Certain bioactive food components, including indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) from cruciferous vegetables, have been shown to target cellular pathways regulating carcinogenesis. Previously, our laboratory showed that dietary I3C is an effective transplacental chemopreventive agent in a dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC)-dependent model of murine T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. The primary objective of the...
The use of antioxidants is now often used as a pharmacological adjunct to limit infertility. Indeed, the lay public rightly perceives oxidative stress and, thus, antioxidant treatment as important modulators of infertility. While the direct effects of antioxidant treatment on the quality of semen and oocytes are still under investigation,...
Phytochemicals from cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain a multitude of bioactive compounds that prevent and suppress cancer and promote optimal health. Some of the health promoting effects of cruciferous vegetables are attributed to a class of compounds known as isothiocyanates (ITCs), a potent nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2...
Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease resulting from excessive energy intake compared to energy expenditure. The excess energy is mostly stored as fat in enlarged adipocytes, but some lipids may infiltrate other organs such as the liver to form ectopic fat. Adipose tissue and ectopic fat produce and secrete a...
Circadian clocks generate daily rhythms in neuronal, physiological, and metabolic functions. Previous studies in mammals reported daily fluctuations in levels of the major endogenous antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), but the molecular mechanisms that govern such fluctuations remained unknown. To address this question, we used the model species Drosophila, which has a...
The dipyridophenazine (dppz) based ruthenium polypyridyl complexes are known as molecular ‘light-switches’ for DNA. This property is poised to serve in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, but the poor cellular uptake restricts their use in live cells. Herein, we show that the cellular uptake, and more interestingly and surprisingly, the nuclear...
DHA (22:6,ω3), but not EPA (20:5,ω3), attenuates Western diet (WD)-induced hepatic fibrosis in a Ldlr[superscript −/−] mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We examined the molecular basis for the differential effect of dietary EPA and DHA on WD-induced hepatic fibrosis. DHA was more effective than EPA at preventing WD-induced effects on...
Epigenetic changes, including aberrant DNA methylation, result in altered gene expression and play an important role in carcinogenesis. Phytochemicals such as sulforaphane (SFN) and 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) are promising chemopreventive agents for the treatment of prostate cancer. Both have been shown to induce re-expression of genes, including tumor suppressor genes silenced...
Dibenzo(def,p)chrysene (DBC), (also known as dibenzo[a,l]pyrene), is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) found in the environment, including food, produced by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. DBC, classified by IARC as a 2A probable human carcinogen, has a relative potency factor (RPF) in animal cancer models 30-fold higher...
Fe25Co25Ni25Cr25-XMoX High Entropy Alloys were fabricated in mini arc-melter and then cast into 4mm diameter cylinders by injection casting technique and 1cm diameter cylinders by water quenching technique. Heat transfer modeling during solidification of FeCoNiCr HEA was simulated. Combining X-Ray Diffraction, Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis,...
Inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity is an effective means of reducing fat absorption, which may have a role in combating obesity by limiting energy intake. The use of pharmaceutical lipase inhibitors has been limited due to the prevalence of undesirable side effects. Polyphenols represent an alternative strategy to inhibit digestive enzymes...
Zinc is an important micronutrient involved in many cellular processes, including those part of immune function; however, about 15% of the US population is at risk for marginal zinc deficiency. This can lead to immune system complications including the generation of inflammatory cytokines. Aging is another factor that worsens the...
Polyphenolic compounds found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains, are an integral part of the human diet. Within polyphenols, proanthocyanidins are referred to as condensed tannins and encompass procyanidins, propelargonidins and prodelphinidins. Among these, procyanidins are the largest group. Recent interest in these compounds is related...
Background:
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health burden in western societies. The progressive form of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is characterized by hepatosteatosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and hepatic damage that can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis; risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. Given the scope of NASH,...
Linden (Tilia spp.), a profusely flowering temperate tree that provides bees with vital pollen and nectar, has been associated with bumble bee (Bombus spp.) mortality in Europe and North America. Bee deaths have been attributed, with inadequate evidence, to toxicity from mannose in nectar or starvation due to low nectar...
Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) is a highly potent, but less prevalent, environmental carcinogen belonging to a class of compounds known as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). They are highly ubiquitous and arise as a byproduct of natural and anthropogenic combustion processes. Previous studies have documented carcinogenic effects upon in utero exposure of PAHs....
Polyhalogenated quinones are a class of carcinogenic intermediates. We found recently that the highly reactive and biologically/environmentally important center [dot]OH can be produced by polyhalogenated quinones and H₂O₂ independent of transition metal ions. However, it is not clear whether this unusual metal-independent center dot OH producing system can induce potent...
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology currently affecting nearly 44 million individuals worldwide, yet there are not currently any effective treatments or preventions for AD despite the rapid development in our understanding of the disease over the last four decades. The medical and sanitary innovations of the last century...
The hepatic α-tocopherol transfer protein (TTP) is required for optimal α-tocopherol bioavailability in humans; mutations in the human TTPA gene result in the heritable disorder ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED, OMIM #277460). TTP is also expressed in mammalian uterine and placental cells and in the human embryonic yolk-sac, underscoring...
Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) is a transplacental carcinogen in mice (15 mg/kg; gestation day (GD) 17). To mimic residual exposure throughout pregnancy, dams received 4 smaller doses of DBC (3.75 mg/kg) on GD 5, 9, 13 and 17. This regimen alleviated the previously established carcinogenic responses in the thymus, lung, and liver....