Metabolic dysregulation (e.g., hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, etc.) is a hallmark of obesity-related diseases such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease. In this study, we assessed whether dietary capsaicin attenuated the metabolic dysregulation in genetically obese diabetic KKAy mice, which have severe diabetic phenotypes. Male KKAy mice fed a high-fat diet for 2 weeks received a 0.015% capsaicin supplement for a further 3 weeks and were compared with nonsupplemented controls. Dietary capsaicin markedly decreased fasting glucose/insulin and triglyceride levels in the plasma and/or liver, as well as expression of inflammatory adipocytokine genes (e.g., monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-6) and macrophage infiltration. At the same time expression of the adiponectin gene/protein and its receptor, AdipoR2, increased in adipose tissue and/or plasma, accompanied by increased activation of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase, a marker of fatty acid oxidation. These findings suggest that dietary capsaicin reduces metabolic dysregulation in obese/diabetic KKAy mice by enhancing expression of adiponectin and its receptor. Capsaicin may be useful as a dietary factor for reducing obesity-related metabolic dysregulation.

Probiotics modulate the gut microbiota, which in turn regulate immune responses to maintain balanced immune homeostasis in the host. However, it is unclear how probiotic bacteria regulate immune responses. In this study we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of heat-killed probiotics, including Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC3 (LP3), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CKDB008 (LP8), and Limosilactobacillus fermentum SRK414 (LF4), via phagocytosis, nitric oxide (NO), and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in macrophages. We thus found that heat-killed LP8 could promote the clearance of foreign pathogens by enhancing the phagocytosis of macrophages. Treatment with heat-killed LP8 induced the production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. In addition, heat-killed LP8 suppressed the production of NO and cytokines in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, suggesting that heat-killed LP8 exerts immunomodulatory effects depending on the host condition. In sum, these results indicate that heat-killed LP8 possesses the potential for immune modulation while providing a molecular basis for the development of functional probiotics prepared from inactivated bacterial cells.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) colonization of the stomach mucosa and duodenum is the major cause of acute and chronic gastroduodenal pathology in humans. Efforts to find effective anti-bacterial strategies against H. pylori for the non-antibiotic control of H. pylori infection are urgently required. In this study, we used whey to prepare glycomacropeptide (GMP), from which sialic acid (G-SA) was enzymatically isolated. We investigated the anti-bacterial effects of G-SA against H. pylori in vitro and in an H. pylori-infected murine model.MATERIALS/METHODSThe anti-bacterial activity of G-SA was measured in vitro using the macrodilution method, and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production was measured in H. pylori and AGS cell co-cultures by ELISA. For in vivo study, G-SA 5 g/kg body weight (bw)/day and H. pylori were administered to mice three times over one week. After one week, G-SA 5 g/kg bw/day alone was administered every day for one week. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 levels were measured by ELISA to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of G-SA. In addition, real-time PCR was performed to measure the genetic expression of cytotoxin-associated gene A (cagA).RESULTSG-SA inhibited the growth of H. pylori and suppressed IL-8 production in H. pylori and in AGS cell co-cultures in vitro. In the in vivo assay, administration of G-SA reduced levels of IL-1β and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines whereas IL-10 level increased. Also, G-SA suppressed the expression of cagA in the stomach of H. pylori-infected mice.CONCLUSIONG-SA possesses anti-H. pylori activity as well as an anti-H. pylori-induced gastric inflammatory effect in an experimental H. pylori-infected murine model. G-SA has potential as an alternative to antibiotics for the prevention of H. pylori infection and H. pylori-induced gastric disease prevention.

Mineral fertilizers are expensive and last only a relatively short time. Proper handling of fertilizers has a direct impact on crop quality and profitability. Currently, straight fertilizers are divided into types, A and B, based on the fertilizer's sedimentation properties when mixed. Therefore, to solve these flaws, we developed a vitamin C-substrate organomineral fertilizer, AGH-Ringer. This study consisted of a fertilizer equivalency test, which lasted 15 weeks of soil cultivation in a farm field, using lettuce (Lactuca sativa L., ' Jeok Chi Ma') with AGH-Ringer as a test fertilizer. This fertilizer was based on powder compound-type fertilizer r-Ringer and manufactured by chelating essential minerals with a vitamin C substrate to have NPK contents in a ratio of 18.9:14:4.0. In the onsite evaluation, the superiority of AGH-Ringer was demonstrated through an effect of growth stimulation in both aerial and rhizosphere parts of the plants at suitable soil temperatures. This fertilizer also increased yield, even in inadequate low-temperature conditions. In addition, AGHRinger increased the absorption and bioavailability of minerals in lettuce leaves at harvest. The mineral absorption ability showed a uniform pattern during the entire harvest period. It has been confirmed that AGH-Ringer, manufactured with vitamin C as a substrate, is a fertilizer with excellent efficacy that increases growth and harvest simultaneously, solving the existing problems of chemical fertilizers such as sedimentation and lack of mineral absorptivity in nutrient solution systems.

AIMTo investigate the bactericidal effects of calcium chelated N-acetylneuraminic acid-glycomacropeptide (CaG-NANA) against Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).METHODSFor manufacture of CaG-NANA, calcium (Ca) was combined with glycomacropeptide (GMP) by chelating, and N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) was produced with Ca-GMP substrate by an enzymatic method. The final concentration of each component was 5% Ca, 7% NANA, 85% GMP, and 3% water. For in vitro study, various concentrations of CaG-NANA were investigated under the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). For in vivo study, CaG-NANA was administered orally for 3 wk after H. pylori infection. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in blood were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and eradication of H. pylori was assessed by histological observation.RESULTSThe time-kill curves showed a persistent decrease in cell numbers, which depended on the dose of CaG-NANA, and MIC of CaG-NANA against H. pylori was 0.5% in vitro. Histopathologic observation revealed no obvious inflammation or pathologic changes in the gastric mucosa in the CaG-NANA treatment group in vivo. The colonization of H. pylori was reduced after CaG-NANA treatment. The levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-10 were also decreased by CaG-NANA.CONCLUSIONCaG-NANA demonstrates effective anti-bactericidal activity against H. pylori both in vitro and in vivo.