'Saba' banana (Musa acuminata x balbisiana BBB Group) peel pectin supplementation improves biomarkers of obesity and associated blood lipid disorders in obese hypercholesterolemic mice.

'Saba' banana peel contains significant amounts of pectin but with very limited commercial use. To increase its value, the present study investigated the effect of 'saba' peel pectin (SPP) on biomarkers of obesity and associated blood lipid disorders in vivo and identified its potential mechanism via in vitro lipid lowering assays. ICR male mice were induced with obesity and hypercholesterolemia using 45% high fat diet (HFD) for three weeks. The mice were then randomly allocated to four groups fed various diets ad libitum for nine weeks as follows: (1) normal diet (ND), (2) high-fat diet (HFD), (3) HFD with 10% w/w commercial citrus pectin (HFD-CCP), and (4) HFD with 10% w/w SPP (HFD-SPP). For the in vitro study, lipid lowering assays were carried out using published protocols with some modifications. Results showed that the mean endline body weight of HFD-CCP and HFD-SPP were significantly lower than HFD group despite having comparable feed intake. The pectin-supplemented groups also had lower blood total cholesterol than HFD group. Necropsy results showed no significant treatment-related difference in the relative organ weights, except for the liver of HFD group being pale, enlarged, and heavier than the other mice groups. This is consistent with the microscopic observations of liver sections from HFD-CCP and HFD-SPP which had occasional fat deposits only whereas HFD group showed mild necrosis and fat infiltration. In terms of body fat, the adiposity index was significantly lower among HFD-SPP and HFD-CCP than the HFD group, with both pectin-supplemented groups showing lesser extent of increase in adipocyte diameter. Meanwhile, HFD-CCP and HFD-SPP groups were significantly comparable in terms of body weight, blood lipids, organ and adipose tissue weights, adiposity index, and liver morphology. In vitro assays revealed that SPP had significantly higher cholesterol and bile acid binding capacities at 60 µg/mL and 20 µg/mL, respectively than CCP and bile acid-binding drug, cholestyramine. These showed that SPP supplementation improves biomarkers of obesity and associated blood lipid disorders at par with commercially-available citrus pectin possibly via cholesterol and bile acid binding pathways, suggesting that SPP may be a potential functional ingredient with anti-obesity and anti-hypercholesterolemic properties.

Effects of Peperomia pellucida (L.) methanolic extract on total cholesterol levels and liver histology of diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats

Background@#Peperomia pellucida, locally known in the Philippines as pansit-pansitan, is an annual herb with many ethnomedicinal properties.@*Objective@#The study was conducted to evaluate the antihypercholesterolemic property of P. pellucida methanolic extract (PPME) through measurement of its effects on total blood cholesterol level and liver histology of hypercholesterolemic rats. @*Methodology@#Thirty experimental male rats were divided into six groups: Group I was fed with standard diet; Group II was fed with High Cholesterol Diet (HCD) only; Groups III, IV and V were fed with HCD and treated with PPME at 200, 400 and 800 mg kg-1 bwt respectively; Group VI was fed with HCD and treated with atorvastatin; and, Group 7 was fed with 400mg/kg PPME. Total Blood Cholesterol (TBC) levels were monitored, liver histology was analysed, and results were compared with the control and atorvastatin-treated group. @*Results@#Administration of different doses of PPME in hypercholesterolemic rats significantly reduced total blood cholesterol similar to Atorvastatin, a known anticholesterolemic drug. Furthermore, PPME particularly at a concentration of 400mg kg-1 bwt was effective in ameliorating liver damages induced by high cholesterol diet as shown by qualitative and quantitative histological assessment. @*Conclusion@#This investigation suggests that PPME at a concentration of 400 mg/kg bwt is a potential antihypercholesterolemic agent. Further studies have to be taken to better the understanding on the mechanisms of actions of PPME on how it modulates liver damage in hypercholesterolemic conditions.

Effects of crosslinked dextran in hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose on soft tissue augmentation in rats.

