A first glance into the nutritional properties of the sea cucumber Parastichopus regalis from the Mediterranean Sea (SE Spain)

This work reports for the first time the nutritional profile, including proximate chemical composition, amino acids, fatty acids and minerals of Parastichopus regalis from the Mediterranean Sea (SE Spain). The studied species had a high moisture content, moderate protein and low lipid levels. The most abundant amino acids were glutamic acid, arginine and tyrosine. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially arachidonic acid, dominated the fatty acid profile. Iron, sodium, calcium and zinc were the most abundant mine rals. In general, P. regalis has a balanced nutritional quality suitable for human consumption.     

Fatty acid profile of different species of algae of the Cystoseira genus: a nutraceutical perspective

The fatty acid (FA) composition of six macroalgae from the Cystoseira genus, namely Cystoseira compressa, Cystoseira humilis, Cystoseira tamariscifolia, Cystoseira nodicaulis, Cystoseira baccata and Cystoseira barbata, was determined. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) corresponded to 29–46% of the total FA detected. C. compressa, C. tamariscifolia and C. nodicaulis stood out for their low PUFA/saturated fatty acid, low n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA ratios as well as favourable unsaturation, atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices, suggesting a high nutritional value with potential applications in the nutraceutical industry.     

Extraction technology,component analysis,and in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of total flavonoids and fatty acids from Tribulus terrestris L. fruits

The current study focused on the extraction technology, components analysis, in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of total flavonoids and fatty acids from Tribulus terrestris L. fruits. The extraction process of total flavonoids and fatty acids was optimized by the response surface method, and the compositions were identified from the two extracts by HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS^? and GC–MS, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant and antibacterial activities were evaluated by assay of ABTS, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and minimal inhibitory concentration. The yields of total flavonoids and fatty acids were 0.46 and 9.76% under the optimized conditions. Moreover, nine and eight compositions were identified from the two extracts based on the related references, respectively. In addition, total flavonoids and fatty acids extracts both exhibited certain antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The present findings suggest that total flavonoids extracted from T. terrestris L. fruits comprised a more interesting candidate than fatty acids for the research and development of natural and healthy antioxidants and antibacterial agents for the pharmaceutical and food industries.     

Potentilla erecta (L.) rhizomes as a source of phenolic acids

The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of major phenolic acids from Potentilla erecta rhiozomes. Water and ethanol-water mixture was used for extraction of these compounds. The extracts were also evaluated for the quantification of total phenolic content and the antioxidant capacity. The contents of phenolic acids and resulting antioxidant activities are dependent on the nature of extracting solvent due to the presence of different antioxidant compounds. Results showed that P. erecta rhiozomes contained high amount of gallic and p-HBA acids. The contents of chlorogenic and protocatechuic acids in the extracts of Potentilla species have not been reported yet. The results suggested that the extracts could be used as the active cosmetics ingredients and nutraceuticals.     

Frustrated Lewis Pairs Comprising Nitrogen Lewis Acids for Si–H Bond Activation

N-heterocyclic nitrogen Lewis acids are a recent addition to the field of organic chemistry. Based on nitrenium cations, these acids where previously shown to generate Lewis adducts when combined with the appropriate Lewis bases. Herein, a triazinium-based Lewis acid was combined with tBu₃P to generate a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) capable of cleaving, for the first time, Si−H bonds in silanes. Whereas low yields were initially encountered owing to insufficient Lewis acidity, a new nitrenium-based Lewis acid was synthesized, and its superior Lewis acidity was experimentally and computationally confirmed. A FLP based on this acid cleaved the Si−H bond in PhSiH₃, generating the triazane product in a quantitative yield. This unprecedented N−H triazane was fully characterized by multinuclear NMR techniques and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A new class of compounds, N-H triazanes display the potential capacity to participate in hydride transfer reactions.     

A novel and efficient synthesis of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic ester and amide derivatives/conjugates and assessment of their antioxidant activity

Phenolic acids, a sub-class of polyphenols, are widely studied. By contrary, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid is scarcely studied. For this purpose, a series of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid ester and amide derivatives/conjugates were synthesised for the first time. A systematic study has been performed to quantitatively identify the functional groups present in these compounds using different techniques such as ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ESI MS. The synthesised compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant activity by a DPPH radical-scavenging assay. Their physico-chemical profile is also studied using Molinspiration tool. Among all tested compounds, amidoester 36 showed the best scavenging activity possessing an EC₅₀ 17 μΜ and improved physico-chemical properties compared to the parent compound.     

Antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds from extracts of Eucalyptus globulus and Melaleuca styphelioides and their protective role on D-glucose-induced hyperglycemic stress and oxalate stress in NRK-49Fcells

Phytochemicals serve as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of diseases. In this study, we elucidate the renoprotective activity of compounds isolated from Eucalyptus globulus and Melaleuca styphelioides extracts in glucose- and oxalate-challenged NRK-49F cell model. The antioxidant potential of isolated compounds was evaluated based on their effect on antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation levels. The results demonstrated that exposure of NRK-49F cells to glucose and oxalate stress augmented cell damage and attenuated antioxidant enzyme activities. The phytochemicals 2,2,8-trimethyl-6-formyl-chrom-3-ene-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, Cornusiin B and tellimagrandin I treatment restored antioxidant enzyme activity, significantly lowered lipid peroxidation levels and effectively protected cells from glucose and oxalate stress equivalent to the known antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine. Pterocarinin A significantly reversed cellular damage owing to glucose stress. In conclusion, the compounds isolated from E. globulus and M. styphelioides showed potential cytoprotective and anti-oxidative property against glucose- and oxalate-induced oxidative stress in NRK-49F cells.     

Rapid profiling of polymeric phenolic acids in Salvia miltiorrhiza by hybrid data‐dependent/targeted multistage mass spectrometry acquisition based on expected compounds prediction and fragment ion searching

Phenolic acids are the major water‐soluble components in Salvia miltiorrhiza (>5%). According to previous studies, many of them contribute to the cardiovascular effects and antioxidant effects of S. miltiorrhiza. Polymeric phenolic acids can be considered as the tanshinol derived metabolites, e.g., dimmers, trimers, and tetramers. A strategy combined with tanshinol‐based expected compounds prediction, total ion chromatogram filtering, fragment ion searching, and parent list‐based multistage mass spectrometry acquisition by linear trap quadropole‐orbitrap Velos mass spectrometry was proposed to rapid profile polymeric phenolic acids in S. miltiorrhiza. More than 480 potential polymeric phenolic acids could be screened out by this strategy. Based on the fragment information obtained by parent list‐activated data dependent multistage mass spectrometry acquisition, 190 polymeric phenolic acids were characterized by comparing their mass information with literature data, and 18 of them were firstly detected from S. miltiorrhiza. Seven potential compounds were tentatively characterized as new polymeric phenolic acids from S. miltiorrhiza. This strategy facilitates identification of polymeric phenolic acids in complex matrix with both selectivity and sensitivity, which could be expanded for rapid discovery and identification of compounds from complex matrix.     

Delaying of cataract through intervention of Hemidesmus indicus in STZ induced diabetic rats

Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. was extensively used as hypoglycaemic agent and significance of this plant on secondary complications of diabetes remained unknown. The present study was to investigate the anti-cataractous activity of H. indicus against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic cataract in rodent model. Root extracts have been prepared and tested for inhibition of rat lens aldose reductase (AR) activity. In addition, its pharmacological potential has been investigated in STZ-induced diabetic cataract. Methanol extract of H. indicus-inhibited AR activity in vitro decreased the blood glucose levels, inhibited the AR activity and delayed the onset and progression of cataract in a dose-dependent manner in in vivo and the antioxidant markers have been normalised. Our results demonstrate that H. indicus has decrease the osmotic stress by inhibiting the AR activity and prevented the loss of antioxidants and delayed the progression of diabetic cataract in STZ-induced diabetic rats.     

Extraction and composition characterisation of amino acids from tung meal

The most desirable content of amino acids (AAs) in the extracted products from tung (Aleurites fordii) meal was 93.88%, which was obtained from shelled tung meal at a hydrolysis temperature of 45°C and a isoelectric precipitation pH value of 4.4. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity of extracted AAs was also evaluated by MTT assay. Antioxidant activity of extracted AAs was also measured by the DPPH assay. As a result, the high yield of extracted AAs exhibited so low cytotoxic and high antioxidant activity that had the potential use as a functional ingredient.     

Antioxidant activity and fatty acids quantification in Sicilian purslane germplasm

Abstract

Portulaca oleracea is an annual succulent herb in the family Portulacaceae. It is a nutritious vegetable with high antioxidant properties and, it is among the richest plant source of ω-3 fatty acids, as well as a rich source of ω-6 fatty acids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and beta-carotene. In the present study, three purslane populations under different Mediterranean environmental conditions for two years, for future valorization as novel food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, were evaluated. In particular, biomorphological characteristics, total phenols and fatty acids content were determined. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The population “Cas” appears to have higher antioxidant activity than the other two populations (“Cal” and “S. Ven”).The saturated fatty acid content is influenced only by the year of collection, while the polyunsaturated fatty acid by the populations. The most abundant unsatured fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic acids and “Cas” attained the highest contents.     

Ethylene Induction of Non-Enzymatic Metabolic Antioxidants in Matricaria chamomilla

Phytochemical investigations of Matricaria chamomilla L. (Asteraceae) stated the presence of several compounds with an established therapeutic and antioxidant potential. The chamomile non-enzymatic antioxidant system includes low molecular mass compounds, mainly polyphenols such as cinnamic, hydroxybenzoic and chlorogenic acids, flavonoids and coumarins. The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system after stimulation by ethylene in tetraploid chamomile plants. Seven days of ethylene treatment significantly increased the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, which influenced the biosynthesis of protective polyphenols in the first step of their biosynthetic pathway. Subsequently, considerable enhanced levels of phenolic metabolites with a substantial antioxidant effect (syringic, vanillic and caffeic acid, 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin, luteolin, daphnin, and herniarin) were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS. The minimal information on the chlorogenic acids function in chamomile led to the isolation and identification of 5-O-feruloylquinic acid. It is accumulated during normal conditions, but after the excessive effect of abiotic stress, its level significantly decreases and levels of other caffeoylquinic acids enhance. Our results suggest that ethephon may act as a stimulant of the production of pharmaceutically important non-enzymatic antioxidants in chamomile leaves and thus, lead to an overall change in phytochemical content and therapeutic effects of chamomile plants, as well.     

Comprehensive identification of potential antioxidant components in the aerial parts of Polygonum chinense L. var. hispidum using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The aerial parts of Polygonum chinense L. var. hispidum are one of the key herbs in Cantonese herbal tea, which is quite a common local beverage in LingNan area of China. Previous investigation has found that this herb possesses antioxidant activity and the ethyl acetate fraction of its ethanol extract shows the strongest antioxidant activity. However, little is known about its antioxidant chemical constituents. The aim of this research was to investigate the active constituents of this plant by identifying and characterizing the chemical profile in ethyl acetate fraction using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, which can provide characteristic ultraviolet absorption, accurate molecular weight, and diagnostic tandem mass spectrometry fragment ions. As a result, 85 compounds were identified including 22 flavonoids, 12 ellagic acids, 34 ellagitannins, 16 phenolic acids, and one phenolic amide. All the phenolic compounds identified in this work, especially ethyl gallate, geraniin, chebulagic acid, and quercitrin with the higher peak areas in the ultra high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry chemical profile of this plant, could be the bioactive principles responsible for the antioxidant activity. These findings in the present study could benefit further studies involving the functions and chemicals of this plant, and provide scientific evidence for usage of Cantonese herbal tea.     

Insights into the metabolite profiles of Rubus chingii Hu at different developmental stages of fruit

The fruits of Rubus chingii Hu have high medicinal and nutritional values. However, the metabolite profiles of R. chingii, especially the alterations during different development stages of fruit, have not been comprehensively analyzed, hindering the effective utilization of the unique species. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the metabolites of R. chingii fruit at four developmental stages using systematic untargeted and targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis and identified 682 metabolites. Significant changes were observed in metabolite accumulation and composition in fruits during the different developmental stages. The contents of the index components, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and ellagic acid, were the highest in immature fruit. The analysis identified 64 differentially expressed flavonoids and 39 differentially expressed phenolic acids; the accumulation of most of these differentially expressed metabolites decreased with the developmental stages of fruit from immaturity to maturity. These results confirmed that the developmental stages of fruit are a critical factor in determining its secondary metabolite compositions. This study elucidated the metabolic profile of R. chingii fruit at different stages of development to understand the dynamic changes in metabolites.     

Antidiabetic,cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of oil extracted from Acrocomia aculeata pulp

This study evaluated the hypoglycemic effect of the oil extracted from the Acrocomia aculeata pulp (OPAC) in normoglycemic rats and streptozotocin (STZ), fructose-induced diabetic rat models and its in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic potential. OPAC (3, 30 or 300 mg/kg, v.o.) significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the high glucose levels induced by a high fructose-diet in rats. Persistent treatment with OPAC for 24 days also reduced the high plasmatic glucose induced by STZ. In normoglycemic animals, OPAC significantly decreased glucose levels. While A. aculeata oil exhibited good in vitro antioxidant activity, no sign of cytotoxicity was observed in LLC-PK1 cells (5–500 μg/mL). OPAC has antidiabetic and antioxidant activities without causing in vitro cytotoxicity.     

Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) leaf extract: chemical composition,antioxidant and hypoglicaemic activities

Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) leaf extract was investigated for its chemical profile and antioxidant and hypoglycaemic properties. The antioxidant effects were investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), β-carotene bleaching, and metal chelating activity assays. The carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes inhibition assay was used to test the hypoglycaemic potential. R. chalepensis showed a high content of hesperidin and rutin with values of 591.9 and 266.7 mg/g dry extract, respectively. The extract exhibited a promising protection of lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀ value of 16.9 μg/mL) and inhibited both α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes in a concentration-dependent manner. The highest activity was found against α-amylase (IC₅₀ value of 69.0 μg/mL). The obtained results support the use of R. chalepensis leaves as healthy food ingredients.     

Influence of Trans Fat on Skin Damage in First‐Generation Rats Exposed to UV Radiation

The influence of trans fatty acids (TFA) on lipid profile, oxidative damage and mitochondrial function in the skin of rats exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was assessed. The first‐generation offspring of female Wistar rats supplemented from pregnancy with either soybean oil (C‐SO, rich in n–6 FA; control group) or hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in TFA) were continued with the same supplements until adulthood, when half of each group was exposed to UVR for 12 weeks. The HVF group showed higher TFA cutaneous incorporation, increased protein carbonyl (PC) levels, decreased functionality of mitochondrial enzymes and antioxidant defenses of the skin. After UVR, the HVF group showed increased skin thickness and reactive species (RS) generation, with decreased skin antioxidant defenses. RS generation was positively correlated with skin thickness, wrinkles and PC levels. Once incorporated to skin, TFA make it more susceptible to developing UVR‐induced disorders.     

Functional properties and fatty acids profile of different beans varieties

Dried seeds of four varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris, three of Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata and two of Vigna angularis grown and marketed in Italy, Mexico, India, Japan, Ghana and Ivory Coast were analysed for fatty acids content. In oils from seeds of P. vulgaris, the main fatty acids were linolenic (34.7–41.5%) and linoleic (30.7–40.3%), followed by palmitic (10.7–16.8%). The first three aforementioned fatty acids in the lipid fraction of V. unguiculata varieties were 28.4, 28.7 and 26.2%, respectively; while in V. angularis varieties, main fatty acids were linoleic (36.4–39.1%) and palmitic (26.9–33.3%), followed by linolenic (17.9–22.2%). Statistical analyses indicate that botanical species play a rule in bean fatty acids distribution, while the same was not verified for geographical origin. Furthermore, the atherogenic index (AI) and the thrombogenic index (TI) were investigated for health and nutritional information. The results showed that these wide spread legumes have functional features to human health.     

Phytochemical profiles,antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterasic activities of the leaf extracts of Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides (L.) Jahand. & Maire in different solvents

In this work, the extracts obtained with different solvents from the leaves of Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides (L.) Jahand. & Maire were studied for their phytochemical profile and then for their antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. The phytochemical profiles of the extracts in n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, anthraquinone rich and water, showed the presence of different compounds belonging to several classes of natural products such as flavonoids, anthraquinones, saccharides and fatty acids. For what concerns the biological tests, the ethyl acetate, methanol and anthraquinone rich extracts showed the highest activities in both assays due to the high amount of compounds possessing those properties such as flavonoids and anthraquinones. By consequence, these specific extracts of the species may be considered to be potential sources of natural antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterasic compounds.     

Production of Lipid and Fatty Acids during Growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus terreus</Emphasis> on Hydrocarbon Substrates

An Aspergillus terreus, isolated from oil contaminated soil, could degrade a wide range of petroleum hydrocarbons including the immediate oxidation products of hydrocarbons, like alkanols and alkanals. Among all the linear chain carbon substrates, highest growth of 39.1 ± 3.8 g l⁻¹ (wet weight) was observed when n-hexadecane was used as the sole source of carbon. The growth of the fungus on this highly hydrophobic substrate was associated with the morphological change of the hyphae and increase production of lipid in the cells. The lipid production in the hydrocarbon (n-hexadecane) grown cells was sevenfold higher than the corresponding glucose grown cells. The fatty acid profile of the lipid content formed in the hydrocarbon grown cells was significantly different from the glucose grown cells and was composed of fatty acids with chain length C₁₄ to C₃₃ as revealed from the liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analyses. Among the ranges, the fatty acids with chain lengths C₁₄ to C₁₈ were predominant in the profile. Considering the fatty acid profile and the high level of lipid production, this A. terreus mediated production of lipid is envisaged to have potential application in the oleochemical industries including the production of biodiesel.