Quality of Life: Psychological Symptoms-Effects of a 2-Month Healthy Diet and Nutraceutical Intervention; A Randomized, Open-Label Intervention Trial (RISTOMED).

Depression symptoms and lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are associated with inflammation. This multicenter dietary intervention was shown to reduce inflammation in older people. This was the main outcome. Here, we describe the effects on HRQoL, anxiety, and depressive symptoms according to inflammation status. Overall, 125 healthy older subjects (65-80 year) were recruited (Italy, France, and Germany) and randomized into four arms (A, Healthy diet (HD); B, HD plus De Simone Formulation probiotic blend; C, HD plus AISA d-Limonene; D, HD plus Argan oil). The HD was weight maintaining, rich in antioxidant vitamins, polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids (n6: n3 ratio = 3:1), and fiber. Data on inflammatory parameters, mental (MCS) and physical (PCS) component summaries of HRQoL (SF-36), anxiety symptoms (STAI state), and depressive symptoms (CES-D) were collected before and after 56 days of intervention. Body fat mass proportion (BFM) was considered a co-variable. A decrease of CES-D score was seen in the four arms (A: -40.0%, p = 0.001; B: -32.5%, p = 0.023; C: -42.8%, p = 0.004; and D: -33.3%, p = 0.21). Within the subgroups of subjects with medium/high inflammation a similar decrease in CES-D score occurred in all groups (A: -44.8%, p = 0.021; B, -46.7%, p = 0.024; C, -52.2%, p = 0.039; D, -43.8%, p = 0.037). The effect of interventions on CES-D was not related to baseline inflammation. MCS-HRQoL improved in A and C. There was no change in anxiety or PCS-HRQoL. In this trial with no control group, a decrease in depressive symptoms in healthy older volunteers was observed after a 2-month healthy diet intervention, independently of inflammation but with possible limitations due to participation.

AISA can control the inflammatory facet of SASP.

Senescent cells have been suspected, because of their secretory phenotype (SASP or Senescence Associated Secretory Profile), to contribute to the extension of the chronic inflammatory condition leading to unhealthy aging processes. AISA (Anti-Inflammatory Senescence Actives) monoterpens have been characterized as possessing anti-inflammatory capacities in young cells submitted to pro-inflammatory cytokine stimulation. They have also been demonstrated to have the ability to act on senescent cells, reversing their characteristic pro-inflammatory phenotype. This is due to the fact that AISA act on the cytoskeleton scaffold of cells where actin polymerization induces the expression of adhesion molecules, fueling the infernal inflammatory loop. In comparison to other isoprenoid actives in degenerative diseases, the AISA monoterpene adds a mood-modulating capacity inducing the vagus nerve tone and its potent anti-inflammatory role.

Platelet rich plasma in androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review.

In recent years, dozens of manufacturers and clinics have been promoting the use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) procedures for skin and hair regeneration. Well-designed randomized controlled studies for these procedures are lacking. In this communication, we review the efficacy and safety of PRP procedures for androgenetic alopecia from multiple published peer-reviewed studies. The conclusion of our analysis is that until the present moment there is not enough evidence for the use of PRP procedures in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. We hope that this review will help practitioners and patients to make better-informed treatment decisions.

Salutogenesis and beyond.

In the present hypothesis paper on paradoxes in preventive medicine, which also deals with the indocility of biological functions, the following issues will be addressed. First, a definition of salutogenesis will be given, providing the origin of this notion of health preservation and disease prevention. Then, four paradoxes of the biology of health will be discussed. The first deals with the biomarkers of aging. The second addresses the good and bad of the much praised antioxidants. The third details how the mammalian transporter of rapamycin pathway plays a discreet but fundamental role. The fourth explores the yin and yang effects of the secretory profile of senescent cells. In conclusion, the need for a new paradigm in preventive medicine will be proposed.

Skin repair properties of d-Limonene and perillyl alcohol in murine models.

