechanism is a reduced rate of intestinal lipid hydrolysis, allowing the lipolytic products to reach the distal intestine and release satiety hormones. The thylakoids also regulate glucose uptake in the intestine and influences microbiota composition in the intestine in a prebiotic direction. Using thylakoids is a novel strategy for treatment and prevention of obesity.

Heat-induced aggregation of thylakoid membranes affect their interfacial properties.

Many of our most popular lipid containing foods are in emulsion form. These foods are often highly palatable with high caloric density, that subsequently increases the risk of overconsumption and possibly lead to obesity. Regulating the lipid bioavailability of high-fat foods is one approach to prevent overconsumption. Thylakoids, the chloroplast membrane, creates a barrier around lipid droplets, which prolong lipolysis and increase satiety as demonstrated both in animal and human studies. However, a reduced lipase inhibiting capacity has been reported after heat treatment but the mechanism has not yet been fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate thylakoids' emulsifying properties post heat-treatment and possible links to alterations in lipase inhibiting capacity and chlorophyll degradation. Heat-treatment of thylakoids at either 60 °C, 75 °C or 90 °C for time interval ranging from 15 s to 4 min reduced ability to stabilise emulsions, having increased lipid droplets sizes, reduced emulsification capacity, and elevated surface load as consequence. Emulsifying properties were also found to display a linear relationship to both chlorophyll and lipase inhibiting capacity. The correlations support the hypothesis that heat-treatment induce chlorophyll degradation which promote aggregation within proteins inside the thylakoid membrane known to play a decisive role in interfacial processes. Therefore, heat-treatment of thylakoids affects both chlorophyll content, lipase inhibiting capacity and ability to stabilise the oil-water interface. Since the thylakoid's appetite reducing properties are a surface-related phenomenon, the results are useful to optimize the effect of thylakoids as an appetite reducing agent.

Photocurrent generation from thylakoid membranes on osmium-redox-polymer-modified electrodes.

Thylakoid membranes (TMs) are uniquely suited for photosynthesis owing to their distinctive structure and composition. Substantial efforts have been directed towards use of isolated photosynthetic reaction centers (PRCs) for solar energy harvesting, however, few studies investigate the communication between whole TMs and electrode surfaces, due to their complex structure. Here we report on a promising approach to generate photosynthesis-derived bioelectricity upon illumination of TMs wired with an osmium-redox-polymer modified graphite electrode, and generate a photocurrent density of 42.4 µA cm(-2).

The effect of heat treatment of thylakoids on their ability to inhibit in vitro lipase/co-lipase activity.

Thylakoids has been shown to prolong lipolysis by the inhibition of lipase/co-lipase, which makes thylakoids suitable as a functional food ingredient with satiating properties. The components of thylakoids that provide its function as a lipolysis modulator are primarily photosystems I and II, which are structurally stabilised by chlorophyll. However, chlorophyll is known to be heat sensitive yet the enzymatic inhibiting capacity after heat treatment has not been previously studied. It was hypothesised that the retained function of thylakoids after heat treatment could be correlated to the degree of degradation. Heat treatment at either 60 °C, 75 °C or 90 °C for time interval ranging from 15 s to 120 min induced a color shift from bright green to olive brown which was attributed to degradation. The ability of heat-treated thylakoids to inhibit lipolysis in vitro was also reduced. A correlation between chlorophyll a degradation and the enzymatic inhibiting capacity could be established which opens possibilities to use a spectrophotometric method to quantify the ability of thylakoids to inhibit lipase/co-lipase in a more rapid and cost effective way to complement the pH-stat method used today. With the degradation pattern investigated, it is then possible to design a thermal treatment process to ensure a microbiological safe appetite-reducing product and at the same time minimize the loss of functionality.

Aqueous polymer two-phase systems and their use in fragmentation and separation of biological membranes for the purpose of mapping the membrane structure.

