Betaxanthins are Phytochemicals in the class of red and
yellow indole-derived pigments , belonging to the group of Betalains,
found abundantly in beets, sicilian prickly pear, etc.
Health Benefits
1. Fatty Liver diseases
In
the investigation of the protective effects of bioactive agents of the
liophylised table beet and carrot powder on fatty liver in a "short
term" experiment, found that the higher dose of the natural product
better decreased the induced free radical reactions, cyclooxygenase-2,
inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA-levels
both in normal and fatty liver tissues. Although treatments failed to
exert significant changes in all global antioxidant parameters,
mobilized methyl group concentrations were higher after treatments in
fatty liver. Favorable tendencies were also noted in the
redox-homeostasis of the fatty liver after treatment, according to "[Experimental food-induced fatty liver and its adjuvant therapy with natural bioactive substances].[Article in Hungarian]" by Hegedüs V, Gerö D, Mihály Z, Szijártó A, Zelles T, Sárdi E.(1)
2. Free Radical-Scavenging Activities
In
the determination of betalamic acid, the chromophore of betaxanthins,
was enzymatically synthesized on a large scale from
l-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) using recombinant Mirabilis jalapa
DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase for its Radical-Scavenging Activities, suggested
that GABA-betaxanthin showed comparatively low activity, whereas
dopamine-betaxanthin had similar activity to the red pigment betanin and
the anthocyanin cyanidin 3-glucoside. Proline-betaxanthin had the
highest activity of the three synthesized compounds and was similar to
the flavonoid quercetin, according to "In Vitro Synthesis of Betaxanthins Using Recombinant DOPA 4,5-Dioxygenase and Evaluation of Their Radical-Scavenging Activities" by Sekiguchi H, Ozeki Y, Sasaki N.(2)
3. Antispasmodic effects
In
the investigation, the effects of a hydrophilic extract from Opuntia
ficus indica fruit pulp (cactus fruit extract, CFE) on the motility of
mouse ileum, using an organ bath technique, and researched the extract
component(s) responsible for the observed responses, showed that CFE is
able to exert direct antispasmodic effects on the intestinal motility.
The CFE inhibitory effects do not involve potassium channels or
voltage-dependent calcium channels but rather pathways of calcium
intracellular release. The fruit pigment indicaxanthin appears to be the
main component responsible for the CFE-induced effects, acording to "Inhibition
of the mechanical activity of mouse ileum by cactus pear (Opuntia Ficus
Indica, L, Mill.) fruit extract and its pigment indicaxanthin" by Baldassano S, Tesoriere L, Rotondo A, Serio R, Livrea MA, Mulè F.(3)
4. Intestinal contractility
In
the investigation of pasmolytic effects on the intestinal contractility
in vitro isndicaxanthin, the yellow betalain pigment abundant in the
fruit of Opuntia ficus indica, for the mechanism of action underlying
the observed response, found that Indicaxanthin and IBMX significantly
reduced the carbachol-evoked contractions and the joint application of
both drugs did not produce any additive effect. Indicaxanthin and IBMX
increased the inhibitory effects of forskolin, an adenylyl cyclase
activator, and the joint application of both drugs did not produce any
additive effect. Indicaxanthin, contrarily to IBMX, did not affect the
inhibitory action of sodium nitroprusside, a soluble guanylyl cyclase
activator. Indicaxanthin increased both basal and forskolin-induced cAMP
content of mouse ileal muscle. The present data show that indicaxanthin
reduces the contractility of ileal longitudinal muscle by inhibition of
PDEs and increase of cAMP concentration and raise the possibility of
using indicaxanthin in the treatment of motility disorders, such as
abdominal cramps, according to "Inhibitory effects of indicaxanthin on mouse ileal contractility: analysis of the mechanism of action" by Baldassano S, Rotondo A, Serio R, Livrea MA, Tesoriere L, Mulè F.(4)
5. Anti cancers
In
the investigation of juices of nine prickly pears (Opuntia spp.) were
characterized in terms of color, acidity, sugar content, phenolics,
flavonoids, betalains and antioxidant activity and tested in vitro
against four cancer cell lines, found that among the cancer lines
tested, viability of prostate and colon cells were the most affected.
Moradillo contained the highest flavonoids and diminished both prostate
and colon cancer cell viability without affecting mammary or hepatic
cancer cells. Rastrero reduced the growth of the four cancer cell lines
without affecting normal fibroblast viability. The research shows
intervarietal differences among prickly pears in terms of juice
properties and phytochemicals that could prevent oxidative stress and
cancer, according to 'Phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity and in vitro cancer cell cytotoxicity of nine prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) juices" by Chavez-Santoscoy RA, Gutierrez-Uribe JA, Serna-Saldívar SO.(5)
6. Myeloperoxidase and hypochlorous acid
In
the evaluation of Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), the most powerful oxidant
produced by human neutrophils and contribution to the damage caused by
these inflammatory cells, produced from H2O2 and chloride by the heme
enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO), found that at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C.
Formation of ferric (native) MPO from compound II occurs with a
second-order rate constant of (1.1+/-0.1) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) (betanin)
and (2.9+/-0.1) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) (indicaxanthin), respectively. In
addition, both betalains can effectively scavenge hypochlorous acid with
determined rates of (1.8+/-0.2) x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) (betanin) and
(7.7+/-0.1) x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) (indicaxanthin) at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees
C., according to "Mechanism of interaction of betanin and indicaxanthin with human myeloperoxidase and hypochlorous acid" by Allegra M, Furtmüller PG, Jantschko W, Zederbauer M, Tesoriere L, Livrea MA, Obinger C.(6).
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Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21652297
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058725
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20518499
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21371457
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19468836
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15913556
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