Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 18, Issue 6, 2022

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a term that refers to a range of disease conditions involving chronic diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and lactose intolerance. Statistical reports have documented >40% of the world's population is being afflicted by functional GI disorders. Consequences of frequent intake of antibiotics include mortality of gut microflora, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, the establishment of antibiotic resistance, and inference with healthy bodily functions. To overcome the harms of antibiotics, studies are being conducted to determine the potential of probiotics as alternatives to antibiotics. Aims: The purpose of constructing this literature review is to outline the potential attributes of Kefir and to assess the solitary efficiency of this beverage in the amelioration of GI disease conditions. Methods: Extraction of data entailed digging of literature hubs including PubMed, PubMed Central, Research Gate, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, employing a different combination of keywords to retrieve substantial details. Selection criteria of the articles involved the published reports of preceding 10 years (2012-2021) that exhibited relevancy with the topic. Conclusion: Kefir grains having different origins provide a distinct array of antimicrobial spectrums and are found to be effective against different pathogens. IBDs, diarrheal sicknesses, and constipation can be alleviated by the consumption of this beverage. Moreover, the probioticantibiotic combination is also essential for the mitigation of several diseases. The synergistic impact of several microbial strains is vital for the treatment of celiac disease. Lactose maldigestion can be relieved by the consumption of kefir having β-galactosidase enzyme activity.

Recently, edible coatings or films have gained significant importance in fruit and vegetable preservation. This review summarises edible coatings, the classification of coating materials, formulation procedures, and the benefits of active edible coating. Studies reported that edible coating or films from natural resources benefit the consumer as well as the environment. In general, edible coatings or films are a combination of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and plasticizers, used to enhance the functional properties and the general quality parameters of fruits and vegetables, such as texture, colour, acidity, total soluble solids, thus preventing their browning and oxidation. Casting (wet process) and extrusion (dry process) are two prominent methods used to fabricate edible thin films. General techniques for applying edible coatings are dipping, spraying, coating, panning, using a fluidized bed, and film wrapping. Active edible coatings or films are developed with herbal extracts to improve the functional properties, i.e., antioxidant and antimicrobial. Therefore, based on the literature review, future research exploration will focus on underutilized edible natural resources, along with some natural edible plasticizers used to improve the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables without affecting their nutritional, organoleptic, and sensory attributes. The primary objective of the present review was to summarize the different types of edible coatings with an infusion of herbal extracts and their application on fruits and vegetables.

This study is a narrative review that aims to address the conceptual, characteristic, pathophysiological, and mechanistic aspects that define the profile of metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease. The objective was to investigate current knowledge and elucidate, through discussions on the topic, the main interrelated paths. This review was carried out unsystematically, from March to May 2020, by means of a survey of the literature indexed in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (Elsevier®) databases. The scientific materials collected showed that the cross-talk between the diseases in question is mainly based on the conditions of resistance to insulin action, endothelial dysfunction, activation pathways of the Renin- Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, and adipokine imbalance, also emphasizing the influence of atherosclerotic events in kidney damage. Furthermore, it was reinforced that inflammatory processes play an important role in the worsening and evolution of the clinical condition of patients, especially when they have underlying pathologies chronically treated for subclinical inflammation. It is expected that more original research will propose investigating other possible interactions with a view to standardized treatment of these diseases or nutritional management.

Insulin resistance is an elemental facet of the etiology of diabetes mellitus and the principal relating factor between obesity and diabetes. Oxidative stress, lipotoxicity, inflammation, and receptor dysfunction are the underlying determinants of insulin resistance commencement in metabolic illnesses. ppar-γ is a nuclear transcription factor whose activation or inhibition directly influences insulin resistance and controls glucose and lipid homeostasis by modulating gene expression. Synthetic ligands of ppar-γ are therapeutically employed to counter the hyperglycemia associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, but they possess severe side effects. In the modern era, bioactive phytochemicals have been employed in the drug development process, and a considerable investigation has recently been initiated to analyze the ppar-γ activating ability of diverse phytochemicals. In this review, we outlined the role of phytochemicals in insulin resistance treatment through ppar-γ activation.

