Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Sunday, 30 June 2019

Navy Bean, Ameliorates Glycemic Stress of Diabetes in VIvo

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetes is a chronic condition caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose.

In other words, diabetes occurs when cells in pancreas dying off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol. In some cases, diabetes is also caused by allergic reactions of cells in the immune system.

Most common forms of Diabetes are

* Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, the most common form diabetes found in children is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. Most common form of type 1 diabetes is caused by genetic mutation and some viruses.

As of today, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. Treatment is focusing on managing blood sugar levels with insulin injection, diet, and lifestyle change.

* Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of acquired diabetes in adulthood is a chronic condition that affects the body metabolized glucose. In other words, most cases of type 2 diabetes are results of insulin receptors clogged-up by fat and cholesterol, leading to resist the effects of the hormone insulin that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells.

* Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy, affecting between 3% and 20% of pregnant women.

Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in later life.

Most common symptoms of diabetes are excessive thirst and hunger, frequent urination, unintended weight loss or gain, frequent fatigue, irritability and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea.

In severe case, patients may also experience symptoms of blurred vision and slow wound healing or ulcer.

The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, popular in both dry and green forms, is very popular in Britain and the US, native to Peru. The bean is now grown and consumed across the world, due to their numerous health benefits.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the management of diabetes, researchers investigated that the effect on glucose response of navy bean flour prepared as unleavened bread.

According to the tested assays

* Removal of phytic acid and addition of Ca to navy bean flour increased the starch digestion in vitro and raised the glycemic response

* However, readdition of phytic acid to dephytinized flour produced the opposite effect, in vivo.

In other words, phytic acid found in navy bean increased the slow digestion of navy bean that benefits the management of diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

Also, according to the carbohydrate malabsorption assessed by breath H2 measurement, phytic acid has a strong influence related negatively to glycemic response.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " role of both added and endogenous phytic acid in slowing the in vitro rate of starch digestibility and in vivo glycemic response to legumes and the ability of Ca modify this effect".

Additionally, Dr. Hutchins AM, the lead scientists in the examined the effect of beans consumption such as pinto, black, navy or kidney in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases suggested that

* Dietary beans reduced the glycemic stress such as hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in patients with diabetes, CVD and cancer.

* Patients who eat more of these beans improved the glycaemic response and reduced the risk of developing diabetes, CVD and cancer.

Taken altogether, navy bean used alone or combined with conventional medicine may be considered a remedy for the management of diabetes, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Phytic acid and calcium affect the in vitro rate of navy bean starch digestion and blood glucose response in humans by Thompson LU, Button CL, Jenkins DJ. (PubMed)
(1) Phaseolus beans: impact on glycaemic response and chronic disease risk in human subjects by Hutchins AM1, Winham DM, Thompson SV. (PubMed)
(3) Diabetes – The Symptoms by Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Turmeric, the Potent Anti Facial Skin-Aging Functional Remedy

By Kyle J. Norton

Facial aging is a biological process caused by the structural rearrangements on the face, uneven fat distribution in the face, leading to wrinkles and pockets plumped up the forehead, temples, cheeks, and areas around the eyes and mouth.

Aging caused by the gravity, fats that support the firming of the face loses volume, clumps up, and shifts downward accompanied by the natural degeneration of the skin can also contribute to facial aging.

Also, the facial muscles continually tug on, leading to the formation of facial wrinkle.

Besides aging, wrinkles may be caused by long-term exposure to the sun by smoking.

However, in North America, the wrong perception of sun exposure is one of the extrinsic factors that add burden to natural facial aging.

Dr. Frederic Flament, wrote, "During a lifetime, skin will change in appearance and structure not only because of chronological and intrinsic processes but also due to several external factors such as gravity, sun and ultraviolet exposure, and high levels of pollution; or lifestyle factors that have important and obvious effects on skin aging, such as diet, tobacco, illness, or stress".

And, "Clinical signs of aging are essentially influenced by extrinsic factors, especially sun exposure. Indeed UV exposure seems to be responsible for 80% of visible facial aging signs".

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On finding a better compound for the treatment of facial photoaging, researchers examined curcumin, the main ingredient from turmeric and turmeric extract in the promotion of healthy skin and inhibition of wrinkle formation caused by exposure to UV radiation.

According to the tested assays, curcumin exerted the strong effect on the deposition of basement membrane component at dermal-epidermal junction in the skin equivalent model.

Topical application of a cream containing turmeric extract in UV radiation-induced facial photoaging significantly improved facial skin elasticity and decreased the number of gelatinase-positive stratum corneum clusters in human facial skins.

