2009 November | Pomology blog

Archive for November, 2009

Pomegranate Supports Prostate Gland

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

A recently published study investigated the potential benefits of ellagitannins, which are constituents of pomegranate. The effects of ellagitannins on the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP1B1 were studied in regards to the effect this enzyme has on prostate cancer development. Cytochrome P450 enzymes metabolize thousands of endogenous and exogenous compounds including drugs, normal metabolites and toxic compounds. Cytochrome P450 1B1 is an enzyme known to be highly expressed in several human cancers but not in healthy tissues. Additionally, the metabolites of pomegranate juice ellagitannins localize to particular areas of the body including the prostate gland.

In this study, pomegranate constituents and metabolites including urolithin A, urolithin B, urolithin C, punicalins and punicalagins were evaluated for their effect on the cytochrome P450 enzymes.

The results showed that urolithin A, which is produced by the gastrointestinal micro-organisms ’ metabolism of ellagitannins, was the most potent inhibitor of CYP1B1-mediated activity. Additionally, urolithin A selectively inhibited CYP1B1 over CYP1A1 by 2-fold, which is important as CYP1A1 is associated with anti-cancer activity. In prostate cancer cells, urolithins were found to decrease CYP1B1 activity and expression.

The researchers believe that their study has suggested a previously unknown mechanism of action of pomegranate juice constituents and that systemically available metabolites of pomegranate juice could lower the incidence of prostate cancer initiation.

Reference:
Kasimsetty SG, Bialonska D, Reddy MK, Thornton C, Willett KL, Ferreira D. Effects of Pomegranate Chemical Constituents/Intestinal Microbial Metabolites on CYP1B1 in 22Rv1 Prostate Cancer Cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Oct 26.

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New research: resveratrol improves diabetes by affecting the brain

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Think of a treatment for diabetes, and you probably think of a drug or natural therapy that targets the pancreas to help normalize blood sugar levels. Resveratrol, a phytochemical found in red grapes, has been shown to have a host of health benefits — including improving diabetes in animal studies. But, it turns out, that’s not necessarily because it benefits the pancreas. Instead, scientists have made an unexpected discovery: resveratrol’s anti-diabetic properties appear to be mediated through the brain.

That’s the conclusion of a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, that was just published in Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society. The researchers focused on sirtuins, a class of proteins activated by resveratrol that are thought to underlie many of the potential beneficial effects of calorie restriction, including promoting longevity and slowing down the aging process.

Early studies in mice have produced important evidence showing that when resveratrol activates sirtuins, diabetes is improved. While sirtuins are expressed virtually all over the body, until now researchers have remained in the dark about what tissues could be mediating resveratrol’s beneficial effects on the disease.

“We know that sirtuins are expressed in parts of the brain known to govern glucose metabolism, so we hypothesized that the brain could be mediating resveratrol’s anti-diabetic actions,” said Roberto Coppari, PhD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and co-author of the study, in a statement to the media. “To test the hypothesis, we assessed the metabolic consequences of delivering resveratrol directly into the brain of diabetic mice. We found that resveratrol did activate sirtuins in the brain of these mice which resulted in improving their high levels of blood sugar and insulin. These findings may lead to new strategies in the fight against type 2 diabetes.”

Dr. Coppari and his research team found that long-term infusion of resveratrol into the brains of diet-induced obese and diabetic mice normalized the animals’ hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and greatly improved the rodents’ hyperinsulinemia (excess levels of circulating insulin in the blood). The scientists noted in their research paper that these beneficial effects were independent of changes in the lab animals’ body weight, food intake, and circulating levels of leptin (a hormone that helps regulate appetite and metabolism).

Source: Natural News

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Antioxidants prevent lung damage from H1N1 flu protein

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

New research shows that antioxidants might prevent damage to the lungs from H1N1 flu. Scientists from Alabama are hopeful that new research has found H1N1 flu’s weakness with antioxidants, found in plant based foods.

“The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments,” said Sadis Matalon, co-author of the study. “Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu.”

The scientists were able to show that lung damage from H1N1 flu happens through the H1N1 M2 protein that attacks the epithelial cells that line the respiratory tract. When damage to the epithelium occurs, fluid collects, setting the stage for pneumonia and respiratory failure.

The researchers performed three separate experiments, using frog eggs to study M2 proteins and lung proteins. They first measured the effect of lung protein. Then they looked at lung protein in combination with M2 protein – they found that with M2 protein from the virus, lung protein was damaged. They then removed the segment of M2 protein that caused the damage. The scientists found that the virus could no longer damage lung protein. Lastly, they reinjected lung protein and M2 protein into the frog eggs, along with drugs known to remove oxidants. The antioxidants prevented the ability of the M2 protein to cause damage. They repeated the exact same sequence using human lung cells, and obtained the exact same results.

The researchers, through a series of experiments, found that antioxidant drugs protected the lungs from damage from the M2 protein in the H1N1 virus. The findings are published in the FASEB journal. The journal’s Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief says, “Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the[H1N1] virus after you’re sick, and as Thanksgiving approaches, this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health.” Antioxidants may be a weakness of the H1N1 flu virus.

Source: www.emaxhealth.com

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Antioxidants fight H1N1 respiratory damage in studies

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

A series of new studies from University of Alabama researchers, published November 2009, show how antioxidants could help fight respiratory complications of H1N1 flu. Respiratory damage from the virus has taken a toll, leading to death in otherwise healthy individuals. Through a series of experiments, the researchers found that antioxidants, the type found in plant based foods, prevent lung damage from the H1N1 virus.

Respiratory complications of flu occur when a segment of the M2 protein attacks the lining of the lungs, or epithelium. The researchers isolated a segment of the M2 protein. When they removed the segment, they found that the H1N1 virus no longer damaged lung protein. The same thing occurred when antioxidant drugs were added to the cells – antioxidants prevented the M2 protein from causing damage to respiratory cells.

According to Sadis Matalon, co-author of the study, published in the FASEB journal, “The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments. Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu.”

The study is published in the FASEB journal. Editor-in Chief of the journal, Gerald Weissmann, M.D. says, Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the[H1N1] virus after you’re sick…” The researchers found that antioxidants prevent lung damage from H1N1 by halting fluid buildup that sets the stage for pneumonia and respiratory failure from H1N1 flu.

To find how antioxidants prevent lung damage from flu, the scientists first looked at the function of lung protein. Next they studied the M2 protein in conjunction with lung protein, finding the segment of M2 protein that caused damage. When they removed the segment of the M2 protein responsible for the respiratory effects of H1N1, the damage no longer continued. Lastly, the researchers used antioxidants drugs in combination with the M2 protein and lung protein, finding that antioxidants prevented lung damage from H1N1 virus. The experiment was performed first on frog eggs, then on human cells, producing the same results each time.

The scientists suggest they may have found H1N1 flu’s weakness. Antioxidants are shown in lab experiments to prevent lung damage from H1N1 flu. The article, titled “Scientists discover influenza’s Achilles heel: Antioxidants”, is published in the November online issue of the FASEB journal. Antioxidants might help in the fight against H1N1 flu and the respiratory damage that occurs to cause severe illness and deaths. Supplements should not be used as a replacement for nutrition from whole foods for overall health and for boosting immunity.

Source: examiner.com

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