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

Thursday 22 August 2019

Betaxanthins, the Potential Anti Cancer Phytochemical

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a group of chronic and medical diseases associated with the growth of the irregular cells caused by DNA alternation.

Most cases of that start in the cells of the inner lining of a tissue or organ before penetrating into deeper layers to form a tumor.

At the advanced stage, the invasive cells may travel a distance away from the primary site to infect other healthy tissue of the organs, through lymph and blood, leading to secondary metastasis.

Some cancers can be slow-growth including prostate and colon cancer. Primary cancer at stage 0 and 1 may not induce any symptoms. However, at the later stage, a larger size tumor can induce specific symptoms depending on the affected organ accompanied by some general symptoms found in all types of cancer.

According to the statistics, in Canada, lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers accounted for about half of all cancer diagnoses and deaths. Approximately, 1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes and 1 in 4 will die of the disease.

Most cancers diagnosed in the very early stage have a 5 years survival rate close to 100%. Therefore, People who are at a higher risk of cancer onset should have an annual examination to catch cancer in the early stage.

The causes of cancer are unknown. age, family, genetic preposition, alcohol, cancer-causing Substances, chronic inflammation, hormones, immunosuppression, are some of the common prevalent factors found in cancer patients./

Some researchers suggested, the widespread obesity in the Western world due to the promotion of a high-fat diet over the past few decades are correlated to the incidences of cancer onset,

The IFL science in the article "Scientists Discover How High-Fat Diets Can Cause Cancer" wrote, "in the mice on a high-fat diet, activation of PPAR-delta in intestinal progenitor cells – daughters of stem cells that are along the road of specialization – caused them to behave like stem cells, increasing their lifespan and endowing them the ability to form mini-intestines in a dish. Importantly, when the team deleted a gene in these cells that are often mutated in colon cancer, the cells obtained the capacity to form tumors".

Conventionally, treatment of cancers completely depends on the types and grade of cancer. Some people with cancer at the early stage may only need one treatment. But most people with cancer in the later stage have a combination of treatments, including surgery with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

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.

With an aim to find a potent ingredient for the treatment of invasive tumor, researchers examined the anti-cancer effects of C-glycosyl flavonoids from Beta vulgaris Cicla and betalains from Beta vulgaris rubra.

In other words, the study was to compare the anti-cancer activity of chemical compound among green beet (Beta vulgaris var. cicla L, apigenin, vitexin, vitexin-2-O-xyloside, and vitexin-2-O-rhamnoside, .) and red beetroot (B. vulgaris var. Rubra L., betaxanthins, and betacyanins).

All tested compound showed significant antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities during the course of the experiment.

Combination of Vitexin-2-O-xyloside, betaxanthins, and betacyanins exerted antiproliferative activity against breast, liver, colon, and bladder cancer cell lines, in vitro.

Furthermore, all phytochemicals demonstrated anti-cancer efficacy by inhibiting the proteins associated with pro-survivals and gene involved in the inhibition of apoptosis.

Moreover, the genes that promote controlling angiogenesis, hypoxia-inducible factor 1A associated with metastasis were also inhibited by the injection of all these compounds.

Additionally, Vitexin-2-O-xyloside, betaxanthins, and betacyanins used in combination with conventional anticancer drugs not only to reduce the drug toxicity but also overcome the multidrug resistance of cancer cells.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "enable these dietary phytochemicals to block the proliferation of tumor cells and inhibit their pro-survival pathways.".

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

Sources
(1) C-Glycosyl Flavonoids from Beta vulgaris Cicla and Betalains from Beta vulgaris rubra: Antioxidant, Anticancer, and Antiinflammatory Activities-A Review by Ninfali P1, Antonini E1, Frati A1, Scarpa ES. (PubMed)
(2) Scientists Discover How High-Fat Diets Can Cause Cancer by IFL science

Wednesday 21 August 2019

Phytochemical Alliin Protects The Heart Against the Risk Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)

By Kyle J. Norton

Myocardial infarction or heart attack is a medical emergency caused by a reduced and stopped blood flow to the heart.

Most common symptoms of heart attacks are chest pain or discomfort that affects the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, faintness, or nausea.

