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

Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Herbal Turmeric Protects Diabetics Against Poor Wound Healing, According to Studies

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetic poor wound healing has been found to induce ulcer in patients who have not controlled and managed the levels of blood glucose well.

In other words, if you are diabetes, your risk of food ulcer is increased substantially, particularly in those who have long-term untreated hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is a medical condition caused by insufficient insulins in the bloodstream to convert blood glucose to energy. Most cases of diabetes are caused by a gradually reduced number of pancreas's beta cells in the production of insulin or insulin receptor sites clogged up by either fat or cholesterol.

Diabetes can also be a result of autoimmunity in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and kill the beta cells as seen in type 1 diabetes.

Wound healing is the process to repair the wound after injury or damage through many stages, including the acute phase of infection.

In traditional Chinese medicine, diabetes mellitus is a condition of the depletion-thirst disease, characterized by polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, and emaciation as a result of
1. Overeating causes of damage of spleen and stomach
2. Emotion effects anxiety, anger, mental depression, etc. such as causes of the liver qi stagnation
3. Intemperance in sexual life or congenital essence defect causes of the kidney qi deficiency.

Depending on the differentiation in the location of depletion-thirst disease, untreated diabetes can induce diabetic foot ulcer or vision loss.

By changing lifestyle with moderate exercise and following closely to the direction of the medication intake, diabetes complications, including wound healing are prevetable.

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 to treat flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

In the urgency to find a potential ingredient for the prevention of diabetic complications, researchers examined the effect of curcumin-loaded mixed polymeric micelles based on chitosan, alginate, maltodextrin, pluronic F127, Pluronic P123, and tween 80 on diabetic wound healing.

The developed formulation reduced the elevated blood glucose level and lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides) in tested subjects without affecting the body-weight, HDL cholesterol level, various biochemical parameters.

Furthermore, the curcumin-based formulations also significantly accelerated the wound healing process.

Moreover, injection of the developed formula displayed a favorable inhibitory effect to the histopathological changes of liver, kidney, and pancreas.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "The newly developed curcumin-based formulations have proved superior therapeutic potential and excellent healing efficacy, compared to standard drugs and pure curcumin".

In order to reveal more information of curcumin anti-diabetic complication activity, scientists herbal products effect on the molecular concept of wound healing occurring in different stages with special emphasis to DM.

NF3 (Chinese 2-Herb Formula), Zicao, Jing Wan Hong ointment, mixture of Adiantum capillus-veneris, Commiphora molmol, Aloe Vera, and henna, Aleo vera, Phenol-rich compound sweet gel, Jinchuang ointment, San-huang-sheng-fu (S) oil, Yi Bu A Jie extract, Astragali Radix (AR) and Rehmanniae Radix (RR), Yiqi Huayu, Tangzu yuyang ointment, Shengji Huayu recipe, Angelica sinensis, Lithospermun erythrorhison, Hippophae rhamnoides L., Curcuma longa, and Momordica charantia showed a strong effect on the speedup of wound healing in diabetics

Taken altogether, turmeric used alone or combined with other herbal medicines may be considered supplements for the speedup diabetic wound healing process, 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.

(1) In-vivo anti-diabetic and wound healing potential of chitosan/alginate/maltodextrin/pluronic-based mixed polymeric micelles: Curcumin therapeutic potential by Akbar MU1, Zia KM2, Akash MSH3, Nazir A4, Zuber M5, Ibrahim M. (PubMed)

(2) Molecular concept of diabetic wound healing: effective role of herbal remedies by Soliman A1, Teoh SL2, Ghafar N2, Das S. (PubMed)

Herbal Artichoke, the Natural and Potential Treatment of Diabetes

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetes is a medical and condition caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose. The disease is either caused by cells in pancreas died off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol.

The hallmark of diabetes is hyperglycemia associated with abnormally high blood glucose. Early detection of autoantibodies against beta cells markers can be helpful for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, diagnosed abnormal metabolites as potential markers were found to benefit the severity of various clinical complications.

The exact causes of type 1 diabetes are unknown. Researchers cannot explain why the immune system in some patient choose to destroy the insulin-producing (islet, or islets of Langerhans) cells in the pancreas.

Although there are many risk factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes such as genetic preposition and lifestyle, some researchers suggested that the incidence of obesity in the Western world may have a strong implication on type 2 diabetes developing.

