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Abstract
Context
Sulphurous mineral waters (SMW) have a wide range of applications. Sulphur content of mineral waters is considered as possible determinant for their anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory effects.
Objective
To explore the healing properties of Varna basin mineral water by analysing possible antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.
Materials and methods
An intervention with Varna SMW intake was performed with healthy volunteers. Total thiols, total glutathione and its fractions, reactive oxygen metabolites, malondialdehyde, intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) were measured. Expression of γ-gluthamyl-cysteinyl ligase (GCL) and sICAM-1 genes was also analysed.
Results
A significantly increased total glutathione and total thiols were observed at the end of the intervention. GCL and sICAM-1 gene expressions were increased after the intervention.
Conclusion
SMW consumption improved redox status of the body. We suggested that these beneficial effects may be attributed to the established high levels of sulphur-containing compounds in Varna mineral water.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the Accredited Laboratory for Water Testing and Analysis at Varna Water Supply and Sewerage Company (ViK Varna), Bulgaria, for performing the physicochemical analyses of the mineral waters.
Ethics approval
The study was approved by the Ethics Commission at the Medical University of Varna (Protocol no. 62/04.05.2017).
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Todorka D. Sokrateva
Todorka Sokrateva is a PhD student and is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. Her research interests are focused on the effects of sulphur mineral water on human metabolism and health. She is involved in nutrigenomics research – how do certain foods and/or diets affect the biochemical and molecular parameters of health, and the role of genetic factors involved the individual response to water, food and medication interventions.
Bogdan H. Roussev
Bogdan Roussev is a PhD in Biochemistry. He works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. He has a specialty in clinical biochemistry. The topic of his PhD thesis was related to the role of vitamin D and androgens in prostate cancer patients. He is a member of Health and Care professions council, UK. Currently, he is involved in different departmental projects in the field of clinical biochemistry and nutrition.
Milka A. Nashar
Milka Nashar is an Associated Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics and a Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. She has obtained a PhD in Pharmacology for her research on phytoestrogens and pain sensitivity. Dr Nashar specialized in biochemistry and her main scientific interests are related to studying the potential of plant bioflavonoids as therapeutics and nutraceuticals for metabolic disorders. She is an author of more than 30 scientific papers and is a member of Union of Scientists in Bulgaria.
Yoana D. Kiselova-Kaneva
Yoana Kiselova-Kaneva Studied Biology at Plovdiv University with master’s degree in genetics and cell biology – 1999. Worked at Bulgarian academy of Sciences (2000-2004), Institute of genetics. Obtained PhD degree in biochemistry (2011), Medical University – Varna. PhD thesis in the field of medicinal plant research, oxidative stress and inflammation. Associate Professor from 2013 and Head of Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics with Laboratory of Nutrigenomics, Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Medical University – Varna (from 2016). Currently Leader of Research section “Nutrition and quality of life” in the Research Institute, Medical University – Varna and of Research group “Nutrigenomics and personalized nutrition” within research direction “Nutrition and quality of life” in Research Institute, Medical University – Varna. Research activities include study of the effect of natural products, diets and eating habits on selected biochemical and molecular markers. She applies in vitro and in vivo methods of analysis of natural products for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic activity. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of biological substances and cytotoxicity assays are carried out to explore molecular mechanisms of biological activity in in vitro experiments, including cell cultures, and in vivo on experimental animals and in interventional human studies. More than 30 publications, participation in many projects, funded by local, national and European institutions.
Galya M. Mihaylova
Galya Mihaylova is a PhD student and is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemisty, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. Her research interests are related to autoantibodies against complement components and regulators in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis, which may have functional consequences and will be pathogenic rather than simply a bystander phenomenon.
Miglena N. Todorova
Miglena Todorova is a PhD student and is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University- Varna, Bulgaria. Her research is focused on the effect of natural products on selected biochemical and molecular markers of health.
Milena G. Pasheva
Milena Pasheva is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. She has obtained a PhD in Biochemistry in 2015 for her research on metabolic effects of heartwood extract from Morus nigra. She has a specialty in biochemistry. Her scientific interests are focused on oxidative stress and antioxidant protection, inflammation and metabolic disorders. She is a member of Union of Scientists in Bulgaria.
