Dietary supplementation with alpha-amylase inhibitor wheat albumin to high-fat diet-induced insulin-resistant rats is associated with increased expression of genes related to fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissue.

It is well-known that insulin resistance induces lipid abnormalities by decreasing insulin actions in adipose tissue. This study examined the effects of inhibiting postprandial hyperglycemia/hyperinsulinemia, using the alpha-amylase inhibitor wheat albumin (WA), on the expression of genes related to fatty acid metabolism in the adipose tissue of high-fat diet-induced insulin-resistant rats. Postprandial glucose and insulin levels were significantly lower after oral starch loading with WA than with inactivated WA in insulin-resistant rats. In addition, the increases in the plasma triacylglycerol and insulin levels by feeding insulin-resistant rats a control diet were inhibited by WA supplementation. Supplementation with WA increased the mRNA levels of not only fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) but also their transcriptional factors such as carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)1 in the mesenteric adipose tissue of the insulin-resistant rats. In addition, supplementation with WA tended to increase the protein expression levels of FAS and ACCs. These results suggest that reductions in the plasma triacylglycerol and insulin levels by inhibiting hyperglycemia/hyperinsulinemia with the alpha-amylase inhibitor WA in high-fat diet-induced insulin-resistant rats are associated with increased expression of genes related to fatty acid synthesis and their transcriptional factors in adipose tissue.

Blood CoQ10 levels and safety profile after single-dose or chronic administration of PureSorb-Q40: animal and human studies.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is known to be highly hydrophobic and, as such, insoluble in water: this leads to serious inconvenience when trying to incorporate it in food products. Its absorption is also known to be very limited. PureSorb-Q40 (P40) (Water-soluble type CoQ10 powder, CoQ10 content 40 w/w % was developed in order to improve its use with food products and to enhance its absorption. In the present study the absorption of this novel formulation was compared to a conventional lipid soluble CoQ10 by administering both products to rats and humans. Acute, single-administration studies in rats showed that P40 has a higher absorption, compared to lipid soluble CoQ10, both in prandial and fasting states. Similarly, single administration in humans revealed a higher absorption level for P40, taken in the fasting state or together with meals. In the rat study, no adverse effects were observed with P40 at doses up to 2,000 mg/kg in both sexes. In a double-blind, placebo controlled, comparative study conducted on 46 healthy volunteers and randomly divided into two groups, in the group receiving 900~mg of CoQ10 per day, for 4 consecutive weeks, the average level at two weeks was 8.79 +/- 3.34 microg/mL, similar to the corresponding level after 4 weeks (8.33 +/- 4.04 microg/mL). After 2 weeks of washout, serum CoQ10 level decreased to 1.30 +/- 0.49 microg/mL. P40 intake did not cause any significant changes in symptoms and clinical laboratory tests as assessed by physical, hematological, blood biochemical or urinalysis. Clinical examinations also did not reveal any abnormalities. The above blood (serum) CoQ10 level at 2 weeks after start of intake was compared with other reported values. The same dose of CoQ10 (900mg/day), when administered by softgel capsules yielded a plasma CoQ10 concentration of 3.6 microg/mL, while P40 levels were 8.79 +/- 3.34 microg/mL. These levels are remarkably high for instance when compared to the corresponding levels obtained, in patients affected by Parkinson's disease, with CoQ10 doses up to 2,400mg/day. A clinical study was conducted using doses of 300 mg/day and 600 mg/day, in patients affected by cardiovascular disease. Also in this case there was linearity in the response with the levels obtained by administering P40 at a dose of 100 and 900 mg/day.

A 91-d repeated dose oral toxicity study of PureSorb-Q(TM)40 in rats.

As part of a series of non-clinical studies to evaluate the safety of PureSorb-Q(TM)40 (Water-soluble type CoQ(10) powder, CoQ(10) content is 40 w/w%; hereinafter referred to as P40), male and female rats were treated orally by gavage with P40 once a day for 91 d, and its repeated dose toxicity was assessed. Control animals were treated with a 0.5 w/v% solution of methylcellulose, the vehicle for P40. Each test group consisted of 6 animals of each sex. No adverse effects of P40 were noted in general signs, body weight, food consumption, ophthalmological examination, urinalysis, hematological examination, blood chemical analysis, necropsy, organ weights, or histopathological examination in animals of either sex. From these results, the no observed adverse effect level of P40 was estimated at 2,000 mg/kg in both sexes of rats under the conditions of the present study, and P40 was confirmed to be a food material whose safety is high.

Comparison of uptake between PureSorb-Q40 and regular hydrophobic coenzyme Q10 in rats and humans after single oral intake.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a lipid-soluble antioxidant and essential component of the mitochondrial electron transfer system in the body, and is in wide use as a functional food material and cosmetic raw material. However, as CoQ10 is extremely lipid-soluble, absorption by the body is not easy. In general, people use soft-gel capsules in which CoQ10 is suspended in oil, and take these capsules with food. PureSorb-Q40 (P40) was developed to improve CoQ10 processability and absorption when taken without food, and the present study compared the effects of food on absorption between P40 and conventional lipid-soluble CoQ10 in rats and humans. The results of a rat study showed higher uptake when P40 was administered in the fasting state or with food compared to lipid-soluble CoQ10. The results of a human study showed that uptake was favorable when P40 was administered in the fasting state, and even when administered postprandially, a significant difference was noted in uptake rate up to 6 h after intake and uptake volume up to 8 h after intake when compared to lipid-soluble CoQ10. These results show that any CoQ10 product using P40 can be quickly and reliably absorbed by the body regardless of dosage form or intake time.