Testosterone

Chondroitin sulfate dosing

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Immune system, Stress, Testosterone ,

Four 2023 papers with different chondroitin sulfate doses, starting with a review:

“This article aims to provide an up-to-date view of current literature regarding biological effects and efficacy of chondroitin sulfate (CS), and discusses the quality of available CS supplements and the current direction in CS investigation.

A meta-analysis published in 2019 concluded that CS had small to moderate effectiveness in reducing osteoarthritis (OA)-related pain, with larger dosages (1200 mg/d) having greater benefits than smaller dosages. This meta-analysis concluded that CS had only a minimal effect on joint space narrowing and no effect on cartilage volume.

Chondroitin sulfate effects on osteoarticular tissues

cs effects on oa

GAG: glycosaminoaglycans; HA: hyalouronic acid; TIMP: tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase; MMP: metalloproteinase; ROS: reactive oxygen species; RANKL: receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand; JNK: c-Jun N-terminal kinase; PGE2: prostaglandin E2; Erk: extracellular signal-regulated kinases

This review concludes that pharmacologic-grade CS supplements may have clinically significant benefits when properly standardized. However, high-quality evidence from properly designed clinical trials is still needed to draw definitive conclusions about clinical efficacy in OA.”

https://www.cureus.com/articles/162218-chondroitin-sulfate-supplements-for-osteoarthritis-a-critical-review#!/ “Chondroitin Sulfate Supplements for Osteoarthritis: A Critical Review”

A rodent study induced arthritis, then investigated treatment effects of daily glucosamine sulfate (GS, 300 mg), CS (300 mg, a human equivalent dose of 3.4 grams ((300 mg x .162) x 70 kg), and GS+CS = GC combination:

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects joints primarily, causing cartilage and bone degeneration as well as functional disability. This study found that both GS and CS could reduce symptoms of RA-related joint inflammation and swelling to some extent, with the effect of GC being more apparent, providing a theoretical foundation for expanding usage of GS and CS.

We discovered that gut bacteria enriched in the RA model were mostly strongly correlative with pro-inflammatory cytokines, right paw volume, and pathological score using correlation analysis. After GS, CS, and GC intervention, these bacteria enriched in the RA model recovered, with GC having the most apparent beneficial impact.

12986_2023_735_Fig1_HTML

Gut microbiota dysbiosis could be recovered before improvement of joint symptoms after intervention. Our findings also indicated that GC might inhibit LPS-producing bacteria and activation of the TLR-4/NF-κB pathway, alleviating RA-induced joint inflammation and ameliorating joint swelling and injury.”

https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-023-00735-2 “Combined treatment with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate improves rheumatoid arthritis in rats by regulating the gut microbiota”

A human equivalent of this study’s treatment duration using the maximum lifespan method is (36 days x 32.2) = 1159 days or 38.6 months.

A rodent study worked backwards from a 70 mg/kg daily human CS dose (70 mg x 70 kg = 4.9 grams):

“A female rat model of osteoporosis was established by feeding a low-calcium diet. Intestinal microbiota abundance, fecal and plasma metabolite expression levels of rats fed a basal diet (N), a low-calcium diet (C), a low-calcium diet plus calcium carbonate (Ca), and a low-calcium diet plus chondroitin sulfate (CS) were compared.

Results showed that compared with the low calcium group, calcium content and bone mineral density of femur were significantly increased in the calcium carbonate and chondroitin sulfate groups. In addition to estrogen, low testosterone bioavailability may also be more likely to lead to fracture. Levels of plasma testosterone and stearic content in normal feeding rats were significantly higher than those in the other groups, indicating that plasma testosterone and stearic content in feces of normal feeding rats were decreased due to long-term low calcium levels, and supplementation of calcium and CS could not be recovered.

testosterone

Chronic low-grade inflammation has been identified as the root cause of many diseases, including osteoporosis. We identified bacteria and metabolites behind this change, especially lipid metabolism, and discussed their relevance to bone health.

According to previous studies, as a human therapeutic agent, CS alone has low bioavailability, which is only about 0–13% of total oral intake. This study provides a new strategy to elucidate the molecular mechanism of osteoporosis and to search for potential biomarkers.”

https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-023-00726-3 “Chondroitin sulfate alleviates osteoporosis caused by calcium deficiency by regulating lipid metabolism”

A human equivalent of this study’s treatment duration is (8 weeks x 32.2) = 257.6 weeks or 5 years.

A rodent study made old female rats out of young female rats by removing their ovaries, then tested different osteoporosis treatment effects:

“In this study, CS oligosaccharides (CSOs) were enzymatically prepared through the lysis of CS by a chondroitinase from Microbacterium sp. strain.

  • 12 weeks’ intragastric administration of Caltrate D (250 mg/kg/d), CS or CSOs (500 mg/kg/d, 250 mg/kg/d, 125 mg/kg/d) could regulate disorder of serum indices, recover mechanical strength and mineral content of bone, improve cortical bones’ density and the number and length of trabecular bones in OVX rats.
  • Both CS and CSOs in 500 mg/kg/d and 250 mg/kg/d could restore more efficiently serum indices, bone fracture deflection and femur Ca than Caltrate D.
  • As compared with CS at the same dosage, CSOs exhibited a more significant alleviating effect. The possible reason might be that the lower molecular weight of CSOs facilitated body absorption and thereafter bioactivity improvement.”

1-s2.0-S0753332223006844-ga1_lrg

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332223006844 “Enzymatic preparation of chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides and its alleviating effect on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats”

A human equivalent of the above-pictured high CS 500 mg daily dose is (500 mg x .162) x 70 kg = 5.7 grams. A human equivalent of this study’s treatment duration is (12 weeks x 32.2) = 386.4 weeks or 7.4 years.