Dr. Abdullah S Al-Goblan, the lead scientist, in the investigation of the mechanism linking diabetes mellitus and obesity, wrote, "The pathogenesis in the development of diabetes is based on the fact that the β-islet cells of the pancreas are impaired, causing a lack of control of blood glucose".

And, "The development of diabetes becomes more inevitable if the failure of β-islet cells of the pancreas is accompanied by insulin resistance. Weight gain and body mass are central to the formation and rising incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes".

Therefore, if you are obese, your risk of type 1 and 2 are higher compared to healthy weight individuals.

Artichoke is a perennial thistle of Cynara cardunculus species of the Cynara genus, belonging to the family Carduoideae native to Southern Europe around the Mediterranean.

The herbal plant has been used in traditional medicine for as a liver protective and detoxified agent, and to treat digestive disorders, abdominal pain gas and bloating, etc.

In the course to find a natural remedy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, researchers examined the Jerusalem artichoke (JA) effects on lipid disturbance and insulin resistance in an animal model.
Wistar rats selected to the study were fed a control diet, a 60 % fructose-enriched diet (FRU), or an FRU with 10 % JA (n 6-7) for 4 weeks.s

Rats group treated with FRU resulted in IR and hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation.

Additional injection of 10% JA not only reverse the alternation IR and hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation but decreased the expression of proteins associated with the production of inflammatory cytokines induced by FRU.

The results of JA efficacy was attributed to modulate the expression of proteins, malic enzyme 1 (Me1) involved in lipid synthesis, decorin (Dcn) related to the development of fibrosis and others genes associated with inflammation.

The results clearly suggested that through molecular mechanisms, JA processes a significant effect in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic liver disease.

Dr, the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "10 % JA supplementation may be beneficial for the prevention of the onset of these diseases (type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic liver disease) diseases".

In order to reveal more information about artichoke anti-diabetes activity, researchers evaluated the effect of supplementation with a Jerusalem artichoke and fermented soybean powder mixture on blood glucose and oxidative stress levels.

The additional randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study included 60 subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

The selected subjected were randomly assigned to either a group that ingested 40 g of a Jerusalem artichoke and fermented soybean powder mixture (19.45 g each) daily or a group that received a placebo for 12 weeks.

Subjects treated with the Jerusalem artichoke and fermented soybean powder mixture showed a significant reduction of the levels of fasting glucose, glucose at 60 min and glucose areas under the response curve (AUC).

Furthermore, the group treated with the mixture also improved the insulin resistance, according to assay.

The mixture also was found to inhibit the expression of oxidative stress observed by the changes (Δ) in the urinary 8-epi-PGF2α index.

Moreover, the glucose at 60 min, 120 min, and AUC, FFAs at 0 min and AUC of the mixture treated group demonstrated a potential anti-diabetes property compared to the non-treatment group.

Taken altogether, JA may be considered a functioning remedy for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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.

References
(1) Beneficial effects of soluble dietary Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) in the prevention of the onset of type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fructose diet-fed rats by Chang WC1, Jia H2, Aw W2, Saito K2, Hasegawa S3, Kato H. (PubMed)
(2) The effects of Jerusalem artichoke and fermented soybean powder mixture supplementation on blood glucose and oxidative stress in subjects with prediabetes or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes by Ahn HY1, Kim M1, Seo CR2, Yoo HJ3, Lee SH4, Lee JH. (PubMed)
(3) Review of diabetes: identification of markers for early detection, glycemic control, and monitoring clinical complications by Wu JT. (PubMed)
(4) Mechanism linking diabetes mellitus and obesity by Abdullah S Al-Goblan,1 Mohammed A Al-Alfi,1 and Muhammad Z Khan. (PMC)

Cucumber Protects the Artery Integrity Against the Onset of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

By Kyle J. Norton

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases associated with blockage of blood vessels that heart disease and stroke, depending on the affected location.

Most cases of CVD is caused by reduced oxygen-rich blood inducing heart damage or the death of neurons in the brain.

In other words, if the reduced oxygen-rich blood flow occurs in the heart, it causes heart disease. On the other hand, if the reduced rich oxygen blood occurs in the brain, it causes a stroke.

Most cases of CVD in the Western world is coronary heart disease involved in plaque accumulated on the arterial wall due to unhealthy diet with high saturated and trans fat and lifestyle such as smoking accompanied by an overdose of the supplement of calcium.

