Chemical composition and antiprotozoal activities of Colombian Lippia spp essential oils and their major components

The chemical composition and biological activities of 19 essential oils and seven of their major components were tested against free and intracellular forms of Leishmania chagasi and Trypanosoma cruzi parasites as well as Vero and THP-1 mammalian cell lines. The essential oils were obtained from different species of Lippia, a widely distributed genus of Colombian plants. They were extracted by microwave radiation-assisted hydro-distillation and characterised by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major components were geranial, neral, limonene, nerol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, carvone and thymol. The essential oil of Lippia alba exhibited the highest activity against T. cruzi epimastigotes and intracellular amastigotes with an IC50 of 5.5 μg/mL and 12.2 μg/mL, respectively. The essential oil of Lippia origanoides had an IC50 of 4.4 μg/mL in L. chagasi promastigotes and exhibited no toxicity in mammalian cells. Thymol (IC50 3.2 ± 0.4 μg/mL) and S-carvone (IC50 6.1 ± 2.2 μg/mL), two of the major components of the active essential oils, were active on intracellular amastigotes of T. cruziinfected Vero cells, with a selective index greater than 10. None of the essential oils or major components tested in this study was active on amastigotes of L. chagasi infected THP-1 cells.

Occurrence and composition of class 1 and class 2 integrons in clinical and environmental O1 and non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae strains from the Brazilian Amazon

This study identified and characterised class 1 and 2 integrons in clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae O1 and non-O1/non-O139 strains isolated from the Brazilian Amazon. The aadA2 and aadA7 gene cassettes were found in class 1 integrons in two genotypes of environmental V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139. Empty integrons were found in strains from the Brazilian cholera epidemic. A class 2 integron was detected in one strain from the V. cholerae Amazonia lineage harbouring sat1 and aadA1 genes. All isolates were resistant to aminoglycosides, indicating aadA functionality. These findings suggest that environmental bacteria act as cassette reservoirs that favour the emergence of resistant pathogens.

Effects of a whey protein supplementation on intrahepatocellular lipids in obese female patients.

Background & aims: High protein diets have been shown to improve hepatic steatosis in rodent models and in high-fat fed humans. We therefore evaluated the effects of a protein supplementation on intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL), and fasting plasma triglycerides in obese non diabetic women.Methods: Eleven obese women received a 60 g/day whey protein supplement (WPS) for 4-weeks, while otherwise nourished on a spontaneous diet, IHCL concentrations, visceral body fat, total liver volume (MR), fasting total-triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations, glucose tolerance (standard 75 g OGTT), insulin sensitivity (HOMA IS index), creatinine clearance, blood pressure and body composition (bio-impedance analysis) were assessed before and after 4-week WPS.Results: IHCL were positively correlated with visceral fat and total liver volume at inclusion. WPS decreased significantly IHCL by 20.8 +/- 7.7%, fasting total TG by 15 +/- 6.9%, and total cholesterol by 7.3 +/- 2.7%. WPS slightly increased fat free mass from 54.8 +/- 2.2 kg to 56.7 +/- 2.5 kg, p = 0.005). Visceral fat, total liver volume, glucose tolerance, creatinine clearance and insulin sensitivity were not changed.Conclusions: WPS improves hepatic steatosis and plasma lipid profiles in obese non diabetic patients, without adverse effects on glucose tolerance or creatinine clearance. Trial Number: NCT00870077, ClinicalTrials.gov (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Interactions between grain size and composition of sediments: two examples

Two contrasting case studies of sediment and detrital mineral composition are investigated in order to outline interactions between chemical composition and grain size. Modern glacial sediments exhibit a strong dependence of the two parameters due to the preferential enrichment of mafic minerals, especially biotite, in the fine-grained fractions. On the other hand, the composition of detrital heavy minerals (here: rutile) appears to be not systematically related to grain-size, but is strongly controlled by location, i.e. the petrology of the source rocks of detrital grains. This supports the use of rutile as a well-suited tracer mineral for provenance studies. The results further suggest that (i) interpretations derived from whole-rock sediment geochemistry should be flanked by grain-size observations, and (ii) a more sound statistical evaluation of these interactions require the development of new tailor-made statistical tools to deal with such so-called two-way compositions

