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Journal of Sleep Research Feb 2014Sleep symptoms are associated with weight gain and cardiometabolic disease. The potential role of diet has been largely unexplored. Data from the 2007-2008 National...
Sleep symptoms are associated with weight gain and cardiometabolic disease. The potential role of diet has been largely unexplored. Data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used (n = 4552) to determine which nutrients were associated with sleep symptoms in a nationally representative sample. Survey items assessed difficulty falling asleep, sleep maintenance difficulties, non-restorative sleep and daytime sleepiness. Analyses were adjusted for energy intake, other dietary factors, exercise, body mass index (BMI) and sociodemographics. Population-weighted, logistic regression, with backwards-stepwise selection, examined which nutrients were associated with sleep symptoms. Odds ratios (ORs) reflect the difference in odds of sleep symptoms associated with a doubling in nutrient. Nutrients that were associated independently with difficulty falling asleep included (in order): alpha-carotene (OR = 0.96), selenium (OR = 0.80), dodecanoic acid (OR = 0.91), calcium (OR = 0.83) and hexadecanoic acid (OR = 1.10). Nutrients that were associated independently with sleep maintenance difficulties included: salt (OR = 1.19), butanoic acid (0.81), carbohydrate (OR = 0.71), dodecanoic acid (OR = 0.90), vitamin D (OR = 0.84), lycopene (OR = 0.98), hexanoic acid (OR = 1.25) and moisture (OR = 1.27). Nutrients that were associated independently with non-restorative sleep included butanoic acid (OR = 1.09), calcium (OR = 0.81), vitamin C (OR = 0.92), water (OR = 0.98), moisture (OR = 1.41) and cholesterol (OR = 1.10). Nutrients that were associated independently with sleepiness included: moisture (OR = 1.20), theobromine (OR = 1.04), potassium (OR = 0.70) and water (OR = 0.97). These results suggest novel associations between sleep symptoms and diet/metabolism, potentially explaining associations between sleep and cardiometabolic diseases.
Topics: Adult; Body Mass Index; Butyric Acid; Calcium; Carotenoids; Cholesterol; Diet; Diet Surveys; Dietary Carbohydrates; Exercise; Female; Humans; Lauric Acids; Lycopene; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Odds Ratio; Palmitic Acid; Selenium; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Vitamin D
PubMed: 23992533
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12084 -
G3 (Bethesda, Md.) Jan 2022Drosophila sechellia is a dietary specialist endemic to the Seychelles islands that has evolved to consume the fruit of Morinda citrifolia. When ripe, the fruit of M....
Drosophila sechellia is a dietary specialist endemic to the Seychelles islands that has evolved to consume the fruit of Morinda citrifolia. When ripe, the fruit of M. citrifolia contains octanoic acid and hexanoic acid, two medium-chain fatty acid volatiles that deter and are toxic to generalist insects. Drosophila sechellia has evolved resistance to these volatiles allowing it to feed almost exclusively on this host plant. The genetic basis of octanoic acid resistance has been the focus of multiple recent studies, but the mechanisms that govern hexanoic acid resistance in D. sechellia remain unknown. To understand how D. sechellia has evolved to specialize on M. citrifolia fruit and avoid the toxic effects of hexanoic acid, we exposed adult D. sechellia, D. melanogaster and D. simulans to hexanoic acid and performed RNA sequencing comparing their transcriptional responses to identify D. sechellia specific responses. Our analysis identified many more genes responding transcriptionally to hexanoic acid in the susceptible generalist species than in the specialist D. sechellia. Interrogation of the sets of differentially expressed genes showed that generalists regulated the expression of many genes involved in metabolism and detoxification whereas the specialist primarily downregulated genes involved in the innate immunity. Using these data, we have identified interesting candidate genes that may be critically important in aspects of adaptation to their food source that contains high concentrations of HA. Understanding how gene expression evolves during dietary specialization is crucial for our understanding of how ecological communities are built and how evolution shapes trophic interactions.
Topics: Animals; Caproates; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Genomics; Species Specificity
PubMed: 34718544
DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab354 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2022In the 1950s, the production of processed fats and oils from coconut oil was popular in the United States. It became necessary to find uses for the medium-chain fatty... (Review)
Review
In the 1950s, the production of processed fats and oils from coconut oil was popular in the United States. It became necessary to find uses for the medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that were byproducts of the process, and a production method for medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) was established. At the time of this development, its use as a non-fattening fat was being studied. In the early days MCFAs included fatty acids ranging from hexanoic acid (C6:0) to dodecanoic acid (C12:0), but today their compositions vary among manufacturers and there seems to be no clear definition. MCFAs are more polar than long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) because of their shorter chain length, and their hydrolysis and absorption properties differ greatly. These differences in physical properties have led, since the 1960s, to the use of MCTs to improve various lipid absorption disorders and malnutrition. More than half a century has passed since MCTs were first used in the medical field. It has been reported that they not only have properties as an energy source, but also have various physiological effects, such as effects on fat and protein metabolism. The enhancement of fat oxidation through ingestion of MCTs has led to interest in the study of body fat reduction and improvement of endurance during exercise. Recently, MCTs have also been shown to promote protein anabolism and inhibit catabolism, and applied research has been conducted into the prevention of frailty in the elderly. In addition, a relatively large ingestion of MCTs can be partially converted into ketone bodies, which can be used as a component of "ketone diets" in the dietary treatment of patients with intractable epilepsy, or in the nutritional support of terminally ill cancer patients. The possibility of improving cognitive function in dementia patients and mild cognitive impairment is also being studied. Obesity due to over-nutrition and lack of exercise, and frailty due to under-nutrition and aging, are major health issues in today's society. MCTs have been studied in relation to these concerns. In this paper we will introduce the results of applied research into the use of MCTs by healthy subjects.
PubMed: 35719157
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.802805 -
The Plant Pathology Journal Oct 2021A plethora of compounds stimulate protective mechanisms in plants against microbial pathogens and abiotic stresses. Some defense activators are synthetic compounds and... (Review)
Review
A plethora of compounds stimulate protective mechanisms in plants against microbial pathogens and abiotic stresses. Some defense activators are synthetic compounds and trigger responses only in certain protective pathways, such as activation of defenses under regulation by the plant regulator, salicylic acid (SA). This review discusses the potential of naturally occurring plant metabolites as primers for defense responses in the plant. The production of the metabolites, hexanoic acid and melatonin, in plants means they are consumed when plants are eaten as foods. Both metabolites prime stronger and more rapid activation of plant defense upon subsequent stress. Because these metabolites trigger protective measures in the plant they can be considered as "vaccines" to promote plant vigor. Hexanoic acid and melatonin instigate systemic changes in plant metabolism associated with both of the major defense pathways, those regulated by SA- and jasmonic acid (JA). These two pathways are well studied because of their induction by different microbial triggers: necrosis-causing microbial pathogens induce the SA pathway whereas colonization by beneficial microbes stimulates the JA pathway. The plant's responses to the two metabolites, however, are not identical with a major difference being a characterized growth response with melatonin but not hexanoic acid. As primers for plant defense, hexanoic acid and melatonin have the potential to be successfully integrated into vaccination-like strategies to protect plants against diseases and abiotic stresses that do not involve man-made chemicals.
PubMed: 34847628
DOI: 10.5423/PPJ.RW.01.2021.0011 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. C,... May 2022The adsorption of carboxylic acid molecules at the calcite (104) and the muscovite (001) surface was investigated using surface X-ray diffraction. All four investigated...
The adsorption of carboxylic acid molecules at the calcite (104) and the muscovite (001) surface was investigated using surface X-ray diffraction. All four investigated carboxylic acid molecules, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, lauric acid, and stearic acid, were found to adsorb at the calcite surface. Whereas the shortest two carboxylic acid molecules, hexanoic acid and octanoic acid, showed limited ordering and a flexible, disordered chain, the two longest carboxylic acid molecules form fully ordered monolayers, i.e., these form highly structured self-assembled monolayers. The latter molecules are oriented almost fully upright, with a tilt of up to 10°. The oxygen atoms of the organic molecules are found at similar positions to those of water molecules at the calcite-water interface. This suggests that in both cases, the oxygen atoms compensate for the broken bonds at the calcite surface. Under the same experimental conditions, stearic acid does not adsorb to K and Ca-functionalized muscovite mica because the neutral molecules do not engage in the ionic bonds typical for the mica interface. These differences in adsorption behavior are characteristic for the differences of the oil-solid interactions in carbonate and sandstone reservoirs.
PubMed: 35655936
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c01157 -
Nature Communications May 2023Colonization of a novel ecological niche can require, or be driven by, evolution of an animal's behaviors promoting their reproductive success. We investigated the...
Colonization of a novel ecological niche can require, or be driven by, evolution of an animal's behaviors promoting their reproductive success. We investigated the evolution and sensory basis of oviposition in Drosophila sechellia, a close relative of Drosophila melanogaster that exhibits extreme specialism for Morinda citrifolia noni fruit. D. sechellia produces fewer eggs than other drosophilids and lays these almost exclusively on noni substrates. We show that visual, textural and social cues do not explain this species-specific preference. By contrast, we find that loss of olfactory input in D. sechellia, but not D. melanogaster, essentially abolishes egg-laying, suggesting that olfaction gates gustatory-driven noni preference. Noni odors are detected by redundant olfactory pathways, but we discover a role for hexanoic acid and the cognate Ionotropic receptor 75b (Ir75b) in odor-evoked oviposition. Through receptor exchange in D. melanogaster, we provide evidence for a causal contribution of odor-tuning changes in Ir75b to the evolution of D. sechellia's oviposition behavior.
Topics: Animals; Female; Drosophila melanogaster; Odorants; Oviposition; Specialization; Drosophila
PubMed: 37236992
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38722-z -
Microorganisms Apr 2020Hexanoic acid and its derivatives have been recently recognized as value-added materials and can be synthesized by several microbes. Of them, has been considered as an...
Hexanoic acid and its derivatives have been recently recognized as value-added materials and can be synthesized by several microbes. Of them, has been considered as an interesting hexanoic acid producer because of its capability to utilize a variety of carbons sources. However, the cellular metabolism and physiology of still remain uncharacterized. Therefore, in order to better understand hexanoic acid synthetic metabolism in , we newly reconstructed its genome-scale metabolic model, ME375, which accounts for 375 genes, 521 reactions, and 443 metabolites. A constraint-based analysis was then employed to evaluate cell growth under various conditions. Subsequently, a flux ratio analysis was conducted to understand the mechanism of bifurcated hexanoic acid synthetic pathways, including the typical fatty acid synthetic pathway via acetyl-CoA and the TCA cycle in a counterclockwise direction through succinate. The resultant metabolic states showed that the highest hexanoic acid production could be achieved when the balanced fractional contribution via acetyl-CoA and succinate in reductive TCA cycle was formed in various cell growth rates. The highest hexanoic acid production was maintained in the most perturbed flux ratio, as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase () enables the bifurcated pathway to form consistent fluxes. Finally, organic acid consuming simulations suggested that succinate can increase both biomass formation and hexanoic acid production.
PubMed: 32283671
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8040539 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2016Hexanoic acid (Hx) is a short natural monocarboxylic acid present in some fruits and plants. Previous studies reported that soil drench application of this acid induces...
Hexanoic acid (Hx) is a short natural monocarboxylic acid present in some fruits and plants. Previous studies reported that soil drench application of this acid induces effective resistance in tomato plants against Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae and in citrus against Alternaria alternata and Xanthomonas citri. In this work, we performed an in deep study of the metabolic changes produced in citrus by the application of Hx in response to the challenge pathogen A. alternata, focusing on the response of the plant. Moreover, we used (13)C labeled hexanoic to analyze its behavior inside the plants. Finally, we studied the volatile emission of the treated plants after the challenge inoculation. Drench application of (13)C labeled hexanoic demonstrated that this molecule stays in the roots and is not mobilized to the leaves, suggesting long distance induction of resistance. Moreover, the study of the metabolic profile showed an alteration of more than 200 molecules differentially induced by the application of the compound and the inoculation with the fungus. Bioinformatics analysis of data showed that most of these altered molecules could be related with the mevalonic and linolenic pathways suggesting the implication of these pathways in the induced resistance mediated by Hx. Finally, the application of this compound showed an enhancement of the emission of 17 volatile metabolites. Taken together, this study indicates that after the application of Hx this compound remains in the roots, provoking molecular changes that may trigger the defensive response in the rest of the plant mediated by changes in the mevalonic and linolenic pathways and enhancing the emission of volatile compounds, suggesting for the first time the implication of mevalonic pathway in response to hexanoic application.
PubMed: 27148319
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00495 -
Nutrients Nov 2022Hyperlipidemia is a leading risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Dietary supplementation with probiotics has been suggested as an alternative intervention...
Hyperlipidemia is a leading risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Dietary supplementation with probiotics has been suggested as an alternative intervention to lower cholesterol. In the current study, we isolated a strain of RW2014 (LGA) from the feces of a healthy infant fed with breast milk, and it displayed bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity. Using this strain we determined its cholesterol-lowering and fatty liver-improving functions. SD rats were randomly divided into four groups. The control rats were fed a commercial chow diet and the other three groups were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for a 7-week experiment period. After two weeks of feeding, the rats in PBS, simvastin, and LGA group were daily administered through oral gavage with 2 mL PBS, simvastin (1 mg/mL), and 2 × 10 CFU/mouse live LGA in PBS, respectively. After five weeks of such treatment, the rats were euthanized and tissue samples were collected. Blood lipid and inflammatory factors were measured by ELISA, gut microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA sequencing, and bile acids profiles were detected by metabolomics. We found that LGA group had lower levels of blood cholesterol and liver steatosis compared to the simvastin group. LGA also significantly reducedthe levels of inflammatory factors in the serum, including TNFα, IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, and exotoxin (ET), and increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids in feces, including isobutyric acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid. In addition, LGA altered the compositions of gut microbiota as manifested by the increased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides and the relative abundance of genus. Targeted metabolomics results showed that bile acids, especially free bile acids and secondary bile acids in feces, were increased in LGA rats compared with the control rats. Accordingly, the rats administrated with LGA also had a higher abundance of serum bile acids, including 23-norcholic acid, 7-ketolithocholic acid, β-muricholic acid, cholic acid, and deoxycholic acid. Together, this study suggests that LGA may exert a cholesterol-lowering effect by modulating the metabolism of bile acids and the composition of gut microbiota.
Topics: Rats; Mice; Animals; Lactobacillus gasseri; Hyperlipidemias; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Diet, High-Fat; Bile Acids and Salts; Cholesterol
PubMed: 36500975
DOI: 10.3390/nu14234945