Aleksandra Arsic

• Professor
• Professor (Associate) at University of Belgrade

Zinc plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis, sperm function, and fertilisation. Zinc homeostasis is regulated by ZIP and ZnT transporter proteins, which mediate Zn²⁺ influx and efflux across sperm cell membranes. This study analysed total Zn concentration in seminal plasma and serum of 10 normozoospermic and 32 teratozoospermic men involved in the...

Background/Objectives: The most common breast cancer (BRC) in women is estrogen/progesterone receptor-positive. The first-conventional treatment includes endocrine therapy either with aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen to reduce estrogen levels. These treatments are associated with side effects, the most typical being joint/muscle pain, known as aro...

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, and it is responsible for about ten million deaths per year. Omega-3 fatty acids have been considered potentially anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antimetastatic molecules and used to improve cancer therapy outcomes. We aimed to summarize clinical trials that included omega-3 fatty...

Hyperlipidaemia is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In this study, the antihyperlipidaemic properties of spirulina (Arthrospira platensis, strain S2 from Serbia) were tested in adult Wistar rats before and after induction of hypercholesterolaemia by a high-fat diet (HFD) to compare the preventive with the curative effect. Total...

The objectives were to examine if there is a causal relationship between osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome (coexistence of osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and excess adiposity) and cardiometabolic disorders or if these disorders initiate the development of OSA and its worsening. The search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sci...

Background/Aim. Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to a strict lockdown in Serbia, the population has experienced drastic lifestyle changes. Physical distancing, self-isolation, limited availability of essential food products, and the stress related to the availability of therapy during the pandemic particularly affected the...

Background and objectives: Osteosarcopenic obesity/adiposity (OSO/OSA) syndrome describes the concurrent deterioration of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue. The objective of this review was to evaluate human studies addressing serum biomarkers in relation to OSA. Methods: A search in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted to...

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of the consumption of Pomegranate juice (PJ) on blood pressure and lipid metabolism in subjects with dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. Twelve females with established dyslipidemia and 12 females with metabolic syndrome consumed 300 mL of PJ daily for 2 and 6 weeks respectively. PJ consum...

Our study was aimed to investigate the effects of commercially available, cold-pressed polyphenol-rich black currant (BC) juice on fat accumulation, blood lipids, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and inflammation, in rats placed on high-fat high-fructose (HFF) diet. Co-administration of BC juice significantly reduced diet-induced adiposity...

Omega-3 fatty acids (FA), particularly eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, play a vital role throughout life. These essential molecules are integral to cell membranes and serve as precursors to various bioactive metabolites that can contribute to the prevention of numerous chronic non-communicable diseases. Since our bodies cannot produce o...

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global public health challenge and one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Its pandemic prevalence created a demand for developing a relevant model system for deep insight into the molecular basis of MetS. Animal models, especially Wistar rats, are commonly used for that purpose. However, there are n...

A Western-style diet, rich in fat and simple sugars, is the main risk factor for a significant number of chronic diseases and disorders, as well as for a progression of metabolic syndrome (MetS). One of the key mechanisms involved in MetS development is increased oxidative stress caused by the accumulation of body fat. Some dietary polyphenols have...

Backgound/Objectives Urolithins (UROs) are the metabolites derived from the gut microbial action on ellagitannins and ellagic acid-rich foods. Following their absorption in the intestine, UROs are transported through the systemic circulation to various tissues where they can express their biological function as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and...

It is hypothesized that plasma proportion of selected fatty acids (FAs) and dietary habits are linked with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the association of plasma FA composition and markers of dietary habits with an atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a predictor of...

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women throughout the world. This study is a parallel, randomized, double-blind, controlled, 12-week supplementation trial, investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of dietary intake of fish oil and evening primrose oil (EPO), in patients wit...

Background: Recent literature data highlights the presence of metabolic changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To explore possible early metabolic changes, we aimed to analyze the fatty acids (FA) composition of erythrocytes in newly diagnosed ALS patients and to see whether fatty acid levels correlate with the ALSFRS-R score or disease du...