According to the US statistics, from 2006 to 2016, the US death rate from CVD decreased by 18.6% and from coronary heart disease by 31.8%.

Believe it or not, CVD has caused a significant burden in the US health care system with the annual total cost at $351.2 billion in 2014-2015, with $213.8 billion in direct cost, including 46% for inpatient care.

Some researchers suggested that the increase of CVD, particularly in coronary heart disease at the alarming rate in the US, probably associated with the promotion of high-fat diet over the past few decades, accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle.

Dr. Jane E Freedman wrote, "Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in the treatment of acute and chronic cardiovascular disease".

And, "According to the National Center for Health Statistics (1999), 61% of adults in the U.S. are overweight (body mass index [BMI] 25 to 29.9 kg/m2), and 26% are obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Elevated BMI, particularly caused by abdominal or upper-body obesity, has been associated with diseases and metabolic abnormalities including hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary heart disease".

Additonally, "Dietary intake of specific nutrients have been suggested as a means of modifying the progression of cardiovascular disease. One such example is the proposed use of foods rich in select vitamins or flavonoids. Epidemiologic studies have reported an inverse relationship between the total dietary intake of plant flavonoids and the incidence of cardiovascular disease".

In other words, if you follow the high-fat diet, you are at substantial risk of diseases associated with obesity, including CVD.

The cucumber plant is a species of Cucumis Sativus, belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae and native to Western Asia. It is a creeping vine with roots in the ground and grows up with the support of frames.

On finding a natural compound which has a potential effect on endothelium in the onset of cardiovascular diseases(CVD), researchers examined the water/ethanol extract of Cucumis sativus L. (CSE) fruit anti CVD activity.

The study included water/ethanol extract of Cucumis sativus L. (CSE) fruit effect in the attenuation the damaging effect of pro-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro model of endothelial cells associated with the onset of CVD.

According to the tested assay, administration of CSE reduced LPS-induced cytotoxicity and decreased the cellular detachment, restoring the expression of tight junction ZO-1 in the contribution to barrier function.

In protein analysis, Cucumis sativus L. inhibited the early secretion of inflammatory IL-8 and Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1α occurred late at 7 and 24 h respectively.

Additionally, in the prevention of the overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, CSE stimulated the secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-10 and increased the production of IL-18 and IFN-γ in the modulation of the immune response.

Furthermore, according to the tested doses differentiation, the angiogenetic activity induced by inflammatory LPS was also prevented by the injection of Cucumis sativus L. extract.

Dr. wrote, at the end of the experiment, " Our results have clearly demonstrated that Cucumis sativus L. extract has attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in endothelial cells (associated with the risk of CVD)".

Moreover, also in vivo, extracted the compounds of Cucumis melo L. protected the impairment of the endothelial barrier associated with the risk CVD induced by intraperitoneal injection of a high dose of CuEC (2 mg/kg).

In other words, cucurbitacins at a higher dose can induce toxicity to the cells of endothelium, however, at the low doses, CuEC (1 mg/kg) can lead to a decline in systolic blood pressure (SBP) without causing toxicity in mice by suppressing the angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced SBP increase.

Interestingly, the efficacy of CuEC antihypertensive property was involved in facilitating acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation in mesenteric arteries of tested mice.

Researchers after taking into account of co and con-founders said, " In vitro studies showed that CuEC induced vasodilation in a dose-dependent manner in mesenteric arteries of both mice and rats. Pretreatment with CuEC inhibited phenylephrine-mediated vasoconstriction".

Taken altogether, cucumber and its bioactive compound cucurbitacin B (CuB) at the lower dose may be used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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

Sources
(1) Water/ethanol extract of Cucumis sativus L. fruit attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in endothelial cells by Bernardini C1, Zannoni A2, Bertocchi M2, Tubon I2, Fernandez M2, Forni M. (PubMed)
(2) Cucurbitacins extracted from Cucumis melo L. (CuEC) exert a hypotensive effect via regulating vascular tone Ru-Qiang Yuan, Lei Qian, Wei-Jing Yun, Xiao-Hui Cui, Guang-Xin Lv, Wei-Qi Tang, Ri-Chang Cao & Hu Xu. (Hypertensive Research)
(3) High-fat diets and cardiovascular disease. Are nutritional supplements useful? by Jane E Freedman. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

Monday, 8 July 2019

Phytochemical Carotenoids Inhibit the Risk of Cataract

By Kyle J. Norton

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 exact causes of cataract are not identified. However, some researchers suggested that aging, a lifetime of exposure to ultraviolet radiation contained in sunlight, accompanied by cigarette smoking, a poor diet, and alcohol consumption are some of the prevalent factors associated with cataract developing.

