Cichorium intybus L. has recently gained major attention due to large quantities of health-promoting compounds in its roots, such as inulin and sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). Chicory is the main dietary source of SLs, which have underexplored bioactive potential. In this study, we assessed the capacity of SLs to permeate the intestinal barrier to become physiologically available, using in silico predictions and in vitro studies with the well-established cell model of the human intestinal mucosa (differentiated Caco-2 cells). The potential of SLs to modulate inflammatory responses through modulation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) pathway was also evaluated, using a yeast reporter system. Lactucopicrin was revealed as the most permeable chicory SL in the intestinal barrier model, but it had low anti-inflammatory potential. The SL with the highest anti-inflammatory potential was 11β,13-dihydrolactucin, which inhibited up to 54% of Calcineurin-responsive zinc finger (Crz1) activation, concomitantly with the impairment of the nuclear accumulation of Crz1, the yeast orthologue of human NFAT.
Studies about the specific relationships' quality with the father are scarce. The quality of Relationships Inventory -QRI proposed by Pierce, Sarason and Sarason (1991), evaluates three important dimensions of relationships perceived by the adolescent: Support, Depth and Conflict. The present research aimed to test the structure of QRI father´s version (Neves & Pinheiro, 2006; Matos, Pinheiro & Marques, 2013 -Portuguese version), with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis and to study the relations between the QRI dimensions. Sample comprised 312 adolescents, 171 females and 141 males, aged between 12 and 17 (M= 13.77, DP= 1.16). The three-factor solution proposed by Pierce et al. (1991) was confirmed in this Portuguese adolescent sample. High positive associations between Support and Depth subscales, (r= .76) and low negative associations between these subscales and the Conflict subscale (r= -.13 and r= -.09) were found in the father's version of QRI. Support and Depth, in the relationship with the father, seem to be especially related to each other, presenting negative associations with Conflict. The results suggest that this instrument, with a three factor structure, can be used in future researches namely to study preventive interventions with adolescents and their families designed to diminish vulnerability to psychopathology, namely depression.
Phenolic compounds are thought to be important to prevent neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder known for its typical motor features, the deposition of α-synuclein (αsyn)-positive inclusions in the brain, and for concomitant cellular pathologies that include oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Neuroprotective activity of fisetin, a dietary flavonoid, was evaluated against main hallmarks of PD in relevant cellular models. At physiologically relevant concentrations, fisetin protected SH-SY5Y cells against oxidative stress overtaken by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) and against methyl-4-phenylpyridinuim (MPP+)-induced toxicity in dopaminergic neurons, the differentiated Lund human Mesencephalic (LUHMES) cells. In this cellular model, fisetin promotes the increase of the levels of dopamine transporter. Remarkably, fisetin reduced the percentage of cells containing αsyn inclusions as well as their size and subcellular localization in a yeast model of αsyn aggregation. Overall, our data show that fisetin exerts modulatory activities toward common cellular pathologies present in PD; remarkably, it modulates αsyn aggregation, supporting the idea that diets rich in this compound may prove beneficial.
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