Identification of Sarmentosin as a Key Bioactive from Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) for Inhibiting Platelet Monoamine Oxidase in Humans.

Previous clinical studies indicate that monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibition by blackcurrants must be predominantly attributed to bioactives other than anthocyanins. In this natural products discovery study, MAO-A/B inhibitory phytochemicals were isolated from blackcurrants, and a double-blind crossover study investigated the efficacy of freeze-dried whole-fruit blackcurrant powder in inhibiting MAO-B compared with blackcurrant juice in healthy adults. Platelet MAO-B inhibition was comparable between powder (89% ± 6) and juice (91% ± 4), and it was positively correlated with MAO-modulated plasma catecholamines, subjective alertness, and reduced mental fatigue, assessed using the Bond-Lader questionnaire. Sarmentosin, a nitrile glycoside, and its hydroxycinnamoyl esters were identified as novel MAO-A/B inhibitors from blackcurrant in vitro, and sarmentosin was demonstrated to inhibit platelet MAO-B activity in vivo. These findings confirm sarmentosin as the primary bioactive for MAO-A/B inhibition in blackcurrants, as well as its bioavailability and stability during freeze-drying, and suggest that consuming blackcurrant powder and juice may positively affect mood in healthy adults.

The Efficacy of New Zealand Greenshell™ Mussel Powder Supplementation in Supporting Muscle Recovery Following Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Healthy, Untrained Adult Males.

Unaccustomed eccentric exercise results in muscle damage limiting physical performance for several days. This study investigated if Greenshell™ mussel (GSM) powder consumption expedited muscle recovery from eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Methods: Twenty untrained adult men were recruited into a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study and were randomly assigned to receive the GSM powder or placebo treatment first. Participants consumed their allocated intervention for four weeks then completed a bench-stepping exercise that induced muscle damage to the eccentrically exercised leg. Muscle function, soreness and biomarkers of muscle damage, oxidative stress and inflammation were measured before exercise, immediately after exercise and 24, 48 and 72 h post exercise. GSM powder promoted muscle function recovery, significantly improving (p < 0.05) isometric and concentric peak torque at 48 h and 72 h post exercise, respectively. Participants on the GSM treatment had faster dissipation of soreness, with significant treatment × time interactions for affective (p = 0.007) and Visual Analogue Scale-assessed pain (p = 0.018). At 72 h, plasma creatine kinase concentrations in the GSM group were lower (p < 0.05) compared with the placebo group. This study provides evidence for GSM powder being effective in supporting muscle recovery from EIMD.

Timed consumption of a New Zealand blackcurrant juice support positive affective responses during a self-motivated moderate walking exercise in healthy sedentary adults.

BACKGROUND: Affective responses experienced during exercise are a significant determinant on exercise adherence. We have previously demonstrated that consumption of New Zealand (NZ) blackcurrants preserves cognition by attenuating the feeling of fatigue. This positive affective response correlated with the ability of blackcurrant polyphenols to support monoamine neurotransmission via inhibition of monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) activity. Here we explore how the consumption of a NZ blackcurrant juice (BJ) influenced affective responses and potential ergogenic action on the motivation to adhere to a low impact walking exercise. METHODS: In a parallel randomized controlled study (Trial registration #: ACTRN12617000319370p, registered 28th February 2017, http://www.anzctr.org.au/ ), 40 healthy sedentary male and female participants drank a BJ or matched placebo (PLA) (n = 20 per group), 1 h prior to a self-motivated treadmill walk, where heart rate and affective responses (exertion [ES] or feeling / mood [FS]) scores) were recorded at 3 or 5 min intervals. Blood glucose, lactate, malondialdehyde (MDA) and platelet MAO-B activity were measured pre- and post-exercise and comparisons were conducted using with Student's t-tests. Subjective data were analysed using 2-way ANOVA with appropriate post hoc tests. RESULTS: Consuming a BJ 1 h prior to exercise caused a 90% decline in platelet MAO-B activity. The exercise had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on blood lactate, glucose or plasma MDA levels. Assessment of affective responses over the first 60 mins (adjusting for participant drop-out) revealed a time-dependent ES increase in both groups, with ES reported by participants in the BJ group consistently lower than those in the PLA group (p < 0.05). FS declined in PLA and BJ groups over 60 mins, but an inverse relationship with ES was only observed within the PLA group (r2 = 0.99, p = 0.001). Whilst the average time walked by participants in the BJ group was 11 mins longer than the PLA group (p = 0.3), and 30% of the BJ group achieving > 10 km compared to only 10% for the PLA group (p = 0.28), statistical significance was not achieved. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that drinking a polyphenolic-rich NZ blackcurrant juice 1 h prior to exercise supports positive affective responses during a self-motivated exercise.

The draft genome sequence of European pear (Pyrus communis L. 'Bartlett').

We present a draft assembly of the genome of European pear (Pyrus communis) 'Bartlett'. Our assembly was developed employing second generation sequencing technology (Roche 454), from single-end, 2 kb, and 7 kb insert paired-end reads using Newbler (version 2.7). It contains 142,083 scaffolds greater than 499 bases (maximum scaffold length of 1.2 Mb) and covers a total of 577.3 Mb, representing most of the expected 600 Mb Pyrus genome. A total of 829,823 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected using re-sequencing of 'Louise Bonne de Jersey' and 'Old Home'. A total of 2,279 genetically mapped SNP markers anchor 171 Mb of the assembled genome. Ab initio gene prediction combined with prediction based on homology searching detected 43,419 putative gene models. Of these, 1219 proteins (556 clusters) are unique to European pear compared to 12 other sequenced plant genomes. Analysis of the expansin gene family provided an example of the quality of the gene prediction and an insight into the relationships among one class of cell wall related genes that control fruit softening in both European pear and apple (Malus × domestica). The 'Bartlett' genome assembly v1.0 (http://www.rosaceae.org/species/pyrus/pyrus_communis/genome_v1.0) is an invaluable tool for identifying the genetic control of key horticultural traits in pear and will enable the wide application of marker-assisted and genomic selection that will enhance the speed and efficiency of pear cultivar development.