Resveratrol attenuates against high-fat-diet-promoted non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats mainly by targeting the miR-34a/SIRT1 axis.

This study evaluated if miR-34a/SIRT1 signalling mediates the anti-hepatosteatotic effect of resveratrol (RSV) in high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed rats. Rats were divided into seven groups (n = 6/each) as control, control + miR-34a agomir negative control, HFD, HFD + miR-34a, HFD + RSV, HFD + RSV + Ex-527 (a SIRT1 inhibitor), and HFD + RSV + miR-34a agomir. After 8 weeks, RSV suppressed dyslipidemia, lowered fasting glucose and insulin levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and prevented hepatic lipid accumulation. These effects were associated with hepatic downregulation of SREBP1 and SREBP2, upregulation of PPARα, and acetylation of Nrf2 (activation) and NF-κß p65 (inhibition). Also, RSV reduced the transcription of miR-34a and increased the nuclear localisation of SIRT1 in the livers, muscles, and adipose tissues of HFD-fed rats. All these effects were prevented by EX-527 and miR-34a agmir. In conclusion, RSV prevents HFD-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis by suppressing miR-34a-induced activation of SIRT1.

Partial Purification and Characterization of Exo-Polygalacturonase Produced by Penicillium oxalicum AUMC 4153.

Pectinase enzymes are important industrial enzymes having considerable applications in several industries, especially in food processing. Pectinases contribute 25% of global food enzyme sales. Therefore, the demand for a commercial enzyme with desirable characteristics and low production costs has become one of the great targets. Hence, this study aims to produce exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG) using local fungal isolate Penicillium oxalicum AUMC 4153 by utilizing sugar beet manufacturing waste (sugar beet pulp) as a sole raw carbon source under shaken submerged fermentation, which is purified and characterized to optimize enzyme biochemical properties for industrial application. The purity of the obtained exo-PG was increased by about 28-fold, and the final enzyme yield was 57%. The partially purified enzyme was active at a broad range of temperatures (30-60 °C). The optimum temperature and pH for the purified exo-PG activity were 50 °C and pH 5. The enzyme was stable at a range of pH 3 to 6 and temperature 30-50 °C for 210 min. The values for Km and Vmax were 0.67 mg/mL, with polygalacturonic acid as substrate and 6.13 µmole galacturonic acid/min/mg protein, respectively. It can be concluded that purified exo-PG production by P. oxalicum grown on sugar beet waste is a promising effective method for useful applications.

Mode of action and determination of antioxidant activity in the dietary sources: An overview.

Determination of antioxidant/capacity in the dietary, food, drugs, and biological samples is an interesting approach for testing the safety of these compounds and for drug development. Investigating the google searching engines for the words (measurement + antioxidant + capacity) yielded more than 20 million results, which makes it very difficult to follow. Therefore, collecting the common methods to measure the antioxidant activity/capacity in the food products and biological samples will reduce the burden for both the students and researchers. Nowadays, it is widely accepted that a plant-based diet with a high intake of dietary sources such as vegetables, fruits, and other nutrient-rich plant foods may decrease the effect of oxidative stress-related diseases. In this review article, we have provided the most recent advances in the most common in vitro methods used for evaluating the antioxidant potential of numerous food products, plant extracts, and biological fluids. We have also provided detailed procedures on how to perform them and analyze the results. This review article shall be a comprehensive reference for all techniques used in this area.