stilbenes and plastochromanol-8

Eight wild species in Sect. Moutan DC (tree peony) of the genus Paeonia grown in natural habitats and 1 cultivated specie were investigated to analyze their fatty acid and bioactive phenolic compound profiles. For fatty acid composition, P. ludlowii contained the lowest α-linolenic acid (27.68%) and P. jishanensis contained the highest (51.96 %) content of the 9 species. For phenolic compounds, P. qiui contained the highest resveratrol (2.12 mg/g), P. delavayi contained the highest β-gentiobiosylpaeoniflorin (26.23 mg/g), and P. ostii contained the highest paeoniflorin (23.66 mg/g). P. ostii was selected to perform a feasibility study because of its relatively high level of α-linolenic acid 46.53%, low in ω-6 to ω-3 ratio of 1:2, and high level of the preferred bioactive phenolic compounds l including paeoniflorin and resveratrol. Physical pressing and refining process were conducted to obtain P. ostii seed oil. It exhibited bland sensory attributes described as slight grassy, very slight nutty, no painty or fishy aroma and slight grassy, slight nutty flavor with a very slight throat catch. Tocol results reported high level in tree peony seed oil 223.5 ± 13.65 mg/100 g with γ-tocopherol 70.1 ± 2.14 mg/100 g, and γ-tocotrienol 149.6 ± 15.83 mg/g. Because of the high total tocol, γ-tocopherol and γ-tocotrienol levels, and tree peony seed oil exhibited better oxidation stability than flaxseed oil even with similar α-linolenic acid levels. In addition, high levels of γ-tocopherol and γ-tocotrienol can introduce therapeutic effects such as antiinflammation and antioxidation. Therefore, this study showed that tree peony seed oil has a great potential to be used in edible oil, nutraceutical supplement, and other health care products.

Topics: alpha-Linolenic Acid; Antioxidants; Chromans; Feasibility Studies; Food Analysis; gamma-Tocopherol; Glucosides; Linseed Oil; Monoterpenes; Nutritive Value; Oxidation-Reduction; Paeonia; Phenols; Resveratrol; Seeds; Species Specificity; Stilbenes; Trees; Vitamin E

Resveratrol, a constituent of red wine, and γ-tocotrienol, a constituent of palm oil are important for cardioprotection. Although microRNAs are known regulators for genes involved in cardiac remodelling, the regulatory pathway involving microRNA has not been studied so far. We explored the cardioprotection by resveratrol, longevinex and γ-tocotrienol in ischaemia/reperfusion(I/R) model of rat and determined miRNA profile from isolated RNA. Systemic analyses of miRNA array and theirs targets were determined using a number of computational approaches. Resveratrol and γ-tocotrienol, either alone or in combination, modulated the expression pattern of miRNAs close to the control level based on PCA analyses. Differential expression was observed in over 75 miRNAs, some of them, such as miR-21 and miR-20b (anti-angiogenic) were previously implicated in cardiac remodelling. The target genes for the highest differentially expressed miRNA include genes of various molecular functions such as TGFβ1-Smad3 signalling pathway, inflammation and their transcription factors, which may play key role in reducing I/R injury. Administration of antagomiR-20 attenuated I/R induced vascular endothelial growth factor and HIF1α level. All the interventions treated for 3 weeks lead to significant cardioprotection against ischaemia/reperfusion injury. A unique signature of miRNA profile is observed in control heart pretreated with resveratrol or γ-tocotrienol. We have determined specific group of miRNA in heart that have altered during IR injuries. Most of those altered microRNA expressions modulated close to their basal level in resveratrol or longevinex treated I/R rat. Interestingly, resveratrol and γ-tocotrienol resulted in synergestic action.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Animals; Apoptosis; Chromans; Down-Regulation; Drug Synergism; Gene Expression Profiling; Heart; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Male; MicroRNAs; Microscopy, Confocal; Multivariate Analysis; Myocardial Ischemia; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reactive Oxygen Species; Resveratrol; Signal Transduction; Stilbenes; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vitamin E

