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Honey has a long history of therapeutic properties for multiple diseases, including inflammation and oxidative stress. This review aimed to provide a better understanding and renewed interest in the potential role of honey in obesity control, obesity-related diseases treatment and weight management, with specific reference to its components and the effect of honey overall. There is compelling evidence that honey possesses the desired properties for this purpose, as seen in the in vitro, in silico, in vivo and clinical analyses discussed in this review. This review also highlights the components potentially responsible for the health benefits of honey. Honey and its components reduce blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism by reducing triglycerides, and reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels while increasing HDL levels that prevent excessive weight gain and reduce the risk of obesity and its complications. Further controlled studies are necessary to validate the role of honey in the management of obesity, both as a preventive and as a therapeutic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute wound cases are increasing every year. Meanwhile, current treatments have many adverse impacts; thus, alternative treatment is required. Marphysa moribidii; a local polychaete is found to has a promising potential as a wound-healing agent due to its regenerative capability. However, no prior study has been conducted to prove this notion. Hence, this study is aimed to determine the effectiveness of aqueous extract of M. moribidii in wound healing treatment. The polychaete was finely pulverized and lyophilized by freeze-dryer to form a powdery-form extract before preparing in three different concentrations: 0.3% (w/w), 1.0% (w/w), and 2.0% (w/w) in ointment form. The treatments including Gamat oil 0.4% (w/w) as control were applied to the rat model once daily for 14 days. Gamat oil (0.4%) demonstrated the most rapid wound healing, followed by polychaete ointment (0.3%). However, based on Masson's trichrome staining, the polychaete ointment exhibited the most collagen deposition compared to other treatments. The staining indicates a more effective healing process of the wound after treated with the polychaete ointment. Based on the findings, polychaete extract has great potential in wound healing; more detailed studies are needed to gain more evidences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey authenticity is one of the most critical honey trading issues worldwide. Fake honey (FH) represents almost 80% of the honey market in Malaysia. Apart from violating consumer's rights, FH consists of none of the beneficial nutritional value other than pure honey (PH). Moreover, prolonged consumption of FH may cause harm to human health. However, data regarding these issues is limited. In this study, both PH and FH were tested using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese Sprague Dawley rats. Initially, a physicochemical analysis was performed on both the honey samples according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission and International Honey Commission procedures. After 72 hr, PH significantly reduced lipid accumulation and triglyceride levels in the adipocytes. In the rats, low glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were significantly detected after orally administered for 16 weeks. Conversely, FH significantly induced higher lipid accumulation and triglyceride levels in adipocytes and excess high blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in rats. The results demonstrated that FH has negative effects on lipid metabolism, and prolonged consumption may cause health complications. Furthermore, prompt actions are required to address this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stingless bee honey is one of the high demand honey in Malaysia. However, honey characters particularly from different species is lacking in order to increase its commercial value. Thus, physicochemical profile analysis of honey harvested from four major species of stingless bee in Kelantan, Malaysia, Geniotrigona thoracica, Heterotrigina itama, Lepidotrigona terminata and Tetragonula laeviceps was conducted to investigate the honey character. Character of the stingless bee honey harvested from various species from the same geographic area was compared. The results were then compared to stingless bee honey from other countries. Most of physicochemical data of stingless bee honey from different species collected from Kelantan showed almost similar values. However, value of pH, free acidity and total acidity displayed significant different results. This indicates species of stingless bee may affect the results. In order to compare local stingless bee honey with international stingless bee honey, the data was represented as mean regardless of their species. From the results, moisture content was consistently high in stingless bee honey harvested from Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil and Venezuela while, other data showed different values. The results demonstrated that species of stingless bee particularly from other countries is crucial in order to characterize the honey. However, Malaysian stingless bee honey has unique character based on physicochemical data. The data can be used as a marketing strategy in increasing commercial value of local stingless bee honey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey has potential in controlling obesity by reducing excess weight gain and other obesity parameters such as triglyceride levels. However, its effects on the cells that stores lipid (adipocytes) is still unclear. This study was performed to observe the effects of pineapple honey on the growth and lipid accumulation of adipocytes in vitro. Pineapple honey was standardised according to its total phenolic and flavonoid contents prior to treating on differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Proliferation of adipocytes was observed using 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dipenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay while lipid accumulation and droplet size were determined using oil red O staining and Feret's diameter. Pineapple honey exhibited 0.0379 ± 0.001 mg/100 mL GAE of total phenolic content and 0.098 ± 0.001 mg catechin/kg of total flavonoid content. It significantly inhibited adipocytes' proliferation starting from 6.25% of pineapple honey concentration. In addition, the honey also significantly reduced lipid droplet size by 33.78% to 70.36% and reduced lipid accumulation compared to the control. These findings suggest that pineapple honey may affect the storage of lipids in adipocytes. Future investigation involving the biomarkers of adipogenesis is required to confirm whether the reduction in lipid accumulation is attributed to the effect of honey on these pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antidiabetic properties of Tinospora crispa, a local herb that has been used in traditional Malay medicine and rich in antioxidant, were explored based on obesity-linked insulin resistance condition. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, namely, the normal control (NC) which received standard rodent diet, the high fat diet (HFD) which received high fat diet only, the high fat diet treated with T. crispa (HFDTC), and the high fat diet treated with orlistat (HFDO). After sixteen weeks of treatment, blood and organs were harvested for analyses. Results showed that T. crispa significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the body weight (41.14 ± 1.40%), adiposity index serum levels (4.910 ± 0.80%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST: 161 ± 4.71 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (ALT: 100.95 ± 3.10 U/L), total cholesterol (TC: 18.55 ± 0.26 mmol/L), triglycerides (TG: 3.70 ± 0.11 mmol/L), blood glucose (8.50 ± 0.30 mmo/L), resistin (0.74 ± 0.20 ng/mL), and leptin (17.428 ± 1.50 ng/mL) hormones in HFDTC group. The insulin (1.65 ± 0.07 pg/mL) and C-peptide (136.48 pmol/L) hormones were slightly decreased but within normal range. The histological results showed unharmed and intact liver tissues in HFDTC group. As a conclusion, T. crispa ameliorates insulin resistance-associated with obesity in Wistar rats fed with high fat diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Since ancient times, honey has been used for medicinal purposes in many cultures; it is one of the oldest and most enduring substances used in wound management. Scientific evidence for its efficacy is widely studied, but systemic safety studies are still lacking. It is essential to study the impact of consumption of honey on the health and proper development of the consumer. Therefore, the present study was designed to observe the effects of acute administration (14 days) of Gelam honey (GH), a wild harvesting honey and Acacia honey (AH), a beekeeping honey, on male and female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Methods An acute oral study was performed following OECD test guideline 423, with minor modifications. In the study, GH, AH and S were administered at 2000 mg/kg body weight. Animals were observed for the next 14 days. Gross pathology was performed at the end of the study. Animals were observed for mortality, morbidity, body weight changes, feed and water intake. Clinical biochemistry, gross pathology, relative organ weight and histopathological examination were performed. Results Rats fed with honey did not exhibit any abnormal signs or deaths. Results showed a decrease in weight gain and energy efficiency, but significantly increased in total food intake and total calories in female rats fed with GH, compared to control (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, a significant increase in body weight was observed in male rats in all honey-treated groups. Male rats fed with AH significantly decreased in total food intake, total calories and energy efficiency. Both male and female rats fed with GH displayed a significant decrease in triglycerides compared to control group. Hepatic and renal function levels were within acceptable range. The gross necropsy analysis did not reveal changes in any of the organs examined. Conclusions Our results suggest that acute consumption of GH and AH at 2000 mg/kg body weight of male and female SD rats has some discrepancy effects on biochemical parameters but in line with OECD regulation. Gelam honey may have potential in controlling weight gain and triglyceride levels in female rats compared to Acacia honey. SD rats have some effect on biochemical parameters, an exploration of which would make for intriguing analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stevioside from Stevia rebaudiana has been reported to exert antihyperglycemic effects in both rat and human subjects. There have been few studies on these effects in vitro. In this paper, radioactive glucose uptake assay was implemented in order to assess improvements in insulin sensitivity in 3T3-L1 cells by elevation of glucose uptake following treatment with stevioside. Oil Red-O staining and MTT assay were utilized to confirm adipocyte differentiation and cell viability, respectively. Findings from this research showed a significant increase in absorbance values in mature adipocytes following Oil Red-O staining, confirming the differentiation process. Stevioside was noncytotoxic to 3T3-L1 cells as cell viability was reduced by a maximum of 17%, making it impossible to determine its IC50. Stevioside increased glucose uptake activities by 2.1 times (p < 0.001) in normal conditions and up to 4.4 times (p < 0.001) in insulin-resistant states. At times, this increase was higher than that seen in positive control group treated with rosiglitazone maleate, an antidiabetic agent. Expressions of pY20 and p-IRSl which were measured via Western blot were improved by stevioside treatment. In conclusion, stevioside has direct effects on 3T3-L1 insulin sensitivity via increase in glucose uptake and enhanced expression of proteins involved in insulin-signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is directly proportional to age. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases, for example, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, is expected to rise in the coming years. Understanding the etiopathology of these diseases is a crucial step that needs to be taken to develop drugs for their treatment. Animal models are being increasingly used to expand the knowledge and understanding on neurodegenerative diseases. Marine worms, known as polychaetes (phylum Annelida), which are abundantly and frequently found in benthic environments, possess a simple yet complete nervous system (including a true brain that is centralised and specialised) compared to other annelids. Hence, polychaetes can potentially be the next candidate for a nerve disease model. The ability to activate the entire nervous system regeneration (NSR) is among the remarkable features of many polychaetes species. However, the information on NSR in polychaetes and how it can potentially model neurodegenerative diseases in humans is still lacking. By exploring such studies, we may eventually be able to circumvent the developmental constraints that limit NSR in the human nervous system. This article is intended to briefly review responsible mechanisms and signalling pathways of NSR in marine polychaetes and to make a comparison with other established models of neurodegenerative disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]