The neuroprotective and antioxidative activities of five organosulfur compounds with a thioallyl structure (-S-CH2CH=CH2) were characterized in terms of structure-activity relationships. Among five organosulfur compounds, only S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) having the alanyl group (-CH2CH-NH2-COOH) and lacking the oxo (O=) group with in between molecular properties, was effective in protecting cell death induced by both oxygen glucose deprivation and global cerebral ischemia. Conversely, lipophillic organosulfur compounds including diallyl sulfide, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide were devoid of in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective activities. Furthermore, a significant correlation was only found between the in vivo neuroprotective activity and the OH- scavenging activity (gamma = 0.55 and p = 0.032) among reactive oxygen species scavenging activities. These results indicate that the presence of the alanyl group and the absence of the oxo group are essential for the manifestation of neuroprotective activity against ischemic insults and scavenging of OH radical, with SAC surfacing as a potent neuroprotectant.
Objective: Previous studies have separately reported the contributions of dietary factors to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its markers, including blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile. This study systematically reviewed the current evidence on this issue in the Korean population. Methods: Sixty-two studies from PubMed and Embase were included in this meta-analysis. We performed a random-effects model to analyze pooled odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the consumption of 14 food items, three macro-and eight micro-nutrients, two dietary patterns, and three dietary indices. Results: An analysis of pooled effect sizes from at least four individual study populations showed significant associations between coffee consumption and CVD (OR/HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52-0.97) and elevated/high triglycerides (TG) (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78-0.90), sugarsweetened beverage intake and elevated BP (OR/HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09-1.33), and milk and dairy intake and elevated/high TG and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (OR/HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76-0.89 for both). Carbohydrate consumption and the lowcarbohydrate-diet score were consistently related to an approximately 25% risk reduction for elevated TG and low HDL-C. A lower risk of elevated total cholesterol, but not low-density lipoprotein, was additionally observed for those with a higher low-carbohydrate-diet score. A healthy dietary pattern was only associated with a reduced risk of elevated TG in the Korea National Cancer Screenee Cohort (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.67-0.98). Conclusion: This study showed that milk and dairy and coffee had protective effects for CVD and its risk factors, such as BP and lipid profile, while sugar-sweetened beverages exerted harmful effects.
The neuroprotective effect of six aqueous extracts and one alcoholic extract prepared from seven medicinal plants that have been recorded as having therapeutic effects for stroke in Korean traditional medicine were studied using both in vitro and in vivo cerebral ischemia models. Among the extracts tested, the aqueous extracts of Acorus gramineus, Chrysanthemum indicum, and Pinus densiflora and the alcoholic extract of Vitis vinifera significantly increased the cell viability of SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (P < .05). Following two-vessel occlusion in gerbils, extracts of P. densiflora and V. vinifera significantly increased the number of surviving cells/mm(2) of the CA1 region by 2.1-2.2-fold (P < .01). Oral or intraperitoneal administration of S-allyl cysteine, as a positive control, also markedly increased cell survival up to about 3.3-fold at the dosage of 300 mg/kg of body weight (P < .01). These results indicate that P. densiflora and V. vinifera exert neuroprotective effects against ischemic insults in both the in vitro and in vivo cerebral ischemia models and prompted us to further characterize the detailed mechanism of action and elucidate the active principles.
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