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The Journal of Nutrition Nov 2020Soybean lecithin, a plant-based emulsifier widely used in food, is capable of modulating postprandial lipid metabolism. With arising concerns of sustainability,...
BACKGROUND
Soybean lecithin, a plant-based emulsifier widely used in food, is capable of modulating postprandial lipid metabolism. With arising concerns of sustainability, alternative sources of vegetal lecithin are urgently needed, and their metabolic effects must be characterized.
OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the impact of increasing doses of rapeseed lecithin (RL), rich in essential α-linolenic acid (ALA), on postprandial lipid metabolism and ALA bioavailability in lymph-cannulated rats.
METHODS
Male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) undergoing a mesenteric lymph duct cannulation were intragastrically administered 1 g of an oil mixture containing 4% ALA and 0, 1, 3, 10, or 30% RL (5 groups). Lymph fractions were collected for 6 h. Lymph lipids and chylomicrons (CMs) were characterized. The expression of genes implicated in intestinal lipid metabolism was determined in the duodenum at 6 h. Data was analyzed using either sigmoidal or linear mixed-effects models, or one-way ANOVA, where appropriate.
RESULTS
RL dose-dependently increased the lymphatic recovery (AUC) of total lipids (1100 μg/mL·h per additional RL%; P = 0.010) and ALA (50 μg/mL·h per additional RL%; P = 0.0076). RL induced a faster appearance of ALA in lymph, as evidenced by the exponential decrease of the rate of appearance of ALA with RL (R2 = 0.26; P = 0.0064). Although the number of CMs was unaffected by RL, CM diameter was increased in the 30%-RL group, compared to the control group (0% RL), by 86% at 3-4 h (P = 0.065) and by 81% at 4-6 h (P = 0.0002) following administration. This increase was positively correlated with the duodenal mRNA expression of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (Mttp; ρ= 0.63; P = 0.0052). The expression of Mttp and secretion-associated, ras-related GTPase 1 gene homolog B (Sar1b, CM secretion), carnitine palmitoyltransferase IA (Cpt1a) and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (Acox1, beta-oxidation), and fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2, bioconversion of ALA into long-chain n-3 PUFAs) were, respectively, 49%, 29%, 74%, 48%, and 55% higher in the 30%-RL group vs. the control group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
In rats, RL enhanced lymphatic lipid output, as well as the rate of appearance of ALA, which may promote its subsequent bioavailability and metabolic fate.
Topics: Animals; Biological Availability; Brassica napus; Lecithins; Lipid Metabolism; Lymph; Rats; alpha-Linolenic Acid
PubMed: 32937654
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa244 -
Heliyon Jan 2022The L. commonly known as purslane is distributed all over the world and easily grows in diverse soil and climatic conditions. It has been traditionally used as a... (Review)
Review
The L. commonly known as purslane is distributed all over the world and easily grows in diverse soil and climatic conditions. It has been traditionally used as a nutritious and ethnomedicinal food across the globe. Various studies have shown that the plant is a rich source of various important phytochemicals such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins such as A, C, E, and B, carotenoids and minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and zinc. It is particularly very important because of the presence of a very high concentration of omega-3- fatty acids especially α-linolenic acid, gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, which are not generally synthesized in terrestrial plants. Various parts of purslane are known for ethnomedicinal and pharmacological uses because of its anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, skeletal muscle relaxant, antitumor, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-insomnia, analgesic, gastroprotective, neuroprotective, wound healing and antiseptic activities. Due to multiple benefits of purslane, it has become an important wonder crop and various scientists across the globe have shown much interest in it as a healthy food for the future. In this review, we provide an update on the phytochemical and nutritional composition of purslane, its usage as nutritional and an ethnomedicinal plant across the world. We further provide a detailed account on ethnopharmacological studies that have proved the ethnomedicinal properties of purslane.
PubMed: 35028454
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08669 -
MSystems Nov 2020Previous studies have shown that α-linolenic acid (ALA) has a significant regulatory effect on related disorders induced by high-fat diets (HFDs), but little is known...
