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Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 27452

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Prof. Dr. Zheng Ruan

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Nutrition and Processing, Institute of Nutrition and School of Food Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
Interests: phytochemicals; polyphenol; functional foods; gut health; intestinal microbiota; metabolic syndrome; metabolomics; molecular nutrition
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Prof. Ming Jian

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College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
Interests: bioactive compounds; polyphenols; polysaccharides; nutrition; functional foods; antioxidant

Prof. Dr. Xinli Li

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Guest Editor

School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: polyphenol; gut health; intestinal barrier; gut microbiota; colitis; hepatic steatosis; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of disturbances including glucose intolerance, central obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia present in several forms, depending upon the combination of the different components of the syndrome. The initiation and development of a variety of metabolic syndromes and human diseases accompanies inflammation, which is a major defense of the cells and body adaptation to environmental conditions. More recently, the chronic low-grade inflammatory condition that often accompanies the metabolic syndrome has been implicated as a major factor both in the installation of the metabolic syndrome and its associated pathophysiological consequences. Plenty of scientific results have suggested that dietary plant extract ingestion, such as polyphenol, can protect cells from excess inflammatory responses and ameliorate metabolic syndrome via regulating inflammation-related signaling pathways and changing gut microbiota. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the role of these plant extracts in the regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, and microbiota remain largely unknown.

In this Special Issue of Foods, we encourage the submission of manuscripts focused on addressing the roles of plant extracts or phytochemicals in the regulation of inflammation and metabolic syndrome in in vitro or in vivo models, and further exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying their actions and the assessment of the impact of plant extracts or phytochemicals on metabolic syndrome, gut health, and inflammation-related disorders.

We welcome various types of manuscripts, including original research and review articles. All manuscripts should be relevant but not limited to the following specific themes:

The effects of polyphenols on metabolic syndrome or inflammation-related intestinal diseases;
The underlying mechanisms of modulation of the intestinal barrier, gut microbiota, and oxidative stress;
Crosstalk among inflammation, gut microbiota, and host oxidative stress/metabolism;
Development of nutritional strategies to reduce the risks of metabolic syndrome.

Prof. Zheng Ruan
Prof. Ming Jian
Prof. Xinli Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Food nutrients
Polyphenol
Gut health
Intestinal barrier
Gut microbiota
Inflammation
Metabolic syndrome
Obesity
Diabetes or insulin resistance
Functional foods

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2745 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Color, Starch Digestibility, and In Vitro Fermentation of Roasted Highland Barley Flour with Different Fractions

by Zixuan Zhao, Jian Ming, Guohua Zhao and Lin Lei

Foods 2022, 11(3), 287; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11030287 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2959

Abstract

Highland barley (HB) is commonly milled into flour for direct consumption or further processed with other food formulations. Nevertheless, the association between milling and HB flour properties remains lacking. This work studied the effect of particle sizes (coarse, 250–500 μm; medium, 150–250 μm; fine, <150 μm) on physicochemical and nutritional properties of raw and sand-roasted HB flour. Gelatinization enthalpy decreased with increasing particle sizes of raw HB flour, while no endothermic transitions were observed in sand-roasted flour. Sand roasting destroyed starch granules and decreased short-range molecular order. Starch digestibility increased while total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production decreased with decreasing particle sizes in all samples. The relative crystallinity of sand-roasted HB flour decreased by 80–88% compared with raw samples. Sand roasting raised in vitro starch digestibility, while total SCFAs during in vitro fecal fermentation decreased. Sand-roasted HB flour with particle sizes <150 μm had the highest starch digestibility (94.0%) but the lowest production of total SCFAs (1.89–2.24 mM). Pearson’s correlation analysis confirmed the relationship between the nutritional qualities of HB flour and milling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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21 pages, 13348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cherry Polyphenol Extract Ameliorated Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Suppressing Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

by Fuhua Li, Huiming Yan, Ling Jiang, Jichun Zhao, Xiaojuan Lei and Jian Ming

Foods 2022, 11(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11010049 - 26 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3482

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and nonspecific inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum, and its etiology remains obscure. Cherry polyphenols showed potential health-promoting effects. However, both the protective effect and mechanism of cherry polyphenols on UC are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of the free polyphenol extract of cherry in alleviating UC and its possible mechanism of action. Our study revealed that the free polyphenol extract of cherry management significantly alleviated UC symptoms, such as weight loss, colon shortening, the thickening of colonic mucous layer, etc. The free polyphenol extract of cherry treatment also introduced a significant reduction in levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and nitric oxide (NO), while causing a significant elevation in levels of catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This indicated that such positive effects were performed through reducing oxidative damage or in a cytokine-specific manner. The immunofluorescence analysis of ZO-1 and occludin proteins declared that the free polyphenol extract of cherry had the potential to prompt intestinal barrier function. The reduced expression levels of β-catenin, c-myc, cyclin D1 and GSK-3β suggested that the cherry extract performed its positive effect on UC by suppressing the Wnt/β-ctenin pathway. This finding may pave the way into further understanding the mechanism of cherry polyphenols ameliorating ulcerative colitis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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12 pages, 1359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Vegetable Powders Modulate Immune Homeostasis and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice

by Yixin Zou, Haifei Yu, Li Zhang and Zheng Ruan

Foods 2022, 11(1), 27; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11010027 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2677

Abstract

As the largest immune organ of the human body, the intestine also plays a vital role in nutrient digestion and absorption. Some vegetables are considered to have improvement effects on the intestine. This experiment explored the effects of freeze-dried asparagus, broccoli and cabbage powder on the intestinal immune homeostasis and microflora of mice. Thirty-two mice were divided into four groups (n = 8), including control group (fed normal diet), asparagus group (fed normal diet with 5% asparagus power), broccoli group (fed normal diet with 5% broccoli power) and cabbage group (fed normal diet with 5% cabbage power). The experiment lasted 21 days. The results showed that the serum immunoglobulin concentration (IgA and IgM) and intestinal cytokine content (like IFN-γ and TNF-α) were increased after vegetable powder supplement. The experiment also detected that vegetable powder supplementation changed intestinal flora and their metabolites (short-chain fatty acid), which showed that the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroides were decreased, while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus as well as propionic acid and butyric acid contents were increased. Together, these vegetable powders, especially cabbage, changed the intestinal immune response and microbial activity of mice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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17 pages, 2664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Curcumin Alleviated Aflatoxin B1-Induced Acute Liver Damage in Ducks by Regulating NLRP3–Caspase-1 Signaling Pathways

by Sanjun Jin, Hao Yang, Yingjie Wang, Qian Pang, Yihan Jiao, Anshan Shan and Xingjun Feng

Foods 2021, 10(12), 3086; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10123086 - 13 Dec 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2675

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mycotoxin widely distributed in animal feed and human food; it represents a serious threat to human and animal health. This study investigates the mechanism by which dietary curcumin protected liver against acute damage caused by AFB1 administration in ducks. One-day-old male ducks (n = 450) were randomly assigned to three groups, the control group, the AFB1 group, and the AFB1 + curcumin group; the first group were fed with basic diet, while the third group was fed basic diet containing 500 mg/kg curcumin. Ducks in the AFB1 group and AFB1 + curcumin group were challenged with AFB1 at the age of 70 days. The results show that AFB1 administration caused liver damage, increased CYP450 content and AFB1-DNA adducts in the liver, and induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the liver. Dietary curcumin significantly inhibited the generation of H₂O₂ and MDA in liver, activated the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, and suppressed the NLRP3–caspase-1 signaling pathway in the liver of ducks. Conclusively, curcumin in diet could protect duck liver against the generation of AFB1-DNA adducts, toxicity, oxidation stress and inflammatory response induced by AFB1 through regulating the NLRP3–caspase-1 signaling pathways, demonstrating that curcumin is a potential feed additive agent to reduce the serious harmful effects of AFB1 on duck breeding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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13 pages, 2741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Regulatory Effects of Citrus Peel Powder on Liver Metabolites and Gut Flora in Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

by Meiyi Hu, Li Zhang, Zheng Ruan, Peiheng Han and Yujuan Yu

Foods 2021, 10(12), 3022; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10123022 - 06 Dec 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3895

