NT Factor® Phosphoglycolipids - High Energy Potential

Pivotal within the matrix of NT Factor and common to most of our formulas is a nutrient found in nature that more closely than any other matches the primary nutrient found in the cell membranes throughout our bodies. We have named this compound phosphoglycolipids and as follows is why it is so important to the health of your immune system.

Over the last several years growing attention has been centered on the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of soybean products. Providing a rich source of protein and nutrients, soy in particular contains plentiful amounts of unique therapeutic compounds in the form of healthy and essential fats (also called lipids).

Nutritional Therapeutics extracts (using low temperature vacuum methods) the most essential of these nutrients, and matrixes these essential and healthful lipids within a base of active acidophilus plus growth factors. All allergenic potential of soy(antigens) is removed during this process.

These substances, phospho & glycolipids, appear to influence physiological functions and to provide a broad array of health protective benefits. Due to the tremendous potential for clinical application, several major health organizations, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), have and are investigating the many advantages of soy and it's nutritional constituents.

I. Phospholipids

The therapeutic phospholipid content of soy is most notably associated with it's polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PPC) content (fifty-percent linoleic acid and about eight-percent as linolenic acid (Omega-3) (1). Providing a rich source of nontoxic polyunsaturated-rich choline, PPC fatty acids serve varied functions when incorporated into membranes. Advantages may be cited for skin disorders (psoriasis), neurological diseases, geriatric conditions, lung/respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal inflammation, gestosis, atherosclerosis, hyperlipoproteinemia, liver diseases, fat metabolism and renal diseases (2).

The broad actions of PCC thus provides reason for its clinical application as a membrane therapeutic. These can be summarized as follows.

1. They are high-energy, basic, structural and functional elements of all biological membranes, such as cells, blood corpuscles, lipoproteins and surfacants.
2. They are indispensable for cellular differentiation, proliferation and regeneration.
3. They maintain and promote biological activity of many membrane-bound proteins and receptors.
4. They play a decisive role for the activity and activation of numerous membrane- located enzymes, such as sodium- potassium-ATPase, adenylate cyclase and lipoprotein lipase.
5. They are important for the transport of molecules through membranes.
6. They control membrane-dependent metabolic processes between the intracellular and intercellular space.
7. The polyunsaturated fatty acids content (e.g.: linoleic) are precursors of the cytoprotective prostaglandins and other eicosanoids.
8. As choline and fatty acids donors they have an influence in certain neurological processes.
9. They emulsify fat in the gastrointestinal tract.
10. They are important emulsifiers in the bile.
11. They codetermine erythrocyte and platelet aggregation.
12. They influence immunological reactions on the cellular level.

It may be assumed from these actions and applications that the high proportion of protective fatty acids from soy provides yet other important benefits.

Analysis illustrates that soy contains many highly effective compounds; each providing distinctive therapeutic benefits. Among the most prominent of these include glycolipids (saponins).

I. Saponins: A Class of Glycolipids

Saponins are complex glycosidic compounds primarily present in a diverse array of edible and inedible plants (3). Soybeans however, are one of the major sources of glycosidic compounds found in the human food supply.

Although soy contains various other glycolipids (e.g.: steryl glucosides, esterified steryl glucosides), saponins are one of the most investigated of these glycolipids (4).

Linked to one or more sugar molecules, saponins consist of a steroid or triterpene group (the aglycone) and have characteristic surface activity (5). A detergent-like action has also been attributed to saponins. This arises from its water- soluble carbohydrate molecules being mixed with its fat-soluble sapogenin portion.

Saponins interact with cholesterol and have a complex interaction with other membrane lipids. It has been speculated that it is possible that binding of saponins to the enterocrine cells might modulate the activity of various hormonal messengers. These messengers may, in turn, have profound effects on gastric and intestinal activities (6), and perhaps, various activities of the endocrine system.

Characteristically saponins have been associated with cholesterol reduction, an action occurring through several key mechanisms.

• Increased bile excretion (7).
• Inhibition of cholesterol absorption through the formation of complexes with cholesterol in the gut lumen (8), with the binding of cholesterol appearing to occur within the cell membranes (9).
• Changes in the function and permeability of intestinal mucosal cells and increased exfoliation and a promotion of proliferation. These activities can increase fecal cholesterol excretion (10).

Saponins have also been shown to provide antioxidant and cell-protective properties (11), immunopotentiating benefits (12) for both humoral and cellular responses (13), antiviral activity, with suggested inhibitory actions against HIV infection and offering potential for the treatment of retroviral infection (14). Other research points to the antibiotic, expectorant (15), and potential cancer protective benefits that saponin may yield.

The anti-cancer benefits of saponins may, to some extent, be linked to their action on cellular surfaces. Because the membranes of some cancer cells contain more cholesterol than normal cell membranes (16, 17), we may speculate that saponins may actually bind more to cancer cells and thereby participate in their destruction.

Further research supporting the cancer protective properties of saponins suggests that they may have cytotoxic and growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells (3), while additionally providing antimutagenic activity (18).

Gastrointestinal/Hormonal Interactions: Considerations

As illustrated, the influence of various soy components are important to hormonal regulation and overall health. Some of these activities though, are probably interdependent upon gastrointestinal function.

It has been confirmed that enhanced bile flow is involved in cholesterol clearance. Often overlooked however, is that bile action also plays an important role in estrogen clearance. Since about 50 percent of the estrogen metabolites appear in bile (19), exclusively in conjugated forms (20), liver function and the effect of soy protein may be viable considerations for the clinician seeking to improve bile flow (and perhaps, improve liver function) and estrogen clearance.