The orange-peel derived terpene d-Limonene, probably through its metabolite, perillyl alcohol (POH), has been reported to have tissue-repair properties. Two murine models of respectively 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate (TPA)-induced dermatitis and mechanical skin lesion were used here to assess the efficacy of d-Limonene or POH applied topically. Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of skin lesions was performed as well as that of P-selectin expression, together with measurements of serum concentrations of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in the first model. Healing and angiogenesis around the scar were examined in the second model. Because differences in angiogenesis were noted, the effect of both d-Limonene and POH was further tested on an in vitro model of endothelial microtubules formation. Both d-Limonene and POH reduced the severity and extension of TPA-induced skin lesions with significantly lowered macroscopic and microscopic scores (p<0.04 in both cases). Moreover, the expression of P-selectin induced by TPA was abrogated by POH and significantly lower serum concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were observed in d-Limonene- and POH-treated mice (p<0.04 and 0.03). In the second model, tissue regeneration was improved, especially by POH, and was clearly associated with reduced neovascularization. This surprising anti-angiogenic effect was confirmed in the matrigel model of endothelial microtubules formation. These studies show that d-Limonene and POH demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory effects in murine dermal inflammation and wound-healing. The decreased systemic cytokine production as well as a consistent inhibition of endothelial P-selectin expression and neo-vascularization induced by these terpenic compounds contribute to their healing effects on the epidermal barrier.

Anti-stress effects of d-limonene and its metabolite perillyl alcohol.

Stress is closely linked by its biological mechanisms to inflammation and by its consequences to accelerated aging. Stress triggers a hormonal response along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which can disrupt the ortho/parasympathetic balance essential for a harmonious life. Proper nutrition, adequate physical activity, and limiting the harmful influence of stress play important roles in avoiding the development of disease and promoting healthy aging. d-Limonene, a monoterpene shown to reduce inflammatory parameters in several pre-clinical and clinical models, could also produce an anti-stress action by altering ortho/parasympathetic parameters as well as central neurotransmitter functions. Here we report on a rat model, where a functional observational battery (FOB) was performed by submitting animals to non-pathological stress. d-Limonene or its metabolite perillyl alcohol (POH) were administered per os at a dose of 10 mg/kg. FOB tests were performed 1 hr before gavage and then at 60, 120, and 180 min. These tests confirmed the stressed status of control rats fed vehicle. Conversely, a series of parameters were significantly less disturbed in treated rats, who retained a better activity and displayed less signs of stress. These effects were more pronounced and sustained after ingestion of d-limonene than POH, suggesting the role of endogeneous metabolization of the terpene. These studies show that d-limonene exerts, through its metabolite POH, a significant anti-stress action measurable by behavioral and physiologic parameters under the influence of the nervous system. In addition to its anti-inflammatory effects, a beneficial role as an anti-stress substance could thus be claimed for d-limonene used as a dietary supplement.

Oral administration of d-limonene controls inflammation in rat colitis and displays anti-inflammatory properties as diet supplementation in humans.

AIMS: To further explore the anti-inflammatory properties of d-Limonene. MAIN METHODS: A rat model was used to compare evolution of TNBS (2,5,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid)-induced colitis after oral feeding with d-Limonene compared to ibuprofen. Peripheral levels of TNF-α (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha) were assessed in all animals. Cell cultures of fibroblasts and enterocytes were used to test the effect of d-Limonene respectively on TNFα-induced NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappa B) translocation and epithelial resistance. Finally, plasmatic inflammatory markers were examined in an observational study of diet supplementation with d-Limonene-containing orange peel extract (OPE) in humans. KEY FINDINGS: Administered per os at a dose of 10mg/kg p.o., d-Limonene induced a significant reduction of intestinal inflammatory scores, comparable to that induced by ibuprofen. Moreover, d-Limonene-fed rats had significantly lowered serum concentrations of TNF-α compared to untreated TNBS-colitis rats. The anti-inflammatory effect of d-Limonene also involved inhibition of TNFα-induced NF-κB translocation in fibroblast cultures. The application of d-Limonene on colonic HT-29/B6 cell monolayers increased epithelial resistance. Finally, inflammatory markers, especially peripheral IL-6, markedly decreased upon OPE supplementation of elderly healthy subjects submitted or not to 56 days of dietary supplementation with OPE. SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, d-Limonene indeed demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory effects both in vivo and in vitro. Protective effects on the epithelial barrier and decreased cytokines are involved, suggesting a beneficial role of d-Limonene as diet supplement in reducing inflammation.