Additionally, eye injury, exposure to toxic substances or radiation, and some medical conditions such as diabetes also increase the risk of cataract.

Conventionally, there is no cure for cataract. Treatment is focusing in replace the clouded natural lens by an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implant.

According to the statistics, cataract including the direct annual medical costs for outpatient, inpatient, and prescription drug services has reached a total of $6.8 billion in annual healthcare cost. The condition also affects over 24.4 million Americans age 40 and older.

Some researchers suggested that the rise of cataract in the older American may be correlated to the promotion of a high-fat diet over the past decades.

Dr. Chung-Jung Chiu, the lead scientist wrote, "The Oriental pattern was characterized by higher intake of vegetables, legumes, fruit, whole grains, tomatoes, and seafood. The Western pattern was characterized by higher intake of red meat, processed meat, high-fat dairy products, French fries, refined grains, and eggs".

And, "Our data indicate that consuming a Western dietary pattern is significantly associated with increased odds of early nuclear opacity".

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 potential compound for the treatment of cataract, researchers examined the effects of dietary vitamins and carotenoids on the risk of age-related cataract (ARC).

The meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies include the search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases inception to June 2018.

According to the results of 8 RCTs and 12 cohort studies in the meta-analysis identified, carotenoids, including β-carotene (RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.99; P = 0.023), and lutein or zeaxanthin (RR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.89; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with reduced risk of ARC in the cohort studies.

However, in RCTs, β-carotene found abundantly in carotenoids intervention did not reduce the risk of ARC significantly compared with the placebo group.

According to the dose-response analysis, in cohort studies for every 10-mg/d increase in lutein or zeaxanthin intake the risk of ARC significantly decreased by 26% with the relative odds ratio (RR) of 0.74. and for every 5-mg/d increase in β-carotene intake, the risk of ARC significantly decreased by 8% with the RR of .92.

In other words, the intake of carotenoids has a negative implication on the risk of ARC.

Based on the finding, researchers said, "Higher consumption of certain...carotenoids was associated with a significantly decreased risk of ARC in cohort studies, but evidence from RCTs is less clear".

Taken altogether, carotenoids may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of age-related cataract (ARC), 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) Serum status of carotenoids and tocopherols in patients with age-related cataracts: a case-control study by Olmedilla B1, Granado F, Blanco I, Herrero C, Vaquero M, Millan I. (PubMed)
(2) Dietary vitamin and carotenoid intake and risk of age-related cataract. by Jiang H1, Yin Y1, Wu CR2, Liu Y1, Guo F1, Li M3, Ma L. (PubMed)
(3) American Major Dietary Patterns and Age-related Cataract by Chung-Jung Chiu, Gary Gensler, and Allen Taylor. (Faseb)

Herbal Bilberry Protects the Liver Against Mitochondrial Dysfunction

By Kyle J. Norton

Mitochondria are power generators of the cell found abundantly in the liver and play a critical role in converting oxygen and nutrients to power the cell's metabolisms.

In other words, mitochondria convert nutrients from the cell into energy for cell functioning.

Mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) and the mitochondrial generation of oxidative stress have been found to initiate hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction caused by hepatocellular necrosis and apoptosis.

Where, the protein mitochondrial permeability transition pore is formed in the inner membrane of the mitochondria under certain pathological conditions, including stroke, leading to symptoms of lethargy, hypotonia, vomiting, poor suck, and seizures.

Hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction is a condition developed in chronic liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), due to the breaking down of cellular homeostasis.

Although there are many risk factors associated with the liver mitochondrial respiratory functions that provide energy for the liver cell, the increase in age has been found to affect the liver mitochondria in the general population.

Dr. Yen TC, the lead scientists according to the respiratory control ratio (RCR), and ADP/O ratio were measured for 35 Chinese subjects of 31 to 76 years old.said, "a significant negative correlation between age and respiratory control and ADP/O ratios tested. Moreover, the respiratory control and ADP/O ratios decreased with the increase of age".

