tannins and Obesity

Obesity has become a worldwide health problem. It triggers additional co-morbidities like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depression, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems and many more. Excess accumulation of fat in obesity could be caused by many factors like sedentary lifestyle, consumption of high-fat diet, genetic predisposition, etc. Imbalanced energy metabolism i.e., greater energy consumption than utilisation, invariably underlies obesity. Considering the high prevalence and continuous, uncontrolled increase of this major public health issue, there is an urgent need to find appropriate therapeutic agents with minimal or no side effects. The high prevalence of obesity in recent years has led to a surge in the number of drugs available in the market that claim to control obesity. Although there is a long list of medicines and management strategies that are available, selecting the right therapeutic intervention and feasible management of obesity is a challenge. Several phytochemicals like hydroxycitric acid, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, phytohaemagglutinin, thymoquinone and epigallocatechin gallate have been shown to possess promising anti-obesity properties. However, studies providing information on how various phytochemicals exert their anti-obesity effects are inadequate. This calls for more experimentation in this less explored area of research. Additionally, the complication of obesity arises when it is a result of multiple factors and associated with a number of co-morbidities. In order to handle such complexities, combinatorial therapeutic interventions become effective. In this review, we have described the medicinal chemistry of different highly effective phytochemicals which can be used in the effective treatment and management of obesity.

Topics: Adipokines; Animals; Anthocyanins; Anti-Obesity Agents; Benzoquinones; Catechin; Citrates; Drug Discovery; Drug Therapy, Combination; Energy Metabolism; Enzyme Inhibitors; Flavonoids; Humans; Lipids; Obesity; Phytochemicals; Phytohemagglutinins; Plant Extracts; Plants; Signal Transduction; Tannins

Pu-erh tea is a post-fermentation tea with unique flavor and multiple health benefits. Due to the various microorganisms involved in the post-fermentation process, Pu-erh tea contains highly complex components, which have rich interactions with the gut microbiomes (GMs). Because the structure and homeostasis of GMs are closely related to human wellness and the various diseases progress, the beneficial effects of Pu-erh tea on GMs have a great potential for application in health care. However, there is no systematic summary of the bioactive components of Pu-erh tea, and their effects on the GMs. Here, we review the current studies on the effects of Pu-erh tea and its bioactive components on the structure of GMs as well as on health improvement, and further discuss the relevant quality indicators. This "components - function - indicators" clue will hopefully stimulate the standardization of Pu-erh tea fermentation process and the development of its functional products.

Topics: Animals; Colitis; Flavonoids; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Obesity; Polysaccharides; Tannins; Tea

Obesity represents a rapidly growing threat to the health of populations in an increasing number of countries. Diet intervention has been proposed as one of the strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance. Traditionally, the pomegranate, including its roots, tree bark, fruit juice, leaves, and flowers, has been used to treat some conditions such as diarrhea, hemorrhage, acidosis, and microbial infections. Pomegranate extracts have been found to have strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even antitumor properties in vivo and in vitro. More recently, positive effects on fat reduction have been shown using the pomegranate and its extracts. Many of the beneficial effects are related to the presence of anthocyanins, tannins, and very high levels of antioxidants, including polyphenols and flavonoids. Many studies have explored the effects of the pomegranate in obesity, and various mechanisms have been proposed as to how these different extracts help in fat reduction. This article provides an overview of the work done addressing the potential benefits of the pomegranate on obesity and assesses the efficacy of intervention by means of the pomegranate and its extracts. Human studies in this field are still limited and need more attention that would help in understanding the preventive and protective roles pomegranate extracts have on obesity.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Anthocyanins; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Anti-Obesity Agents; Antioxidants; Humans; Lythraceae; Obesity; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols; Tannins

