Suppression of Inflammation in Adipocyte-Macrophage Coculture by Passion Fruit Seed Extract: Insights into the p38 and NF-Ò¡B Pathway.

Obesity, which is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation, involves the infiltration of immune cells into adipose tissue, leading to the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and subsequent inflammation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the potential of passion fruit seed extract (PSEE) in mitigating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in a coculture system comprising macrophages and adipocytes. PSEE demonstrated significant reductions in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) levels, primarily achieved through the downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in LPS-induced adipocyte-macrophage cocultures. Furthermore, PSEE effectively suppressed the secretion of TNF-α and IL-1ß by attenuating the gene expression of these cytokines, as well as other inflammation-related genes such as MMP-2, IL-6, and MCP-1. Notably, PSEE exhibited potent inhibitory effects on the p38 and NF-κB signaling pathways, thus alleviating inflammation in the LPS-induced adipocyte-macrophage cocultures. Additionally, PSEE led to a decrease in the expression of ACC, HSL, and FaSN, while aP2 and ATGL showed increased expression in LPS-induced cocultured macrophages and adipocytes. These findings suggest that passion fruit seed extract effectively combats inflammation by suppressing the p38 and NF-κB signaling pathways, resulting in reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, NO, and ROS production.

Impact of Time and Enzyme Concentration on Sangyod Rice Bran Hydrolysate: Phytochemicals, Antioxidants, Amino Acids, and Cytotoxicity.

This study investigated the production of Sangyod rice bran hydrolysate (SYRB) from Sangyod rice, focusing on incubation times (1, 3, and 5 h) and alcalase enzyme concentrations (0, 0.7, and 1% v/v). The results demonstrated a concentration-dependent relationship: higher alcalase concentrations increased hydrolysate yield. Prolonged incubation, especially with alcalase, enhanced substrate breakdown, further increasing hydrolysate production. The degree of hydrolysis, reflecting peptide bond cleavage, depended on both incubation time and enzyme concentration, emphasizing the role of enzyme activity in efficiency. Moreover, color analysis (L*, a*, b*) and color difference (∆E) revealed intricate changes from enzymatic hydrolysis. Proximate composition analysis showed higher protein and lipid content with increased enzyme concentration and longer incubation times, whereas ash content varied with both factors. Hydrolysate powders exhibited higher moisture content than raw rice bran, indicating the impact of the hydrolysis process. The study also explored SYRB's antioxidant properties and cytotoxicity, which were sensitive to incubation time and alcalase concentration. Longer incubation increased DPPH scavenging activity, with the highest efficacy at 3 h. Meanwhile, ABTS scavenging displayed a delicate balance with alcalase concentration. The cytotoxicity study of SYRB revealed that all concentrations of SYRB were non-toxic to C2C12 cells, with cell viability values exceeding 70%.