Based on the results, researchers wrote in the final report, "These results indicated that turmeric is an effective ingredient to improve skin condition and to prevent skin from photoaging by suppressing activation of gelatinase chronically caused by UV".

In chronic ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated skin damage in melanin-possessing hairless mice, turmeric extract improved the skin thickness and elasticity caused by long-term, low-dose ultraviolet B irradiation at 300 or 1000 mg/kg, applied twice daily.

Furthermore, at 1000 mg/kg, applied twice daily, the extract also prevented the formation of wrinkles and melanin and diameter and length of skin blood vessels and the expression of the enzyme (matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)) in the inhibition of elastin, a highly elastic protein in the production of connective tissue.

Dr. Sumiyoshi M. the lead scientist after taking other factors into account wrote, "(Turmeric extract) Prevention of UVB-induced skin aging by turmeric may be due to the inhibition of increases in MMP-2 expression caused by chronic irradiation"

Taken altogether, turmeric in form of extract may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of facial photoaging, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Inhibitory effect of the extract of rhizome of Curcuma longa L in gelatinase activity and its effect on human skin by Muta K1, Inomata S2, Fukuhara T2, Nomura J2, Nishiyama T3, Tagawa YI4, Amano S2. (PubMed)
(2) Effects of a turmeric extract (Curcuma longa) on chronic ultraviolet B irradiation-induced skin damage in melanin-possessing hairless mice by Sumiyoshi M1, Kimura Y. (PubMed)
(3) Effect of the sun on visible clinical signs of aging in Caucasian skin by Frederic Flament,1 Roland Bazin,2 Sabine Laquieze,3 Virginie Rubert,1 Elisa Simonpietri,4and Bertrand Piot. (PMC)

Phytochemical Betacyanins Inhibits Breast Cancer Cells Initiation and Progression

By Kyle J. Norton

The breasts of women are made of specialized tissue that produces milk (glandular tissue) and fatty tissue. The size of a woman breast is totally depending on the amount of fat in the breast.
Breast cancer is a medical condition caused by cell growth irregularly due to the alternation of cell DNA.

Most cases of breast cancer start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining of the tissues of the breast either from the inner lining of milk ducts (Ductal carcinoma) or the lobules (Lobular carcinoma) that supply the ducts with milk, before colonizing the deeper layer tissues to form a tumor through proliferation.

According to the statistics, in the US, the lifetime the risk of getting invasive breast cancer of a woman is 1/8. In 2019, approximately 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed, along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

The 5 years survival rate of breast cancer diagnosed in the localized stage is 100%.

The exact causes of breast cancer are not identified.

The stages of breast cancer can be classified depending on
* The size of the cancer
* Invasive or not
* Whether cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
* Whether cancer has spread to the distance parts or organs of the body.

There are 4 stages of breast cancer in TNM rating (where T is referred for tumor size, N is referred for Lymph Node status, M is referred for invasive or not)
# T: Tumor Size is divided into four classes: T-1 is between 0 - 2 cms, T-2 is between 2 - 5 cms, T-3 is > 5cms, and T-4 is a tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin, including inflammatory breast cancer.
#N: No swollen nodes: N-0, some swelling but negative node (not cancerous): N-1a, swelling nodes and positive node (cancerous): N-1b, quite swollen and bunched together: N-2, quite swollen and near the collarbone: N-3.
# M: if no cancer cell is found: M-0, cancer cells found: M-1.

Betacyanins are phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments, belongings to the group of Betalains, found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of breast cancer, researchers examined the effect of extract of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), the FDA approved red food color E162 on estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells (MCF-7).

According to the tested differentiation, both doxorubicin and the beetroot extract exhibited a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect in MCF-7.

Compared to doxorubicin, the cytotoxicity of beetroot extract was significantly lower.

In other words, at the same doses, doxorubicin is more effective to induce the death of breast cancer cell compared to the beetroot extract.

Due to the limitation of the experimental selection, side effects induced by both treatment cannot be observed.

After taking other factors into account, researchers suggested, the major betacyanin constituent may play an important role in the cytotoxicity exhibited by the red beetroot extract.

Taken altogether, betacyanins may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of betacyanins in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Cytotoxic effect of the red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract compared to doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the human prostate (PC-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancercell lines by Kapadia GJ1, Azuine MA, Rao GS, Arai T, Iida A, Tokuda H. (PubMed)
(2) Breast #Cancer by Kyle J. Norton

Saturday, 29 June 2019

Phytochemical Betanin, the Potent Antioxidant

By Kyle J. Norton

Antioxidants are stable atoms which inhibit oxidation induced by free radicals.

