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Investigation on natural sources from plants, animals, and microorganisms that produce gums and mucilages goes on increasing day by day to check their pharmaceutical applications. Different mucilages have been studied for their pharmaceutical effects but the use of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) mucilage as a pharmaceutical excipient is still under the cover. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate and compare the flow property and binding ability of crude, purified, modified (hydrolyzed and grafted), green synthesized nanoparticles (Zinc oxide (ZnO), cuperic oxide (CuO), silver (Ag), and gold (Au)) of date palm mucilage with hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and commercially available paracetamol tablets. Previously purified mucilage (with 58.4% yield) was subjected to modification (i.e., acidic, basic, and enzymatic), grafting (polyacrylamide), and green synthesis of nanoparticles. Flow properties of powdered (granular) crude, purified, modified, and nanoparticles were studied and compared with flow properties of HPMC and paracetamol tablet granules. Tablets were made using granules of all types of date palm mucilage (discussed above), HPMC, and granules of paracetamol tablets to study and compare weight uniformity, hardness, friability, dissolution rate, and disintegration time. When 100 mg/kg of mucilage sample was given to mice no oral toxicity was found. The results obtained during this study were within the acceptable ranges given in pharmacopeias. The pseudoplastic flow behavior, hygroscopic nature, increased solubility, and swelling index across the increase in temperature, hardness of the tablets, friability, and drug release behavior were found better than HPMC and the binders used in commercially available paracetamol, hence making the date palm mucilage (crude, purified, and modified) an excellent excipient to be used in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Coriander leaves (Coriandrum Sativum L.) contain quercetin, a flavanol from the flavonoid polyphenol group that helps prevent various metabolic disorders. This study aimed to use HPLC‐UV to investigate phenolic compounds in coriander leaves and their impact on nitrogen metabolism. Twenty‐four healthy Wistar albino rats weighing 160 ± 10 g were divided into four groups: NC (no coriander), CT1, CT2, and CT3. They received coriander leaf powder at levels of 12.2, 16, and 20.33 g/100 g of feed, respectively, based on the availability of quercetin on a dry matter (DM) basis. Feed intake was found higher in CT3 (27.27 g) and CT2 (25.43 g), while CT1 (24.96 g) and NC (24.66 g) showed a nonsignificant (p ≥ 0.05) trend; however, a similar trend was observed in weekly feed intake. After three weeks, rats in the CT3 group showed a 20 g reduction in body weight compared to the NC group (149.64 g vs. 163.41 g). The feed conversion and feed efficiency ratios (FCR & FER) were decreased in all treated groups due to the reduction in body weight (BW). The digestibility of DM and soluble carbohydrates was reduced in rats fed the CT3 diet while crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), and ash showed increasing trends. The rats that were fed different levels of coriander in the diet showed positive nitrogen balance. There was a reduction in serum uric acid in CT1 (0.72 ± 0.04 mg/dL) and CT2 (0.81 ± 0.03 mg/dL) as compared to other treatment groups. These nitrogen parameters had a positive impact on nitrogen metabolism, along with a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on total serum protein and a non‐significant (p ≥ 0.05) effect on creatinine. Liver enzymes showed significant improvements in rats that were fed varying amounts of coriander powder. High‐density lipoprotein (HDL) levels improved in all treatment groups, with a significant increase observed in CT1 (52.27 ± 0.27 mg/dL). In conclusion, 130 g of dry coriander containing 136 mg of quercetin can be effectively included in various food recipes in dry or wet form to improve serum indices and weight management in healthy people. Coriander has the antibacterial, immune‐boosting, anti‐inflammatory, free radical scavenging, antilipidemic, and antiaging it significantly lower the prevalence of hyperuricemia. Coriander inhibits the xanthine oxidase enzyme because of the variable amount of quercetin that has the capacity to reduce uric acid in the body. Therefore, in this research study, Coriander leaf powder is used to prevent the formation of uric acid crystals, which proved to be much more effective and have no side effects.

Hyperlipidemia is the root cause of numerous chronic conditions, leading to high mortality rates around the globe. Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) microalgae serve as a promising reservoir of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological properties. The current study examined the nutritional profile of spirulina powder in relation to strict glycemic control, specifically focusing on its potential to lower lipid levels. In an in vivo investigation, normal healthy male Wistar albino rats (n = 60) were divided into two groups: a negative control group (NC) of ten rats and a high-fat diet group (n = 50) that were fed a cholesterol-rich diet until their cholesterol levels reached or exceeded 250 mg/dL. Subsequently, the hypercholesterolemic rats were then randomly allocated to several treatment groups: a positive control (PC); a standard treatment diet (STD) involving fenofibrate at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight; and three experimental groups (T1, T2, and T3) that received spirulina powder supplementation at doses of 300, 600, and 900 mg per kg body weight, respectively, for the period of 12 weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for oxidative stress biomarkers, insulin levels, lipid profiles, liver function, and expression of gene levels in the diabetogenic pathway. The study utilized spectrophotometric colorimetric methods to identify oxidative stress biomarkers, serum kit methods to measure lipid profiles and liver enzymes, and the assessment of qPCR for mRNA quantity. According to the research findings, spirulina powder has certain noteworthy features. It had the greatest quantity of chlorogenic acid (4052.90 µg/g) among seven phenolics and two flavonoid compounds obtained by HPLC-UV analysis. Furthermore, the proximate analysis demonstrated that spirulina is high in protein (16.45 ± 0.8%) and has a significant energy yield of 269.51 K-calories per 100 g. A maximal spirulina dose of 900 mg/kg/wt significantly lowered oxidative stress, cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and insulin levels (p ≤ 0.05). In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) compared to all other groups, except the NC group. The study provides remarkable proof about the pharmacological impact of spirulina powders. Significant reductions (p ≤ 0.05) in liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were observed across all treatment groups, with the exception of the NC, compared to the positive control. The treatment groups had significantly greater gene expression levels of INS-1, PDX-1, IGF-1, and GLUT-2 than the positive control group (p ≤ 0.05). These findings highlight spirulina’s potential as a long-term regulator of hyperglycemia in rat models with induced hyperlipidemia, owing to its phenolic bioactive components that serve as antioxidants.

