Submit to Foods Review for Foods Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 15663

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiuliang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Interests: natural active ingredients; biological activities; anthocyanins; polyphenols; spermidine; active peptides; chronic diseases; metabolic diseases; diabetes; hyperuricemia and neurodegenerative diseases

Dr. Rui Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Modern Industry for Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
Interests: food; biomass; physical treatments; food processing; proteins; polyphenols; food nutrition and health

Prof. Dr. Jingren He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

National R&D Center for Se-Rich Agricultural Products Processing, Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, School of Modern Industry for Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
Interests: food chemistry and analysis; natural active compounds; extraction and separation; selenoproteins; polyphenols; interaction; nutraceuticals; bioactivities and efficacy evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The research and development of functional food ingredients has been a hot research topic in the food field in recent years, representing a trend of food development in the 21st century. Its rapid development reflects the awakening of today’s population to their own health, and a countermeasure to face some "crises" generated by modern civilization (increased biochemical pressure, increased environmental pollution, the extensive use of chemicals, etc.), as well as the idea that people return to nature and re-advocate the "same origin of medicine and food". People's new requirements for food are no longer limited to basic nutritional requirements, but include the need for certain physiologically regulating or health-promoting effects. Which functional factors in the diet can prevent diseases or promote physical health? Which bioactive substances play a major role in the effects on health? What is the best intake method and what is the effective dose? We also wish to reveal the accurate mechanism of the dietary functional factors that regulate physiological function or health effects at the molecular level.

Dr. Jiuliang Zhang
Dr. Rui Zhang
Prof. Dr. Jingren He
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bioactive secondary metabolites
chemistry composition and structure
separation and purification
metabolic diseases
fungal metabolites (such as azaphilones or azaphilonoids)
phenolic amine (such as spermidine compounds)
polyphenols (such as flavonoids, organic acids, anthocyanins, tannins, procyanidins, etc.)
selenoproteins, selenopeptides, active peptide
triterpene acid
volatile oil or essential oil
diabetes
hyperuricemia
antitumor activity
neurodegenerative disease
Alzheimer's disease
cell and animal experiment

Published Papers (10 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 4135 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immunomodulatory Effects of Sodium Hyaluronate Health Drink on Immunosuppressed Mice

by Xiaozhen Peng, Xiaoqiao Yao, Ya Liu and Bangzhu Peng

Foods 2024, 13(6), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060842 - 09 Mar 2024

Viewed by 688

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the immunomodulatory effects and mechanism of a sodium hyaluronate health drink in immunosuppressed mice. The results showed that the sodium hyaluronate health drink could improve thymus atrophy, repair spleen cell damage, promote the release of IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-α in serum, restore immune deficiency, and enhance immune function. In addition, 16s rRNA sequencing results of intestinal flora showed that different doses of health drink had different effects on the intestinal flora of mice. The low-dose group of mice showed a significant up-regulation of the abundance of Lactobacillus and promoted the formation of a new genus Akkermansia, while the medium- and high-dose group up-regulated the abundance of Lactobacillus and norank-f-Muribaculaceae, and stimulated the production of the new genus Alistipes. Sodium hyaluronate health drink may enhance the immune function of mice by changing the composition and abundance of intestinal flora, which provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent product development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modulation Effects of Sargassum pallidum Extract on Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia in Type 2 Diabetic Mice

by Xing Xie, Chun Chen and Xiong Fu

Foods 2023, 12(24), 4409; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244409 - 07 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1074

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic effect of the extract from Sargassum pallidum (SPPE) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice. SPPE treatment alleviated hyperglycemia, insulin resistance (IR), liver and pancreatic tissue damage, hyperlipidemia and hepatic oxidative stress resulting from T2DM. SPPE reversed phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCK) and hexokinase (HK) activities to improve gluconeogenesis and glycogen storage in the liver. Furthermore, SPPE modulated glucose metabolism by regulating the levels of mRNA expression involving the PI3K/Akt/FOXO1/G6pase/GLUT2 pathway and could inhibit fatty acid synthesis by reducing the gene expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC-1). A 16 sRNA analysis indicated that SPPE treatment also reversed gut dysbiosis by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Bacteroides and Lactobacillus) and suppressing the proliferation of harmful bacteria (Enterococcus and Helicobacter). Untargeted metabolomics results indicated that histidine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis were significantly influenced by SPPE. Thus, SPPE may be applied as an effective dietary supplement or drug in the management of T2DM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protective Effects of Different Selenium Green Tea Polysaccharides on the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Mice

by Weilan Gao, Zhan Zheng, Xuehua Wang, Li Wang, Na Zhang, Haiyuan Liu, Xin Cong, Shuyi Li and Zhenzhou Zhu

