Phenolic Compound Profile by UPLC-MS/MS and Encapsulation with Chitosan of Spondias mombin L. Fruit Peel Extract from Cerrado Hotspot—Brazil

Taperebá (Spondias mombin L.) is a native species of the Brazilian Cerrado that has shown important characteristics such as a significant phenolic compound content and biological activities. The present study aimed to characterize the phenolic compound profile and antioxidant activity in taperebá peel extract, as well as microencapsulating the extract with chitosan and evaluating the stability of the microparticles. The evaluation of the profile of phenolic compounds was carried out by UPLC-MS/MS. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS methods. The microparticles were obtained by spray drying and were submitted to a stability study under different temperatures. In general, the results showed a significant content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity. The results of UPLC-MS/MS demonstrated a significant content of polyphenols in taperebá peel, highlighting the high content of ellagic acid and quercetin compounds. There was significant retention of phenolic compounds when microencapsulated, demonstrating high retention at all evaluated temperatures. This study is the first to microencapsulate the extract of taperebá peel, in addition to identifying and quantifying some compounds in this fruit.     

Crosslinked penicillin acylase aggregates for synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics in organic medium

Crosslinked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) of a partially purified penicillin acylase from a recombinant Escherichia coli strain have been produced as a novel type of biocatalysts well endowed to perform in organic media. Different protein precipitants were studied and glutaraldehyde was used as the crosslinking agent. Precipitation curves were obtained for all precipitants to determine the concentrations at which all the protein precipitated out of the solution. The effect of the glutaraldehyde-to-protein ratio was studied with respect to process recovery and the specific activity and stability of the biocatalyst. Recovery of penicillin acylase activity was moderately high, about 50%; major losses of enzyme activity were produced at the precipitation step. Specific activities of all CLEAs were very high, which is one of the advantages of using nonsupported biocatalysts. Ammonium sulfate and tert-butyl alcohol were the best precipitants at a glutaraldehyde-protein mass ratio of 2 and were selected to perform the kinetically controlled synthesis of ampicillin in 60% (v/v) ethylene glycol medium. At comparable conversion yields, volumetric and specific antibiotic productivity were much higher for CLEAs than for carrier-bound penicillin acylases.     

Production and Digestibility Studies of β-Galactosyl Xylitol Derivatives Using Heterogeneous Catalysts of LacA β-Galactosidase from Lactobacillus Plantarum WCFS1

The synthesis of β-galactosyl xylitol derivatives using immobilized LacA β-galactosidase from Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 is presented. These compounds have the potential to replace traditional sugars by their properties as sweetener and taking the advantages of a low digestibility. The enzyme was immobilized on different supports, obtaining immobilized preparations with different activity and stability. The immobilization on agarose-IDA-Zn-CHO in the presence of galactose allowed for the conserving of 78% of the offered activity. This preparation was 3.8 times more stable than soluble. Since the enzyme has polyhistidine tags, this support allowed the immobilization, purification and stabilization in one step. The immobilized preparation was used in synthesis obtaining two main products and a total of around 68 g/L of β-galactosyl xylitol derivatives and improving the synthesis/hydrolysis ratio by around 30% compared to that of the soluble enzyme. The catalyst was recycled 10 times, preserving an activity higher than 50%. The in vitro intestinal digestibility of the main β-galactosyl xylitol derivatives was lower than that of lactose, being around 6 and 15% for the galacto-xylitol derivatives compared to 55% of lactose after 120 min of digestion. The optimal amount immobilized constitutes a very useful tool to synthetize β-galactosyl xylitol derivatives since it can be used as a catalyst with high yield and being recycled for at least 10 more cycles.     

Melatonin Rescues the Dendrite Collapse Induced by the Pro-Oxidant Toxin Okadaic Acid in Organotypic Cultures of Rat Hilar Hippocampus

The pro-oxidant compound okadaic acid (OKA) mimics alterations found in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as oxidative stress and tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Although loss of dendrite complexity occurs in AD, the study of this post-synaptic domain in chemical-induced models remains unexplored. Moreover, there is a growing expectation for therapeutic adjuvants to counteract these brain dysfunctions. Melatonin, a free-radical scavenger, inhibits tau hyperphosphorylation, modulates phosphatases, and strengthens dendritic arbors. Thus, we determined if OKA alters the dendritic arbors of hilar hippocampal neurons and whether melatonin prevents, counteracts, or reverses these damages. Rat organotypic cultures were incubated with vehicle, OKA, melatonin, and combined treatments with melatonin either before, simultaneously, or after OKA. DNA breaks were assessed by TUNEL assay and nuclei were counterstained with DAPI. Additionally, MAP2 was immunostained to assess the dendritic arbor properties by the Sholl method. In hippocampal hilus, OKA increased DNA fragmentation and reduced the number of MAP2(+) cells, whereas melatonin protected against oxidation and apoptosis. Additionally, OKA decreased the dendritic arbor complexity and melatonin not only counteracted, but also prevented and reversed the dendritic arbor retraction, highlighting its role in post-synaptic domain integrity preservation against neurodegenerative events in hippocampal neurons.     

