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Arabinoxylan (AX), a key non-starch polysaccharide found in the cell walls of cereals like wheat, holds significant importance in the food industry. Recently, it has attracted attention due to its numerous health benefits. While the benefits of wheat arabinoxylans are well-established, a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between their structure and functional properties is essential. This knowledge will be instrumental in addressing potential concerns in future research focusing on food products containing wheat arabinoxylan. Previous reviews predominantly focused on cereal arabinoxylans, and only a few have addressed wheat arabinoxylan. This review aims to consolidate recent research findings on wheat arabinoxylans, highlighting their health benefits and potential links to structural variations. This will aid future studies in this area. Feruloylated arabinoxylans and arabinoxylan oligosaccharides stand out as the most known for their health benefits. Modifying the chemical structure of arabinoxylans to yield low molecular weight oligosaccharides enhances their immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities, as well as promotes the growth and availability of beneficial gut microbes. The antioxidant activity is positively correlated with the ferulic acid content, whereas it has a negative correlation with arabinose substitution. Nevertheless, additional research using final products is necessary to delve into the potential underlying mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Shahidul Islam reports financial support was provided by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Shahidul Islam reports financial support was provided by North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The present study investigated the anti-oxidative effects of xylitol both in vitro and in vivo in normal and type 2 diabetes (T2D) rat model. Free radical scavenging and ferric reducing potentials of different concentrations of xylitol were investigated in vitro. For in vivo study, six weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups, namely: Normal Control (NC), Diabetic Control (DBC), Normal Xylitol (NXYL) and Diabetic Xylitol (DXYL). T2D was induced in the DBC and DXYL groups. After the confirmation of diabetes, a 10% xylitol solution was supplied instead of drinking water to NXYL and DXYL, while normal drinking water was supplied to NC and DBC ad libitum. After five weeks intervention period, the animals were sacri- ficed and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations as well as superoxide dismutase, catalase glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities were determined in the liver, heart, kidney, pancreatic tissues and serum samples. Xylitol exhibited significant (p < 0.05) in vitro nitric oxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging and ferric reducing activities. In vivo study revealed significant (p < 0.05) reduction in TBARS concentrations in the xylitol consuming groups compared to their respective controls. Significant (p < 0.05) increase in GSH levels and antioxidant enzyme activities were observed in analyzed tissues and serum of xylitol-fed animals compared to their respective controls. Results of this study indicate that xylitol has strong anti-oxidative potential against T2D-associated oxidative stress. Hence, xylitol can be used as a potential supplement in diabetic foods and food products.

Vitex doniana is an important African medicinal plant traditionally used for the treatment of many diseases including type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, ethyl acetate, ethanol and aqueous extracts of the stem bark, root and leaf of V. doniana were analyzed for in vitro anti-oxidative activity and the results indicated that the ethanolic extract of the leaves had the best anti-oxidative activity. Subsequently, the ethanolic extract of the leaves was partitioned between hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and water. The aqueous fraction had a significantly ( p < 0.05) higher phenolics content and also showed the best anti-oxidative activity within the fractions. Furthermore, the aqueous fraction demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) more potent inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase and α-amylase than other fractions. Steady state kinetics analysis revealed that the aqueous fraction inhibited both (α-glucosidase and (α-amylase activities in a non-competitive manner with inhibition binding constant (Ki) values of 5.93 and 167.44 μg/mL, respectively. Analysis of the aqueous fraction by GC-MS showed the presence of resorcinol, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenol and 2,4'-dihydroxychalcone identified by their mass fragmentation patterns and comparison to standard spectra. The results obtained in this study showed that V doniana leaves have a good in vitro anti-T2D potential possibly elicited through phenolics.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to rise alarmingly despite years of intensive research. The need to explore alternative remedies such as traditional phytotherapy has therefore become increasingly important in the management and treatment of DM., Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg.b.w) in male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 5 groups as follows: non-diabetic control fed distilled water, diabetic control fed distilled water, diabetic group treated with Tulbaghia violacea (TVL) (60 mg/kg.b.w), diabetic group treated with TVL (120 mg/kg.b.w), and diabetic group treated with glibenclamide (10 mg/kg.b.w). Food and water intake, as well as urine output were measured daily, whilst body weight and fasting blood glucose were monitored weekly. On day 42, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed on all groups. After 7 weeks, the animals were sacrificed by halothane overdose, blood was removed by cardiac puncture and tissues were harvested. Assays were performed for the determination of plasma insulin, liver glycogen content, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme levels, plasma nitric oxide levels and serum lipid and liver enzyme levels., Results and Discussion: TVL treatment improved body weights, significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance and significantly increased plasma insulin and liver glycogen content. TVL treatment also reduced liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels, increased liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and increased plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels. Furthermore, TVL administration reduced serum triglycerides, VLDL, total-cholesterol levels and increased HDL-cholesterol levels. TVL also reduced serum