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A number of reports of the effects of garlic on gut microbiota revealed that the active garlic organosulfur compounds (OSCs) are destabilized by the action of alliinase during garlic preparation. In this study, garlic alliinase was deactivated to obtain stable garlic OSCs. Experiments with C57BL/6J mice fed with lipid and glucose metabolic disorder-inducing Western diet (WD) revealed that stable garlic OSCs prevented the disorder by increasing the relative abundance of gut

Lonicera caerulea L. berry polyphenols (LCBP) are considered as major components for bioactivity. This study aimed to clarify the molecular mechanisms by monitoring inflammatory and antioxidant mediator actions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse paw edema and macrophage cell model. LCBP significantly attenuated LPS-induced paw edema (3.0 ± 0.1 to 2.8 ± 0.1 mm, P0.05) and reduced (P0.05) serum levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1, 100.9 ± 2.3 to 58.3 ± 14.5 ng/mL), interleukin (IL)-10 (1596.1 ± 424.3 to 709.7 ± 65.7 pg/mL), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α (1761.9 ± 208.3 to 1369.1 ± 56.4 pg/mL), IL-6 (1262.8 ± 71.7 to 499.0 ± 67.1 pg/mL), IL-4 (93.3 ± 25.7 to 50.7 ± 12.5 pg/mL), IL-12(p-70) (580.4 ± 132.0 to 315.2 ± 35.1 pg/mL), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, 2045.5 ± 264.9 to 1270.7 ± 158.6 pg/mL). Cell signaling analysis revealed that LCBP inhibited transforming growth factor β activated kinase-1 (TAK1)-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathways, and enhanced the expression of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in earlier response. Moreover, cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G) and (-)-epicatechin (EC), two major components of LCBP, directly bound to TAK1. These data demonstrated that LCBP might inhibit LPS-induced inflammation by modulating both inflammatory and antioxidant mediators.

The extract from baked sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam. cv. Koganesengan) showed potential cancer-preventing effects. The extract was partially fractionated to four fractions (I, II-a II-b, and III) by Sephadex G-25 gel chromatography. The cytotoxicity against human myelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells, the suppression of TPA-induced transformation in mouse skin JB6 C141 cells, the apoptosis inducing activity in HL-60 cells, and the scavenging capacity against DPPH radical were tested on the four fractions. Fractions II-a and III showed markedly strong radical scavenging effects on the DPPH radical, coinciding with the high content of total phenolic compounds in the fractions. Both of these fractions suppressed strongly the proliferation of HL-60 cells with apoptosis induction in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the two fractions markedly blocked TPA-induced cell transformation in the JB6 cell line. Taken together, these data suggest that the water extract from baked sweet potato had potential chemopreventive properties.

Anthocyanin-rich aqueous extracts from cell suspension cultures of a high anthocyanin-producing sweetpotato PL (purple line) cell line grown under two different media conditions, MM (multiplication medium) and APM (high anthocyanin-producing medium) and from the cell line's donor tissue, field-grown storage root (SR) of sweetpotato, cv. Ayamurasaki, were evaluated for antioxidative (DPPH test), antimutagenic (Salmonella/reversion assay; mutagen, Trp-P-1), and antiproliferative (human promyelocytic leukaemia cells HL-60) activities. Both cell line extracts MM and APM exhibited higher radical scavenging activities (RSA), 3.8- and 1.4-fold, respectively, than the SR extract. The antimutagenic activity of all extracts was found to be dose-dependent. At a dose of 1 mg/plate, the highest activity exhibited APM (73% inhibition of Trp-P-1-induced reverse mutation of Salmonella typhimurium TA98), followed by MM (54% inhibition) and SR (36% inhibition). The MM extract was the strongest inhibitor of the proliferation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells. At a concentration of 1.6 mg/mL medium during 24 h, it suppressed the growth of 47% of HL-60 cells. A significantly lower growth suppression effect displayed APM and SR extracts (21 and 25%, respectively). Total anthocyanin levels and anthocyanin composition in evaluated samples seem to be related to their activities. The MM extract, which exhibited the highest RSA and antiproliferation activities, contained the highest level of anthocyanins. Among them, nonacylated cyanidin 3-sophoroside-5-glucoside dominated. It is speculated that the presence of this anthocyanin contributed toward enhanced activities of MM extract.

Oolong tea theasinensins are a group of tea polyphenols different from green tea catechins and black tea theaflavins. The present study reports the inhibitory effects of oolong tea theasinensins on the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and underlying molecular mechanisms in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophage RAW264 cells. The structure-activity data revealed that the galloyl moiety of theasinensins played an important role in the inhibitory actions. Theasinensin A, a more potent inhibitor, caused a dose-dependent inhibition of mRNA, protein, and promoter activity of COX-2. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that theasinensin A reduced the complex of NF-κB- and AP-1-DNA in the promoter of COX-2. Signaling analysis demonstrated that theasinensin A attenuated IκB-α degradation, nuclear p65 accumulation, and c-Jun phosphorylation. Furthermore, theasinensin A suppressed the phosphorylation of MAPKs, IκB kinase α/β (IKKα/β), and TGF-β activated kinase (TAK1). These data demonstrated that the down-regulation of TAK1-mediated MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways might be involved in the inhibition of COX-2 expression by theasinensin A. These findings provide the first molecular basis for the anti-inflammatory properties of oolong tea theasinensins.