epiglucan and Hyperlipidemias

The search for lipid-lowering drugs is important for clinical medicine. This review summarizes our research findings regarding the hypolipidemic activity of polysaccharides. There are several validated agents altering lipid levels which reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. Nonetheless, for many people, the risk of such an event remains unacceptably high despite treatment with these agents. This situation has prompted the search for new therapies to reduce the residual cardiovascular risk. The lipid-lowering effect of β-glucans consumed with food was demonstrated in patients with atherosclerosis. The mechanism of the protective effect of β-glucans is poorly studied. The effects of β-glucans are mediated by Toll-like receptors, by dectin-1, and possibly by other receptors. Nevertheless, the mechanism of the protective action of β-glucan in lipemic mice has been studied insufficiently. This review will present up-to-date information regarding experimental hypolipidemic polysaccharide compounds that hold promise for medicine. Phagocyte-specific chitotriosidase in humans contributes to innate immune responses against chitin-containing fungi. This enzyme has been first described in patients with Gaucher disease and serves as an important diagnostic biomarker. It has been reported that, in mice, chitin particles of certain size are recognized by macrophages through Toll-like receptors, dectin-1, and to a lesser extent through mannose receptor.

Topics: beta-Glucans; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene Regulatory Networks; Hexosaminidases; Humans; Hyperlipidemias; Hypolipidemic Agents; Lectins, C-Type; Mannans; Polysaccharides; Toll-Like Receptors

Oat is a promising plant for the future. It is edible and beneficial thanks to its nutritional, medicinal and pharmaceutical uses and, hence, recognized to be useful for a healthier world. The assessment of the vital functions of oat components is important for industries requiring correct health labelling, valid during the shelf life of any product. Oil, enzymes and other biomolecules of nutraceutic or dietary usage from oats would be valorized for this purpose. Although oats have a unique and versatile composition including antioxidants and biomolecules indispensable for health, they are undervalued in comparison with other staple cereals such as wheat, barley and rice. Furthermore, oats, apart from maize, comprise a high oil content used for a wide range of beneficial purposes. In addition, they contain beta glucan that has proven to be very helpful in reducing blood cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular diseases risks. In fact, there is diversity in the composition and content of the beneficial oat components within their genotypes and the different environmental conditions and, thus, oats are amenable to be enhanced by agronomic practices and genetic approaches.

Topics: Antioxidants; Avena; beta-Glucans; Carbohydrates; Cardiovascular Diseases; Genotype; Humans; Hyperlipidemias; Molecular Conformation; Plant Oils; Plant Proteins

This review summarizes the recent knowledge about the positive effect of betaglucans on human health. Beta-glucans are polysaccharides occurring in the bran of cereal grains (barley and oats and to a much lesser degree in rye and wheat, in amounts of about 7%, 5%, 2% and less than 1%, respectively), the cell wall of baker's yeast, certain types of fungi, and many kinds of mushrooms. The differences between soluble and insoluble beta-glucans are significant in regards to application, mode of action, and overall biological activity. A growing body of science indicates that beta-glucans promote health in a number of important ways. Beta-glucans have been studied for their hypocholesterolemic effects; these mechanisms include: reducing the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and bile acids by binding to glucans; shifting the liver from cholesterol syntheses to bile acid production; and fermentation by intestinal bacteria to short-chain fatty acids, which are absorbed and inhibit hepatic cholesterol syntheses. Several studies have also shown that oat beta-glucans blunt the glycemic and insulin response. Moreover, beta-1,3-glucans improve the body's immune system defense against foreign invaders by enhancing the ability of macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells to respond to and fight a wide range of challenges such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Finally, there is renewed interest in the potential usefulness of beta-glucan as a radioprotective drug for chemotherapy, radiation therapy and nuclear emergencies, particularly because glucan can be used not only as a treatment, but also as a prophylactic.

Topics: Animals; Bacterial Infections; beta-Glucans; Blood Glucose; Cholesterol, LDL; Humans; Hyperlipidemias; Immune System; Insulin; Mice; Neoplasms; Radiation Injuries, Experimental; Triglycerides

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) is the Japanese name for an edible fungus with a large fruiting body characterized by overlapping caps. It is a premier culinary as well as medicinal mushroom. Maitake is increasingly being recognized as a potent source of polysaccharide compounds with dramatic health-promoting potential. The most recent development is the MD-fraction, a proprietary maitake extract its Japanese inventors consider to be a notable advance upon the preceding D-fraction. The D-fraction, the MD-fraction, and other extracts, often in combination with whole maitake powder, have shown particular promise as immunomodulating agents, and as an adjunct to cancer and HIV therapy. They may also provide some benefit in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hepatitis.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Administration, Oral; Animals; Anti-HIV Agents; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; beta-Glucans; Body Weight; Drug Administration Schedule; Glucans; HIV Infections; Humans; Hyperlipidemias; Hypertension; Hypolipidemic Agents; Liver Diseases; Neoplasms; Polyporaceae

Increasing evidence has confirmed that whole grain oats are effective in regulating hyperlipidemia. However, which specific ingredient is crucial remains unclear. This study focused on which whole grain components, oat phenolic compounds (OPC) or oat β-glucan (OBG), can regulate lipid metabolism and gut microbiota. The experiment unveiled that OPC and/or OBG not only reduced the body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) but also regulated serum and hepatic lipid levels in high-fat-diet (HFD) fed mice. There was no significant difference in the regulatory effects of OPC and OBG (

