Influence of Agronomic Practice on Total Phenols,Carotenoids, Chlorophylls Content,and Biological Activities in Dry Herbs Water Macerates

Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) have long been known for their organoleptic properties. Both plants are widely used in cuisine worldwide in fresh and dried form and as a pharmaceutical raw material. The study aimed to assess if the type of cultivation influenced chosen chemical parameters (total polyphenols by Folin-Ciocalteu method; carotenoids and chlorophyll content by Lichtenthaler method), antimicrobial activity (with chosen reference microbial strains) and shaped cytotoxicity (with L929 mouse fibroblasts cell line) in water macerates of dry oregano and thyme. Polyphenols content and antimicrobial activity were higher in water macerates obtained from conventional cultivation (independently from herb species), unlike the pigments in a higher amount in macerates from organic herbs cultivation. Among all tested macerates stronger antimicrobial properties (effective in inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella enteritidis) and higher cytotoxicity (abilities to diminish the growth of L929 fibroblasts cytotoxicity) characterized the conventionally cultivated thyme macerate.     

Mining the Royal Jelly Proteins: Combinatorial Hexapeptide Ligand Library Significantly Improves the MS-Based Proteomic Identification in Complex Biological Samples

Royal jelly (RJ) is a complex, creamy secretion produced by the glands of worker bees. Due to its health-promoting properties, it is used by humans as a dietary supplement. However, RJ compounds are not fully characterized yet. Hence, in this research, we aimed to broaden the knowledge of the proteomic composition of fresh RJ. Water extracts of the samples were pre-treated using combinatorial hexapeptide ligand libraries (ProteoMiner^TM kit), trypsin-digested, and analyzed by a nanoLC-MALDI-TOF/TOF MS system. To check the ProteoMiner^TM performance in the MS-based protein identification, we also examined RJ extracts that were not prepared with the ProteoMiner^TM kit. We identified a total of 86 proteins taxonomically classified to Apis spp. (bees). Among them, 74 proteins were detected in RJ extracts pre-treated with ProteoMiner^TM kit, and only 50 proteins were found in extracts non-enriched with this technique. Ten of the identified features were hypothetical proteins whose existence has been predicted, but any experimental evidence proves their in vivo expression. Additionally, we detected four uncharacterized proteins of unknown functions. The results of this research indicate that the ProteoMiner^TM strategy improves proteomic identification in complex biological samples. Broadening the knowledge of RJ composition may contribute to the development of standards and regulations, enhancing the quality of RJ, and consequently, the safety of its supplementation.     

The influence of new polymeric microbeads in peeling products on skin condition

Abstract

The first aim of this work was to obtain the formula of peeling using sodium alginate microparticles and the second aim was to study the influence of this product on skin condition. Alginate microparticles were obtained by the extrusion method. The hydration, sebum, colour and skin's barrier quality were examined after application of peeling. The results showed that alginate microparticles doesn’t irritate the skin. After the application, redness of skin, itching and dryness didn’t appear and the dead skin cells were removed from the skin surface. Sodium alginate microparticles may be successfully used in cosmetic purposes as abrasive agent.     

Simultaneous chiral separation and determination of carvedilol and 5′-hydroxyphenyl carvedilol enantiomers from human urine by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescent detection

A sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescent detection (HPLC-FL) and tandem mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-MS/MS) methods for separation and determination of carvedilol (CAR) enantiomers and 5′-hydroxyphenyl carvedilol (5′-HCAR) enantiomers has been developed and validated. The analysed compounds were extracted from human urine by solid phase extraction. Good enantioseparation of the studied enantiomers was achieved on CHIRALCEL® OD-RH column using 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid and 0.05% diethylamine in water and acetonitrile in a gradient elution. The mass spectrometric data were acquired using the multiple reaction monitoring mode by positive electrospray ionisation. The method was validated over the concentration range from 25.0 ng mL^?1 to 200 ng mL^?1 for the analysed compounds. The limit of quantification varied from 14.2 ng mL^?1 to 24.2 ng mL^?1. Both the repeatability and inter-day precisions were below 10.0%, and the accuracy varied from ?13.2% to 3.77%. The extraction recoveries ranged from 79.2% to 108%. The present paper reports the method for the simultaneous determination of CAR enantiomers and their metabolite enantiomers (5′-HCAR) in human urine samples. This newly developed method was successfully used to analyse the aforementioned analytes in human urine samples obtained from patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.      

