<i>Eleutherococcus senticosus</i>: Studies and effects

Ginseng is one of the most popular herbal supplements in the world. It is a plant widely used in folk and traditional medicines for cardiovascular, immune, nervous and endocrine systems, and according to the researchers, it has the ability to increase the non-specific resistance state, which characterizes it as an adaptogenic substance. There are different species of ginseng, such as the American, Chinese, Korean and Japanese ginseng;the Korean species (Panax ginseng) is being used for thousands of years as a tonic, prophylactic and “restorative” agent, with powerful antioxidant properties. For a long time, its use was empirical, because people used to believe that it was a panacea that promoted longevity, with beneficial effects for the treatment of physical fatigues. Nowadays, the active components of Eleutherococcus senticosus are well described, however, there are no data on the quantity of a certain class of these secondary compounds produced in each species. Although the Eleutherococcus senticosus extract may contain several substances, including vitamins, minerals, cellulose, and ethanol, the substances responsible for inducing various physiological responses are the eleutherosides (in the root) and ciwujianosides (in the leaf). As Eleutherococcus senticosus receives great attention by showing that its active components can provide protection against oxidative stress, among other benefits, contributing to health and the prevention and treatment of diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. The purpose of this article is to describe the main, adverse and toxicological effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus recently related in the literature.

Sex Difference in Lactate Production by Adipocytes from Lean Humans

Lactate is an anaerobic metabolite produced in the absence of an adequate O2 supply. Although for a long time considered to be a waste product of glycolysis resulting from hypoxia, lactate is, in fact, an important source of glucose and also a gluconeogenic precursor, having a role in metabolic and endocrine signaling. Lactate is produced by adipocytes and muscle cells. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the sex differences in lactate production by adipocytes isolated from lean human visceral adipose tissue. Main Methods: The experiments described were done using adipocytes isolated from adipose tissue of lean men and women. Adipocytes were isolated following Rodbell procedure, with modifications, for posterior analysis of glycerol and lactate production. Results: Morphometric analysis revealed no significant differences in the size of adipocytes from men and women (diameter: men: 172 ± 24 μm vs. women: 160 ± 16 μm, n = 4 and 10, respectively). Basal glycerol production was significantly higher in adipocytes from men compared to women (0.34 ± 0.06 vs. 0.16 ± 0.01 μmol/106 cells/60 min;mean ± SEM, n = 7 and 4, respectively;p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in basal lactate production (men: 0.1 ± 0.01 μmol/10 cells/60 min vs. women: 0.12 ± 0.02 μmol/10 cells/60 min). However, when stimulated by norepinephrine, adipocytes from women produced more lactate than adipocytes from men. Female adipocytes also produced as much lactate as glycerol, whereas male adipocytes produced three times more glycerol than lactate. The intracellular mechanisms responsible for this sex difference in lactate production during norepinephrine-stimulated lipolysis remain to be identified.