The doctor continued, " a substantial fall in mitochondrial oxidative capacity in the aging liver may be an important contributor to the aging process".

In other words, the increase in an age which causes the reduced function of hepatic mitochondria may lead to an increased risk of hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction and the onset of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Bilberry is a species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium, belonging to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern Europe.

The plant has been used as herbs in traditional medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea, gastritis, gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer, enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis, anemia, cystitis, kidney disease, and psoriasis, diabetes, etc.

Scientists on finding a natural compound for the treatment of hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction with no side effects examined the effects of anthocyanins found abundantly in bilberry against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The study included selected mice-induced NASH by a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet.

During the experiment, treatment with anthocyanins not only alleviated inflammation, oxidative stress, steatosis, and even fibrosis but also improved depletion of mitochondrial content.

Futhermore, the damage of mitochondrial biogenesis and electron transfer chain in the liver of mice fed the MCD diet also showed a significant improvement.

In other words, anthocyanins restored and protected the hepatic mitochondrial content induced dysfunction in the initiation of NASH.

The efficacy of anthocyanins treatment against hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction was attributed to the activation of enzymes associated with the prevention of hepatic fatty acid oxidation and protein involved mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism.

The results suggested that anthocyanins protect the hepatic mitochondrial content and integrity against the onset of NASH.

Dr. Tang X, the lead scientist said, "These data provide evidence that anthocyanins possess significant protective effects against NASH and mitochondrial defects in response to an MCD diet".

Taken altogether, bilberry processed abundantly bioactive compound anthocyanin may be considered a functioning remedy for the prevention of liver mitochondrial dysfunction, pending to the validation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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.

References
(1) Purified anthocyanins from bilberry and black currant attenuate hepaticmitochondrial dysfunction and steatohepatitis in mice with methionine and choline deficiency by Tang X1, Shen T, Jiang X, Xia M, Sun X, Guo H, Ling W. (PubMed)
(2) Liver mitochondrial respiratory functions decline with age by Yen TC1, Chen YS, King KL, Yeh SH, Wei YH. (PubMed)

Healthy Food Onion Processes Anti-Parasitic Property

By Kyle J. Norton

A parasite lived on or in a host is an organism that gets its food at the expense of the host. Parasites are also completely dependent on the host for survivals, including lice, ringworms, pinworms, and scabies.

Believe it or not, over 70 percent of parasites are not visible to the human eye, such as the malarial parasite, However, some parasites such as worms can reach many meters in length.

Most common parasites can be classified into 3 main types

* Protozoa also known as single-celled eukaryotes in the formal term, is an organism that only can multiply, or divide, within the host but also often forms group into plant-like algae and fungus-like water molds and slime molds.

* Helminths are types of worm parasites including roundworm, pinworm, trichina spiralis, tapeworm, and fluke.

* Ectoparasites are parasites that can live outside the host such as lice and fleas.

Parasite infection can cause varying symptoms, depending on the severity and types of parasite. Most common symptoms are skin bumps or rashes, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, aches and pains, fatigue and tiredness and general feeling unwell.

Conventionally, treatments are total depending on the types of parasitic infection, For example, medicine such as praziquantel (Biltricide) can cause the tapeworms to detach from the gut, become dissolved, and then pass out of the body.

Treatments are effective in most cases if the parasite is identified.

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belonging 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 potential compound for the treatment of infectious diseases, researchers examined the anti-parasitic activity of dichloromethane extracts of Allium sativum (garlic) and Allium cepa (onion) bulbs on Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Leishmania tarentolae.

According to the chemical analysis, the abundance of several sulfur secondary metabolites in garlic and one (zwiebelane) in the onion extract killed both types of parasites efficiently.

Futhermore, both extracts also inhibited the Trypanosoma brucei trypanothione reductase irreversibly.

The combinations of garlic and onion with common trypanocidal and leishmanicidal drugs exerted a synergistic effect in 50% of all cases.

Moreover, by additional differentiation of the chemical compound in both extracts, researchers found that the efficacy of garlic and onion against the tested parasites may be related to the amount and the profile of sulfur-containing compounds through inhibiting certain materials in the parasitic cells.

Based on the results, researchers wrote in the final report, " It is most likely that vital substances inside the parasitic cell, like trypanothione reductase, are inhibited through disulfide bond formation between SH groups of vital redox compounds and sulfur-containing secondary metabolites".

