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The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the mortality of older adults and, chronic non- transmissible diseases (CNTDs) patients, likely previous inflammaging condition that is common in these subjects. It is possible that functional foods could attenuate viral infection conditions such as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19 pandemic. Previous evidence suggested that some fruits consumed by Amazonian Diet from Pre-Colombian times could present relevant proprieties to decrease of COVID-19 complications such as oxidative-cytokine storm. In this narrative review we identified five potential Amazonian fruits: açai berry (Euterpe oleracea), camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), and guaraná (Paullinia cupana). Data showed that these Amazonian fruits present antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other immunomodulatory activities that could attenuate the impact of inflammaging states that potentially decrease the evolution of COVID-19 complications. The evidence compiled here supports the complementary experimental and clinical studies exploring these fruits as nutritional supplement during COVID-19 infection. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These fruits, in their natural form, are often limited to their region, or exported to other places in the form of frozen pulp or powder. But there are already some companies producing food supplements in the form of capsules, in the form of oils and even functional foods enriched with these fruits. This practice is common in Brazil and tends to expand to the international market., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known environmental pollutant associated with neurological and developmental deficits in animals and humans. However, epidemiological data showed that people living in the Amazon region although exposed to MeHg do not present these effects probably due to the protective effect of certain foods. We hypothesized here if guarana, a highly caffeinated fruit and consumed on a daily basis by Amazon people, could have some protective effect against MeHg toxicity using two complementary approaches. To assess locomotor impairment and sleep disruption, we used fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) model, and to evaluate neuroinflammation, we used human SH-SY5Y neural cells by measuring inflammatory cytokines levels. Results showed that guarana had a protective effect on the locomotor activity of male fruit flies reducing the excessive sleepiness caused by MeHg and increasing daily activity. Also, guarana increased the viability of flies and attenuated neural cells mortality. In addition, guarana reduced all pro-inflammatory cytokines levels increased by MeHg, along with caspase-1, caspase -3, caspase-8, and 8-dOHG levels, whereas increased the anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine levels, which was decreased by MeHg. Our study provides new insights on the protective effects of guarana on the viability, locomotor activity, sleep, and activity patterns in vivo and the in vitro neuronal anti-inflammatory effect against MeHg toxicity.

This study aimed to assess whether lipid-inflammatory-oxidative metabolism influences auditory processing skills, and whether they function in changing auditory performance after hearing aid fitting in the elderly. Twelve subjects with bilateral hearing loss were submitted to blood tests (to check their lipid-inflammatory-oxidative metabolism) and auditory processing skill tests. After 3 months of using the hearing aids, their auditory skills were re-evaluated and the data were correlated statistically. Oxidative stress levels mainly showed some impact on auditory temporal processing; such a relation and others should best be examined in further studies with larger populations., (© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Several compounds present in fruits as polyphenols are able to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. These proprieties are relevant mainly in tropical areas, as Amazonian region where infectious are highly prevalent. Therefore, this study investigated the antimicrobial activity of tucumã Amazonian fruit against 37 microorganisms. The potential role of oxidative metabolism imbalance was also studied as causal mechanism of antimicrobial activity. The results showed antibacterial effect of pulp and peel tucumã hydro-alcoholic extracts on three Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes) and antifungal effect against Candida albicans. The antimicrobial contribution of main chemical compounds (quercetin, rutin, β-carotene and gallic, caffeic and chlorogenic acids) found in tucumã extracts was also investigated showing an inhibitory effect depending of the organism mainly by quercetin in bacteria and rutin in C. albicans. Analysis of kinetic of DNA releasing in extracellular medium by fluorescence using DNA Pico Green assay(®) and reactive oxygen species production (ROS) showed potential oxidative imbalance contribution on tucumã inhibitory effect. In B. cereus and C. albicans this effect was clear since after 24h the ROS levels were higher when compared to negative control group. In conclusion, tucumã extracts present antimicrobial activity to four microorganisms that have large problems of drug resistance, and the possible mechanism of action of this Amazon fruit is related to REDOX imbalance., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the association of the +3953 IL-1B gene polymorphism in healthy subjects with serum oxidized LDL (oxLDL) levels., Design and Methods: We selected 255 subjects who were non-smokers and who had no cardiovascular or other chronic degenerative diseases, and we measured the oxLDL and other glucose levels, lipid biomarkers and biological variables that are related to cardiovascular metabolism. The +3953 IL-1B gene polymorphism was determined using molecular genetics techniques (PCR-RFLP)., Results: A significant association among the +3953 IL-1B genotypes and the oxLDL level was observed. The TT genotype presented lower oxLDL levels than the other genotypes. A multivariate analysis showed that this result was independent of the sex, age, obesity and hypertension status of the subjects., Conclusions: Our results suggest that the IL-1B gene polymorphism affects the modulation of serum oxLDL levels., (Copyright © 2012 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It now appears that obesity is associated with a low-grade inflammation of white adipose tissue resulting from chronic activation of the innate immune system as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1). Previous investigations have described a positive association between IL-1 beta +3953 (C>T) gene polymorphism (rs 1143634) and obesity, suggesting functional effects on fat mass, fat metabolism and body mass. However, it is necessary to determine if these results occur in other populations and if they are influenced by sex and age. Therefore, we performed a case-control study using 880 Caucasian subjects (59.7+/-11.9 years old) from the Brazilian Aging Research Program (non-overweight=283, overweight=334, obese=263) previously investigated in genetic studies, in whom we analyzed the IL-1 beta +3953C/T polymorphism. We observed higher T allele (CT/TT) frequency in non-overweight than overweight and obese groups. The odds ratio showed 1.340 (95% CI: 1.119-1.605) times more chance of the obese group being CC carriers compared to non-overweight group independent of sex and age. This study corroborates the idea that the IL-1 system is linked to the development of obesity.

Evidence suggests an association between obesity and oxidative stress caused by superoxide production. Since the dismutation of superoxide is catalyzed by superoxide dismutase enzymes, we tested the association between obesity and Ala16Val manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase gene (MnSOD) polymorphism. We analyzed 815 free-living community subjects (> or =60 years old) grouped into subjects who were either obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2)) or non-obese (BMI < 25 kg/m(2)). Additionally, we investigated the possible interaction between the Ala16Val MnSOD gene polymorphism and obesity in the modulation of biochemical and nutritional variables. We found a positive association between MnSOD polymorphism and obesity, since higher VV frequency (28.2%) was observed in the obese group (P = 0.002, odds ratio 1.949, 95% CI: 1.223-3.008). This result was independent of sex, age, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. A possible biological explanation of the association described here could be a chronic state of superoxide enzyme imbalance present in VV carriers, which could affect differential metabolic pathways contributing to the obese state.