A silver nanoparticle-based method for determination of antioxidant capacity of rapeseed and its products

A novel silver nanoparticle-based (AgNP) method and two modified procedures, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), were used for determination of antioxidant capacities of the ethanolic, methanolic, methanolic-aqueous (1?:?1 v/v) and aqueous extracts of rapeseed and its products. The AgNP method based on the electron-transfer reaction between silver ions and antioxidants in an optimized ammonium buffer medium (pH = 8.4) and determination of silver nanoparticle formation has been elaborated. The novel AgNP method was validated using sinapic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid and quercetin as standard antioxidant solutions in concentration ranges of 0.03-0.21 μmol mL(-1), 0.02-0.20 μmol mL(-1), 0.01-0.18 μmol mL(-1), 0.03-0.30 μmol mL(-1) and 0.001-0.009 μmol mL(-1). The calculated detection (DL = 0.01, 0.02, 0.009, 0.02 and 0.0004 μmol mL(-1) for sinapic, gallic, caffeic, ascorbic acids and quercetin, respectively) and quantification limits (QL = 0.04, 0.06, 0.03, 0.08 and 0.001 μmol mL(-1) for sinapic, gallic, caffeic, ascorbic acids and quercetin, respectively) confirm linearity concentration ranges for determination of antioxidant capacity by AgNP assay. The average antioxidant capacities of the studied rapeseed samples ranged between 14.7 and 126.2 μmol sinapic acid per gram for the proposed AgNP method, 7.4-112.7 μmol sinapic acid per gram for the FRAP method and 39.1-339.8 μmol sinapic acid per gram for DPPH assay. The methanol-water mixture (1:1 v/v) was the most efficient solvent for extraction of antioxidants from the studied rapeseed samples. There are significant, positive correlations between the novel AgNP and the modified FRAP, DPPH and FC methods for all extracts of the studied rapeseed samples (r = 0.7564-0.8516, p < 0.001). Satisfactory values of precision (RSD = 1.2-4.4%) and accuracy (recovery = 95.6-104.6%, except methanolic extracts) demonstrate the benefit of the proposed AgNP method for analysis of the antioxidant capacity of rapeseed samples. Results of the principal component analysis (PCA) indicate that there are differences between the total amounts of antioxidants in rapeseed samples extracted by different solvents.     

Experimental investigation and thermodynamic prediction of the Al–Ge–Zn phase diagram

The knowledge of the phase diagram of the Al?CGe?CZn ternary system is of importance in the development of high temperature soldering materials. In this study, the phase diagram of the Al?CGe?CZn ternary system was calculated by the calculation of phase diagrams method using binary thermodynamic parameters included in the COST MP0602 thermodynamic database. Chosen alloys with compositions along two vertical sections with molar ratio Al/Ge?=?3/1 and 1/3 were measured using DTA (differential thermal analysis). The experimentally determined phase transition temperatures from this work and phase equilibria data from literature were compared with calculation results and good mutual agreement was noticed.     

Volumetric and Surface Properties of Short Chain Alcohols in Aqueous Solution–Air Systems at 293?K

From measurements of the surface tension, density, viscosity and light scattering of aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol and propanol at 293?K, their activity in the surface monolayer, surface excess concentration, and apparent and partial molar volume were determined. The surface excess concentration of alcohols at the water?Cair interface was determined from the Gibbs equation by using both the alcohol's activity and their molar fraction in the bulk phase and recalculated by using the Guggenheim?CAdam equation. The values of the surface excess concentration determined from the Gibbs equation were also applied to determine the standard Gibbs energy of alcohol adsorption at the water?Cair interface from Langmuir??s equation and compared to those determined from that of Aronson and Rosen.     

X-ray analysis at 150?K, synthesis and theoretical calculations of 1-naphthaleneacrylic acid

The X-ray structure, synthesis, theoretical calculation and IR spectra of 1-naphthaleneacrylic acid are reported. The titled compound crystallizes in the monoclinic C 2/c space group with unit cell parameters: a = 14.556(3), b = 5.1332(10), c = 26.832(5) ?, β = 97.02(3)°, V = 1989.8(7) ?³, Z = 8 and form typical centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded dimers. Theoretical calculations of 1-naphthylacrylic acid isolated molecule and hydrogen-bonded dimer have been carried out using density functional theory at the B3LYP level. For optimized structures the vibrational spectra have been then calculated and compared with experimental IR spectrum. The assignment and characterization of theoretical vibrational spectra were based on the potential energy distribution analysis. This comparison has shown that the theoretical spectrum for the dimer structure is in good agreement with the experimental one. Structural comparisons with naphthalene, and with some substituted 2-propenoic acids have shown influence of the substituent on conformation of the naphthalene ring or 2-propenoic moiety.     

On extensions of the Bessel operator on a finite interval and a half-line

The minimum and maximum operators generated by a Bessel differential expression are studied. The boundary triplets for the maximum operator A _??,max are constructed, and the corresponding Weyl functions are found. All non-negative self-adjoint extensions of the minimum operator A _??,min are described.     