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. Our objectives were to evaluate human studies addressing dietary intake/nutritional status and the quantity/types of phy...

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. Our objectives were to evaluate human studies addressing dietary intake/nutritional status, and the quantity/types of ph...

Juglans nigra (Black walnut) is a source of health-promoting biologically active compounds used in traditional medicine. The investigation of bioactive compounds in black walnut could lead to its broader application, as well as application of its by-products. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize J. nigra nut and green husk based on chemical...

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) dietary intake, status, and serum key fatty acid (FA) ratios may aid in cardiovascular disease-related risk assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a lipid-lowering diet on key FA ratios in serum phospholipids and omega-3 index in erythrocyte phospholipids in moderately hyperlipidemic su...

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) dietary intake, status and serum key fatty acid (FA) ratios may aid in cardiovascular disease-related risk assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lipid-lowering diet on key FA ratios in serum phospholipids and omega-3 index in erythrocyte phospholipids in moderately hyperlipidemic subje...

The fruit juice industry generates pomace as a valuable by-product especially rich in polyphenols, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and unsaturated fatty acids. In the cookies used in this study, 30% of the gluten-free flour was replaced with dried and ground blueberry and raspberry pomace, rich source of polyphenols, dietary fibers, linoleic an...

Objectives: Industrially produced trans fatty acid (iTFA) have adverse health effects and thus their consumption should be limited. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the iTFA content in frequently consumed food products by young adults from the Serbian and Slovenian market with supposedly elevated iTFA content in 2015. At the time...

Varying degrees of liver injuries have been reported in patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In general, oxidative stress is actively involved in initiation and progression of liver damage. The liver metabolizes various compounds that produce free radicals. Maintaining the oxidative/antioxidative...

Healthcare systems worldwide are seriously challenged by a rising prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which mostly, but not exclusively, affect the ever-growing population of the elderly. The most known neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but so...

Pomegranate juice (PJ) has potential positive effects in patients with metabolic disturbances due to a high content of polyphenols. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of a 2-week consumption of dietary doses of PJ on blood pressure, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress markers in overweight patients with dyslipidemia. Twenty-four...

Lifestyle modifications are the main support of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) therapy. Weight loss is one of the primary goals in NAFLD, but the effects of different calorie-restricted diets remain unclear. Thus, we evaluated the effects of two calorie-restricted diets—the Mediterranean diet (Med diet) and low-fat diet—on liver status, c...

Being characterized by progressive and severe damage in neuronal cells, neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are the major cause of disability and morbidity in the elderly, imposing a significant economic and social burden. As major components of the central nervous system, lipids play important roles in neural health and pathology. Disturbed lipid me...

Calf bronchopneumonia is accompanied by increased level of circulating immune complexes (CIC), and we analysed size, and protein and lipid constituents of these CIC with an attempt to elucidate the connection between the CIC structural properties and their capacity to modulate leukocyte function. CIC of heathy calves (CICH) and calves with naturall...

The aim of this study was to compare dietary intake and status of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids metabolically healthy and unhealthy, and obese and nonobese persons. Metabolic health status in 171 participants was defined according to criteria for metabolic syndrome. Obese and nonobese metabolically unhea...

Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) oil (RSO) was recovered from waste rosehip seeds by cold pressing as well as maceration and Soxhlet extraction using n‐hexane. The influence of the extraction temperature, the solvent‐to‐seed ratio (SSR), and the extraction time on RSO yield was examined for the maceration process. The extraction technique did not influence...

Background/Aim. Dysregulation of fatty acid (FA) metabolism is recognized as a component of malignant trans-formation in many cancers, including breast cancer (BC), and is often related to disease progression and prognosis. Adjuvant endocrine BC therapy using aromatase inhibitors may also influence FA metabolism. Thus, the aim of our study was to c...

