Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 4, Issue 3, 2008

Current Nutrition and Food Science (CNF) has now achieved considerable visibility in the scientific circles. It is clear that this success is due to the quality of papers that are being published by reputed scientists from all over the world. From time to time, CNF encourages publication of special issues devoted to a particular theme or topics that could be of interest to scientists, clinicians, nutritionists, biochemists, food technologists, and others. The idea of such special issues is to bring to the attention of scientific community some of the advances made in a particular area or topic in which CNF has an interest. In the present issue, we assembled some very interesting articles in the area of natural products, bioinformatics with particular emphasis on common clinical conditions, and cancer. The authors have done a marvelous job in presenting their work emphasizing the practical application value of their work. Even though the topics covered in this issue appear to be wide, it is clear that all papers are related to human disease(s). For instance, the short and preliminary work on breast feeding and its relationship to plasma lipid levels and inflammatory markers suggests that adequate breast feeding in childhood extends its benefits beyond early life at least till adolescence. The reviews by Prof. Aldo R. Eynard and his colleagues bring to our attention how artificial sweeteners could be related to urinary bladder cancer and the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer. On the other hand, Danik Martirosyan and colleagues discuss in their first paper the protein content of amaranth, a very useful seed and oil that has immense nutritional value, whereas in the second paper they described the method of analysis for phenolic acids in Lithuanian Propolis using HPLC, a useful method that could be useful in future to standardize the protein composition of this material that has commercial value. Allam Appa Rao and his colleagues describe how bioinformatics approach could be used to analyze the involvement various biological molecules in some important clinical conditions. Thus, in this issue, I tried to assemble authors from various diverse fields to give a glimpse of the advances in their respective fields that are of relevance to the field of nutrition and human diseases. I trust that you will enjoy reading these articles. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I will be happy to answer or respond to them to the best of my ability.

Insulin resistance syndrome is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CAD). Endothelial dysfunction due to reduced nitric oxide generation is seen in both insulin resistance syndrome and CAD. Endothelial dysfunction also occurs in obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we employed multiple sequence alignment using Clustal W tool and constructed a phylogenetic tree using functional protein sequences extracted from NCBI and Gene cards. These studies showed that nitric oxide synthase and adiponectin play a major role in insulin resistance and coronary artery disease. This and other studies suggest that endothelial dysfunction is an early event in insulin resistance syndrome.

A significant suppression of lipid and inflammatory biomarkers in breast-fed subjects was noted suggesting a long-term protective effect of breast-milk on future heart disease.

The amount and type of dietary fats represent risk factors for several cancers. Essential PUFAs serve as precursors of several biologically active molecules, mainly endocannabinoids and eicosanoids, which participate in tumorigenic processes. However, their mechanisms still remain unclear. This article reviews the current knowledge and experimental results on the effects of dietary manipulation of n-3, n-6 essential fatty acids (EFA) including the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), on eicosanoid and endocannabinoid production, and their correlation with cancer development. The oxidative pathways of Arachidonic acid (AA) when it is released from phospholipids as Lipoxygenases (LOXs), cyclooxygenases (COX) and Cytochrome P-450s (CYP450) to eicosanoids, and the non-oxidative pathway to endocannabinoid synthesis are summarized. COXs, LOXs, and CYP 450s, endocannabinoids, thereby generating oxygenated products that resemble eicosanoids with the slight difference that endocannabinoid-derived products retain amide or ester functionalities at C1. Competition between n-3 and n-6 FA families gives rise to a variation in the ratio of the eicosanoid products, but the significance of these changes are as yet poorly understood. Finally, we propose that the apparently contradictory results in the field of eicosanoids, endocannabionids and cancer should be considered due to difficulties arising from the lack of nutritional evaluation.

The prediction of functions of proteins in living organisms can be made based on its domain analysis, proteinprotein interactions, sequence comparisons, structure comparisons, and phylogenetic tree analysis. Domain analysis and protein-protein interactions are important tools of bioinformatics based on which annotation of conserved domain footprints on protein sequences can be ascertained which could serve as the first step towards characterizing protein function(s) in silicon. In the present investigation, the functionality of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was ascertained by employing domain analysis and protein-protein interaction(s) tools. We collected the sequence of BChE, established the domains of this protein using NCBI conserved domain database (CDD), and identified proteins that interact with it (BChE). Using this data, we identified proteins with similar domain, proteins with which it interacted, and annotated the function of BChE via sequence similarity. These studies revealed that BChE interacts with proteins: ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, apoptosisantagonizing transcription factor, paraoxonase/arylesterase, pyruvate dehydrogenase protein X component, proteasome activator complex subunit 3, 4-trimethyl-aminobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase, and vacuolar proton translocating ATPase whose functions are known. Based on this information, it is predicted that BChE may have actions similar to those with which it interacts. Thus, by using domain analysis and protein-protein interaction(s) tools it may be possible to identify the functions of proteins whose action is unknown by annotating the conserved domain amino acid sequence of proteins whose function is known with those of the unknown.

