Effect of Fermentation Time on Antioxidant and Anti-Ageing Properties of Green Coffee Kombucha Ferments

Kombucha, also known as the Manchurian mushroom, is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, the so-called SCOBY. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the ferments obtained from green coffee beans after different fermentation times with kombucha. Results for the ferments were compared to the green coffee extract that was not fermented. In this study, the antioxidant potential of obtained ferments was analyzed by assessing the scavenging of external and intracellular free radicals and the assessment of superoxide dismutase activity. Cytotoxicity of ferments on keratinocyte and fibroblast cell lines was assessed as well as anti-aging properties by determining their ability to inhibit the activity of collagenase and elastase enzymes. In addition, the composition of the obtained ferments and the extract was determined, as well as their influence on skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) after application of samples on the skin. It has been shown that the fermentation time has a positive effect on the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties. The highest values were recorded for the tested samples after 28 days of fermentation. After 14 days of the fermentation process, it was observed that the analyzed ferments were characterized by low cytotoxicity to keratinocytes and fibroblasts. On the other hand, the short fermentation time of 7 days had a negative effect on the properties of the analyzed ferments. The obtained results indicate that both green coffee extracts and ferments can be an innovative ingredient of cosmetic products.     

Interaction of titanium and tin chlorides in tetrahydrofuran. The X-ray crystal structure of [trans-TiCl2(THF)4][SnCl5(THF)]

The direct reaction between [TiCl₄(THF)₂] and SnCl₂ in tetrahydrofuran (THF) yields the green paramagnetic salt [trans-TiCl₂(THF)₄][SnCl₅(THF)]. The same compound is also formed in the reaction between [TiCl₃(THF)₃] and SnCl₄ in THF. Crystals of the title compound are monoclinic with a = 8.442(4), b = 21.589(9), c = 9.262(5) Å, β = 107.91(5)°, Z = 2, space group P2₁/m. Both metal ions are in an octahedral environment. The titanium atom in the cation [TiCl₂(THF)₄]⁺ lies on the symmetry centre. The tin atom in [SnCl₅(THF)]⁻ is located on the mirror plane.     

Photochemical production of chromate(VI) ions from some chromium(Ill) complexes

Complexes of the type [Cr(CN)_6-X(OH)_X]^3- were found to produce the chromate(VI) ions upon exposure to UV radiation in alkaline medium. The quantum yields are reported and possible mechanism is discussed.     

On complexity reduction of Σ<Subscript>1</Subscript> formulas

 For a fixed q  ℕ and a given Σ₁ definition φ(d,x), where d is a parameter, we construct a model M of 1 Δ₀ + ? exp and a non standard d  M such that in M either φ has no witness smaller than d or phgr; is equivalent to a formula ϕ(d,x) having no more than q alternations of blocks of quantifiers. Received: 29 September 1998 / Revised version: 7 November 2001 Published online: 10 October 2002 RID="⋆" ID="⋆" Research supported in part by The State Committee for Scientific Research (Poland), KBN, grant number 2 PO3A 018 13. RID="⋆" ID="⋆" Research supported in part by The State Committee for Scientific Research (Poland), KBN, grant number 2 PO3A 018 13.     

Solution Structure of a Lanthanide-binding DNA Aptamer Determined Using High Quality pseudocontact shift restraints

In this contribution we report the high-resolution NMR structure of a recently identified lanthanide-binding aptamer (LnA). We demonstrate that the rigid lanthanide binding by LnA allows for the measurement of anisotropic paramagnetic NMR restraints which to date remain largely inaccessible for nucleic acids. One type of such restraints - pseudocontact shifts (PCS) induced by four different paramagnetic lanthanides - was extensively used throughout the current structure determination study and the measured PCS turned out to be exceptionally well reproduced by the final aptamer structure. This finding opens the perspective for a broader application of paramagnetic effects in NMR studies of nucleic acids through the transplantation of the binding site found in LnA into other DNA/RNA systems.     

Complexes of Formaldehyde and α-Dicarbonyls with Hydroxylamine: FTIR Matrix Isolation and Theoretical Study

The interactions of formaldehyde (FA), glyoxal (Gly) and methylglyoxal (MGly) with hydroxylamine (HA) isolated in solid argon and nitrogen were studied using FTIR spectroscopy and ab initio methods. The spectra analysis indicates the formation of two types of hydrogen-bonded complexes between carbonyl and hydroxylamine in the studied matrices. The cyclic planar complexes are stabilized by O–H⋯O(C), and C–H⋯N interactions and the nonplanar complexes are stabilized by O–H⋯O(C) bond. Formaldehyde was found to form with hydroxylamine, the cyclic planar complex and methylglyoxal, the nonplanar one in both argon and nitrogen matrices. In turn, glyoxal forms with hydroxylamine the most stable nonplanar complex in solid argon, whereas in solid nitrogen, both types of the complex are formed.