Oskan B. Tasinov
Oskan Tasinov is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. In 2015 he defended a PhD in biochemistry with the thesis titled “Study of antioxidant, antiobesity and antidiabetic action of fruit extracts of Sambucus ebulus in vitro and in vivo”. Since 2016, he is with specialty “biochemistry”. He is a member of Union of Scientists in Bulgaria and the European Association of Nutrigenomics (NuGO). His interests are in analysing molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress, inflammation and Insulin resistance. Research of potential prognostic and diagnostic molecular-biological markers for colorectal cancer development.
Neshe F. Nazifova-Tasinova
Neshe Nazifova-Tasinova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. She is a Molecular biologist and holds a PhD in Biochemistry and the subject of her study was related to examining the biological effects of human intervention studies and determining markers to characterize the phenotypic flexibility of the volunteers. She has a speciality in Biochemistry and participates in numerous projects in the Department in the field of biochemistry, nutrition, cancer.
Deyana G. Vankova
Deyana Vankova is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. She has obtained a PhD in Biochemistry for her research on polymorphisms of certain genes linked to obesity in Bulgarian sample. She specialized in Biochemistry and her main scientific interests involved studying the role of certain genetic factors related to socially significant diseases; nutrigenomics; oxidative stress and antioxidant defence of cell.
Desislava P. Ivanova
Desislava Plamenonova Ivanova is an Assistant Professor in Molecular Biology at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria. In 2014 year, she defended a PhD thesis on a topic related to silencing defense mechanism in parasitic plant Phelipanche ramosa infected with potato spindle tuber viroid. Her interests are focused on cancer research, autoimmune diseases, molecular plant virology and epigenetics.
Maria A. Radanova
Maria Radanova is an Associated Professor in Molecular Biology at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics at the Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria and also she works at the Laboratory of Molecular Pathology in the University Hospital “St. Marina” in Varna. In 2011, she defended a PhD thesis named “Study of the molecular effects of inhibiting C1q in lupus nephritis patients”. Her interests are focused on genetics of health, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Bistra Ts. Galunska
Bistra Galunska is a PhD in Pharmacology, specialist in Biochemistry, a professor in Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria. The focus of her research is on biomarkers for precision medicine and personalized nutrition, including biomarkers for oxidative stress and antioxidant defence. She is an expert in the field of analytical biochemistry, sample preparation techniques, and bio-chromatography. She has more than 70 scientific publications in the field and four successfully graduated PhD students.
Tatyana I. Vlaykova
Tatyana Vlaykova is a Professor in Medical Biochemistry in Medical Faculty, Trakia University, Stara Zagora and Medical University, Plovdiv. She has a PhD degree from the Department of Oncology, Medical Faculty, Turku University, Turku, Finland, focusing on tumour angiogenesis, apoptosis and proliferation markers as predictive and prognostic factors of skin metastatic melanoma. Later she extended her interest and expertise in analysing the risk and prognostic factors in colorectal cancer and of chronic inflammatory lung diseases as COPD and bronchial asthma. Vlaykova is a coauthor of more than 150 peer-review papers, as half of them in journals with IF. She is a supervisor of six PhD students and a tutor of the research work of many undergraduate students in medicine. She is a member of the Editorial boards of the Journals: Bulgarian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia Journal of Science, the on-line Journal: Science and Research (former Science & Technologies). She is a member of European Respiratory Society, Bulgarian Respiratory Society, the Union the Scientists in Bulgaria, the Association of Medical biochemists in Bulgaria.
Diana G. Ivanova
Diana Ivanova is a Doctor of Biological Sciences, specialist in biochemistry, a Professor in Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria and a Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy. She is a member of Management Board of the European Association of Nutrigenomics (NuGO), a member of the Expert Council in Pharmacy to the Bulgarian Ministry of Health. She is an Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Scripta Scientifica Pharmaceutica. The focus of her research interests is on oxidative status and antioxidant protection, nutrient and metabolic adaptation, nutritional biochemistry and related socially significant diseases, with more than 70 scientific publications in the field. She is a supervisor of many scientific projects related to nutrigenomics and clinical biochemistry, and of a dozen PhD students. Her international research activities contributed to the establishment of a strong nutrigenomics research group at Medical University – Varna. She is a member of the Union the Scientists in Bulgaria and of the Association of Medical Biochemists in Bulgaria.