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Publications

Publication list (from 2019)

  1. Leung, Hoi Kit Matthew, Emily Kwun Kwan Lo, and Hani El-Nezami. "Theabrownin Alleviates Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Murine AOM/DSS Model via PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway Suppression and Gut Microbiota Modulation." Antioxidants 11.9 (2022): 1716.

  2. EKK Lo, JH Xu, Q Zhan, Z Zeng, H El-Nezami. The Emerging Role of Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Liver Diseases. Biomedicines, 2022, 10 (6), 1444

  3. S Wang, H Alenius, H El-Nezami, P Karisola. A New Look at the Effects of Engineered ZnO and TiO2 Nanoparticles: Evidence from Transcriptomics Studies. Nanomaterials, 2022, 12 (8), 1247

  4. FLY Fong, H El-Nezami, O Mykkänen, PV Kirjavainen. The Effects of Single Strains and Mixtures of Probiotic Bacteria on Immune Profile in Liver, Spleen, and Peripheral Blood. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022. 9

  5. Kundi ZM, Lee JC, Pihlajamaki J, Chan CB, Leung KS, So SSY, et al. Dietary Fiber from Oat and Rye Brans Ameliorate Western Diet-Induced Body Weight Gain and Hepatic Inflammation by the Modulation of Short-Chain Fatty Acids, Bile Acids, and Tryptophan Metabolism. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2021;65(1):e1900580; doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201900580.

  6. Lo EKK, Lee JC, Turner PC, El-Nezami H. Low dose of zearalenone elevated colon cancer cell growth through G protein-coupled estrogenic receptor. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):7403; doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-86788-w.

  7. So SY, Wu Q, Leung KS, Kundi ZM, Savidge TC, El-Nezami H. Yeast beta-glucan reduces obesity-associated Bilophila abundance and modulates bile acid metabolism in healthy and high-fat diet mouse models. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2021;321(6):G639-G55; doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00226.2021.

  8. Wan MLY, Co VA, El-Nezami H. Dietary polyphenol impact on gut health and microbiota. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021;61(4):690-711; doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1744512.

  9. Wan MLY, Co VA, El-Nezami H. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and breast cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021:1-27; doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1903382.

  10. Xu J, Zhan Q, Fan Y, Lo EKK, Zhang F, Yu Y, El-Nezami, H et al. Clinical Aspects of Gut Microbiota in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Management. Pathogens. 2021;10(7); doi: 10.3390/pathogens10070782.

  11. Zhan Q, Xu JH, Yu YY, Lo Kk E, Felicianna, El-Nezami H, et al. Human immune repertoire in hepatitis B virus infection. World J Gastroenterol. 2021;27(25):3790-801; doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i25.3790.

  12. Singh A, Yau YF, Leung KS, El-Nezami H, Lee JC: Interaction of Polyphenols as Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds in Brain-Liver-Gut Axis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020, 9(8).

  13. So SSY, Yeung CHC, Schooling CM, El-Nezami H: Targeting bile acid metabolism in obesity reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev 2020 doi.org/10.1111/obr.13017

  14. Kundi ZM, Lee JCY, Pihlajamaki J, Chan CB, Leung KS, So SSY, Nordlund E, Kolehmainen M, El-Nezami H: Dietary Fiber from Oat and Rye Brans Ameliorate  Western Diet-Induced Body Weight Gain and Hepatic Inflammation by the  Modulation of Short-Chain Fatty Acids, Bile Acids, and Tryptophan  Metabolism. Mol Nutr Food Res 2020. doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201900580

  15. Fong FLY, Lam KY, San Lau C, Ho KH, Kan YH, Poon MY, El-Nezami H, Sze ETP:       Reduction in biogenic amines in douchi fermented by probiotic bacteria.PlosOne2020, 15(3):e0230916. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230916

  16. Wan MLY, Turner PC, Co VA, Wang MF, Amiri KMA, El-Nezami H: Schisandrin A protects intestinal epithelial cells from deoxynivalenol-induced cytotoxicity, oxidative damage and inflammation. Sci Rep., 2019, 9. doi.org/10.1038/s4159801955821-4

  17. Wan MLY, Ling KH, El-Nezami H, Wang MF: Influence of functional food components on gut health. Crit Rev Food Sci 2019, 59(12):1927-1936.