The journal retracts the article “Spirulina Unleashed: A Pancreatic Symphony to Restore Glycemic Balance and Improve Hyperlipidemia and Antioxidant Properties by Transcriptional Modulation of Genes in a Rat Model” [...]

Nowadays, blend of different fruit juices as functional beverages is highly recommended to retain maximum concentration of nutrients due to their integrated effect against processing, to utilize underconsumed fruits and/or vegetables, and to provide healthy product to the consumer. The novelty in this particular work is optimization of blend using stevia-based low caloric extract as sweetener to replace high caloric sugar contents. For this purpose, juices of apple and carrot along with the extract of stevia leaves underwent the process optimization using a statistical approach of D-optimal mixture design. The best beverage formulation with high sensory scores was composed of apple juice 70%, carrot juice 27%, and stevia extract (5 g/100 ml) 3%. The optimized beverage was then processed with conventional pasteurization at 95°C for 1 min and compared with ultrasound processing for 15 min at four different amplitudes (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%). According to the observation, the treatment US60 (60% amplitude for 15 min) showed better retention for total phenolic content (78.65 ± 1.37 mg GAE/100 mL), total flavonoid content (23.53 ± 0.15 mg CE/100 mL), DPPH (66.43 ± 1.45 %), and FRAP (65.17 ± 1.10 mmol Trolox/100 mL) as compared to pasteurized and control samples while keeping other physicochemical properties in range. The research therefore indicates that ultrasound is good alternative to pasteurization and stevia to sugar in terms of functional beverage development.

Background Omega-3 fatty acids (Ω-3 PUFAs) may help to improve health status in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by reducing numerous metabolic disorders (insulin sensitivity, hyperinsulinemia, lipid profile, obesity and inflammation). To evaluate the current objective, 16 weeks (6 weeks of adjustment period followed by 10 weeks of collection period) research trial was planned to check the impact of different sources of Ω-3 PUFAs (synthetic Ω-3, flaxseed and fish oil) on nutrient digestibility, weight gain, productive (lipid profile, glucose and insulin), reproductive profile (progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen, luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin) and histological study of ovarian tissues in Wistar female rats. Methods Forty-five rats of 130 ± 10 g weight were divided into 5 groups, each having 9 rats: NC (negative control without PCOS), PC (positive control with PCOS), SO (synthetic omega-3 containing ALA, EPA and DHA), FO (flaxseed oil) and F (fish oil) fed at 300 mg/kg/orally/daily of these sources were added in the basal diets while PC and NC received only the basal diet. Food and water were offered ad libitum. PCOS was induced in the rats fed of PC, SO, FO and F diets group by single intramuscular injection of estradiol-valerate (4 mg/rat/IM). Body weight and blood glucose was recorded weekly. At 16 th week of trial, blood samples were collected for lipid and hormonal analysis. Ovarian tissues were removed for pathological evaluation. Digestibility was measured by total collection method. Results Cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins were reduced in SO, FO and F groups when compared with rats of PC group. However, increasing trend of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was found in same groups. The highest HDL (36.83 ± 0.72 mg/dL) was observed in rats fed F diet. In case of a hormonal profile, testosterone, LH and insulin levels showed a significant reduction after treatments. Blood glucose results showed significantly reducing trend in all the rats fed with Ω-3 PUFAs sources than PC from 5 to 10th week of trial. However, similar trend was noticed in rat’s body weight at the end of 6th week. In ovarian morphology, different stages of follicles were observed in groups fed SO, FO and F diets. Nutrient digestibility in PCOS induced rats was remained non-significant. Conclusions The three sources of Ω-3 PUFAs had effective role in improving lipid and hormonal profile, reducing blood glucose, weight gain and histopathological damages in PCOS rats. However, fish oil source might be an innovative approach to cure PCOS via reducing the weight and metabolic anomalies due to EPA and DHA.