There are 2 types of antioxidants found in the human body, including

* Internally, antioxidant enzymes produced by the liver

* Externally, antioxidants produced by the intake of antioxidants rich food.

Free radicals, in fact, are everywhere, any atoms with oxygen molecules that have an unpaired electron on the outermost ring are considered free radicals.

Free radicals are unstable atoms. Therefore, in order to maintain stable, free radicals are ready to donate or intercept an electron from other stable atoms, leading to a chain of reaction which can not be stopped until all outermost ring electrons are paired or inhibited by antioxidant.

An unbalanced ratio of the levels of free radicals and antioxidants over the long-term can induce oxidative stress, a condition that causes protein and lipid damage and alternation of cell DNA.

In a healthy individual, antioxidants produced by the body are normally good enough to neutralize by free radical produced by the body in support cellular metabolism and by external sources, such as the air we breathe and the foods we eat.

Diseases associated with oxidative stress including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and cancer.

However, for people with a weakened immune system such as elderly, intake of antioxidants may be necessary.

Dr. wrote, "Oxidant-mediated tissue injury is a particular hazard to the immune system since phagocytic cells produce reactive oxygen species as part of the body's defense against infection".

And, " Although more striking effects have been observed in the elderly, there is also evidence that antioxidant nutrients can modify cell-mediated immune responses in younger individuals".

Betanin is phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments of Betacyanins, belonging to the group of Betalains, found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

With an aim to find a potential compound associated with the reduced risk of oxidative stress, researchers examined the antioxidant activity of betanin on a rat paraquat-induced acute lung injury (ALI) model.

The study included paraquat injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, and betanin (25 and 100 mg/kg/d) following the orally administered 3 days before and 2 days after paraquat administration in selected rats.

According to the results by tested assays on rats sacrificed 24 hours after the last betanin dosage, and lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) collected, rats treated only with paraquat showed an extensive lung injury characteristic of ALI, including increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, lung oxidative stress markers, reduced antioxidant activity and increased expression of pro-inflammatory proteins in the lung.

Rat treated with betanin attenuated all such changes, in a dose-dependent manner.

In other words, betanin ameliorated the effects of paraquat-induced ALI probably via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

In order to maintain the release of betanin, researchers incorporated red beetroot (RB) powder was into starch-based bio-elastomers to obtain flexible biocomposites with tunable antioxidant properties.

According to free radical assays, betanin released by the corporation demonstrated highly efficient antioxidant scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS(+)) compared to the application of red beetroot (RB) powder.

More precisely, red beetroot (RB) powder incorporated into starch-based bio-elastomers is more effective to inhibit oxidation caused by free radicals compared to red beetroot (RB) powder.

Based on the results, Dr. Tran TN, the lead scientist wrote, "Hence, as a simple but intelligent biomaterial consisting of mainly edible starch and RB powder the present bio-elastomers can be used (to provide antioxidation) in active packaging for a variety of pharmaceutical, medical, and food applications".

Taken altogether, betanin may be considered supplements to improve the antioxidant profile of patients, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of betanin in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Natural antioxidant betanin protects rats from paraquat-induced acute lung injury interstitial pneumonia by Han J1, Ma D1, Zhang M1, Yang X1, Tan D. (PubMed)
(2) Starch-based bio-elastomers functionalized with red beetroot natural antioxidant by Tran TN1, Athanassiou A2, Basit A3, Bayer IS. (PubMed)
(3) Effects of dietary antioxidants on the immune function of middle-aged adults by Hughes DA. (PubMed)

Herbal Turmeric Processes the Lung Protective Against Respiratory Diseases in Vitro and Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Lung protection is an action in which substances, including herbal remedies, are used to protect the lung against injury or damage.

The lungs are a pair of organs located on either side of the chest (thorax) with a function to bring fresh oxygen into the body and remove the carbon dioxide and other waste gases from the body.

According to the statistics provided by the Lung Association over 3 million Canadians are affected by one of five serious respiratory diseases – asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, tuberculosis (TB), and cystic fibrosis.

In 2017, 28,600 Canadians were diagnosed with lung cancer, represented 14% of all new cancer cases. Lung cancer caused the death of 21,100 Canadians in the same year.

The exact causes of lung disease are not identified. However, epidemiological studies suggested
being overweight, smoking, family history, smoking are some of the most prevalent factors associated with the onset of the disease.

Most common lung diseases in North America including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and cystic fibrosis.

Symptoms of lung disease are totally depending on the type of disease.

Out of many risk factors, occupational lung diseases are one of the most challenging in the modern world.

Dr. Sara De Matteis, the lead scientist wrote, "New occupational agents with unknown respiratory health effects are constantly introduced to the market and require periodic health surveillance among exposed workers to detect early signs of adverse respiratory effects".

And, "In addition, the aging workforce, many of whom have pre-existing respiratory conditions, poses new challenges in terms of the diagnosis and management of occupational lung diseases".

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belongings to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

On finding a potential compound which processes respiratory protective effects, researchers examined the anti-inflammatory properties through down-regulating inflammatory cytokines of curcumin on acute lung injury in mouse peritoneal macrophages by ELISA.

All 30 curcumin analogs included in the study. the bioactive ingredient showed a strong effect in the inhibition of production of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) induced by the injection of LPS.

In vitro, some compound exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner and greater stability compared to that of curcumin.

In vivo, SD rats pretreatment with a curcumin analog (c26) for seven days and then intratracheally injected with LPS to induce acute lung injury (ALI) was found to inhibit the increased protein concentration and number of inflammatory cells, pathological changes of lung tissue, inflammatory cytokines in serum and inflammatory gene expression caused by LPS.

Compared to another curcumin analog, c26 has remarkable protective effects on LPS-induced ALI in rats.

In other words, the efficacy of curcumin against acute lung injury was associated with the presence of component c26.

Taken altogether, turmeric may be considered a supplement for the prevention and combined with primary medicine for the treatment of glioblastoma and resistant glioblastoma, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Anti-inflammatory effects of novel curcumin analogs in experimental acute lung injury by Zhang Y1, Liang D2, Dong L3, Ge X4, Xu F5, Chen W6, Dai Y7, Li H8, Zou P9, Yang S10, Liang G. (PubMed)
(2) Curcumin pretreatment prevents potassium dichromate-induced hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress, decreased respiratory complex I activity, and membrane permeability transition pore opening by García-Niño WR1, Tapia E, Zazueta C, Zatarain-Barrón ZL, Hernández-Pando R, Vega-García CC, Pedraza-Chaverrí J. (PubMed)
(3) Current and new challenges in occupational lung diseases by Sara De Matteis, Dick Heederik, Alex Burdorf, Claudio Colosio, Paul Cullinan, Paul K. Henneberger, Ann Olsson, Anne Raynal, Jos Rooijackers, Tiina Santonen, Joaquin Sastre, Vivi Schlünssen, Martie van Tongeren, Torben Sigsgaard. (European Respiratory Review)

Healthy Food Onion Kills Colon Cancer in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

Colon cancer is a chronic condition caused by irregular cell growth in the colon tissue.

The colon formed a part of the digestive system is involved in the absorption of water from the small bowel contents and broken down of certain materials in the feces into substances of which some of them to be reabsorbed and reused by the body.

Most cases of colon cancer start with the alternation of cells DNA on the surface of the inner lining colon tissue before proliferating into deeper tissues to form a tumor.

Colon cancer is relatively very common, slowly growing and progressing cancer.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, in 2019, colorectal cancer including colon and rectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.

In 2019, 101,420 people in the US will be diagnosed with colon cancer.

The exact causes of colon cancer are unknown. However, out of many risk factors associated with the onset of the disease, inherited syndromes may have a strong implication involved in cancer developing, including

* Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP):
Familial adenomatous polyposis is an inherited condition in which numbers of benign polyp form mainly in the lining of the large intestine, but they can become malignant due to the mutations in the APC gene inherited from the parents.

* Hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC)
HNPCC, also known as Lynch syndrome. HNPCC) increases the risk of developing colon cancer due to the mutation of genes in repairing DNA damage.

*Turcot syndrome
Turcot syndrome is also a rare inherited condition in which cells become abnormal and form multiple adenomatous colon polyps and eventually turn malignant.

* Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disease with the condition of the development of benign hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract and hyperpigmented macules on the lips and oral mucosa due to mutations in the gene STK1.

* MUTYH-associated polyposis
MUTYH is a human gene encoding a DNA glycosylase. Mutations in the gene MUTYH increases the risk of developing colon polyps which eventually become cancerous if the polyps are not removed.

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belongings to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

On finding a natural ingredient for the treatment of colon cancer, researchers examined the effects of fisetin, a natural compound found in fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, apples, cucumbers, and onions in HT-29 colon cancer cells.