Taken altogether, onion may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases caused by parasites, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Anti-Parasitic Activities of Allium sativum and Allium cepa against Trypanosoma b. brucei and Leishmania tarentolae by Krstin S1, Sobeh M2, Braun MS3, Wink M. (PubMed)
(2) Tulbaghia violacea and Allium ursinum Extracts Exhibit Anti-Parasitic and Antimicrobial Activities by Krstin S1, Sobeh M2, Braun MS3, Wink M. (PubMed)

Bromelain Kills Mammary Cancer Cells in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

A mammary tumor is a medical and chronic condition originated from the milk-producing gland.

The mammary gland located in the breasts of females is responsible for lactation.

Most cases of the mammary cancer are first found in the cell on the surface of the inner lining of the milk-producing gland, before penetrating deeper into the layers.

At the advanced stage, the malignant cancer cells can also travel a distance away from the original site to infect other healthy tissues and organ, leading to secondary metastasis.

Epidemiologically, mammary cancer has been found to spread to the colon and the liver.

Most common risk factors of mammary cancer are similar to those of breast cancer, inclduing, aging, physical inactivity, being obese or overweight, family and personal history, having a dense breast, radiation therapy, pregnancy history, genetic proposition, particularly in women who had used drug diethylstilbestrol (DES).

Out of all the aforementioned risk factors, some researchers suggested that the promotion of high-fat-diet-induced a high percentage of obese US females may be the major culprit that causes the rise of mammary cancer.

Dr. Valeria Simone, the lead scientist in the examination of the molecule interconnection of obesity and breast cancer risk wrote, "Obesity is an important risk factor for breast cancer (BC) in postmenopausal women; interlinked molecular mechanisms might be involved in the pathogenesis. Increased levels of estrogens due to aromatization of the adipose tissue, inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and prostaglandin E2, insulin resistance and hyperactivation of insulin-like growth factors pathways, adipokines, and oxidative stress are all abnormally regulated in obese women and contribute to cancerogenesis".

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to find a natural ingredient against mammary carcinoma, researchers examined bromelain autophagic phenomenon in mammary carcinoma cells (estrogen receptor positive and negative).

According to the tested assays, bromelain showed delayed growth inhibitory response and induction of autophagy, in MCF-7 cells.

Bromelain induced cancer cells apoptosis was found in the sub-G1 cell fraction and apoptotic features associated with chromatin condensation change and cell division.

Interestingly, in the presence of an anti-apoptotic protein that augments the autophagy levels, bromelain inhibited morphological apoptosis but did not prevent cell death.

In other words, bromelain induced cancer cell death by inhibiting the expression of signaling cascade associated with the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ (ERK½) and exhibiting the proapoptotic kinases (c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase).

Based on the findings, researchers said, "bromelain-induced autophagy was positively regulated by p38 and JNK but negatively regulated by ERK½. Autophagy-inducing property of bromelain can be further exploited in breast cancer therapy".

In order to reveal more information about bromelain anti mammary carcinoma property, researchers examined the enzyme effect on GI-101A breast cancer cells.

According to the results from GI-101A cells treated with increasing concentrations of bromelain for 24 hours, bromelain induced cancer cell death via activation of the apoptosis mechanisms.

Observation of the results from the caspase-9 and caspase-3 assays, bromelain exhibited a prominent effect to induce cancer cells apoptosis correlated with the elevation of plasma cytokeratin 18 (CK-18) fragment levels, a marker of cell death.

The inhibition of bromelain against cancer cell proliferation was also evident by the DNA fragmentation analysis and 4,6'-diamino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride fluorescence staining of the nucleus.

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of mammary carcinoma, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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

Sources
(1) Pineapple bromelain induces autophagy, facilitating apoptotic response in mammary carcinoma cells by Bhui K1, Tyagi S, Prakash B, Shukla Y. (PubMed)
(2) Bromelain-induced apoptosis in GI-101A breast cancer cells by Dhandayuthapani S1, Perez HD, Paroulek A, Chinnakkannu P, Kandalam U, Jaffe M, Rathinavelu A. (PubMed)
(3) Obesity and Breast Cancer: Molecular Interconnections and Potential Clinical Applications
by Valeria Simone, Morena D’Avenia, Antonella Argentiero, Claudia Felici,Francesca Maria Rizzo, Giovanni De Pergola and Franco Silvestris. (The Oncologist)