Human behavior accounts for the majority of morbidity and premature mortality throughout the world. This book explores several areas of human behavior including physical activity, nutrition and food, addictive substances, gun violence, sexual transmitted diseases and more. Several cutting edge methods are also examined including empowering nurses, community based participatory research and nature therapy. Less well known public health topics including human trafficking, tuberculosis control in prisons and public health issues in the deaf community are also covered. The authors come from around the world to describe issues that are both of local and worldwide importance to protect and preserve the health of populations. This book demonstrates the scope and some of the solutions to addressing today's most pressing public health issues.
Vitamin E is a generic term used to indicate all tocopherol (TOC) and tocotrienol (TT) derivates. In the last few years, several papers have shown that a TT-rich fraction (TTRF) extracted from palm oil inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in a large number of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in TT action is still unclear. In the present study, we proposed for the first time a novel mechanism for TT activity that involves estrogen receptor (ER) signaling. In silico simulations and in vitro binding analyses indicated a high affinity of TTs for ER but not for ER␣. In addition, in ER-containing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, we demonstrated that TTs increase the ER translocation into the nucleus, which in turn activates estrogen-responsive genes (MIC-1, EGR-1 and cathepsin D), as demonstrated by cell preincubation with the ER inhibitor ICI-182,780. Finally, we observed that TT treatment is associated with alteration of cell morphology, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activation. Altogether, these experiments elucidated the molecular mechanism underling ␥-and ␦-TT effects.estrogen receptor-; breast cancer; apoptosis; tocopherol; nuclear receptor TOCOTRIENOLS (TTs) are usually included together with tocopherols (TOCs) within the "vitamin E family". TTs have a chemical structure similar to TOCs but present three double bonds at positions 3Ј, 7Ј, and 11Ј of the side chain. Similar to TOCs, TTs have four natural isomers, named as ␣, , ␥, and ␦, that differ by the number and position of methyl groups on the chroman ring. The unsaturation of the side chain is associated with specific chemicophysical characteristics that are attracting growing interest both in the field of nutrition and in pharmacology (7, 62).TOCs are commonly found in high concentrations in vegetable oils, animal fats, grains, vegetables, and fruits (13), whereas TTs are relatively rare in Western diets and found in appreciable levels only in a few specific vegetable fats, such as palm oil and rice bran oil (48). The great bioavailability of TOCs and their high efficiency in acting as antioxidants have attracted the interest of biologists who have disregarded TTs and their properties. Recent investigations have demonstrated that the antioxidant efficacy of TTs in membranes is higher than that of TOCs (59, 66), although their uptake and distribution after oral ingestion are less than that of ␣-TOCs (9, 76). Moreover, TTs have been reported to have many specific activities, such as the suppression of growth and the induction of apoptosis in different human and mouse mammary cancer cells (8, 20, 27, 35, 39 -41, 57, 60, 67-69, 77) and in other human cancer cells (14,15,23,37,42,63,71). In general, TTs have been proposed to possess diverse properties that are often not exhibited by TOCs (58) and are associated with "anticancer" activity that is independent of their antioxidant properties.The molecular mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects are still scarcely understood. In our laboratory, we have previously rep...
Malignant melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin cancer. Drug toxicity and resistance represent a serious challange for melanoma treatments. Evidence demonstrates that natural compounds may play a crucial role in cancer prevention, growth and progression. Vitamin E tocotrienols (TT) were shown to possess antitumor activity. Here, we analyzed the effects of δ-TT on melanoma cell growth and the involvement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in this activity. The experiments were performed on human melanoma cell lines, BLM and A375. δ-TT exerted a significant proapoptotic effect on both cell lines, involving the intrinsic apoptosis pathway; importantly, this compound did not affect the viability of normal human melanocytes. In melanoma cells, δ-TT exerted its antitumor effect through activation of the PERK/p-eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP, IRE1α and caspase-4 ER stress-related branches. Salubrinal, an inhibitor of the ER stress, counteracted the cytotoxic activity of δ-TT. In vivo experiments performed in nude mice bearing A375 xenografts evidenced that δ-TT reduces tumor volume and tumor mass; importantly, tumor progression was significantly delayed by δ-TT treatment. In conclusion, δ-TT exerts a proapoptotic activity on melanoma cells, through activation of the ER stress-related pathways. δ-TT might represent an effective option for novel chemopreventive/therapeutic strategies for melanoma.
The consumption of wine and spirits, traditionally aged in oak barrels, exposes humans to roburin ingestion. These molecules belong to a class of ellagitannins (ETs), and their only known source is oak wood. Very little is currently known about roburin bioavailability and biological activity. We reported for the first time human absorption of roburins from a French oak wood (Quercus robur) water extract (Robuvit) by measuring the increase of total phenols (from 0.63 ± 0.06 to 1.26 ± 0.18 μg GAE equiv/mL plasma) and the appearance of roburin metabolites (three different glucoronidate urolithins and ellagic acid), in plasma, after 5 days of supplementation. Robuvit supplementation induced also the increase of plasma antioxidant capacity from 1.8 ± 0.05 to 1.9 ± 0.01 nmol Trolox equiv/mL plasma. Moreover, utilizing a combined ex vivo cell culture approach, we assessed the effect of Q. robur metabolites (present in human serum after supplementation) on gene expression modulation, utilizing an Affymetrix array matrix, in endothelial, neuronal, and keratinocyte cell lines. The functional analysis reveals that Robuvit metabolites affect ribosome, cell cycle, and spliceosome pathways.
The biological differences between males and females are determined by a different set of genes and by a different reactivity to environmental stimuli, including the diet, in general. These differences are further emphasized and driven by the exposure to a different hormone flux throughout the life.These differences have not been taken into appropriate consideration by the scientific community. Nutritional sciences are not immune from this “bias” and when nutritional needs are concerned, females are considered only when pregnant, lactating or when their hormonal profile is returning back to “normal,” i.e., to the male-like profile.The authors highlight some of the most evident differences in aspects of biology that are associated with nutrition.This review presents and describes available data addressing differences and similarities of the “reference man” vs. the “reference woman” in term of metabolic activity and nutritional needs. According to this assumption, available evidences of sex-associated differences of specific biochemical pathways involved in substrate metabolism are reported and discussed. The modulation by sexual hormones affecting glucose, amino acid and protein metabolism and the metabolization of nutritional fats and the distribution of fat depots, is considered targeting a tentative starting up background for a gender concerned nutritional science.
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