” There are previous reports of teff antioxidant activity in vitro, but there has actually not been any research study utilizing physiologically pertinent cell designs,” stated UNCG biologist Dr. Ayalew Ligaba Osena, whose lab led the study. “Human cell designs are more appropriate to our health. Our study utilized a line of human leukemia monocytic cells called THP-1, which are widely used in illness research studies.”.
Financing and Future Research Directions.
The research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) financing and seed funding from UNCG. With a brand-new $427,800 NIH grant, Osenas laboratory is now examining 85 types of brown teff, with the goal of recognizing ranges with the greatest antioxidant properties..
” We are finding some promising varieties,” Osena said. “We prepare to separate genes regulating increased antioxidant activity in teff that can be used to engineer anti-oxidant homes in teff and other crops such as rice.”.
Teffs Rising Popularity and Collaborative Efforts.
Broadly, he says, this line of research is particularly relevant for people who are seeking healthy, gluten-free grains. Teff is presently grown in the U.S. as a forage crop, and specialized stores import the flour for human consumption. Osena anticipates consumption to increase in tandem with gluten-free diet plans..
The published study, which included competence in plant molecular biology, chemistry, and molecular toxicology, developed from a partnership between Osenas lab and the laboratories of Dr. Zhenquan Jia and Dr. Nicholas Oberlies at UNCG. “It increased our performance and offered lots of chances for undergraduate and graduate trainee involvement.”.
Student Involvement and Long-Term Goals.
Two authors on the paper contributed as undergraduate-level student scientists. Author Christopher Cotter worked in the Osena lab as a postbaccalaureate student and is now pursuing his doctorate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville..
” Being able to have my work and name on a publication as a young, enthusiastic scientist is a huge opportunity,” stated trainee co-author Eric Whisnant, who is presently a postbaccalaureate in the Osena laboratory pursuing a bachelors degree in biology with a small in chemistry..
Whisnant, who currently holds a UNCG bachelors degree in marketing and financing with a small in philosophy, eventually plans to pursue a doctorate in biology. He says his experience dealing with numerous teff studies in Osenas laboratory, supported in part by a UNCG Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award, has been important as a source of useful experience to prepare him for his next steps in graduate school..
For Osena, who matured on an Ethiopian farm where he raised and regularly ate teff, the long-term objective is to develop innovations that will help farmers..
” I aim to comprehend the genetics behind teffs desirable characteristics, consisting of nutritional quality, antioxidant homes, and abiotic tension resilience,” Osena states. “If we create significant discoveries, we can take them to the field to benefit teff manufacturers here in the U.S. and Africa.”.
Recommendation: “Evaluating the Antioxidant Properties of the Ancient-Crop Tef (Eragrostis tef) Grain Extracts in THP-1 Monocytes” by Christopher J. Cotter, Allison J. Wright, Anastasia V. Romanov, Tyler N. Graf, Eric D. Whisnant, Laura Flores-Bocanegra, Megan S. Doldron, Nicholas H. Oberlies, Zhenquan Jia and Ayalew Ligaba-Osena, 3 August 2023, Antioxidants.DOI: 10.3390/ antiox12081561.
The study was moneyed by the National Institutes of Health, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award..
Scientists found that teff, a gluten-free grain, has antioxidant properties advantageous for human health. More research intends to determine high-antioxidant teff varieties, with ramifications for gluten-free diet plans and farming advancements. Above is an image of teff grown by Osenas research study group at UNCG. Broadly, he states, this line of research is especially relevant for people who are looking for nutritious, gluten-free grains. Teff is presently grown in the U.S. as a forage crop, and specialty shops import the flour for human usage.
Scientists found that teff, a gluten-free grain, has antioxidant residential or commercial properties useful for human health. Additional research aims to recognize high-antioxidant teff varieties, with implications for gluten-free diets and agricultural developments. Above is an image of teff grown by Osenas research study group at UNCG. Credit: Martin W. Kane
Researchers at UNC Greensboro have actually discovered that teff, a gluten-free grain belonging to East Africa and progressively offered in the United States, displays antioxidant residential or commercial properties in human cells. Their research study, recently released in the journal Antioxidants, examined the impact of extracts from Eragrostis tef on human cells.
The researchers discovered that teff (likewise spelled “tef”) increased levels of glutathione– an antioxidant particle with several functions in the body– and gene expression associated to glutathione pathways. In a comparison of ivory and brown varieties of tef, brown tef produced greater glutathione levels..
Health Benefits and Research Methodology.
Anti-oxidants neutralize unsteady molecules in the body hence minimizing damage to cells, and diets rich in antioxidant activity are connected to health benefits including decreased danger for cardiovascular illness and cancer..