Project 3 The overarching goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that isothiocyanates (ITCs) produced in the leaves of moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam) provide an effective, chemically stable and practical alternative to instable and volatile ITCs produced by plants of the crucifer family (Brassicaceae) for building resiliency and maintaining normal metabolism. Plant-produced ITCs associated with ?superfoods? in the crucifer family are among some of the most biologically active compounds isolated from plants. However, ITCs formed in crucifers, such as broccoli, share inherent thermolability and chemical instability that greatly complicate their use in human medicine. Interestingly, moringa ITCs (MICs) contain an additional sugar residue, conferring much greater stability and appear as solids at room termperature. Stable ITCs are extremely rare in nature and virtually unexplored as alternatives to beneficial crucifer ITCs. We have developed a simple, single-step extraction/biotransformation method which effectively converts moringa glucosinolates into MICs resulting in a moringa concentrate (MC) containing 3% MICs. Our preliminary data have shown that MC and its isolated MICs have potential anti- inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. Early stages of the proposed project will concentrate on moringa extract optimization, characterization and establishment of quality standards and botanical authentication criteria (Aim 1). Subsequent research will focus on the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in its bioavailability and action using global approaches based on metabolic crosstalk, gut microbiome and transcriptomics (Aim 2 & 3). Through close integration with the Botanical and Integrative Biology Cores and in full collaboration with other projects we have designed these aims to test whether the enhanced stability, combined with high bioavailability and bioactivity, makes moringa ITCs and MC promising botanical agents for maintaining and promoting resilience based on healthy metabolism and gut microbiome.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Type
Specialized Center (P50)
Project #
5P50AT002776-13
Application #
9305061
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAT1)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2017-07-01
Budget End
2018-06-30
Support Year
13
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
611012324
City
Baton Rouge
State
LA
Country
United States
Zip Code
70808
Graf, Brittany L; Zhang, Li; Corradini, Maria G et al. (2018) Physicochemical differences between malanga (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers are associated with differential effects on the gut microbiome. J Funct Foods 45:268-276
Kim, Youjin; Jaja-Chimedza, Asha; Merrill, Daniel et al. (2018) A 14-day repeated-dose oral toxicological evaluation of an isothiocyanate-enriched hydro-alcoholic extract from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds in rats. Toxicol Rep 5:418-426
Rebello, Candida J; Nikonova, Elena V; Zhou, Sharon et al. (2018) Effect of Lorcaserin Alone and in Combination with Phentermine on Food Cravings After 12-Week Treatment: A Randomized Substudy. Obesity (Silver Spring) 26:332-339
Forney, Laura A; Lenard, Natalie R; Stewart, Laura K et al. (2018) Dietary Quercetin Attenuates Adipose Tissue Expansion and Inflammation and Alters Adipocyte Morphology in a Tissue-Specific Manner. Int J Mol Sci 19:
Losso, Jack N; Finley, John W; Karki, Namrata et al. (2018) Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms. Am J Ther 25:e194-e201
Yu, Yongmei; Mendoza, Tamra M; Ribnicky, David M et al. (2018) An Extract of Russian Tarragon Prevents Obesity-Related Ectopic Lipid Accumulation. Mol Nutr Food Res 62:e1700856
Zhang, Li; Carmody, Rachel N; Kalariya, Hetal M et al. (2018) Grape proanthocyanidin-induced intestinal bloom of Akkermansia muciniphila is dependent on its baseline abundance and precedes activation of host genes related to metabolic health. J Nutr Biochem 56:142-151
Boudreau, Anik; Fuller, Scott; Ribnicky, David M et al. (2018) Groundsel Bush (Baccharis halimifolia) Extract Promotes Adipocyte Differentiation In Vitro and Increases Adiponectin Expression in Mature Adipocytes. Biology (Basel) 7:
Bruce-Keller, Annadora J; Salbaum, J Michael; Berthoud, Hans-Rudolf (2018) Harnessing Gut Microbes for Mental Health: Getting From Here to There. Biol Psychiatry 83:214-223
Hsia, Daniel S; Grove, Owen; Cefalu, William T (2017) An update on sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 24:73-79

Showing the most recent 10 out of 174 publications