The combination of ginger powder and zinc supplement improves the fructose-induced metabolic syndrome in rats by modulating the hepatic expression of NF-kappa B, mTORC1, PPAR-alpha SREBP-1c, and Nrf2
JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY
Authors: Ahmed Mustafa, Zana; Hamed Ali, Rojgar; Rostum Ali, Dler; Abdulkarimi, Rahim; Abdulkareem, Nashwan K.; Akbari, Abolfazl
Abstract
Although studies have shown that ginger, as an herbal remedy and zinc are able to improve inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, and metabolism of lipid and glucose, their molecular mechanisms are unknown. Therefore, this study was aimed to examine the therapeutic effects of ginger with zinc supplement for eight weeks on fructose-induced metabolic syndrome (MS). Ninety-six adult male Sprague Dawley rats (220 g +/- 20) were randomly assigned to twelve controlled and treated groups. After the last treatment session, the level of lipid profiles, glucose, insulin, and leptin as metabolic factors and liver enzymes as biomarkers to evaluate liver function in serum were measured. The level of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation to evaluate the oxidative status and the TNF-alpha level as a biomarker to assess the state of inflammation in liver were also measured. The level of zinc along with the expression of NF-kappa B, mTORC1, PPAR-alpha, SREBP-1c, and Nrf2 in liver was also evaluated. The level of metabolic factors and liver enzymes in serum along with lipid peroxidation and TNF-alpha in liver increased; zinc and antioxidant enzymes levels decreased in rats with MS compared to control rats (p < .05). The hepatic expression of SREBP-1c, NF-kappa B and mTORC1 were upregulated and the expression of PPAR-alpha and Nrf2 were downregulated in rats with MS compared to control rats (p < .05). Treatment with different doses of ginger, zinc, and the combination of them could improve metabolic, inflammatory oxidative stress factors, and expression of the above genes in rats with MS compared to the MS group (p < .05). It can be concluded that ginger, zinc, and the combination of them could improve oxidative damage, inflammation, and autophagy induced by fructose and could adjust the glucose and lipid metabolism and the homeostasis of zinc in rats with MS. Practical applications Due to the increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases, the use of plant compounds such as ginger has attracted widespread attention. Ginger as an herbal remedy with predominant pharmacological properties due to its availability, cheapness, and lack of side effects is also very popular for the treatment of metabolic disorders in folk medicine. Moreover, enhancing its medicinal properties with supplements such as zinc can be widely welcomed. This study was actually performed with the aim of investigating the effects of ginger + zinc supplement on MS. The results showed that the ginger + zinc supplement could improve oxidative damage, inflammation, and autophagy caused by fructose and adjust the glucose and lipid metabolism and the homeostasis of zinc in rats with MS. The results of this study support the hypothesis that ginger can be used as a very suitable option for the production of medicinal supplements to maintain human health.
Curative effect of Omeprazole under different treatment courses in treatment of children with PU and HP infection and its influence on inflammatory factors
PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Authors: Zhang, Shaohui; Zhang, Yuan-da; Dong, Qing-wei; Gu, Fang
Abstract
Objective: To compare curative effect and safety of omeprazole under different treatment courses in treatment of children with peptic ulcer (PU, diameter <= 1.0cm) and helicobacter pylori (HP) infection and its influence on inflammatory cytokines. Methods: The study was a randomized controlled study and conducted at Baoding children's hospital from June 2015 to June 2018. In this study 100 PU children with positive HP were chosen and classified into two groups at random. The 58 cases in the observation group were given omeprazole + amoxicillin + clarithromycin, and the antibiotics were not used two weeks later. Then, omeprazole was used to treat for two weeks. 42 cases in the control group were given omeprazole + amoxicillin + clarithromycin for two weeks. Curative effect, HP eradication rate, clinical symptoms, incidence of adverse reactions, level of serum inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and level of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in two groups were compared. Results: Total effective rate, HP eradication rate and clinical symptom relief of observation group were better than those of control group, and the differences showed statistical significance (P<0.05). The differences of two groups in the incidence of adverse reactions had no statistical significance (P<0.05). Serum IL-6 level and TNF-a level of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group and before the treatment, and the differences had statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: The application of omeprazole in treatment of PU patients with positive HP for four weeks can significantly improve PU cure rate and HP eradication rate, relieve clinical symptoms and reduce inflammatory response, so it deserves to be promoted clinically.