Sorghum is a rich source of various phytochemicals including tannins, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, phytosterols and policosanols. These phytochemicals have potential to significantly impact human health. Sorghum fractions possess high antioxidant activity in vitro relative to other cereals or fruits. These fractions may offer similar health benefits commonly associated with fruits. Available epidemiological evidence suggests that sorghum consumption reduces the risk of certain types of cancer in humans compared to other cereals. The high concentration of phytochemicals in sorghum may be partly responsible. Sorghums containing tannins are widely reported to reduce caloric availability and hence weight gain in animals. This property is potentially useful in helping reduce obesity in humans. Sorghum phytochemicals also promote cardiovascular health in animals. Such properties have not been reported in humans and require investigation, since cardiovascular disease is currently the leading killer in the developed world. This paper reviews available information on sorghum phytochemicals, how the information relates to current phytonutrient research and how it has potential to combat common nutrition-related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Topics: Animals; Anthocyanins; Antioxidants; Cardiovascular Diseases; Edible Grain; Fatty Alcohols; Flavonoids; Fruit; Humans; Molecular Structure; Neoplasms; Obesity; Phenols; Phytosterols; Proanthocyanidins; Sorghum; Tannins

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie sollte der Einfluss des Weichteilschadens auf das klinische Ergebnis nach offener Ellenbogenluxation untersucht werden.. Von Oktober 2008 bis August 2015 wurden insgesamt 230 Patienten mit Ellenbogenluxation behandelt. Diese retrospektive Studie umfasst 21 Fälle von offenen Ellenbogenluxationen. Das Durchschnittsalter der Patienten betrug 49 Jahre alt (20–83 Jahre), 6 Patienten waren weiblich (29%), 15 männlich (71%). Das Bewegungsausmaß des verletzten und unverletzten Ellenbogens wurde erhoben und das funktionelle Ergebnis u. a. mittels Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), Mayo Wrist Score (MWS) und dem Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Score erfasst. Zusätzlich wurden Komplikationen und Revisionsoperationen aufgezeichnet. Der Einfluss des Weichteilschadens (I°/II° offen vs. III° offen) und des Luxationstyps (einfach vs. komplex) auf das klinische Ergebnis wurde analysiert.. Offene Ellenbogenluxationen können mit einem zufriedenstellenden klinischen Ergebnis einhergehen. Insbesondere komplexe offene Ellenbogenluxationen sind jedoch sehr komplikationsbehaftet, wobei neurovaskuläre Komplikationen am häufigsten auftreten.. The current high rate of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria infections among hospitalised patients with cUTIs in the studied area is alarming. Our predictive model could be useful to avoid inappropriate antibiotic treatment and implement antibiotic stewardship policies that enhance the use of carbapenem-sparing regimens in patients at low risk of multidrug-resistance.. The results indicated differential patterns of Inhibition of Return between the High and Low shape/weight based self-worth groups. The High group displayed increased inhibition of return for the shape/weight stimuli relative to control stimuli, while the Low group displayed reduced inhibition of return for the shape/weight stimuli compared to control stimuli. The ED group displayed a similar pattern of results to the High group, but this did not reach significance.. The current findings indicate that young women without an eating disorder who base their self-worth on shape/weight display a pattern of avoidance of shape/weight stimuli that is in direct contrast to those at low risk of developing eating disorders. The possible implications of these specific patterns of inhibition of return across those at varying levels of risk for an eating disorder are discussed along with their implications for intervention approaches.. These results indicated that Sr. An unusually high HbA

Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Acute Disease; Adalimumab; Adaptation, Physiological; Adenosine Triphosphate; Adipose Tissue; Administration, Intravaginal; Adolescent; Adsorption; Adult; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Age Distribution; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Air Pollution, Indoor; Aldehyde Oxidase; Alginates; Alloys; alpha-Globins; Aluminum Hydroxide; Alveolar Bone Loss; Anaerobiosis; Anesthesia, General; Anesthetics; Animals; Anovulation; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Bacillus cereus; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteroidetes; Base Composition; Biocompatible Materials; Biofilms; Biological Availability; Biological Transport; Biosensing Techniques; Bipolar Disorder; Blood Glucose; Body Mass Index; Bone Regeneration; Boranes; Brachial Artery; Butyric Acid; Candida albicans; Carbon; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Cell Differentiation; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Respiration; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Charcoal; Child; Child Health; China; Chloride Channels; Chlorides; CHO Cells; Chromatography, Liquid; Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary; Chromium; Chronic Disease; Chronic Periodontitis; Circular Dichroism; Cities; Cohort Studies; Comamonadaceae; Comorbidity; Coronary Artery Disease; Corrosion; Cricetinae; Cricetulus; Cross Infection; Cross-Sectional Studies; Crowding; Culture Media; Cytokines; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetes, Gestational; Diarylheptanoids; Diclofenac; Disability Evaluation; Diterpene Alkaloids; DNA; DNA Mutational Analysis; DNA, Bacterial; Drug Liberation; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Endothelium, Vascular; Enterococcus faecalis; Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; Epithelial Cells; Erbium; Erythropoietin; Ethanol; Ethylenediamines; Fast Foods; Fatty Acids; Female; Fermentation; Ferric Compounds; Fibroblasts; Flavobacteriaceae; Fluorides; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Food Microbiology; Formaldehyde; Furaldehyde; Gamma Cameras; Gene Expression; Geologic Sediments; Glucose Tolerance Test; Glycated Hemoglobin; Glycolipids; Glycosylation; Gracilaria; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Guanine; Health Surveys; HeLa Cells; Hemoglobins, Abnormal; Hexosamines; High Fructose Corn Syrup; High-Intensity Interval Training; Hip Fractures; Hippocampus; HLA-B27 Antigen; Hospitalization; Housing; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydrolysis; Hydroxides; Hypercapnia; Hypertension; Hypocreales; Hypromellose Derivatives; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Incidence; Indole Alkaloids; Indonesia; Inflammation Mediators; Infrared Rays; Insulin Resistance; Intercalating Agents; Ion Transport; Ionophores; Japan; Kinetics; Kluyveromyces; Letrozole; Linear Models; Lipopolysaccharides; Liposomes; Liver; Lung Diseases; Magnesium Hydroxide; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Membrane Transport Proteins; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbial Viability; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Middle Aged; Mitochondria; Mitochondria, Muscle; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Structure; Muscle, Skeletal; Mutant Proteins; Mutation; Mutation, Missense; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Obesity; Occupational Exposure; Oceans and Seas; Odds Ratio; Organometallic Compounds; Osteogenesis; Ovulation Induction; Oxidation-Reduction; Particle Size; Periodontal Ligament; Permeability; Phaseolus; Phenotype; Philippines; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Phospholipids; Photochemical Processes; Phylogeny; Pichia; Pigmentation; Plant Extracts; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Polysaccharides; Postprandial Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Rate; Prevalence; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; Progesterone; Progestins; Protein Engineering; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Psoriasis; Public Facilities; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Thyrotropin; Recombinant Proteins; Reproducibility of Results; Republic of Korea; Retrospective Studies; Rhodobacteraceae; Risk; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; ROC Curve; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Salinity; Saliva; Seawater; Seaweed; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sex Factors; Silver Compounds; Smokers; Social Class; Socioeconomic Factors; Soil Microbiology; Solubility; Soy Foods; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Staphylococcus aureus; Static Electricity; Steroids; Strontium; Sucrose; Surface Properties; Survival Rate; Sweden; Swine; Synapses; Synchrotrons; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Tannins; Tea; Temperature; Terpenes; Thalidomide; Thermodynamics; Thiadiazoles; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; Thyroid Neoplasms; Thyroidectomy; Time Factors; Tissue Distribution; Titanium; Toilet Facilities; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone; Urinary Tract Infections; Vaginal Creams, Foams, and Jellies; Venezuela; Vitamin K 2; Waist Circumference; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; Water Microbiology; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Whole Body Imaging; X-Ray Diffraction; Young Adult; Ytterbium; Yttrium; Yttrium Radioisotopes; Zinc Compounds