Previous studies have shown that α-linolenic acid (ALA) has a significant regulatory effect on related disorders induced by high-fat diets (HFDs), but little is known regarding the correlation between the gut microbiota and disease-related multitissue homeostasis. We systematically investigated the effects of ALA on the body composition, glucose homeostasis, hyperlipidemia, metabolic endotoxemia and systemic inflammation, white adipose tissue (WAT) homeostasis, liver homeostasis, intestinal homeostasis, and gut microbiota of mice fed an HFD (HFD mice). We found that ALA improved HFD-induced multitissue metabolic disorders and gut microbiota disorders to various degrees. Importantly, we established a complex but clear network between the gut microbiota and host parameters. Several specific differential bacteria were significantly associated with improved host parameters. _RC9_gut_group and were positively correlated with HFD-induced "harmful indicators" and negatively correlated with "beneficial indicators." Intriguingly, showed a strong negative correlation with HFD-induced multitissue metabolic disorders and a significant positive correlation with most beneficial indicators, which is different from its previous characterization as a "potentially harmful genus." might be the key beneficial bacterium for ALA-improved metabolic endotoxemia, while might play an important role in ALA-improved gut barrier integrity and anti-inflammatory effects. The results suggested that the gut microbiota, especially some specific bacteria, played an important role in the process of ALA-improved multitissue homeostasis in HFD mice, and different bacteria might have different divisions of regulation. Insufficient intake of -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is an important issue in modern Western-style diets. A large amount of evidence now suggests that a balanced intestinal microecology is considered an important part of health. Our results show that α-linolenic acid administration significantly improved the host metabolic phenotype and gut microbiota of mice fed a high-fat diet, and there was a correlation between the improved gut microbiota and metabolic phenotype. Some specific bacteria may play a unique regulatory role. Here, we have established correlation networks between gut microbiota and multitissue homeostasis, which may provide a new basis for further elucidating the relationship between the gut microbiota and host metabolism.
PubMed: 33144308
DOI: 10.1128/mSystems.00391-20 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2023A reduced risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome has been observed in individuals with a low intake ratio of linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid (LA/ALA). However, the...
A reduced risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome has been observed in individuals with a low intake ratio of linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid (LA/ALA). However, the influence of a low ratio of LA/ALA intake on lipid metabolism and endogenous fatty acid distribution in obese patients remains elusive. In this investigation, 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to four groups: low-fat diet (LFD) as a control, high-fat diet (HFD), high-fat diet with a low LA/ALA ratio (HFD+H3L6), and high-fat diet with a high LA/ALA ratio (HFD+L3H6) for 16 weeks. Our results show that the HFD+H3L6 diet significantly decreased the liver index of HFD mice by 3.51%, as well as the levels of triacylglycerols (TGs) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 15.67% and 10.02%, respectively. Moreover, the HFD+H3L6 diet reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) level and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio and elevated the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver. The HFD+H3L6 diet also resulted in the downregulation of fatty acid synthetase () and sterol regulatory element binding proteins-1c () expression and the upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α () and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 () gene expression in the liver. The low LA/ALA ratio diet led to a notable increase in the levels of ALA and its downstream derivative docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the erythrocyte, liver, perienteric fat, epididymal fat, perirenal fat, spleen, brain, heart, and gastrocnemius, with a strong positive correlation. Conversely, the accumulation of LA in abdominal fat was more prominent, and a high LA/ALA ratio diet exacerbated the deposition effect of LA. In conclusion, the low LA/ALA ratio not only regulated endogenous fatty acid levels but also upregulated and and downregulated and gene expression levels, thus maintaining lipid homeostasis. Optimizing dietary fat intake is important in studying lipid nutrition. These research findings emphasize the significance of understanding and optimizing dietary fat intake.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Fatty Acids; Lipid Metabolism; alpha-Linolenic Acid; Linoleic Acid; Mice, Obese; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Liver; Diet, High-Fat; Obesity
PubMed: 37569494
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512117 -
Journal of Pharmacological Sciences Aug 2024We examined the inhibitory effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) on the contractions of pig coronary arteries. ALA concentration-dependently inhibited the contractions...
