This study tests the hypothesis that perinatal taurine supplementation prevents diabetes mellitus and hypertension in adult offspring of maternal diabetic rats. Female Wistar rats were fed normal rat chow and tap water with (Diabetes group) or without diabetic induction by intraperitoneal streptozotocin injection (Control group) before pregnancy. Then, they were supplemented with 3% taurine in water (Control+T and Diabetes+T groups) or water alone from conception to weaning. After weaning, both male and female offspring were fed normal rat chow and tap water throughout the study. Blood chemistry and cardiovascular parameters were studied in 16-week old rats. Body, heart, and kidney weights were not significantly different among the eight groups. Further, lipid profiles except triglyceride were not significantly different among male and female groups, while male Diabetes displayed increased fasting blood glucose, decreased plasma insulin, and increased plasma triglyceride compared to other groups. Compared to Control, mean arterial pressures significantly increased and baroreflex control of heart rate decreased in both male and female Diabetes, while heart rates significantly decreased in male but increased in female Diabetes group. Although perinatal taurine supplementation did not affect any measured parameters in Control groups, it abolished the adverse effects of maternal diabetes on fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, lipid profiles, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and baroreflex sensitivity in adult male and female offspring. The present study indicates that maternal diabetes mellitus induces metabolic and cardiovascular defects more in male than female adult offspring, and these adverse effects can be prevented by perinatal taurine supplementation.

Perinatal taurine depletion leads to several physiological impairments in adult life, in part, due to taurine’s effects on the renin-angiotensin system, a crucial regulator of growth and differentiation during early life. The present study tests the hypothesis that perinatal taurine depletion predisposes adult female rats to impaired baroreceptor control of arterial pressure by altering the renin-angiotensin system. Female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed normal rat chow and from conception to weaning drank 3% beta-alanine in water (taurine depletion, TD) or water alone (Control, C). Female offspring ate a normal rat chow and drank water with (G) or without (W) 5% glucose throughout the experiment. To test the possible role of the renin-angiotensin system, 50% of the rats received captopril (an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, 400 mg/L) from 7 days before parameter measurements until the end of experiment. At 7-8 weeks of age, arterial pressure, heart rate, baroreflex control of heart rate and renal nerve activity were studied in either conscious, freely moving or anesthetized rats. Perinatal taurine depletion did not alter resting mean arterial pressure or heart rate in the adult female offspring that received either high or normal sugar intake. Captopril treatment slightly decreased mean arterial pressure but not heart rate in all groups. Compared to controls, only the TDG rats displayed blunted baroreflex responses. Captopril treatment normalized baroreflex sensitivity in TDG. The present data indicate that in perinatal taurine depleted female rats, the renin-angiotensin system underlines the ability of high sugar intake to blunt baroreceptor responses.

The present study tests the sex-dependent effect of perinatal taurine exposure on arterial pressure control in adults. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow with 3% beta-alanine (taurine depletion, TD), 3% taurine (taurine supplementation, TS) or water alone (C) from conception to weaning. Their male and female offspring were then fed normal rat chow and tap water with 5% glucose (C with glucose, CG; TD with glucose, TDG; TS with glucose, TSG) or water alone (CW, TDW or TSW). At 7-8 weeks of age, they were studied in a conscious condition. Body weights were lower in male and female TDG and male TDW rats. Kidney to body weights increased in female TSW but not TSG. Plasma sodium and potassium were not significantly different among males. In the females, plasma sodium levels were lower in all glucose treated groups while plasma potassium levels were lower only in TDG. Hematocrit, fasting blood glucose, and glucose tolerance were not significantly different among sexes. Mean arterial pressures increased in male TDG, TSW, and TSG while in the females, mean arterial pressures increased in TDW, TDG, and TSG. Heart rates were not significantly different among sexes. The present data indicate that perinatal exposure alters arterial pressure control of adult rats and this effect is gender specific.

Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf., commonly known as lemongrass, possesses strong antioxidant and cardiotonic properties. Lemongrass water extract contains several polyphenolic compounds including gallic acid, isoquercetin, quercetin, rutin, catechin and tannic acid. Rutin, isoquercetin catechin and quercetin are the flavonoids most abundantly found in the extract. The extract significantly decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and atherogenic index in rats after treatment (p < 0.05). Expression of genes and protein of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP1c) and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) was also lowered significantly in treated groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, serum antioxidant capacity increased in treated rats in comparison with untreated ones (p < 0.05) and was associated with decreased serum lipid peroxidation.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Cordyceps sinensis extract (CSE) and Gymnema inodorum extract (GIE), used alone and combined, on antiadipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Oil Red O staining was used to examine the effects of these extracts on inhibition of intracellular lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and on lipid droplet morphology. Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy was used to examine biomolecular changes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The pancreatic lipase assay was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of CSE and GIE on pancreatic lipase activity. Taken together, the results indicated that CSE, GIE, and their combination suppressed lipid accumulation. The FTIR microspectroscopy results indicated that CSE, GIE, and their combination had inhibitory effects on lipid accumulation in the adipocytes. Compared with the untreated adipocytes, the signal intensity and integrated areas of glycogen and other carbohydrates, the acyl chain of phospholipids, and the lipid/protein ratios of the CSE, GIE, alone, and combined treated adipocytes were significantly lower (p < 0.05). Combination treatment resulted in a synergistic effect on lipid accumulation reduction in the adipocytes. Principal component analysis of the biomolecular changes revealed six distinct clusters in the FTIR spectra of the sample cells. The pancreatic lipase assay results indicated that CSE and GIE inhibited the pancreatic lipase activity in a dose-dependent manner (mean ± standard error of the mean IC50 values, 2312.44 ± 176.55 μg mL−1 and 982.24 ± 44.40 μg mL−1, resp.). Our findings indicated that FTIR microspectroscopy has potential application for evaluation of the effectiveness of medicinal plants and for the development of infrared biochemical obesity markers useful for treating patients with obesity. These results suggested that use of CSE and GIE alone and in combination may be efficacious as a complementary therapy for hyperlipidemia and obesity management. However, clinical trials in animals and humans must first be completed.