Foods 2023, 12(23), 4190; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234190 - 21 Nov 2023

Viewed by 923

Abstract

Selenium polysaccharides have attracted significant interest due to their superior function to that of individual polysaccharides. However, limited research has compared the protective effects of different selenium polysaccharides from different selenization methods on diabetes. This work aims to compare the preventive effects of natural selenium-enriched green tea polysaccharides (NSe-TPS), synthetic selenized green tea polysaccharides (PCSe-TPS), and a mixture of sodium selenite and green tea polysaccharides (ordinary tea polysaccharides (Ord-TPS)+Se) on the development of diabetes. While establishing a diabetes model induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin, different selenium polysaccharides were administered daily by gavage for nine weeks. Our findings indicate that PCSe-TPS exhibited superior preventive effects on developing type 2 diabetes compared to NSe-TPS and Ord-TPS+Se. PCSe-TPS effectively regulated glucose metabolism and insulin resistance by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, thereby preventing elevated blood glucose levels. Additionally, PCSe-TPS mitigated oxidative damage and inflammatory responses in liver tissues. Notably, PCSe-TPS intervention reversed the decline in bacterial species richness and the abundance of unclassified_Oscillospiraceae during the development of diabetes in mice. These results provide valuable insights into the protective effects of PCSe-TPS against diabetes development, highlighting its advantages over NSe-TPS and Ord-TPS+Se. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protective Effects of Naringenin and Apigenin in Ameliorating Skin Damage via Mediating the Nrf2 and NF-κB Pathways in Mice

by Jie Li, Bingyong Mao, Xin Tang, Qiuxiang Zhang, Jianxin Zhao, Hao Zhang and Shumao Cui

Foods 2023, 12(11), 2120; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112120 - 24 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1248

Abstract

Naringenin and apigenin are common flavonoids derived from edible plants with the potential to alleviate inflammation and improve skin antioxidation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of naringenin and apigenin on oleic acid-induced skin damage in mice and compare their underlying mechanisms of action. Triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids were significantly decreased by naringenin and apigenin, while apigenin intervention resulted in a better recovery of skin lesions. Naringenin and apigenin improved the antioxidative abilities of the skin by increasing catalase and total antioxidant capacity levels and decreasing malondialdehyde and lipid peroxide levels. The release of skin proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α, was inhibited after naringenin and apigenin pretreatments, but naringenin only promoted the excretion of IL-10. Additionally, naringenin and apigenin regulated antioxidant defense and inflammatory response by activating nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2-dependent mechanisms and suppressing the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B. In summary, naringenin and apigenin are prospective ingredients that contribute to the amelioration of skin damage by activating anti-inflammatory and antioxidative responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 5123 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effective Therapeutic Verification of Crocin I, Geniposide, and Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Vivo and In Vitro

by Haibo Zhou, Sen Zhang, Lianghua Chen, Yimei Liu, Luhong Shen and Jiuliang Zhang

Foods 2023, 12(8), 1668; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081668 - 17 Apr 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1276

Abstract

For many centuries, Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) was highly valued as a food homologous Chinese herbal medicine with various bioactive compounds, including crocin I and geniposide. However, the functional mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic effect of gardenia is absent in the literature. To evaluate the effect of gardenia and its different extracts on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in in vivo and in vitro experiments, the dried gardenia powder was extracted using 60% ethanol and eluted at different ethanol concentrations to obtain the corresponding purified fragments. After that, the active chemical compositions of the different purified gardenia fragments were analyzed using HPLC. Then, the hypoglycemic effects of the different purified gardenia fragments were compared using in vitro and in vivo experiments. Finally, the different extracts were characterized using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and the mass spectrometric fragmentation pathway of the two main compounds, geniposide and crocin I, were identified. The experimental results indicated that the inhibitory effect of the 40% EGJ (crocin I) on the α-glucosidase was better than the 20% EGJ (geniposide) in vitro. However, the inhibitory effect of geniposide on T2DM was better than crocin I in the animal experiments. The different results in vivo and in vitro presumed potentially different mechanisms between crocin I and geniposide on T2DM. This research demonstrated that the mechanism of hypoglycemia in vivo from geniposide is not only one target of the α-glucosidase but provides the experimental background for crocin I and the geniposide deep processing and utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physicochemical and Functional Changes in Lotus Root Polysaccharide Associated with Noncovalent Binding of Polyphenols

by Qiulan Liu, Xiaoqin Zou, Yang Yi, Ying Sun, Hongxun Wang, Xueyu Jiang and Kaidi Peng

Foods 2023, 12(5), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12051049 - 01 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1521

Abstract

To promote the functional applications of lotus root polysaccharides (LRPs), the effects of noncovalent polyphenol binding on their physicochemical properties, as well as antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities, were investigated. Ferulic acid (FA) and chlorogenic acid (CHA) were spontaneously bound to the LRP to prepare the complexes LRP-FA₁, LRP-FA₂, LRP-FA₃, LRP-CHA₁, LRP-CHA₂ and LRP-CHA₃, and their mass ratios of polyphenol to LRP were, respectively, 121.57, 61.18, 34.79, 2359.58, 1276.71 and 545.08 mg/g. Using the physical mixture of the LRP and polyphenols as a control, the noncovalent interaction between them in the complexes was confirmed by ultraviolet and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The interaction increased their average molecular weights by 1.11~2.27 times compared to the LRP. The polyphenols enhanced the antioxidant capacity and macrophage-stimulating activity of the LRP depending on their binding amount. Particularly, the DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP antioxidant ability were positively related to the FA binding amount but negatively related to the CHA binding amount. The NO production of the macrophages stimulated by the LRP was inhibited by the co-incubation with free polyphenols; however, the inhibition was eliminated by the noncovalent binding. The complexes could stimulate the NO production and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion more effectively than the LRP. The noncovalent binding of polyphenols may be an innovative strategy for the structural and functional modification of natural polysaccharides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 8544 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect and Mechanism of Corilagin from Euryale Ferox Salisb Shell on LPS-Induced Inflammation in Raw264.7 Cells

by Minrui Wu, Yuhan Jiang, Junnan Wang, Ting Luo, Yang Yi, Hongxun Wang and Limei Wang

Foods 2023, 12(5), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12050979 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1748

Abstract

(1) Background: Euryale ferox Salisb is a large aquatic plant of the water lily family and an edible economic crop with medicinal value. The annual output of Euryale ferox Salisb shell in China is higher than 1000 tons, often as waste or used as fuel, resulting in waste of resources and environmental pollution. We isolated and identified the corilagin monomer from Euryale ferox Salisb shell and discovered its potential anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of corilagin isolated from Euryale ferox Salisb shell. (2) Methods: We predict the anti-inflammatory mechanism by pharmacology. LPS was added to 264.7 cell medium to induce an inflammatory state, and the safe action range of corilagin was screened using CCK-8. The Griess method was used to determine NO content. The presence of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-10 was determined by ELISA to evaluate the effect of corilagin on the secretion of inflammatory factors, while that of reactive oxygen species was detected by flow cytometry. The gene expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS were determined using qRT-PCR. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and expression of target genes in the network pharmacologic prediction pathway. (3) Results: Network pharmacology analysis revealed that the anti-inflammatory effect of corilagin may be related to MAPK and TOLL-like receptor signaling pathways. The results demonstrated the presence of an anti-inflammatory effect, as indicated by the reduction in the level of NO, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and ROS in Raw264.7 cells induced by LPS. The results suggest that corilagin reduced the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS genes in Raw264.7 cells induced by LPS. The downregulation of the phosphorylation of IκB-α protein related to the toll-like receptor signaling pathway and upregulation of the phosphorylation of key proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway, P65 and JNK, resulted in reduced tolerance toward lipopolysaccharide, allowing for the exertion of the immune response. (4) Conclusions: The results demonstrate the significant anti-inflammatory effect of corilagin from Euryale ferox Salisb shell. This compound regulates the tolerance state of macrophages toward lipopolysaccharide through the NF-κB signaling pathway and plays an immunoregulatory role. The compound also regulates the expression of iNOS through the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby alleviating the cell damage caused by excessive NO release. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Three Phenolic Extracts Regulate the Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Community of Refrigerated Channel Catfish Fillets during Storage

by Jian Huang, Lan Wang, Zhenzhou Zhu, Yun Zhang, Guangquan Xiong and Shuyi Li

Foods 2023, 12(4), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040765 - 09 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1446

