OBJECTIVE Avocado-Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) represent one of the most commonly used drugs for symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA). The mechanisms of its activities are still poorly understood. We investigate here the effects of ASU on signaling pathways in mouse or human chondrocytes. METHODS Mouse or human chondrocytes stimulated with interleukin-1beta (IL1beta, 10 ng/ml) and cartilage submi...

Fats and oils are chemically diverse group of compounds, which have the highest energy density among all macro nutrients. Besides having high caloric values, they are major sources of essential fatty acids (Ω-3 and Ω-6), fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and lecithin. Moreover, supplementation of fats and oils to poultry rations increases the metabolizable energy of the total ration, the cal...

Catabolic cytokine and anabolic growth factor pathways control destruction and repair in osteoarthritis (OA). A unidirectional TNF-alpha/IL-1-driven cytokine cascade disturbs the homeostasis of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage in OA. Although chondrocytes in OA cartilage overexpress anabolic insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and its specific receptor (IGFRI) autocrine TNF-alpha re...

Analyses of various lipid fractions of sections of cucumbers and of good and bloated dill pickles showed that marked changes occur in all lipid fractions during fermentation. The most striking difference noted was the decrease in the phospholipid fraction. A nearly fourfold increase in free fatty acid, as well as a marked increase in the neutral fat fatty acids and unsaponifiables, occurred. Ga...

Shea butter is the edible fat extracted from the nut of African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). Consequence of having half of its fatty acids saturated, Shea butter melts at a very high temperature and will be a suitable raw material for margarine production. Margarine is a butter mimicry that is produced from vegetable oils and water. The production of margarine requires a solid fat. Hence hy...