We examined the inhibitory effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) on the contractions of pig coronary arteries. ALA concentration-dependently inhibited the contractions elicited by U46619 and prostaglandin F without affecting those elicited by 80 mM KCl, histamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin. ALA rightward shifted the concentration-response curve of U46619, and Schild plot analysis revealed that ALA competitively antagonized U46619. Furthermore, ALA inhibited the increase in intracellular Ca concentration caused by TP receptor stimulation but not that caused by FP receptor stimulation. These results suggest that ALA behaves as a selective antagonist of TP receptors in coronary arteries.
Topics: Animals; Coronary Vessels; alpha-Linolenic Acid; Swine; 15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid; Calcium; Receptors, Thromboxane; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Male; Dinoprost; Muscle Contraction
PubMed: 38880549
DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2024.06.001 -
The Plant Journal : For Cell and... Sep 2020For decades, genetic engineering approaches to produce unusual fatty acids (UFAs) in crops has reached a bottleneck, including reduced seed oil production and seed...
For decades, genetic engineering approaches to produce unusual fatty acids (UFAs) in crops has reached a bottleneck, including reduced seed oil production and seed vigor. Currently, plant models in the field of research are primarily used to investigate defects in oil production and seedling development, while the role of UFAs in embryonic developmental defects remains unknown. In this study, we developed a transgenic Arabidopsis plant model, in which the embryo exhibits severely wrinkled appearance owing to α-linolenic acid (ALA) accumulation. RNA-sequencing analysis in the defective embryo suggested that brassinosteroid synthesis, FA synthesis and photosynthesis were inhibited, while FA degradation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress were activated. Lipidomics analysis showed that ultra-accumulated ALA is released from phosphatidylcholine as a free FA in cells, inducing severe endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress. Furthermore, we identified that overexpression of lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase 2 rescued the defective phenotype. In the rescue line, the pool capacity of the Kennedy pathway was increased, and the esterification of ALA indirectly to triacylglycerol was enhanced to avoid stress. This study provides a plant model that aids in understanding the molecular mechanism of embryonic developmental defects and generates strategies to produce higher levels of UFAs.
Topics: Acyltransferases; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Brassicaceae; Brassinosteroids; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Fatty Acid Desaturases; Fatty Acids; Oxidative Stress; Photosynthesis; Plants, Genetically Modified; Seeds; alpha-Linolenic Acid
PubMed: 32573846
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14889 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2019Soybean is a major crop that is used as a source of vegetable oil for human use. To develop transgenic soybean with high α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3) content, the gene...
Soybean is a major crop that is used as a source of vegetable oil for human use. To develop transgenic soybean with high α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3) content, the gene isolated from lesquerella () was used to construct vectors with two different seed-specific promoters, soybean β-conglycinin (Pβ-con) and kidney bean phaseolin (Pphas), and one constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (P35S). The corresponding vectors were used for -mediated transformation of imbibed mature half seeds. The transformation efficiency was approximately 2%, 1%, and 3% and 21, 7, and 17 transgenic plants were produced, respectively. T-DNA insertion and expression of the transgene were confirmed from most of the transgenic plants by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and Southern blot analysis. The fatty acid composition of soybean seeds was analyzed by gas chromatography. The 18:3 content in the transgenic generation T seeds was increased 7-fold in Pβ-con:, 4-fold in Pphas : , and 1.6-fold in P35S: compared to the 18:3 content in soybean "Kwangankong". The increased content of 18:3 in the Pβ-con: soybean (T) resulted in a 52.6% increase in total fatty acids, with a larger decrease in 18:1 content than 18:2 content. The increase in 18:3 content was also maintained and reached 42% in the Pphas : transgenic generation T. Investigations of the agronomic traits of 12 Pβ-con: transgenic lines (T) revealed that plant height, number of branches, nodes, pods, total seeds, and total seed weight were significantly higher in several transgenic lines than those in non-transgenic soybean. Especially, an increase in seed size was observed upon expression of the gene with the β-conglycinin promoter, and 6%-14% higher seed lengths were measured from the transgenic lines.
PubMed: 32082356
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01812 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2022Vegetable oils have been utilized for centuries in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they contribute beneficially to overall human health, to active...