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that polyphenols have the potential to extend the shelf life of fish products. Thus, the effects of phenolic extracts from grape seed (GSE), lotus seedpod (LSPC), and lotus root (LRPE) were investigated in this study, focusing on the physicochemical changes and bacterial community of refrigerated channel catfish fillets during storage at 4 °C, using ascorbic acid (AA) as reference. As a result, GSE, LSPC, LRPE and AA inhibit the reproduction of microbials in catfish fillets during storage. According to the microbial community analysis, the addition of polyphenols significantly reduced the relative abundance of Proteobacterial in the early stage and changed the distribution of the microbial community in the later stage of storage. After 11 days of storage, the increase in total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) in fish was significantly reduced by 25.85%, 25.70%, 22.41%, and 39.31% in the GSE, LSPC, LRPE, and AA groups, respectively, compared to the control group (CK). Moreover, the lipid oxidation of samples was suppressed, in which thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) decreased by 28.77% in the GSE group, compared with the CK. The centrifugal loss, LF-NMR, and MRI results proved that GSE significantly delayed the loss of water and the increase in immobilized water flowability in catfish fillets. The polyphenol-treated samples also showed less decrease in shear force and muscle fiber damage in histology, compared to the CK. Therefore, the dietary polyphenols including GSE, LSPC, and LRPE could be developed as natural antioxidants to protect the quality and to extend the shelf life of freshwater fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lotus Root Polysaccharide-Phenol Complexes: Interaction, Structure, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

by Kaidi Peng, Yin Li, Ying Sun, Wei Xu, Hongxun Wang, Rui Zhang and Yang Yi

Foods 2023, 12(3), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030577 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1842

Abstract

This research aimed to explore the interaction between lotus root polysaccharides (LRPs) and phenolic compounds, and to study the effects of phenolic binding on the structural and functional properties of LRPs. The influences of pH, temperature, and NaCl and phenol concentration on the binding ratio of gallic acid (GA)/epigallocatechin (EGC) to LRPs were evaluated. LRP-GA/EGC complexes with different phenolic binding amounts were then prepared and characterized via ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and average molecular weight (MW) measurements. The results suggest that hydrogen bonds contributed to the binding of GA/EGC and LRPs. The phenolic binding led to significant changes in the structure and MW of LRPs. Moreover, antioxidant activity and the macrophage-stimulating effect of LRPs were improved after binding with GA/EGC, depending on the binding amount and type of polyphenol. Interestingly, LRP-GA/EGC complexes with polyphenol binding amounts of 105.4 mg/g and 50.71 mg/g, respectively, showed better stimulation effects on the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL10 secretion of macrophages when compared to LRPs. These results show the great potential of phenolic binding to be applied to improve the structure and functional activity of LRPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 1407 KiB

Open AccessReview

Himalayan Sources of Anthocyanins and Its Multifunctional Applications: A Review

by Mustafa Ahmed, Ipsheta Bose, Gulden Goksen and Swarup Roy

Foods 2023, 12(11), 2203; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112203 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3053

Abstract

Anthocyanins, the colored water-soluble pigments, have increasingly drawn the attention of researchers for their novel applications. The sources of anthocyanin are highly diverse, and it can be easily extracted. The unique biodiversity of the Himalayan Mountain range is an excellent source of anthocyanin, but it is not completely explored. Numerous attempts have been made to study the phytochemical aspects of different Himalayan plants. The distinct flora of the Himalayas can serve as a potential source of anthocyanins for the food industry. In this context, this review is an overview of the phytochemical studies conducted on Himalayan plants for the estimation of anthocyanins. For that, many articles have been studied to conclude that plants (such as Berberis asiatica, Morus alba, Ficus palmata, Begonia xanthina, Begonia palmata, Fragaria nubicola, etc.) contain significant amounts of anthocyanin. The application of Himalayan anthocyanin in nutraceuticals, food colorants, and intelligent packaging films have also been briefly debated. This review creates a path for further research on Himalayan plants as a potential source of anthocyanins and their sustainable utilization in the food systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Analysis of Natural Compounds Exercising Health Importance from Food

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (10 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI