The influence of raw and processed garlic and onions on plasma classical and non-classical atherosclerosis indices: investigations in vitro and in vivo.

Garlic and white and red varieties of onion were subjected to processing by a variety of culinary methods, and bioactive compounds then determined. For in vivo studies, 84 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 14 diet groups, each of six rats, including two control groups (one with no supplementation and one with cholesterol supplementation only). During the 30-day trial, the basal diets of the other 12 groups were supplemented with 1% cholesterol and raw or processed vegetables. Both raw red onion and red onion subjected to blanching for 90 s hindered the rise in plasma lipids more than the other vegetables studied in the supplemented diets. The decrease in antioxidant activity compared to the cholesterol-supplemented control group was significantly less for the group fed with red onion subjected to blanching for 90 s. No histological changes were detected in the studied organs of rats that had been fed cholesterol. In conclusion, blanching for 90 s most fully preserved the bioactive compounds and antioxidant potentials, and hindered the rise in plasma lipid levels and the decrease in plasma antioxidant activity of rats fed cholesterol. Alkaline phosphatase levels correlated with classical atherosclerosis indices, and determination of alkaline phosphatase is suggested as an additional index in atherosclerosis testing.

Biochemical characteristics of the herb mixture Prolipid as a plant food supplement and medicinal remedy.

Prolipid a known mixture of herbs is used as a plasma lipid lowering medicine. No side effects were registered. However, the bioactive substances of Prolipid were not investigated. Therefore in this investigation Prolipids bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity were studied. The contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were 19.87 +/- 2.09 and 3.09 +/- 0.31 mg gallic acid equivalent GAE/g DW and 2.09 +/- 0.24 and 0.57 +/- 0.05 mg catechin equivalent CE/g DW in water and methanol fractions, respectively. Anthocyanins (0.02 +/- 0.001 mg/g DW) and flavanols (7.58 +/- 0.81 microg CE/g DW) were found only in water fraction. The antioxidant activity of Prolipid, as determined by four different antioxidant assays [ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP); cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC); trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC); 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH)], was higher in water than in methanol fraction. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activities of Prolipid water extracts with TEAC were 0.97 and 0.90, respectively. It can be concluded that the content of polyphenol compounds in Prolipid is very high and they are the main contributors to Prolipids overall antioxidant activity. Prolipid is widely used in human treatment without known side effects on patients and is comparable to other medicinal plants, and as a strong antioxidant mixture could be used as a supplement to known atherosclerosis preventing diets.

The nutritional and metabolic indices in rats fed cholesterol-containing diets supplemented with durian at different stages of ripening.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the nutritional and health properties of Mon Thong durian cultivar at different stages of ripening. The assessment was carried out in vitro and in vivo. The contents of dietary fibers, minerals and trace metals at different stages of ripening were comparable. Total polyphenols (mgGAE/100 g FW) and flavonoids (mg CE/100 gFW) in ripe durian (358.8 +/- 31.4 and 95.4 +/- 9.3) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in mature (216.1 +/- 1 and 39.9 +/- 3.8) and overripe (283.3 +/- 26.2 and 53.5 +/- 4.9). Antioxidant capacity (muMTE/100 g FW) in total polyphenol extracts of ripe durian measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and [2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] (ABTS) assays (259.4 +/- 23.6 and 2341.8 +/- 93.2) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of mature (151.6 +/- 15.2 and 1394.6 +/- 41.5) and overripe (201.7 +/- 19.4 and 1812.2 +/- 61.4) samples. The correlation coefficients between the bioactive compounds in different stages of ripening and their antioxidant capacities were high (R;{2} = 0.99). Then 35 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 dietary groups each of 7 and named Control, Chol, Chol/Mature, Chol/Ripe and Chol/Overripe. During 30 days of the experiment the rats of all 5 groups were fed basal diet (BD), which included wheat starch, casein, soybean oil, vitamin and mineral mixtures. The rats of the Control group were fed a BD only. To the BD of the Chol group was added 1% of cholesterol. The BD of the Chol/Mature, Chol/Ripe and Chol/Overripe groups was supplemented with 1% of cholesterol and 5% of the mature, ripe and overripe durian as freeze-dried powder, respectively. Diets containing ripe and to a lesser degree mature and overripe durian significantly hindered the rise in plasma lipids and also hindered a decrease in plasma antioxidant activity. The nitrogen retention in rats of the Chol/Ripe group was significantly higher (63.6%, P < 0.05) than in other diet groups and the level of the plasma glucose remained normal. A decrease in fibrinogen fraction with ripe durian included in rat's diets was shown by electrophoretic separation. These changes were detected mostly in the low molecular weight proteins of rat's serum. Histological examination of aorta showed only slight differences in the tissue. In conclusion, ripe durian contains higher quantity of bioactive compounds, has higher antioxidant capacity and nutritional value. It positively affects the plasma lipid profile, the plasma glucose and the antioxidant activity in rats fed cholesterol enriched diets. Therefore, the ripe durian supplemented diet could be beneficial for patient suffering from hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus. <

Bioactivity of beer and its influence on human metabolism.