PXL_20230914_105240566.TS_exported_7700_1695054032361

36 holes in your roof

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Hippocampus, Immune system, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Stress, Telomeres, Testosterone , , , , ,

An August 2023 interview with Dr. Dale Bredesen, who has reversed Alheizmer’s disease in many people, which will never be acknowledged by the corrupt paradigm:

“How much do you want me to go into things that are relatively controversial and how much do you want me to stick with kind of the more standard line?

For Alzheimer’s we noticed initially there are 36 different potential contributors. You need to patch as many as possible to have an effect.

All of these things, your estradiol level, your progesterone level, pregnenolone, free T3, TSH, Vitamin D, testosterone, these things are all critical. They all feed into the equation.

You have over a hundred trillion contacts in your brain. Will you be able to keep them? Or do you not have what it takes to keep them, and you have to downsize?

The reality is Alzheimer’s disease should be a rare disease. If everybody would get on appropriate prevention or early reversal, we could make it a rare disease.”

https://brokenscience.org/podcasts-ep-5/ “Dale Bredesen – Reversing Alzheimer’s Fate”

See A therapy to reverse cognitive decline for previous curation of Dr. Bredesen’s work.

A blood plasma aging clock, Part 2

gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Immune system, Limbic system, Stress, Testosterone , ,

Quite a few people recently looked at Part 1 which curated “Undulating changes in human plasma proteome across lifespan are linked to disease” in December 2019. Let’s start with a 2023 human study coauthored by Part 1’s lead researcher:

“The aim of this study is to identify a set of proteins in human plasma associated with aging by integration of data of four independent, large-scaled datasets. We identified a set of 273 plasma proteins significantly associated with aging (aging proteins, APs) across these cohorts consisting of healthy individuals and individuals with comorbidities and highlight their biological functions.

arthur and robbins cohorts

Although these presented proteins may be different compared to other presented proteomic clocks [like Part 1’s], this can be explained due to a variety of factors. Across studies there may be several technical factors, such as used anti-coagulants, and biological differences, such as different age ranges, ethnicity and corrections for BMI, which may influence the plasma proteome in the cohorts. To overcome these differences, we focused on the overlap between the different studies as they also present several of these confounding factors.

We show that individuals presenting accelerated or decelerated aging based on their plasma proteome, respectively have a more aged or younger systemic environment. These results provide novel insights in understanding the aging process and its underlying mechanisms and highlight potential modulators contributing to healthy aging.”

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2023.1112109/full “Markers of aging: Unsupervised integrated analyses of the human plasma proteome”

A 2023 human study cited the above study and found:

“Our cross-sectional study of adults adherent and non-adherent to recommended lifestyle habits established strong group differences for 39 proteins primarily related to innate immunity and lipoprotein metabolism. Many of these protein differences were best explained by group contrasts in adiposity and visceral fat. The relatively small number of upregulated and downregulated proteins associated with good lifestyle habits should facilitate development of a targeted lifestyle proteomic panel that can be used in future studies to determine efficacy of various prevention and treatment strategies.”

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3097901/v1 “Adherence to Lifestyle Recommendations Linked to Innate Immunity and Lipoprotein Metabolism: A Cross-Sectional Comparison Using Untargeted Proteomics”

A 2023 human study from Google-owned Calico:

“In most cases, direction of effects between cause-specific and all-cause mortality was concordant, but all-cause mortality association was not statistically significant. Neither do we have insight into conditional causal effects of these proteins nor interaction effects between them.”

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2626017/v1 “Plasma Proteomic Determinants of Common Causes of Mortality”

“Undulating” in Part 1 described plasma proteins changing over time with peaks at ages 34, 60, and 78. Those peaks don’t provide a base for linearly extrapolating all-cause mortality.

peaks

A 2023 rodent study did a touch better with one of Part 1’s 46 proteins of a conserved aging signature that changed in the same direction with mice and humans, although it didn’t fully investigate protein expression over time.

“Interactions between CHRDL1 levels, age, and plasma lipids that might affect cardiometabolic health should be further investigated.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/12/4/624 “Chordin-like 1, a Novel Adipokine, Markedly Promotes Adipogenesis and Lipid Accumulation”

Sex hormones and epigenetic clocks

gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Epigenetics, Telomeres, Testosterone , ,

This 2023 human study investigated associations among sex hormones and epigenetic clocks:

“We studied associations between sex steroid hormones and DNA methylation-based (DNAm) biomarkers of age and mortality risk including Pheno Age Acceleration (AA), Grim AA, and DNAm-based estimators of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI1), and leptin concentrations.

Leptin is a peptide hormone and is associated with regulation of food intake and energy balance. Leptin also influences inflammatory processes, angiogenesis, lipolysis, and neuroplasticity.

PAI1 is a protein that is involved in tissue hemostasis. Previous studies that assessed associations between sex hormones and PAI1 protein concentrations in blood reported conflicting results.

DNAm PAI-1 was shown to be a better surrogate for lifespan than the actual plasma measure, and performs better than Grim AA regarding associations with the comorbidity-index. Another potential benefit of using DNAm-based biomarkers instead of plasma biomarkers is that the DNAm-based biomarkers represent a longer average estimate of biomarker concentration, and are not as affected by day-to-day variations that could bias results.

sex hormones and epigenetic clocks

Associations are represented by colored arrows with the lines’ thickness representing association strength. As the association was measured mainly cross-sectional, association directionality cannot be established.