Epidemiologically, episodes of angina are considered an early warning sign that a heart attack may be coming.

In angina, blood flow is stopped than restored, pain recedes within minutes, and the heart is not permanently damaged. However, in some cases, angina may cause some heart muscles to damage without affecting the heart functioning.

Unfortunately, heart attacks without any early warning signs were found in proximately 25% of the patients.

According to statistics, in the US, every year, approximately 790,000 Americans have a heart attack, inclduing 580,000 cases of a first heart attack and 210,000 cases of a recurrent heart attack.

Dr. Fatemeh Kiani, the lead scientist in the examination of the risk factors involved in myocardial infarction said, "Results showed that 70% of patients were women and only 30% were men. 48% of them were illiterate and patients mean age was 58.3".

And, "17% of patients (coronary artery diseases history), 25.5% (hypertension history), 26% (diabetes history), 15.5% (cholesterol history), 13% (smoking) and 3% have reported CABG history. The majority of people who referred had inferior MI (40.4%). 67.1% normal rhythm, 2.8% atrial fibrillation and 16% had ventricular tachycardia".

In other words, gender, aging, smoking and medical conditions associated with increased risk of heart disease are some of the most common risk factors found in patients with myocardial infarction.

Alliin (S-allyl-L-cysteine-S-oxide) is a phytochemical compound sulfoxide,. a derivative of the amino acid cysteine, belonging to the class of sulfur compounds, found abundantly in fresh garlic and onion.

On finding a potential compound for the prevention of heart attack, researchers examined S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide (SACS, alliin) preventive effect in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial ischemia in an animal model.

The study included male Wistar rats pretreated with SACS (40 and 80 mg kg(-1)) orally for 5 weeks followed by ISO (150 mg kg(-1)) administered subcutaneously at an interval of 24 h for 2 days.

The activities of beta-D-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase in serum and the heart of ISO-induced rats.associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart were increased substantially.

Furthermore, the declined of Na(+)K(+)-ATPase and increased Ca(2+)- and Mg(2+)-ATPases activity significantly (p < 0.05) associated with association of the risk of myocardial infarction were also found ISO-induced rats.

However, pretreatment of alliin 40 and 80 mg kg(-1)) showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect in all the aforementioned biochemical parameters.

In other words, alliin inhibited all risk factors involved in the onset of a heart attack.

In order to reveal more information about alliin anti hear attack activity, researchers investigated the preventive role of SACS on some biochemical parameters, glycoproteins, and hematology in experimentally induced myocardial infarction in rats.

Treatment of alliin followed by myocardial infarction induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO) (150 mg kg(-1)) at an interval of 24 h for 2 days, not only inhibited all parameters aforementioned study but also inhibited the levels/concentrations of glycoproteins in the heart.

Moreover, levels of pro-inflammation associated with immune response caused by ISO associated with the risk heart attacks were also significantly reduced by pretreatment of alliin.

Based on the results, Dr. Sangeetha T, the lead scientist said, "Oral pretreatment with SACS (40 and 80 mg kg(-1)) daily for a period of 35 days showed a positive effect on all the biochemical parameters studied in ISO-induced rats".

Taken altogether, alliin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of myocardial infarction,, depending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of alliin 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) Preventive effect of S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide (alliin) on lysosomal hydrolases and membrane-bound ATPases in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in Wistar rats by Sangeetha T1, Darlin Quine S. (PubMed)
(2) Protective effect of S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide (alliin) on glycoproteins and hematology in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in male Wistar rats by Sangeetha T1, Quine SD. (PubMed)
(3) Assessment of Risk Factors in Patients With Myocardial Infarction by Fatemeh Kiani,1 Nasrin Hesabi,1 and Azizollah Arbabisarjou. (PMC)

Cranberry Inhibits the Risk and Onset of Oral Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

The mouth formed part of the digestive system is an oval-shaped cavity inside the skull that processes 2 main functions of eating and speaking.

Cancer is a group of chronic diseases characterized by cell growth disorderly that starts on the surface of the inner lining tissue of the mouth.

Oral cancer is any malignant cell growth in the tissue located in the oral cavity, including the tissue of the lips or the tongue, cheek lining, floor of the mouth, gums (gingiva) and the roof of the mouth (palate).