When solutions of two different polymers are mixed, phase separation often occurs even at low concentrations of polymers. One polymer usually collects in one phase and the other polymer in the other phase. When water is used as solvent, two aqueous, immiscible, phases are obtained. The same holds for aqueous mixtures of a salt and a polymer. Such aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) are very useful for separation of high-molecular-weight biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids and also for cells, cell organelles, and membrane vesicles. The phase systems can be made highly selective and they are also mild toward biomolecules and cell particles. In this review we describe how ATPS can be used for fragmentation and separation analyses of biological membranes and how this can be used for mapping of the photosynthetic membrane, the thylakoid, of green leaves.

Pancreatic lipase-colipase binds strongly to the thylakoid membrane surface.

BACKGROUND: Isolated thylakoid membranes, i.e. the photosynthetic membranes of green leaves, inhibit the activity of pancreatic lipase and colipase during hydrolysis of fat in vitro. This inhibition has been demonstrated to cause reduced food intake and improved hormonal and lipid profile in vivo. One of the reasons suggested for the inhibiting effect is binding of lipase-colipase to the thylakoid membrane surface. This prompted a study of the binding of lipase and colipase to thylakoids. RESULTS: The results showed that lipase and colipase strongly bind to the thylakoid membrane surface. The dissociation constant was determined at 1.2 × 10⁻8 mol L⁻¹; binding decreased after treatment of thylakoids with pepsin/trypsin to 1.0 × 10⁻7 and to 0.6 × 10⁻7 mol L⁻¹ after treatment with pancreatic juice. Similarly, delipidation of thylakoids caused a decrease in binding, the dissociation constant being 2.0 × 10⁻7 mol L⁻¹. CONCLUSION: The binding of pancreatic lipase-colipase to the thylakoid membrane is strong and may explain the inhibition of lipase-colipase activity by thylakoids. After treatment with proteases to mimic intestinal digestion binding is decreased, but is still high enough to explain the observed metabolic effects of thylakoids in vivo.

Feeding spinach thylakoids to rats modulates the gut microbiota, decreases food intake and affects the insulin response.

Thylakoid membranes derived from green leaf chloroplasts affect appetite-regulating hormones, suppress food intake, reduce blood lipids and lead to a decreased body weight in animals and human subjects. Thylakoids also decrease the intestinal in vitro uptake of methyl-glucose in the rat. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary thylakoids on the gut microbiota composition, mainly the taxa of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, in rats fed either a thylakoid-enriched diet or a control diet for 10 d. At the same time, a glucose-tolerance test in the same rats was also performed. Food intake was significantly decreased in the thylakoid-fed rats compared with the control-fed rats over the 10-d study. An oral glucose tolerance test after 10 d of thylakoid- or control-food intake resulted in significantly reduced plasma insulin levels in the thylakoid-fed rats compared with the control-fed rats, while no difference was observed for blood glucose levels. Analysis of gut bacteria showed a significant increase of lactobacilli on the ileal mucosa, specifically Lactobacillus reuteri, in the rats fed the thylakoid diet compared with rats fed the control diet, while faecal lactobacilli decreased. No difference in bifidobacteria between the thylakoid and control groups was found. Analyses with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and principal component analysis of faeces demonstrated different microbial populations in the thylakoid- and control-fed animals. These findings indicate that thylakoids modulate the gut microbial composition, which might be important for the regulation of body weight and energy metabolism.

Chloroplast thylakoids reduce glucose uptake and decrease intestinal macromolecular permeability.

Thylakoid membranes, derived from chloroplasts, have previously been shown to retard fat digestion and lower blood glucose levels after oral intake. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of thylakoid membranes on the passage of methyl-glucose, dextran and ovalbumin over rat intestine in vitro using Ussing chambers. The results show that thylakoids retard the passage of each of the test molecules in a dose-dependent way. The thylakoids appear to be attached on the mucosal surface and a mechanism is suggested that the thylakoids delay the passage of the test molecules by sterical hindrance. The present results indicate that thylakoid membranes may be useful both to control intestinal absorption of glucose and to enhance the barrier function of the intestine.

Chloroplast thylakoid membrane-stabilised emulsions.