Physicochemical,Antioxidant, Microstructural Properties and Bioaccessibility of Dark Chocolate with Plant Extracts

In this study, dark chocolates (DCh) containing zinc lactate (ZnL) were enriched with extracts from elderberries (EFrE), elderflowers (EFlE), and chokeberries (ChFrE) to improve their functional properties. Both dried plant extracts and chocolates were analyzed for antioxidant capacity (AC) using four different analytical methods: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), cupric ion-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), while total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu (F–C) assay. An increase in antioxidant properties of fortified chocolates was found, and the bioaccessibility of their antioxidants was evaluated. The highest AC and TPC were found in ChFrE and chocolate with chokeberries (DCh + ChFrE) before and after simulated in vitro digestion. Bioaccessibility studies indicated that during the simulated digestion the AC of all chocolates reduced significantly, whereas insignificant differences in TPC results were observed between chemical and physiological extracts. Moreover, the influence of plant extracts on physicochemical parameters such as moisture content (MC), fat content (FC), and viscosity of chocolates was estimated. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy with dispersive energy spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) was used to analyze surface properties and differences in the chemical composition of chocolates without and with additives.     

Gold Nanoparticles as Effective ion Traps in Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Cross-Linked by Metal-Ligand Coordination

At this time, the development of advanced elastic dielectric materials for use in organic devices, particularly in organic field-effect transistors, is of considerable interest to the scientific community. In the present work, flexible poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) specimens cross-linked by means of ZnCl₂-bipyridine coordination with an addition of 0.001 wt. %, 0.0025 wt. %, 0.005 wt. %, 0.04 wt. %, 0.2 wt. %, and 0.4 wt. % of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared in order to understand the effect of AuNPs on the electrical properties of the composite materials formed. The broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurements revealed one order of magnitude decrease in loss tangent, compared to the coordinated system, upon an introduction of 0.001 wt. % of AuNPs into the polymeric matrix. An introduction of AuNPs causes damping of conductivity within the low-temperature range investigated. These effects can be explained as a result of trapping the Cl⁻ counter ions by the nanoparticles. The study has shown that even a very low concentration of AuNPs (0.001 wt. %) still brings about effective trapping of Cl⁻ counter anions, therefore improving the dielectric properties of the investigated systems. The modification proposed reveals new perspectives for using AuNPs in polymers cross-linked by metal-ligand coordination systems.     

On the Generalized Strongly Nil-Clean Property of Matrix Rings

Let R be an associative unital ring and not necessarily commutative.We analyze conditions under which every n × n matrix A over R is expressible as a sum A =E1 +…+ Es + N of (commuting) idempotent matrices Ei and a nilpotent matrix N.     

Modulatory Effect of Diosmin and Diosmetin on Metalloproteinase Activity and Inflammatory Mediators in Human Skin Fibroblasts Treated with Lipopolysaccharide

Diosmin is widely used as a venoactive drug in the pharmacological treatment of chronic venous disorders. It exerts a strong protective effect on blood vessels via an increase in the elasticity of vessel walls and reduces the permeability of capillary walls, thereby producing an anti-edematous effect. In this paper, we investigated the effectiveness of diosmin and diosmetin in modulating the level of proinflammatory factors in human skin fibroblasts treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Two variants of the experiments were performed: the flavonoid was added 2 h prior to or 24 h after LPS stimulation. Our study revealed that both flavonoids reduced the levels of IL-6 and Il-1β as well as COX-2 and PGE2 but had no impact on IL-10. However, the addition of the compounds prior to the LPS addition was more effective. Moreover, diosmetin modulated the proinflammatory factors more strongly than diosmin. Our investigations also showed that both flavonoids were potent inhibitors of elastase and collagenase activity, and no differences between the glycoside and aglycone forms were observed.     

Novel C60 Fullerenol-Gentamicin Conjugate–Physicochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Properties

This study aimed to develop, characterize, and evaluate antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of novel fullerene derivative composed of C₆₀ fullerenol and standard aminoglycoside antibiotic–gentamicin (C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate). The successful introduction of gentamicin to fullerenol was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy which together with thermogravimetric and spectroscopic analysis revealing the formula of the composition as C₆₀(OH)₁₂(GLYMO)₁₁(Gentamicin)_0.8. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed that conjugate possessed ability to form agglomerates in water (size around 115 nm), while Zeta potential measurements demonstrated that such agglomerates possessed neutral character. In vitro biological assays indicated that obtained C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate possessed the same antibacterial activity as standard gentamicin against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, which proves that combination of fullerenol with gentamicin does not cause the loss of antibacterial activity of antibiotic. Moreover, cytotoxicity assessment demonstrated that obtained fullerenol-gentamicin derivative did not decrease viability of normal human fibroblasts (model eukaryotic cells) compared to control fibroblasts. Thus, taking into account all of the results, it can be stated that this research presents effective method to fabricate C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate and proves that such derivative possesses desired antibacterial properties without unfavorable cytotoxic effects towards eukaryotic cells in vitro. These promising preliminary results indicate that obtained C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate could have biomedical potential. It may be presumed that obtained fullerenol may be used as an effective carrier for antibiotic, and developed fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate may be apply locally (i.e., at the wound site). Moreover, in future we will evaluate possibility of its applications in inter alia tissue engineering, namely as a component of wound dressings and implantable biomaterials.