Gone are the days when I could cover drawing block with crayon scribbles, pass it to my mum, and wish her a happy Mother's Day. Now that I'm not 12 any more, it’s an annual struggle.
Once again, Mother’s Day is around the corner, and as has been the case for the past decade, I have no idea what to buy. I’m sure I’m not alone in this yearly dilemma. What's the best gift you can get for the woman who sacrificed so much for you, one that encompasses just how thankful you are?
This year, one of the brands all mums seem to love is offering special packages to celebrate Mother's Day. Company has prepared some Mother's Day hampers perfect to tell your mum you love her and want her to live till a ripe old age.
After all the cooking, nagging, and chicken essence-feeding you’ve made her do all these years, here are 6 reasons why you should give Mom the gift of Birds Nest for Mother’s Day.
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| 6 Reasons Why Birds Nest Is The MOST Foolproof Gift For Any Mum |
1. She can use it to make Birds Nest jelly… that you also can eat
Most of us just consume Birds Nest straight from the bottle, but it can be
used to add additional flavour and nutrients to many other dishes. It’s used to
cook rice and congee, but it’s most popularly used to make Birds Nest jelly.If your mom is a kitchen whiz, encourage her to experiment with using Birds Nest to spice up her recipes. And then you can help her eat it. Win-win.
2. It’ll keep her looking young
The best compliment Mom can receive at Chinese New Year is someone asking
you “is that your mother or your sister?” It is timeless and has yet to fail.Birds Nest contains proteins with amino acids, as well as substances that promote tissue regeneration and cell growth - all of which come in handy when keeping Mom’s skin youthful and fresh.
She may not admit it, but she’s trying to hold on to her youthful looks for as long as possible - this is your contribution to her noble struggle.
3. She can brag about how thoughtful her child is
Aaaand that's the last time your friends came for a stayover.Moms love to talk about their children, and waxing lyrical about their beautiful offspring is an inevitable part of any gathering of mothers. We don’t enjoy it when they start comparing us to their friends’ kids, but we know they’re just proud and want to show us off.
Give Mom one more thing to be happy about by buying her a beautiful package of Birds Nest - it’s a gift with additional bragging rights.
4. Birds Nest is great for overall health
The 1456688th re-iteration of “when are you going to give me babies?!”Birds Nest has been said to be pretty good at keeping folks in the pink of health, and being in good health generally means living longer.
Help your mom live long enough to nag your children about having children by giving her the gift of Birds Nest - she’ll probably be glad to have great-grandchildren to spoil, and it’s even better if she’s in good enough health to play with them as well.
Plus, Birds Nest has substances that boost your immunity, as well as hormones like testosterone and estradiol, which play an important role in regulating bodily functions.
And you know the good thing about not falling sick so easily? You won't need to pay for a doctor, so you have more money to spend on other things. Yessss.
5. It’s your best bet when you don’t know what to buy
Buying a handbag for your mom is like poking a sleeping tiger with a stick.
Either she’ll love it, or she’ll hate it, and if she hates it you’ll feel awful
for not knowing her tastes well enough and that’s not a happy feeling at all.
The same goes for jewellery, shoes, and even stationery - it’s often hard to
pinpoint what will be a great gift for Mom.Plus, can we talk about the amount of effort that goes into wrapping that gift that she might not even like? I have zero ability with wrapping presents - I consider it a good day if my packages don’t end up looking like misshapen lumps.
The greatest thing about buying Birds Nest is that it comes pre-packaged beautifully for you - you can just hand the box to your mom without any wrapping and it’ll still look fabulous.
Company has special gift boxes for Mother’s Day that take the pain out of wrapping gifts. With pretty, colourful packaging that is both elegant and classic, Mom will probably reuse the boxes for other things the way she does with the mooncake ones. Yay for upcycling!
6. It costs less than a jade bracelet
The one good thing about Birds Nest is that, while it may be pricey for
something that looks like regular jelly, it’s still cheaper than fancy
jewellery or a branded purse - and better for your mum's health.But at the same time, it’s not so cheap that it’ll make you seem like a penny-pinching miser. Your wallet is grateful.
Mom deserves the nicest things...
First of all, she had to give birth to you, after carrying you around for
nine months. Then she and your dad had to actually raise you, which involved a
lot of poop, tantrums, and whining on your part.And let’s not forget all the times we refused to do our homework, or insisted on eating ice-cream before dinner, or ignored her instructions to wash our hands for the thousandth time. And then there were the rebellious teenage years with the awful fashion decisions and general belligerence. Yup.
After all you’ve put Mom through, she deserves a lovely gift that shows just how much you love her. And what better a gift than something that’s good for her health?
… So pamper Mom with what she wants!
Let’s run through all the benefits of Birds Nest as a gift: it’s good for
health, it helps keep you looking young, it’s not too expensive, and it’s also
a thoughtful and classic gift that everyone appreciates. What’s not to like?But of course, when it comes to buying Birds Nest, there are a lot of fakes in the market, as well as plenty of concerns about whether or not the nests were ethically sourced. One way to do it is to make sure you buy from reputable places
Company has been in the business for 136 years, and they’re a familiar household name. Their products go through a stringent process of multiple checks before they reach the shelves - everything is sorted and checked manually to ensure that it’s the very best quality.
Company sells Birds Nest is two different forms. You can purchase raw Birds Nests, which are cleaned by hand and carefully inspected, to boil your own Birds Nest soup, or you can buy it pre-bottled for maximum convenience with all of the perks.
Whichever you choose,Company ’s Birds Nest come in the prettiest packages ever. Whether your mom likes beautiful bottles of Birds Nest in lovely, brightly-coloured boxes, or prefers more the traditional raw nests in elegant, traditional packaging, it’s the perfect gift. Plus, their Birds Nest has no stabiliser, no preservatives, and are sourced only from quality cave nests!
If you’ve been fretting over what to buy for your mom, your problem’s solved. Head down to Company and buy your mom a beautiful package of Birds Nest for Mother’s Day this year!
And if you’re too busy to head down, you can easily do all your shopping on Company ’s website - they’ve already got all the Mother’s Day hampers packaged to make your job so much easier.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to get shopping to give Mom the best present ever.
Edible Birds Nest Prevents High Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance in Rats
Birds Nestis used
traditionally in many parts of Asia to improve wellbeing, but there are limited
studies on its efficacy. We explored the potential use of Birds Nest for
prevention of high fat diet- (HFD-) induced insulin resistance in rats. HFD was
given to rats with or without simvastatin or Birds Nest for 12 weeks. During
the intervention period, weight measurements were recorded weekly. Blood
samples were collected at the end of the intervention and oral glucose
tolerance test conducted, after which the rats were sacrificed and their liver
and adipose tissues collected for further studies. Serum adiponectin, leptin,
F2-isoprostane, insulin, and lipid profile were estimated, and homeostatic
model assessment of insulin resistance computed. Effects of the different
interventions on transcriptional regulation of insulin signaling genes were
also evaluated. The results showed that HFD worsened metabolic indices and
induced insulin resistance partly through transcriptional regulation of the
insulin signaling genes. Additionally, simvastatin was able to prevent
hypercholesterolemia but promoted insulin resistance similar to HFD. Birds Nest,
on the other hand, prevented the worsening of metabolic indices and
transcriptional changes in insulin signaling genes due to HFD. The results
suggest that Birds Nest may be used as functional food to prevent insulin
resistance.
