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Effects of Functional Food Components in Health and Disease

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2024 | Viewed by 4212

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Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuyama University, Gakuen-cho 1, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Hiroshima 729-0292, Japan
Interests: nephronectin; osteopontin; integrin; EAE; post-translational modification
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue on "Effects of Functional Food Components in Health and Disease" in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. This Special Issue focuses on the role of functional food components in extending healthy life expectancy and disease. Recent research has revealed the potential of specific components in food to prolong lifespans. In this Special Issue, we aim to explore the latest studies on how nutritional compounds, bioactive compounds, antioxidants, and other functional food components contribute to lifespan extension and improvements in health.

Research topics of the Special Issue include:

  • The relationship between functional food components and healthy life expectancy.
  • The association between functional food components and lifespan extension.
  • The impact of antioxidants on Healthy Life Expectancy.
  • Nutritional supplementation and healthy aging.
  • Development and evaluation of functional foods.
  • Physiological activities of bioactive compounds and their effects on lifespan.
  • Linking food metabolism pathways to health benefits.
  • Prevention of age-related diseases by food components.
  • Preventive effects of functional food components on musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Prevention of autoimmune diseases through functional food components.

This Special Issue is led by Dr. Shigeyuki Kon with the assistance of the Special Issue Assistant Dr. Sachi Shibata (Fukuyama University., Fukuyama, Japan). We are looking forward to receiving your high-quality submissions.

Prof. Dr. Shigeyuki Kon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • functional food components
  • life expectancy
  • autoimmune diseases

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1039 KiB  
Article
Effect of HY7602 Fermented Deer Antler on Physical Fatigue and Antioxidant Activity in Mice
by Hyejin Jeon, Kippeum Lee, Yong-Tae Kim, Joo-Yun Kim, Jae-Jung Shim and Jae-Hwan Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3318; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063318 - 14 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Lactobacillus curvatus HY7602 fermented antler (FA) ameliorates sarcopenia and improves exercise performance by increasing muscle mass, muscle fiber regeneration, and mitochondrial biogenesis; however, its anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects have not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects [...] Read more.
Lactobacillus curvatus HY7602 fermented antler (FA) ameliorates sarcopenia and improves exercise performance by increasing muscle mass, muscle fiber regeneration, and mitochondrial biogenesis; however, its anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects have not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects and mechanisms of FA. C2C12 and HepG2 cells were stimulated with 1 mM of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce oxidative stress, followed by treatment with FA. Additionally, 44-week-old C57BL/6J mice were orally administered FA for 4 weeks. FA treatment (5–100 μg/mL) significantly attenuated H2O2-induced cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo experiments showed that FA treatment significantly increased the mobility time of mice in the forced swimming test and significantly downregulated the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate. Notably, FA treatment significantly upregulated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) and increased the mRNA expression of antioxidant genes (SOD1, SOD2, CAT, GPx1, GPx2, and GSR) in the liver. Conclusively, FA is a potentially useful functional food ingredient for improving fatigue through its antioxidant effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Functional Food Components in Health and Disease)
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19 pages, 6268 KiB  
Article
Suppression of Neuroinflammation by Coffee Component Pyrocatechol via Inhibition of NF-κB in Microglia
by Taisuke Murata, Kenji Tago, Kota Miyata, Yasuhiro Moriwaki, Hidemi Misawa, Kenji Kobata, Yosuke Nakazawa, Hiroomi Tamura and Megumi Funakoshi-Tago
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010316 - 25 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1057
Abstract
According to numerous studies, it has been epidemiologically suggested that habitual coffee intake seems to prevent the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that coffee consumption suppresses neuroinflammation, which is closely related to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Using microglial [...] Read more.
According to numerous studies, it has been epidemiologically suggested that habitual coffee intake seems to prevent the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that coffee consumption suppresses neuroinflammation, which is closely related to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Using microglial BV-2 cells, we first found that the inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was diminished by both coffee and decaffeinated coffee through the inhibition of an inflammation-related transcription factor, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Pyrocatechol, a component of roasted coffee produced by the thermal decomposition of chlorogenic acid, also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the LPS-induced activation of NF-κB. Finally, in an inflammation model using mice injected with LPS into the cerebrum, we observed that intake of pyrocatechol as well as coffee decoctions drastically suppressed the accumulation of microglia and the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), CCL2, and CXCL1 in the inflammatory brain. These observations strongly encourage us to hypothesize that the anti-inflammatory activity of pyrocatechol as well as coffee decoction would be useful for the suppression of neurodegeneration and the prevention of the onsets of Alzheimer’s (AD) and Perkinson’s diseases (PD). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Functional Food Components in Health and Disease)
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20 pages, 17240 KiB  
Article
High-Carbohydrate Diet Consumption Poses a More Severe Liver Cholesterol Deposition than a High-Fat and High-Calorie Diet in Mice
by Linyu Zhang, Xin Li, Xiangyan Liu, Xiaoran Wu, Qiurong Xu, Jianyu Qu, Xiaowen Li, Yuanyuan Zhu, Lixin Wen and Ji Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(19), 14700; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914700 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1765
Abstract
In the past few decades, many researchers believed that a high-fat and high-calorie diet is the most critical factor leading to metabolic diseases. However, increasing evidence shows a high-carbohydrate and low-fat diet may also be a significant risk factor. It needs a comprehensive [...] Read more.
In the past few decades, many researchers believed that a high-fat and high-calorie diet is the most critical factor leading to metabolic diseases. However, increasing evidence shows a high-carbohydrate and low-fat diet may also be a significant risk factor. It needs a comprehensive evaluation to prove which viewpoint is more persuasive. We systematically compared the effects of high-fat and high-calorie diets and high-carbohydrate and low-fat ones on glycolipid metabolism in mice to evaluate and compare the effects of different dietary patterns on metabolic changes in mice. Sixty 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups after acclimatization and 15% (F-15), 25% (F-25), 35% (F-35), and 45% (F-45) of their dietary energy was derived from fat for 24 weeks. The body weight, body-fat percentage, fasting blood glucose, lipid content in the serum, and triglyceride content in the livers of mice showed a significantly positive correlation with dietary oil supplementation. Interestingly, the total cholesterol content in the livers of mice in the F-15 group was significantly higher than that in other groups (p < 0.05). Compared with the F-45 group, the mRNA expression of sterol synthesis and absorption-related genes (e.g., Asgr1, mTorc1, Ucp20, Srebp2, Hmgcr, and Ldlr), liver fibrosis-related genes (e.g., Col4a1 and Adamts1) and inflammation-related genes (e.g., Il-1β and Il-6) were significantly higher in the F-15 group. Compared with the F-45 group, the relative abundance of unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Akkermansia was decreased in the F-15 group. While unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Akkermansia are potentially beneficial bacteria, they have the ability to produce short-chain fatty acids and modulate cholesterol metabolism. In addition, the relative abundance of unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Akkermansia was significantly positively correlated with fatty acid transporters expression and negatively correlated with that of cholesteryl acyltransferase 1 and cholesterol synthesis-related genes. In conclusion, our study delineated how a high-fat and high-calorie diet (fat supplied higher than or equal to 35%) induced obesity and hepatic lipid deposition in mice. Although the high-carbohydrate and low-fat diet did not cause weight gain in mice, it induced cholesterol deposition in the liver. The mechanism is mainly through the induction of endogenous synthesis of cholesterol in mice liver through the ASGR1-mTORC1-USP20-HMGCR signaling pathway. The appropriate oil and carbon water ratio (dietary energy supply from fat of 25%) showed the best gluco-lipid metabolic homeostasis in mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Functional Food Components in Health and Disease)
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