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Chitosan treatment results in significantly lower serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. To assess the working mechanisms of chitosan, we measured serum surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption (campesterol, sitosterol, cholestanol), synthesis (lathosterol, lanosterol, desmosterol), and degradation to bile acids (7α-hydroxy-cholesterol, 27-hydroxy-cholesterol), corrected for cholesterol concentration (R_sterols). Over 12 weeks, 116 obese subjects (Body Mass Index, BMI 31.7, range 28.1-38.9 kg/m²) were studied under chitosan ( = 61) and placebo treatments ( = 55). The participants were briefly educated regarding improvement of nutrition quality and energy expenditure. Daily chitosan intake was 3200 mg. Serum LDL cholesterol concentration decreased significantly more ( = 0.0252) under chitosan (-8.67 ± 18.18 mg/dL, 5.6%) than under placebo treatment (-1.00 ± 24.22 mg/dL, 0.9%). This reduction was not associated with the expected greater decreases in markers of cholesterol absorption under chitosan treatment. Also, increases in markers of cholesterol synthesis and bile acid synthesis under chitosan treatment were not any greater than under placebo treatment. In conclusion, a significant selective reduction of serum LDL cholesterol under chitosan treatment is neither associated with a reduction of serum surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption, nor with increases of markers for cholesterol and bile acid synthesis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu10010072 | DOI Listing |
Food Funct
September 2025
School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
: The therapeutic potential of vegetarian diets in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) remains understudied in Asian populations. This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of a culturally adapted 6-month lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (LOV-D) on hepatic steatosis and cardiometabolic risk factors through weight loss. : In this randomized trial, 220 Chinese adults with MASLD were assigned to LOV-D ( = 110) or an omnivore diet ( = 110) for 6 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovasc Hematol Agents Med Chem
September 2025
Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Background: Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a significant contributor to cardiac mortality in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. Inflammatory processes and oxidative stress play pivotal roles in the advancement of Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). The Monocyte-to-High-- Density-Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (MHR), a newly identified biomarker indicative of inflammatory and oxidative stress, has not been extensively researched in the context of pulmonary hypertension, especially within the scope of dilated cardiomyopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Steroid Biochem Mol Biol
September 2025
Biochemistry and Phytochemistry Research Division, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Thrissur, Kerala, 680005, India. Electronic address:
7-Ketocholesterol (7-KC) is a biologically active oxysterol formed through the oxidation of cholesterol, predominantly under conditions of oxidative stress. It is generated both enzymatically in specific tissues such as the brain and liver, and non-enzymatically via reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially in aging tissues and heat-processed animal-derived foods. 7-KC exerts multifaceted effects on human health, extending beyond lipid metabolism to disrupt glucose and amino acid utilization, impair mitochondrial function, and provoke endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCryobiology
September 2025
Laboratory of Teaching and Research in Pathology of Reproduction, Center of Biotechnology in Animal Reproduction, Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:
Sperm capacitation is a critical process for successful fertilization, involving multiple regulated cellular changes. On the other hand, cryopreservation induces membrane changes that can mimic capacitation, potentially leading to misinterpretation of sperm function. Distinguishing true capacitation from cryoinjury remains challenging, as both share surface markers despite involving distinct mechanisms and impacts on fertilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Heart Assoc
September 2025
Division of Preventive Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
Background: Traditional cardiovascular risk assessment entails investigator-defined exposure levels and individual risk markers in multivariable analysis. We sought to determine whether an alternative unbiased learning analysis might provide further insights into vascular risk.
Methods: We conducted an unsupervised learning (k-means cluster) analysis in the Women's Health Study (N=26 443) using baseline levels of triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to form novel exposures.