2.4. Hematological Sampling and Measurements
Heparinized venous blood
INSULIN RESISTANCE, BLOOD, INSULIN RESISTANCE
After overnight fasting at baseline, and after two weeks of intake of MAB juice, blood was collected for hematological and gene expression analysis. Heparinized venous blood was collected for tests: glycemia, insulin, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and triglycerides were carried out by the accredited Clinical Chemical Laboratories of the “Tor Vergata” Polyclinic (PTV) of Rome, Italy [Insulin resistance was calculated following applying the homeostasis assessment model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR):For transcriptomic analyses, blood was drawn after 12 h of fasting. The blood sample was collected in PAXgene Blood RNA Tubes (PreAnalytiX Qiagen, Hombrechtikon, Switzerland) in the presence of an RNA stabilizer, and stored at −80 °C. Total RNA was extracted using the PAXgene Blood miRNA Kit according to the Total RNA was extracted using the PAXgene Blood miRNA kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions (PreAnalytix Qiagen, Hombrechtikon, Switzerland), and quantified by spectrophotometry (Nanodrop, Wilmington, NC, USA).