Phyto-Enrichment of Yogurt to Control Hypercholesterolemia: A Functional Approach

Cholesterol is essential for normal human health, but elevations in its serum levels have led to the development of various complications, including hypercholesterolemia (HC). Cholesterol accumulation in blood circulation formsplaques on artery walls and worsens the individuals’ health. To overcome this complication, different pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches are employed to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels. Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are the most commonly used drugs, but their prolonged use leads to several acute side effects. In recent decades, the potential benefit of ingesting yogurt on lipid profile has attracted the interest of researchers and medical professionals worldwide. This review aims to give an overview of the current knowledge about HC and the different therapeutic approaches. It also discusses the health benefits of yogurt consumption and highlights the overlooked phyto-enrichment option to enhance the yogurt’s quality. Finally, clinical studies using different phyto-enriched yogurts for HC management are also reviewed. Yogurt has a rich nutritional value, but its processing degrades the content of minerals, vitamins, and other vital constituents with beneficial health effects. The option of enriching yogurt with phytoconstituents has drawn a lot of attention. Different pre-clinical and clinical studies have provided new insights on their benefits on gut microbiota and human health. Thus, the yogurtphyto-enrichment with stanol and β-glucan have opened new paths in functional food industries and found healthy andeffective alternatives for HC all along with conventional treatment approaches.     

Anti-Depressant Properties of Crocin Molecules in Saffron

Saffron is a valued herb, obtained from the stigmas of the C. sativus Linn (Iridaceae), with therapeutic effects. It has been described in pharmacopoeias to be variously acting, including as an anti-depressant, anti-carcinogen, and stimulant agent. The therapeutic effects of saffron are harbored in its bioactive molecules, notably crocins, the subject of this paper. Crocins have been demonstrated to act as a monoamine oxidase type A and B inhibitor. Furthermore, saffron petal extracts have experimentally been shown to impact contractile response in electrical field stimulation. Other research suggests that saffron also inhibits the reuptake of monoamines, exhibits N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonism, and improves brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling. A host of experimental studies found saffron/crocin to be similarly effective as fluoxetine and imipramine in the treatment of depression disorders. Saffron and crocins propose a natural solution to combat depressive disorders. However, some hurdles, such as stability and delivery, need to be overcome.     

Pd-NHC catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura couplings on 3-bromo-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole-6-sulfonamide

A series of novel α-carboline derivatives such as 3-aryl-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole-6-sulfonamides have been synthesized from the readily available low-cost raw material, benzotriazole which is subjected to nucleophilic aromatic substitution with 5-bromo-2-chloropyridine followed by sequential steps of cyclization, sulfonation, amidation, and finally Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. The C–C bond formation between 3-bromo-9H-pyrido[2.3-b]indole-6-sulfonamide and various boronic acids was achieved with more accessible palladium pre-catalyst, Pd-PEPPSI-IPr via Suzuki coupling under microwave condition in a short reaction time with excellent yields.     

Comprehensive Lichenometabolomic Exploration of Ramalina conduplicans Vain Using UPLC-Q-ToF-MS/MS: An Identification of Free Radical Scavenging and Anti-Hyperglycemic Constituents

In this study, we propose ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QToF-MS/MS)-guided metabolite isolation as a choice analytical approach to the ongoing structure–activity investigations of chemical isolates from the edible lichen, Ramalina conduplicans Vain. This strategy led to the isolation and identification of a new depside (5) along with 13 known compounds (1–4, 6–14), most of which being newly described in this lichen species. The structures of the isolates were established by detailed analysis of their spectral data (IR, NMR, and Mass). The acetone extract was further analyzed by UPLC-Q-ToF-MS/MS in a negative ionization mode, which facilitated the identification and confirmation of 18 compounds based on their fragmentation patterns. The antioxidant capacities of the lichen acetone extract (AE) and isolates were measured by tracking DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activities. Most isolates displayed marked radical scavenging activities against ABTS while moderate activities were observed against DPPH radical scavenging. Except for atranol (14), oxidative DNA damage was limited by all the tested compounds, with a marked protection for the novel isolated compound (5), as previously noted for the acetone extract (p < 0.001). Furthermore, compound (4) and acetone extract (AE) have inhibited intestinal α-glucosidase enzyme significantly (p < 0.01). Although some phytochemical studies were already performed on this lichen, this study provided new insights into the isolation and identification of bioactive compounds, illustrating interest in future novel analytical techniques.     

Naphthobipyrrole‐Derived Sapphyrins: Rational Synthesis,Characterization, Nonlinear Optical Properties,and Excited‐State Dynamics

Two new free‐base β‐octa and hexaalkyl naphthobipyrrole‐derived sapphyrins are reported along with various salts thereof. One of them has substituents at all of its β positions, whereas the pyrrole unit opposite to the bipyrrolic moiety is unsubstituted in the other. The effect of bipyrrole fusion on the structure of sapphyrins was explored. Interestingly, an unprecedented sandwiched supramolecular aqua‐bridged free‐base sapphyrin dimer was also characterized in the solid state. Further, the effect of anions on the third‐order nonlinear optical properties of these sapphyrins were explored in the salt form, along with their detailed excited‐state dynamics by both degenerate and nondegenerate pump–probe studies.     

Microwave-assisted chemoselective synthesis of novel pyrazolo[3,4-b]thieno[3,4-e]pyridines: substitution induced axial chirality

A microwave-assisted chemoselective synthesis of novel pyrazolo[3,4-b]thieno[3,4-e]pyridines has been achieved via tandem Michael addition–cyclization–tautomerization–oxidative aromatization sequence of reactions. Compounds with ortho-substituted phenyl rings exhibited axial chirality due to restricted rotation around C–C single bond.     

Sonoelectrochemical oxidation for decolorization of Reactive Red 195

The decolorization and degradation of Reactive Red 195 (RR 195) is studied using sonoelectrochemical and electrochemical oxidation. Sonoelectrochemical oxidation was found to be more efficient than electrochemical oxidation. The efficiency of decolorization was found to be 91% and 99% in the case of electrochemical and sonoelectrochemical process, respectively. The effect of different supporting electrolytes and ultrasonic power on decolorization and COD removal has been studied. The decolorization was found to be maximum in the KCl and NaCl as electrolytes. The color removal decreased with increasing ultrasonic power. Response surface methodology was used to assess optimal condition for decolorization and COD removal of RR 195. A Central Composite Design in five most important operating variables; current density, electrolyte concentration, dye concentration, time and sonication power was employed for experimental design and optimization of results. The significance of independent variables and their interactions were tested by means of the analysis of variance with 95% confidence limits. There was good agreement between the experimental and predicated values. Sonoelectrochemical degradation was found to be efficient in decolorizing simulated textile effluent. The results show that ultrasound was significantly enhanced in the electrochemical oxidation.     

Nitride band-structure model in a quantum well laser simulator

The two-dimensional quantum well laser simulator Visible Laser Simulator (VLS) has been extended to simulate III–V nitride based lasers. In this paper, we present details about the laser simulator and focus on the six band k.p solver used to calculate the electronic band structure. The effect of strain on bulk and quantum well electronic dispersion is analyzed, and the influence of the built-in polarization charges on the band diagram is likewise considered.