Bladder tumors predominantly occur in high-income countries. However, South America deserves particular attention since is it is made up of countries with striking differences in their GNP per capita, representing a “chessboard” field for the study of tumor risk related to the environment. In recent times, a so-called “healthy” culture has emerged with people beginning to be conscious of the effects of food and nutrition on well-being and the risk of disease linked to being overweight. As a result of the so-called “healthy” culture, many people have substituted sugar for different types of Artificial Sweeteners (AS) which also have lower costs of production and commercialization. This article reviews and critically discusses the current literature regarding the correlations between AS and Urinary Tract Tumors worldwide, particularly taking into account recent data of case-control studies in South America, an area having distinctive dietary habits and food culture.

It is widely known that Amaranth is a highly nutritious plant, and contains all the essential amino acids. It provides an amazing amount of magnesium, calcium and dietary fiber for general health. The literature provides that there are numerous citations about the quality and composition of amaranth seeds, but not much information about amaranth protein in the green mass. Furthermore, amaranth's green mass has a fast and high yield, making it a great source of protein. For this reason, the protein amount, as well as fractional composition in different kind of amaranth, was investigated. It was revealed that amaranth differs in its content of protein, with its maximal accumulation in the blossoming phase (17.2-32.6% from dry weight for various samples), within various species. It was confirmed that in the ontogenesis of amaranth, the share of albumins and globulins is reduced while the share of glutelins and gliadins is increased. A low content of reserved proteins in the seeds of amaranth (42% from the sum of protein) in comparison with wheat and other cereals has been observed.

Both obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are common. In a gene expression profile study, it was noted that genes concerned with carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism, and signal transduction pathways are upregulated, while genes involved in cell adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, insulin signaling, immune system pathways, and inflammatory pathway are differentially expressed both in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The aim of the research was to analyze the chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis and to compare it with the chemical composition of propolis in neighboring countries (Latvia and Poland) according to the predominant flora in the collecting places and the quality of raw material collecting process. The article describes the qualitative analysis of phenolic acids in propolis using the high-performance liquid chromatography technique. Studies showed that the quantitative and qualitative composition of phenolic acids in propolis depended on what plants the bees in the area collected substances for the raw material of propolis. In addition to that, it was found that the amount of active substances was higher in propolis extracts produced from propolis collected from areas characterized by the predominance of deciduous trees. The predominant phenolic acids were determined to be ferulic and coumaric acids that may be among the main indicators of quality in the standardization of the raw material and preparations of propolis. Experimental studies showed that the process of the collection of propolis influence its chemical composition too. The production of pharmaceutical preparations requires the regulation of the technique and the conditions of the collection of propolis, ensuring high quality of the collection of the raw material.

There is increasing evidence that diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease occur more often than by chance. Recently, we proposed that increase in the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase could be a common link between these two conditions. Acetylcholine is an anti-inflammatory molecule. Butyrylcholinesterase by inactivating acetylcholine may enhance inflammation and induce decline in cognitive function. In the present study, it was noted that streptozotocininduced diabetic animals showed dyslipidemia, increase in plasma lipid peroxides, decrease in circulating plasma superoxide dismutase activity, decline in cognitive function as assessed by the Morris water maze method, and a significant increase in serum butyrylcholinesterase activity. These results suggest that increased plasma and, possibly, tissue concentrations of butyrylcholinesterase lead to decrease in acetylcholine levels, an anti-inflammatory molecule, which may trigger low-grade systemic inflammation in diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease that could account for decline in cognitive function.

Albumin is a complex molecule that is a principal transporter of plasma fatty acids and binds to majority of the drugs ingested. Albumin traps oxygen radicals and has anti-oxidant actions that exceed that of vitamin E. Vascular endothelial cells express specific binding sites for albumin that may aid in its ability to prevent endothelial cell apoptosis. Albumin regulates the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase in astrocytes and thus helps in the flux of glucose and lactate. Thus, albumin could limit ischemia-induced neuronal damage. Recent studies showed that intravenous albumin administration improved neurological function by reducing infarction volume and cerebral edema. In addition, albumin seems to be useful in the treatment of in those who are critically ill due to due to medical and surgical conditions, and sepsis. The cytoprotective action of albumin is due to an increase in the formation of protectins from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and possibly, other polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound containing antioxidant property found in red wine, grapes, berries and peanuts. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that trans-resveratrol is more effective in reducing platelet aggregation, improving endothelial function, inhibiting LDL oxidation and have antiatherogenic properties. However, clinical studies were not conducted nor reported on any beneficial effects on CHD in humans. Resveratrol supplements are available in U.S. markets and they may contain anywhere from 10-50 mg of resveratrol, but the effective doses for chronic disease prevention in humans are not known.