BACKGROUND Vernonia amygdalina, commonly called bitter-leaf, is widely consumed in many parts of Africa, and Nigeria, in particular. The leaf extract has been reported to have antimicrobial, anti-plasmodial, anti-helminthic, as well as prebiotic properties, but its immuno-modulatory effects have not been well-studied, neither have the prebiotics been identified. This study evaluated the immuno-...

One of the most important open issues in astrochemistry and astrobiology is the detection in space of complex organic molecules, in particular those having a strong prebiotic role (i.e., related to the formation of biomolecule building blocks), and the identification of the chemical routes for their production. By means of selected examples, the role of rotational spectroscopy and quantum chemi...

Packaged Facts estimates the global retail market for probiotic and prebiotic foods and beverages at approximately $15.4 billion in 2008; that total represents a 12.5% increase over estimated 2007 sales of $13.7 billion. In 2008, the growth rate for the probiotic and prebiotic food and beverage market ranged from 5% to more than 30%, depending on the region and product type. Packaged Facts anal...

The search for prebiotic, nucleic acid precursors is, at its best, a speculative undertaking. Given the complex structure of RNA, it is not very likely that RNA was the first information system in the universe and thus finding possible precursor/s i.e. pre-RNA remains an open challenge. We, in this paper, have tried to construct nucleic acid polymers with a simple acyclic, achiral backbone. Suc...

BACKGROUND Galactooligosaccharides are selectively fermented by the beneficial member of the colonic microflora contributing to the health of the host. OBJECTIVE We assessed the prebiotic potential of a novel galactooligosaccharide produced through the action of beta-galactosidases, originating from a probiotic Bifidobacterium bifidum strain, against a galactooligosaccharide produced through ...

Aging can result in major changes in the composition and metabolic activities of bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal system and result in impaired function of the immune system. We assessed the efficacy of prebiotic Darmocare Pre(®) (Bonusan Besloten Vennootschap (BV), Numansdorp, The Netherlands) to evaluate whether the regular intake of this product can improve frailty criteria, fun...

Prebiotic carbohydrates, in addition to their ability to influence the colonic microbiota, are also able to interfere with how pathogenic bacteria attach to the epithelial cells that line the intestinal tract. For Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and other enteric pathogens, adherence is a receptor-mediated event between bacterial adhesins and their complementary ligands located on the mucosal sur...

BACKGROUND Yogurt and prebiotic consumption has been linked to better health. However, to our knowledge, no longitudinal study has assessed the association of yogurt and prebiotic consumption with depression risk. OBJECTIVE We longitudinally evaluated the association of yogurt and prebiotic consumption with depression risk in a Mediterranean cohort. METHODS The SUN (Seguimiento Universidad ...