D-Fagomine is an iminosugar originally isolated from seeds of buckwheat (Fagopyrum sculentum Moench), present in the human diet and now available as a pure crystalline product. We tested D-fagomine for activities connected to a reduction in the risk of developing insulin resistance, becoming overweight and suffering from an excess of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The activities were: intestinal sucrase inhibition in vitro (rat mucosa and everted intestine sleeves), modulation of postprandial blood glucose in rats, bacterial agglutination and bacterial adhesion to pig intestinal mucosa. When ingested together with sucrose or starch, D-fagomine lowered blood glucose in a dose-dependent manner without stimulating insulin secretion. D-Fagomine reduced the area under the curve (0-120 min) by 20 % (P,0·01) and shifted the time to maximum blood glucose concentration (T max ) by 15 min at doses of 1 -2 mg/kg body weight when administered together with 1 g sucrose/kg body weight. Moreover, D-fagomine (0·14 mM) agglutinated 60 % of Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium) populations (P, 0·01), while it did not show this effect on Bifidobacterium spp. or Lactobacillus spp. At the same concentration, D-fagomine significantly (P,0·001) inhibited the adhesion of Enterobacteriaceae (95 -99 % cells in the supernatant) and promoted the adhesion of Lactobacillus acidophilus (56 % cells in the supernatant) to intestinal mucosa. D-Fagomine did not show any effect on bacterial cell viability. Based on all this evidence, D-fagomine may be used as a dietary ingredient or functional food component to reduce the health risks associated with an excessive intake of fast-digestible carbohydrates, or an excess of potentially pathogenic bacteria.Key words: Fagomine: Iminosugars: Insulin resistance: Weight management: Microbiota D-Fagomine (1,2-dideoxynojirimycin) is a six-membered ring iminocyclitol that was first isolated from seeds of buckwheat (Fagopyrum sculentum Moench, Polygonaceae) (1) and is also present in other plant sources such as mulberry (Morus Alba, Moraceae) leaves (2) and gogi (Lycium chinense) roots (3) . Iminocyclitols, also referred to as iminosugars, are carbohydrate analogues in which the endocyclic oxygen has been replaced by nitrogen (Fig. 1) and the spatial configurations of the hydroxyl groups are coincident with those of sugars (e.g. glucose, galactose, fucose and mannose).D-Fagomine was the first iminosugar found in plants and it is present in the human diet, since buckwheat flour is used in the elaboration of many traditional foods including Japanese soba noodles, French galletes de Bretagne and Italian polenta. Another common iminocyclitol is 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), which is the most abundant iminosugar found in mulberry (4) . D-Fagomine presents the molecular configuration of D-glucose and D-mannose on carbons 3, 4 and 5, while DNJ is a sugar mimetic of D-glucose. D-Fagomine and DNJ are particularly stable compounds, both chemically and metabolically (5) .DNJ...
The prevalence of parasitic helminths in the digestive tract of 119 diurnal raptors (Falconiformes), which had died in a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Catalonia, was studied. The birds belonged to 13 species, with 100 of them (84 per cent) being kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), buzzards (Buteo buteo), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and goshawks (Accipiter gentilis). Ninety-five of the birds (79.8 per cent) were infected with helminths. Nematodes were the most frequently found helminth (75.6 per cent), followed by trematodes, cestodes and ancanthocephalans. All the buzzards and sparrowhawks and 92 per cent of the goshawks were infected, but only 59 per cent of the kestrels were infected.
Neospora caninum seroprevalence and risk factors affecting seroprevalence in beef cattle in Andorra were investigated. Antibodies to N. caninum were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay performed on a yearly basis in 1,758 animals older than 6 mo, belonging to 26 herds. Mean seroprevalence of antibodies to N. caninum for the herds was 7.4 +/- 1.2% (130/1,758). Logistic regression analyses were performed on data from each animal, considering N. caninum seropositivity as the dependent variable, and herd, grazing area, year of sampling, repeat-test animal (animals sampled twice or more), sex, breed, age (animals <4 yr old or > or =5 yr old), and country of birth as possible risk factors. Based on the odds ratio, the prevalence of infection was 2.1 times higher (P < 0.01) in animals from the Ordino grazing area, 1.64 times higher in animals older than 5 yr (P < 0.01), and 6.7 times (1/0.15) lower in Limousin-mixed Limousin cattle (P < 0.002). The results suggest that the particular grazing location could promote the horizontal transmission of this parasite and that certain breeds are less susceptible to N. caninum infection than others.
The antifungal activity of ethanolic extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris were tested against strains of Aspergillus flavus and A. ochraceus, since these two species are common contaminants of cereals and grains and are able to produce and accumulate mycotoxins. The methodology used is based on measuring the inhibition halos produced by discs impregnated with the extracts and establishing their Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) as well as the Minimum Fungicide Concentration (MFC). The results obtained suggest that the assayed extracts affect the proper development of A. flavus and A. ochraceus; leading to a lower MIC (1200 ppm) and MFC (2400 ppm) for T. vulgaris extract against A. ochraceus than against A. flavus. The results show, that the extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris used at low concentrations could have significant potential for the biological control of fungi in foodstuffs.
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