Epidemiologic evidence suggests that a diet rich in (poly)phenols has beneficial effects on many chronic diseases. Brown seaweed is a rich source of (poly)phenols.. The aim of this study was to investigate the bioavailability and effect of a brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) (poly)phenol extract on DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation in vivo.. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was conducted in 80 participants aged 30-65 y with a body mass index (in kg/m2) ≥25. The participants consumed either a 400-mg capsule containing 100 mg seaweed (poly)phenol and 300 mg maltodextrin or a 400-mg maltodextrin placebo control capsule daily for an 8-wk period. Bioactivity was assessed with a panel of blood-based markers including lymphocyte DNA damage, plasma oxidant capacity, C-reactive protein (CRP), and inflammatory cytokines. To explore the bioavailability of seaweed phenolics, an untargeted metabolomics analysis of urine and plasma samples after seaweed consumption was determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry.. Consumption of the seaweed (poly)phenols resulted in a modest decrease in DNA damage but only in a subset of the total population who were obese. There were no significant changes in CRP, antioxidant status, or inflammatory cytokines. We identified phlorotannin metabolites that are considered potential biomarkers of seaweed consumption including pyrogallol/phloroglucinol-sulfate, hydroxytrifurahol A-glucuronide, dioxinodehydroeckol-glucuronide, diphlorethol sulfates, C-O-C dimer of phloroglucinol sulfate, and C-O-C dimer of phloroglucinol.. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first comprehensive study investigating the bioactivity and bioavailability of seaweed (poly)phenolics in human participants. We identified several potential biomarkers of seaweed consumption. Intriguingly, the modest improvements in DNA damage were observed only in the obese subset of the total population. The subgroup analysis should be considered exploratory because it was not preplanned; therefore, it was not powered adequately. Elucidation of the biology underpinning this observation will require participant stratification according to weight in future studies. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02295878.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antioxidants; Ascophyllum; Biological Availability; C-Reactive Protein; Cross-Over Studies; Cytokines; Diet; DNA Damage; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Inflammation; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Overweight; Oxidative Stress; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols; Seaweed; Tannins

The homeostasis of circadian clock linked to bile acid (BA) metabolism and gut microbiota has profound benefits in maintaining the health status of the host. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevention and regulation of apple polyphenol extract (APE) on BA metabolism and gut microbiota by means of modulation of circadian rhythms in mice. Eighty male C57BL/6 mice were randomized into four groups: 24-hour

Topics: Animals; Bile Acids and Salts; Chlorogenic Acid; Circadian Rhythm; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Diet, High-Fat; Flavonoids; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Lipid Metabolism; Male; Malus; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity; Tannins

Bile acid-binding agents, such as cholestyramine and colesevelam, improve both cholesterol and glucose metabolism. Kaki-tannin, a polymerized condensed tannin derived from persimmon (Diospyros kaki), has been shown to have bile acid-binding capacity and a hypocholesterolemic effect. However, its effects on glucose metabolism have not been well studied, and the binding selectivity of kaki-tannin to bile acid molecules has not been reported.. In vivo experiments using mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity showed that kaki-tannin intake (20 g kg. Our findings indicate that kaki-tannin binds preferentially to bile acids with fewer hydroxy groups and has beneficial effects on glucose metabolism as well as cholesterol metabolism. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Topics: Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Bile Acids and Salts; Blood Glucose; Cholesterol; Diospyros; Fruit; Humans; Male; Mice; Obesity; Plant Extracts; Plasma; Tannins

Leptin resistance in the hypothalamus has an essential role in obesity. Saturated fatty acids such as palmitate bind to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and lead to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and leptin resistance. In this study, we evaluated whether extracts of

Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Diet, High-Fat; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Humans; Hypothalamus; Leptin; Mice; Microglia; Neurons; NF-kappa B; Obesity; Palmitates; Phaeophyceae; Phloroglucinol; Prohibitins; Receptors, Leptin; Signal Transduction; STAT3 Transcription Factor; Tannins; Toll-Like Receptor 4

Topics: Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Cytokines; Diet; Dioxins; Disease Models, Animal; Hypertrophy; Inflammation; Ligands; Macrophages; Mice; Obesity; Phaeophyceae; Phloroglucinol; Plant Extracts; Pyrogallol; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; Tannins

Blood circulation disorders, such as hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis, are not easily cured by dietary supplements, but they can be mitigated. Although

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Blood Circulation; Blood Pressure; Cell Adhesion Molecules; Cell Line; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Diet; Dioxins; Ginkgo biloba; Hypertension; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Models, Animal; Obesity; Phaeophyceae; Phloroglucinol; Plant Extracts; Pyrogallol; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Tannins