Inflammatory Markers and Incident Heart Failure Risk in Older Adults: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

Background: Inflammation is associated with heart failure (HF) risk factors and also directly affects myocardial function. However, the association between inflammation and HF risk in older adults has not been adequately evaluated. Methods: The association of baseline serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- ), and C-reactive protein (CRP) with incident HF was assessed with Cox proportional hazards models among 2610 older persons without prevalent HF enrolled in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study (age, 73.6±2.9 years; 48.3% men; 59.6% white). Results: Median (interquartile range) baseline concentrations of IL-6, TNF- , and CRP were 1.80 (1.23, 2.76) pg/mL, 3.14 (2.41, 4.06) pg/mL, and 1.64 (0.99, 3.04) µg/mL, respectively. On follow-up (median, 9.4 years), 311 participants (11.9%) developed HF. In models controlling for clinical predictors of HF and incident coronary heart disease, doubling of IL-6, TNF- , and CRP concentrations was associated with 34% (95% CI, 18 -52%; P<.001), 33% (95% CI, 9 - 63%; P=.006), and 13% (95% CI, 3-24%; P=.01) increase in HF risk, respectively. In models including all 3 markers, IL-6 and TNF- , but not CRP, remained significant. Findings were similar across sex and race. Post-HF ejection fraction (EF) was available in 239 (76.8%) cases. When only cases with preserved EF were considered (n=105), IL-6 (HR per doubling, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.28 -1.94; P<.001), TNF- (HR per doubling, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.12-2.26; P=.01), and CRP (HR per doubling, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.05-1.44; P=.01) were all associated with HF risk in adjusted models. In contrast, when only cases with reduced EF (n=134) were considered, only IL-6 attained marginal significance in adjusted models (HR per doubling, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.99 -1.46; P=.06). Participants with 2 or 3 markers above median had pronounced HF risk in adjusted models (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.12-2.46; P=.01; and HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.16 -2.65; P=.007, respectively). Addition of IL-6 to the clinical Health ABC HF model improved discrimination (C index from 0.717 to 0.734; P=.001) and fit (decreased Bayes information criterion by 17.8; P<.001). Conclusions: Inflammatory markers are associated with HF risk among older adults and may improve HF risk stratification.

Estudio de la influencia de la nutrición y genética maternas sobre la programación del desarrollo del tejido adiposo fetal (Estudio PREOBE).

BACKGROUND. Maternal genetics and feeding before and during pregnancy, different maternal metabolic pathologies, as well as nutrient intakes of newborns in their first months of life may be involved in the obesity aetiology and its long-term consequences. The possible role of these and others factors, the mechanisms and the effects on the metabolism, and the development of this disease need further research. OBJECTIVE. To acquire more knowledge about foetal adipose tissue development and the influence of genetic, dietetic and environmental factors on the risk to suffer from obesity. METHODOLOGY. Four study groups have been established with 30 pregnant women in each one: 1) control group; 2) mothers with glucose intolerance/gestational diabetes; 3) women with low weight gain during pregnancy, and 4) women with overweight/obesity at the beginning of the pregnancy. The magnitudes to be studied are: 1) dietary intake; 2) life-style habits; 3) physical activity; 4) anthropometry and body composition; 5) haematological study; 6) biochemical study (lipid and metabolic biomarkers); 7) immune function profile related to nutritional status; 8) psychological profile; 9) genetic biomarkers, and 10) microbiological markers; all of them in relation to the development of the foetal adipose tissue in the first stages of life and the risk of suffering from obesity in the future. CONCLUSION. This project, coordinated by the Department of Paediatrics of the School of Medicine in the University of Granada, and with the collaboration of well-known and expert research groups, tries to contribute to the knowledge about the obesity aetiology in infancy and its subsequent development in later periods of life.