  • Hormone levels were inversely associated with epigenetic estimators of mortality risk.
  • Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) was associated with a decrease in DNAm PAI1 among men and women.
  • Higher testosterone and testosterone/estradiol ratio (TE) were associated with lower DNAm PAI and a younger epigenetic age in men.
  • A decrease in DNAm PAI1 is associated with lower mortality and morbidity risk indicating a potential protective effect of testosterone on lifespan and conceivably cardiovascular health via DNAm PAI1.“

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.02.16.23285997v1.full “Higher testosterone and testosterone/estradiol ratio in men are associated with better epigenetic estimators of mortality risk”

Similar to a coauthor’s outstanding A rejuvenation therapy and sulforaphane where he was the lead author, this study may stay in preprint a while because it challenges current paradigms.

Remember that every truth passes through three stages before it’s recognized:

  1. It’s ridiculed; then
  2. It’s opposed; then
  3. It’s regarded as self-evident.

There may be a long lag between Stages 2 and 3 to memory-hole a fading paradigm’s damage. Don’t expect apologies, remediation, or restitution.

PXL_20230216_204431695

Is boron important to health?

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Immune system, Stress, Testosterone , ,

Three papers on boron, starting with a 2022 review:

“Boron-containing compounds (BCC) have effects in the metabolism of living organisms. Information regarding effects and interaction of these compounds was compiled, and potential applications for treating human metabolic disorders was suggested.

Dietary boron supplementation affects metabolism of calcium, magnesium, triglycerides, glucose, amino acids, reactive oxygen, nitrogen species, and hormones such as 17β-estradiol, calcitonin, and 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol. When food is boron-deprived, there are adverse effects like depressed growth, reduced serum steroid hormone concentrations, changes in plasma and organ calcium and magnesium concentrations, plasma alkaline phosphatase, and bone calcification on animal biological functions.

boron effects

Exploration of basic BCC as metabolism regulators is expanding. Although mechanisms of action are uncertain, limitation of damage induced by reactive species, inflammatory modulation, or activities on some enzymes and membrane transporters are often related to reported effects.

An increasing number of new BCC are emerging as potential tools for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of metabolism maladies such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, cardiovascular, and liver diseases. For those innovative BCC, mechanisms of action are often clear.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-022-03346-9 “Boron‑Containing Compounds for Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Human Metabolic Disorders” (not freely available) Thanks to Dr. Marvin A Soriano-Ursúa for providing a link to a freely available document.

A second paper was a 2021 human study:

“In our elderly population-based sample, a boron-rich diet appeared to be characterized by high intakes of plant foods presumed to be healthy, low intakes of plant foods presumed to be less healthy, and low intakes of all kinds of animal foods.

Higher plasma boron concentrations were related to lower BMI and circulating concentrations of CRP. Plasma boron concentrations were associated with age, phosphate, and plasma lipid metabolism, and showed seasonal variations.

Human intervention studies are warranted to derive causal relationships of circulating and dietary boron with human health and metabolism. Robust databases on boron content of foods are needed to facilitate investigation of dietary boron intake in human studies.

Clarification of the non-/essentiality of trace element boron for human health will form the basis to derive recommendations for a dietary boron intake being sufficient to exert boron’s proposed beneficial physiological roles.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-021-02730-w “Plasma boron concentrations in the general population: a cross-sectional analysis of cardio-metabolic and dietary correlates”

As noted in this study, public agencies don’t consider dietary boron content important enough to include in public databases. My daily boron dietary intake estimated from published private databases is:

  • Walnuts, 1.63 mg x (28.3 g / 100 g) = .5 mg
  • Red kidney beans, 1.4 mg x (12 g / 100 g) = .2 mg
  • Chickpeas, 0.71 mg x (40 g / 100 g) = .3 mg
  • Celery, 0.5 mg x (72 g / 100 g) = .4 mg
  • Carrots, 0.3 mg x ( 76 g / 100 g) = .3 mg
  • Coffee .07 mg x 3 cups = .2 mg

2 mg boron daily dietary total

A third paper was a 2022 rodent study:

“Sodium pentaborate pentahydrate (NaB) 1 and 2 mg elemental B/kg supplementation induces the anagen phase in rats via Wnt-1, β-catenin, VEGF, PDGF, and TGF-β1 signaling pathways, which are important molecular mechanisms involved in hair growth.

NaB 4 mg B/kg suppresses these pathways and adversely affects hair growth.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0946672X22000876 “Sodium pentaborate pentahydrate promotes hair growth through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and growth factors” (not freely available)

A human equivalent of this study’s rat 1 mg elemental boron intake is (1 mg x .162) x 70 kg = 11 mg.

PXL_20220731_094359216.NIGHT

Taurine week #2: Bile acids

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hypothalamus, Immune system, Limbic system, Neurochemicals, Testosterone , , ,

Two papers investigated taurine’s integration into bile acids, starting with a review:

“Bile acids (BAs) are produced from cholesterol in the liver and are termed primary BAs. Primary BAs are conjugated with glycine and taurine in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder. BAs are released from the gallbladder into the small intestine via food intake to facilitate digestion and absorption of lipids and lipophilic vitamins by forming micelles in the small intestine.

After deconjugation by the gut microbiome, primary BAs are converted into secondary BAs. Most BAs in the intestine are reabsorbed and transported to the liver, where both primary and secondary BAs are conjugated with glycine or taurine and rereleased into the intestine.

microorganisms-10-00068-g001

Some BAs reabsorbed from the intestine spill into systemic circulation, where they bind to a variety of nuclear and cell-surface receptors in tissues. Some BAs are not reabsorbed and bind to receptors in the terminal ileum.

BAs can affect cell-surface and intracellular membranes, including those of mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum. BAs are also hormones or signaling molecules, and can regulate BA, glucose, and lipid metabolism in various tissues, including the liver, pancreas, and both brown and white adipose tissue. BAs also affect the immune system.