Abstract

Gannan navel orange and Jinggang pomelo, belonging to the genus Citrus, are good sources of phenolic compounds, which are mainly concentrated in the peel. These phenolic compounds are considered promising in the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In order to maximize nutrients retention and bioactivity in the peel, pomelo peel and orange peel were processed using freeze-drying technology and mixed in the ratio (pomelo peel powder 50% and orange peel powder 50%) to make citrus peel powder (CPP). The purpose of this study was to explore new strategies and mechanisms associated with the consumption of CPP to alleviate nonalcoholic fatty liver injury, lipid metabolism disorders, and gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that after 12 weeks of CPP administration, CPP supplementation had a strong inhibitory effect on HFD-induced weight gain, hepatic fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In particular, CPP modulates the composition of the intestinal flora, such as increasing the relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes, genus Faecalibaculum, genus Lactobacillus, genus Dubosiella, and genus Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_ group and decreasing the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidota, genus Helicobacter, and genus Bacteroides. These results suggest that CPP has a preventive effect on NAFLD, which can be related to the regulation of intestinal flora. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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12 pages, 1295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Dietary Curcumin Supplementation on Duck Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity and Breast Meat Quality

by Sanjun Jin, Hao Yang, Fangju Liu, Qian Pang, Anshan Shan and Xingjun Feng

Foods 2021, 10(12), 2981; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10122981 - 03 Dec 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2097

Abstract

This study aimed at examining the effects of curcumin supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and meat quality of ducks. To investigate these effects, 600 healthy ducks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with 10 replicates pens, and each pen contained 15 ducks. Ducks were fed a diet containing curcumin at levels of 0, 300, 400, and 500 mg kg⁻¹ in different groups. The results demonstrated that curcumin supplementation is beneficial to the growth performance (p < 0.05) of ducks and antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) of duck meat. In addition, dietary curcumin raised the meat quality of ducks, improving the meat color, increasing water-holding capacity, and inhibiting lipid and protein oxidation. In conclusion, the present study provides important insights into both the nutrient and qualities of ducks, finding that a dietary inclusion of 400–500 mg/kg of curcumin (kg⁻¹) has the greatest effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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17 pages, 10554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Apple Polyphenols Extract (APE) Alleviated Dextran Sulfate Sodium Induced Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Accompanying Neuroinflammation via Inhibition of Apoptosis and Pyroptosis

by Fang Liu, Xinjing Wang, Yuan Cui, Yan Yin, Dong Qiu, Shilan Li and Xinli Li

Foods 2021, 10(11), 2711; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10112711 - 05 Nov 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2469

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the potent anti-apoptosis and anti-pyroptosis effects of apple polyphenols extract (APE) on dextran sulfate sodium model group (DSS)-induced acute ulcerative colitis (UC) and the protective effect of APE against acute UC-related neuroinflammation and synapse damage. Forty-three C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into a control group (CON), a 3% DSS model group (DSS), a 500 mg/(kg·bw·d) APE group (HAP), and a 125 (LD) or 500 (HD) mg/(kg·bw·d) APE treatment concomitantly with DSS treatment group. The results showed that APE significantly ameliorated DSS-induced acute UC through inhibiting intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) apoptosis and the Caspase-1/Caspase-11-dependent pyroptosis pathway, with increased BCL-2 protein expression and decreased protein levels of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1/11, and GSDND. Furthermore, APE significantly reduced acute UC-related neuroinflammation and synapse damage, supported by decreased mRNA levels of hypothalamus Cox-2 and hippocampus Gfap and also increased the mRNA levels of hypothalamus Psd-95. The increased protein expression of ZO-1 and Occludin improved the intestinal barrier integrity and improved the function of goblet cells by upregulating the protein level of MUC-2 and TTF3 accounted for the beneficial effects of APE on UC-associated neuroinflammation. Therefore, APE might be a safe and effective agent for the management of acute UC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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21 pages, 3003 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MicroRNAs Involved in the Therapeutic Functions of Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Fruit Juice in the Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis in Mice Induced with Monosodium Urate

