Epigenetic effects of four nutraceutical products on human liver cells | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): January 2025 / Research Articles Epigenetic effects of four nutraceutical products on human liver cells Authors Catherine E. Davis Paul F. Davis Daniel A. Gubler DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v15i1.1524 Abstract Background: There are numerous botanical extracts and fractions that have been shown to have a diverse range of bioactivities. Many nutraceutical products and food supplements contain phytochemicals - often multiple numbers of them as constituents of a single product. There is a paucity of data on the net bioactivities of these multi-component products. This paper reports the effects of four such products on the expression of six genes that are critical to the maintenance of good health. Objectives: We investigated several products that contain a number of constituents derived from plant species as well as essential minerals on the biochemical activities of liver cells in culture. The combination of these bioactives into one product results in multiple strong biological effects. Examples of these are presented in this paper with a discussion of how the constituents have provided this effect. Methods: The expression of six genes (ppar-α, glp-1, bdnf, sirt-1, nrf1, sod-1) in a human liver cell line (THLE-2 cells) were cultured for 24 hours in the presence of Vitalité, Reviv, Revíve and Collagène (products from THREE International). The RNA was isolated from these cells and from the control unsupplemented cells. The levels of transcripts of these genes in these isolates were measured by RT-PCR. The changes in the concentrations of the mRNA from the supplemented cells were compared with those from reference cells. Results: Of the four products, Revíve boosted the transcription of the glp-1, the bdnf, the sirt-1, the nrf1, and the sod-1 genes. Éternel boosted the transcription of ppar-α, and the sod-1 genes. Vitalité increased the transcription of the glp-1, the bdnf, the nrf1, and the sod-1 genes. Collagène stimulated the expression of the bdnf, and the sod-1 genes. The use of nutraceutical products, either as a complement or as a substitute for pharmaceuticals, has been receiving increased attention for maintaining good health. These products are multi-component. Evidence for their clinical efficacy is frequently lacking.  Conclusion: The results of this project provide evidence that the phytochemicals in the four products investigated can provide the bio-effects that regulate the expression of key genes that control fundamental essential metabolic activities and so can justify the claims made for them. Keywords: Epigenetics, nutritional supplements, phytonutrients, liver health Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2025-01-14 Issue Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): January 2025 Section Research Articles License Copyright (c) 2025 Functional Foods in Health and Disease This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com