Determination of Thallium in a Flow System by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry at a Bismuth Film Electrode

A procedure for trace thallium determination by anodic stripping voltammetry at a bismuth film electrode is presented. Measurements were performed in a flow system. The calibration graph was linear from 2×10^?9 to 3×10^?8 mol L^?1 for an accumulation time of 300 s. A detection limit for Tl⁺ following deposition time of 300 s was 6×10^?10 mol L^?1. The relative standard deviation at Tl⁺ concentration 2×10^?8 mol L^?1 was 3.9%. For determination of thallium in complex matrices the procedure for elimination of interferences from foreign ions exploiting anion exchange resin was proposed. The procedure proposed was validated by analysis of rain water certified reference material.     

Polish Varieties of Industrial Hemp and Their Utilisation in the Efficient Production of Lignocellulosic Ethanol

Nowadays, more and more attention is paid to the development and the intensification of the use of renewable energy sources. Hemp might be an alternative plant for bioenergy production. In this paper, four varieties of Polish industrial hemp (Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Henola, and Rajan) were investigated in order to determine which of them are the most advantageous raw materials for the effective production of bioethanol. At the beginning, physical and chemical pretreatment of hemp biomass was carried out. It was found that the most effective is the alkaline treatment with 2% NaOH, and the biomasses of the two varieties were selected for next stages of research: Tygra and Rajan. Hemp biomass before and after pretreatment was analyzed by FTIR and SEM, which confirmed the effectiveness of the pretreatment. Next, an enzymatic hydrolysis process was carried out on the previously selected parameters using the response surface methodology. Subsequently, the two approaches were analyzed: separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process. For Tygra biomass in the SHF process, the ethanol concentration was 10.5 g∙L⁻¹ (3.04 m³·ha⁻¹), and for Rajan biomass at the SSF process, the ethanol concentration was 7.5 g∙L⁻¹ (2.23 m³·ha⁻¹). In conclusion, the biomass of Polish varieties of hemp, i.e., Tygra and Rajan, was found to be an interesting and promising raw material for bioethanol production.     

Multilayered Curcumin-Loaded Hydrogel Microcarriers with Antimicrobial Function

The design of multifunctional microcarriers has attracted significant attention because they combine various functions within a single system. In this study, we developed a set of multilayered hydrogel microcarriers, which were first loaded with chemotherapeutic curcumin (CUR), then, using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, coated through a polyelectrolyte shell consisting of chitosan (CHIT) or poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH). As an outer layer with antimicrobial function, newly synthesised alkylene quaternary ammonium salt functionalised polyelectrolytes (A-QAS-PEs) were applied. For this purpose, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was decorated with different hydrophobic side chains (n-hexane and n-dodecane side entities) and different degrees of substitution (m) of quaternary ammonium groups (abbreviated as PAA-C(O)O-(CH₂)_n-N⁺(CH₃)₃(m); n = 6, 12; m = 8–14%). The grafting approach of PAA with the alkylene quaternary ammonium salt moiety was performed under mild reaction conditions using Steglich esterification followed by quaternisation. The structure of antimicrobial decorated PAA was confirmed by ¹H NMR and FTIR, and the mean diameter of all multifunctional microparticles was characterised by SEM. The viscoelastic properties of the functional layers were studied using quartz crystal microbalance with a dissipation (QCM-D). The release of CUR from the microcarriers was described using a hybrid model, i.e., a combination of first-order kinetics and the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The antimicrobial activity of functionalised PAA and multilayered CUR-loaded hydrogel microcarriers with quaternary ammonium function was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marcescens by the agar diffusion assay method. Only a limited inhibition zone of PAA was observed, but in the case of both antimicrobial decorated PAA and the corresponding multilayered nanocarriers, the inhibitory activity increase was achieved against both strains of bacteria.     

Synthesis of Tetrapeptides Containing Dehydroalanine,Dehydrophenylalanine and Oxazole as Building Blocks for Construction of Foldamers and Bioinspired Catalysts

The incorporation of dehydroamino acid or fragments of oxazole into peptide chain is accompanied by a distorted three-dimensional structure and additionally enables the introduction of non-typical side-chain substituents. Thus, such compounds could be building blocks for obtaining novel foldamers and/or artificial enzymes (artzymes). In this paper, effective synthetic procedures leading to such building blocks—tetrapeptides containing glycyldehydroalanine, glycyldehydrophenylalanine, and glycyloxazole subunits—are described. Peptides containing serine were used as substrates for their conversion into peptides containing dehydroalanine and aminomethyloxazole-4-carboxylic acid while considering possible requirements for the introduction of these fragments into long-chain peptides at the last steps of synthesis.