The comparison of in vivo antigenotoxic and antioxidative capacity of two propylene glycol extracts of Calendula officinalis (marigold) and vitamin E in young growing pigs.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the protective effect of Calendula officinalis propylene glycol extracts against oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation induced by high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake in young growing pigs. Forty young growing pigs were assigned to five treatment groups: control; oil (linseed oil supplementation); C. officinalis 1 and 2 groups (linseed oil plus 3 ml/day of C. officinalis propylene glycol extracts); and vitamin E group (linseed oil plus 100 mg/kg of vitamin E). Lymphocyte DNA fragmentation and 24-h urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) excretion were measured to determine DNA damage. Lipid peroxidation was studied by analysing plasma and urine malondialdehyde (MDA), and urine isoprostane concentrations (iPF2α-VI), total antioxidant status of plasma and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) assays. C. officinalis 1 (extract from petals) effectively protected DNA from oxidative damage. It indicated a numerical trend towards the reduction of plasma MDA and urinary iPF2α-VI excretion. Its effect was comparable with that of vitamin E. C. officinalis 2 (extract from flower tops) showed less antioxidant potential than the extract from petals. We can conclude that the amount of C. officinalis extracts proposed for internal use by traditional medicine protects the organism against DNA damage induced by high PUFA intake.

Relevance of meat fat content and fruit and vegetable intake for the oxidative status of pigs.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of substituting lean meat with fat meat on oxidative stress in a diet with or without fruit and vegetables. METHODS: Thirty-two pigs were divided into groups and fed isocaloric daily rations: LM+FV (balanced diet with lean meat and fruit and vegetables); FM+FV (as LM+FV, but lean meat was substituted with fat meat); LM-FV (as LM+FV, but without fruit and vegetables), and FM-FV (as FM+FV, but without fruit and vegetables). Oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring the 24-hour urine malondialdehyde excretion rate, the degree of leukocyte nuclear DNA damage, the concentration of tocopherols in blood plasma, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity and the total antioxidant status of plasma. RESULTS: The substitution of lean meat with fat meat modestly increased the rate of leukocyte DNA damage only in the diet with fruit and vegetables but had no effect in the group deprived of fruit and vegetables. Regardless of the fruit and vegetable content of the diet, the substitution of lean meat with fat meat did not affect any other parameters measured. In comparison to both fruit- and vegetable-containing diets, the deprivation of fruits and vegetables in the LM-FV and FM-FV groups significantly increased the rate of leukocyte DNA damage and reduced the plasma alpha-tocopherol level (significant only for FM+FV). CONCLUSION: The substitution of fat meat with lean meat in a diet with or without fruit and vegetables has only a marginal or no effect on oxidative stress. But fruit and vegetable exclusion markedly increased the level of oxidative stress.

Wheat bran and oat bran effectively reduce oxidative stress induced by high-fat diets in pigs.

AIM: To evaluate the influence of wheat bran and oat bran on the oxidative stress induced by a high proportion of fat in the diet. METHODS: Forty-eight growing pigs were penned individually and after an adaptation period divided into four groups. All groups received isocaloric daily rations composed of basal diet which was then supplemented with: starch (controls; CONT), linseed oil (OIL), linseed oil and wheat bran, or linseed oil and oat bran. The experimental period lasted 14-days. The oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in blood plasma, the 48-hour urinary MDA excretion, and the degree of leukocyte nuclear DNA damage. RESULTS: In comparison with the CONT group, a significant increase in the MDA concentration in blood plasma and in the MDA excretion in urine was found in the OIL group. The degree of DNA damage in the OIL group was also significantly higher. In comparison with the OIL group, the wheat bran and oat bran supplementation significantly reduced the 24-hour MDA excretion in urine and reduced the degree of DNA damage in leukocytes to the level of the CONT group. CONCLUSION: The results of the experiments confirmed that a high wheat bran and oat bran intake effectively reduces oxidative stress induced by a high-fat diet.

Fatty acid composition of human colostrum in Slovenian women living in urban and rural areas.

Colostrum samples were collected on the third day postpartum from 41 Slovenian women living in urban (n = 27) or rural (n = 14) areas. The fatty acid composition of total lipids, analysed by capillary gas-liquid chromatography, was very similar in women from both areas. The only difference was a higher content of oleic acid (18:1n-9) in rural vs. urban areas (36.85 vs. 34.94 wt%, p < 0.05). The fatty acid composition of colostrum lipids in Slovenia was as follows (mean wt%): saturated 37.68, monounsaturated 40.49, polyunsaturated 21.82, linoleic acid (18:2n-6) 15.25, alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) 0.91, docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) 0.43 and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) 1.03. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids was 0.58 and the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids was 8.0. Compared to published data on the colostrum fatty acid composition in other European, American and Asian countries, colostrum from Slovenian women is most similar to Spanish and French colostrum, probably due to a similar fatty acid composition of dietary lipids.

Fatty acid composition of human milk in different regions of Slovenia.

BACKGROUND: The fatty acid composition of human colostrum lipids is influenced by maternal diet. We measured the fatty acid composition of colostrum lipids in Slovenia. METHODS: Milk samples were collected on the 3rd day postpartum from 41 women recruited in three Slovenian regions (Celje, Ljubljana and Koper). Dietary habits were examined by a food-frequency questionnaire. In situ transesterification and capillary gas chromatography were performed to determine the fatty acid composition. RESULTS: The coefficients of variation of the determinations of individual fatty acids accounting for >0.09 wt% were 1.87-5.91%. Between regional areas there were differences in the contents of linoleic (12.62-17.35 wt%; p < 0.001) and alpha-linolenic acid (0.70-1.07 wt%; p < 0.01), whereas the linoleic/alpha-linolenic acid ratios were similar (15.8 in Celje, 16.3 in Ljubljana and 17.9 in Koper). The highest proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3) was in Celje (0.49 wt%), the lowest in Ljubljana (0.35 wt%; p < 0.05). The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCP) content did not correlate with linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid, but there was a correlation between the sum of n-3 and n-6 LCPs. The colostrum linoleic/alpha-linolenic acid ratio was positively correlated with the body mass index during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The fatty acid composition of colostrum lipids in Slovenia shows some variation according to geographical regions.