Atherosclerosis is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 and ADAM17 have been identified as important regulators of inflammation in recent years. Our study investigated the effect of inhibiting these enzymes with selective inhibitor and propolis on atherosclerosis. In our study, C57BL/6J mice (n = 16) were used in the control and sham groups. In contrast, ApoE^-/- mice (n = 48) were used in the case, water extract of propolis (WEP), ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP), GW280264X (GW-synthetic inhibitor), and solvent (DMSO and ethanol) groups. The control group was fed a control diet, and all other groups were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 16 weeks. WEP (400 mg/kg/day), EEP (200 mg/kg/day), and GW (100 µg/kg/day) were administered intraperitoneally for the last four weeks. Animals were sacrificed, and blood, liver, aortic arch, and aortic root tissues were collected. In serum, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and glucose (Glu) were measured by enzymatic colorimetric method, while interleukin-1β (IL-1β), paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 (Lp-PLA2) were measured by ELISA. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-12 (IL-12) levels were measured in aortic arch by ELISA and ADAM10/17 activities were measured fluorometrically. In addition, aortic root and liver tissues were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically (ADAM10 and sortilin primary antibody). In the WEP, EEP, and GW groups compared to the case group, TC, TG, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, PLA2, MPO, ADAM10/17 activities, plaque burden, lipid accumulation, ADAM10, and sortilin levels decreased, while IL-10 and PON-1 levels increased (p < 0.003). Our study results show that propolis can effectively reduce atherosclerosis-related inflammation and dyslipidemia through ADAM10/17 inhibition.

Atherosclerosis, which has important effects on the development of cardiovascular diseases, is a widespread health problem with the highest mortality rate globally. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of water and ethanolic extracts of propolis on oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) in the progression of the atherosclerotic process, which is characterized by oxidative stress, inflammation, and dyslipidemia. In our study, apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE^−/−) and C57BL/6J mice were used as study groups. Water (WEP) and ethanolic extracts (EEP) of propolis were administered intraperitoneally to ApoE^−/− and C57BL/6J mice modeled with a high-fat diet. Under anesthesia, the animals were euthanized by decapitation, and serum, along with aortic tissues, was collected. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), OxLDL and LOX-1 levels, OxLDL levels in aortic tissue homogenate, and subendothelial lipid accumulation levels by histological staining were determined in mice and statistical analyses were performed. WEP and EEP supplementation significantly decreased serum TC, TG, OxLDL, LOX-1, and tissue OxLDL levels and reduced plaque burden in the aortic root, with statistically significant differences observed. Those results suggest that propolis extracts have a potential treatment option for atherosclerosis, as a food supplement or a complementary medical/functional food. However, further research is needed to elucidate their molecular mechanisms, evaluate clinical efficacy and safety, and explore possible synergistic effects with existing atherosclerosis treatments.

The positive effects of bee products on human health are due to their antioxidant composition. However, their possible protective efficacy against t-butylhydroxyperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative damage on human erythrocytes has not been investigated. Our aim in this study is to investigate whether propolis, pollen and royal jelly have protective efficacy against t-BHP-induced oxidative damage in isolated erythrocytes. Propolis and pollen samples collected from various regions of Turkey were extracted by mixing with various solvents (water and ethanol). Commercially purchased royal jelly was also extracted with water. The erythrocytes collected from 15 volunteers were centrifuged and packaged by washing with isotonic saline. All RBC packets were pooled together. The final erythrocyte packet was divided into seven groups as control, water extract of propolis, ethanolic extract of propolis, water extract of pollen, water extract of royal jelly, positive control (quercetin) and t-BHP groups. Erythrocytes were first treated with extracts of bee products and then t-BHP was added. Protective activities of bee products were investigated by malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant capacity (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. Statistically, one way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey tests were applied. As a result of the study, it was found that all bee products contributed to keeping MDA levels close to the control group. (p

Günümüzde tarım alanlarının azalmasına karşın nüfusun sürekli artması, yoksulluk, pandemi, savaşlar ve küresel ısınma gibi sorunlar gıda güvencesizliğini ve temiz su kaynaklarına erişimi daha da önemli hale getirmiştir. Bu sebeple bu çalışmada yeterli gıdaya ulaşamama durumunun ortalama yaşam süresi üzerindeki etkisi incelenmiştir. Çalışmada panel veri analizi yöntemi kullanılmış, düşük ve düşük-orta gelir grubunda yer alan 58 ülke analiz edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda yetersiz gıdaya erişim ile ilgili göstergelerin ortalama yaşam süresi üzerinde ne tür ve ne yönde bir etkiye sahip olduğunun tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda gıda açığı derinliğinde oluşabilecek %1 düzeyinde bir artışın ortalama yaşam süresinde %0,09’luk bir azalışa, aşırı yoksulluk düzeyinde oluşabilecek %1’lik bir artışın ortalama yaşam süresinde %0,18’lik bir azalışa, yetersiz beslenen nüfus oranında oluşabilecek %1’lik bir artışın ortalama yaşam süresinde %0,04’lük bir azalışa sebep olabileceği öngörülmektedir. Son olarak toplam ölüm içerisinde güvenli olmayan su kaynaklı ölüm sayısı ile ortalama yaşam süresi arasında anlamlı bir ilişki tespit edilememiştir.

Sukroz, insan metabolizması için önemli bir enerji kaynağı olmasına rağmen, diyetle alımının formuna bağlı olarak sağlık üzerinde farklı etkileri bulunmaktadır. Yüksek sukroz içerikli diyetlerin metabolik etkileri, özellikle diyetin katı ve sıvı formlarının farklılıkları bağlamında incelenmesi gereken önemli bir konu alanıdır. Bu derleme, sukrozun biyokimyasal yapısı ve metabolizmadaki rolüne genel bir bakış sunarak, özellikle sıvı formdaki sukrozun katı formdan daha ciddi metabolik bozukluklara neden olup olmadığını araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Günümüzde artan obezite ve Tip II diyabet vakaları, bu konuda derinlemesine araştırmalar yapılmasını gerektirmektedir. Derlemede, sukrozun sindirimi ve metabolizması, insülin direnci, hepatik steatoz ve inflamasyon gibi metabolik süreçlere etkisi üzerinde durulmuştur. Sıvı sukroz tüketiminin, katı sukroza kıyasla daha fazla kilo alımı, karaciğer yağlanması ve metabolik sendrom gibi olumsuz sonuçlara yol açtığı deneysel verilerle desteklenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, sukroz tüketiminin metabolik sağlık üzerindeki olası etkileri dikkatle değerlendirilmeli ve beslenme stratejilerinin sukrozun tüketim şekline göre yeniden gözden geçirilmelidir. Özellikle sıvı formdaki sukrozun, metabolik bozukluklar için bir risk faktörü olabileceği göz önünde bulundurulmalı ve bu konuda daha fazla ileri düzey klinik ve deneysel çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.