Spray-Dried Yerba Mate Extract Capsules: Clinical Evaluation and Antioxidant Potential in Healthy Individuals.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effects and antioxidant potential of spray-dried yerba mate extract (SDME) capsules in healthy individuals. Fourteen healthy volunteers consumed three capsules of SDME three times daily. Measurements were carried out at the baseline and after 7, 30, and 60 days of SDME capsules intake. Electrocardiogram, hematological, urinary, and biochemical parameters analyzed remained within the normal values during all the study. SDME capsules ingestion increased significantly serum antioxidant capacity (after 7 and 30 days) and reduced glutathione values (after 7 and 60 days), and the superoxide dismutase (after 7, 30, and 60 days), catalase (after 7 and 30 days), and paraoxonase-1 activities (after 7 days); and decreased lipid hydroperoxides (after 30 and 60 days) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels (after 7 and 30 days). No change was observed for glutathione peroxidase activity after SDME capsules intake. The present study showed that SDME capsules ingestion by healthy individuals did not promote clinical changes and promoted an increase of antioxidant biomarkers with a concomitant decrease of lipid peroxidation biomarkers in a short and prolonged manner.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine supplementation on cellular damage and oxidative stress indicators in volleyball athletes.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation on cellular damage and oxidative stress indicators in volleyball athletes. Twenty male volleyball athletes at national level performed a physical training session and were divided into 2 groups, which for 7 days took the placebo substance or NAC. After 7 days the athletes repeated the same training session. In both sessions, blood samples were collected 30 min before and immediately after the training session to measure cellular damage and oxidative stress markers. The main results show that, although higher concentrations of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were observed in post-session 1 than those in postsession 2, the other markers showed an increase in antioxidant action after supplementation of NAC, once the effect of experimental conditions (P=0.030) were observed in: time effect (P<0.001) and interaction (P=0.019) for total glutathione; time effect (P<0.001) and interaction (P<0.001) for reduced glutathione; and time effect (P<0.001) for ferric-reducing antioxidant potential. The oxidant action indicated by the protein carbonyl was higher in the placebo group than in the NAC group (P=0.028), but a time effect (P<0.001) for the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances showed lower values in presession 1 than in presession 2. For the cellular damage markers, antagonistic results between markers were found. Based in the results, the supplementation of NAC during a short period was effective in reducing oxidant action and increasing antioxidant action. However, conclusive alterations in the responses of the cellular damage markers were not obtained.

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) enhances the gene modulation and activity of paraoxonase-2: in vitro and in vivo studies.

OBJECTIVE: Paraoxonase-2 (PON-2) is an intracellular antioxidant enzyme that can be modulated by polyphenols. The aim of this study was to verify whether yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), a plant species rich in phenolic compounds, modulates gene expression and the activity of PON-2 in macrophages in vitro and in monocytes from peripheral blood and monocyte-derived macrophages obtained after the ingestion of green or roasted yerba mate infusions by healthy subjects. METHODS: THP-1 macrophages were incubated with increasing amounts of yerba mate extracts or chlorogenic and caffeic acids (1-10 µmol/L). The in vivo effects of yerba mate or water (control) intakes were evaluated acutely (2 h after ingestion) and in the short term (after daily ingestion for 7 d) in 20 healthy women. RESULTS: In general, there was no difference between the two kinds of yerba mate studied. Yerba mate extracts or chlorogenic acid at 1 and 3 µmol/L increased PON-2 relative gene expression in THP-1 macrophages (P < 0.05), whereas higher concentrations (5 and 10 µmol/L) increased the activity only. Caffeic acid induced PON-2 activity only. The acute ingestion of yerba mate infusions increased relative gene expression and PON-2 activity in monocytes (P < 0.05), whereas the consumption of yerba mate for 7 d increased PON-2 relative gene expression (P < 0.05) and had a tendency to increase PON-2 activity in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that green or roasted yerba mate modulates positively the mRNA relative expression and activity of the PON-2 enzyme in monocytes and macrophages, which may prevent cellular oxidative stress.

Characteristics of a nickel-albumin binding assay for assessment of myocardial ischaemia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe a method to measure ischaemia-induced alterations of the binding capacity of serum albumin to exogenous nickel. METHODS: We measured the levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), serum albumin, ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA) measured by a cobalt-albumin binding assay (CABA), and a nickel-albumin binding assay (NABA) in the following groups: myocardial infarction (n = 32) and non-ischaemic chest pain (n = 64). RESULTS: IMA, cTnI and NABA levels were higher in the myocardial infarction group. NABA presented a higher ability to discriminate myocardial ischaemia than CABA. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with myocardial infarction have reduced nickel binding to human serum albumin, and NABA may have an important role as an early marker of myocardial ischaemia.