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are the ailments of the digestive tract that affect its function, including digestion, absorption, and excretion. The dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract may occur due to infections by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Peptic ulcer disease is a gastrointestinal tract disorder of the stomach and duodenum associated with infection of Helicobacter pylori. Helicobacter pylori is regarded as the worldwide causative agent responsible for the etiology of peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma. The existing drug therapies are good healers in this situation, but due to resistance problems and side effects of drugs, researchers have been working to find out some safe alternatives. Interestingly, the medicinal herbs have been used for treating several disorders, including peptic ulcers, and are considered an effective and safer alternative to existing drugs. They are also considered eco-friendly, easily available, safe, and less toxic than traditional treatment therapy. Combining herbal medicines with natural products has been shown effective in treating peptic ulcers. In this review, the medicinal plants used against H. pylori infection have been discussed. The mechanisms of herbal drugs in healing peptic ulcers involve inhibition of H+ K+ ATPase pump, reduction in gastric acid secretion, and protection of gastric mucosa that have also been elaborated in this review. The phytochemicals responsible for biological activity have been summarized in the present article. The combination of herbs and natural products in the form of the polyherbal formulation may also be helpful as an effective therapy for treating peptic ulcers. Medicinal plants may offer the researchers new chemical molecules to explore as future drugs or as biochemical agents to unravel the etiology of the disease.

Background: The whole plant of Boerhaavia diffusa L. (BD) has wide ethnomedicinal and ethnopharmacological applications. It is a versatile medicinal herb with tremendous antioxidant potential, used commonly in Asian and African countries for a variety of Ayurvedic formulations as a “Rasayan” or Rejuvenator. Objective: This paper is aimed at providing an extensive study of the phytochemistry and pharmacology of BD to support its ethnopharmacological uses and the effectiveness of different active constituents present in BD. We believe that this paper will provide an insight into various trends and advances for future studies on BD. Methods: All relevant information was collected from worldwide accepted search engines and databases, i.e., Google, Pub Med, Elsevier, Science Direct and Web of Science, etc. Results: Based on the study conducted for this paper, it was found that BD is a rich source of several phytochemicals that are extracted from its roots and aerial parts. Among them, secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, rotenoids, glycosides, steroids, and lignans are the most important ones. The crude extract and the isolated phytochemicals are reported to have impressive bioactivities such as immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, renoprotective, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antifertility, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. Conclusion: The immense therapeutic potential of BD has been explored in many experiments, which validates its traditional uses. However, reports from clinical trials and the specific interaction of isolated phytoconstituents with microbial toxins or molecular markers of pathogenesis are meager. Therefore, further studies can be undertaken to elucidate the molecular cross-talk between the major therapeutic components with pathological biomolecules.

Background: Protium serratum Engl (Indian red pear) and Artocarpus chama Buch.- Ham (wild jackfruit) are typical wild edible fruits that have a wide range of folk medicinal properties. Objectives: Our present study deals with the exploration of nutritional value, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content present in Protium serratum Engl and Artocarpus chama Buch.-Ham fruits. Methods: The soxhlet apparatus was used to extract crude samples. The quantitative analysis of the wild edible fruits was broadly done by proximate and ultimate analysis techniques. Results: The results showed that the moisture contents in P. serratum and A. chama Buch. are 78.53% and 74.23%, respectively. The obtained ash (8.59%), fiber (3.17%), total sugar (5.495 mg/100g), and fat (0.66%) contents are high in P. serratum. In contrast, A. chama Buch. has a high content of protein (0.52%). Vitamin C content is higher in P. serratum (550 mg/100g) than that in A. chama Buch. (350 mg/100g). The result shows that the Ca and Mg contents are higher in P. serratum compared to A. chama Buch. Indian red pear shows good antioxidant properties and has high total phenolic content as compared to wild jackfruit and some commercial fruits. Conclusion: The study establishes that further investigation must be done to determine the development of new products, processing, and preservation techniques so that two underutilized fruits can become a part of our regular dietary habits. By doing so, we can enrich the fruit basket of the country.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic disorder mainly characterized by hyperglycemia, causes the damage of various organs, including the eyes, liver, kidney and heart. It is evident that diet plays a key role in the management of DM. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Zn and Mg supplemented diets as an adjuvant therapy with glibenclamide on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods: The rats which showed a blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or higher after 48 h of STZ injection were considered as diabetic. The rats were divided into eight groups in which the normal control group comprised non-diabetic rats, whereas the rest of the groups had diabetic rats in which glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) with an ordinary diet was given to the positive control group while the test groups were treated with glibenclamide along with specific diets. Blood glucose, body weight and lipid profile, as well as the liver and kidney functions were evaluated using standard kits after a certain interval up to 21 days. Results: Glibenclamide at different doses with or without Zn and Mg significantly decreased blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, urea, creatinine, total bilirubin and LDL levels, whereas it increased the HDL level. The study revealed glibenclamide together with Zn and Mg-rich diet to provide the most significant (p <0.0001) results. Conclusion: The treatment of diabetes mellitus with glibenclamide can provide better results if it is used with Zn and Mg-rich diet, which can prove to be a potential adjuvant therapy for type-2 diabetes and its associated complications.