The primary objective of this study was to examine the extent to which black adzuki bean (BAB) extract attenuates the development of high‐fat diet‐induced obesity in mice. Four‐week‐old C57BL/6J mice were fed one of the following diets for 12 weeks: control diet containing 10% of its energy as fat (CD); high‐fat diet, containing 60% of its energy as fat (HD); high‐fat diet mixed with 1% freeze‐dried BAB extract powder (BAB); or high‐fat diet mixed with 0.08% kaempferol (Kfr). Compared to the HD group, the BAB group showed significantly reduced body weight, reduced white adipose tissue weight, and a reduced adipocyte phenotype. Moreover, the BAB group exhibited decreased signs of liver pathology, decreased liver weight, and decreased formation of hepatic lipid droplets. Lipogenesis‐associated genes were significantly downregulated in epididymal fat tissue, while lipolytic and β‐oxidation genes were upregulated in the BAB group relative to the HD group. Overall, BAB extract is a promising dietary supplement with the potential to attenuate obesity. Practical applications The adzuki bean has been traditionally consumed as a food and has been used as a traditional remedy in East Asia. Moreover, black adzuki beans have been shown to exhibit beneficial effects, such as anti‐obesity and anti‐steatosis effects, by regulating lipid metabolism.

Onion peel (OP) extract is known as a rich source of flavonoids, mainly quercetin. We hypothesized that OP has hypocholesterolemic effects. To investigate the effect of OP, C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 dietary groups (=10); normal diet (ND); high cholesterol diet (HC); and high cholesterol diet with 100 or 200 mg OP extract (OP-100 or OP-200, respectively) per kg of body weight. After 12 weeks, lower values of liver weight, serum total cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol, atherogenic index, cardiac risk factor, hepatic triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol, and higher fecal cholesterol levels were observed in the OP-200 than in the HC group. The hepatic mRNA expression levels of low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDL-R) and cholesterol 7-alpha-monooxygenase (CYP7A1) were high in the OP-200 compared to the HC group. These observations suggest that OP promoted lowering of serum and hepatic cholesterol in mice primarily via fecal excretion.

Adriamycin is a commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic drug for a wide range of cancers. Adriamycin causes cardiotoxicity as an adverse effect that limits its clinical application in cancer treatment. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the toxicity it causes in heart cells. Disruption of inherent cardiac repair mechanism is the least understood mechanism of Adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity. Adriamycin induces pathological remodeling in cardiac cells by promoting apoptosis, hypertrophy, and fibrosis. We found that Adriamycin inhibited Notch1 in a time- and dose-dependent manner in H9c2 cells. We used Paeonol, a Notch1 activator, and analyzed the markers of apoptosis, hypertrophy, and fibrosis in H9c2 cells in vitro and in adult zebrafish heart in vivo as model systems to study Adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity. Paeonol activated Notch1 signaling and expression of its downstream target genes effectively in the Adriamycin-treated condition in vitro and in vivo. Also we detected that Notch activation using Paeonol protected the cells from apoptosis, collagen deposition, and hypertrophy response using functional assays. We conclude that Adriamycin induced cardiotoxicity by promoting the pathological cardiac remodeling through inhibition of Notch1 signaling and that the Notch1 reactivation by Paeonol protected the cells and reversed the cardiotoxicity.

Oestrus urine was proved as a potential endocrine modulator in alleviating the toxicity induced by 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) in male rats. We, in this study, aimed to prove the attributing potential of toxicity alleviation to squalene, an oestrus-specific pheromone in rats. A single dose of 3-methylcholanthrene (25 mg/kg BW, i.p.) was administered to male Wistar rats with concurrent exposure to squalene sprayed in bedding material (Group III). Group II rats did receive 3-MC treatment but did not expose to squalene. Group I rats were intact control neither administered 3-MC nor sprayed with squalene. In consequence of 3-MC toxicity, liver and testes weights were increased and the components of blood cells (RBC and WBC count, Hb level) and testosterone concentration were significantly reduced in Group II rats. Moreover, sperm count was reduced and antioxidants (testes and epididymis) were significantly altered. Exposure to squalene in Group III rats comparatively normalised all the variable components towards baseline and reorganised the histological architecture of reproductive tissues that were exacerbated with 3-MC toxicity. This study ultimately proved squalene as a potent molecule in alleviating the toxicity induced by 3-methylcholanthrene.

Abstract:The objective of this study was to explore the antioxidant levels and anticancer properties of chicory cultivated using three different kinds of fertilizers (i.e., developed, organic, and chemical) in the presence and absence of pesticides. Phenolic phytochemicals, including total polyphenols and flavonoids, and antioxidant activities, including reducing power, ABTS + and DPPH radical scavenging activity, were analyzed using several antioxidant assays. HepG2 cell viability was analyzed using the MTT assay. The antioxidant properties of chicory were found to increase when cultivated with chemical fertilizer in the absence of pesticides. On the other hand, antioxidant capacity was higher in chicory cultivated with eco-developed fertilizer even in the presence of pesticides. Chicory grown using eco-developed or organic fertilizer was more effective in suppressing the proliferation of HepG2 cells when compared to chicory grown with chemical fertilizer. This effect was time dependent, regardless of treatment with or without pesticides. In conclusion, the antioxidant activity of chicory were affected by the presence or absence of pesticides. However, developed and organic fertilizers showed a strong anti-proliferative effect against HepG2 cells, regardless of the presence or absence of pesticides.