1. Introduction
The growing burden of cardiometabolic diseases, even in the face of
increasing advances in medical sciences, is the driving factor behind the
heightened interest in alternative therapies in the management of these
diseases and associated problems [1, 2]. Additionally, rising obesity rates
globally due to unhealthy lifestyle factors promote these rising disease
trends; obesity promotes insulin resistance and eventually cardiometabolic
diseases [3]. In fact, it is estimated that if persons at risk of insulin
resistance and cardiometabolic diseases are accurately determined using
sensitive diagnostic techniques, the numbers of those needing interventions to
manage their conditions would be much higher than established figures [4].
There are different theories used to hypothesize the underlying mechanisms
involved in the progression from obesity to insulin resistance and
cardiometabolic diseases. Popularly, excess calories are thought to promote
deposition of visceral fat around organs, with consequent changes in the
adipose tissue metabolism in the body, and ultimately increase in insulin
resistance especially in liver, as a result of glucolipotoxicity [5]. The
ensuing insulin resistance causes disruption in the propagation of insulin
signals on insulin-responsive cells. In fact, the perceived role of this
phenomenon is the reason why therapeutic approaches to the management of
insulin resistance and other associated cardiometabolic diseases involve the
use of agents that promote insulin signaling.Birds Nest is traditionally consumed among Asians for its nutritional value. It is believed to enhance energy levels, prevent aging, and improve overall well-being. Furthermore, there are scientific reports of its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and bone-strengthening effects [6–9]. However, its effects on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic indices have not been documented. In view of the large patronage of Birds Nest by Asians, especially of Chinese origin [10], we decided to evaluate the effects of Birds Nest consumption on cardiometabolic indices in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats. Based on the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Birds Nest, we assumed it would have favorable effects on cardiometabolic indices, since both effects have been reported to favor insulin sensitivity. As the first study of its kind, we hypothesized that the results could provide the evidence for continued use of Birds Nest as a supplement and may even pave way for evidence-based development of functional foods and nutraceuticals using Birds Nest for managing cardiometabolic diseases.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. MaterialsLeptin, F2-isoprostane, and insulin ELISA kits were purchased from Elabscience Biotechnology Co., Ltd (Wuhan, China), while adiponectin ELISA kit was from Millipore (Billerica, MA, USA). Lipid profile kits were purchased from Randox Laboratories Ltd (Crumlin, County Antrim, UK). GenomeLab GeXP Start Kit was from Beckman Coulter Inc (Miami, FL, USA), and RNA extraction kit was from RBC Bioscience Corp. (Taipei, Taiwan). Simvastatin was from Pfizer (New York, NY, USA) and RCL2 Solution from Alphelys (Toulouse, France). Analytical grade ethanol was purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). Cholesterol and cholic acid were purchased from Amresco (Solon, OH, USA) and Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA, USA), respectively. Standard rat pellet was from Specialty feeds (Glen Forrest, WA, USA), while palm oil was supplied by Yee Lee Edible oils Sdn. Bhd. (Perak, Malaysia). Birds Nest, of Aerodramus fuciphagus (white nest swiftlet) origin, supplied by Blossom View Sdn. Bhd (Terrengganu, Malaysia) was cleaned under tap water for 5 mins, dried at room temperature, and ground into powder manually using mortar and pestle before incorporating it into rat pellet.
2.2. Bioactive and Proximate Analyses
The proximate analysis of Birds Nest was done as reported in our previous publication [11], based on the official methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Briefly, nitrogen content was determined using micro-Kjeldahl apparatus (Kjeltech 2200 Auto Distillation Unit, FOSS Tecator, Hoganas, Sweden), and then protein content was determined as N × 5.95. Furthermore, the ashing process was done by incinerating the sample in a furnace (Furnace 62700, Barnstead/Thermolyne, Dubuque, IA, USA) set at 550 C, while the fat content was determined as the dried ether extract of Birds Nest. Then, carbohydrate content was determined using the following formula: (100% – protein content – moisture content – ash content – crude fat content). All results were expressed as percentage of dry weight. The amounts of major bioactives in Birds Nest (sialic acid [SA], lactoferrin [LF], and ovotransferrin [OVF]) were analyzed using ELISA-based techniques (LF and OVF) and HPLC-DAD (SA). Briefly, Birds Nest was ground to powder and dissolved in water at 37°C for 2 h on a shaking incubator (LSI-3016, Daihan Lab tech Co. Ltd, Korea) and finally filtered. The water extract was then used to detect LF and OVF concentrations using Chicken Lactoferrin and Ovotransferrin Elisa Kits, Biosource (San Diego, California, USA), according to manufacturer’s instructions. Additionally, water extract of Birds Nest was also analysed for SA content using HPLC-DAD as reported previously [12].
