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AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats
Background: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) is a unicellular cyanobacterium considered to be a “superfood” for its complete nutritional profile and beneficial properties. We investigated possible beneficial effects of an AFA extract, commercialized as AphaMax(®), containing concentrated amount of phy...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
MDPI
2020
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760929/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33256017 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12123635 |
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author | Zizzo, Maria Grazia Caldara, Gaetano Bellanca, Annalisa Nuzzo, Domenico Di Carlo, Marta Scoglio, Stefano Serio, Rosa |
author_facet | Zizzo, Maria Grazia Caldara, Gaetano Bellanca, Annalisa Nuzzo, Domenico Di Carlo, Marta Scoglio, Stefano Serio, Rosa |
author_sort | Zizzo, Maria Grazia |
collection | PubMed |
description | Background: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) is a unicellular cyanobacterium considered to be a “superfood” for its complete nutritional profile and beneficial properties. We investigated possible beneficial effects of an AFA extract, commercialized as AphaMax(®), containing concentrated amount of phycocyanins and phytochrome, in 2,4 dinitrobenzensulfonic acid(DNBS)-induced colitis in rats. Methods: Effects of preventive oral treatment of AphaMax(®) (20, 50 or 100 mg/kg/day) in colitic rats were assessed and then macroscopic and microscopic analyses were performed to evaluate the inflammation degree. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and NF-κB, pro-inflammatory citockines, cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible NOS (iNOS) levels of expression were determined, as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and nitrite levels. Results: AphaMax(®) treatment attenuated the severity of colitis ameliorating clinical signs. AphaMax(®) reduced the histological colonic damage and decreased MPO activity, NF-κB activation, as well as iNOS and COX-2 expression. AphaMax(®) treatment improved the altered immune response associated with colonic inflammation reducing IL-1β, IL-6 expression. Lastly, AphaMax(®) reduced oxidative stress, decreasing ROS and nitrite levels. Conclusions: Preventive treatment with AphaMax(®) attenuates the severity of the inflammation in DNBS colitis rats involving decrease of the NF-kB activation, reduction of iNOS and COX-2 expression, and inhibition of oxidative stress. Due its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant proprieties AphaMax(®) could be a good candidate as a complementary drug in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-7760929 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2020 |
publisher | MDPI |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-77609292020-12-26 AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats Zizzo, Maria Grazia Caldara, Gaetano Bellanca, Annalisa Nuzzo, Domenico Di Carlo, Marta Scoglio, Stefano Serio, Rosa Nutrients Article Background: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) is a unicellular cyanobacterium considered to be a “superfood” for its complete nutritional profile and beneficial properties. We investigated possible beneficial effects of an AFA extract, commercialized as AphaMax(®), containing concentrated amount of phycocyanins and phytochrome, in 2,4 dinitrobenzensulfonic acid(DNBS)-induced colitis in rats. Methods: Effects of preventive oral treatment of AphaMax(®) (20, 50 or 100 mg/kg/day) in colitic rats were assessed and then macroscopic and microscopic analyses were performed to evaluate the inflammation degree. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and NF-κB, pro-inflammatory citockines, cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible NOS (iNOS) levels of expression were determined, as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and nitrite levels. Results: AphaMax(®) treatment attenuated the severity of colitis ameliorating clinical signs. AphaMax(®) reduced the histological colonic damage and decreased MPO activity, NF-κB activation, as well as iNOS and COX-2 expression. AphaMax(®) treatment improved the altered immune response associated with colonic inflammation reducing IL-1β, IL-6 expression. Lastly, AphaMax(®) reduced oxidative stress, decreasing ROS and nitrite levels. Conclusions: Preventive treatment with AphaMax(®) attenuates the severity of the inflammation in DNBS colitis rats involving decrease of the NF-kB activation, reduction of iNOS and COX-2 expression, and inhibition of oxidative stress. Due its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant proprieties AphaMax(®) could be a good candidate as a complementary drug in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. MDPI 2020-11-26 /pmc/articles/PMC7760929/ /pubmed/33256017 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12123635 Text en © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
spellingShingle | Article Zizzo, Maria Grazia Caldara, Gaetano Bellanca, Annalisa Nuzzo, Domenico Di Carlo, Marta Scoglio, Stefano Serio, Rosa AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title | AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title_full | AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title_fullStr | AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title_full_unstemmed | AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title_short | AphaMax(®), an Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Aqueous Extract, Exerts Intestinal Protective Effects in Experimental Colitis in Rats |
title_sort | aphamax(®), an aphanizomenon flos-aquae aqueous extract, exerts intestinal protective effects in experimental colitis in rats |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760929/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33256017 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12123635 |
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