BAs can affect the nervous system. More than 20 BAs have been detected in the brain of humans and rodents. The brain communicates with the gut and gut microbiome through BAs.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/1/68/htm “Physiological Role of Bile Acids Modified by the Gut Microbiome”

Reference 56 was a human study:

“Centenarians (individuals aged 100 years and older) have a decreased susceptibility to ageing-associated illnesses, chronic inflammation, and infectious diseases. Centenarians have a distinct gut microbiome enriched in microorganisms that are capable of generating unique secondary bile acids.

We identified centenarian-specific gut microbiota signatures and defined bacterial species as well as genes and/or pathways that promote generation of isoLCA, 3-oxoLCA, 3-oxoalloLCA, and isoalloLCA. To our knowledge, isoalloLCA is one of the most potent antimicrobial agents that is selective against Gram-positive microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant pathogens, suggesting that it may contribute to maintenance of intestinal homeostasis by enhancing colonization-resistance mechanisms.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03832-5 “Novel bile acid biosynthetic pathways are enriched in the microbiome of centenarians” (not freely available)

A few more papers will be coming on taurine and bile acids. I haven’t seen one investigate both taurine and glycine treatments to aid bile acid in achieving therapeutic results.

PXL_20220612_193749935

Sulforaphane and hair loss

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Testosterone ,

This 2021 human clinical trial evaluated sulforaphane’s cosmetic effects:

“We demonstrated that sulforaphane has the potential to become a highly effective functional hair cosmetic to relieve hair loss with androgen alopecia. Sulforaphane increases expression of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-degrading enzyme 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD) in the liver, which accelerates DHT degradation, thereby inhibiting hair loss.

We performed a visual evaluation of parietal and frontal lines of 23 men and women from 18 to 54 years old before and after using the product, and then calculated total number of hairs. This clinical study showed that parietal lines and bangs visually improved, and the number of hairs increased by 6.71% from before using the test product to 18 weeks after using the test product.

hair growth

We tested expression levels of Ak1c21 and Dhrs9 isoforms of 3α-HSD in the in vitro cell culture experiment where Hepa1c1c7 cells were treated with sulforaphane or a mixture of biotin, dexpanthenol, and l-menthol. This study showed that sulforaphane alone achieved a hair loss-relieving effect in our experimental cell culture conditions.

Our finding that sulforaphane induces Akr1c2 in a dose-dependent manner is consistent with previous studies. Sulforaphane treatment induced expression of Dhrs9, which has several sites in the promoter region that bind to Nrf2, which is induced by sulforaphane.

It is highly likely that sulforaphane might enhance degradation of DHT, not only via the induction of degrading enzymes 3α-HSD, but also by functional activation of these enzymes. Further studies remain to test this possibility.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/8/3/63/htm “Sulforaphane, L-Menthol, and Dexpanthenol as a Novel Active Cosmetic Ingredient Composition for Relieving Hair Loss Symptoms”

Remembering encounters provides future benefits

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Immune system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Stress, Testosterone , ,

Two 2021 papers on trained immunity, with the first a review:

“Effective memory immune responses rely on interaction between innate and adaptive immune cells. While activation of innate immunity provides the first line of defense against infections, it also primes the adaptive immune response.

Adaptive immunity can enhance antimicrobial machinery of innate cells, making them more effective at clearing pathogenic microorganisms. An additional layer of complexity adds to this network of interactions, with innate cells adopting a memory phenotype, which used to apply to only adaptive immunity. Furthermore, non-immune cells can develop some features of this memory-like phenotype.

fimmu-12-745332-g001

Cell subsets in which trained immunity has been described. Different stimuli including Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), β-glucan, cytokines, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and bacterial components can induce a trained immunity phenotype. A common hallmark of trained immunity in these cases is H3K4me3 in promoters of genes encoding for different cytokines.

  • Mechanisms Underlying Establishment of Trained Immunity
  • Trained Immunity in Neutrophils
  • Trained Immunity in Monocytes and Macrophages: General Features
  • Metabolic Pathways Involved in Training of Monocytes and Macrophages
  • Hormonal Control of Trained Immunity Responses in Monocytes and Macrophages
  • Trained Immunity on Alveolar Macrophages and Involvement of Resident Cells
  • Trained Immunity in NK Cells
  • Trained Immunity in Innate Lymphoid Cells
  • Trained Immunity on Hematopoietic Stem Cells
  • Trained Immunity in Bronchial Epithelial Cells
  • Trained Immunity in Skin Stem Cells
  • Trained Immunity in the Gastrointestinal Tract
  • Immunity Training Against Protozoan-Mediated Pathologies
  • Trained Immunity in Non-Infectious Pathologies

Many gaps of knowledge remain in this field. For example, how long changes associated to trained immunity last, and if, in addition to epigenetic modulation, there are other post-translational modifications on proteins relevant for induction of trained immunity.”

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.745332/full “Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Modulating Trained Immunity by Various Cell Types in Response to Pathogen Encounter”

This second paper was a human study cited for its glutathione findings as follows:

  • “Plasma concentration of IL-1β from BCG-vaccinated individuals are positively associated with serum glutathione concentrations.
  • Trained immunity up-regulates expression of genes involved in glutathione metabolism, suggesting an increase in glutathione synthesis and a higher glutathione recycling rate.
  • Single nucleotide polymorphisms in these genes are associated with changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine production after in vitro training by β-glucan and BCG.

Enzymes whose activities are dependent on glutathione could be used as novel targets to modulate trained immunity.”

IL-1β production

“We found a positive association between plasma glutathione concentration and ex vivo IL-1β production 90 days after BCG vaccination upon in vitro exposure to heterologous stimulus Staphylococcus aureus. Up-regulation of IL-1β production by BCG vaccination was also positively associated with circulating concentrations of other metabolites involved in glutathione metabolism, such as methionine, cysteine, glutamate, and glycine.