2.3. Animal Study
The Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, approved the use of animals in this study (Project approval number UPM/IACUC/AUP-R011/2014), and animals were handled as stipulated by the guidelines for the use of animals. Sprague Dawley rats (10-week old, 230–280 g, ) were housed at the animal house (°C, 12/12 h light/dark cycle) and allowed to acclimatize for 2 weeks with free access to normal pellet and water. After acclimatization, rats were fed HFD containing 4.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid with or without treatment using simvastatin or Birds Nest (Table 1), except the normal group (). Intervention lasted for another 12 weeks, after which rats were sacrificed and their organs harvested for further studies. Additionally, blood samples were collected at the end of the intervention for biochemical analyses.
2.4. Food Intake and Weight
Food intake was calculated by subtracting the leftover food from what was added the previous day. Weight was recorded after acclimatization and weekly thereafter until sacrifice.
2.5. Biochemical Analyses
Lipid profile analyses were performed using serum from blood collected at the beginning and end of the study by cardiac puncture after an overnight fast. Samples were analyzed using Randox analytical kits according to manufacturer’s instructions using a Selectra XL instrument (Vita Scientific, Dieren, The Netherlands). Blood glucose was measured using glucometer (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN, USA), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a measure of insulin sensitivity, was computed from the fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels using the formula, HOMA-IR = (fasting glucose level [mg/dL]/fasting plasma insulin [uU/mL])/2430 [13].
2.6. Serum Adiponectin, Leptin, F2-Isoprostane, and Insulin
Serum from blood collected in plain tubes was used for measurements of adiponectin, leptin, F2-isoprostane, and insulin using the respective ELISA kits according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Absorbance was read on BioTeK Synergy H1 Hybrid Reader (BioTek Instruments Inc., Winooski, VT, USA) at the appropriate wavelengths (450 nm for insulin, leptin, and F2-isoproatane and 450 and 590 for adiponectin). The results were analyzed on http://www.myassays.com/ using four parametric test curve: adiponectin (), insulin (), leptin (), and F2-isoprostane ().
2.7. Gene Expression
2.7.1. Primer Design
Rattus norvegicus gene sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information website (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nucleotide/) were used to design primers (Table 2) on GenomeLab eXpress Profiler software. In addition to the genes of interest, primers were also designed for housekeeping genes, while the internal control (Kanr) was supplied by Beckman Coulter Inc. Primers were tagged with an 18-nucleotide universal forward and 19-nucleotide universal reverse sequence, respectively. Primers were supplied by Integrated DNA Technologies (Singapore) and reconstituted in RNAse free water.
2.7.2. RNA Extraction, Reverse Transcription, and PCR
RNA was extracted from liver and adipose tissues using the total RNA isolation kit (RBC Biotech Corp., Taipei, Taiwan) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Reverse transcription (20 ng) and PCR were done according to the GenomeLab GeXP Start Kit protocol (Beckman Coulter, USA), using the conditions shown in Table 3.
2.7.3. GeXP Genetic Analysis System and Multiplex Data Analysis
PCR products (1 uL) were mixed with 38.5 μL sample loading solution and 0.5 μL DNA size standard 400 (GenomeLab GeXP Start Kit; Beckman Coulter, Inc, USA) on a 96-well sample plate and loaded on the GeXP genomelab genetic analysis system (Beckman Coulter, Inc, Miami, FL, USA), which separates PCR products based on size by capillary gel electrophoresis. Figure 1 shows a representative electropherogram. Results were analyzed with the Fragment Analysis module of the GeXP system software and normalized on the eXpress Profiler software.