This study compared crosslinked dextrans in hydroxylpropyl methycellulose (DiHMs, pH 5 or 7) with polymethylmethacrylate in bovine collagen (PMMA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers on soft tissue augmentation and safety in rats. HA tended to maintain its size throughout the experimental period but was moveable and friable because of a lack of thick fibroconnective tissue formation. Although, PMMA induced moderately thick fibroconnective tissue formation, its size was decreased markedly from 3-week postimplantation (PI) and became the smallest at 24-month PI. DiHM (pH 7) elicited strong fibrous encapsulation around the filler. Its size decreased slowly but was still considerably maintained at 24-month PI. In contrast, the rate of the DiHM (pH 5) size decrease was slower than that of PMMA, faster DiHM (pH 7), but comparable to HA. Immunohistochemically, types I and III collagens were deposited inside and outside DiHMs (pH 5 and 7). DiHMs (pH 5 and 7), PMMA, and HA showed no adverse reactions. These results suggest that DiHM (pH 7) assures efficacy and safety and is a good candidate for soft tissue augmentation in both humans and animals.

Different virulence of porcine and porcine-like bovine rotavirus strains with genetically nearly identical genomes in piglets and calves.

Direct interspecies transmissions of group A rotaviruses (RVA) have been reported under natural conditions. However, the pathogenicity of RVA has never been directly compared in homologous and heterologous hosts. The bovine RVA/Cow-tc/KOR/K5/2004/G5P[7] strain, which was shown to possess a typical porcine-like genotype constellation similar to that of the G5P[7] prototype RVA/Pig-tc/USA/OSU/1977/G5P9[7] strain, was examined for its pathogenicity and compared with the porcine G5P[7] RVA/Pig-tc/KOR/K71/2006/G5P[7] strain possessing the same genotype constellation. The bovine K5 strain induced diarrhea and histopathological changes in the small intestine of piglets and calves, whereas the porcine K71 strain caused diarrhea and histopathological changes in the small intestine of piglets, but not in calves. Furthermore, the bovine K5 strain showed extra-intestinal tropisms in both piglets and calves, whereas the porcine K71 strain had extra-intestinal tropisms in piglets, but not in calves. Therefore, we performed comparative genomic analysis of the K71 and K5 RVA strains to determine whether specific mutations could be associated with these distinct clinical and pathological phenotypes. Full-length sequencing analyses for the 11 genomic segments for K71 and K5 revealed that these strains were genetically nearly identical to each other. Two nucleotide mutations were found in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of NSP5 and the 3' UTR of NSP3, and eight amino acid mutations in VP1-VP4 and NSP2. Some of these mutations may be critical molecular determinants for RVA virulence and/or pathogenicity.

Nodule infection by bean yellow mosaic virus in Vicia faba and molecular characterization of it.

Root nodules infection of different faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cultivars by bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) and the effect of the disease on the specific activity of the nodule are reported. The disease reduced the fresh weights of tops, roots, root nodules and induced premature nodule decay and/or nodule drop. Six local cultivars: Barekat, Iranshahri, Saraziri, Aljazayeri, Shakhbozi and Zohre of faba bean were selected and inoculated with BYMV under greenhouse conditions. ELISA test (DAS-ELISA) with specific BYMV antibody (DSMZ AS0471) demonstrated that nodules from faba bean plants which had been inoculated with BYMV contain the virus too. Susceptibility of different faba bean cultivars was analyzed by ELISA. The relative accumulations of BYMV in the nodules were evaluated by mean ELISA values (OD405) of BYMV. There was significantly difference in cultivars. Cultivars went more susceptible from Barekat to Iranshahri, Saraziri, Aljazayeri, Shakhbozi and Zohre. High susceptibility of Zohre was confirmed in a second experiment including visual evaluation and DAS ELISA. Analysis by IC-RT-PCR revealed the presence of the virus in all nodules and amplified a 970 bp fragment with specific designed primers (Forward primer (5'-CT(AC) CA(AG) ATG GAG AA(CT) CC(CT) GC 3') and Reverse primer (5'-CCA AAG TTC CAA TCA CCA CC 3').