Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-7-2024
Abstract
Background: There is a compelling need to emphasize the importance of deepening the rationale behind functional foods research in molecular biology. Indeed, establishing stringent criteria to evaluate functional food interventions in disease prevention and as adjunctive therapeutic strategies offers significant opportunities for health promotion. Objective: This study investigated the effects of fermented papaya preparation (FPP®) and vitamin E on gene expression in middle-aged/elderly individuals, leveraging FPP’s established antioxidant and immune-regulatory benefits. Methods: Graded Exercise Walking Test was administered twice weekly for 6 months. Total Antioxidant capacity (TAC) and gene expression (Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1) in PBMC were measured monthly. Results: Throughout the 6-month study, routine biochemistry and BMI remained stable. Both treatments significantly improved Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Vitamin E exhibiting earlier effects (3 months). Notably, FPP® supplementation led to sustained over-expression of nuclear Nrf2 in all subjects, surpassing Vitamin E’s effects. NQO1 gene expression was rapidly and consistently upregulated in the FPP group, exceeding baseline and Vitamin E levels throughout the study. HO-1 gene expression was upregulated by FPP at 1 month in younger age quartiles (Q1-2) and at 3 and 6 months in all subjects, regardless of age and gender. In contrast Vitamin E did not significantly impact Nrf2, NQO1, or HO-1 gene expression. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that FPP, unlike Vitamin E, potentiates Nrf2 signaling, triggering a downstream epigenetic cascade. Notably, our clinical data reveal that physical exercise combined with functional food supplementation partially restores impaired Nrf2 signaling in elderly individuals.
Recommended Citation
Cervi, Joseph; Rastmanesh, Reza; Moghadam-Ahmadi, Amir; Ayala, Antonio; Aperio, Cristiana; Lorenzetti, Aldo; Osato, Maki; Marotta, Francesco; Nardin, Antonio; and He, Fang, "Comparing Fermented Food and Vitamin E On Exercise-Mediated Nrf2/ARE Activation in Middle-Aged/ Elderly: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Study" (2024). Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers. Paper 85.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/department_neuroscience/85
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in Functional Food Science, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2024, pages 413-426.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.31989/10.31989/ffs.v4i11.1438.
Copyright © FCC 2024.