According to the statistics provided by the Canadian Cancer Society, in 2017, 4,700 Canadians were diagnosed with oral cancer, including 3,250 men and 1,450 women. In the same year, the disease also caused the death of 1,250 Canadians.

The exact causes of oral cancer are unknown. Epidemiologically, aging, smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, chewing tobacco and betel nut, long-term use of mouth wash, male ganders are some of the most prevalent factors found in patients with the disease.

Some researchers suggested that poor hygiene that leads to advanced gingivitis may be a major culprit that causes the onset of oral cancer.

Dr. Roshni Ramesh, the lead scientist wrote, "Gingival enlargements are frequently encountered in dental practice. There are different types of gingival enlargements and they vary according to the etiologic factors and pathologic processes that produce them".

And, "Oral cancers especially squamous cell carcinomas present with variations in clinical presentation and the sites affected".

Cranberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub, genus Vaccinium, belongings to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern America and Southern Asia. Because of its health benefits, cranberry has been cultivated in some parts of the world for commercial profit and used in traditional and herbal medicine to treat wounds, urinary disorders, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments, and liver problems.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of cancer, researchers examined the effect of proanthocyanidins, compounds highly concentrated in dietary cranberries and grapes on oral cancer.

The oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, CAL27 and SCC25 were used to compare the effects of cranberry and grape seed extract on phenotypic behaviors of these oral cancers.

According to the tested analysis, administration of cranberry and grape seed extracts, in a dose-dependent manner showed significant inhibition of the proliferation of both oral cancer cell lines.

Proteins associated with the promotion of cancer cell apoptosis were significantly stimulated by the injection of cranberry and grape seed extracts.

The pathways associated with cancer cell adhesion, cell morphology, and cell cycle division were also inhibited by both extracts.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "This study represents one of the first comparative investigations of cranberry and grape seed extracts and their anti-proliferative effects on oral cancers".

And, "cranberry and grape seed extract not only inhibit oral cancer proliferation but also that the mechanism of this inhibition may function by triggering key apoptotic regulators in these cell lines".

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

Sources
(1) Cranberry and grape seed extracts inhibit the proliferative phenotype of oral squamous cell carcinomas by Chatelain K1, Phippen S, McCabe J, Teeters CA, O'Malley S, Kingsley K. (PubMed)
(2) Oral squamous cell carcinoma masquerading as gingival overgrowth by Roshni Ramesh1 and Arun Sadasivan. (PMC)

Bromelin Inhibits Symptoms in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia

By Kyle J. Norton

Functional dyspepsia, also known as indigestion, is a symptom in the stomach associated with difficulty in digesting food.

Most common symptoms of indigestion are pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen (dyspepsia) or burning pain behind the breastbone (heartburn) soon after eating.

Some patients may also experience symptoms of feeling full or bloated with no signs of relief.

In serious cases, patients may also experience symptoms of vomiting blood, dark, tarry stools due to damage of the lining of the stomach, shortness of breath, and unexplained weight loss.

If you have some of the aforementioned symptoms, please check with the doctor immediately

There exact causes of indigestion are multiple. Epidemiologically, female gender, aging, long-term use of pain relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, smoking and people with long-term psychological problems such as anxiety or depression are some most common factors found in patients with functional dyspepsia.

Conventionally, treatment of functional dyspepsia is totally depending on the condition, including antibiotics for H. pylori infection and medication to reduce pain.

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.

On finding potential and natural compound for the treatment of functional dyspepsia, researchers examined a dietary integrator composed by sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, bromelin and essential oils on patients affected by functional dyspepsia.

The study included a study of a total of 100 patients with functional dyspepsia diagnosed primarily on the basis of typical symptoms and the exclusion of non-functional gastrointestinal diseases.

According to the symptom classification, All patients were assigned to either dysmotility-like dyspepsia (N.=60) or reflux-like dyspepsia (N.=40).

All patients were treated with TUBES Gastro (0.80 g oral tablets bid after main meals) for 4 weeks, on top of their current treatment with proton pump inhibitors or not.

According to the results from the experiment, TUBES Gastro showed a high statistically significant reduction of the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores at 14 and 28 days: -1.5 (-26.3%) and -3.4 (-59.6%), respectively compared to the baseline in patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia.