  18. Wan MLY, Forsythe SJ, El-Nezami H: Probiotics interaction with foodborne pathogens: a potential alternative to antibiotics and future challenges. Crit Rev Food Sci 2019, 59(20):3320-3333. 

  19. Poon WL, Lee JCY, Leung KS, Alenius H, El-Nezami H, Karisola P: Nanosized silver, but not titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, enhances oxidative stress and inflammatory response by inducing 5-HETE activation in THP-1 cells. Nanotoxicology 2019 14 (4), 453-467 

  20. Ndika J, Seemab U, Poon WL, Fortino V, El-Nezami H, Karisola P, Alenius H: Silver, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles trigger miRNA/isomiR expression changes in THP-1 cells that are proportional to their health hazard potential. Nanotoxicology 2019, 13(10):1380-1395.

Our latest publications

The Effects of Single Strains and Mixtures of Probiotic Bacteria on Immune Profile in Liver, Spleen, and Peripheral Blood

Probiotic bacteria have potential use as immunomodulators but comparative data on their immunological effects are very limited. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of oral administration of probiotic strains, alone or as mixtures, on systemic and organ-specific immune responses. For this purpose, healthy C57BL/6 mice were perorally administered probiotics for 3 weeks. A total of five common probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus species GG (LGG) and LC705, Bifidobacterium breve 99 (Bb99), Propionibacterium freudenreichii Shermanii JS (PJS), and Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN), and two of their mixtures, were tested. Livers, spleens, and blood were collected for investigation. A number of five treatments increased the abundance of the natural killer (NK) cells. Bb99 had the most prominent effect on hepatic NK cells (20.0 ± 1.8%). LGG (liver: 5.8 ± 1.0%; spleen: 1.6 ± 0.4%), Bb99 (liver: 13.9 ± 4.3%; spleen: 10.3 ± 3.7%), and EcN (liver: 8.5 ± 3.2%; spleen: 1.0 ± 0.2%) increased the percentage of both the hepatic and splenic T-helper 17 cells. Moreover, LGG (85.5 ± 3.0%) and EcN (89.6 ± 1.2%) increased the percentage of splenic regulatory T-cells. The tested mixtures of the probiotics had different immunological effects from their individual components on cell-mediated responses and cytokine production. In conclusion, our results confirm that the immunomodulatory potential of the probiotics is strain- and organ/tissue-specific, and the effects of probiotic mixtures cannot be predicted based on their single constituents.

Theabrownin Alleviates Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Murine AOM/DSS Model via PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway Suppression and Gut Microbiota Modulation

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide, yet therapeutic options for CRC often exhibit strong side effects which cause patients’ well-being to deteriorate. Theabrownin (TB), an antioxidant from Pu-erh tea, has previously been reported to have antitumor effects on non-small-cell lung cancer, osteosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, gliomas, and melanoma. However, the potential antitumor effect of TB on CRC has not previously been investigated in vivo. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the antitumor effect of TB on CRC and the underlying mechanisms. Azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) was used to establish CRC tumorigenesis in a wild type mice model. TB was found to significantly reduce the total tumor count and improve crypt length and fibrosis of the colon when compared to the AOM/DSS group. Immunohistochemistry staining shows that the expression of the proliferation marker, Ki67 was reduced, while cleaved caspase 3 was increased in the TB group. Furthermore, TB significantly reduced phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and the downstream mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)and cyclin D1 protein expression, which might contribute to cell proliferation suppression and apoptosis enhancement. The 16s rRNA sequencing revealed that TB significantly modulated the gut microbiota composition in AOM/DSS mice. TB increased the abundance of short chain fatty acid as well as SCFA-producing Prevotellaceae and Alloprevotella, and it decreased CRC-related Bacteroidceae and Bacteroides. Taken together, our results suggest that TB could inhibit tumor formation and potentially be a promising candidate for CRC treatment.

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