Topics: Adipose Tissue, White; Adiposity; Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Blood Glucose; Cholesterol; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Sucrose; Disease Models, Animal; Dyslipidemias; Hyperglycemia; Hyperinsulinism; Hypoglycemic Agents; Hypolipidemic Agents; Insulin; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myrtaceae; Obesity; Phenols; Plant Extracts; Tannins; Time Factors; Weight Gain

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) consumption has been associated with health beneficial effects. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a comorbidity of obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a polyphenol-rich cranberry extract (CBE) on hepatic inflammation in high fat (HF)-fed obese C57BL/6J mice. Following dietary treatment with 0.8% CBE for 10 weeks, we observed no change in body weight or visceral fat mass in CBE-supplemented mice compared to HF-fed control mice. We did observe a significant decrease in plasma alanine aminotransferase (31%) and histological severity of NAFLD (33% decrease in area of involvement, 29% decrease in lipid droplet size) compared to HF-fed controls. Hepatic protein levels of tumor necrosis factor α and C-C chemokine ligand 2 were reduced by 28% and 19%, respectively, following CBE supplementation. CBE significantly decreased hepatic mRNA levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4, 63%) and nuclear factor κB (NFκB, 24%), as well as a number of genes related to the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome. In conclusion, CBE reduced NAFLD and hepatic inflammation in HF-fed obese C57BL/6J mice. These effects appear to be related to mitigation of TLR4-NFκB related signaling; however, further studies into the underlying mechanisms of these hepatoprotective effects are needed.

Topics: Animals; Anthocyanins; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Biomarkers; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Supplements; Dyslipidemias; Fruit; Gene Expression Regulation; Inflammasomes; Insulin Resistance; Lipid Droplets; Liver; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Obesity; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols; Random Allocation; Tannins; Vaccinium macrocarpon

The dramatic increase in obesity-related diseases emphasizes the need to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fat metabolism. Inhibition of adipocyte differentiation has been suggested to be an important strategy for preventing or treating obesity. In our previous study, we characterized an Ecklonia stolonifera extract and non-polar fractions thereof, including dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions. We showed that these fractions inhibited adipocyte differentiation and lipid formation/accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, as assessed by Oil Red O staining. As part of our ongoing search for anti-obesity agents derived from E. stolonifera, in this work, we characterized five known phlorotannins, including phloroglucinol, eckol, dieckol, dioxinodehydroeckol, and phlorofucofuroeckol A, all of which were isolated from the active ethyl acetate fraction of E. stolonifera. We determined the chemical structures of these phlorotannins through comparisons of published nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral data. Furthermore, we screened these phlorotannins for their abilities to inhibit adipogenesis over a range of concentrations (12.5-100 μM). Of these five phlorotannins, phloroglucinol, eckol, and phlorofucofuroeckol A significantly concentration-dependently inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells without affecting cell viability. In addition, the five isolated phlorotannins also significantly reduced the expression levels of several adipocyte marker genes, including proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), although they did so to different extents. These results suggest that the molecular weight of a phlorotannin is an important factor affecting its ability to inhibit adipocyte differentiation and modulate the expression levels of adipocyte marker genes.

Topics: 3T3-L1 Cells; Adipocytes; Adipogenesis; Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; Dioxins; Down-Regulation; Mice; Obesity; Phaeophyceae; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; PPAR gamma; Tannins

Tannic acid is a hydrolyzable tannin that exists in many widespread edible plants with a variety of biological activities. In this study, we found that tannic acid potently inhibited the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS) in a concentration-dependent manner with a half-inhibitory concentration value (IC50) of 0.14 microM. The inhibition kinetic results showed that the inhibition of FAS by tannic acid was mixed competitive and noncompetitive manner with respect to acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, but uncompetitive to NADPH. Tannic acid prevented the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes, and thus repressed intracellular lipid accumulation. In the meantime, tannic acid decreased the expression of FAS and down-regulated the mRNA level of FAS and PPARgamma during adipocyte differentiation. Further studies showed that the inhibitory effect of tannic acid did not relate to FAS non-specific sedimentation. Since FAS was believed to be a therapeutic target of obesity, these findings suggested that tannic acid was considered having potential in the prevention of obesity.

Topics: 3T3-L1 Cells; Adipocytes; Adipogenesis; Animals; Down-Regulation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fatty Acid Synthases; Gene Expression Regulation; Lipid Metabolism; Mice; Obesity; PPAR gamma; RNA, Messenger; Tannins

An overwhelming body of research has now firmly established that the dietary intake of berry fruits has a positive and profound impact on human health, performance, and disease. Berry fruits, which are commercially cultivated and commonly consumed in fresh and processed forms in North America, include blackberry ( Rubus spp.), black raspberry ( Rubus occidentalis), blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum), cranberry (i.e., the American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, distinct from the European cranberry, V. oxycoccus), red raspberry ( Rubus idaeus) and strawberry ( Fragaria x ananassa). Other berry fruits, which are lesser known but consumed in the traditional diets of North American tribal communities, include chokecherry ( Prunus virginiana), highbush cranberry ( Viburnum trilobum), serviceberry ( Amelanchier alnifolia), and silver buffaloberry ( Shepherdia argentea). In addition, berry fruits such as arctic bramble ( Rubus articus), bilberries ( Vaccinuim myrtillus; also known as bog whortleberries), black currant ( Ribes nigrum), boysenberries ( Rubus spp.), cloudberries ( Rubus chamaemorus), crowberries ( Empetrum nigrum, E. hermaphroditum), elderberries ( Sambucus spp.), gooseberry ( Ribes uva-crispa), lingonberries ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea), loganberry ( Rubus loganobaccus), marionberries ( Rubus spp.), Rowan berries ( Sorbus spp.), and sea buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides), are also popularly consumed in other parts of the world. Recently, there has also been a surge in the consumption of exotic "berry-type" fruits such as the pomegranate ( Punica granatum), goji berries ( Lycium barbarum; also known as wolfberry), mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana), the Brazilian açaí berry ( Euterpe oleraceae), and the Chilean maqui berry ( Aristotelia chilensis). Given the wide consumption of berry fruits and their potential impact on human health and disease, conferences and symposia that target the latest scientific research (and, of equal importance, the dissemination of this information to the general public), on the chemistry and biological and physiological functions of these "superfoods" are necessary.

Topics: Blueberry Plants; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diet; Flavonoids; Fragaria; Fruit; Health Promotion; Humans; Lythraceae; Neoplasms; Obesity; Rosaceae; Tannins; Vaccinium macrocarpon

Obesity is a major risk factor for Syndrome X and type II diabetes (T2D). However, most antidiabetic drugs that are hypoglycemic also promote weight gain, thus alleviating one symptom of T2D while aggravating a major risk factor that leads to T2D. Adipogenesis, the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes, is a major mechanism leading to weight gain and obesity. It is highly desirable to develop pharmaceuticals and treatments for T2D that reduce blood glucose levels without inducing adipogenesis in patients. Previously, we reported that an extract from Lagerstroemia speciosa L. (banaba) possessed activities that both stimulated glucose transport and inhibited adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. Using glucose uptake assays and Western/Northern blot analyses as major tools and 3T3-L1 cells as a model, we showed that the banaba extract (BE) with tannin removed was devoid of the 2 activities, and tannic acid (TA), a major component of tannins, had the same 2 activities as BE. Inhibitors known to abolish insulin-induced glucose transport also blocked TA-induced glucose transport. We further detected that TA induced phosphorylation of the insulin receptor (IR) and Akt, as well as translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT 4), the protein factors involved in the signaling pathway of insulin-mediated glucose transport. We also demonstrated that TA inhibited the expression of key genes for adipogenesis. Differences between samples with or without TA in all of the quantitative assays were significant (P < 0.05). These results suggest that TA may be useful for the prevention and treatment of T2D and its associated obesity. TA may have the potential to become the lead compound in the development of new types of antidiabetic pharmaceuticals that are able to reduce blood glucose levels without increasing adiposity.

Topics: 3T3 Cells; Adipocytes; Animals; Biological Transport; Cell Differentiation; CHO Cells; Cricetinae; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dogs; Glucose; Kidney; Mice; Models, Animal; Models, Biological; Obesity; Tannins