BACKGROUND: Thylakoid-stabilised emulsions have been reported to possess satiety-promoting effects and inhibit pancreatic lipase-colipase activity in vitro, which prompted the investigation of their interfacial properties. RESULTS: Thylakoid membranes isolated from spinach were used as an emulsifier/stabiliser in oil (triglyceride)-in-water emulsions. Emulsions were characterised with respect to droplet size, interfacial tension, creaming, surface load and electron microscopy. The effects of pH and thylakoid concentration were also considered. Droplet size decreased with increasing thylakoid concentration, reaching a plateau around 15 microm beyond concentrations of 2 mg protein mL(-1) oil. The resulting emulsions were stable against coalescence but were subject to creaming. The surface pressure (air/water interface) of the thylakoid isolate was 44 mN m(-1) and the surface load 13 mg m(-2) at 10 mg protein mL(-1) oil. Electron micrographs showed thylakoids adsorbed as bunched vesicles on the drop surfaces. The stabilisation mechanism can be described as a combined effect of surface-active molecules, mainly membrane proteins but also membrane lipids, exposed on surfaces of thylakoid membrane vesicles adsorbed as particles. CONCLUSION: Thylakoid membranes effectively stabilise oil-in-water emulsions, which should facilitate their incorporation in food with satiety-promoting effects. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study on the emulsifying properties of an isolated biological membrane as a functional ingredient.

A large scale method for preparation of plant thylakoids for use in body weight regulation.

A method for preparation of thylakoids from plant leaves on a large scale is described. The method involves: 1) disruption of the cells with a blender followed by filtration to remove large cell debris and non disrupted cells. 2) precipitation of the thylakoids by adjusting the pH to the isoelectric point, pH 4.7. 3) a washing step by dilution of the precipitate in water followed by precipitation at the same pH. 4) concentration of the precipitate by freeze- thawing or freeze -drying to get the final product. The product is characterized, with respect to protein composition, by SDS-PAGE and mass-spectroscopy, the content of carotenoids, particularly the xanthophylls violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin. The thylakoid preparation has about the same capacity to inhibit pancreatic lipase/colipase activity as thylakoids prepared by standard laboratory methods using sucrose in the medium and centrifugation. In a study with mice, it was found that, when the thylakoids were added to the food over 32 days, they significantly reduced the body weight gain and the percentage body fat. The large scale method described here allows studies on the effect of thylakoids in appetite regulation on experimental animals in a longer lasting time and also on humans.

Thylakoids suppress appetite by increasing cholecystokinin resulting in lower food intake and body weight in high-fat fed mice.

Thylakoids are membranes isolated from plant chloroplasts which have previously been shown to inhibit pancreatic lipase/colipase catalysed hydrolysis of fat in vitro and induce short-term satiety in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to examine if dietary supplementation of thylakoids could affect food intake and body weight during long-term feeding in mice. Female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 41% of fat by energy with and without thylakoids for 100 days. Mice fed the thylakoid-enriched diet had suppressed food intake, body weight gain and body fat compared with the high-fat fed control mice. Reduced serum glucose, serum triglyceride and serum free fatty acid levels were found in the thylakoid-treated animals. The satiety hormone cholecystokinin was elevated, suggesting this hormone mediates satiety. Leptin levels were reduced, reflecting a decreased fat mass. There was no sign of desensitization in the animals treated with thylakoids. The results suggest that thylakoids are useful to suppress appetite and body weight gain when supplemented to a high-fat food during long-term feeding.