Topics: Animals; Avena; beta-Glucans; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Diet, High-Fat; Hyperlipidemias; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Whole Grains

Mixed-linkage β-glucans are fermented by the colon microbiota that give rise to SCFA. Propionic and butyric acids have been found to play an important role in colonic health, as well as they may have extraintestinal metabolic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate how two whole-grain barley varieties differing in dietary fibre and β-glucan content affected caecal SCFA, gut microbiota and some plasma inflammatory markers in rats consuming low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF) diets. Barley increased the caecal pool of SCFA in rats fed the LF and HF diets compared with those fed the control diet, and the effect was generally dependent on fibre content, an exception was butyric acid in the LF setting. Furthermore, whole-grain barley reduced plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, increased the caecal abundance of Lactobacillus and decreased the Bacteroides fragilis group, but increased the number of Bifidobacterium only when dietary fat was consumed at a low level. Fat content influenced the effects of barley: rats fed the HF diets had a higher caecal pool of acetic and propionic acids, higher concentrations of amino acids and higher amounts of lipids in the portal plasma and liver than rats fed the LF diets; however, less amounts of butyric acid were generally formed. Interestingly, there was an increase in the caecal abundance of Akkermansia and the caecal pool of succinic acid, and a decrease in the proportion of Bifidobacterium and the Clostridium leptum group. In summary, whole-grain barley decreased HF diet-induced inflammation, which was possibly related to the formation of SCFA and changes in microbiota composition. High β-glucan content in the diet was associated with reduced plasma cholesterol levels.

Topics: Animals; beta-Glucans; Cecum; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Fiber; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Fermentation; Gastroenteritis; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Hordeum; Hyperlipidemias; Inflammation Mediators; Intestinal Mucosa; Liver; Male; Random Allocation; Rats, Wistar; Seeds

The effects of atorvastatin and carboxymethylated β-glucan (CMG) on the lipoprotein-cholesterol (LP-C) and lipoprotein-triglyceride (LP-TG) fractions and subfractions at the early stage of murine hyperlipidemia, and its pleiotropic anti-inflammatory effects, were studied. Atorvastatin and CMG were administered in ICR male mice with acute lipemia induced with a single injection of poloxamer 407 (P-407). A novel small-angle X-ray scattering method for the determination of fractional and subfractional composition of LP-C and LP-TG was used. In P-407-treated animals, there was a drastic increase of total cholesterol and especially TG. Atorvastatin decreased both the total cholesterol and TG, but not to control levels. CMG primarily decreased TG and was not as potent as atorvastatin. P-407 increased atherogenic LDL-C (IDL-C and LDL(1-3)-C subfractions) and very low-density lipoprotein-C (VLDL-C) (VLDL(1-2)-C and VLDL(3-5)-C subfractions) fractions, with an increase of the total anti-atherogenic HDL-C fraction (HDL(2)-C subfraction). Atorvastatin treatment of lipemia was followed by a decrease in the total LP-C, total LDL-C (LDL(1-3)-C subfraction), and the LDL(1-3)-TG subfraction. Additionally, atorvastatin treatment resulted in an increase in the serum matrix metalloproteases activity both in control and P-407-treated mice. In general, high-dose atorvastatin therapy exerts its lipid-lowering and pleiotropic effects in the early stages of acute lipemia induced in mice by treatment with P-407.

Topics: Animals; Atorvastatin; beta-Glucans; Biomarkers; Cholesterol, LDL; Disease Models, Animal; Heptanoic Acids; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Hyperlipidemias; Lipoproteins; Lipoproteins, LDL; Liver; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Poloxamer; Pyrroles; Scattering, Small Angle; Time Factors; Triglycerides; X-Ray Diffraction

Soluble dietary fiber and antioxidants have received much attention as most important components of functional foods. However, few data are available on the effects of the combination of tea polyphenols (TP) and β-glucan (BG) on blood glucose in a diabetic rat. The effects of administration of barley BG and TP or their combination (TP + BG) on blood glucose, lipid profiles, and antioxidant parameters on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Significant improvements on the blood glucose level, serum lipid parameters (decreases in triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and increase in HDL-C), lipid peroxidation (decrease in malondiadehyde content), and serum antioxidant status (increases in superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity) resulted in diabetic rats after administering TP + BG. This study, therefore, demonstrated that the intake of TP + BG has beneficial effects on glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, and serum antioxidant status. It also revealed that TP + BG is better than TP or BG alone in improving glucose metabolism and antioxidant status in diabetic rats. Practically, the present study suggested that polyphenols-rich cereal foods are help for type 2 diabetes.. Although TP or BG was definitely helpful in the treatment and management of diabetes mellitus, synthetic anti-hyperglycemic effects were found between TP and BG. The fortification of a BG-rich cereal diet with TP could be used as a strategy to maintain health of diabetic subjects.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; beta-Glucans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dietary Fiber; Food, Fortified; Functional Food; Hordeum; Hyperglycemia; Hyperlipidemias; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Oxidoreductases; Polyphenols; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Seeds; Streptozocin; Tea