levels of liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)., Conclusion: Data obtained in this study demonstrated the hypoglycemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic effects of TVL in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Background: Traditional energy sources in catfish diets have become costly, and economical alternatives are needed. Sweet potato leaves are underutilised agricultural by-products that provide energy and substantial amounts of phenols, which affect animal and human health. There is little information on the effects of these compounds on catfish, or the capacity of catfish to accumulate dietary phenols. Catfish enriched with phenols have marketing potential as functional foods. This study investigated the effects of diets with sweet potato leaf meal (SPLM) on growth performance, health and total phenolic compounds in catfish., Results: SPLM was substituted for wheat middlings in three diets fed to groups of juvenile catfish for 10 weeks. Weight gain, feed conversion, survival, alternative complement activity and lysozyme activity were similar among diets. Haematocrit was lower in fish fed diets with SPLM, but within the normal range. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity in the whole body were similar among treatments., Conclusion: SPLM was an effective energy source for catfish up to the maximum level tested (230 g kg(-1) diet). SPLM did not enhance total phenols in catfish, but there were no apparent antinutritional effects of the meal on catfish growth, health or survival., (© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Previous experiments revealed that sweet potato leaves contain a high content of polyphenolics, namely anthocyanins and phenolic acids, compared with the major commercial vegetables. Sweet potato leaves contain at least 15 biologically active anthocyanins that have significant medicinal value for certain human diseases and may also be used as natural food colorants. The anthocyanins were acylated cyanidin and peonidin type. The phenolic acids were composed of caffeic acid (CA) and 5 kinds of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, 3-mono-O-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid, ChA), 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,4-diCQA), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA), 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4,5-diCQA), and 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,4,5-triCQA). These polyphenolics showed various kinds of physiological functions, radical scavenging activity, antimutagenic activity, anticancer, antidiabetes, and antibacterial activity in vitro or in vivo, which may be helpful for maintaining and promoting human health. The physiological function of caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) derivatives with the plural caffeoyl group is more effective than with a monocaffeoyl one. This review describes the nutritional composition and physiological functions of sweet potato leaves when used as a vegetable, and as a resource for products with these functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT: Four varieties of bitter melon ( Momordica charantia), India green (IG), India white (IW), China green (CG), and China white (CW) were analyzed for total phenolics, phenolic acid constituents, and antioxidant activities of their methanolic extracts. Phenolic contents of the oven-dried and freeze-dried tissues ranged from 5.39 to 8.94 and 4.64 to 8.90 mg chlorogenic acid equivalent (CAE)/g on dry weight basis, respectively. Phenolic contents of bitter melon seed, inner tissues, and flesh ranged from 4.67 to 8.02, 4.64 to 8.94, and 5.36 to 8.90 mg CAE/g, respectively. The total phenolic contents of IG, IW, CG, and CW were 4.64 to 6.84, 6.03 to 8.94, 5.39 to 7.81, and 6.07 to 8.90 mg CAE/g, respectively. The main phenolic acids in flesh were gallic acid, gentisic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin, which ranged from 8.04 to 39.76, 16.99 to 32.39, 23.06 to 82.45, 4.55 to 15.83, and 16.14 to 44.28 mg/100 g on dry weight basis, respectively, while in inner tissues were gallic acid, gentisic acid, catechin, and epicatechin, which ranged from 2.57 to 18.05, 5.39 to 32.61, 13.54 to 39.74, and 2.96 to 40.91 mg/100 g, respectively. The main phenolic acids contained in seeds were gallic acid, catechin, and epicatechin, which ranged from 4.61 to 18.9, 13.2 to 57.61, and 6.00 to 40.08 mg/100 g, respectively. There was no significant difference in the antioxidant activities of the extracts among varieties ( P = 0.2556) and between drying methods ( P = 0.1444). The antioxidant activities of flesh, inner tissue, and seed ranged from 81.7% to 86.5%, 78.8% to 88.4%, and 78.5% to 85.4% inhibition, respectively. Bitter melon is a rich source of phenolic compounds. These natural plant phenolics can be a good source of antioxidants for application in food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant, anti-diabetic and anti-obesogenic potentials of different solvent (ethyl acetate, ethanol and water) extracts from the aerial parts of Boerhaavia diffusa . The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH scavenging activity and the ameliorative effects of the extracts on Fe 2+ -induced oxidative injury was investigated both in vitro and ex vivo. Alpha glucosidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory potentials of the extracts were examined in vitro , while the effects of the ethanol extract on abdominal glucose intake and muscle glucose uptake were determined in freshly harvested tissues ex vivo. The extracts were subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis to identify their possible bioactive components. The ethanol extract showed the most potent FRAP and DPPH radical scavenging activities compared to other extracts. All extracts increased catalase and SOD activities, and GSH levels in oxidative pancreatic injury. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts exhibited remarkable enzyme inhibitory activities, which was significantly higher than ethyl acetate extract and acarbose but was not comparable to orlistat. The ethanol extract portrayed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on jejunal glucose uptake and enhancement of muscle glucose uptake. 9-(4 methoxyphenyl) xanthene, xanthone and stigmasterol showed strong binding affinities for α-glucosidase and lipase enzymes tested. Data from this study suggest that aerial parts of B. diffusa (particularly the ethanol extract) may not only exhibit antioxidant potentials but may also mediate anti-lipidemic and anti-hyperglycemic effects via inhibiting fat and carbohydrate digestion as well as abdominal glucose intake and enhancing muscle glucose uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]