Thylakoids promote release of the satiety hormone cholecystokinin while reducing insulin in healthy humans.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of a promising new appetite suppressor named "thylakoids" (membrane proteins derived from spinach leaves) were examined in a single meal in man. Thylakoids inhibit the lipase/colipase hydrolysis of triacylglycerols in vitro and suppress food intake, decrease body-weight gain and raise the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) in rats, but their effects in man remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether thylakoids, when added to a test meal, affect appetite regulation and blood parameters in healthy individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In an intervention crossover study, healthy individuals of normal weight (n=11) were offered a high-fat meal with and without the addition of thylakoids. Blood samples were taken 0 (prior to meal), 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 min after the start of the meal. Blood samples were analysed for satiety and hunger hormones (CCK, leptin and ghrelin), insulin and blood metabolites (glucose and free fatty acids). RESULTS: The CCK level increased, in particular between the 120 min time-point and onwards, the ghrelin level was reduced at 120 min and leptin level increased at 360 min after intake of the thylakoid-enriched meal. The insulin level was reduced, whereas glucose concentrations were unchanged. Free fatty acids were reduced between time-point 120 min and onwards after the thylakoid meal. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of thylakoids to energy-dense food promotes satiety signals and reduces insulin response during a single meal in man.

Fragmentation and separation analysis of the photosynthetic membrane from spinach.

Membrane vesicles, originating from grana, grana core (appressed grana regions), grana margins and stroma lamellae/end membranes, were analysed by counter current distribution (CCD) using aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol two-phase systems. Each vesicle population gave rise to distinct peaks in the CCD diagram representing different vesicle subpopulations. The grana vesicles and grana core vesicles each separated into 3 different subpopulations having different chlorophyll a/b ratios and PSI/PSII ratios. Two of the grana core subpopulations had a chlorophyll a/b ratio of 2.0 and PSI/PSII ratio of 0.10 and are among the most PSII enriched thylakoid vesicle preparation obtained so far by a non detergent method. The margin vesicles separated into 3 different populations, with about the same chlorophyll a/b ratios, but different fluorescence emission spectra. The stroma lamellae/end membrane vesicles separated into 4 subpopulations. Plastoglobules, connected to membrane vesicles, were highly enriched in 2 of these subpopulations and it is proposed that these 2 subpopulations originate from stroma lamellae while the 2 others originate from end membranes. Fragmentation and separation analysis shows that the margins of grana constitute a distinct domain of the thylakoid and also allows the estimation of the chlorophyll antenna sizes of PSI and PSII in different thylakoid domains.

EPR characterization of photosystem II from different domains of the thylakoid membrane.

We report electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on photosystem II (PSII) from higher plants in five different domains of the thylakoid membrane prepared by sonication and two-phase partitioning. The domains studied were the grana core, the entire grana stack, the grana margins, the stroma lamellae and the purified stromal fraction, Y100. The electron transport properties of both donor and acceptor sides of PSII such as oxygen evolution, cofactors Y D, Q A, the CaMn 4-cluster, and Cytb 559 were investigated. The PSII content was estimated on the basis of oxidized Y D and Q A (-) Fe (2+) signal from the acceptor side vs Chl content (100% in the grana core fraction). It was found to be about 82% in the grana, 59% in the margins, 35% in the stroma and 15% in the Y100 fraction. The most active PSII centers were found in the granal fractions as was estimated from the rates of electron transfer and the S 2 state multiline EPR signal. In the margin and stroma fractions the multiline signal was smaller (40 and 33%, respectively). The S 2 state multiline could not be induced in the Y100 fraction. In addition, the oxidized LP Cytb 559 prevailed in the stromal fractions while the HP form dominated in the grana core. The margins and entire grana fractions have Cytb 559 in both potential forms. These data together with previous analyses indicate that the sequence of activation of the PSII properties can be represented as: PSII content > oxygen evolution > reduced Cytb 559 > dimerization of PSII centers in all fractions of the thylakoid membrane with the gradual increase from stromal fractions via margin to the grana core fraction. The results further support the existence of a PSII activity gradient which reflects lateral movement and photoactivation of PSII centers in the thylakoid membrane. The possible role of the PSII redox components in this process is discussed.

Low-light-induced formation of semicrystalline photosystem II arrays in higher plant chloroplasts.

