cytellin and Acute-Disease

In this study, we evaluated the effects of dietary plant sterols and stanols as their fatty acid esters on the development of experimental colitis. The effects were studied both in high- and low-fat diet conditions in two models, one acute and another chronic model of experimental colitis that resembles gene expression in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the first experiments in the high fat diet (HFD), we did not observe a beneficial effect of the addition of plant sterols and stanols on the development of acute dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) colitis. In the chronic CD4CD45RB T cell transfer colitis model, we mainly observed an effect of the presence of high fat on the development of colitis. In this HFD condition, the presence of plant sterol or stanol did not result in any additional effect. In the second experiments with low fat, we could clearly observe a beneficial effect of the addition of plant sterols on colitis parameters in the T cell transfer model, but not in the DSS model. This positive effect was related to the gender of the mice and on Treg presence in the colon. This suggests that especially dietary plant sterol esters may improve intestinal inflammation in a T cell dependent manner.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antigens, CD; Brassica rapa; Chronic Disease; Colitis; Colon; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Fats; Esters; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Female; Inflammation; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Phytosterols; Phytotherapy; Plant Oils; Rapeseed Oil; Sitosterols; T-Lymphocytes

We have produced a chloroform extract from Achillea which includes stigmasterol and sitosterol. By comparing it with the pure compounds an anti-inflammatory effect (with mouse ears) is assumed. The topical anti-inflammatory effect of the chloroform extract from Achillea ageratum (Asteraceae) and of stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol, isolated of this extract has been evaluated, against to 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced mouse ear edema, using simple (acute model) and multiple applications (chronic model) of the phlogistic agent. Myeloperoxydase activity also was studied in the inflamed ears. In the acute model the extract exerted a dose-dependent effect. All the doses assayed (1, 3 and 5 mg/ear) significantly reduced the edema (50%, 66% and 82%, respectively). The isolated sterols stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol (with doses of 0.5 mg/ear) had similar effect as the extract with doses of 1 and 3 mg (59% and 65% respectively). In the chronic model the anti-inflammatory effect generally was a more moderate one. The highest dose of the extract decreased the edema reduction to 26% with the highest dose of the extract applied. With the compounds the effect decreased to 36% with stigmasterol, and 40.6% with beta-sitosterol. Myeloperoxydase activity (MPO) was reduced by the extract and the compounds in the acute model, however, in the chronic edema, the enzyme inhibition was very weak with all treatments even with the standard substance. These results indicate that the chloroform extract of Achillea ageratum and some of the its components stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol are more effective as topical anti-inflammatory agents in acute than in the chronic process and their action is markedly influenced by the inhibition of neutrophil migration into inflamed tissue.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Chloroform; Chronic Disease; Dexamethasone; Disease Models, Animal; Ear; Edema; Indomethacin; Mice; Peroxidase; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Sitosterols; Stigmasterol; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

Proportions of cholesterol precursors (squalene, delta 8-cholestenol, desmosterol and lathosterol), plant sterols (campesterol and sitosterol) and cholestanol to cholesterol in serum were measured before and serially after liver transplantation in eight patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and three with acute liver necrosis. The preoperative proportions of cholestanol were 12 and 3-times higher in the PBC and necrosis groups, respectively, than in a control group of 27 individuals, while those of lathosterol were low in both groups and the campesterol/sitosterol ratio in the PBC group. During the operation the proportions of cholestanol fell sharply and those of lathosterol rose especially in the PBC group. During the postoperative follow-up of 5 weeks the proportions of the non-cholesterol sterols were markedly improved especially in the necrosis group yet those of cholestanol remained high and the campesterol/sitosterol ratios low, particularly in the PBC group. The proportions of lathosterol increased gradually almost to the control limits within the postoperative 5-week period, whereas those of desmosterol decreased. The non-cholesterol sterol values were not related to acute rejections, while significant correlations of cholestanol to liver function tests was found especially at the end of the follow-up.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Cholestanol; Cholesterol; Female; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary; Liver Diseases; Liver Transplantation; Male; Middle Aged; Necrosis; Phytosterols; Protein Precursors; Sitosterols; Squalene

Fecal bile acid and neutral sterol patterns of five healthy adult male volunteers, who were challenged by a virulent Shigella flexneri 2a (M42-43) strain and developed dysentery were studied. It was observed that cholic acid was increased from 1.9 +/- 0.4% of total bile acid in the feces before infection to 14.5 +/- 2.1% during diarrhea (P less than 0.001). Chenodeoxycholic acid also was increased from 3.2 +/- 0.7 to 8.7 +/- 3.2% in diarrhea but the difference was not significant statistically. Deoxycholic and lithocholic acids constituted 34.1 +/- 4.1 and 40.5 +/- 2.8%, respectively, of total bile acid in the normal controls as compared to 13.9 +/- 2.5 and 24.8 +/- 2.5% for the same subjects during diarrhea (P less than 0.005). Total excretion of bile acids, expressed as mg/kg of body weight per day, were higher in diarrhea (5.4 +/- 1.0) than that in controls (4,2 +/- 1.0) but the difference was not statistically significant. In the neutral sterol fraction, unmodified cholesterol was increased during diarrhea (86.2 +/- 8.7 versus 25.0 +/- 4.8% of total cholesterol metabolites in controls, P less than 0.001). Coprostanol was decreased in shigellosis (12.2 +/- 8.2 versus 65.8 +/- 4.7% in controls, P less than 0.001). Epicoprostanol, coprostanone, and unidentified cholesterol metabolites also were reduced in shigellosis. The effect of diarrhea on the plant sterols was not as consistent. However, unidentified plant sterols were reduced significantly in shigellosis stools. Total excretion of cholesterol metabolites and plant sterols, when expressed as mg/kg of body weight per day, were 6.8 +/- 1.7 and 0.6 +/- 0.2), respectively, in Shigellosis. These values were not significantly different from the corresponding values for controls (10.3 +/- 3.0 and 0.8 +/- 0.2). One subject's stool samples were studied during infection for the sequence of bile acid alteration. A progressive reduction of bacterial activity upon fecal steroids was evident following the initial diarrheal episode. The production of coprostanol was correlated with 7 alpha-dehydroxylation of cholic acid (r = 0.937, P less than 0.001) and chenodeoxycholic acid (r = 0.755, P less than 0.01).

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Bile Acids and Salts; Chenodeoxycholic Acid; Cholesterol; Cholic Acids; Deoxycholic Acid; Dysentery, Bacillary; Feces; Humans; Lithocholic Acid; Male; Phytosterols; Shigella flexneri; Sitosterols; Sterols; Stigmasterol