Beta-Sitosterol inhibits Oxidative Stress by Promoting Antioxidant Activity

By Kyle J. Norton

The expression of oxidative stress is a medical condition characterized by the imbalance of the ratio of free radicals and antioxidant enzymes produced by the host tissue.

Antioxidants are stable atom that plays a critical role in protecting the body against the attack of free radicals.

In other words, antioxidants inhibited the onset of free radical before they can cause a chain reaction in facilitating the protein, lipid and cell damage.

Antioxidants can either produced by the liver or intake from dietary sources. Under normal conditions, antioxidant enzymes produced by the body in a healthy individual are good enough to counter the bombardment of free radical attacks.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules with an unpaired electron on the outer ring of the atom.

Due to its nature to become stable, free radicals readily to donate or steal an electron from other molecules, leading to the chain of domino's effect that can not be stopped until either the electrons are paired or inhibited by antioxidants.

This chain of reaction is the cause of oxidative stress, a condition is associated with either overexpression of free radicals or depletion of antioxidant enzymes produced by the host organs.

In some cases, this reaction also is caused long-term accumulation of toxic substances in the body, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic.

There is no single cause of oxidative stress. Some researchers suggested that a number of factors can facilitate the onset of oxidative stress, including cigarette smoke, oxidative burst from activated macrophages, particularly, the free radicals chain reaction.

Sadly, a prolonged period of oxidative stress presented in the human body can cause oxidative damage to biomolecules, (lipids, proteins, DNA) and the death of healthy cells through cytotoxicity.

Beta-Sitosterol is a phytochemical in the class of Phytosterols, belongings to the group of Lipids, found abundantly in avocados, rice bran, wheat germ, corn oils, fennel, peanuts, soybeans, hawthorn, basil, buckwheat. etc.

On finding a potential phytochemical for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, researchers examined the beta-sitosterol (BS), a plant sterol antioxidant activity.

In vitro, HT22 cells and primarily cultured hippocampal cells induced oxidative stress by glucose oxidase (GOX) incorporate BS into the plasma membrane, prevented GOX-induced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.

Furthermore, incorporation of BS into the cell membrane increased the PI3K activity in the promotion of cellular function and recruitment of PI3K to lipid rafts.

Additionally, the levels of p-GSK3beta also in the promotion of cell integrity were also enhanced by the application of BS against the onset of oxidative stress.

Based on the evidence, researchers said, " ...the results provide a better understanding of the beneficial effects of these BS-enriched nutrients on neurodegenerative diseases such as AD".

Taken altogether, beta-Sitosterol may be considered a supplement for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, including AD, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of beta-Sitosterol in the form of supplements should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.


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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Incorporation of beta-sitosterol into the membrane increases resistance to oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation via estrogen receptor-mediated PI3K/GSK3beta signaling by Shi C1, Wu F, Zhu XC, Xu J. (PubMed)