ABSTRACT
Sufficient and organized sleep is a key factor during the developmental process of infancy while disrupted sleep schedule and diseases might lead to sleeping disorders in infants. Breastfeeding is considered to be the most beneficial way to meet the nutritional needs of infants for optimal growth and development. The α-lactalbumin-tryptophan-melatonin axis, nucleotides, and other factors are breast milk components that may affect infant sleep. Meanwhile, diet, feeding schedule, tobacco smoking, alcohol intake, and caffeine consumption will affect the circadian rhythms which might lead to the fluctuations of sleep-influencing factors in breast milk. This study reviews literature of previous studies on this topic to summarize information that can be considered for both breastfeeding practice and future basic research on the establishment of organized sleep patterns in infants.
ABSTRACT
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a syndrome resulting from acute or chronic liver failure. The main hypothesis suggests a state of hyperammonemia which is responsible for both direct and indirect alterations in cerebral metabolism with increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The effect of milk-derived alpha-lactalbumin (α-LAC) and vitamin C (vit. C) was evaluated in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced HEmodel in the current study. Animals were treated with TAA (100 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline thrice weekly for six weeks to induce HE then treatment groups received orally α-LAC (100 or150 mg/kg) and /or vit. C (500 mg/kg)daily for two weeks. Twenty-four hours after last treatment sera, liver and brain samples were collected to assess serum ammonia level, activities of alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST), brain and liver oxidative stress parameters as well as histopathological investigations.TAA rats experienced increases in serum activities of ALT and AST as well as serum levels of ammonia. Furthermore, TAA induced hepatic and brain oxidative damage as indicated by increase in lipid peroxidation (LP), decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) and decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as well as increased nitric oxide (NO) levels. TAA caused distortion of hepatic and brain architecture as shown by histopathological examination. Treatment with α-LAC either alone or combined with vit. C resulted in improved liver functions by decline in serum AST and ALT activities and reduction in serum ammonia level. Alpha-LAC and vit. C reduced LP and NO levels while increased GSH concentration and SOD activity in hepatic and brain tissues. Finally, α-LAC-vit. C combination improved the hepatic and brain histological picture. Alpha-LAC-vit. C combination may be a promising pharmacological tool in providing a natural source of branched-chain amino acids and powerful antioxidants to combat hepatic encephalopathy-associated hyperammonemia and its consequential oxidative damage in liver and brain.
ABSTRACT
Avaliou-se o efeito protetor das frações proteicas do soro do leite sobre as vilosidades intestinais de camundongos Balb/C, fêmeas, infectadas por Escherichia coli O157:H7. Foram utilizados 48 animais, distribuídos aleatoriamente em oito grupos de seis fêmeas cada um. Os animais dos grupos 1 e 2 (controles) receberam dieta AIN93G padrão; os dos grupos 3 e 4, AIN93G + alfalactalbumina; os dos grupos 5 e 6, AIN93G + betalactoglobulina e os dos grupos 7 e 8, AIN93G + concentrado proteico total e água ad libitum por sete dias. No dia zero, os animais dos grupos 2, 4, 6 e 8 foram inoculados, por meio de cânula de gavagem, com 0,5mL de E. coli O157:H7, na concentração de 7 x 10(10)UFC/mL. Os animais foram acompanhados clinicamente e sacrificados, no oitavo dia experimental. Verificou-se, por meio de exames histológicos e da morfometria, que as frações betalactoglobulina e alfalactalbumina exerceram efeito protetor sobre as vilosidades intestinais do jejuno distal e do íleo (P<0,05), respectivamente. O concentrado proteico total não demonstrou efeito protetor sobre as vilosidades intestinais.
The protective effect of protein fractions of whey on intestinal villi of Balb/C female mice infected with Escherichia coli O157: H7 was evaluated. A total of 48 animals were randomly distributed into eight groups of six females each. Animals in groups 1 and 2 (controls) received AIN93G standard diet; the groups 3 and 4, AIN93G + alpha-lactalbumin; while groups 5 and 6, AIN93G + beta-lactoglobulin; and groups 7 and 8, AIN93G + total protein concentrate and water ad libitum for seven days. On day zero, animals of groups 2, 4, 6, and 8 were inoculated by gavage tube with 0.5mL of E. coli O157: H7 at a concentration of 7 x 10(10)CFU/mL. The animals were clinically followed and sacrificed on the eighth day. It was verified by histological examination and morphometry that the beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin exerted a protective effect on the villi of the distal jejunum and ileum (P<0.05), respectively. The total protein concentrate showed no protective effect on the villi.
Subject(s)
Animals , Escherichia coli/pathogenicity , Milk Proteins/therapeutic use , Ileum/anatomy & histology , Jejunum/anatomy & histology , Protective AgentsABSTRACT
En este trabajo se presenta un estudio sistemático sobre el efecto de las soluciones acuosas de eritritol, xilitol, sorbitol e inositol con diferentes concentraciones, sobre la estabilidad térmica de la holo-α-lactoalbúmina bovina con pH 6,5 usando espectroscopia UV-VIS. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los polioles usados estabilizan la holo-α-lactoalbúmina en un grado significativamente menor al reportado para otras proteínas. Se sugiere que este menor efecto de estabilización ocurre debido a que esta proteína presenta un estado desnaturalizado parcialmente desdoblado.
In this work we present a systematic study of the effect of aqueous solutions of erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and inositol on thermal stability of bovine holo-α-lactalbumin at pH 6,5 using UV-VIS spectroscopy. The results show that the polyols used stabilize the holo-α-lactoalbumin in a significant lesser extent than the reported for others proteins. It is suggested that the lower stabilization achieved for this protein is the result of a partially unfolded denaturated state that this protein presents.
Neste trabalho é apresentado um estudo sistemático acerca do efeito de soluções aquosas de eritritol, xilitol, sorbitol e inositol a diferentes concentrações sobre a estabilidade térmica da holo-α-lactoalbumina bovina a pH 6,5 usando espectroscopia UV-VIS. Os resultados obtidos mostram que os polióis usados estabilizam a holo-α-lactoalbumina num grado significativamente menor ao reportado para outras proteínas. Se sugere que este menor efeito de estabilização ocorre devido a que esta proteína apresenta um estado desnaturalizado parcialmente desdobrado.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Aspiration of foreign material into the lungs can cause acute or chronic pulmonary diseases. It is difficult to detect small amounts of aspiration due to the lack of safe, sensitive and specific diagnostic tests. Recently, in animal or human studies, it has been reported that immunochemistry for lactalbumin can be used to detect the minimal aspiration. So, the authors' investigation was designed to determine whether human milk phagocytized alveolar macrophages can be detected in human milk aspirated mice. METHODS: Sixty four male mice, 6-8 weeks old and 30-40 gm weighing, were used for this study. About 0.05 mL of human milk or normal saline were given intranasally once per day for 1 day or 3 days. Under anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine, the trachea of each mouse was cannulated with an 18G Jelco needle and then, each mouse's lungs were lavaged three times with 0.5 mL of phosphate buffer solution at 2, 8, 24, and 48 hours after the last milk or normal saline instillation. Cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were stained with Oil Red O and immunocytochemistry for alpha-lactalbumin. RESULTS: Immunocytochemical reactivity for alpha-lactalbumin or lipid-laden alveolar macrophages were not observed in the normal saline aspirated groups. Immunocytochemical reactivity for alpha- lactalbumin were observed in the human milk aspirated groups. They showed a peak at 8 hours and decreased markedly at 24 hours but persisted even at 48 hours after aspiration. Immunocytochemical stain positive alveolar macrophages were noted similarly in number between single and multiple aspiration groups. CONCLUSION: These observations suggested that alveolar macrophages for lactalbumin could be more easily detected on immunocytochemistry than Oil Red O stain, and immunocytochemistry could be used as a sensitive and specific diagnostic test for the detection of human milk aspiration.