In patients with reflux-like dyspepsia, TUBES Gastro demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of the NRS score at 14 and 28 days: -2.8 (-41.2%) and -4.8 (70.6%), respectively (P<0.0001).

Futhermore, there were no side effects found during the study duration.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, "TUBES Gastro treatment was effective and well tolerated in reducing the symptomatology of patients affected by functional dysmotility-like and reflux-like dyspepsia".

In order to reveal additional information of TUBES Gastro anti-functional dyspepsia, researchers at the Molinette Hospital conducted a study to examine the preparation efficacy on a total of 53 consecutive patients (22 males, 31 females; mean age, 54+/-2.5 years) with functional dyspepsia and negative for Helicobacter pylori infection.

Patients classified to four subgroups according to predominant symptom: ulcer-like dyspepsia, Motility-like dyspepsia, reflux-like dyspepsia, and nonspecific dyspepsia, were received TUBES gastro (0.80 g oral tablets bid) for a minimum of 3 months (range, 3-11).

According to the results of patients completed the study, the preparation showed a strong effect on the improvement in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). score.

Compared to the based line, the difference in scores between the initial and the final visit was -1.9+/-2.1 cm (range, -6 to +3), or 23.8+/-40.8% (range, -150% to 100%).

Dr. Pellicano R, the lead scientists wrote, "The study results indicate that in the short term TUBES gastro can significantly improve dyspeptic symptoms in dyspeptic patients negative for H. pylori infection".

Taken altogether, bromelain used alone or combined with other remedies may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of functional dyspepsia, 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) Can dietary integrators provide a clinical benefit in the treatment of functionaldyspepsia? results from a prospective study with TUBES Gastro by Molteni M. (PubMed)
(2) Benefit of dietary integrators for treating functional dyspepsia: a prospective pilot study.[Article in English, Italian] by Pellicano R1, Strona S, Simondi D, Reggiani S, Pallavicino F, Sguazzini C, Bonagura AG, Rizzetto M, Astegiano M. (PubMed)

Healthy Food Turmeric, a Natural Prevention and Treatment of Endometriosis, According to Studies

By Kyle J. Norton

Endometriosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of endometrial cells somewhere else instead of the inside of the uterus.

More precisely, instead of a layer of endometriosis lining on the inside of the uterus expelled, known as menstruation blood on the last stage of the menstrual cycle, some of the endometriosis tissues grow somewhere else in the body.

Most common endometriosis tissues are diagnosed within the pelvic region, on the lining of peritoneum, in the ovaries, and on the surface of the uterus's an outside wall. However, endometriosis has also been found in the fallopian tubes, the cervix, the vagina, and even the vulva.

According to the statistics, 20% of reproductive age women with endometriosis present without symptoms, 55% of women who have developed the new onset of severe menstrual cramps.

Additonally, endometriosis also induce sub-fertility (less fertile than a normal couple) in 25% of women.

There are a number of theories that hypotheses the onset of endometriosis, including

* Retrograde menstruation
The retrograde menstruation theory suggests that during menstruation the blood flows backward instead of outward, causing menstrual blood to go through the fallopian tubes to the pelvic and abdominal cavity

* Weakened immune system
Normally, the immune will destroy endometrial cells which are located outside the uterus. If the immune system is weakened, it will allow the endometrial cells that shed to attach and grow elsewhere in the body.

* Stress and emotion
During stress and emotion, the adrenal glands produce cortisol which affects the function of the body to cleanse toxins resulting in stimulating the growth of endometriosis.

* Embryonic theory
This theory suggests during the embryonic stage, some endometrial cells which normally grow in the womb instead develop in the abdomen.

* Hormone imbalance
Any imbalance of hormones during the menstrual cycle causes conversion of estrogen into bad estrogen and over-production of prostaglandin, leading to the cervix to contract in facilitating the onset of endometriosis. Nutritional deficiency is also one of the causes of hormone imbalance.

* Hereditary
Endometriosis may be genetics passing through from generation to generation or it may result from genetic errors, causing some women to become more likely than others to develop the condition.

