Nutrition
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Studies have shown that the inability of adipose tissue to properly expand during the obese state or respond to insulin can lead to metabolic dysfunction. Artemisia is a diverse group of plants that has a history of medicinal use. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of ethanolic extracts of Artemisia scoparia (SCO) and Artemisia santolinifolia (SAN) to modulate adipocyte development in cultured adipocytes and white adipose tissue (WAT) function in vivo using a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. ⋯ Overall, these studies demonstrate that extracts from two Artemisia species can have metabolically favorable effects on adipocytes and WAT.
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St. John's Wort (SJW) extract, which is commonly used to treat depression, inhibits the reuptake of several neurotransmitters, including glutamate, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Glutamatergic visceral vagal afferents synapse upon neurons of the solitary tract (NST); thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether SJW extract modulates glutamatergic neurotransmission within the NST. ⋯ These data suggest that SJW extract can significantly increase the probability of glutamate release from vagal afferents onto the NST by increasing presynaptic calcium. The in vitro vagal afferent synapse with NST neurons is an ideal model system to examine the mechanism of action of botanical agents on glutamatergic neurotransmission.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the overall antioxidant of Lactobacillus fermentum LF31 bacterium with prebiotic supplement in human colon cultured cells. ⋯ The L. fermentum used in the present study exhibited significant in vitro antioxidant capacity, increasing the total antioxidant potential.
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A botanical extract from Artemisia dracunculus L., termed PMI 5011, has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity by increasing cellular insulin signaling in in vitro and in vivo studies. These studies suggest that PMI 5011 effects changes in phosphorylation levels of proteins involved in insulin signaling. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of this promising botanical extract on the human skeletal muscle phosphoproteome, by evaluating changes in site-specific protein phosphorylation levels in primary skeletal muscle cultures from obese, insulin-resistant individuals stimulated with and without insulin. ⋯ This phosphoproteomics analysis demonstrated conclusively that PMI 5011 effects changes in phosphorylation levels of proteins and identified novel pathways by which PMI 5011 exerts its insulin-sensitizing effects in skeletal muscle.
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Plant-based therapies have been used in medicine throughout recorded history. Information about the therapeutic properties of plants often can be found in local cultures as folk medicine is communicated from one generation to the next. The aim of this study was to identify native Louisiana plants from Creole folk medicine as a potential source of therapeutic compounds for the treatment of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and related disorders. ⋯ An interdisciplinary approach to screening botanical sources of therapeutic agents can be successfully applied to identify native plants used in folk medicine as potential sources of therapeutic agents in treating insulin resistance in skeletal muscle or inflammatory processes associated with obesity-related insulin resistance.