Development and application of electrochemical sensor of boron-doped diamond (BDD) modified by drop casting with tin hexacyanoferrate

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - This work presents the development and characterization of an electrochemical sensor of tin hexacyanoferrate (SnHCF), produced from the modification by...     

Recurrence relations for the coefficients of the Fourier series expansions with respect to q-classical orthogonal polynomials

We propose an algorithm to construct recurrence relations for the coefficients of the Fourier series expansions with respect to the q-classical orthogonal polynomials p_k(x;q). Examples dealing with inversion problems, connection between any two sequences of q-classical polynomials, linearization of ϑ_m(x) p_n(x;q), where ϑ_m(x) is x^mor (x;q)_m, and the expansion of the Hahn-Exton q-Bessel function in the little q-Jacobi polynomials are discussed in detail. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A combination of statistical and analytical evaluation methods as a new optimization strategy for the quantification of pharmaceutical residues in sewage effluent

In this study, a new solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for simultaneous extraction of pharmaceutical compounds with acidic and basic characteristics (ibuprofen, fenoprofen, diclofenac, diazepam and loratadine) from residual water samples is proposed. In this procedure, the extraction is processed using two distinct sample pH values. The extraction is begun at pH 2.5 to promote the sorption of acidic pharmaceuticals and after 35 min the sample pH is changed to 7.0 by adding 0.4 mol L⁻¹ disodium hydrogenphosphate, so that the basic compounds can be sorbed by the fiber (20 min). The pH change is performed without interruption of the extraction process. A comparison between the proposed method and the SPME method applied to each group of the target compounds was performed. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was used for separation and detection of analytes. The extraction conditions for the three methods were optimized using full factorial experimental design, response surface through a Doehlert matrix and central composite design. Limits of detection (0.02-0.43 μg L⁻¹) and correlation coefficients (0.9970-0.9998) were determined for the three methods. The proposed extraction procedure was applied to samples of sewage treatment plant effluent and untreated wastewater. Recovery and relative standard deviation values ranged from 67 to 116% and 4.6 to 14.5%, respectively, for all compounds studied. Modification of sample pH during the extraction procedure was shown to be an excellent option for all of the compounds and may be extended to the simultaneous extraction of other compounds with different acid-base characteristics.     

An understanding of the electrophilic/nucleophilic behavior of electro-deficient 2,3-disubstituted 1,3-butadienes in polar diels-alder reactions. A density functional theory study

The electrophilic/nucleophilic behavior of dimethyl 2,3-dimethylenesuccinate 1, an electron-deficient 2,3-disubstituted 1,3-butadiene, in polar Diels-Alder reactions has been studied using DFT methods at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. The electronic nature of bonding of the transition structures involved in the cycloaddition reactions of the diene 1 toward the nucleophilically activated dienophile 6 and the strong electrophilically activated dienophile 7 has been carefully examined within the natural bond orbital (NBO) and the topological analysis of the electron localization function (ELF) frameworks. Additionally, a study of the global electrophilicity pattern of the reagents at the ground state was performed. This evidence allows us to rationalize the participation of electron-deficient 2-susbtituted and 2,3-disubstituted 1,3-butadienes as nucleophiles in polar Diels-Alder reactions.     

Autocatalytic demetalation of a Zn(salphen) complex provoked by unprotected N-heterocycles

The interaction of Zn(salphen) complex with biologically important structures such as (benz)imidazoles and purine has been studied and revealed in the case of unprotected purine and (benz)imidazole derivatives a demetalated product, whereas for structurally related 1-methyl-(benz)imidazole the formation of 1 : 1 coordination complexes was evidenced by NMR, MS and X-ray crystallography.     

Stereospecific Synthesis of Steroidal 20,16-γ-Carbolactones

Two strategies have been explored for the synthesis of steroidal 20,16-γ-carbolactones from the corresponding 17-ketoandrostane. A highly efficient, stereospecific protocol has been developed for the β-oriented cis-γ-lactone, based on a Michael addition of cyanide to a conjugated ketone. A different approach, involving prior attachment of a 3-carbon side chain on C-17 of a 17-oxo-16β-acetoxy-androstane led to the epimeric, α-oriented lactone.