Background: In the last few years, the effects of bioactive food components have received much attention because of their beneficial effects including decreasing inflammation, scavenging free radicals, and regulating cell signaling pathways. Betanin as a potent antioxidant has been previously reported to exhibit anti diabetic effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of betanin on glycemic control, lipid profile, hepatic function tests, as well as the gene expression levels of 5′ adenosine monophosphate‑activated protein kinase (AMPK), sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF‑κB) in streptozocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats by intraperitoneal administration of STZ. Different doses of betanin (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg.b.w) was administered to diabetic rats for 28 days. Fasting blood glucose and serum insulin were measured. The histopathology of liver and pancreas tissue evaluated. Real-time PCR was performed to assess gene expression levels. Results: Treatment of diabetic rats with betanin (10 and 20 mg/kg.b.w) reduced FBG levels compared to the control diabetic rats (P < 0.001). Betanin at the dose of 20 mg/kg.b.w was most effective in increasing serum insulin levels (P < 0.001) improving glucose tolerance test (GTT) as well as improvement in lipid profile and liver enzymes levels. According to histopathologic assay, different damages induced by STZ to liver and pancreas tissues was largely eliminated by treatment with 10 and 20 mg/kg.b.w of betanin. Betanin also significantly upregulated the AMPK and SIRT1 and downregulated the NF-κB mRNA expression compared to the diabetic control rats (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Betanin could modulate AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway and this may be one of its anti-diabetic molecular mechanisms.

Background: Depression and sexual problems are common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and can influence their quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of saffron and its main constituent, crocin, in improving mental and sexual health and ultimately quality of life in CAD patients. Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was carried out during 8 weeks in 3 groups, including 1 placebo and 2 intervention groups. The study sample included 58 CAD patients within the age range of 40 - 65 years, referred to Shahid Madani cardiovascular hospital, Tabriz, Iran, from April 2015 to November 2016. The intervention groups received saffron aqueous extract (SAE; 30 mg; n, 20) or crocin (30 mg; n, 19). All the groups completed the demographic questionnaire, Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II), Hurlbert index of sexual desire (HISD), and MacNew health-related quality of life questionnaire. Results: The BDI-II score significantly decreased in the SAE (pre- and posttest scores, 26.10 ± 11.98 and 21.05 ± 9.93, respectively) and crocin (pre- and posttest scores, 27.89 ± 8.46 and 22.68 ± 8.01, respectively) groups (P < 0.001). After adjustments for age, sex, and diagnosis time, similar results were obtained. There was no significant difference between the crocin and SAE groups in terms of total BDI-II score at the end of the study (P = 0.999). SAE and crocin had no significant effects on HISD scores (P = 0.148 and 0.317, respectively). However, they could significantly improve the total quality of life and its subscales (P < 0.001). Conclusions: SAE and crocin could improve depression and health-related quality of life in patients with CAD, whereas they had no significant effects on sexual desire. Keywords: Saffron; Crocin; Depression; Quality of Life; Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Previous studies have shown the altered levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in pathological hypoxic conditions. Elevated soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) expression in hypoxia plays an important role in the pathogenesis of placental as preeclampsia. Objectives: The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5, n-3) as LCPUFAs (omega-3) might attenuate sFlt-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expressions and secretions. Methods: JEG-3 cells were incubated with dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) and EPA. The SFlt-1 gene expression was determined using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. The protein secretion of sFlt-1 and HIF-1α were analyzed using Western blot. Results: The incubation of JEG-3 cells with DMOG significantly elevated messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression and protein secretion of sFlt-1 (P < 0.05); nevertheless, EPA decreased mRNA expression and protein secretion of sFlt-1 (P < 0.05). Moreover, EPA inhibited the effect of DMOG on sFlt-1 (P = 0.0361) gene expression and protein secretion and HIF-1α (P = 0.0241) protein secretion. Conclusions: The sFlt-1 expression decreased by n-3 fatty acids in trophoblast tumor cell line under induced hypoxia conditions. It seems that changes in sFlt-1 expression are mediated by the transcription factor HIF-1α.