by Xiaohong Li, Yue Liu, Yaming Shan, Yukun Wang, Zhandong Li, Yingxin Bi, Weihao Zhao, Yuhe Yin, Tianlong Wang, Shuang Li, Fengjie Sun, Changwu Chen and Hao Li

Foods 2021, 10(7), 1638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10071638 - 15 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2452

Abstract

We investigated the functions of microRNAs in the therapeutic effects of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit juice on mouse models of acute gouty arthritis induced with monosodium urate (MSU). Compared with the model group (treated with MSU), mice in both the positive control group (treated with both MSU and colchicine) and noni fruit juice group (treated with MSU and noni fruit juice) showed a significantly decreased degree of paw swelling in 5 days, as well as the contents of two types of proinflammatory cytokines (i.e., NALP3 and TNF-α). Based on the next-generation sequencing technology, a total of 3896 microRNAs (234 known and 3662 novel) were identified in mice treated with noni fruit juice. A large amount of differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the noni fruit juice group, suggesting the significant effects of noni fruit juice on the mice with acute gouty arthritis, while the different patterns of change in the numbers of both upregulated and downregulated miRNAs in both noni fruit juice and positive control groups indicated that the mice of acute gouty arthritis may be regulated by differential mechanisms between the treatments of noni fruit juice and colchicine. The target genes of microRNAs involved in the pathogenesis and pathology of acute gouty arthritis in mice were identified and further annotated by both Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Our results revealed the therapeutic effects of noni fruit juice on acute gouty arthritis in mice with a group of microRNAs involved in the pharmacological mechanisms of noni fruit juice, providing scientific evidence to support both the agricultural cultivation and pharmacological significance of noni plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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15 pages, 2581 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Dietary Curcumin Alleviated Acute Ileum Damage of Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) Induced by AFB1 through Regulating Nrf2-ARE and NF-κB Signaling Pathways

by Sanjun Jin, Hao Yang, Yihan Jiao, Qian Pang, Yingjie Wang, Min Wang, Anshan Shan and Xingjun Feng

Foods 2021, 10(6), 1370; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10061370 - 14 Jun 2021

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 3317

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a stable toxic metabolite threatening health of human and animal and widely contaminated animal feed and human food. This present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary curcumin on ileum injury in ducks induced by AFB1 administration and explore its underlying mechanisms. Ducks (N = 450, one-day-old male) with a similar weight were randomly assigned to 3 groups, containing the control group, AFB1 group (60 μg AFB1 kg⁻¹ body weight) and curcumin (500 mg curcumin kg⁻¹ diet) + AFB1 group. AFB1 administration markedly increased the ileum damage, AFB1-DNA adducts in the plasma and oxidation stress and inflammation. Adding curcumin into diet protected the ileum against morphology damage induced by AFB1 administration, decreased AFB1-DNA adducts in the plasma and eliminated oxidation stress and inflammation in the ileum of ducks. Anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin could protect the ileum against acute damage via activating Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway and inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusively, curcumin was a dietary anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation agent via activating Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway and inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway to protect ileum against acute damage induced by AFB1 administration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders)

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Mechanisms of Dietary Plant Extracts in the Regulation of Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Disorders

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