GSH metabolism was associated with trained immunity traits in 278 healthy individuals. Trained immunity mechanisms that are shaped by GSH metabolism remain to be further explored.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/5/971/htm “Glutathione Metabolism Contributes to the Induction of Trained Immunity”

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Natural products vs. neurodegenerative diseases

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Acetylcholine, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Immune system, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Serotonin, Stress, Testosterone , , , , , ,

I was recently asked about taking rapamycin for its effects on mTOR. I replied that diet could do the same thing. Here’s a 2021 review outlining such effects:

“As common, progressive, and chronic causes of disability and death, neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) significantly threaten human health, while no effective treatment is available. Recent studies have revealed the role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (Protein kinase B)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in some diseases and natural products with therapeutic potentials.

Growing evidence highlights the dysregulated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and interconnected mediators in pathogenesis of NDDs. Side effects and drug-resistance of conventional neuroprotective agents urge the need for providing alternative therapies.

1-s2.0-S0944711321002075-ga1_lrg

Polyphenols, alkaloids, carotenoids, and terpenoids have shown to be capable of a great modulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR in NDDs. Natural products potentially target various important oxidative/inflammatory/apoptotic/autophagic molecules/mediators, such as Bax, Bcl-2, p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, NF-κB, TNF-α, GSH, SOD, MAPK, GSK-3β, Nrf2/HO-1, JAK/STAT, CREB/BDNF, ERK1/2, and LC3 towards neuroprotection.

This is the first systematic and comprehensive review with a simultaneous focus on the critical role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR in NDDs and associated targeting by natural products.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711321002075 “Natural products attenuate PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway: A promising strategy in regulating neurodegeneration” (not freely available) Thanks to Dr. Sajad Fakhri for providing a copy.

Natural products mentioned in this review that I eat in everyday foods are listed below. The most effective ones are broccoli and red cabbage sprouts, and oats and oat sprouts:

  • Artichokes – luteolin;
  • Blackberries – anthocyanins;
  • Blueberries – anthocyanins, gallic acid, pterostilbene;
  • Broccoli and red cabbage sprouts – anthocyanins, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin, sulforaphane;
  • Carrots – carotenoids;
  • Celery – apigenin, luteolin;
  • Green tea – epigallocatechin gallate;
  • Oats and oat sprouts – avenanthramides;
  • Strawberries – anthocyanins, fisetin;
  • Tomatoes – fisetin.

Four humpback whales

PXL_20210914_170732350_exported_43137

Screenshot_20210914-121800

All about vasopressin

gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Amygdala, Brain development, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Primal Therapy, Stress, Testosterone, Vasopressin , , , , , , ,

This 2021 review subject was vasopressin:

“Vasopressin is a ubiquitous molecule playing an important role in a wide range of physiological processes, thereby implicated in pathomechanisms of many disorders. The most striking is its central effect in stress-axis regulation, as well as regulating many aspects of our behavior.

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is a nonapeptide that is synthesized mainly in the supraoptic, paraventricular (PVN), and suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. AVP cell groups of hypothalamus and midbrain were found to be glutamatergic, whereas those in regions derived from cerebral nuclei were mainly GABAergic.

In the PVN, AVP can be found together with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the main hypothalamic regulator of the HPA axis. The AVPergic system participates in regulation of several physiological processes, from stress hormone release through memory formation, thermo- and pain regulation, to social behavior.

vasopressin stress axis

AVP determines behavioral responses to environmental stimuli, and participates in development of social interactions, aggression, reproduction, parental behavior, and belonging. Alterations in AVPergic tone may be implicated in pathology of stress-related disorders (anxiety and depression), Alzheimer’s, posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as schizophrenia.

An increasing body of evidence confirms epigenetic contribution to changes in AVP or AVP receptor mRNA level, not only during the early perinatal period, but also in adulthood:

  • DNA methylation is more targeted on a single gene; and it is better characterized in relation to AVP;
  • Some hint for bidirectional interaction with histone acetylation was also described; and
  • miRNAs are implicated in the hormonal, peripheral role of AVP, and less is known about their interaction regarding behavioral alteration.”

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/17/9415/htm “Epigenetic Modulation of Vasopressin Expression in Health and Disease”

Find your way, regardless of what the herd does.

PXL_20210911_103344386

Gut and brain health

gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Amygdala, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Brainstem, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Immune system, Limbic system, Lower brain, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Stress, Testosterone , , , ,

This 2021 human review subject was interactions of gut health and disease with brain health and disease:

“Actions of microbial metabolites are key for appropriate gut-brain communication in humans. Among these metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan, and bile acid metabolites / pathways show strong preclinical evidence for involvement in various aspects of brain function and behaviour.

Dietary fibres, proteins, and fats ingested by the host contain components which are metabolized by microbiota. SCFAs are produced from fermentation of fibres, and tryptophan-kynurenine (TRP-KYN) metabolites from dietary proteins. Primary bile acids derived from liver metabolism aid in lipid digestion, but can be deconjugated and bio-transformed into secondary bile acids.

1-s2.0-S0149763421001032-gr1

One of the greatest challenges with human microbiota studies is making inferences about composition of colonic microbiota from faeces. There are known differences between faecal and caecal microbiota composition in humans along with spatial variation across the gastrointestinal tract.