Figure 1: Representative electropherogram following gene expression analysis on GenomeLab GeXP genetic analysis system (Beckman Coulter Inc., USA). The genes and their expected sizes were Irs2-137; Slc2a2-149; Kcnj11-158; Insr-166; Glut4-178; Irs1-188; Gck-197; Mapk8-218; Pklr-227; Prkcd-239; B2m-248; Hprt1-257; Mapk1-268; Socs1-272; Rpl13a-287; Prkcz-298; Ikbkb-306; Kan(r)-325; Mtor-337; Pdx1-348; Pik3cd-357; Actb-365; Pik3r1-372; Pik3ca-385; Hk2-389.
2.8. Data Analysis
The means ± standard deviations () of the groups were used for the analyses. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using SPSS 17.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) to assess the level of significance of differences between means with a cutoff of .
3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Proximate and Bioactive AnalysesThe proximate analysis of Birds Nest showed that it contained mostly protein and carbohydrates (Table 3), in agreement with previous findings [10]. Additionally, it contained a significant amount of SA (11%) as bioactive, with lesser amounts of LF (1%) and OVF (0.4%). Previous reports have indicated that Birds Nest is bioactive-rich [10], and it is likely that food synergy plays role in its overall effects [14]. The presence of any one bioactive compound may not explain the bioactivity of Birds Nest, but the concentration of the leading bioactive compounds like SA may have an influence to a great extent, albeit with the contribution of other bioactives. Moreover, SA, LF, and OVF have all been reported to have varying functional effects [15, 16], and their synergism may even produce better. This is similar to the concept of bioactive-rich fraction we have advocated for recently, in which a lead bioactive compound in an extract produces better bioactivity in the presence of other bioactive compounds [17]. Therefore, in view of recent advocacy for the study of foods but not their individual constituents as the functional unit of nutrition [18], we decided to study the bioactivity of Birds Nest as a whole.
3.2. Weight Changes
Figure 2 shows the changes in body weights of rats over 12 weeks of intervention. No statistically significant changes were observed but the changes in HFD-fed (untreated control) group (50% increase) were higher, in comparison with normal (47%), simvastatin (40%), 2.5% Birds Nest (45%), and 20% Birds Nest (43%) groups. Interestingly, as shown in Table 3, calorie intake for the different groups was similar over the intervention period. The results indicated therefore that Birds Nest had some weight-modulating properties, although the weight gain was lowest for simvastatin-treated group. Moreover, simvastatin is reported to have some weight reducing properties [19].
Figure 2: Effects of Birds Neston body weight changes in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats over 12 weeks. The normal group received standard rat chow, while the other groups received HFD containing 4.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid (untreated control group), HFD containing 4.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid + 10 mg/kg/day simvastatin (SIM), HFD containing 4.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid + 2.5% Birds Nest (EBNL, Birds Nest low), or HFD containing 4.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid + 20% Birds Nest (EBNH, Birds Nest high).
3.3. OGTT, Insulin, HOMA-IR, and Lipid Profile
Serum insulin levels at the end of intervention were not remarkably different between the groups except for the 2.5% Birds Nest group, which was significantly lower () than others (Table 4). However, absolute insulin levels may not reflect the state of the underlying insulin responsiveness since insulin resistance often starts with high insulin levels and ends up with lower levels. Therefore, we computed the HOMA-IR as a marker of insulin resistance that combines insulin levels and fasting glucose levels. The data showed that untreated control and simvastatin groups had a tendency to cause insulin resistance. This mirrors earlier findings on the effects of HFD feeding [20] and simvastatin [21] on development of insulin resistance. Birds Nest groups had lower HOMA-IR values in comparison with other groups, although not significantly different from normal (both Birds Nest groups) and untreated control (20% Birds Nest group) groups.
