Antioxidants are one of the effective treatment lines in managing type 2 diabetes (typ2diab) and its complications. Nanoformulations could help in ameliorating the oral bioavailability and biocompatibility properties. Ellagic acid (Ella) is a natural antioxidant compound commonly present in fruits. This study examined the effect Ella nanoparticles (Ella NPs) alone and combined with metformin, the standard antidiabetic drug, on controlling blood glucose in typ2diab. Forty-eight adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Except for the control group that was fed a regular pellet diet, all animals were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 9 weeks. For the last 4 weeks, rats were injected with streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). Then the rats were randomized into 8 groups: control, HFD, diabetic, Ella, Ella + metformin, Ella NPs, and Ella NPs + metformin. Data showed that Ella NPs improved blood glucose levels and the body weights of diabetic rats throughout all the weeks of the experiment whereas effects of the regular Ella were limited to the last two weeks of the treatment. Additionally, data demonstrated that the antidiabetic action of Ella NPs and its effective duration were similar to metformin. Ella NPs led to a lowering effect on lipid profile markers (total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)), superior to the regular Ella, which reduced only TG and VLDL. Results of the pathological examination showed improved number and activity of beta islets in all treatment groups. The most enhanced islets were in the Ella NPs and metformin group. The different treatments decreased caspase 3 and increased insulin gene expression, and the effect was superior in the Ella NPs and metformin group. The results of this study confirmed that Ella could manage typ2diab by lowering glucose and lipid levels and improving body weight with the superiority of Ella NPs. The mechanisms behind these effects are inhibition of beta-cell apoptosis and stimulation of insulin production.
Beta glucan (β-glucan) has promising bioactive properties. Consequently, the use of β-glucan as a food additive is favored with the dual-purpose potential of increasing the fiber content of food products and enhancing their health properties. Our aim was to evaluate the biological activity of β-glucan (antimicrobial, antitoxic, immunostimulatory, and anticancer) extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a modified acid-base extraction method. The results demonstrated that a modified acid-base extraction method gives a higher biological efficacy of β-glucan than in the water extraction method. Using 0.5 mg dry weight of acid-base extracted β-glucan (AB extracted) not only succeeded in removing 100% of aflatoxins, but also had a promising antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, fungi, and yeast, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 0.39 and 0.19 mg/mL in the case of resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. In addition, AB extract exhibited a positive immunomodulatory effect, mediated through the high induction of TNFα, IL-6, IFN-γ, and IL-2. Moreover, AB extract showed a greater anticancer effect against A549, MDA-MB-232, and HepG-2 cells compared to WI-38 cells, at high concentrations. By studying the cell death mechanism using flow-cytometry, AB extract was shown to induce apoptotic cell death at higher concentrations, as in the case of MDA-MB-231 and HePG-2 cells. In conclusion, the use of a modified AB for β-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae exerted a promising antimicrobial, immunomodulatory efficacy, and anti-cancer potential. Future research should focus on evaluating β-glucan in various biological systems and elucidating the underlying mechanism of action.
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