Extracted total phenols, flavanols and flavonoids were measured in beer samples and their quality as antioxidants was measured by two modified antioxidant methods: the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS * +) and the beta-carotene-linoleate model system (beta-carotene). It was found that the antioxidant potential of beer was well correlated with flavanols and flavonoids and was slightly lower with total polyphenols (R2 values from 0.8203 to 0.9393). Forty-two male non drinkers, hypercholesterolaemic volunteers ages 43-71 after coronary bypass surgery, were randomly divided into experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups, each of 21 participants. The antiatherosclerotic diet of the EG group was supplemented for 30 consecutive days with 330 ml beer per day. Could short-term beer consumption affect not only the risk factors of coronary atherosclerosis, but also the markers of this process: plasma albumin and its antioxidant activity? For this goal, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, plasma albumin and fibrinogen, and the antioxidant activity were determined. After the trial a significant improvement in the plasma lipid levels, and an increase in the plasma antioxidant and anticoagulant activities in patients of the EG group was registered. A parallel increase in the plasma albumin concentration and its antioxidant activity was observed. In conclusion, short-term beer consumption on the basis of the bioactivity of the beverage positively affects plasma lipid levels, plasma antioxidant and anticoagulant activities. The increase in the plasma albumin concentration and its antioxidant activity could be the markers of atherosclerosis status.

Effect of ethylene treatment on kiwifruit bioactivity.

UNLABELLED: The consumption of fruits and vegetables with high antioxidant activities leads to best healthful results. Therefore, in the present investigation we tried to find the peak of the kiwifruits antioxidant activity during the first 10 days of ethylene treatment (100 ppm at 20 degrees C). In order to receive the most reliable data five different antioxidant assays were used: ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP); cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC); trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC); 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH); and Folin-Ciocalteau. It was found by all applied methods that kiwifruit samples have the highest contents of polyphenols and flavonoids and the highest antioxidant activity on the 6-th day of the ethylene treatment. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activities of kiwifruit methanol extracts with TEAC and CUPRAC, were as followed: 0.81 and 0.63, and 0.23 and 0.17, respectively, and showed that the free polyphenols correlation coefficients were higher than that of the flavonoids. IN CONCLUSION: during ethylene treatment the bioactivity of kiwifruit is increasing and reaches its maximum at the 6th day and therefore it is the optimum time for kiwifruit consumption; total polyphenols were the main contributor to the overall antioxidant activity of kiwifruit; the most sensitive test for antioxidant activities determination is FRAP.

Dose-dependent influence of commercial garlic (Allium sativum) on rats fed cholesterol-containing diet.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the dose-dependent influence of commercial garlic on rats fed cholesterol-containing diets. It was found that commercial garlic contains high concentrations of dietary fibers, microelements, and total polyphenols, and its total antioxidant capacity as determined by two independent assays [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)] was similar to that of the original garlic samples. Wistar rats (35) were randomly divided into five diet groups, named control, Chol, Garlic500, Garlic750, and Garlic1000. Control rats were fed basal diet (BD), which included wheat starch, casein, soybean oil, and vitamin and mineral mixtures. To the BD of the Chol group was added 1% of cholesterol. To the BD of the other three groups (Garlic500, Garlic750, and Garlic1000) were added 1% of cholesterol and commercial garlic equal to 500, 750, and 1000 mg of raw garlic per kilogram of animal weight. After 4 weeks of the experiment only in rats from the Garlic500 group were a significant hindering in the rise in plasma lipids and also a significant hindering in a decrease of plasma antioxidant activity registered. A significant decrease in plasma circulating fibrinogen and an increase in the clotting time were found in the same group of rats (P < 0.05 in both cases). The fibrinogenolytic effect of garlic diets was visualized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In the fibrinogen fraction of Garlic500 the 66, 24, and 14 kDa protein bands were detected with weaker protein intensity than in the corresponding ones in the Garlic750 and Garlic1000 diet groups. In conclusion, the positive influences of commercial garlic on plasma lipids, proteins, antioxidant activity, and some indices of blood coagulation are dose-dependent. Therefore, commercial garlic (Elena, Zelazków, Poland) could be a valuable component of atherosclerosis-preventing diets only in optimal doses.

Red grapefruit positively influences serum triglyceride level in patients suffering from coronary atherosclerosis: studies in vitro and in humans.

The contents of the bioactive compounds in red and blond grapefruits and their influence on humans suffering from hypertriglyceridemia were studied. It was found that red grapefruit has a higher content of bioactive compounds and a higher antioxidant potential than blond grapefruit, determined by oxygen radical scavenging capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, carotenoid bleaching, and Folin-Ciocalteu assays. Fifty-seven hyperlipidemic patients, ages 39-72 years, after coronary bypass surgery, recruited from the Institute's pool of volunteers, were randomly divided into three equal in number (19) groups: two experimental (red and blond groups) and one control group (CG). During 30 consecutive days of the investigation the diets of the patients of the red and blond dietary groups were daily supplemented with one equal in weight fresh red or blond grapefruit, respectively. Before and after this trial, serum lipid levels of all fractions and serum antioxidant activity were determined. It was found that serum lipid levels in patients of the red and blond groups versus the CG after treatment were decreased: (a) total cholesterol, 6.69 versus 7.92 mmol/L, 15.5%, and 7.32 versus 7.92 mmol/L, 7.6%, respectively; (b) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 5.01 versus 6.29 mmol/L, 20.3%, and 5.62 versus 6.29 mmol/L, 10.7%, respectively; (c) triglycerides, 1.69 versus 2.32 mmol/L, 17.2%, and 2.19 versus 2.32 mmol/L, 5.6%, respectively. No changes in the serum lipid levels in patients of the CG were found. In conclusion, fresh red grapefruit contains higher quantities of bioactive compounds and has significantly higher antioxidant potential than blond grapefruit. Diet supplemented with fresh red grapefruit positively influences serum lipid levels of all fractions, especially serum triglycerides and also serum antioxidant activity. The addition of fresh red grapefruit to generally accepted diets could be beneficial for hyperlipidemic, especially hypertriglyceridemic, patients suffering from coronary atherosclerosis.