It is difficult to interpret microbiome-host associations without identifying the driving influence in such an interaction. Large cohort studies may require thousands of participants on order to reach 20 % explanatory power for a certain host-trait with specific microbiota-associated metrics (Shannon diversity, relative microbial abundance). Collection of metadata is important to allow for a better comparison between studies, and to identify differentially abundant microbes arising from confounding variables.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763421001032 “Mining Microbes for Mental Health: Determining the Role of Microbial Metabolic Pathways in Human Brain Health and Disease”

Don’t understand why these researchers handcuffed themselves by only using PubMed searches. For example, two papers were cited for:

“Conjugated and unconjugated bile acids, as well as taurine or glycine alone, are potential neuroactive ligands in humans.”

Compare scientific coverage of PubMed with Scopus:

  • 2017 paper: PubMed citations 39; Scopus citations 69.
  • 2019 paper: PubMed citations 69; Scopus citations 102.

Large numbers of papers intentionally missing from PubMed probably influenced this review’s findings, such as:

  1. “There are too few fibromyalgia and migraine microbiome-related studies to make definitive conclusions. However, one fibromyalgia study found altered microbial species associated with SCFA and tryptophan metabolism, as well as changes in serum levels of SCFAs. Similarly, the sole migraine-microbiota study reported an increased abundance of the kynurenine synthesis GBM (gut-brain module).
  2. Due to heterogeneity of stroke and vascular disease conditions, it is difficult to make substantial comparisons between studies. There is convincing evidence for involvement of specific microbial genera / species and a neurovascular condition in humans. However, taxa were linked to LPS biosynthesis rather than SCFA production.
  3. Several studies suggest lasting microbial changes in response to prenatal or postnatal stress, though these do not provide evidence for involvement of SCFA, tryptophan, or bile-acid modifying bacteria. Similar to stress, there are very few studies assessing impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on microbiota.”

These researchers took on a difficult task. Their study design could have been better.

PXL_20210628_095746132

Wildlife

PXL_20210710_100826663

The amino acid ergothioneine

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A trio of papers on ergothioneine starts with a 2019 human study. 3,236 people without cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus ages 57.4 ± 6.0 were measured for 112 metabolites, then followed-up after 20+ years:

“We identified that higher ergothioneine was an independent marker of lower risk of cardiometabolic disease and mortality, which potentially can be induced by a specific healthy dietary intake.

overall mortality and ergothioneine

Ergothioneine exists in many dietary sources and has especially high levels in mushrooms, tempeh, and garlic. Ergothioneine has previously been associated with a higher intake of vegetables, seafood and with a lower intake of solid fats and added sugar as well as associated with healthy food patterns.”

https://heart.bmj.com/content/106/9/691 “Ergothioneine is associated with reduced mortality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease”

I came across this study by its citation in a 2021 review:

“The body has evolved to rely on highly abundant low molecular weight thiols such as glutathione to maintain redox homeostasis but also play other important roles including xenobiotic detoxification and signalling. Some of these thiols may also be derived from diet, such as the trimethyl-betaine derivative of histidine, ergothioneine (ET).

image description

ET can be found in most (if not all) tissues, with differential rates of accumulation, owing to differing expression of the transporter. High expression of the transporter, and hence high levels of ET, is observed in certain cells (e.g. blood cells, bone marrow, ocular tissues, brain) that are likely predisposed to oxidative stress, although other tissues can accumulate high levels of ET with sustained administration. This has been suggested to be an adaptive physiological response to elevate ET in the damaged tissue and thereby limit further injury.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231721000161 “Ergothioneine, recent developments”

The coauthors of this review were also coauthors of a 2018 review:

“Ergothioneine is avidly taken up from the diet by humans and other animals through a transporter, OCTN1. Ergothioneine is not rapidly metabolised, or excreted in urine, and has powerful antioxidant and cytoprotective properties.

ergothioneine in foods

Effects of dietary ET supplementation on oxidative damage in young healthy adults found a trend to a decrease in oxidative damage, as detected in plasma and urine using several established biomarkers of oxidative damage, but no major decreases. This could arguably be a useful property of ET: not interfering with important roles of ROS/RNS in healthy tissues, but coming into play when oxidative damage becomes excessive due to tissue injury, toxin exposure or disease, and ET is then accumulated.”

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1873-3468.13123 “Ergothioneine – a diet-derived antioxidant with therapeutic potential”

I’m upping a half-pound of mushrooms every day to 3/4 lb. (340 g). Don’t think I could eat more garlic than the current six cloves.

PXL_20210606_095517049

I came across this subject in today’s video:

One step short of greatness

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A 2021 rodent study investigated dietary effects of organic and conventional farming practices:

“We report results from a two-generation, dietary intervention study with male Wistar rats to identify the effects of feeds made from organic and conventional crops on growth, hormonal, and immune system parameters that are known to affect the risk of a number of chronic, non-communicable diseases in animals and humans.

Conventional, pesticide-based crop protection resulted in significantly lower fiber, polyphenol, flavonoid, and lutein, but higher lipid, aldicarb [a pesticide], and diquat [a herbicide] concentrations in animal feeds.

Conventional, mineral nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK)-based fertilization resulted in significantly lower polyphenol, but higher cadmium and protein concentrations in feeds.

Growth and other physiological parameters were only monitored for 9 weeks after weaning. It was therefore not possible to determine whether and to what extent:

  1. Differences in feed composition;
  2. Dietary intakes of compounds previously linked to obesity and chronic diseases; and/or
  3. Changes in endocrine and immune parameters in rats raised on feed crops treated with mineral fertilizers and/or pesticides,

would have resulted in higher levels of weight gain and/or diseases linked to obesity, endocrine disruption and/or changes in immune system activity/responsiveness.”

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/377/htm “Feed Composition Differences Resulting from Organic and Conventional Farming Practices Affect Physiological Parameters in Wistar Rats—Results from a Factorial, Two-Generation Dietary Intervention Trial”

I’m always fascinated when researchers intentionally stop one step short of greatness.

