Oncotarget | https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.13553 Nicola Di Daniele, Annalisa Noce, Maria Francesca Vidiri, Eleonora Moriconi, Giulia Marrone, Margherita Annicchiarico-Petruzzelli, Gabriele D'Urso, Manfredi... Impact of Mediterranean diet on metabolic syndrome, cancer and longevity

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome has increased worldwide over the past few years. Sympathetic nervous system overactivity is a key mechanism leading to hypertension in patients with the metabolic syndrome. Sympathetic activation can be triggered by reflex mechanisms as arterial baroreceptor impairment, by metabolic factors as insulin resistance, and by dysregulated adipokine production and secretion from visceral fat with a mainly permissive role of leptin and antagonist role of adiponectin. Chronic sympathetic nervous system overactivity contributes to a further decline of insulin sensitivity and creates a vicious circle that may contribute to the development of hypertension and of the metabolic syndrome and favor cardiovascular and kidney disease. Selective renal denervation is an emerging area of interest in the clinical management of obesity-related hypertension. This review focuses on current understanding of some mechanisms through which sympathetic overactivity may be interlaced to the metabolic syndrome, with particular regard to the role of insulin resistance and of some adipokines.

Flavonoids display a broad range of structures and are responsible for the major organoleptic characteristics of plant-derived foods and beverages. Recent data showed their activity, and in particular of luteolin-7-O-glucoside (LUT-7G), in reduction of oxidative stress and inflammatory mechanisms in different physiological systems. In this paper, we tried to elucidate how LUT-7G could exert both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in endothelial cells cultured in vitro. Here, we showed that LUT-7G is able to inhibit the STAT3 pathway, to have an antiproliferative action, and an important antioxidant property in HUVEC cells. These properties are exerted by the flavone in endothelial through the transcriptional repression of a number of inflammatory cytokines and their receptors, and by the inhibition of ROS generation. ROS and STAT3 activation has been correlated with the production of oxysterols and other hydroxylated fatty acids, and they have been recognized important as players of atherogenesis and cardiocirculatory system diseases. The analysis of the general production pathway of these hydroxylated species, showed a strong decrease of cholesterol hydroxylated species such as 7-alpha-hydroxicholesterol, 7-beta-hydroxicholesterol by the treatment with LUT-7G. This confirms the anti-inflammatory properties of LUT-7G also in the endothelial district, showing for the first time the molecular pathway that verify previous postulated cardiovascular benefits of this flavone.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clinical manifestation characterized by a plethora of comorbidities, including hyperglycemia, abdominal obesity, arterial hypertension, and dyslipidemia. All MetS comorbidities participate to induce a low-grade inflammation state and oxidative stress, typical of this syndrome. MetS is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and early death, with an important impact on health-care costs. For its clinic management a poly-pharmaceutical therapy is often required, but this can cause side effects and reduce the patient’s compliance. For this reason, finding a valid and alternative therapeutic strategy, natural and free of side effects, could represent a useful tool in the fight the MetS. In this context, the use of functional foods, and the assumption of natural bioactive compounds (NBCs), could exert beneficial effects on body weight, blood pressure and glucose metabolism control, on endothelial damage, on the improvement of lipid profile, on the inflammatory state, and on oxidative stress. This review focuses on the possible beneficial role of NBCs in the prevention and in the clinical management of MetS and its comorbidities.

Uremic sarcopenia is a frequent condition present in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and is characterized by reduced muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance. Uremic sarcopenia is related to an increased risk of hospitalization and all-causes mortality. This pathological condition is caused not only by advanced age but also by others factors typical of CKD patients such as metabolic acidosis, hemodialysis therapy, low-grade inflammatory status and inadequate protein-energy intake. Currently, treatments available to ameliorate uremic sarcopenia include nutritional therapy (oral nutritional supplement, inter/intradialytic parenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition, high protein and fiber diet and percutaneous endoscopic gastrectomy) and a personalized program of physical activity. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible benefits induced by nutritional therapy alone or in combination with a personalized program of physical activity, on onset and/or progression of uremic sarcopenia.