Secondary to liver/bile function is the balance of intestinal flora. The metabolism of sex steroid hormones is highly dependent on intestinal bacteria. Only about 7 percent of estrogen metabolites appear in the feces, the rest being hydrolyzed to the free hormone and reabsorbed in the intestinal tract (21).

At high fecal microflora concentrations it has been shown that estrone is reduced to estradiol, and 16-alphahydroxyestrone is reduced to estriol. In vitro incubation of estradiol-3- glucuronide at a low concentration of fecal bacteria results in rapid hydrolysis to free estradiol. Under the same conditions estrone sulfate is converted to estrone, although at a slower rate (22). The composition of resident gastrointestinal microflora therefore plays a critical role in efficient hormonal reabsorption and overall regulation of both estrogens and androgens.

Such research confirms that the gastrointestinal tract functions as a hormone-producing organ. Multiple estrogen and androgen conversions in the large bowel are therefore dependent not only upon healthy internal ecology, but also probably closely affected by other variables. These can include diet, stress, liver function, antibiotic and medication use, overall composition of resident microflora, gut integrity, and probably microflora supporting factors. Conclusions

The belief that foods contain chemicals that can heal and prevent illness is not new. From ancient use to present day application we are reminded of the therapeutic value of plants and their unique constituents.

Used as part of a nutritional supplementation program, the benefits of phosphoglycolipids cannot be overlooked. The diverse actions of phospho- & glycolipids, including cell membrane therapy, energy enhancing potential, hormonal regulation, cholesterol reduction, immune support, antioxidant and anti-cancer protection remain as some of the key reasons why soy products are being advocated by the nutritional and medical communities alike.

References

1. Messina M, Messina V, Setchell K. The simple soybean and your health. Avery Publishing, Garden City, NY, 1994.
2. Gundermann KF. Biological activity of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PCC) in different diseases. Chapter 19. InCevc G, Paltauf F (editors). phospholipids: characterization, metabolism and novel biological applications. AOCS Press,Champaign, Ill., 209-227, 1995.
3. Rao AV, Sung MK. Saponins as anticarcinogens. J. Nutr.125: 717S-724S, 1995.
4. Lepage M. Isolation and characterization of an esterified form of steryl glucoside. J Lipid Res. 5, 587-592, 1964.
5. Oakenfull D, Sidhu GS. Could saponins be a useful treatment for hypercholesterolemia? Eur J Clin Nut. 44: 79-88, 1990.
6. Cooke, HJ. Neurobiology of the intestinal mucosa. Gastroenterol, 90, 1057-1081, 1986.
7. Sidhu GS, Oakenfull DG. A mechanisms for hypocholesterolemic activity of saponins. Br J Nut. 55:643-649,1986.
8. Coulson CB, Evans RA. Effect of saponin sterols and linoleic acid in the weight increase of growing rats. Br. J.Nutr., 14, 121-134, 1960.
9. Glauert A, Dingle JT, Lucy JA. Action of saponins on biological cell membranes. Nature 196: 953, 1962.
10. Milgate J, Robert DCK. Nutritional and biological significance of saponins. Nut. Res 15, 8, 1223-1249, 1995.
11. Tanizama H, Suzuka Y, Takino Y, et al. Inhibitory effect of soya saponins on the increase of lipid peroxide by a driamycin (ADR) in mice. Proc Sym Wakan Yaku. 15: 119-123, 1982.
12. Chavali SR, Campbell JB. Adjuvant effects of orally administered saponins on humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. Immunobiol., 174, 347-359, 1987.
13. Maharaj L, Froh KJ, Campbell JB. Immune responses of mice to inactivated rabes vaccine administered orally: potentiation by Quillaja saponin. Can J Microbiol, 32, 414-420, 1986.
14. Nakashima H, Okubo K, Honda Y, et al. Inhibitory effect of glycosides like saponin from soybean on the infectivity of HIV in vitro. AIDS, 3, 10, 655-658, 1989.
15. Oakenfull D. Saponins in food -- a review. Food Chem, 6, 19-40, 1981.
16. Hilf R, Goldenberg H, Michael L, et al. Enzymes, nucleic acids and lipids in breast cancer and normal tissues. Cancer Res 30: 1874-1882, 1970.
17. Perkins RG, Kummerow FA. Major lipid classes in plasma membrane isolated from liver of rats fed a hepatocarcinogen. Biochem Biophys Acta, 424: 469-480, 1976.
18. Elias R, DeMeo M, Vidal-Olivier E, et al. Antimutagenic activity of some saponins isolated from calendula officinalis L., C. arvensis L., and hedera helix L. Mutagenesis 5: 327-331, 1990.
19. Hanahan DJ, Daskalalis EG, et al. The metabolic pattern of C14-diethylstilbesterol. Endocrinology. 53: 163-170, 1953.
20. Aldercreutz H. Studies on estrogen excretion in human bile. Acta Endocinol (Suppl) (Cohenh). 72: 1-220, 1962.
21. Aldercreutz H, Martin F, Pulkkinen M, et al. Intestinal metabolism of estrogens. J Clin Endocrin Metab. 43: 497-505,1976. In Gorbach SL. Estrogens, Breast Cancer and Intestinal Flora. Rev Infect Dis. 6: 1, S85-S90, March/April 1984.
22. Gorbach SL. Estrogens, breast cancer and intestinal flora. Rev Infect Dis. 6: 1, S85-S90, March/April 1984.

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