It seems a main purpose of this study was to justify a 2013 study by these researchers on pretty much the same subject. The current study had a defined F0 generation, and four different F1 generations and F2 generations.

This study stopped without continuing to any F3 generations.

  • The F1 F2 OPOF line in the above graphic’s first column didn’t eat chow produced with either synthetic chemical pesticides or conventional fertilizers.
  • This line could have continued on to transgenerational great-grand offspring who would have had no direct exposure to the F0 generation’s conventionally fertilized and “protected” crop diet.
  • By continuing, these researchers could have found out what transgenerationally inherited effects on the F3 generation there may be from the F0 generation eating a conventionally-produced diet.
  • Anything found in this line’s F3 great-grand offspring may have applied to humans.

Do we ever consider our great-grandchildren?

Part 2 of Eat broccoli sprouts for DIM

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Continuing Part 1 with three DIM studies, the first of which was a 2020 chemical analysis investigating:

“Anti-estrogenic, anti-androgenic, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonistic activities of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) acid condensation products.

I3C is a breakdown product [isothiocyanate] of glucobrassicin. Most biological activities attributed to I3C are believed to result from its acid condensation products, as it is expected that after ingestion of cruciferous vegetables, I3C is completely converted in the stomach before it reaches the intestine.

The reaction mixture was prepared from I3C under acidic conditions. Based on the various HPLC peaks, 9 fractions were collected and tested.

DIM (3,3-diindolylmethane) displayed clear estrogenic activity, showing an additive effect when co-exposed with low concentrations of E2 [estradiol] (below EC50) [effective concentration that gives half-maximal-response of a biological pathway]. However, an anti-estrogenic activity was observed when DIM was co-exposed with higher concentrations of E2, i.e. above EC50. None of the nine fractions was able to inhibit response of E2.

I3C and DIM showed clear anti-androgenic activities when co-exposed with concentrations of T [testosterone] at EC50 or ECmax. DIM showed a relatively strong antagonistic activity, and was able to completely inhibit response of T.

All fractions displayed an AhR agonist activity. Poor activity of fraction 3 seems surprising, as it contains ICZ, which was shown to be a strong AhR agonist. This is a strong indication that ICZ is only present at a very low concentration.

Observed estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects of the reaction mixture are most likely due to DIM.

The present study is the first that demonstrates that DIM also possesses anti-estrogenic properties when co-administered with E2 concentrations above EC50. Rather than ICZ, LTr1 and several other compounds present in fractions 1 and 4 (CTr), and larger molecules present in fractions 7, 8 (LTe1) and 9 seem responsible for observed AhR activity of the reaction mixture.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878535220302811 “Acid condensation products of indole-3-carbinol and their in-vitro (anti)estrogenic, (anti)androgenic and aryl hydrocarbon receptor activities”

I came across this study as a result of its citation in Brassica Bioactives Could Ameliorate the Chronic Inflammatory Condition of Endometriosis.

A second 2016 study was with humans:

“Forty-five subjects consumed vegetables, a mixture of brussels sprouts and/or cabbage, at one of seven discrete dose levels of glucobrassicin ranging from 25 to 500 μmol, once daily for 2 consecutive days.

‘Blue Dynasty’ cabbage contained 33.5 ± 4.0 μmol glucobrassicin per 100 grams food weight. ‘Jade Cross’ brussels sprouts contained 206.0 ± 12.9 μmol per 100 grams.

At 50 μmol, variability in 24-hour urinary DIM levels appears to stem from both within an individual and between individuals. At 200 and 500 μmol dose levels, most variability is coming from between individuals rather than within an individual.

Inter-individual DIM variability may reflect the relative benefit an individual derives from consuming glucobrassicin from vegetables, responsive not only to how much glucobrassicin was consumed but also to variations in I3C uptake and DIM metabolism, many of which are not characterized.

Dose curve between glucobrassicin dose (25–500 μmol) [25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500] and urinary DIM. Bars represent SD. Estimated parameters in the original scale (95% CI): Maximum DIM 421.5 pmol/mL (154.7–1,148.4), minimum DIM 5.4 pmol/mL (0.7–44.3), EC50 90.2 μmol (29.1–151.3).

We conclude that urinary DIM is a reliable biomarker of glucobrassicin exposure and I3C uptake and that feeding glucobrassicin beyond 200 μmol did not consistently lead to more urinary DIM. Our data support the notion that cancer-preventive properties that might be derived from cruciferous vegetable consumption may require neither a large quantity of vegetables nor high-dose supplements.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5220883/ “Harnessing the Power of Cruciferous Vegetables: Developing a Biomarker for Brassica Vegetable Consumption Using Urinary 3,3′-Diindolylmethane”

1. Most subjects had trouble eating 500 μmol / 242.72 grams of Jade Cross brussels sprouts:

“At the 500 μmol dose level, two subjects could not finish due to the taste of the raw Brussels sprouts and were reassigned to 50 μmol dose level.

Two of the remaining five subjects at the 500 μmol dose level “Did not eat all of the assigned vegetables.” 🙂 That amount of brussels sprouts may have made two more sick because one “Missed one void during 2–6 hour collection period” and another “Missed 2 voids during the 6–12 hour collection period.”

2. From its supplementary material, there were ten subjects who ate a 200 μmol glucobrassicin dose. That’s a lot of raw cabbage (179.10 g) and brussels sprouts (67.96 g).

  • On Day 1 at the 2-6 hour point, Subject 27’s urinary DIM measured 10.21 pmol/mL and Subject 20’s measured 991.88, > 9700% higher.
  • At that 2-6 hour point on Day 2, the same subjects measured 16.15 and 687.44 pmol/mL, > 4200% higher.
  • From Table 1, their respective Mean 24-h DIM ± SE, pmol/mL measurements were 20.7 ± 4.0 and 1105 ± 45, > 5300% higher.

