Stevia/curcumin, INTERESTING

[orleans]

Herbal Product Stevioside Inhibits HCV Replication and Curcumin Suppresses Fibrogenic Cell Activity in Laboratory Studies
Last updated:26June2008

Intro
Stevioside
Curcumin
By Liz Highleyman hivandhepatitis.com

Intro
Given the suboptimal response rate and difficult side effects associated with standard interferon-based therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, many patients have used various alternative and complementary therapies, and researchers have assessed several such agents in laboratory and clinical studies.

At the Digestive Disease Week 2008 conference last month in San Diego, researchers reported on 2 plant-derived therapies that may have the potential to inhibit HCV and improve liver fibrosis.

Top
Stevioside
In the first study, Kazuhisa Yuasa and colleagues assessed the in vitro anti-HCV activity of stevioside, an agent derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant that is used as a natural non-caloric sweetener.

Stevioside has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as an antiviral effect on rotavirus. According to background information provided the investigators, some chronic hepatitis C patients who regularly use stevioside have exhibited decreased HCV RNA or undetectable viral load in the absence of interferon-based therapy.

In the present study, the researchers evaluated the antiviral effect of stevioside on HCV replication using HCV replicon systems. They used ORN/C-5B/KE cells supporting genome-length HCV RNA encoding the luciferase reporter gene, and O cells replicating the genome-length HCV RNA in a real-time transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Both cell systems were exposed to several concentrations of sterilized stevioside. The investigators assessed cytotoxicity, effect on signal transduction pathways, and anti-HCV activity (with and without interferon).

Results
• A diluted solution of stevioside demonstrated no cytotoxicites to either ORN/C-5B/KE cells or O cells.
• In both replicon systems, diluted stevioside suppressed HCV RNA in a dose-dependent manner.
• A 1000 times diluted stevioside solution inhibited HCV replication by about 30%.
• The same solution activated interferon-stimulated response element and 2-5A synthesizing enzyme gene promoter, but not the NF-kappa-?B gene promoter.
• Exposure to stevioside and interferon in combination produced an additive, but not a synergistic antiviral effect.

"We showed [the] anti-HCV effect of stevioside and the additive anti-HCV effect by combination of stevioside with interferon in vitro, and the activation of interferon signal was considered as one of the mechanism[s]," the investigators stated.

Thus, they concluded that, "stevioside is a possible antiviral agent for hepatitis C virus infection," and they plan to conduct a pilot study of the safety and efficacy of stevioside therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Top
Curcumin
Looking at another herbal therapy, Anping Chen and colleagues presented 3 laboratory studies assessing at the effect of curcumin on hepatic stellate cells.

Curcumin is the main component of the curry spice turmeric, derived from the Curcuma longa plant. Prior research indicates that it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. Hepatic stellate cells produce extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen that are responsible for liver fibrosis.

In the first study, the investigators found that curcumin promotes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) gene expression and suppresses expression of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol receptor gene, which in turn lowers the level of intracellular cholesterol and thereby reduces the stimulatory effect of LDL on hepatic stellate cell activation.

In the second study, the researchers demonstrated that curcumin diminished the activating effect of oxidized LDL on stellate cells by suppressing LOX-1 gene expression, again via PPAR-gamma activation. Conversely, pre-treating the cells with a PPAR-gamma antagonist (PD68235) eliminated the inhibitory effect of curcumin.

Finally, the investigators showed that by increasing oxidative stress, insulin stimulates hepatic stellate cell proliferation and collagen production. But curcumin suppressed insulin-induced stellate cell activation by interrupting the insulin signaling pathway and reducing oxidative stress, via the same PPAR-gamma mechanism.

Hyperlipidemia (elevated blood lipid levels), obesity, and insulin resistance are features of the metabolic syndrome, which is associated with liver steatosis (accumulation of fat in hepatocytes). Steatosis is linked to fibrosis in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as those with chronic hepatitis C. Further, steatosis and insulin resistance are factors associated with poor response to interferon-based anti-HCV therapy.