Remodeling of photosynthetic machinery induced by growing spinach plants under low light intensities reveals an up-regulation of light-harvesting complexes and down-regulation of photosystem II and cytochrome b6f complexes in intact thylakoids and isolated grana membranes. The antenna size of PSII increased by 40-60% as estimated by fluorescence induction and LHCII/PSII stoichiometry. These low-light-induced changes in the protein composition were accompanied by the formation of ordered particle arrays in the exoplasmic fracture face in grana thylakoids detected by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Most likely these highly ordered arrays consist of PSII complexes. A statistical analysis of the particles in these structures shows that the distance of neighboring complexes in the same row is 18.0 nm, the separation between two rows is 23.7 nm, and the angle between the particle axis and the row is 26 degrees . On the basis of structural information on the photosystem II supercomplex, a model on the supramolecular arrangement was generated predicting that two neighboring complexes share a trimeric light-harvesting complex. It was suggested that the supramolecular reorganization in ordered arrays in low-light grana thylakoids is a strategy to overcome potential diffusion problems in this crowded membrane. Furthermore, the occurrence of a hexagonal phase of the lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol in grana membranes of low-light-adapted plants could trigger the rearrangement by changing the lateral membrane pressure.

Chloroplast membranes retard fat digestion and induce satiety: effect of biological membranes on pancreatic lipase/co-lipase.

Human obesity is a global epidemic, which causes a rapidly increased frequency of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One reason for obesity is the ready availability of refined food products with high caloric density, an evolutionarily new event, which makes over-consumption of food inevitable. Fat is a food product with high caloric density. The mechanism for regulation of fat intake has therefore been studied to a great extent. Such studies have shown that, as long as fat stays in the intestine, satiety is promoted. This occurs through the fat-released peptide hormones, the best known being CCK (cholecystokinin), which is released by fatty acids. Hence, retarded fat digestion with prolonged time for delivery of fatty acids promotes satiety. Pancreatic lipase, together with its protein cofactor, co-lipase, is the main enzymatic system responsible for intestinal fat digestion. We found that biological membranes, isolated from plants, animals or bacteria, inhibit the lipase/co-lipase-catalysed hydrolysis of triacylglycerols even in the presence of bile salt. We propose that the inhibition is due to binding of lipase/co-lipase to the membranes and adsorption of the membranes to the aqueous/triacylglycerol interface, thereby hindering lipase/co-lipase from acting on its lipid substrate. We also found that chloroplast membranes (thylakoids), when added to refined food, suppressed food intake in rats, lowered blood lipids and raised the satiety hormones, CCK and enterostatin. Consequently, the mechanism for satiety seems to be retardation of fat digestion allowing the fat products to stay longer in the intestine.

Dimeric and monomeric organization of photosystem II. Distribution of five distinct complexes in the different domains of the thylakoid membrane.

The supramolecular organization of photosystem II (PSII) was characterized in distinct domains of the thylakoid membrane, the grana core, the grana margins, the stroma lamellae, and the so-called Y100 fraction. PSII supercomplexes, PSII core dimers, PSII core monomers, PSII core monomers lacking the CP43 subunit, and PSII reaction centers were resolved and quantified by blue native PAGE, SDS-PAGE for the second dimension, and immunoanalysis of the D1 protein. Dimeric PSII (PSII supercomplexes and PSII core dimers) dominate in the core part of the thylakoid granum, whereas the monomeric PSII prevails in the stroma lamellae. Considerable amounts of PSII monomers lacking the CP43 protein and PSII reaction centers (D1-D2-cytochrome b559 complex) were found in the stroma lamellae. Our quantitative picture of the supramolecular composition of PSII, which is totally different between different domains of the thylakoid membrane, is discussed with respect to the function of PSII in each fraction. Steady state electron transfer, flash-induced fluorescence decay, and EPR analysis revealed that nearly all of the dimeric forms represent oxygen-evolving PSII centers. PSII core monomers were heterogeneous, and a large fraction did not evolve oxygen. PSII monomers without the CP43 protein and PSII reaction centers showed no oxygen-evolving activity.

The constant proportion of grana and stroma lamellae in plant chloroplasts.

