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1.
Potential Therapeutic Effects of Natural Plant Compounds in Kidney Disease.
Avila-Carrasco, L, García-Mayorga, EA, Díaz-Avila, DL, Garza-Veloz, I, Martinez-Fierro, ML, González-Mateo, GT
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2021;(20)
Abstract
BACKGROUND The blockade of the progression or onset of pathological events is essential for the homeostasis of an organism. Some common pathological mechanisms involving a wide range of diseases are the uncontrolled inflammatory reactions that promote fibrosis, oxidative reactions, and other alterations. Natural plant compounds (NPCs) are bioactive elements obtained from natural sources that can regulate physiological processes. Inflammation is recognized as an important factor in the development and evolution of chronic renal damage. Consequently, any compound able to modulate inflammation or inflammation-related processes can be thought of as a renal protective agent and/or a potential treatment tool for controlling renal damage. The objective of this research was to review the beneficial effects of bioactive natural compounds on kidney damage to reveal their efficacy as demonstrated in clinical studies. METHODS This systematic review is based on relevant studies focused on the impact of NPCs with therapeutic potential for kidney disease treatment in humans. RESULTS Clinical studies have evaluated NPCs as a different way to treat or prevent renal damage and appear to show some benefits in improving OS, inflammation, and antioxidant capacity, therefore making them promising therapeutic tools to reduce or prevent the onset and progression of KD pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS This review shows the promising clinical properties of NPC in KD therapy. However, more robust clinical trials are needed to establish their safety and therapeutic effects in the area of renal damage.
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2.
Food and Nutrition in the Pathogenesis of Liver Damage.
Mega, A, Marzi, L, Kob, M, Piccin, A, Floreani, A
Nutrients. 2021;(4)
Abstract
The liver is an important organ and plays a key role in the regulation of metabolism and in the secretion, storage, and detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances. The impact of food and nutrition on the pathophysiological mechanisms of liver injury represents a great controversy. Several environmental factors including food and micronutrients are involved in the pathogenesis of liver damage. Conversely, some xenobiotics and micronutrients have been recognized to have a protective effect in several liver diseases. This paper offers an overview of the current knowledge on the role of xenobiotics and micronutrients in liver damage.
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3.
Alcohol Consumption in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Path through the Immune System.
Azizov, V, Zaiss, MM
Nutrients. 2021;(4)
Abstract
Benefits and harms of different components of human diet have been known for hundreds of years. Alcohol is one the highest consumed, abused, and addictive substances worldwide. Consequences of alcohol abuse are increased risks for diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver, and nervous system, as well as reduced immune system function. Paradoxically, alcohol has also been a consistent protective factor against the development of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we focused on summarizing current findings on the effects of alcohol, as well as of its metabolites, acetaldehyde and acetate, on the immune system and RA. Heavy or moderate alcohol consumption can affect intestinal barrier integrity, as well as the microbiome, possibly contributing to RA. Additionally, systemic increase in acetate negatively affects humoral immune response, diminishing TFH cell as well as professional antigen-presenting cell (APC) function. Hence, alcohol consumption has profound effects on the efficacy of vaccinations, but also elicits protection against autoimmune diseases. The mechanism of alcohol's negative effects on the immune system is multivariate. Future studies addressing alcohol and its metabolite acetate's effect on individual components of the immune system remains crucial for our understanding and development of novel therapeutic pathways.
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4.
From the distinctive smell to therapeutic effects: Garlic for cardiovascular, hepatic, gut, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Ribeiro, M, Alvarenga, L, Cardozo, LFMF, Chermut, TR, Sequeira, J, de Souza Gouveia Moreira, L, Teixeira, KTR, Shiels, PG, Stenvinkel, P, Mafra, D
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2021;(7):4807-4819
Abstract
Garlic, a member of the Allium family, widely used in cooking for many centuries, displays well described antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as a result of its constituent organosulfur compounds, such as alliin, allicin, ajoene S-allyl-cysteine, diallyl sulfide and diallyl disulfide, among others. Although garlic has demonstrated beneficial effects in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, its efficacy as a therapeutic intervention in chronic kidney disease remains to be proven. This review thus focuses on the potential benefits of garlic as a treatment option in chronic kidney disease. and its ability to mitigate associated cardiovascular complications and gut dysbiosis.
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5.
Research progress on the protection and detoxification of phytochemicals against aflatoxin B1-Induced liver toxicity.
Fan, T, Xie, Y, Ma, W
Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology. 2021;:58-68
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent hepatotoxic toxin, which can cause hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver immunological damage. It has been involved in the etiology of human hepatocellular carcinoma. AFB1 can cause oxidative stress in the body's metabolism process, and then cause cytotoxicity, such as apoptosis and DNA damage. Scientific research has discovered that phytochemicals can induce the detoxification pathway of AFB1 through its biotransformation, thereby reducing the damage of AFB1 to the human body. In clinical treatment, certain phytochemicals have been effectively used in the treatment of liver injury due to the advantages of multiple targets, multiple pathways, low toxicity and side effects. Therefore, the article summarizes the toxic mechanism of AFB1-induced hepatoxicity, and the related research progress of phytochemicals for preventing and treating its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. We also look forward to the existing problems and application prospects of phytochemicals in the pharmaceutical industry, in order to provide theoretical reference for the prevention and treatment of AFB1 poisoning in future research work.
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6.
Protective Roles of Honey in Reproductive Health: A Review.
Zaid, SSM, Ruslee, SS, Mokhtar, MH
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2021;(11)
Abstract
Nowadays, most people who lead healthy lifestyles tend to use natural products as supplements, complementary medicine or alternative treatments. Honey is God's precious gift to mankind. Honey has been highly appreciated and extensively used since ancient history due to its high nutritional and therapeutic values. It is also known to enhance fertility. In the last few decades, the important role of honey in modern medicine has been acknowledged due to the large body of convincing evidence derived from extensive laboratory studies and clinical investigations. Honey has a highly complex chemical and biological composition that consists of various essential bioactive compounds, enzymes, amino and organic acids, acid phosphorylase, phytochemicals, carotenoid-like substances, vitamins and minerals. Reproductive health and fertility rates have declined in the last 30 years. Therefore, this review aimed to highlight the protective role of honey as a potential therapeutic in maintaining reproductive health. The main role of honey is to enhance fertility and treat infertility problems by acting as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for protecting the vagina and uterus from atrophy, protecting against the toxic effects of xeno-oestrogenic agents on female reproductive functions and helping in the treatment of gynaecological disorders, such as vulvovaginal candidiasis infection, that affect women's lives.
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7.
Edible Mushrooms and Beta-Glucans: Impact on Human Health.
Cerletti, C, Esposito, S, Iacoviello, L
Nutrients. 2021;(7)
Abstract
Mushroom cell walls are rich in β-glucans, long or short-chain polymers of glucose subunits with β-1,3 and β-1,6 linkages, that are responsible for the linear and branching structures, respectively. β-glucans from cereals, at variance, have no 1,6 linkages nor branching structures. Both immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of mushrooms have been described using purified β-glucans or fungi extracts on cellular and experimental models; their potential clinical use has been tested in different conditions, such as recurrent infections of the respiratory tract or complications of major surgery. Another promising application of β-glucans is on cancer, as adjuvant of conventional chemotherapy. β-glucans may protect the cardiovascular system, ameliorating glucose, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure: these activities, observed for oat and barley β-glucans, require confirmation in human studies with mushroom β-glucans. On the other hand, mushrooms may also protect the cardiovascular system via a number of other components, such as bioactive phenolic compounds, vitamins, and mineral elements. The growing knowledge on the mechanism(s) and health benefits of mushrooms is encouraging the development of a potential clinical use of β-glucans, and also to further document their role in preserving health and prevent disease in the context of healthy lifestyles.
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8.
Silymarin and Cancer: A Dual Strategy in Both in Chemoprevention and Chemosensitivity.
Delmas, D, Xiao, J, Vejux, A, Aires, V
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2020;(9)
Abstract
Silymarin extracted from milk thistle consisting of flavonolignan silybin has shown chemopreventive and chemosensitizing activity against various cancers. The present review summarizes the current knowledge on the potential targets of silymarin against various cancers. Silymarin may play on the system of xenobiotics, metabolizing enzymes (phase I and phase II) to protect normal cells against various toxic molecules or to protect against deleterious effects of chemotherapeutic agents on normal cells. Furthermore, silymarin and its main bioactive compounds inhibit organic anion transporters (OAT) and ATP-binding cassettes (ABC) transporters, thus contributing to counteracting potential chemoresistance. Silymarin and its derivatives play a double role, namely, limiting the progression of cancer cells through different phases of the cycle-thus forcing them to evolve towards a process of cell death-and accumulating cancer cells in a phase of the cell cycle-thus making it possible to target a greater number of tumor cells with a specific anticancer agent. Silymarin exerts a chemopreventive effect by inducing intrinsic and extrinsic pathways and reactivating cell death pathways by modulation of the ratio of proapoptotic/antiapoptotic proteins and synergizing with agonists of death domains receptors. In summary, we highlight how silymarin may act as a chemopreventive agent and a chemosensitizer through multiple pathways.
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9.
The Role of Glycosaminoglycans in Protection from Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Narrative Review.
Burge, K, Bergner, E, Gunasekaran, A, Eckert, J, Chaaban, H
Nutrients. 2020;(2)
Abstract
Necrotizing enterocolitis, a potentially fatal intestinal inflammatory disorder affecting primarily premature infants, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. While the etiology of the disease is, as yet, unknown, a number of risk factors for the development of necrotizing enterocolitis have been identified. One such risk factor, formula feeding, has been shown to contribute to both increased incidence and severity of the disease. The protective influences afforded by breastfeeding are likely attributable to the unique composition of human milk, an extremely potent, biologically active fluid. This review brings together knowledge on the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis and current thinking on the instrumental role of one of the more prominent classes of bioactive components in human breast milk, glycosaminoglycans.
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10.
Antidotal or protective effects of honey and one of its major polyphenols, chrysin, against natural and chemical toxicities.
Samarghandian, S, Azimi-Nezhad, M, Pourbagher Shahri, AM, Farkhondeh, T
Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis. 2019;(4):533-550
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Honey and its polyphenolic compounds are of main natural antioxidants that have been used in traditional medicine. The aim of this review was to identify the protective effects of honey and chrysin (a polyphenol available in honey) against the chemical and natural toxic agents. METHOD The scientific databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched to identify studies on the antidotal effects of honey and chrysin against toxic agents. RESULTS This study found that honey had protective activity against toxic agents-induced organ damages by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis pathways. However, clinical trial studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of honey and chrysin as antidote agents in human intoxication. CONCLUSION Honey and chrysin may be effective against toxic agents. (www.actabiomedica.it).