Fasciatherapy combined with pulsology touch induces changes in blood turbulence potentially beneficial for vascular endothelium.

Stress, whether physical or emotional, is known to challenge the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and to induce important changes in the biochemical parameters of organ functions. The fascia is an elastic tissue that envelops the organs and reacts to stress by tightening, thus contributing to the dysfunction of the body. One of the unmistakable aspects of stress is that it induces vasomotor reactions. Both tightening of the fascia and vascular modifications are reversible, but sometimes tensions become embedded in the fascia and gradually begin to hinder specific functions of the body. Here we present the results of a study investigating the effects of a manual therapy (Fasciatherapy Méthode Danis Bois combined with Pulsology Touch) applied to the artery. We have measured the modifications of important parameters contributing to vascular function. Our study shows that this manual approach is able to affect blood shear rate and blood flow turbulence in particular.

Anti-inflammatory senescence actives 5203-L molecule to promote healthy aging and prolongation of lifespan.

The aging process depends on genetic stability, metabolic control, and resistance to stress; longevity in particular seems related to resistance to stress. Responses to stress anticipate adaptation to an unacceptable disparity between real or imagined personal experience and expectation, including adaptive stress, anxiety, and depression. However, if stress persists, it may lead to chronic diseases, ranging from inflammation and cancer to degenerative diseases. For some time, only remarkable stress was acknowledged to induce immune and vascular alterations, such as infection or hypertension. Now it is known that moderate stress independent of conventional risk factors can induce a potent alteration of health conditions and consequently shorten life quality and lifespan. Inflammation is a critical defense mechanism, that, uncontrolled, contributes to chronic conditions with inflammatory pathogenesis. Stressful life conditions turn out to induce a diffuse (systemic) pro-inflammatory status. Subclinical chronic inflammation is an important pathogenic factor in the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of common pathologies, including cardiovascular disease. Markers include mediators associated with endothelial activation and dysfunction. This work reports the in vitro and in vivo effects of the monoterpene AISA 5203-L on human vascular endothelial cells in reversing replicative senescence in preventing and alleviating nonpathological stress, as assessed by a functional observational battery (FOB) of 44 tests, addressing behavioral, neurological, and physiological criteria.

Tripterine inhibits the expression of adhesion molecules in activated endothelial cells.

Cell adhesion molecules (CAM) expressed by vascular endothelium in response to cytokine stimulation play a key role in leukocyte adhesion to endothelium during the inflammatory response. Tripterine, a chemical compound of the Chinese plant Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f, displays anti-inflammatory properties in several animal models. However, mechanisms of its action are poorly understood. In the present study, we show that in inflammatory conditions, mimicked by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulation, pretreatment for 6 h with tripterine at nontoxic concentrations of 20-200 nM inhibits the expression of E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule (CAM)-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a dose-dependent manner. Tripterine (200 nM) almost completely inhibits expression of VCAM-1 [50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 52 nM] and ICAM-1 (IC50 = 51 nM) and 73% of E-selectin (IC50 = 94 nM). This inhibition effect is prominent, compared with that of dexamethasone, ibuprofen, methotrexate, or probucol, which revealed a much weaker inhibition at doses as high as 1 mM. Effects on endothelial CAM of other proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1beta and interferon-gamma, were also inhibited significantly by tripterine. Moreover, significant inhibition was equally observable in postincubation experiments. In addition, tripterine inhibited adhesion of human monocytes and T lymphocytes to TNF-alpha-stimulated HUVEC. Finally, tripterine inhibited TNF-alpha-driven CAM mRNA transcription and nuclear factor-kappaB nuclear (NF-kappaB) translocation. Hence, we describe a new mechanism of tripterine's anti-inflammatory action obtained at nanomolar concentrations, owing to the negative regulation of cytokine-induced adhesion molecule expression and adhesiveness in human endothelium.