The nutrient deficiency resulting from inappropriate dietary intake leads to major risk factors of malnutrition and poses many serious threats and challenges to human health and capabilities. Malnutrition can be prevented through efficient accessibility and bioavailability from different food matrices. The objective of this study was to assess the digestibility and bioavailability of calcium and zinc with food matrices such as casual food (bread curry mixture), yogurt (plain and fruited), juices (orange, apple, carrot, and tomato), coffee, water (water and sparkling water), and smoothies after digestion with saliva, gastric, duodenal, and small intestine juices. 20 mg calcium and 3 mg zinc were mixed with the above food matrices and digestibility and bioavailability were determined. The result showed that the highest calcium digestibility (49.75%) was observed with plain yogurt and the lowest digestibility (10.10%) was observed with sparkling water. The highest (22.80%) and lowest (6.20%) calcium bioavailability were observed with fruit yogurt and carrot juice, respectively. The highest (13.55%) and lowest (10.20%) zinc digestibility were observed with coffee and orange juices, respectively. The highest (4.85%) and lowest (1.05%) zinc bioavailability were observed with fruit yogurt and bread sauce, respectively. Thus, this study helps to determine the optimal food matrix model for the best digestibility and potential bioavailability of calcium and zinc from vitamin-mineral products.

The present work aimed to find out the effect of different levels of hydrolysable tannin (HT) on serum hormonal profile, biochemical indices, lipid profile, apparent digestibility of nutrients and body weight gain in healthy female rats. Forty five adult healthy female rats of 8 weeks old were randomly divided into five equal groups. Different doses of HT 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% were administered daily to each rats group on the body weight basis for 6 weeks. The results had shown the reduction trend ( p <  0.05) in the blood glucose, serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, testosterone, prolactin, ghrelin, total oxidative stress and serum iron levels; while an improvement ( p <  0.05) was seen in serum follicle stimulating hormone, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, high density lipoprotein, IgM and total antioxidant capacity. However, no effect ( p >  0.05) was noticed in serum IgG, protein, estrogen and calcium levels. A significant reduction ( p <  0.05) was seen in the apparent nutrient digestibility and body weight gain. The results had shown improvement in the feed conversion ratio ( p <  0.05) but non-significant decrease ( p >  0.05) in the feed intake. The findings showed that HT had healthy effects on the serum biochemical indices and reproductive hormonal profile but had a negative impact on the nutrient digestibility. Thus, the study concluded that HT could be used as an herbal medicine for the treatment of leading metabolic and infertility diseases like obesity and polycystic ovarian syndrome in females.

Biofortification enhances dietary quality and nutritional value using traditional marine microalga species, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an essential n-3 fatty acid for human health. Eggs are natural fortified candidates. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary Schizochytrium powder on egg productivity, egg nutritional content, and fatty acid levels in laying hens. Hy-Line Brown laying hens ( n  = 150) were uniformly assigned to five groups for 52 days. The control group received no supplements, whereas the other four experimental groups were provided with varied amounts of schizochytrium powder. The experimental feed contained isonitrogenous (16.60%) and isocaloric metabolizable energy, 36.69 MJ/kg components. No significant differences were observed ( p  > 0.05) on different parameters such as average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg weight, and shell thickness. Enriching eggs significantly increased α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and DHA levels ( p  < 0.001), while decreasing the n-6/-3 ratio in a dose-dependent manner, ensuring high quality and biological efficacy. A plateau point was maintained throughout the study period. In the first two weeks, increased DHA levels were observed in egg yolks when microalgae concentrations were elevated by 1%. The study found that powdered Schizochytrium limacinum served as a substitute for DHA in enhancing eggs with n-3 fatty acids.

Dietary interventions have captured the attention of nutritionists due to their health-promoting aspects, in addition to medications. In this connection, supplementation of nutraceuticals is considered as a rational approach to alleviating various metabolic disorders. Among novel strategies, prebiotic-supplemented foods are an encouraging trend in addressing the issue. In the present investigation, prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were extracted from garlic (Allium sativum L.) powder using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the independent sonication variables, i.e., extraction temperature (ET, 80, 90, and 100 °C), amplitude level (AL, 70, 80, and 90%) and sonication time (ST, 10, 15 and 20 min). The maximum FOS yield (6.23 ± 0.52%) was obtained at sonication conditions of ET (80 °C), AL (80%) and ST (10 min), while the minimum yield of FOS was obtained at high operating temperatures and time. The optimized FOS yield (7.19%) was obtained at ET (80 °C), AL (73%) and ST (15 min) after model validation. The influence of sonication parameters, i.e., ET, AL and ST, on FOS yield was evaluated by varying their coded levels from −1 to +1, respectively, for each independent variable. High-performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detector (HPLC-RID) detection and quantification indicated that sucrose was present in high amounts (2.06 ± 0.10 g/100 g) followed by fructose and glucose. Total FOS fractions which included nystose present in maximum concentration (526 ± 14.7 mg/100 g), followed by 1-kestose (428 ± 19.5 mg/100 g) and fructosylnystoses (195 ± 6.89 mg/100 g). Conclusively, garlic is a good source of potential prebiotics FOS and they can be extracted using optimized sonication parameters using ultrasound-assisted techniques with maximum yield percentage.