The results of these laboratory studies suggest that curcumin or related agents that work by a similar mechanism might reduce fibrosis associated with hyperlipidemia or insulin resistance in individuals with or without hepatitis C.

6/10/08

References

K Yuasa, K Sato, A Naganuma, and others. Stevioside as a possible antiviral agent for hepatitis C virus infection. Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2008. San Diego, CA. May 17-22, 2008. Abstract S1943.

Q Kang and A Chen. Curcumin suppresses LDL receptor gene expression, leading to the inhibition of cholesterol/LDL-induced hepatic stellate cell activation. Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2008. San Diego, CA. May 17-22, 2008. Abstract S1584.

[comeagain]

I wanna say something about water, I live in Swedens second biggest town 700 000 ppls With suburbs (Gothenburg) the say we have good water compared with other citys.

But I dont like it at all, I have getting my water from a spring in 25 years of and on.
Not the latest 10years though been using the water from the tap when cooking boiling coffee, tea etc but bying in bottles when drinking straight.

I have several times served coffey brewed on springwater without people knowing that, and every time I´ve got coments about what a fantastic delisiuos coffey I had.
If there is such a big differens in how the water taste even when as coffee ,  kind of make you aware of the differens,

BTW for 9 years i was a vegetarian took alot of drugs though, even iv used for 12 years used springwater when shoting up and persuaded my self I was quite healthy compared with theme darned meet eaters .
Lying in the gutter feeling superior to theme much better of.

And why did i stoped this vegeterian lifestile let me tell you, sometimes I went to a vegeterian resturant and I who has been playing soccer icehockey all the time while growing up.
I suddenly saw that almust everyone that used to eat at that resturant they didn´t look healthy at all on the contrary pail, hardely any muscles  whatsoever, that scared the shiit out of me if I would end up looking like them so I went and byed the biggest steak i could find!
End of that vegetarian story and that was 26, 28 years ago or something.

ca

[Marcia2202]

I thought you were referring to stevia to be used for medicinal purposes. Regarding which one to use for antiviral purposes in combination with tx.

With raw, I didn't mean chewing on leaves.... that I would probably not get into either... I meant more raw form than the powder or clear drops... I really like the dark liquid.

I don't use stevia as a sweetener, but I understand that one would not want to drink coffee with licorice taste. For that purpose, I agree that the site you referred to seems to be an excellent choice.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.  Marcia

[Rockerforlife]

Just because i drink pure water...distilled i may add...does not mean i have to live in a bubble...i just have a counter top distiller, simple...ya can get em at sears...now i wouldnt mine living in a bubble with solar panels...hey free electricity for my water distiller and i can go fishing in a buuble house too...dont they float?

[pigeonca]

Also, I did not call YOU a nut.  The nuts, as I stated, are the anti-aspartame spammers such as those who basically destroyed my diabetes group, alt support diabetes, with their vitriol and lies.  That group was once active and helpful, much like this group, until those folks started filling up the threads with their spam.

If you care to report me to the forum's moderators, fine.  I'll report you.  I didn't diss anybody here.  I only dissed certain notions.

[pigeonca]

Would you please provide links to those peer-reviewed articles.  I'm always willing to have an open mind.

[Andromedae]

"The thing that bothers me is that the anti-aspartame nuts frequently seem to be stevia salesmen, which makes the stuff awfully suspicious."

I assure you that that just because one has come to a different conclusion than yourself regarding an artificial sweeter does not mean that one is nuts.

We're trying to share information here that may be helpful to others - not diss each other.

I have reported your post to the forum's moderators.

and I have found two reputable peer-reviewed journal articles regarding links between aspertame and cancer and aspertame and liver disease (insulin insensitivity) which I will be glad to provide to any forum member who, unlike yourself, does not believe that I am a nut.