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by an adequate consumption of fruit and vegetables, fish, cereals, olive oil, and moderate consumption on meat and dairy products. The olive oil is an excellent source of oleic acid that has multiple beneficial effects on human health. The level of oleic acid in plasma phospholipids reflects its dietary intak...

Pomegranate peel contains high levels of various phytochemicals. We evaluated the effects of pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) consumption on plasma lipid profile, fatty acids (FA) level and blood pressure (BP) in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Thirty-seven subjects were recruited in this double blind, placebo controlled randomized t...

This study investigated different dietary strategies, high-fat (HFd), or standard diet (Sd) alone or in combination with standardized Aronia melanocarpa extract (SAE), as a polyphenol-rich diet, and their effects on lipids and fatty acids (FA) in rats with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into two groups: healthy...

Our study aimed to examine the status of plasma fatty acids (FAs), inflammatory markers, and lipid peroxidation in patients with femoral neck fractures. The study included 20 patients (64–86 years) with femoral neck fractures indicated for surgery and a control group of 17 elderly subjects without fractures or serious chronic diseases. Plasma was o...

Background: Pomegranate (Punicagranatum L.) fruits are widely consumed and used as preventive and therapeutic agents since ancient times. Pomegranate is a rich source of a variety of phytochemicals, which are responsible for its strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potential. • Objective: The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date ov...

Oleic acid has many beneficial effects on human health. One of the main dietary sources of oleic acid is olive oil. Non-Mediterranean European countries, including Serbia, have low habitual olive oil consumption, but other vegetable oils also contain different amounts of oleic acid. In infants and young children milk is the most important source of...

Background: The metabolic changes in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) impair vasodilatation, and this leads to tissue hypoxia and microvascular pathology. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can significantly improve the outcome of ischemic conditions in IDDM patients and reduce vascular complications. Objective: The aim of our study was to...

Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate whether N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) could protect stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) against oxidative damage, during in vitro cultivation, to preserve regenerative potential of these cells. Accordingly, we examined the potential of cell culture supplementation with NAC in prevention...

Background/Aim. Consensus on the exercise effect on the fatty acid metabolism has not been reached, and probably depends on the type of sports (aerobic, anaerobic or mixed). The aim of this study was to investigate effect of long-term handball training on the body composition, lipid profile and the plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition in fema...

Calf bronchopneumonia is complex multifactorial disease and for its accurate diagnosis and therapy, besides clinical examination, microbiologic, hematologic and biochemical analyses could be necessary. In general, additional analyses are not implemented, mainly because the disease biomarkers are not defined. To establish which analysis might be use...

Urolithins (UROs) are metabolites derived from ellagic acid (EA) and ellagitannins (ETs) by gut microbiota after consumption of different ETs. The health effects attributed to UROs are numerous and diverse, ranging from antimalarial properties to anticancer activities and regulation of gene expression. The aim of this work was at assessing the effe...

BACKGROUND Pomegranate juice is a rich source of polyphenols and is thus a promising dietary antioxidant with numerous health-promoting effects. These include a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health that could be partly attributed to the effects of polyphenols on lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumption of...

Limited studies have been performed to associate abnormal phospholipid (PL) profile and disease activity in hematological malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The aim of his study was to evaluate the levels of plasma PL fractions in NHL patients, in response to chemotherapy. Forty non-treated patients with NHL and 25 healthy individu...

Fatty acids (FAs) are long hydrocarbon chain molecules with a terminal carboxylate group, originating from the organism or food. Their nomenclature, structure, and properties depend on the length of hydrocarbon chain, degree of unsaturation, and position of double bond(s). The process of FA synthesis occurs in the cytosol, whereas the process of β-...

Background: Pomegranate juice is rich source of polyphenols and thus promising dietary antioxidant with numerous health-promoting effects. This includes beneficial impact on cardiovascular health that could be partly attributed to the polyphenols' effects on lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 6-week long pomegranate...

