Yeast mannan increases Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron abundance and suppresses putrefactive compound production in in vitro fecal microbiota fermentation.

Yeast mannan is a part of yeast cell wall and can potentially affect gut microflora as a soluble dietary fiber. We demonstrated that yeast mannan suppressed putrefactive production and increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in in vitro fecal fermentation. These results suggest that yeast mannan can be used as a novel prebiotic food ingredient.

Antioxidants improve the phenotypes of dilated cardiomyopathy and muscle fatigue in mitochondrial superoxide dismutase-deficient mice.

Redox imbalance elevates the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in cells and promotes age-related diseases. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are antioxidative enzymes that catalyze the degradation of ROS. There are three SOD isoforms: SOD1/CuZn-SOD, SOD2/Mn-SOD, and SOD3/EC-SOD. SOD2, which is localized in the mitochondria, is an essential enzyme required for mouse survival, and systemic knockout causes neonatal lethality in mice. To investigate the physiological function of SOD2 in adult mice, we generated a conditional Sod2 knockout mouse using a Cre-loxP system. When Sod2 was specifically deleted in the heart and muscle, all mice exhibited dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and died by six months of age. On the other hand, when Sod2 was specifically deleted in the skeletal muscle, mice showed severe exercise disturbance without morphological abnormalities. These provide useful model of DCM and muscle fatigue. In this review, we summarize the impact of antioxidants, which were able to regulate mitochondrial superoxide generation and improve the phenotypes of the DCM and the muscle fatigue in mice.

Procyanidins from apples (Malus pumila Mill.) extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Apple polyphenols (AP) mainly consist of procyanidins (PC), which are composed of (-)-epicatechins and (+)-catechins. In order to investigate the antiageing effects of PC, we measured the lifespan of CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS worms treated with PC. Treatment with 65 µg/mL PC extended the mean lifespan of wild-type N2 and FEM-1 worms by 12.1 % and 8.4 %, respectively, i.e., to a similar extent as resveratrol. In addition, treatment with 100 µg/mL AP also significantly prolonged the mean lifespan of the same worms by 12.0 % and 5.3 %, respectively, i.e., to a similar extent as PC. In contrast, treatment with (-)-epicatechin did not extend the lifespan of the worms. PC did not modify the growth, food intake, or fecundity of C. elegans. Treatment with PC did not extend the lifespan of MEV-1 worms, which show excessive oxidative stress, indicating that PC had no antioxidant ability in the MEV-1 mutant. Moreover, treatment with PC had no effect on the longevity of SIR-2.1 worms, which lack the activity of SIR-2, a member of the sirtuin family of NAD (+)-dependent protein deacetylases. These results indicated that PC has SIR-2.1-dependent antiageing effects on C. elegans.

Prebiotic effects of yeast mannan, which selectively promotes Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bacteroides ovatus in a human colonic microbiota model.

Yeast mannan (YM) is an indigestible water-soluble polysaccharide of the yeast cell wall, with a notable prebiotic effect on the intestinal microbiota. We previously reported that YM increased Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron abundance in in vitro rat faeces fermentation, concluding that its effects on human colonic microbiota should be investigated. In this study, we show the effects of YM on human colonic microbiota and its metabolites using an in vitro human faeces fermentation system. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that YM administration did not change the microbial diversity or composition. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that YM administration significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides ovatus and B. thetaiotaomicron. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the relative ratio (with or without YM administration) of B. thetaiotaomicron and B. ovatus (r = 0.92), suggesting that these bacteria utilise YM in a coordinated manner. In addition, YM administration increased the production of acetate, propionate, and total short-chain fatty acids. These results demonstrate the potential of YM as a novel prebiotic that selectively increases B. thetaiotaomicron and B. ovatus and improves the intestinal environment. The findings also provide insights that might be useful for the development of novel functional foods.

Antioxidant, EUK-8, prevents murine dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Mice lacking manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) activity exhibit the typical pathology of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In the present study, presymptomatic and symptomatic mutant mice were treated with the SOD/catalase mimetic, EUK-8. METHODS AND RESULTS: Presymptomatic heart/muscle-specific Mn-SOD-deficient mice (H/M-Sod2(-/-)) were treated with EUK-8 (30 mg x kg(-1) . day(-1)) for 4 weeks, and then cardiac function and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in their heart mitochondria were assessed. EUK-8 treatment suppressed the progression of cardiac dysfunction and diminished ROS production and oxidative damage. Furthermore, EUK-8 treatment effectively reversed the cardiac dilatation and dysfunction observed in symptomatic H/M-Sod2(-/-) mice. Interestingly, EUK-8 treatment repaired a molecular defect in connexin43. CONCLUSIONS: EUK-8 treatment can prevent and cure murine DCM, so SOD/catalase mimetic treatment is proposed as a potential therapy for DCM.

Cardiac electrophysiological alterations in heart/muscle-specific manganese-superoxide dismutase-deficient mice: prevention by a dietary antioxidant polyphenol.

Cardiac electrophysiological alterations induced by chronic exposure to reactive oxygen species and protective effects of dietary antioxidant have not been thoroughly examined. We recorded surface electrocardiograms (ECG) and evaluated cellular electrophysiological abnormalities in enzymatically-dissociated left ventricular (LV) myocytes in heart/muscle-specific manganese-superoxide dismutase-deficient (H/M-Sod2(-/-)) mice, which exhibit dilated cardiomyopathy due to increased oxidative stress. We also investigated the influences of intake of apple polyphenols (AP) containing mainly procyanidins with potent antioxidant activity. The QRS and QT intervals of ECG recorded in H/M-Sod2(-/-) mice were prolonged. The effective refractory period in the LV myocardium of H/M-Sod2(-/-) mice was prolonged, and susceptibility to ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation induced by rapid ventricular pacing was increased. Action potential duration in H/M-Sod2(-/-) LV myocytes was prolonged, and automaticity was enhanced. The density of the inwardly rectifier K(+) current (I K1) was decreased in the LV cells of H/M-Sod2(-/-) mice. The AP intake partially improved these electrophysiological alterations and extended the lifespan in H/M-Sod2(-/-) mice. Thus, chronic exposure of the heart to oxidative stress produces a variety of electrophysiological abnormalities, increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias, and action potential changes associated with the reduced density of I K1. Dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients may prevent oxidative stress-induced electrophysiological disturbances.

Apple Procyanidins Suppress Amyloid ß-Protein Aggregation.

Procyanidins (PCs) are major components of the apple polyphenols (APs). We previously reported that treatment with PC extended the mean lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (Sunagawa et al., 2011). In order to estimate the neuroprotective effects of PC, we investigated the antiaggregative activity of PC on amyloid ß-protein (Aß) aggregation, which is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. We herein report that PC significantly suppressed Aß42 aggregation and dissociated Aß42 aggregates in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that PC is a potent suppressor of Aß aggregation. Furthermore, PC significantly inhibited Aß42 neurotoxicity and stimulated proliferation in PC-12 cells. These results suggested that the PC and AP acted as neuroprotective factors against toxic Aß aggregates.