Obesity and hyperlipidemia are major risk factors for developing vascular diseases. Bee bread (BB) has been reported to exhibit some biological actions, including anti-obesity and anti-hyperlipidemic. This study aims to investigate whether bee bread can ameliorate vascular inflammation and impaired vasorelaxation activity through eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway in obese rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10/group), namely: control (normal group), obese rats (OB group), obese rats treated with bee bread (0.5 g/kg/day, OB/BB group) and obese rats treated with orlistat (10 mg/kg/day, OB/OR group). The latter three groups were given a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks to induced obesity before being administered with their respective treatments for another 6 weeks. After 12 weeks of the total experimental period, rats in the OB group demonstrated significantly higher Lee obesity index, lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein), aortic proinflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-α, nuclear factor-κβ), aortic structural damage and impairment in vasorelaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh). Bee bread significantly ameliorated the obesity-induced vascular damage manifested by improvements in the lipid profile, aortic inflammatory markers, and the impaired vasorelaxation activity by significantly enhancing nitric oxide release, promoting endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) immunoexpression. These findings suggest that the administration of bee bread ameliorates the impaired vasorelaxation response to ACh by improving eNOS/NO/cGMP-signaling pathway in obese rats, suggesting its vascular therapeutic role.

BackgroundHoney has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory property. This is a randomized, controlled, open-label trial to determine the effects of 12-week honey oral supplementation on plasma inflammatory markers such as high sensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α among chronic smokers.Methods/designA total of 32 non-smokers and 64 chronic smokers from Quit Smoking Clinic and Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia participated in the study. Smokers were then randomized into 2 groups: smokers with honey group that received Malaysian Tualang honey (20 g/day daily for 12 weeks) and smokers without honey group. Blood was obtained from non-smokers and smokers at pre-intervention, and from smokers at post-intervention for measurement of the inflammatory markers.ResultsAt pre-intervention, smokers had significantly higher high sensitive C-reactive protein than non-smokers. In smokers with honey group, tumor necrosis factor-α was significantly increased while high sensitive C-reactive protein was significantly reduced at post-intervention than at pre-intervention.ConclusionThis study suggests that honey supplementation has opposite effects on tumor necrosis factor-α and high sensitive C-reactive protein indicating the inconclusive effect of honey on inflammation among chronic smokers which needs further study on other inflammatory markers.Trial registrationThe Trial has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12615001236583. Registered 11 November 2015 (Retrospectively Registered).

Leptin concentration is significantly raised in fetoplacental tissues from women with preeclampsia. Its role in preeclampsia remains unclear and it is not possible to say from this study if the raised levels of leptin evident in placentas from preeclamptic women are a cause or consequence of preeclampsia, although the latter seems more likely.

Background We assessed histopathological changes of ovaries and uterus in female rats subjected to different jumping exercise intensities combined with honey supplementation at one g/kg body weight/day. Methods A total of 72 rats were divided into six groups, 12 rats in each: control (C), 20 and 80 jumps (20E, 80E), honey (H), and 20 and 80 jump with honey (20EH, 80EH). Results The endometrium was significantly thicker in the rats in H, 20EH and 80EH groups compared to C, 20E, and 80E. The myometrium thickness was significantly lower in 80E and significantly higher in 80EH compared to C, respectively. There was significantly higher myometrium thickness in 20EH and 80EH compared to 20E and 80E and H. The number of glands of the uterus in 20E and 80E was significantly lower than C. However, there was a significantly higher number of glands in H, 20EH, and 80EH compared to 20E and 80E. The numbers of uterus vessels were significantly lower in 80E compared to 20E. However, the numbers of vessels were significantly higher in H, 20EH, and 80EH compared to 80E. The number of ovarian haemorregia was significantly lower in 20E, 80E, H, 20EH, and 80EH compared to C. The number of corpora lutea was significantly lower in 80EH, H, 80E, and 20E compared to C. However, the number of corpora lutea was significantly higher in 20EH compared to J20 and H. Conclusion This study suggested that jumping exercises in particularly high-intensity exercise may induce histopathological changes in uterus and ovary in rats, and honey supplementation may ameliorate these effects.

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