The 100 μmol glucobrassicin dose was 149.25 g Blue Dynasty cabbage and 24.27 g Jade Cross brussels sprouts. Could you eat that every day?

3. There’s sufficient data to make individual DIM bioavailability calculations. Don’t know why this study didn’t do that, nor did any of its 18 citing papers.

One study came close for broccoli and radish sprouts, 2017’s Bioavailability and new biomarkers of cruciferous sprouts consumption (not freely available) by researchers in the same group as Our model clinical trial for Changing to a youthful phenotype with broccoli sprouts. They didn’t disclose and analyze individual DIM bioavailability evidence, though:

“Broccoli and radish sprouts content in GB [glucobrassicin] were ~11.4 and ~7.7 μmol/20 g F.W, respectively. After ingestion of broccoli sprouts, 49% of GB was suitably metabolised and excreted as hydrolysis metabolites, calculated as the sum of I3C and DIM (~5.57 μmol /24 h). Following radish ingestion, the percentage of GB hydrolysed and absorbed was 38% (~2.92 μmol /24 h).

These results of bioavailability contrast with the extremely low percentage (< 1%) of GB excreted as DIM after consumption of Brussels sprouts and cabbage in a previous study (Fujioka, et al., 2014). Further studies about conversion of other indole GLS [glucosinolates] to I3C and DIM are needed to know more about bioavailability of these compounds, as there is no information in literature.”

A ten-subject study in Microwave broccoli seeds to create sulforaphane found inter-individual variability of sulforaphane and its metabolites in blood plasma for the highest and lowest individuals was > 500% (2.032 / 0.359 μmol). The urinary % of dose excreted by the same subjects was > 400% higher (86.9% and 19.5%, respectively.)

These studies present an opportunity for further discovery:

  1. Which researchers will try to understand causal experiences in people’s lives that produced such effects?
  2. Which researchers will produce evidence for factors that make people responsively either alive or dead to external influences on their internal environment?
  3. Where are studies that show when an individual needs to change their responses – their phenotype – they can successfully do so?

Herding, the story of 2020

Take responsibility for your one precious life – DHEA

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This 2020 meta-analysis subject was DHEA:

“Twenty-four qualified trials were included in this meta-analysis. Statistically significant increases in serum IGF-1 levels were found only in participants who were:

  1. Women; or
  2. Supplementing 50 mg/d; or
  3. Undergoing intervention for > 12 weeks; or
  4. Without an underlying comorbidity; or
  5. Over the age of 60 years.

DHEA supplementation led to an overall increase of ~16 ng/ml in serum IGF-1 levels, as well as increases of ~23 [women] and ~20 ng/ml [age > 60]. Diseased and healthy subjects ages ranged from 20 to 72 years old.”

Discussion section explanations of the above:

  1. “Women are more susceptible to biochemical and clinical shifts caused by DHEA supplementation.
  2. The majority of investigations tested DHEA at a dose of 50 mg/d.
  3. The majority of studies were performed for > 12 weeks.
  4. Participants with no comorbidities were also older in many studies.
  5. Older patients have a natural decline in the production of IGF-1 and DHEA.

Additional rigorous RCTs are warranted to better define whether and to what extent changes in IGF-1 levels caused by DHEA supplementation are relevant for health benefits.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0531556520302977 “Impact of dehydroepian[d]rosterone (DHEA) supplementation on serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1): A dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials” (not freely available)

More on IGF-1 from The influence of zinc supplementation on IGF-1 levels in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis which was cited for “Previous studies have demonstrated that IGF-1 levels can be affected by several factors.”

“IGF-1 is a growth factor synthesized in the liver, and elicits a myriad of effects on health due to its participation in the GH-IGF-1 axis, where it:

  • Is involved in tissue homeostasis;
  • Has anti-apoptotic, mitogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and metabolic actions;
  • Contributes to skeletal muscle plasticity, maintenance of muscle strength and muscle mass;
  • Neural and cardiovascular protection;
  • Development of the skeleton;
  • Possesses insulin-like effects, and
  • Is a key factor in brain, eye and lung development during fetal development.

IGF-1 plays important roles in both growth and development, and its levels vary depending on age, with peaks generally observed in the postnatal period and at puberty. IGF-1 levels influence the release of GH [growth hormone] from the hypophysis [pituitary gland] via a negative feedback loop.

A rapid decrease in IGF-1 levels is registered during the third decade of life. Levels gradually decrease between the third and the eighth decade of life.”

The Group 3 “> 12 weeks” finding was reinforced by perspectives such as:

Group 4 “with no comorbidities” was narrowly defined. All of us have degrees of diseases in progress. Consider aging effects:

  • Aging as a normal disease “Aging and its diseases are inseparable, as these diseases are manifestations of aging. Instead of healthy aging, we could use the terms pre-disease aging or decelerated aging.”
  • Aging as an unintended consequence “Epigenetic ageing begins from very early moments after the embryonic stem cell stage and continues uninterrupted through the entire lifespan. Ageing is an unintended consequence of processes that are necessary for development of the organism and tissue homeostasis thereafter.”
  • Organismal aging and cellular senescence “If we assume that aging already starts before birth, it can be considered simply a developmental stage, required to complete the evolutionary program associated with species-intrinsic biological functions such as reproduction, survival, and selection.”
  • An environmental signaling paradigm of aging “The age-phenotype of a cell or organ depends on its environment and not its history. Organisms, organs, and their cells can be reset to different age-phenotypes depending on their environment.”

These perspectives are less important than what each of us choose to do about our own problems. Take responsibility for your one precious life.