Adipose tissue gene expression of factors related to lipid processing in obesity.

BACKGROUND Adipose tissue lipid storage and processing capacity can be a key factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Lipid uptake is the first step to adipose tissue lipid storage. The aim of this study was to analyze the gene expression of factors involved in lipid uptake and processing in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue according to body mass index (BMI) and the degree of insulin resistance (IR). METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS VLDL receptor (VLDLR), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), acylation stimulating protein (ASP), LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) gene expression was measured in VAT and SAT from 28 morbidly obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) or high IR, 10 morbidly obese patients with low IR, 10 obese patients with low IR and 12 lean healthy controls. LPL, FABP4, LRP1 and ASP expression in VAT was higher in lean controls. In SAT, LPL and FABP4 expression were also higher in lean controls. BMI, plasma insulin levels and HOMA-IR correlated negatively with LPL expression in both VAT and SAT as well as with FABP4 expression in VAT. FABP4 gene expression in SAT correlated inversely with BMI and HOMA-IR. However, multiple regression analysis showed that BMI was the main variable contributing to LPL and FABP4 gene expression in both VAT and SAT. CONCLUSIONS Morbidly obese patients have a lower gene expression of factors related with lipid uptake and processing in comparison with healthy lean persons.

Graph based study of allergen cross-reactivity of plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) using microarray in a multicenter study.

The study of cross-reactivity in allergy is key to both understanding. the allergic response of many patients and providing them with a rational treatment In the present study, protein microarrays and a co-sensitization graph approach were used in conjunction with an allergen microarray immunoassay. This enabled us to include a wide number of proteins and a large number of patients, and to study sensitization profiles among members of the LTP family. Fourteen LTPs from the most frequent plant food-induced allergies in the geographical area studied were printed into a microarray specifically designed for this research. 212 patients with fruit allergy and 117 food-tolerant pollen allergic subjects were recruited from seven regions of Spain with different pollen profiles, and their sera were tested with allergen microarray. This approach has proven itself to be a good tool to study cross-reactivity between members of LTP family, and could become a useful strategy to analyze other families of allergens.

Gut Microbiota Composition in Male Rat Models under Different Nutritional Status and Physical Activity and Its Association with Serum Leptin and Ghrelin Levels.

BACKGROUND Several evidences indicate that gut microbiota is involved in the control of host energy metabolism. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the differences in the composition of gut microbiota in rat models under different nutritional status and physical activity and to identify their associations with serum leptin and ghrelin levels. METHODS IN A CASE CONTROL STUDY, FORTY MALE RATS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THESE FOUR EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS: ABA group with food restriction and free access to exercise; control ABA group with food restriction and no access to exercise; exercise group with free access to exercise and feed ad libitum and ad libitum group without access to exercise and feed ad libitum. The fecal bacteria composition was investigated by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time qPCR. RESULTS In restricted eaters, we have found a significant increase in the number of Proteobacteria, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Enterococcus, Prevotella and M. smithii and a significant decrease in the quantities of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, B. coccoides-E. rectale group, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium with respect to unrestricted eaters. Moreover, a significant increase in the number of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and B. coccoides-E. rectale group was observed in exercise group with respect to the rest of groups. We also found a significant positive correlation between the quantity of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and serum leptin levels, and a significant and negative correlation among the number of Clostridium, Bacteroides and Prevotella and serum leptin levels in all experimental groups. Furthermore, serum ghrelin levels were negatively correlated with the quantity of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and B. coccoides-Eubacterium rectale group and positively correlated with the number of Bacteroides and Prevotella. CONCLUSIONS Nutritional status and physical activity alter gut microbiota composition affecting the diversity and similarity. This study highlights the associations between gut microbiota and appetite-regulating hormones that may be important in terms of satiety and host metabolism.