The effect of polyphenol-rich chokeberry juice consumption on plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles of 32 active male and female handball players was examined. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted during the preparatory training in a closed campus, where 18 players (8 males, 10 females) consumed 100 mL of chokeber...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease. Reactive oxygen species have been considered as aggravating factors for autoimmune diseases. Fatty acids had been linked in reduction of various diseases by augment of their antioxidant potential and antiinflammatory mechanisms. The aim of this study was to assess the oxidative status in patie...

It has been shown that static magnetic field (SMF) of moderate intensity produces considerable impact on biological systems. SMF can be homogeneous or inhomogeneous. In many studies, inhomogeneous SMF was employed. Aware that inhomogeneous SMF could result in experimental variability, we investigated the influence of a vertical homogeneous SMF of d...

Considering the limited knowledge regarding the effects of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs on the inflammatory response during physical activity, we aimed to evaluate the level of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in young soccer players before and after a maximal physical load test at the beginning and end of a two-month training process. The study included...

The aim of our study was to stablish the possible alternations in fatty acid composition of brain phospholipids in rats on a standard and high-fat diet supplemented with buckwheat leaf and flower mixture (BLF) and subsequent possible beneficial effects of BLF. Four months old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups fed...

BACKGROUND: “VITALPLANT” medicinal plant mixture, aimed at body weight regulation and metabolism enhancement was formulated in order to be incorporated as an ingredient in functional food formulations on the basis of known biological activity of the alder buckthorn bark, peppermint, caraway and parsley. METHODOLOGY: The body weight-lowering potenti...

To study changes in redox balance throughout parameters of oxidative stress and activities of antioxidant enzymes in elite female water polo and football players, 15 water polo and 19 football players, 20--23 years of age, and 14 age--matched sedentary women were included in the study. Blood sampling was performed to measure levels of lipid peroxid...

The effects of 8-days treatment with 17alpha-estradiol (33.3 microg/kg) and progesterone (1.7 mg/kg) on plasma lipids and fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids were examined in intact (INT) and bilaterally common carotid arteries occluded (BCO) male Wistar rats. Significant decrease of triglyceride level was found in BCO rats after the est...

The objective of this systematic review was to identify studies investigating iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status, to assess the data of the selected studies, and to estimate dose-response relationships using meta-analysis. All randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, nested case-control studies, and cross-sectional studi...

Background: Plant seeds have gained interest for their health benefits due to their fatty acid content. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary consumption of milled sesame/pumpkin/flax seed mixture on glycemic control, serum lipids, phospholipid fatty acid status, and inflammatory factors in patients on hemodialysis....

Background. Plant seeds have gained interest for their health benefits due to their fatty acid content.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary consumption of milled sesame/pumpkin/flax seed mixture on glycemic control, serum lipids, phospholipid fatty acid status, and inflammatory factors in patients on hemodialysis. Met...

Traditional foods play a major role in traditions of different cultures and regions for thousands of years while preparation methods of traditional foods are part of the folklore of a country or a region. This paper presents recipes and fatty acid profiles of selected commonly consumed traditional foods in Serbia. The obtained fatty acid compositio...

As a source of biologically active compounds, buckwheat has beneficial effects in nutrition due to its high content of flavonoids, particularly rutin. Aim of our study was to examine effects of buckwheat on plasma lipid status and phospholipids fatty acids composition, histological and parameters of oxidative stress in Wistar rats fed a high-fat di...

The aim of the present paper was to investigate the serum concentration of total phospholipids and distribution of the phospholipid classes in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and dyslipidemia. We analyzed the serum phospholipids in 28 newly diagnosed patients with diabetes type 2, of which 12 men and 16 postmenopausal women aged 43-70 years....

Although fatty acid (FA) composition of vegetable oils used daily markedly influences human health, there are no detailed data on their composition in available on-line food composition data bases, particularly from Central and Eastern Europe. This study focused on determination of the FA composition of eight different vegetable oils, which are com...

