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BackgroundRecent evidence suggests that higher calcium and/or vitamin D intake may be associated with lower body weight and better metabolic health. Due to contradictory findings from intervention trials, we investigated the effect of calcium plus vitamin D3 (calcium+D) supplementation on anthropometric and metabolic profiles during energy restriction in healthy, overweight and obese adults with very-low calcium consumption.MethodsFifty-three subjects were randomly assigned in an open-label, randomized controlled trial to receive either an energy-restricted diet (−500 kcal/d) supplemented with 600 mg elemental calcium and 125 IU vitamin D3 or energy restriction alone for 12 weeks. Repeated measurements of variance were performed to evaluate the differences between groups for changes in body weight, BMI, body composition, waist circumference, and blood pressures, as well as in plasma TG, TC, HDL, LDL, glucose and insulin concentrations.ResultsEighty-one percent of participants completed the trial (85% from the calcium + D group; 78% from the control group). A significantly greater decrease in fat mass loss was observed in the calcium + D group (−2.8±1.3 vs.-1.8±1.3 kg; P=0.02) than in the control group, although there was no significant difference in body weight change (P>0.05) between groups. The calcium + D group also exhibited greater decrease in visceral fat mass and visceral fat area (P<0.05 for both). No significant difference was detected for changes in metabolic variables (P>0.05).ConclusionCalcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation for 12 weeks augmented body fat and visceral fat loss in very-low calcium consumers during energy restriction.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01447433, http://clinicaltrials.gov/).

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Coronavirus epidemic 2019 (COVID-19), instigated by SARS-CoV-2 virus, is recently raising worldwide and inspiring global health worries. The main 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CL Pro) enzyme of SARS-CoV-2, which operates its replication, could be used as a medication discovery point. We therefore theoretically studied and docked the effects of 19 hydrolysable tannins on SARS-CoV-2 by assembling with the catalytic dyad residues of its 3CL pro using molecular operating environment (MOE 09). Results discovered that pedunculagin, tercatain, and castalin intensely interacted with the receptor binding site and catalytic dyad (Cys145 and His41) of SARS-CoV-2. Our analyses estimated that the top three hits might serve as potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 leading molecules for additional optimization and drug development process to combat COVID-19. This study unleashed that tannins with specific structure could be utilized as natural inhibitors against COVID-19. Practical applications The 3CL Pro controls SARS-CoV-2 copying and manages its life series, which was targeted in case of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV coronavirus. About 19 hydrolysable tannins were computed against 3CL pro of SARS-CoV-2. Pedunculagin, tercatain, and castalin interacted with Cys145 and His41 of SARS-CoV-2-3CL pro. Pedunculagin-SARS-CoV-2-3CL pro remain stable, with no obvious fluctuations. We predicted that the understandings gained in the current research may evidence valued for discovering and unindustrialized innovative natural inhibitors for COVID-19 in the nearby future.

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Pancreatic lipase (PL) is a critical enzyme associated with hyperlipidemia and obesity. A previous study of ours suggested that persimmon tannin (PT) was the main component accounting for the antihyperlipidemic effects of persimmon fruits, but the underlying mechanisms were unclear. In this present study, the inhibitory effect of PT on PL was studied and the possible mechanisms were evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectra, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and molecular docking. PT had a high affinity to PL and inhibited the activity of PL with the half maximal inhibitory concertation (IC) value of 0.44 mg/mL in a noncompetitive way. Furthermore, molecular docking revealed that the hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking was mainly responsible for the interaction. The strong inhibition of PT on PL in the gastrointestinal tract might be one mechanism for its lipid-lowering effect.