Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Capacity, Prebiotic Activity and Anticancer Potential in Human Cells of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Seed Flour.

The general aim of this study was to evaluate physicochemical properties, prebiotic activity and anticancer potential of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) seed flour. The drying processes of jackfruit seeds were performed at 50, 60 and 70 °C in order to choose the optimal temperature for obtaining the flour based on drying time, polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. The experimental values of the moisture ratio during jackfruit seed drying at different temperatures were obtained using Page's equation to establish the drying time for the required moisture between 5 and 7% in the flour. The temperature of 60 °C was considered adequate for obtaining good flour and for performing its characterization. The chemical composition, total dietary fiber, functional properties and antioxidant capacity were then examined in the flour. The seed flour contains carbohydrates (73.87 g/100 g), dietary fiber (31 g/100 g), protein (14 g/100 g) and lipids (1 g/100 g). The lipid profile showed that the flour contained monounsaturated (4 g/100 g) and polyunsaturated (46 g/100 g) fatty acids. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose were found to be the predominant soluble sugars, and non-digestible oligosaccharides like 1-kestose were also found. The total polyphenol content was 2.42 mg of gallic acid/g of the sample; furthermore, the antioxidant capacity obtained by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was 901.45 µmol Trolox/100 g and 1607.87 µmol Trolox/100 g, respectively. The obtained flour exhibited good functional properties, such as water and oil absorption capacity, swelling power and emulsifier capacity. Additionally, this flour had a protective and preventive effect which is associated with the potential prebiotic activity in Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium longum. These results demonstrate that jackfruit seed flour has good nutritional value and antioxidant and prebiotic activity, as well as potential protective effects and functional properties, making it an attractive food or ingredient in developing innovative functional products.

Relación entre composición corporal y concentración de leptina sérica en mujeres estudiantes de nivel superior / Relationship between body composition and blood leptin concentration in female college students

El objetivo del presente trabajo fué conocer la relación y la fuerza de asociación que existe entre composición corporal y la concentración sérica de leptina en una población de mujeres. Se evaluaron 60 mujeres de entre 18 y 21 años de la Benemérita y Centenaria Escuela Normal del Estado de San Luis Potosí (BECENE). Se realizaron mediciones de: perímetro de cintura y cadera, talla, peso, porcentaje de masa grasa y niveles plasmáticos de: glucosa, colesterol total, triglicéridos, HDL, LDL, leptina e insulina. El procesamiento de datos se realizó en IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 (IBM Corp.), se utilizó estadística descriptiva, regresión lineal y regresión logística binomial, así como diferencia de medianas con una confiabilidad al 95%. La población estudiada presentó valores normales de glucemia y presión arterial media, sin embargo también se observó un 3% con hipercolesterolemia total; un 29,9% con sobrepeso/ obesidad; y un 26% con resistencia a insulina (HOMA2 IR mayor a 1.4). La mediana de leptina sérica fue de 6,49 ng/ml, donde un 30% de las mujeres se encontraban en condiciones de hiperleptinemia. Se observó una correlación significativa entre los niveles séricos de leptina y porcentaje de masa grasa, IMC, insulina sérica e índice HOMA2-IR. Por regresión logística binomial se observó que el IMC elevado aumenta la probabilidad de padecer hiperleptinemia 7,5 veces, y los niveles altos de masa grasa aumentan el riesgo 6,2 veces. El mejor predictor de hiperleptinemia fue el IMC(AU)

Sixty women aged between 18 and 21 from the Benemérita y Centenaria Escuela Normal del Estado de San Luis Potosí (BECENE) were evaluated. Body mass index, fat mass percentage, waist-hip ratio and several plasma components were analyzed: glucose, total colesterol, free tryglycerides, HDL, LDL, insulin and leptin. Data was processed by SPSS Statistics 20,0 software using descriptive statistics, binomial logistic regression with a confidence value of 95%. The population showed normal glycemic and blood pressure values, whereas a 29,9% of women were overweight/obese, 3% showed hypercholesterolemia and 29,9% showed insulin resistance (HOMA2 IR over 1.4). The median for blood leptin was 6.49 ng/ml, and 30% of women were hyperleptinemic. A positive and significant correlation was observed between blood leptin values and BMI, % fat mass, blood insulin and HOMA2-IR index. The odds ratio analyzed for BMI, showed that overweight and obesity increase 7,5 times the risk of hyperleptinemia. On the other hand, high levels of fat mass, increase by 6,2 times the risk of hyperleptinemia. So far, the best predictor for hyperleptinema is BMI(AU)

[Effect of Omega 3 fatty acids on body female obese composition]. / Efecto de la suplementación de omega 3 sobre IMC, ICC y composición corporal en mujeres obesas.

Evidence on the possible mechanisms for the use of Omega 3 fatty acids to mediate obesity requires clinical studies continue with specific methodologies. The aim was to assess the effect of omega-3 supplementation on Body Mass Index (BMI), Wais - Hip Index (WHI) and body composition of obese women using bioelectrical impedance. Subjects 60 premenopausal obese women (BMI > 30Kg/m2) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Group 1) placebo, vitamin E (200 IU), group 2) 1 g of omega and group 3) 2 g of omega-3. All of them received a low calorie diet and moderate exercise. Weight, BMI, WHI, and fat distribution were measured at the beginning and every month for three months. The results show us Omega-3 supplementation significantly reduced weight, BMI, and total fat mass, compared to the control group, a dose-response effect. These effects depended on the time and amount of Omega 3 supplemented, when the degree of compliance of exercise, adherence to the diet and age were controlled. In conclusion the supplementation with omega-3 is an efficient method in the management of obesity in premenopausal women.

The 1.3 isoform of Na+-Ca 2+ exchanger expressed in guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle is less sensitive to KB-R7943.

The sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) plays a major role in the regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+) in muscle cells. In this work, we performed force experiments to explore the role of NCX during contraction and relaxation of Cch-stimulated guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle strips. This tissue showed low sensitivity to NCX inhibitor KB-R7943 (IC50, 57 +/- 2 microM), although a complete relaxation was obtained by NCX inhibition at 100 microM. Interestingly, relaxation after washing the agonist was prolonged in the absence of external Na(+), whereas washing without Na(+) and in the presence of KB-R7943 resembled control conditions with physiological solution. Altogether, this suggests the reversal of NCX to a Ca(2+) influx mode by the manipulation on the Na(+) gradient, which can be inhibited by KB-R7943. In order to understand the low sensitivity to KB-R7943, we studied the molecular aspects of the NCX expressed in this tissue and found that the isoform of NCX expressed is 1.3, similar to that described in human tracheal smooth muscle. Sequencing revealed that amino acid 19 in exon B is phenylalanine, whereas in its human counterpart is leucine, and that the first amino acid after exon D is aspartate instead of glutamate in humans. Results herein presented are discussed in term of their possible functional implications in the exchanger activity and thus in airway physiology.

8Br-cGMP mediates relaxation of tracheal smooth muscle through PKA.

In this study, guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle pre-contracted with histamine was relaxed by the addition of 100microM 8Br-cGMP, a non-hydrolyzable and cell-permeable analog for cGMP. This effect was not sensitive to cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitors, whereas it was partially blocked by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitors. The relaxation observed was also reverted up to 50+/-8.5% by iberiotoxin, a selective inhibitor of large conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (BK(Ca)). Our results indicate that there exists a crosstalk mechanism between cAMP and cGMP signaling pathways which lead to relaxation of guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle and also that BK(Ca) channels are involved to a certain extent in this phenomenon.