Lactococcus lactis and Resveratrol Decrease Body Weight and Increase Benefic Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Mice.

BACKGROUND: The microbiome is now known for its important role in whole-body homeostasis. A dysbiosis of the normal microbiota is correlated with metabolic disorders. In this sense, the search for compounds able to modulate the microbiome is needed. Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes seems to be a promising candidate. OBJECTIVE: In this study, our motivation was to evaluate the effects of the association between Resveratrol and Lactococcus lactis, a probiotic, on the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota and body weight of mice. METHODS: Twenty female mice were divided into 4 groups: (1) standard diet, (2) standard diet plus Lactococcus lactis, (3) standard diet plus resveratrol, and (4) standard diet plus Lactococcus lactis and resveratrol. At the end of the treatment period, samples of blood, mucus, stomach, and small and large intestines were collected for analysis. Total levels of Immunoglobulin A and Immunoglobulin E, Lac+ and Lac- bacteria and Lactobacillus were measured. RESULTS: The main results indicate that the association between resveratrol and probiotics was able to decrease mice body weight, as compared to the other groups, in addition to decrease the number of Lac- bacteria and increasing the number of Lac+ bacteria. The levels of secretory IgA were also decreased, compared to the animals treated with only probiotics or resveratrol. CONCLUSION: We observed potential synergism between Resveratrol and Lactococcus lactis mainly in modulating the stomach and intestinal microbiota.

Oral gallic acid improve liver steatosis and metabolism modulating hepatic lipogenic markers in obese mice.

INTRODUCTION: Gallic acid (GA) is a natural endogenous polyphenol found in a variety of fruits, vegetables and wines, with beneficial effects on the energetic homeostasis. AIM: The present study aimed to investigate oral gallic acid effects on liver steatosis and hepatic lipogenesis markers in obese mice evaluating new possible molecular related mechanisms. METHODS: Twenty-four Swiss male mice were divided into four groups and fed for 60 days with standard diet (ST), standard diet plus gallic acid (ST + GA), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet plus gallic acid (HFD + GA). We evaluated the relationship between body weight, food intake and serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, aspartate and alanine transaminases. Liver histology was analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. These results were accompanied by bioinformatics analyses. The acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) expression was assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: The main findings of the present study showed that GA reduced liver steatosis, body weight and plasma insulin levels. Analyzes of hepatic steatosis related genes expression showed that ACC and FAS mRNA were significantly suppressed in liver of HFD + GA mice. These data was corroborated by bioinformatics analysis. CONCLUSION: These data suggest an important clinical application of GA in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases.

First evaluation of the antimutagenic effect of mangaba fruit in vivo and its phenolic profile identification.

The chemical composition and functional effects of mangaba fruit pulp were evaluated through a multi-endpoint assay in mice, consisting of the bone marrow micronucleus test, gut micronucleus test, and the apoptosis, oxidative stress, and comet assays. Mangaba fruit pulp was administered in three doses, 10, 20, and 40ml/kg body weight (b.w.), by gavage to male Swiss mice against doxorubicin and dimethylhydrazine-induced mutagenicity. The phenolic profile of the mangaba fruit pulp was evaluated by HPLC, and seven compounds were identified: gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, o-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and rutin. The in vivo tests revealed that mangaba fruit pulp showed no toxic/mutagenic effects in any of the assays performed, and also showed protective effects at all endpoints. At the three administered extract concentrations, the main results about the protective effects were as follows: bone marrow micronucleus test (42.33, 58.14, and 77.21%), micronucleus gut test (34.21, 63.15, and 78.07%), and apoptosis index (57.5, 43.68, and 65.52%). This study provides scientific evidence for the antimutagenic potential of mangaba fruit pulp and emphasizes its potential as a functional food with widespread applicability in the food industry.

Estudo da estabilidade físico-química de suco de abacaxi 'pérola' / Study of the psycho-chemical stability of 'Pérola' pineapple juice

Neste trabalho foram avaliadas as mudanças físico-químicas provocadas pelo tipo de armazenamento do suco de abacaxi 'Pérola', durante de 48 horas após sua elaboração. Foram avaliadas 4 condições de armazenamento, em ambiente refrigerado (4 ±1º C) e em temperatura ambiente (22 ±1º C), ambas com e sem luminosidade. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com os tratamentos dispostos em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 6, sendo 2 ambientes de luminosidade (presença e ausência), 2 condições de temperatura (refrigeração e ambiente) e 6 tempos de amostragem (0, 6, 12, 24, 36 e 48 horas) com 3 repetições. Foram analisados, pH, acidez titulável, sólidos solúveis, vitamina C total e cor utilizando-se as variáveis claridade (L*), ângulo de cor (hº) e cromaticidade (C*). O tempo de armazenamento apresentou influência negativa na qualidade do suco provocando a diminuição dos teores de ácido ascórbico e ácido cítrico, alterações na cor, principalmente o escurecimento. Entretanto, quando armazenado em ambiente refrigerado e sem luz, o suco conservou suas características iniciais por mais tempo, sendo estas melhor preservadas pelas baixas temperaturas.

In this work, psycho-chemical changes caused by the storage of homemade 'Pérola' pineapple juice, over 48 hours after its preparation were evaluated. Four storage conditions were evaluated in a refrigerated environment (4 ±1º C) and in room temperature (22 ±1º C) both in the presence and abscence of light. The experiment was conducted with a totally random design, with treatments arranged in a factorial 2 x 2 x 6, with 2 light conditions (presence and absence), 2 temperature conditions (cooling and room temperature) and 6 sampling times (0, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours) with three replicates. pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, total vitamin C and color using the variables: luminosity (L*), hue angle (hº) and chromaticity (C*) were analyzed. The period of storage presented a negative influence on the pineapple juice, causing a reduction of ascorbic and citric acid contents and color changes, mainly darkening. However, when stored in refrigerated environment in the abscence of light, the juice conserved its initial features for a longer time, which were better preserved by low temperatures.