The relative proportion of stroma lamellae and grana end membranes was determined from electron micrographs of 58 chloroplasts from 21 different plant species. The percentage of grana end membranes varied between 1 and 21% of the total thylakoid membrane indicating a large variation in the size of grana stacks. By contrast the stroma lamellae account for 20.3 +/- 2.5 (sd)% of the total thylakoid membrane. A plot of percentage stroma lamellae against percentage of grana end membranes fits a straight line with a slope of zero showing that the proportion of stroma lamellae is independent of the size of the grana stacks. That stroma lamellae account for about 20% of the thylakoid membrane is in agreement with fragmentation and separation analysis (Gadjieva et al. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 144: 92-100, 1999). Chloroplasts from spinach, grown under high or low light, were fragmented by sonication and separated by countercurrent distribution into two vesicle populations originating from grana and stroma lamellae plus end membranes, respectively. The separation diagrams were very similar lending independent support for the notion that the proportion of stroma lamellae is constant. The results are discussed in relation to the composition and function of the chloroplast in plants grown under different environmental conditions, and in relation to a recent quantitative model for the thylakoid (Albertsson, Trends Plant Sci. 6: 349-354, 2001).

Quantification of photosystem I and II in different parts of the thylakoid membrane from spinach.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to quantify Photosystem I (PSI) and PSII in vesicles originating from a series of well-defined but different domains of the thylakoid membrane in spinach prepared by non-detergent techniques. Thylakoids from spinach were fragmented by sonication and separated by aqueous polymer two-phase partitioning into vesicles originating from grana and stroma lamellae. The grana vesicles were further sonicated and separated into two vesicle preparations originating from the grana margins and the appressed domains of grana (the grana core), respectively. PSI and PSII were determined in the same samples from the maximal size of the EPR signal from P700(+) and Y(D)( .-), respectively. The following PSI/PSII ratios were found: thylakoids, 1.13; grana vesicles, 0.43; grana core, 0.25; grana margins, 1.28; stroma lamellae 3.10. In a sub-fraction of the stroma lamellae, denoted Y-100, PSI was highly enriched and the PSI/PSII ratio was 13. The antenna size of the respective photosystems was calculated from the experimental data and the assumption that a PSII center in the stroma lamellae (PSIIbeta) has an antenna size of 100 Chl. This gave the following results: PSI in grana margins (PSIalpha) 300, PSI (PSIbeta) in stroma lamellae 214, PSII in grana core (PSIIalpha) 280. The results suggest that PSI in grana margins have two additional light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) trimers per reaction center compared to PSI in stroma lamellae, and that PSII in grana has four LHCII trimers per monomer compared to PSII in stroma lamellae. Calculation of the total chlorophyll associated with PSI and PSII, respectively, suggests that more chlorophyll (about 10%) is associated with PSI than with PSII.

The contribution of photosynthetic pigments to the development of biochemical separation methods: 1900-1980.

The role of photosynthetic pigments in the development of separation methods in biochemistry during the period 1900-1980 is described beginning with M. Tswett who introduced separation of chlorophylls and carotenoids on columns and coined the term chromatography in 1906. In Uppsala, T. Svedberg developed the ultracentrifuge in the 1920s. A. Tiselius improved electrophoresis in the 1930s and developed chromatography of proteins in the 1940s and 1950s. Others of 'The Uppsala school in separation science' include J. Porath, P. Flodin and S. Hjertén who further developed various gel chromatographic methods. Hjertén introduced free zone electrophoresis in narrow tubes, a forerunner of capillary electrophoresis. Two proteins, phycoerythrin and phycocyanin, were used as test substances in all these methodological studies. Aqueous two-phase partitioning as a separation method was introduced in 1956 by the author. In this work, chloroplast particles were used, and the method was applied for the separation and purification of intact chloroplasts, inside-out thylakoid vesicles and plasma membranes. My research was carried out in cooperation with G. Blomquist, G. Johansson, C. Larsson, B. Andersson and H.-E. Akerlund during a 20-year period, 1960-1980.