* Toxic environment
Study shows that exposing our body to toxins found in pesticides and some harmful waste products may cause hormonal imbalance induced endometriosis developing.

* Xenoestrogen
Interaction of our body with certain chemicals causes a disruption of the body's hormones leading to over-production of estrogen converting to xenoestrogen that stimulates the growth of endometriosis.

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.

On finding a potential ingredient for the treatment of endometriosis, researchers examined the effect of curcumin, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities.

In mice induced endometriosis by peritoneal implantation of uterine fragments, researchers showed that

* Curcumin administered either post- or pre-endometriosis exerted a significantly arrested endometriosis in a dose-dependent manner.

* Injection of curcumin inhibited both MMP-9 activity and its expression at the level of secretion to initiate cytokines and chemokines that regulate tissue remodeling, during regression of the endometriotic lesion.

* Furthermore, curcumin attenuated the activity of MMP-9 was associated with decreased expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) involved in cell apoptosis during healing, In other words, curcumin induced anti-inflammatory activity against the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines of TNF-alpha

* Most importantly, curcumin pretreatment prevented lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in normal endometriotic tissue.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "... the anti-endometriotic property of curcumin via MMP-9 dependent pathway (that) may lead to a new therapeutic intervention".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of endometriosis, 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) Curcumin and endometriosis: Review on potential roles and molecular mechanisms by Arablou T1, Kolahdouz-Mohammadi R. (PubMed)
(2) Curcumin arrests endometriosis by downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity by Swarnakar S1, Paul S. (PubMed)
(3) The Causes of Endometriosis by Kyle J. Norton

Tuesday 20 August 2019

Healthy Food Tomato, the Natural and Potential Anti-Inflammatory Remedy

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a natural response by the immune system to protect the body against the invasion of stimuli or foreign pathogens.

In other words, the white blood cells on the first line of defense of the immune system after sensing the danger of an infection in the body through a message from the brain stimulate the production of palette to cover the site of injury or damage and inflammatory cytokines to kill off all pathogens before they can cause harm to the body.

Most cases on infection are stopped at the acute phase. The wound or injury are slowly recovered.

However, in severe cases, particularly in people with the weakened immune system, the inflammatory progression cannot be stopped due to the inability of the immune system to destroy all invaders, leading to low-grade chronic inflammation.

Diseases associated with low-grade inflammation include diabetes and cardiovascular.

Believe it or not, worldwide, 3 of 5 death are results from chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

In the US, chronic inflammatory diseases affect more than 50 million Americans each year.

Dr. Roma Pahwa in the classification of chronic inflammation wrote, "Chronic inflammation is also referred to as slow, long-term inflammation lasting for prolonged periods of several months to years. Generally, the extent and effects of chronic inflammation vary with the cause of the injury and the ability of the body to repair and overcome the damage".

And, "(The causes of chronic inflammation are) Failure of eliminating the agent causing acute inflammation, ..., Exposure to a low level of a particular irritant or foreign materials,...An autoimmune disorder,... Recurrent episodes of acute inflammation,... Inflammatory and biochemical inducers"

Tomato is red, edible fruit, genus Solanum, belongs to family Solanaceae, native to South America. Because of its health benefits, the tomato is grown worldwide for the commercial purpose
and often in the greenhouse.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of inflammatory diseases researchers examined the effect of tomato ketchup extracts and bioactives from tomato ketchup on human monocytes and vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC).

HUVEC selected to the study were pre-treated for 1 h with either individual bioactives (7.5 µM lycopene, 1.4 µM α-tocopherol or 55 µM ascorbic acid) or a combination of these three compounds, or with the hydrophilic or lipophilic tomato ketchup extracts or with the two extracts combined.

According to the tested assays, tomato ketchup extracts significantly reduced gene expression and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-8 in HUVEC after inducing inflammation.

Furthermore, levels of anti-inflammatory release were increased observed by the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

The effects were correlated with the reduction of IL-8 production in the presence of the test compounds and extracts.

In other words, lycopene found in the tomato extract is one of the major bioactive compounds that induce the anti-inflammatory effect and α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid appeared to strengthen the anti-inflammatory effect of lycopene.