The cholesterol levels in the untreated control group were significantly increased in comparison with the normal group (Table 4). Moreover, worsening of lipid profile has been associated with insulin resistance [22]. The total cholesterol was significantly reduced by simvastatin and 20% Birds Nest group (). As seen from other cholesterol indices in the table, simvastatin, which is used to manage hypercholesterolaemia was able to improve lipid profile but not as well as 20% Birds Nest treatment. Furthermore, Figure 3 shows the OGTT results for the intervention groups. The glycemic response for the diabetic untreated group was higher than other groups (), while the normal and Birds Nest groups were the lowest and significantly lower than simvastatin treated group (). Insulin regulates a number of metabolic changes in the body and derangements in its actions even before insulin resistance becomes overt can be detected using the OGTT. This is because the OGTT gives an indication of how a biological system will respond in the presence of glucose and indicates how well the postglucose insulin surge handles the glycemic load received in the blood stream [23]. In this study, the data showed that untreated control and simvastatin groups did not handle the glucose load in a manner befitting the levels of insulin observed in the serum. Therefore, in spite of the lack of difference in insulin levels between the groups, the OGTT data showed that the untreated control and simvastatin-treated groups will have abnormal glycemic responses compared with the normal and Birds Nest groups because their bodies were tending towards insulin resistance.
3.4. Serum Adiponectin, Leptin, and F2-Isoprostane
Figure 4 shows the results for the serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, and F2-isoprostane. The results suggested worsened metabolic indices (increased leptin and F2-isoprostane and decreased adiponectin) in the untreated control group in comparison with the normal group. The Birds Nest groups showed dose-dependent improvements (decreased leptin and F2-isoprostane and increased adiponectin) in the metabolic indices although only 20% Birds Nest group was significantly better than the untreated control group. Adiponectin and leptin are adipokines that have an inverse relationship and have both been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Low levels of adiponectin and high levels of leptin are indicative of a tendency for insulin resistance, while interventions that reverse these trends are reported to improve insulin sensitivity [24]. Furthermore, F2-isoprostane is a marker of oxidative stress, which is also linked with insulin resistance [25]. In fact, oxidative stress is hypothesized to precede insulin resistance [26], while antioxidants and interventions that lower oxidative stress levels are thought to improve insulin sensitivity [27]. Based on the trends observed in the present study, therefore, it can be argued that Birds Nest prevented HFD-induced insulin resistance in rats, partly through its ability to reduce oxidative stress.
Figure 4: Effects of Birds Neston (a) serum adiponectin, (b) serum leptin, and (c) serum F2-isoprostane in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats. Groupings are similar to Figure 2. indicates significant difference () in comparison with untreated control.
3.5. Hepatic and Adipose Tissue mRNA Levels of Insulin Signaling Genes
The data thus far indicated that Birds Nest is able to prevent insulin resistance in rats fed HFD over 12 weeks. Additionally, the data showed that although simvastatin is able to produce lower levels of cholesterol, it, in fact, increases insulin resistance, in agreement with previous reports [21]. Based on the fact that insulin levels were similar between the groups in this study, but there were significant differences in insulin sensitivity, we hypothesized that changes in insulin sensitivity may have been mediated at insulin signaling level. We, therefore, determined the effects of our interventions on transcriptional regulation of insulin signaling genes (Table 2) in hepatic and adipose tissues.
The expressions of the insulin signaling genes in hepatic and adipose tissues were characteristic of insulin resistance in the untreated control group; downregulation of the insulin receptor (Insr), insulin receptor substrate (IRS) 2, and phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) observed in the liver and adipose tissues in this group are suggestive of insulin resistance (Figure 5) [28–30]. Activation of Insr by insulin will normally initiate a cascade that involves activation of IRS and eventually PI3K, which mediate the intracellular actions of insulin. Transcriptional disruption of this insulin-initiated cascade forms part of the basis for obesity-induced insulin resistance [31].
