Renoprotective and therapeutic effects of newly water, ethanol, and butanol ginseng fractions in hypertensive and chronic kidney disease with L-NAME.

The present study investigated the protective and treatment effects of different ginseng fractions against L-NAME-induced renal toxicity in rats. The data obtained demonstrated that L-NAME significantly increased creatinine, urea, KIM-1, and lipocalin-2 levels in serum; and also increased renal MDA and eNOS levels compared with the control group. Three bioactive fractions were newly extracted from ginseng, analyzed by GC-MS analysis, and were examined for antimicrobial, prebiotic, and histological activities. All ginseng fractions improved such histological changes, as reflected by significant reductions in creatinine, urea, KIM-1, and LCN-2 levels in serum, and renal MDA and eNOS contents in tissue homogenate. The water ginseng fraction (WGF) has the highest prebiotic index of 4.7 toward Lactobacillus reuteri, and can improve the renal functions more than butanol ginseng fraction (BGF) and ethanol ginseng fraction (EGF). These three ginseng fractions significantly reversed L-NAME-induced depletion in the TNF-α gene expression level. Interestingly, WGF was able to improve the renal functions more than BGF and EGF. L-NAME led to alterations in the histological structure and functions of renal tissue of rats and ginseng supplementation could offer greater protection against these changes. Moreover, the WGF exhibited superior renoprotection properties when compared with the other two fractions: BGF and EGF, and the reference drug losartan.

Metabolomic profiling to reveal the therapeutic potency of Posidonia oceanica nanoparticles in diabetic rats.

Posidonia oceanica is a sea grass belonging to the family Posidoniaceae, which stands out as a substantial reservoir of bioactive compounds. In this study, the secondary metabolites of the P. oceanica rhizome were annotated using UPLC-HRESI-MS/MS, revealing 86 compounds including simple phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their sulphated conjugates. Moreover, the P. oceanica butanol extract exhibited substantial antioxidant and antidiabetic effects in vitro. Thus, a reliable, robust drug delivery system was developed through the encapsulation of P. oceanica extract in gelatin nanoparticles to protect active constituents, control their release and enhance their therapeutic activity. To confirm these achievements, untargeted GC-MS metabolomics analysis together with biochemical evaluation was employed to investigate the in vivo anti-diabetic potential of the P. oceanica nano-extract. The results of this study demonstrated that the P. oceanica gelatin nanoparticle formulation reduced the serum fasting blood glucose level significantly (p < 0.05) in addition to improving the insulin level, together with the elevation of glucose transporter 4 levels. Besides, multivariate/univariate analyses of the GC-MS metabolomic dataset revealed several dysregulated metabolites in diabetic rats, which were restored to normalized levels after treatment with the P. oceanica gelatin nanoparticle formulation. These metabolites mainly originate from the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates, indicating that this type of delivery was more effective than the plain extract in regulating these altered metabolic processes. Overall, this study provides novel insight for the potential of P. oceanica butanol extract encapsulated in gelatin nanoparticles as a promising and effective antidiabetic therapy.

Lipidomic analysis reveals the efficiency of Eclipta prostrata on diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a leading cause of chronic liver disease in western countries. The current study aimed to detect and evaluate lipidomic biomarkers for early detection of NAFLD as well as the potential efficiency of methanolic extract of Eclipta prostrata (E. prostrata) on disease management. In this study, Phytochemical screening of E. prostrata methanolic extract was performed using HPLC. NAFLD was induced in albino rats using a high-fat diet together with cholesterol and cholic acid. Comprehensive lipidomic analyses on sera from rats bearing NAFLD as well as normal healthy animals were carried out based on GCMS and multivariate data analysis. The results showed that high doses (300&200 mg/kg.BW) of E. prostrata extract exhibited significant improvement in liver enzymes (ALT & AST) and lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerides (TAGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)] in rats bearing NAFLD. Glycerol, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid and cholest-5-en-3-ol (3ß) acetate were detected as lipidomic biomarkers for early detection of NAFLD in rats' sera. Furthermore, E. prostrata extract showed a significant amelioration in the levels of these metabolic biomarkers in both protective and treated groups. These finding devoutly recommend using of lipidomic biomarkers for early detection of NAFLD and E. prostrata could be used as a protective agent as well as ameliorate this disease through its probable action on the fore-mentioned metabolites.

Serum metabolomics reveals the mechanistic role of functional foods and exercise for obesity management in rats.

Obesity is one of the independent risk factors for several health problems, leading to metabolic perturbations and for which analytical approaches i.e., "metabolomics" is needed to monitor the underlying metabolic changes. In this study, obesity associated changes were assessed via serum metabolites analysis of obese rats fed on high fat diet. Obese rats were subsequently treated with different functional foods used for obesity management including pomegranate, grapefruit, and red cabbage in parallel to swimming exercise. Serum samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) followed by multivariate data analysis to classify samples and determine if such treatments can help revert obesity related metabolic changes back to normal status. Results led to the identification of several novel metabolites biomarkers for obesity related to lipids, amino acids and central tricarboxylic acid (TCA) pathways. Distinct variations in metabolite levels were recorded in obese rats compared to normal ones including l-aspartic, l-alanine, l-glutamine, l-glycine, phenylethanolamine, α-aminobutyric acid and ß-hydroxybutyric acid. Metabolomics approach developed herein provides novel insight onto the metabolic disturbances associated with obesity, which will assist in future drug design that can help mitigate against such changes.