In order to obtain more information about tomato anti-inflammatory activity, researchers analyzed the potential protective effects of phytochemicals in tomatoes on inflammation.

According to the nitric oxide (NO) assay, tomato extract exhibited anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264 macrophages.

Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased after injection of tomatoes.

The efficacy of tomato was attributed to the bioactive compound RF52 in the inhibition of the production of these proinflammatory mediators.

Dr. Kim YI, the lead scientist said, "These results suggest that RF52 from tomatoes may have the potential to suppress inflammation by inhibiting the production of NO or proinflammatory cytokines during the interaction between adipocytes and macrophages".

Taken altogether, tomatoes may be considered functional food for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Protection against chemotaxis in the anti-inflammatory effect of bioactives from tomato ketchup by Hazewindus M1, Haenen GR1, Weseler AR1, Bast A. (PubMed)
(2) Tomato extract suppresses the production of proinflammatory mediators induced by interaction between adipocytes and macrophages by Kim YI1, Mohri S, Hirai S, Lin S, Goto T, Ohyane C, Sakamoto T, Takahashi H, Shibata D, Takahashi N, Kawada T. (PubMed)
(3) Chronic Inflammation by Roma Pahwa; Ishwarlal Jialal. (NCBI)

Healthy Kitchen Spice Turmeric, a Natural Prevention and Treatment of Tropical Pancreatitis,

By Kyle J. Norton

Tropical pancreatitis is a special medical condition of chronic pancreatitis found mainly in tropical countries.

According to the Indian statistics, the prevalence of tropical pancreatitis is about 126/100,000 population in southern India involved mostly in the pancreatic duct in the younger population.

Recently, the disease has been found to increase at an alarming rate in the older population in Southern Indian, due to excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.

Some researchers suggested that dietetic, environmental and socioeconomic factors change over the years, that cause the environment-gene interactions may increase the risk of the onset of the disease.

In other words, diet change from a traditional diet to a high-fat diet, malnutrition, medical condition such as infection and weakened immunity and excessive alcoholism and smoking has been found to facilitate the gene mutation such as SPINK1 in older adults with tropical pancreatitis in the tropical region.

Clinically, symptoms of patients with tropical pancreatitis are severe abdominal pain, leading to the onset of diabetes in 25% of patients who require daily insulin injection.

As of today, there is no cure for the disease. Conventional medicines used for the treatment are focusing on reduced symptoms of pain and improve quality of life.

Dr. Tandon RK, the lead scientist said, " Endotherapy coupled with stone fragmentation by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is an effective therapy for those who fail to respond to medical therapy".

And, "Surgical decompression of the main pancreatic duct by lateral pancreaticojejunostomy is reserved for patients with severe pain non-responsive to other forms of therapy".

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.

In the urgency to discover a new compound for the treatment of pancreatitis, scientists examined the effect of oral curcumin with piperine on the pain and the markers of oxidative stress in patients with tropical pancreatitis (TP).

The experiment included 20 consecutive patients with tropical pancreatitis randomized to receive 500 mg of curcumin with 5 mg of piperine or placebo for 6 weeks.

The pattern of pain, and on red blood cell levels of malonyldialdehyde (MDA), oxidative stress marker and glutathione (GSH), the antioxidant enzymes produced by the patients were assessed before and after at the end of the study.

Compared to the placebo, patients received 500 mg of curcumin with 5 mg of piperine displayed a significant reduction in oxidative stress observed by the erythrocyte MDA and increased GSH levels.

However, injection of 500 mg of curcumin with 5 mg of piperine did not reduce the pain score.

In other words, oral curcumin with piperine reversed lipid peroxidation in patients with tropical pancreatitis by increasing the production of antioxidant enzymes and inhibiting free radical expression.

Based on the findings, researchers suggested before the composite is used for the treatment of tropical pancreatitis, the effect on the pain and other manifestations of tropical pancreatitis must be reassessed.

Taken altogether, turmeric combined with piperine may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of tropical pancreatitis, 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) A pilot study of the antioxidant effect of curcumin in tropical pancreatitis by Durgaprasad S1, Pai CG, Vasanthkumar, Alvres JF, Namitha S. (PubMed)
(2) Tropical pancreatitis by Tandon RK1, Garg PK. (PubMed)