Excerpt: "Fruits or berries of Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn), a rich source of vitamins A, C, and E, carotenes, flavonoids, and microelements such as sulfur, selenium, zinc, and copper, are edible and have been shown to protect from atopic dermatitis, hepatic injury, cardiac disease, ulcer, and atherosclerosis. However, its mechanism of action is not clear. We show that Hippophae inhibits benzo(a)pyrene-induced forestomach and DMBA-induced skin papillomagenesis in mouse. This decrease in carcinogenesis may be attributed to the concomitant induction of phase II enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase and DT-diaphorase and antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the mouse liver. This was accompanied by a remarkable induction of the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-1 in the Hippophae-treated liver. Our results strongly suggest that Hippophae fruit is able to decrease carcinogen-induced forestomach and skin tumorigenesis, which might involve up-regulation of phase II and antioxidant enzymes as well as DNA-binding activity of IRF-1, a known antioncogenic transcription factor causing growth suppression and apoptosis induction for its anticancer effect.."

There is increasing evidence to support the hypothesis that free radical-mediated oxidative processes contribute to atherogenesis. More recently the ability of antioxidant nutrients to affect cell response and gene expression has been reported in vitro, providing a novel mechanistic perspective for the biological activity of antioxidants. Sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) is a rich source of antioxidants both aqueous and lipophilic, as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids. The objective of the study was to characterize the antioxidant profile of Sea buckthorn juice (SBJ) and to evaluate its effect on plasma lipids, LDL oxidation, platelet aggregation and plasma soluble cell adhesion protein concentration. Twenty healthy male volunteers were given either a placebo or SBJ for 8 weeks. Additional daily intakes of vitamin C, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene and flavonoids through SBJ supplementation were 462, 3.2, 1.0 and 355 mg respectively. There were no significant changes in plasma total cholesterol, LDL-C, platelet aggregation or plasma intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) levels between treatment groups. Although not significant, a 20% and 17% increase in plasma HDL-C and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations were observed. SBJ supplementation also resulted in a moderate decrease in the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation.