The objective of the study was to quantify and to profile the amino acids content in urine samples. The amino acids content in urine was determined in 162 individuals (62 young non-vegetarians aged 15-45 years, 24 elderly non-vegetarians aged 46-70 years, 40 young vegetarians and 36 elderly vegetarians) by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The most common amino acids detected in the young and elderly individuals on vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets were phenylalanine, threonine, arginine and asparagine, while leucine, aspartic acid and alanine were not found in any urine samples in both groups. Isoleucine was not detected in the urine of vegetarians. The concentrations of the majority of essential amino acids were between 0.10 - 2.00 mgl24hrs except for histidine which had a range of 4.1 - 5.0 mgl24hrs. The concentrations of non-essential amino acids varied. Proline, glycine and tyrosine concentrations were between 0.10 - 1.00 mg/24hrs, while cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid and cystine concentrations were between 11.0 - 21.0 mg124hrs. Asparagine and hydroxy-proline had a range of 0.10 - 5.00 mg/24hrs, while serine and arginine ranged between 31.0 - 50.0 mg124hrs. Isoleucine and serine were not detected in elderly vegetarians while histidine, glycine, glutamic acid and hydroxy-proline were not detected in elderly non-vegetarians. Isoleucine, glycine and hydroxy proline were detected in young non-vegetarians but not in young vegetarians. The levels of amino acids showed no significant statistical differences between young vegetarians and non-vegetarians as well as between elderly vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Phenylalanine, threonine and trypthophan were commonly detected in the lacto-ovo and lacto vegetarians, while valine, cysteine, arginine and asparagine were commonly detected in vegans. In conclusion, except for isoleucine, general differences were seen in urinary amino acid excretions between vegetarians and non-vegetarians even though the differences were statistically not significant. Therefore lacto-ovo diets could be nutritionally adequate as the nutrients were substituted by dairy or plant products.
The activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) are influenced by active glucocorticoids which are activated by 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) while hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH) influences the activities of 11-βHSD1 in a cofactor manner. Dysregulation of PEPCK and H6PDH has been associated with the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. Sixteen male Sprague Dawley rats, fed ad libitum, were assigned to two groups, control and treated, with the treated group being given GA at 100mg/kg for one week. Blood and subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, abdominal and quadriceps femoris muscle, liver and kidney were examined. GA treatment led to an overall significant decrease in blood glucose while HOMA-IR. PEPCK activities decreased in the liver but increased in the visceral adipose tissue. H6PDH activities also decreased significantly in the liver while 11β-HSD1 activities decreased significantly in all studied tissues except for subcutaneous adipose tissue. Adipocytes in the subcutaneous and visceral depots showed a reduction in size. Though increased glycogen storage was seen in the liver, no changes were observed in the kidneys and muscles. Results from this study may imply that GA could counteract the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus by improving insulin sensitivity and probably by reduction of H6PDH, 11β-HSD1 and a selective decrease in PEPCK activities.
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities comprising visceral obesity, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance (IR). With the onset of IR, the expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key regulator of lipoprotein metabolism, is reduced. Increased activation of glucocorticoid receptors results in MetS symptoms and is thus speculated to have a role in the pathophysiology of the MetS. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), the bioactive constituent of licorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra) inhibits 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 that catalyzes the activation of glucocorticoids. Thus, oral administration of GA is postulated to ameliorate the MetS.
Glabridin is an isoflavan from licorice root, which is a common component of herbal remedies used for treatment of menopausal symptoms. Past studies have shown that glabridin resulted in favorable outcome similar to 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), suggesting a possible role as an estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). This study aims to evaluate the estrogenic effect of glabridin in an in-vitro endometrial cell line -Ishikawa cells via alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and ER-α-SRC-1-co-activator assay. Its effect on cell proliferation was also evaluated using Thiazoyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results showed that glabridin activated the ER-α-SRC-1-co-activator complex and displayed a dose-dependent increase in estrogenic activity supporting its use as an ERT. However, glabridin also induced an increase in cell proliferation. When glabridin was treated together with 17β-E2, synergistic estrogenic effect was observed with a slight decrease in cell proliferation as compared to treatment by 17β-E2 alone. This suggest that the combination might be better suited for providing high estrogenic effects with lower incidences of endometrial cancer that is associated with 17β-E2.
Alzheimer disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is signified by cognitive decline, memory loss, and erratic behavior. Till date, no cure for Alzheimer exists and the current Alzheimer medications have limited effectiveness. However, herbal medicines may slow down the disease's progression, which may hopefully reduce the number of cases in the years to come. Numerous studies have been done on characterizing the neuroprotective properties from plants belonging to Scrophulariaceae family, particularly Bacopa monnieri and its polyphenolic compounds known as bacosides. This review presents the findings on bacosides in therapeutic plants and their impact on Alzheimer disease pathology. These reports present data on the clinical, cellular activities, phytochemistry, and biological applications that may be used in new drug treatment for Alzheimer disease.