Figure 5: Effects of Birds Neston (a) hepatic and (b) adipose tissue mRNA levels of insulin receptor (Insr), insulin receptor substrate (Irs) 2 and Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats. Groupings are similar to Figure 2. indicates significant difference () in comparison with untreated control.
Additionally, upregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) [32] and inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells, kinase beta (Ikbkb) [33] and downregulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) [34] and protein kinase C, zeta (Prkcz) [35], as seen with the untreated control group (Figure 6) are thought to promote phosphorylation of IRS with consequent increase in insulin resistance due to disruption of IRS-mediated insulin action via activation of PI3K [28, 30]. Intervention with Birds Nest upregulated the expression of Insr, IRS2 and PI3K in both liver and adipose tissues, but the difference was only significant for IRS2 in the liver and PI3K in the adipose tissue (Figure 5). These, however, suggest that Birds Nest prevented HFD-induced insulin resistance through transcriptional regulation of insulin signaling genes. Moreover, Birds Nest upregulated mTOR and Prkcz in the liver and adipose tissue but only caused downregulation of MAPK and Ikbkb in the liver indicating that the transcriptional changes induced by Birds Nest had differential effects on insulin signaling genes in liver and adipose. Therefore, slightly different mechanisms may be involved in its enhanced insulin signaling in different tissues.
Figure 6: Effects of Birds Neston (a) hepatic and (b) adipose tissue mRNA levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), protein kinase C zeta (Prkcz), inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells, kinase beta (IKBKB), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 1 in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats. Groupings are similar to Figure 2. indicates significant difference () in comparison with untreated control.
The activities of glucokinase (Gck) and pyruvate kinase (Pk) are affected in insulin resistance, decreasing the chances of intracellular glucose phosphorylation and its commitment to glycolysis [36]. In the adipose and liver tissues of untreated control group, we observed downregulation of the Gck and Pk genes, in line with increased insulin resistance (Figure 7). The levels of these genes are believed to directly influence the levels of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and consequently the activity of the potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11 (KCNJ11) gene, which regulates the ion channels involved in glucose sensing [37]. In this study, we observed downregulation of the KCNJ11 gene in both liver and adipose tissues, suggesting that the changes in Gck and Pk expression may have affected its expression through their effects on cellular ATP levels. Birds Nest intervention was able to upregulate expressions of Gck, Pk, and KCNJ11 in both liver and adipose tissues.
Figure 7: Effects of Birds Neston (a) hepatic and (b) adipose tissue mRNA levels of Glucokinase (Gck), potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11 (KCNJ11), and pyruvate kinase-liver isoform (L-Pk) in high fat diet- (HFD-) fed rats. Groupings are similar to Figure 2. indicates significant difference () in comparison with untreated control.
Based on the patterns of expression in the liver and adipose tissues, we propose that Birds Nest may be exerting its effect on insulin sensitivity through increased expression and likely activity of several genes involved in the insulin signaling pathway in the liver and adipose tissues (Figure 8). Although simvastatin is able to lower cholesterol levels (Table 4), its effects on insulin signaling genes (Figures 5, 6, and 7) tended towards insulin resistance, in agreement with previous reports. Liver and adipose tissues are involved in development of insulin resistance, and in fact they have been proposed to be the organs from where the problem is initiated. Therefore, the enhanced sensitivity of insulin in these tissues suggests that Birds Nest is effective at preventing insulin resistance. Furthermore, we hypothesize that synergism of multiple bioactives in Birds Nest is contributing to the overall bioactivity observed.
Figure 8: Proposed schematic showing targets of Birds Nestaction in the insulin signaling pathway. Birds Nest prevents insulin resistance in high fat diet rats by influencing the transcriptional regulation of multiple genes.
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