297 research outputs found
CHAPTER 8: Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni: Beyond Its Use as a Sweetener. Pharmacological and Toxicological Profile of Steviol Glycosides of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni
No full textStevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a plant originating in Paraguay that is well-known for the sweet taste of its leaves. Stevia extract is widely used as a substitute for sucrose, it contains more than 10 compounds, called steviol glycosides (SGs), of which the best characterised are stevioside and rebaudioside A. All steviol glycosides need a bioactivation by intestinal bacteria, through which they are converted to steviol, the active metabolite. Indeed, the pharmacodynamic profile of stevia extract and steviol glycosides is related to steviol. A number of animal studies and clinical trials have been performed to investigate the effects of SGs, mostly of stevioside and rebaudioside A, observing that, beside the sweet taste, these natural derivatives may offer a multitude of beneficial effects on health. Indeed, growing evidence points to a nutraceutical use of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and its SGs. Moreover, an examination of toxicological profiles and adverse effects carried out from regulatory agencies in order to authorise its commercialisation as a sweetener has been here reported
Emerging role of the cardiac lipidome in the progression of heart failure.
No full textLipids play structural and cellular functions, being a part of cellular membranes, regulating signaling, transmembrane transporters and energy depots. The lipid profile is not static, and a large number of human pathologies have been linked to alterations of lipid homeostasis, including cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Among the cardiovascular diseases, an altered lipid metabolism has been implicated in heart failure (HF). Based on the recent evidence, changes in the levels of some specific lipids reflect the progression of cardiovascular diseases and, interestingly, their alterations can also occur independently from obesogenic stimuli. In this review, evidence of lipotoxicity at cardiac level will be reported discriminating between clinical or preclinical evidence and the presence or absence of obesogenic conditions. In numerous experimental models, both with and without obesity, ceramides (CERs) and triacyclglycerols (TAGs) levels increased at the cardiac level and were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and directly correlated with their severity. Conversely, cardiolipin (CL), the peculiar phospholipid of the inner mitochondrial membrane, is inversely related to cardiovascular risk, and it is considered a crucial factor responsible for the regulation of mitochondrial function and therefore useful as an early marker of prodromal changes driving the cardiac contractility alterations. Most of the progress in this field has probably focused on this lipid: aimed at the development of synthetic analogues useful for mimicking the role of CLs, in order to restore its physiological function; but also, to the discovery of compounds capable of specifically bind CL, useful as diagnostic tools
A1. FATTORI INERENTI ALLO SVILUPPO DI FIORITURE DI CIANOBATTERI TOSSICI CON PARTICOLARE RIFERIMENTO A EUTROFIZZAZIONE E CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICI
No full textI cianobatteri sono diffusi in moltissimi ambienti acquatici, dove possono produrre cianotossine con diversi
profili tossicologici. Il presente rapporto riporta le linee guida per la gestione delle fioriture di cianobatteri nelle
acque di balneazione, elaborate da un gruppo di esperti. La prima parte sintetizza le attuali conoscenze scientifiche su vari aspetti, fra cui la loro presenza nei laghi italiani, le caratteristiche chimiche e tossicologiche delle varie
cianotossine, gli effetti osservati sulla salute dell’uomo e la valutazione del rischio. La seconda parte definisce le
linee guida per prevenire effetti dannosi per la salute dei bagnanti e gestire il rischio associato alle fioriture. Vengono
fornite indicazioni per pianificare attività di monitoraggio ambientale e sorveglianza sanitaria nelle aree a maggiore
criticità. Viene inoltre presentato un sistema di reportistica, ambientale e sanitario, anche allo scopo di uniformare le
informazioni a livello nazionale. Il rapporto è completato dalle indicazioni tecniche rivolte alle strutture territoriali
preposte.Cyanobacteria thrive in many aquatic environments, where they can produce cyanotoxins with different
toxicological profiles. This report provides the guidelines for the management of cyanobacterial blooms in bathing
water, put together by a group of experts. The first part summarizes the current scientific knowledge on various
aspects, including their presence in the Italian lakes, chemical and toxicological characteristics of different
cyanotoxins, the observed effects on human health and the risk assessment. The second part defines the guidelines to prevent harmful effects on the health of bathers and manage the risk associated with blooms. It provides
recommendations for planning environmental monitoring activities and a health surveillance system in most critical
areas. It also introduces an environmental and health reporting system, with the purpose to standardize the
information at national level too. The report is supplemented by technical information aimed at territorial authorities
in charge
Role of mitochondrial potassium channels in ageing
No full textAgeing is described as an inevitable decline in body functions over time and an increase in susceptibility to agerelated diseases. Therefore, the increase of life expectancy is also viewed as a condition in which many elderly will develop age-related diseases and disabilities, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological and oncological ones. Currently, several recognized cellular hallmarks of senescence are taken in consideration to evaluate the level of biological ageing and are the topic to plan preventive/curative anti-ageing interventions, including genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this scenario, alterations in the function/expression of mitochondrial ion channels have been found in ageing and associated to an impairment of calcium cycling and a reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Although several ion channels have been described at mitochondrial level, undoubtedly the mitochondrial potassium (mitoK) channels are the most investigated. Therefore, this review summarized the evidence that sheds to light a correlation between agerelated diseases and alteration of mitoK channels, focusing the attention of the main age-related diseases, i.e. cardiovascular, neurological and oncological ones
Modulation of endmt by hydrogen sulfide in the prevention of cardiovascular fibrosis
No full textEndothelial mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been described as a fundamental process during embryogenesis; however, it can occur also in adult age, underlying pathological events, including fibrosis. Indeed, during EndMT, the endothelial cells lose their specific markers, such as vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype, expressing specific products, such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen; moreover, the integrity of the endothelium is disrupted, and cells show a migratory, invasive and proliferative phenotype. Several stimuli can trigger this transition, but transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) is considered the most relevant. EndMT can proceed in a canonical smad-dependent or non-canonical smadindependent manner and ultimately regulate gene expression of pro-fibrotic machinery. These events lead to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis at the vascular level as well as myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. Indeed, EndMT is the mechanism which promotes the progression of cardiovascular disorders following hypertension, diabetes, heart failure and also ageing. In this scenario, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been widely described for its preventive properties, but its role in EndMT is poorly investigated. This review is focused on the evaluation of the putative role of H2S in the EndMT process
In vitro effects of polyhalogenated hydrocarbons on liver mitochondria respiration and microsomal cytochrome P-450
No full textThe present study evidenced the critical levels of six major polyhalogenated hydrocarbons (PHH's), namely chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,2-dibromoethane,perchloroethylene, hexachlorobutadiene, over which significant inhibitory effects of the mitochondrial respiratory chain take place in vitro. At these critical levels, even in PB-induced animals only a very little fraction of cytochrome P-450 is saturated by the compounds and therefore the microsomal metabolism plays no effective role either in decreasing the levels of the test chemicals under the threshold of clear direct adverse effects in mitochondria, nor to the formation of toxic metabolites. Our data show also that phenobarbital not only enhances both the direct and metabolism-mediated interaction of most tested PHH with microsomal cytochrome P-450, but also increases the affinity of hexachlorobutadiene, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride for the mitochondrial sites resulting in respiration inhibition
Hydrogen Sulfide and Irisin, Potential Allies in Ensuring Cardiovascular Health
No full textIrisin is a myokine secreted under the influence of physical activity and exposure to low temperatures and through different exogenous stimuli by the cleavage of its precursor, fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5). It is mainly known for maintaining of metabolic homeostasis, promoting the browning of white adipose tissue, the thermogenesis process, and glucose homeostasis. Growing experimental evidence suggests the possible central role of irisin in the regulation of cardiometabolic pathophysiological processes. On the other side, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is well recognized as a pleiotropic gasotransmitter that regulates several homeostatic balances and physiological functions and takes part in the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases. Through the S-persulfidation of cysteine protein residues, H2S is capable of interacting with crucial signaling pathways, exerting beneficial effects in regulating glucose and lipid homeostasis as well. H2S and irisin seem to be intertwined; indeed, recently, H2S was found to regulate irisin secretion by activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α)/FNDC5/irisin signaling pathway, and they share several mechanisms of action. Their involvement in metabolic diseases is confirmed by the detection of their lower circulating levels in obese and diabetic subjects. Along with the importance of metabolic disorders, these modulators exert favorable effects against cardiovascular diseases, preventing incidents of hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and ischemia–reperfusion injury. This review, for the first time, aims to explore the role of H2S and irisin and their possible crosstalk in cardiovascular diseases, pointing out the main effects exerted through the common molecular pathways involved
Coenzyme Q10: Clinical Applications beyond Cardiovascular Diseases
No full textCoenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential cofactor in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), present in mitochondria and cell membranes in reduced and oxidized forms. Acting as an energy transfer molecule, it occurs in particularly high levels in the liver, heart, and kidneys. CoQ10 is also an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent able to prevent the damage induced by free radicals and the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways. In this context, several studies have shown the possible inverse correlation between the blood levels of CoQ10 and some disease conditions. Interestingly, beyond cardiovascular diseases, CoQ10 is involved also in neuronal and muscular degenerative diseases, in migraine and in cancer; therefore, the supplementation with CoQ10 could represent a viable option to prevent these and in some cases might be used as an adjuvant to conventional treatments. This review is aimed to summarize the clinical applications regarding the use of CoQ10 in migraine, neurodegenerative diseases (including Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases), cancer, or degenerative muscle disorders (such as multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome), analyzing its effect on patients' health and quality of life
Highly Active Cranberry's Polyphenolic Fraction: New Advances in Processing and Clinical Applications
No full textCranberry is a fruit originally from New England and currently growing throughout the east and northeast parts of the USA and Canada. The supplementation of cranberry extracts as nutraceuticals showed to contribute to the prevention of urinary tract infections, and most likely it may help to prevent cardiovascular and gastroenteric diseases, as highlighted by several clinical trials. However, aiming to validate the efficacy and safety of clinical applications as long-term randomized clinical trials (RCTs), further investigations of the mechanisms of action are required. In addition, a real challenge for next years is the standardization of cranberry's polyphenolic fractions. In this context, the optimization of the extraction process and downstream processing represent a key point for a reliable active principle for the formulation of a food supplement. For this reason, new non-conventional extraction methods have been developed to improve the quality of the extracts and reduce the overall costs. The aim of this survey is to describe both technologies and processes for highly active cranberry extracts as well as the effects observed in clinical studies and the respective tolerability notes
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