Whole grains are not equal: the role of fiber structure and phytochemicals in health.

Precision nutrition seeks to optimize human health by tailoring dietary interventions to individual genetic, metabolic, microbial, and lifestyle profiles. In this context, whole grains (WGs) serve as ideal candidates, as their diverse fiber structures and grain-specific phytochemicals interact dynamically with host physiology and the gut microbiome. This review examines six widely consumed WGs: wheat ( L.

Insights into Phenolamides in Whole Grain Barley: Chemical Profile and Their Levels in Barley-Based Products.

Barley ( L.) is a nutrient-rich whole grain (WG) with pharmacological potential, partly attributed to its phenolamide content. Using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRESI-MS) integrated with Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking, we identified 50 phenolamides in WG barley, including 13 agmatines, 14 spermidines, two putrescine conjugates, and 21 hordatines.

A phase I dose escalation study of Polyphenon E in liver cirrhosis: Evaluation of safety and effect on liver γ-OHPdG levels.

Accumulation of the DNA adduct γ-hydroxy-1, N2-propanodeoxyguanosine (γ-OHPdG) is associated with HCC development. Theaphenon E-a green tea polyphenol extract dosed according to mg of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-suppresses the formation of γ-OHPdG and reduces hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in preclinical models. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of Polyphenon E (Theaphenon E equivalent) and its effect on liver γ-OHPdG levels in patients with cirrhosis.

Phytochemical-Rich Germinated Oats as a Novel Functional Food To Attenuate Gut Inflammation.

Oat ( L.) is rich in phytochemicals such as avenanthramides, avenacosides, and avenacins, which support intestinal health and exhibit antioxidative and anticancer properties. Germination enhances these phytochemicals, potentially increasing their efficacy.

Design and Evaluation of Novel Ginger 6-Shogaol-Inspired Phospholipase C Inhibitors to Enhance β-Agonist-Induced Relaxation in Human Airway Smooth Muscle.

Over 300 million people suffer from asthma, with many experiencing poor symptom control despite current medications. This highlights the need for novel therapeutics. Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ), which contributes to bronchoconstriction, is a promising drug target.

Detoxification of Lipid Peroxidation Aldehyde 4-Hydroxynonenal by Hesperetin Dihydrochalcone, a Microbial Metabolite of Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone, In Vitro and In Vivo.

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) is a safe and widely used sweetener from citrus hesperidin. Beyond its sweetening properties, the potential health benefits and mechanisms of NHDC remain underexplored. This study investigated whether NHDC could reduce lipid peroxidation through its microbial metabolite, hesperetin dihydrochalcone (HDC), which traps 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a reactive carbonyl species generated during lipid peroxidation.

Optimization for Simultaneous Determination of a Panel of Advanced Glycation End Products as Biomarkers for Metabolic Diseases.

Both dietary and endogenous reactive carbonyl species, such as methylglyoxal (MGO) and glyoxal (GO), react with proteins to generate advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which contribute to metabolic diseases. However, accurately determining individual AGEs in biological samples remains challenging due to the lack of standardized methods. In this study, we optimized and detailed procedures for AGE digestion using enzyme cocktails and separation and detection via high-resolution LC-MS/MS.

Germination under the dark as an efficient method to enrich barley hordatine aglycones and to prepare a hordatine-rich fraction.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.; Poaceae), the second most important grain after wheat, contains phenolamides, specifically hordatines and their agmatinated precursors. Hordatines are the unique compounds found in barley, consumption of which is associated with beneficial effects for human health.

Germination and False Germination Increase the Levels of Bioactive Steroidal Saponins in Oats.

The health benefits of oats, particularly their enhanced nutritional and bioactive properties when sprouted, are well-documented. However, changes in steroidal saponins during germination and false germination are lacking. This study explored the influence of various temperatures (20, 25, and 30 °C) and durations (1, 3, 5, and 7 days) on the steroidal saponin profiles in both germinated and false-germinated oats and assessed their anti-inflammatory activities.

Low-Dose Oral Ginger Improves Daily Symptom Scores in Asthma.

A significant number of individuals with asthma have poorly controlled daily symptoms and utilize dietary supplements such as ginger in a quest for improved symptom control; however, its effectiveness at improving the control of symptoms is unproven. We questioned whether low-dose oral ginger would improve subjective and objective measurements of asthma control in mild-to-moderate asthmatics. We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of a low dose (1 g twice daily) of a dietary supplement of ginger in 32 mild-to-moderate uncontrolled asthmatics over a 2-month trial period while maintaining daily conventional asthma therapies.

Ginger Polyphenols Reverse Molecular Signature of Amygdala Neuroimmune Signaling and Modulate Microbiome in Male Rats with Neuropathic Pain: Evidence for Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.

Emerging evidence shows that the gut microbiota plays an important role in neuropathic pain (NP) via the gut-brain axis. Male rats were divided into sham, spinal nerve ligation (SNL), SNL + 200 mg GEG/kg BW (GEG200), and SNL + 600 mg GEG/kg BW (GEG600) for 5 weeks. The dosages of 200 and 600 mg GEG/kg BW for rats correspond to 45 g and 135 g raw ginger for human daily consumption, respectively.

Absorption and Metabolism of Ginger Compounds in Broiler Chicks.

Bioavailability is critical in ensuring bioefficacy of ginger compounds, which have not been studied in chicks. In this study, day-old chicks were treated with ginger root extract at 0.0, 0.

Fermented Oats as a Novel Functional Food.

Fermented oats are gaining popularity due to their nutritional value and the increasing consumer demand for health-conscious foods. These oats are believed to offer enhanced phytochemical and nutritional profiles compared to unfermented oats. The increased nutritional content of fermented oats is associated with various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which could potentially reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Supplementation of ginger root extract into broiler chicken diet: effects on growth performance and immunocompetence.

Ginger contains bioactive compounds that possess anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In this study, 432-day-old Ross 708 broiler male chicks were randomly allocated to 6 dietary treatments to investigate the effect of ginger root extract (GRE) on immunocompetence and growth performance to 6 wk of age. Treatment 1 (CON) consisted of chicks fed a corn-soybean meal (SBM), a base diet without GRE.

Detoxification of the Lipid Peroxidation Aldehyde, 4-Hydroxynonenal, by Apple Phloretin In Vitro and in Mice.

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) is a secondary cytotoxic product generated from lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The accumulation of 4-HNE can covalently modify biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins, leading to various pathological conditions. Apple phloretin has been shown to be able to trap 4-HNE , but the trapping mechanisms of 4-HNE by phloretin are not fully understood.

Barley Phenolamides Effectively Scavenge Harmful Methylglyoxal In Vitro and in Mice.

Scope: Methylglyoxal (MGO), a harmful reactive dicarbonyl, is involved in the pathogenesis and development of diabetes and diabetic complications. The goal of this study is to determine whether bioactive phenolamides in barley, p-coumaroylagmatine (pCAA) and feruloylagmatine (FAA), which share a similar guanidine group to diabetic drug metformin, have the capacity to detoxify MGO.

Methods And Results: In this study, the MGO-trapping abilities of these two phenolamides both in vitro and in mice are evaluated.

Impacts of Biotransformation on the Health Benefits of Tea Polyphenols.

Consumption of tea has been associated with many health benefits including the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity. These effects are attributed to the polyphenol compounds in tea with catechins being the major components in green tea and theaflavins (TFs) and thearubigins (TRs) as the unique compounds in black tea. Tea polyphenols are extensively metabolized in vivo and have poor systematic bioavailability.

Using Metabolomics to Identify the Exposure and Functional Biomarkers of Ginger.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics has become an important tool to increase our understanding of how diet affects human health. However, public and commercial mass spectral libraries of dietary metabolites are limited, resulting in the greatest challenge in converting mass spectrometry data into biological insights. In this study, we constructed an LC-MS/MS ginger library as an example to demonstrate the importance of dietary libraries for discovering food biomarkers.

Pharmacokinetics of Gingerols, Shogaols, and Their Metabolites in Asthma Patients.

6-Gingerol and 6-shogaol are the most abundant gingerols and shogaols in ginger root and have been shown to reduce the asthmatic phenotype in murine models of asthma. Several studies have described the pharmacokinetics of gingerols and shogaols in humans following the oral ingestion of ginger, while little was known about the metabolism of these components in humans, particularly in patients with asthma. In this study, a dietary supplement of 1.

Zn(II) coordination polymers: therapeutic activity and nursing application values against coronary heart disease.

In the current research, two coordination polymers (CPs) have been produced solvothermally on the basis of a semi-rigid multifunctional tricarboxylate, i.e., 5-(3,4-dicarboxylphenoxy) nicotic acid (HL), and the chemical compositions of the two compounds are [Zn(HL)(HO)] and [Zn(HL)(2,2'-bpy)] (, 2,2'-bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), respectively.

Biotransformation of Barley Phenolamide by Mice and the Human Gut Microbiota and Quantitative Analysis of the Major Metabolites in Mice.

Scope: This study investigates the metabolism of p-coumaroylagmatine (pCAA), one of the phenolamides in barley, in mice, and by human gut microbiota, and measures the concentrations of its main metabolites in mice.

Methods And Results: Nine major metabolites are identified from fecal and urinary samples collected from pCAA treated mice via analysis of their LC chromatograms and tandem mass spectra compared to the commercial and synthesized standards. These nine metabolites are generated through four different biotransformation pathways: double bond reduction, amide bond hydrolyzation, cleavage of guanidine, and oxidation of guanidine.

Gut Microbiota as a Novel Tool to Dissect the Complex Structures of Black Tea Polymers.

Thearubigins, polymers of tea catechins, account for more than 20% of the black tea polyphenols and have been reported to be the active components in black tea. However, the chemical structures and underlying mechanisms regarding how the thearubigins, being poorly bioavailable, generate in vivo health benefits are still largely unknown. Using germ-free and specific pathogen-free husbandry conditions combined with LC/MS-based nontargeted and targeted metabolomic analyses, we investigated the role of intestinal bacteria in thearubigin metabolism.

Metabolic Investigation on the Interaction Mechanism between Dietary Dihydrochalcone Intake and Lipid Peroxidation Product Acrolein Reduction.

Scope: Acrolein (ACR), a lipid peroxidation product, pathologically participates in various chronic diseases. In vitro evidence suggestes that dietary dihydrochalcones (DHCs) potentiate safe and alternative therapeutics to synthetic pharmaceuticals for ACR scavenging. Here, to investigate whether ingested DHCs could trap ACR and thereof result in reductions in endogenous ACR in mice is aimed.

Dietary supplementation of gingerols- and shogaols-enriched ginger root extract attenuate pain-associated behaviors while modulating gut microbiota and metabolites in rats with spinal nerve ligation.

Neuroinflammation is a central factor in neuropathic pain (NP). Ginger is a promising bioactive compound in NP management due to its anti-inflammatory property. Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiome and gut-derived metabolites play a key role in NP.