According to the tested assays, at the ranges from 20-60 micromol/l, Fisetin induced colon cancer cell apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of proteins associated with the antiapoptosis(Bcl-xL and Bcl-2) and promoting the expression of proteins (Bak and Bim) involved in pro-apoptosis.

More precisely, fisetin caused an increase in the protein levels associated with the apoptosis and increased of proteins involved in the suppression of fisetin-induced apoptosis.

The inhibition of cancer cell death was also observed by the effect of Fisetin on the enhanced permeability of the mitochondrial membrane and induced the release of cytochrome c.

Moreover, a gene that suppressed the cancer cell initiation, progression and proliferation such as p53 was also exhibited by Fisetin accompanied by activating the proteins (cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) associated with cell death programming.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "fisetin induces apoptosis in HCT-116 cells via the activation of the death receptor- and mitochondrial-dependent pathway and subsequent activation of the caspase cascade".

Taken altogether, onion used alone or combined with other remedies may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of colon cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Induction of p53 contributes to apoptosis of HCT-116 human colon cancer cells induced by the dietary compound fisetin by Lim DY1, Park JH. (PubMed)

Phytochemical Carotenoids Protect the Eyes Against Age Related Eye Disease

By Kyle J. Norton

Age-related eye disease is a class of medical condition associated with vision impairment due to aging.

Most common types of age-related eye disease are
* Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a medical condition which causes irreversible blurring of the central vision in people over age 60.

Most common symptoms of AMM are slightly blurred central vision. Most cases of the early stage of AMD were diagnosed during routine eye health examinations.

Over time, age-related macular degeneration may affect the vision including the reading as the blurred area increased in size.

The risk factor associated AMD is shadowy areas in your central vision or unusually fuzzy or distorted vision, particularly in seeing wavy or blurred, with some dark areas at the center.

* Cataract
A cataract occurred in one or both eyes is a condition characterized by clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cases of cataract are found in older adults.

Believe it or not, by age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

The risk factor associated cataract are aging, a lifetime of exposure to ultraviolet radiation contained in sunlight, cigarette smoking, a poor diet, and alcohol consumption are some of the prevalent factors associated with cataract developing.

* Diabetic eye disease
Diabetic eye disease is a severe complication of diabetes, a leading cause of blindness as a result of damage to the tiny blood vessels inside the retina.

The risk factor associated with diabetic eye disease is uncontrol diet and poor management of blood glucose.

* Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a medical condition of eye disease as a result of the damage of the nerve of the eye’s optic over time. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent vision impairment and blindness.

The risk factor associated AMD are abnormal intraocular pressure (IOP), history of coronary artery bypass or vascular surgery, moderate-to-high myopia, medical conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and hypothyroidism and long-term use of certain medication such as a corticosteroid.

Conventionally, there is no cure of the diseases, treatment of age-related eye disease is focusing on the improvement of quality of life, reduce symptoms and slow down the progression.

Carotenoids is a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including lycopene and carotene, found abundantly in ripe tomato, pumpkins, carrots, corn, and daffodils.

With an aim to find a natural ingredient for the prevention and treatment of eye diseases, researchers the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of carotenoids and polyphenols.

The study included the search of medical literature on PubMed and Web of Science databases for original studies that investigate the benefits of different carotenoids and polyphenols in age-related ophthalmic diseases.

According to the differentiation of the selected studies, carotenoids (such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and neoxanthin) exerted significant preventive and therapeutic benefits against the aforementioned age-related eye diseases.

The efficacy of carotenoids in the protection of the age-related vision was attributed to the phytochemical in

* Mitigating the production of reactive oxygen species, through its antioxidant activity.

* Inhibiting the tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor pathways involved in the stimulation of the formation of blood vessels in age-related ocular diseases.

*Protecting the cells in the eye against the overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines

* Suppressing the gene associated with cell apoptosis

Based on the finding, researchers wrote, "This review discusses the role and mechanisms of ...carotenoids and their possible synergistic effects on the prevention and treatment of age-related eye diseases that are induced or augmented by oxidative stress and inflammation".

Taken altogether, carotenoids may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of age-related eye diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of carotenoids in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Health Benefits of Polyphenols and Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Diseases by Bungau S1, Abdel-Daim MM2,3, Tit DM1, Ghanem E4, Sato S3, Maruyama-Inoue M3, Yamane S3, Kadonosono K. (PubMed)
(2) The role of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, in protecting against age-related macular degeneration: A review based on controversial evidence by Maneli Mozaffarieh,1 Stefan Sacu,1 and Andreas Wedrich. (PMC)