Histology-driven data mining of lipid signatures from multiple imaging mass spectrometry analyses: application to human colorectal cancer liver metastasis biopsies.

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) represents an innovative tool in the cancer research pipeline, which is increasingly being used in clinical and pharmaceutical applications. The unique properties of the technique, especially the amount of data generated, make the handling of data from multiple IMS acquisitions challenging. This work presents a histology-driven IMS approach aiming to identify discriminant lipid signatures from the simultaneous mining of IMS data sets from multiple samples. The feasibility of the developed workflow is evaluated on a set of three human colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) tissue sections. Lipid IMS on tissue sections was performed using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS in both negative and positive ionization modes after 1,5-diaminonaphthalene matrix deposition by sublimation. The combination of both positive and negative acquisition results was performed during data mining to simplify the process and interrogate a larger lipidome into a single analysis. To reduce the complexity of the IMS data sets, a sub data set was generated by randomly selecting a fixed number of spectra from a histologically defined region of interest, resulting in a 10-fold data reduction. Principal component analysis confirmed that the molecular selectivity of the regions of interest is maintained after data reduction. Partial least-squares and heat map analyses demonstrated a selective signature of the CRCLM, revealing lipids that are significantly up- and down-regulated in the tumor region. This comprehensive approach is thus of interest for defining disease signatures directly from IMS data sets by the use of combinatory data mining, opening novel routes of investigation for addressing the demands of the clinical setting.

Lepromatous leprosy patients produce antibodies that recognise non-bilayer lipid arrangements containing mycolic acids

Non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements are three-dimensional structures that form when anionic phospholipids with an intermediate structure of the tubular hexagonal phase II are present in a bilayer of lipids. Antibodies that recognise these arrangements have been described in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and/or systemic lupus erythematosus and in those with preeclampsia; these antibodies have also been documented in an experimental murine model of lupus, in which they are associated with immunopathology. Here, we demonstrate the presence of antibodies against non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements containing mycolic acids in the sera of lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients, but not those of healthy volunteers. The presence of antibodies that recognise these non-bilayer lipid arrangements may contribute to the hypergammaglobulinaemia observed in LL patients. We also found IgM and IgG anti-cardiolipin antibodies in 77% of the patients. This positive correlation between the anti-mycolic-non-bilayer arrangements and anti-cardiolipin antibodies suggests that both types of antibodies are produced by a common mechanism, as was demonstrated in the experimental murine model of lupus, in which there was a correlation between the anti-non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements and anti-cardiolipin antibodies. Antibodies to non-bilayer lipid arrangements may represent a previously unrecognised pathogenic mechanism in LL and the detection of these antibodies may be a tool for the early diagnosis of LL patients.

Deciphering the contribution of lipid droplets in leprosy: multifunctional organelles with roles in Mycobacterium leprae pathogenesis

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae that affects the skin and nerves, presenting a singular clinical picture. Across the leprosy spectrum, lepromatous leprosy (LL) exhibits a classical hallmark: the presence of a collection of M. leprae-infected foamy macrophages/Schwann cells characterised by their high lipid content. The significance of this foamy aspect in mycobacterial infections has garnered renewed attention in leprosy due to the recent observation that the foamy aspect represents cells enriched in lipid droplets (LD) (also known as lipid bodies). Here, we discuss the contemporary view of LD as highly regulated organelles with key functions in M. leprae persistence in the LL end of the spectrum. The modern methods of studying this ancient disease have contributed to recent findings that describe M. leprae-triggered LD biogenesis and recruitment as effective mycobacterial intracellular strategies for acquiring lipids, sheltering and/or dampening the immune response and favouring bacterial survival, likely representing a fundamental aspect of M. leprae pathogenesis. The multifaceted functions attributed to the LD in leprosy may contribute to the development of new strategies for adjunctive anti-leprosy therapies.