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Flaxseed oil sends researcher on cellular mystery
A
University of Manitoba researcher is trying to solve the
complex mystery of how flaxseed oil is able to slow the
progression of kidney disease.
Dr. Harold Aukema's research is
delving down to the cellular level to understand how
flaxseed oil affects a protein responsible for pain and
inflammation.
The
protein, known as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), is responsible
for increased inflammation associated with several
disorders, including arthritis and chronic pain. Dr.
Aukema uses rat and mouse models to study inflammation
associated with
kidney disease.
His research shows that when mice are fed flaxseed oil:
-
inflammation is reduced
-
progression of kidney disease slows down
-
the increase in COX-2 levels is blunted
Although
these results are exciting, they do not prove cause and
effect. In other words, although consumption of flaxseed
oil in rodent models of kidney disease leads to a change
in COX-2 levels, Dr. Aukema doesn't know the mechanism(s)
that lead to this change. He intends to continue his
research by studying the activity of the COX-2 protein, in
hopes of further understanding the biochemical picture.
Dr.
Aukema's research results may eventually lead to
new markets for flax
producers.
"COX-2 inhibitors" is a class of drugs that is well-known
for its ability to reduce pain and inflammation, but in
recent times, has come under increased scrutiny for
potential links to heart failure. Flaxseed oil, if it can
be proven to be a natural COX-2 inhibitor, has the
potential to become highly desirable in the health food
marketplace.
Dr.
Aukema's research may also help to distinguish flaxseed
oil from other sources of heart-helpful Omega-3 fatty
acids. "In this research,
flaxseed oil was more
consistently beneficial than fish oil
in blocking the increased COX-2 levels associated with
kidney disease," says Dr. Aukema. "It points to a unique
property in flax oil. There is something that flax oil
does differently than fish oil."
Dr. Aukema's
latest research, completed in May, was supported by a
$17,000 ARDI grant.
The overall objective of his research is to help people
with kidney disease make well-informed food choices to
better their overall health.
Odour-free air goal of hog barn
biofiltration study
 Biosystems
engineer
Dr. Danny Mann
has some advice for producers wanting a low-cost way to
reduce hog barn odours: build a series of
biofilters outside each of the
barn's vents. Biofilters have been shown to be effective
at reducing all types of odours, but Dr. Mann, a
University of Manitoba professor, has designed a new model
with the needs of hog producers in mind.
Biofiltration involves ducting smelly air through a moist
bed of organic material such as wood chips. The chemical
compounds which cause odour are absorbed into the thin
layer of water surrounding this organic material, allowing
microorganisms to feed on the trapped compounds. When the
air is eventually released from the biofilter, it is
odour-free.
Dr.
Mann's model may be unique in that the air flows
horizontally,
rather than vertically, through the biofilter. His
research shows that air flows much more efficiently in the
horizontal model, meaning that producers can use much
smaller fans to get the same effect. Dr. Mann worked with
a producer in Niverville to build seven enclosed
biofilters next to an existing livestock barn. This system
of individual biofilters worked much better than the one
large biofiltration structure initially constructed.
Read more about this project.
In the future, Dr. Mann sees
the potential for a manufacturer to produce individual
biofilters on a factory scale, making it easy for
producers to erect them next to existing barns. New hog
barn operations could develop an integrated system at the
time of barn construction, using a single fan to satisfy
ventilation and biofiltering needs. Dr. Mann received a
$35,000 ARDI grant
to complete this project and a
second project exploring biofiltration solutions to
hog barn odour is currently underway. The
$27,500 ARDI grant is being
used to renovate an existing biofilter and evaluate its
performance. |