Vegetable oils have been utilized for centuries in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they contribute beneficially to overall human health, to active skincare, and to effective treatments. Monitoring of the vegetable oils is carried out by the methods described in the European Pharmacopeia, which is time-consuming, has poor repeatability, and involves the use of toxic organic chemicals and expensive laboratory equipment. Many successful studies using IR spectroscopy have been carried out for the detection of geographical origin and adulteration as well as quantification of oxidation parameters. The aim of our research was to explore FT-IR spectroscopy for assessing the quality parameters and fatty acid composition of cranberry, elderberry, borage, blackcurrant, raspberry, black mustard, walnut, sea buckthorn, evening primrose, rosehip, chia, perilla, black cumin, sacha inchi, kiwi, hemp, and linseed oil. Very good models were obtained for the α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid contents, with = 1.00; values of 0.98, 0.92, 0.89, and 0.84 were obtained for iodine value prediction, stearic acid content, palmitic acid content, and unsaponifiable matter content, respectively. However, we were not able to obtain good models for all parameters, and the use of the same process for variable selection was found to be not suitable for all cases.
Topics: Fatty Acids; Humans; Oxidation-Reduction; Plant Oils; Rosa; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
PubMed: 35630666
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27103190 -
Food Science & Nutrition Jun 2021seed oil is obtained from the seeds left following pressing of the juice from fruit. The total oil content of seed was around 9.30%. The fatty acid profile of the oil...
seed oil is obtained from the seeds left following pressing of the juice from fruit. The total oil content of seed was around 9.30%. The fatty acid profile of the oil was determined by gas chromatography (GC). Among the 11 fatty acids identified in the oil, seven were unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) (92.6%); four were saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (7.17%). Then, the kinetics of formation of -fatty acids was studied by GC. Heat treatment of seed oil showed an increase in the relative percentage of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid isomers with increasing temperature and time. The formation of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid isomers followed a zero-order reaction. The presence of O enhanced the isomerization of these UFAs. In addition, the rate constants and activation energies for the geometrical isomerization of UFAs in seed oil were presented. Overall, seed oil contains high UFA contents. Heating temperature and duration and the presence of O should be considered to reduce the formation of -fatty acids during thermal treatment of seed oil.
PubMed: 34136152
DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2222 -
Annals of Translational Medicine Oct 2022The relationship between gut microbiota and metabolites play an important role in the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the...
BACKGROUND
The relationship between gut microbiota and metabolites play an important role in the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the interaction between intestinal flora abundance and metabolites is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of the interaction network between intestinal flora and fecal metabolites in regulating the occurrence of T2DM.
METHODS
This a case-control study. T2DM patients with different glucose levels and healthy people were divided into case group and normal controls (NC) group. Fasting plasma and fecal samples were collected from the subjects. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted fecal metabolomics was used to detect small molecular metabolites within 1,500 Da in two groups. The diversity and richness of intestinal flora were analyzed by the 16SrRNA third-generation full-length sequencing technique and the correlation between intestinal microflora and different metabolites was evaluated.
RESULTS
A total of 30 patients with T2DM and 21 NC were included for analysis, glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) (P<0.001), fasting blood glucose (FBG) (P<0.001), total triglycerides (TG) (P=0.002), and fasting serum insulin (FINS) (P=0.026) were significantly higher in the T2DM group compared with the NC group. The fecal metabolomics profiles of the T2DM group and NC group were significantly different, and 355 different metabolites were identified among the two. Compared with the NC group, the levels of ornithine (P=0.04), L-lysine (P=0.03), glutamate (P=0.01), alpha-linolenic acid (P=0.004), traumatin (P=0.05), and erucic acid (P=0.004) in the T2DM group decreased significantly, while PC[18:3(6Z,9Z,12Z)/24:1(15Z)] (P<0.001) levels increased. Compared with the NC group, the richness of and increased in T2DM patients, while that of and were lower. Pearson correlation analysis revealed associations between gut microbiota and faecal metabolites, and was positively correlated with alpha-linolenic acid (r=0.72, P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
There may be a mutual regulatory network between intestinal bacteria and fecal metabolites in T2DM. The increased abundance of may increase alpha-linolenic acid uptake, and alpha-linolenic acid may also increase the abundance of intestinal after metabolic transformation. The combination of the two may play an important role in the treatment of diabetes.
PubMed: 36330416
DOI: 10.21037/atm-22-3967