This study compared two dietary phytochemicals, grape-derived resveratrol and palm oil-derived γ-tocotrienol, either alone or in combination, on the contribution of autophagy in cardioprotection during ischaemia and reperfusion. Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 250 and 300 g were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: vehicle, ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R), resveratrol + I/R, γ-tocotrienol + I/R, resveratrol +γ-tocotrienol + I/R. For resveratrol treatments, the rats were gavaged with resveratrol (2.5 mg/kg) for 15 days while for γ-tocotrienol experiments the rats were gavaged with γ-tocotrienol (0.3 mg/kg) for 30 days. For the combined resveratrol +γ-tocotrienol experiments, the rats were gavaged with γ-tocotrienol for 15 days, and then gavaging continued with resveratrol along with γ-tocotrienol for a further period of 15 days. After 30 days, isolated perfused hearts were subjected to 30 min. of global ischaemia followed by 2 hrs of reperfusion. Our results showed for the first time that at least in part, the cardioprotection (evidenced from the ventricular performance, myocardial infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis) with resveratrol and γ-toctrienol was achieved by their abilities to induce autophagy. Most importantly, resveratrol and γ-tocotrienol acted synergistically providing greater degree of cardioprotection simultaneously generating greater amount of survival signal through the activation of Akt-Bcl-2 survival pathway. Autophagy was accompanied by the activation of Beclin and LC3-II as well as mTOR signalling, which were inhibited by either 3-methyl adenine (3-MA) or Wortmannin. The autophagy was confirmed from the results of transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy as well as with confocal microscopy. It is tempting to speculate that during ischaemia and reperfusion autophagy along with enhanced survival signals helps to recover the cells from injury.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Cardiotonic Agents; Chromans; Drug Synergism; Male; Myocardial Infarction; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reperfusion Injury; Resveratrol; Signal Transduction; Stilbenes; Vitamin E

Numerous dietary phytochemicals have shown anti-breast carcinogenic activities when tested in vitro; however, in most cases, the demonstrated efficacy of individual phytochemicals requires doses not readily achievable in vivo. Therefore, whether diets might exert translational promises and benefits in clinical settings and prevention of breast cancer remain unclear. Since cancer cells are endowed with complex, redundant, converging and diverging pathways spanning both the genetic and metabolic networks that are not merely replicates of those in normal cells, it is of interest to test whether a multicomponent approach involving lower, physiologically relevant doses of natural dietary agents may be developed as a chemopreventive strategy for breast cancer. Herein, we investigated, using the estrogen receptor-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells as a model, whether the combination of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), resveratrol and gamma-tocotrienol at suboptimal doses elicits synergism in suppressing cell proliferation, modulating gene expression, and increasing antioxidant activity, as compared to each of the three phytochemicals added alone. The results showed that there was a approximately 33, 50 and 58% inhibition of cell proliferation by > or =50 microM EGCG, > or =25 microM resveratrol and > or =10 microM gamma-tocotrienol, respectively, added as a single agent. When a suboptimal dose (10 microM) of each phytochemical was used, a significant additive effect in suppression of cell proliferation was observed with the combination of resveratrol and gamma-tocotrienol whereas the three phytochemicals added together did not produce more pronounced inhibition of cell proliferation. A significant additive effect in reducing cyclin D1 and bcl-2 expression was found when gamma-tocotrienol was added with either EGCG or resveratrol. Functional synergism among the three phytochemicals was only observed in the induction of quinone reductase NQO1. These results suggest that diet-based protection against breast cancer may partly derive from synergy amongst dietary phytochemicals directed against specific molecular targets in responsive breast cancer cells, and provide support for the feasibility of the development of a diet-based combinatorial approach in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Catechin; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Chromans; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Synergism; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Mice; Models, Biological; Resveratrol; Stilbenes; Superoxide Dismutase; Vitamin E