This work focused on the separation of the active ingredients of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers) and evaluated the antioxidative capability of these components with effects on improving glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin‐resistant HepG2 cells. DPPH free radical scavenging and reducing power assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of maca extracts. An insulin‐resistant HepG2 cell model induced by glucose, fructose, oleic acid, and palmitic acid was adopted to investigate the effects of maca extracts on regulating glucose and lipid metabolism in this study. LC‐MS/MS was then used for determination of the maca n‐butanol (NBT) subfraction. The results showed that maca ethanol extract and subfractions of this extract exhibited certain antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the NBT subfraction reversed the disorders in glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin‐resistant HepG2 cells and significantly increased the mRNA expression of phosphoinositide 3‐kinases (PI3K) and AKT in insulin‐resistant HepG2 cells in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, the LC‐MS/MS results showed that the NBT subfraction contained many active ingredients. Overall, this study suggests that the NBT subfraction of the ethanol extract rich in glucosinolates modulates insulin resistance via PI3K/AKT activation in insulin‐resistant HepG2 cells and might exert potentially beneficial effects in improving or treating glucose and lipid metabolic disorders.
The objectives of this work are to investigate the protective effect of Polyphenols from pinecones of Pinus koraiensis (PPPK) on damage caused by radiation in mice, and to test for its potential synergism with Auricularia auricula‐judae (Bull.) J. Schröt Polysaccharides (AAP). Male mice are administered for 30 days prior to radiation, and the combination index (CI) is used for the synergistic effect analysis. The results show that PPPK exhibited significant radioprotective effects compared with radiation group (P < 0.01); PPPK in combination with AAP had higher anti‐radiation effects, as evident by improved white blood cells (P < 0.01), organ indexes (P < 0.05 or 0.01), splenic lymphocytes proliferation activity (P < 0.01), bone marrow DNA content (P < 0.01), and monocyte phagocytic activity (P < 0.05), relative to other groups; the combination also reduced bone marrow micronucleus rate (P < 0.01) and chromosome distortion rate (P < 0.01). These data for the first time demonstrated the radioprotective effect of PPPK and its synergistic effect with AAP.
In this study, the influences of mulberry leaf extract (MLE) addition on the physicochemical properties including the specific volume, texture and sensory features of white bread (WB) were evaluated by the sensory analysis technology. A double-blind, randomised, repeat-measure design was used to study the impact of MLE addition on the postprandial blood glucose response as well as the satiety index of WB. Results showed that the addition of MLE showed no significant effects on the physicochemical properties of WB except for the slight changes of color and bitterness. The addition of MLE significantly reduced the total blood glucose rise after ingestion of WB over 120 minutes, and reduced the GI value of WB in a dose-effect relationship. When the concentration of MLE reached 1.5 g per 100 g available carbohydrate, the GI value of WB could be reduced from 77 to 43. This study provides important information in terms of the appropriateness of MLE when added to more complex real food, the dose-dependent relationship could supply a reference for the application of MLE.
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