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Dietary Phytochemicals: Benefits for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Diseases including Their Interaction with the Gut Microbiome

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4091

Special Issue Editors

Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovations (SIFBI), Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
Interests: dietary biomarkers; phytochemicals; chronic disease prevention; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular diseases; dietary intervention trials
Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
Interests: probiotics; gut microbiota; phytochemicals; bioactivities; analytical chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dietary bioactive phytochemical compounds are found in a variety of grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, and other plant foods. Increasing evidence suggests a plethora of benefits of these phytochemicals in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and some cancers.

In order to provide an extensive and deep understanding of dietary phytochemicals with regard to human health, this Special Issue will focus on dietary phytochemicals and their roles in the prevention and management of chronic diseases, particularly in the understanding of their dietary sources, their bioavailability, and the interindividual variability in their metabolism, including their interaction with the gut microbiome. This Special Issue will also cover the applications of these phytochemicals as functional ingredients to develop foods with improved functionality and with the potential to prevent and manage chronic diseases.

Dr. Sumanto Haldar
Dr. Ren-You Gan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • phytochemicals
  • phenolics
  • carotenoids
  • chronic diseases
  • mechanism of action
  • applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5122 KiB  
Article
Sanguisorba officinalis L. Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis by Modulating Oxidative Stress, Fatty Acid Oxidation, and Gut Microbiota in CDAHFD-Induced Mice
by Yunseong Nam, Myungsuk Kim, Saruul Erdenebileg, Kwang Hyun Cha, Da Hye Ryu, Ho Youn Kim, Su Hyeon Lee, Je Hyeong Jung and Chu Won Nho
Nutrients 2023, 15(17), 3779; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173779 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases and encompasses non-alcoholic steatosis, steatohepatitis, and fibrosis. Sanguisorba officinalis L. (SO) roots have traditionally been used for their antioxidant properties and have beneficial effects on metabolic disorders, including diabetes and [...] Read more.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases and encompasses non-alcoholic steatosis, steatohepatitis, and fibrosis. Sanguisorba officinalis L. (SO) roots have traditionally been used for their antioxidant properties and have beneficial effects on metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity. However, its effects on hepatic steatosis and fibrosis remain unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of a 95% ethanolic SO extract (SOEE) on NAFLD and fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. The SOEE was orally administered to C57BL/6J mice fed a choline-deficient, L-amino-acid-defined, high-fat diet for 10 weeks. The SOEE inhibited hepatic steatosis by modulating hepatic malondialdehyde levels and the expression of oxidative stress-associated genes, regulating fatty-acid-oxidation-related genes, and inhibiting the expression of genes that are responsible for fibrosis. The SOEE suppressed the deposition of extracellular matrix hydroxyproline and mRNA expression of fibrosis-associated genes. The SOEE decreased the expression of fibrosis-related genes in vitro by inhibiting SMAD2/3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the SOEE restored the gut microbial diversity and modulated specific bacterial genera associated with NAFLD and fibrosis. This study suggests that SOEE might be the potential candidate for inhibiting hepatic steatosis and fibrosis by modulating oxidative stress, fatty acid oxidation, and gut microbiota composition. Full article
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21 pages, 9991 KiB  
Article
Sulforaphane Inhibits Foam Cell Formation and Atherosclerosis via Mechanisms Involving the Modulation of Macrophage Cholesterol Transport and the Related Phenotype
by Shiyan Liu, Yuan Zhang, Xiangyu Zheng, Ziling Wang, Pan Wang, Mengdi Zhang, Mengfan Shen, Yongping Bao and Dan Li
Nutrients 2023, 15(9), 2117; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15092117 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2410
Abstract
Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate, is one of the major dietary phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables. Many studies suggest that SFN can protect against cancer and cardiometabolic diseases. Despite the proposed systemic and local vascular protective mechanisms, SFN’s potential to inhibit atherogenesis by targeting [...] Read more.
Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate, is one of the major dietary phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables. Many studies suggest that SFN can protect against cancer and cardiometabolic diseases. Despite the proposed systemic and local vascular protective mechanisms, SFN’s potential to inhibit atherogenesis by targeting macrophages remains unknown. In this study, in high fat diet fed ApoE-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice, oral SFN treatment improved dyslipidemia and inhibited atherosclerotic plaque formation and the unstable phenotype, as demonstrated by reductions in the lesion areas in both the aortic sinus and whole aorta, percentages of necrotic cores, vascular macrophage infiltration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In THP-1-derived macrophages, preadministration SFN alleviated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial injury. Moreover, a functional study revealed that peritoneal macrophages isolated from SFN-treated mice exhibited attenuated cholesterol influx and enhanced apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I)- and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated cholesterol efflux. Mechanistic analysis revealed that SFN supplementation induced both intralesional and intraperitoneal macrophage phenotypic switching toward high expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and ATP-binding cassette subfamily A/G member 1 (ABCA1/G1) and low expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), which was further validated by the aortic protein expression. These results suggest that the regulation of macrophages’ cholesterol transport and accumulation may be mainly responsible for SFN’s potential atheroprotective properties, and the regulatory mechanisms might involve upregulating ABCA1/G1 and downregulating CD36 via the modulation of PPARγ and Nrf2. Full article
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