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Pomegranate peel extract, along with a calorie deficit diet, could improve risk factors of metabolic syndrome and reduce fatty liver in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
In the first phase, the research involved the hydro-alcoholic extraction of the peel of 750 kilograms of pomegranate using the soaking method. The second phase saw patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease divided into two groups - a placebo group and a pomegranate peel capsule group. Both groups followed a diet with a 500 kcal deficit for eight weeks. Aspects like intolerance to the treatment, participants' dietary intake, their lipid and glycemic profiles, blood pressure, body composition, insulin resistance indexes and changes in fatty liver disease evaluated through elastography were monitored.
Further, the study reported substantial decreases in multiple indicators such as body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, body fat index, trunk fat, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol, fat free mass, and fasting blood sugar in the group that took pomegranate peel capsules compared to the placebo group. Meanwhile, HDL cholesterol and liver steatosis and stiffness saw improvement. No significant differences, however, were found in the insulin and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance between the two groups.
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Jin Si Huang Ju tea, a traditional Chinese beverage, contains compounds that potentially reduce lipids, mitigate insulin resistance and reduce liver inflammation in vitro.
2023 European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Effects and mechanism of action of Chrysanthemum morifolium (Jinsi Huangju) on hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Li X, Li R, Wang X, Zhang X, Xiao Z, Wang H, et al.
Animal Study Cholesterol Chrysanthemum NAFLD
The researchers identified 14 compounds in the Jinsi Huangju tea using different spectroscopic techniques, 11 of which had not been previously identified in this plant. Two of these compounds, apigenin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside and luteolin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside, were synthesized for the first time with a yield of 1.2% over 5 steps.
In the findings, the natural compound apigenin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside was found to inhibit the function of pancreatic lipase, reduce cellular lipid contents, and attenuate insulin resistance when tested in vitro. It was also observed to restore lipid and inflammatory profiles in plasma and the liver, as well as reduce hepatic steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mouse models. Thus, Jinsi Huangju and its active components are strong candidates for the development of drugs or functional foods that could provide a therapeutic strategy for hyperlipidaemia and NAFLD.
The underutilized pomegranate peel, full of abundant bioactive substances, could be repurposed for its potential health benefits like anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, cardiovascular protection, and antibacterial activities.
2022 Frontiers in Nutrition Pomegranate Peel as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: A Mini Review on Their Physiological Functions Mo Y, Ma J, Gao W, Zhang L, Li J, Li J, et al.
Review Article Anti-Inflammatory Antibacterial Anticancer
This paper conducts a miniature review of the characterization and physiological functions of the key bioactive compounds present in pomegranate peel. The exploration underscores the main phenolic compounds in the peel, illustrating substances such as tannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, dietary fibers, alkaloids, minerals, and vitamins. A deep understanding of these components and their potential benefits is vital to the study and future applications.
The research finds that these core components essentially function as antioxidants, either enhancing oxidative biomarkers or proactively neutralizing reactive oxygen species. By establishing these key functions, it essentially links these activities to a broader context of benefits, including but not limited to anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, cardiovascular protection, and antibacterial attributes, thereby indicating a potential for substantial health benefits. With comprehensive understanding and appropriate application of these substances, the pomegranate peels, often classified as waste, could find a new life as robust health-enhancing elements.
Pomegranate has been found to alleviate morphological and functional changes in the thyroid glands induced by Lithium Carbonate by controlling apoptosis and oxidative stress.
2022 The Anatomical Record Pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel alleviates lithium‐induced alterations in the thyroid gland of rats by modulating apoptosis and oxidative stress El‐Din WAN, Fadel R, Rashid A, Al‐Mahameed AE, Othman MA
Experimental Study Oxidative Stress Pomegranate Peel Thyroid Disease
The study divided rats into four groups: control, lithium, lithium-pomegranate, and pomegranate. For eight weeks, the rats were treated according to their respective group assignments. Following this period, they were sacrificed, and an array of assessments were conducted on the extracted thyroid glands. These evaluations included estimated levels of thyroid hormones and markers indicating oxidative stress, along with histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural evaluations of the thyroid tissues.
Observations in the group treated with lithium carbonate showed significant changes in thyroid hormone levels along with an increased expression of the oxidant marker and decreased expression of the antioxidant marker. Additionally, histological evaluation highlighted disorganization and follicle involution, a decline in both staining intensity and immunoreactivity of an antioxidant enzyme, an increase in collagen fiber content and Bax immunoreactivity, and marked distortions in follicular ultrastructure. However, in the group treated with both lithium carbonate and pomegranate, most of these changes were substantially mitigated, thereby indicating the potential protective role of pomegranate against lithium-induced alterations.
Carotenoid-rich foods like orange carrots were more effective in mitigating Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease than those with low carotenoid levels.
2022 Frontiers in Nutrition Carotenoids in orange carrots mitigate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression Balbuena E, Cheng J, Eroglu A
Experimental Study Carrot NAFLD Orange
In this study, male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to one of four experimental diets for a period of 15 weeks: a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet, a high-fat diet with 20% white carrot powders, or a high-fat diet with 20% orange carrot powders.
Observations revealed that those mice on the high-fat diet enriched with carotenoids from the orange carrots gained less weight and displayed less hepatic lipid deposition compared to the white carrot group. Moreover, lower levels of triglyceride content were seen in the orange carrot group. The increase of particular proteins indicated that carotenoids found in orange carrots improved β-oxidation, thereby inhibiting NAFLD development more significantly. Further examination showed noticeably higher mRNA and protein levels of a particular transcription factor.
Chinese medicine formulas for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were superior to antioxidants in alanine aminotransferase normalization.
2021 World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Chinese medicine formulas for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Overview of systematic reviews Dai L, Zhou WJ, Zhong LLD, Tang XD, Ji G
Review Article Fatty Liver Disease Metabolic Syndrome NAFLD
Seven systematic reviews were ultimately included. All systematic reviews were conducted based on randomized controlled trials and published in the last decade. According to the AMSTAR 2 tool, one systematic review was judged as having a moderate confidence level, whereas the other studies were rated as having a low or extremely low level of confidence. The ROBIS tool showed that the included systematic reviews all had a high risk of bias due to insufficient consideration of identified concerns. According to the GRADE system, only two outcomes were determined as high quality; namely, TCM formulas with the HuoXueHuaYu principle were better than conventional medications in ultrasound improvement, and TCM formulas were superior to antioxidants in alanine aminotransferase normalization. Other outcomes were downgraded to lower levels, mainly because of heterogeneity among studies, not meeting optimal information sample size, and inclusion of excessive numbers of small sample studies. Nevertheless, the evidence quality of extracted outcomes should be further downgraded when applying to clinical practice due to indirectness.
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