Effect of the consumption of brazzein and monellin, two recombinant sweet-tasting proteins, on rat gut microbiota.

Sweet-tasting proteins (SPs) are proteins of plant origin initially isolated from tropical fruits. They are thousands of times sweeter than sucrose and most artificial sweeteners. SPs are a class of proteins capable of causing a sweet taste sensation in humans when interacting with the T1R2/T1R3 receptor. SP thaumatin has already been introduced in the food industry in some countries. Other SPs, such as monellin and brazzein, are promising products. An important stage in researching SPs, in addition to confirming the absence of toxicity, mutagenicity, oncogenicity, and allergenic effects, is studying their influence on gut microbiota. In this paper we describe changes in the composition of rat gut microbiota after six months of consuming one of two recombinant SPs-brazzein or monellin. A full length 16S gene sequencing method was used for DNA library barcoding. The MaAsLin2 analysis results showed noticeable fluctuations in the relative abundances of Anaerocella delicata in brazzein-fed rat microbiota, and of Anaerutruncus rubiinfantis in monellin-fed rat microbiota, which, however, did not exceed the standard deviation. The sucrose-fed group was associated with an increase in the relative abundance of Faecalibaculum rodentium, which may contribute to obesity. Overall, prolonged consumption of the sweet proteins brazzein and monellin did not significantly change rat microbiota and did not result in the appearance of opportunistic microbiota. This provides additional evidence for the safety of these potential sweeteners.

Sweet-Tasting Natural Proteins Brazzein and Monellin: Safe Sugar Substitutes for the Food Industry.

This article presents the results of a comprehensive toxicity assessment of brazzein and monellin, yeast-produced recombinant sweet-tasting proteins. Excessive sugar consumption is one of the leading dietary and nutritional problems in the world, resulting in health complications such as obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Although artificial small-molecule sweeteners widely replace sugar in food, their safety and long-term health effects remain debatable. Many sweet-tasting proteins, including thaumatin, miraculin, pentadin, curculin, mabinlin, brazzein, and monellin have been found in tropical plants. These proteins, such as brazzein and monellin, are thousands-fold sweeter than sucrose. Multiple reports have presented preparations of recombinant sweet-tasting proteins. A thorough and comprehensive assessment of their toxicity and safety is necessary to introduce and apply sweet-tasting proteins in the food industry. We experimentally assessed acute, subchronic, and chronic toxicity effects, as well as allergenic and mutagenic properties of recombinant brazzein and monellin. Our study was performed on three mammalian species (mice, rats, and guinea pigs). Assessment of animals' physiological, biochemical, hematological, morphological, and behavioral indices allows us to assert that monellin and brazzein are safe and nontoxic for the mammalian organism, which opens vast opportunities for their application in the food industry as sugar alternatives.

Preclinical Study of Biofunctional Polymer-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are new-generation photoluminescent nanomaterials gaining considerable recognition in the life sciences due to their unique optical properties that allow high-contrast imaging in cells and tissues. Upconversion nanoparticle applications in optical diagnosis, bioassays, therapeutics, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery, and light-controlled release of drugs are promising, demanding a comprehensive systematic study of their pharmacological properties. We report on production of biofunctional UCNP-based nanocomplexes suitable for optical microscopy and imaging of HER2-positive cells and tumors, as well as on the comprehensive evaluation of their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicological properties using cells and laboratory animals. The nanocomplexes represent a UCNP core/shell structure of the NaYF4:Yb, Er, Tm/NaYF4 composition coated with an amphiphilic alternating copolymer of maleic anhydride with 1-octadecene (PMAO) and conjugated to the Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein (DARPin 9_29) with high affinity to the HER2 receptor. We demonstrated the specific binding of UCNP-PMAO-DARPin to HER2-positive cancer cells in cultures and xenograft animal models allowing the tumor visualization for at least 24 h. An exhaustive study of the general and specific toxicity of UCNP-PMAO-DARPin including the evaluation of their allergenic, immunotoxic, and reprotoxic properties was carried out. The obtained experimental body of evidence leads to a conclusion that UCNP-PMAO and UCNP-PMAO-DARPin are functional, noncytotoxic, biocompatible, and safe for imaging applications in cells, small animals, and prospective clinical applications of image-guided surgery.

Antitumor effect of avermectins.

The effect of a mixture of naturally occurring aversectin C and avermectin B(1) on the growth of ascites and solid experimental tumors of mice was studied. It was shown for the first time that avermectins possess a pronounced antitumor action. When added at nontoxic doses, they significantly suppressed the growth of ascites Ehrlich carcinoma and P388 lympholeukemia and solid Ehrlich and 755 carcinomata. With some administration regimens, avermectins suppressed the tumor growth by 70-80%. Avermectins were most effective when injected intraperitoneally. It was also shown that avermectins enhanced the vincristine-induced suppression of the growth of Ehrlich carcinoma, melanoma B16, and P388 lympholeukemia. Avermectins produced this effect only when injected after vincristine.

Avermectins inhibit multidrug resistance of tumor cells.

The modification of the sensitivity of Hep-2 and P388 tumor cells to taxol and vincristine, substrates of multidrug resistance proteins, by naturally occurring avermectins and the effect of avermectins on the accumulation of calcein in cells and the efflux of rhodamine 123 were studied. While avermectins did not affect the sensitivity of tumor cells to hydrogen peroxide and cisplatin, they significantly enhanced the sensitivity of cells of both wild-type and resistant strains to taxol and vincristine. The coefficients of modification for resistant strains were substantially higher. Avermectins suppressed the efflux of rhodamine 123 from cells and increased the accumulation of calcein in cells. The relative inhibitory activity of avermectins depended on the cell type and on the substrate of multidrug resistance proteins whose transport they suppressed (vincristine, taxol, rhodamine 123, calcein acetoxymethyl ester). The least active was avermectin B1 or ivermectin; the most active avermectins varied depending on the substrate and the cell type. In the case of vincristine transport, the most active avermectin was almost by one order of magnitude more effective than the traditional inhibitor of multidrug resistance cyclosporin A. This property of avermectins can be used in tumor therapy by combining application of avermectins with antitumor preparations, the substrates of multidrug resistance proteins.