Background: Placental supply of fatty acids (FA) is essential for normal foetal development but in premature infants this supply is interrupted. To investigate the association of intrautrine growth restriction with serum phospholipid and breast milk FA composition, we compared preterm infants small for gestational age (SGA) and matched appropriate...

Serum paraoxonase-1(PON-1) activity is decreased in clinical conditions associated with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), increased lipid peroxidation and low-grade chronic inflammation, as in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Until now there are no data about the association of any fatty acid (FA) with PON-1 activity in T2DM. Twenty...

The impact of chronic, intense exercise, such as in elite athletes, on phospholipids fatty acids (FA) composition has not been studied in women so far. This study aimed to investigate FA profiles in plasma and erythrocytes phospholipids in elite female water polo (N = 15) and football (N = 19) players in comparison with sedentary women. In spite of...

Abstract Research on possible physiological changes as a consequence of a specific lifestyle and long-term strenuous exercise in boxing has been sparse. We determined plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid (PL) fatty acids (FA) profile of 16 elite amateur male boxers (22.4±3.3 years of age), and compared them with a control group composed of 19 sedent...

A systematic review was conducted to summarize the evidence currently available from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning the effect of iron intake of infants, children and adolescents on measures of cognitive development and function. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Embase were searched up to and including February 2010. Studies were a...

In the present study, we examined the effects of fish oil supplementation in 3 months old male Wistar rats on changes in plasma and liver lipid metabolism and oxidative stress parameters. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of ten animals: control group and intervention group, treated for 6 weeks with fish oil capsules containi...

The effects of fish oil supplementation in Wistar rats are focused on cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic and antioxidant status changes. We determined plasma and liver phospholipid fatty acids (FAs) status and plasma lipid concentrations in aged Wistar rats. Our results showed differences in plasma and liver FAs profiles as well as plasma chloles...

Nutritional and immunological status of patients with obstructive jaundice is usually severely altered, with high mortality rates. The n-3 polyunsaturate fatty acids (PUFA), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3), posess potent immunomodulatory activities. Thus, our aim was to compare the plasma phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition...

The effect of intensive long-term physical activity on phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition has not been studied thoroughly. We determined plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid FA status of professional basketball and football players. Our results showed differences in plasma FA profile not only between sportsmen and sedentary subjects, but also...

This study examines the relationship between erythrocyte phospholipid FA composition and insulin sensitiv­ity in obese patients on a typical Serbian diet. In 30 patients, two insulin sensitivity groups were formed and their FAs analyzed. The shares of 22:5n-3, 22:6n-3, and total n-3 PUFAs, as well as a measure of Δ5 desaturase activity (the 20:4n-6...

Milk and milk products are very important in human nutrition. Fatty acids (FA), which are the major component of milk lipids, have different effects on human health. The aim of this study was to determine and compare fatty acid composition of human milk, infant formula and cow's milk most often consumed in Serbian population. Samples were anal...

Blood cholesterol levels are affected by diet and in particular by the type of fat intake. We originally showed that a significant but variable amount of cholesterol is firmly bound to haemoglobin (Hb) yielding the Hb-lipid adduct (Hb-Ch) in erythrocytes isolated from normo-lipidemic males. To establish whether dietary lipids affect the level of Hb...

Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular complication in diabetes. High intake of soy product has been suggested to prevent cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if dietary supplement of soybean D-LeciVita product, rich in polyunsaturated phospholipids (with 12% lecithin, 35% soy protein) affects...

The primary objective of our research was to investigate the nutritional status in Belgrade schoolchildren (aged 12–15). The second objective was to compare the children and parents view about the children nutritional status. The study was carried out in two phases: (a) questionnaires for children and parents (questionnaire-c and questionnaire-p) w...

Dyslipidemia is one of the possible risk factors for advanced atherosclerosis in patients with chronic renal failure. Abnormal phospholipid metabolism may play an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with renal failure. The aim of this study was to determine specific characteristics of plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid...