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Marijuana (MJ) use is associated with cognitive deficits. Both mitochondrial (mt) dysfunction and gut dysbiosis also affect cognition. We examined whether cognition is related to peripheral blood mononuclear cells’ (PBMCs) mt function and fecal microbiota in chronic MJ users. Nineteen chronic MJ users and 20 non-users were evaluated using the Cognition Battery in NIH Toolbox, their mt function for ATP production, and basal and maximal respirations were measured in PBMCs using the Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer, and the abundances of Prevotella and Bacteroides (associated with plant-based and animal product-based diet, respectively) were calculated from stool microbiota analysis. Average Prevotella:Bacteroides ratio was ~13-fold higher in nonusers than users. Lifetime MJ use correlated inversely with Prevotella:Bacteroides ratio (p = 0.05), mt function (p = 0.0027–0.0057), and Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention (p = 0.041). Prevotella abundance correlated positively, while Bacteroides abundance correlated inversely, with mt function across all participants (p = 0.0004–0.06). Prevotella abundance also correlated positively with scores of Fluid Cognition, Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention, List Sorting, and Dimension Change Card Sort in MJ users, but not in non-users (interaction-p = 0.018–0.05). Similarly, mt function correlated positively with scores of Fluid Cognition and Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention in MJ users, but not in non-users (interaction-p = 0.0018–0.08). These preliminary findings suggest that MJ use is associated with alterations of gut microbiota and mt function, which may further contribute to cognitive deficits. We posited that MJ-associated low vegetable/fruit intake may contribute to these changes. Future studies are needed to delineate the relationships among diet, microbiota, mt function, and cognition in MJ users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-fat diet is a major causative factor of overweight and obesity, which are associated with an increased risk of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as anxiety and depression. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of bamboo extract (BEX) on anxiety- and depression-like neurobehaviours in mice treated with a high-fat diet. Male mice with CD-1 genetic background were treated for 2 months with either a standard or a high-fat diet (10 or 45 % energy from fat, respectively), with or without the BEX supplement (11 g dry mass per 17 MJ). The anxiety levels of mice were evaluated using open-field and hole-board tests, and depression was measured using the force-swimming test. The anxiety responses of the animals were found significantly increased after the high-fat diet treatment, and this elevation was effectively abolished by the BEX supplement. The high-fat diet seemed to have an anti-depressive effect in mice at the tested time point, but the effect of the BEX supplement on the depression level of the animals was not conclusive. The high-fat diet significantly decreased total glutathione content in the blood while the BEX supplement increased glutathione oxidation. In summary, the present study shows that decreased total glutathione concentration in the blood co-occurred with a high-fat treatment, high anxiety level and low depression level in mice, and when supplemented in a high-fat diet, BEX had an anxiolytic effect in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous fatty acid metabolism that results in elongation and desaturation lipid products is thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, we evaluated the potential of estimated elongase and desaturase activities for use as predictive markers for T2DM remission after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). The results of a targeted metabolomics approach from 2 independent studies were used to calculate 24 serum FA concentration ratios (product/precursor). Gene expression data from an open public data set was also analyzed. In a longitudinal study of 38 obese diabetic patients with RYGB, we found higher baseline stearic acid/palmitic acid (S/P) ratio. This ratio reflects an elovl6 -encoded elongase enzyme activity that has been found to be associated with greater possibility for diabetes remission after RYGB [odds ratio, 2.16 (95% CI 1.10-4.26)], after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, diabetes duration, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, and fasting C-peptide. Our results were validated by examination of postsurgical elovl6 gene expression in morbidly obese patients. The association of S/P with the metabolic status of obese individuals was further validated in a cross-sectional cohort of 381 participants. In summary, higher baseline S/P was associated with greater probability of diabetes remission after RYGB and may serve as a diagnostic marker in preoperative patient assessment. - Zhao, L., Ni, Y., Yu, H., Zhang, P., Zhao, A., Bao, Y., Liu, J., Chen, T., Xie, G., Panee, J., Chen, W., Rajani, C., Wei, R., Su, M., Jia, W., Jia, W. Serum stearic acid/palmitic acid ratio as a potential predictor of diabetes remission after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in obesity., (© FASEB.)

HIV induces neuroinflammation. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of an extract from bamboo Phyllostachys edulis in the hippocampus of HIV-1 transgenic (TG) rats. Five (5) one-month-old TG rats and 5 Fisher 344 (F344) rats were fed a control diet, another 5 TG rats were fed the control diet supplemented with bamboo extract (BEX, 11 grams dry mass per 4057 Kcal). After 9 months of dietary treatment, the gene and protein expression of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), and the protein expression p65 and c-Jun were analyzed in the hippocampus. Compared to the F344 rats, the TG rats fed control diet showed significantly higher protein expression of GFAP and c-Jun, and mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β. BEX supplement to the TG rats significantly lowered protein expressions of GFAP, p65, and c-Jun, and showed a trend to decrease the protein expression of IL-1β. Compared to the TG rats, TG+BEX rats also downregulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β and TNFα. In summary, neuroinflammation mediated by the NFκB and AP-1 pathways in the hippocampus of the TG rats was effectively abolished by dietary supplement of BEX.

Bamboo plants play a significant role in traditional Asian medicine, especially in China and Japan. Biomedical investigations on the health-benefiting effects as well as toxicity of different parts and species of bamboo have been carried out worldwide since the 1960s, and documented a wide range of protective effects of bamboo-derived products, such as protection against oxidative stress, inflammation, lipotoxicity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Some of these products may interfere with male and female reproductive function, thyroid hormone metabolism, and hepatic xenobiotransformation enzymes. The diversity of bamboo species, parts of the plants available for medicinal use, and different extraction methods suggest that bamboo has great potential for producing a range of extracts with functional utility in medicine.

Selenoproteins have been shown to exhibit a variety of biological functions, including antioxidant functions, maintaining cellular redox balance, and heavy metal detoxification. UV irradiation-induced damage is partially mediated by increased oxygen radical production. The present study is designed to examine the antioxidative effects of human selenoprotein H (hSelH) after brief period of UVB irradiation on the murine hippocampal neuronal cell line Ht22. Ht22 cells were stably transfected with the hSelH gene or with MSCV empty vector and exposed to UVB irradiation with or without the presence of serum. The results showed that cell viability was significantly higher in hSelH-transfected cells compared to the MSCV vector-transfected cells after 24 h of recovery with or without the presence of serum in the media. Further studies revealed that while the number of superoxide anion (O2*-) positive cells was increased following a 7 mJ/cm(2) of UVB irradiation and 5 h of recovery, overexpression of hSelH significantly reduced superoxide production. These results suggest that hSelH overexpression protects cells from UVB irradiation-induced cell death by reducing the O2*- formation.