Upcycling Rocha do Oeste Pear Pomace as a Sustainable Food Ingredient: Composition,Rheological Behavior and Microstructure Alone and Combined with Yeast Protein Extract

This work explores the potential of Rocha do Oeste pear pomace to be used as a sustainable and healthy food ingredient. Moreover, the enrichment with yeast protein extract (YPE) may be useful to design innovative food products. The main goals of this study were to assess pear pomace concerning: (i) chemical composition and antioxidant capacity; (ii) rheology, texture, and microstructure characterization (alone or enriched with YPE), before and after heating. The results showed that pear pomace was a rich source of dietary fibers (74.5% DW), with phenolic compounds (3.9 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents/g dry weight), also presenting antiradical activity (3.90 μmol Trolox equivalents/g DW). Pear pomace showed a shear thinning behavior and a typical soft-gel behavior, which was not affected by YPE enrichment, thus suggesting that YPE did not affect pear pomace technological properties. Thermal treatment also did not alter pear pomace rheological properties. YPE addition induced a decrease in the apparent viscosity and a destabilizing effect, compared to the samples that were subjected to thermal processing. These results highlight the importance of pear pomace and the use of YPE for protein enrichment, opening new opportunities for their exploitation.     

In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Methanolic Extract of Justicia adhatoda Leaves with Special Emphasis on Human Breast Cancer Cell Line

Natural products are being targeted as alternative anticancer agents due to their non-toxic and safe nature. The present study was conducted to explore the in vitro anticancer potential of Justicia adhatoda (J. adhatoda) leaf extract. The methanolic leaf extract was prepared, and the phytochemicals and antioxidant potential were determined by LCMS analysis and DPPH radical scavenging assay, respectively. A docking study performed with five major alkaloidal phytoconstituents showed that they had a good binding affinity towards the active site of NF-κB. Cell viability assay was carried out in five different cell lines, and the extract exhibited the highest cytotoxicity in MCF-7, a breast cancer cell line. Extract-treated cells showed a significant increase in nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production. Cell cycle analysis showed an arrest in cell growth at the Sub-G0 phase. The extract successfully inhibited cell migration and colony formation and altered mitochondrial membrane potential. The activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione were also found to decrease in a dose-dependent manner. The percentage of apoptotic cells was found to increase in a dose-dependent manner in MCF-7 cells. The expressions of caspase-3, Bax, and cleaved-PARP were increased in extract-treated cells. An increase in the expression of NF-κB was found in the cytoplasm in extract-treated cells. J. adhatoda leaf extract showed a potential anticancer effect in MCF-7 cells.     

Assessment of Cucurbita spp. Peel Extracts as Potential Sources of Active Substances for Skin Care and Dermatology

By-products of cultivated plants are one of the major environmental concerns worldwide. Due to the high concentration of bioactive chemicals, such waste may be considered hazardous due to the interference with the plant growth, deterioration of the drinking water quality or toxic effects on sensitive marine organisms. Moreover, plant-derived by-products, with proper handling, may represent a low-cost source of bioactive compounds potentially important for pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, the influence of tyrosinase activity, in vitro sun protecting factor and cytotoxicity of 15 extracts from peels of five cultivars of Cucurbita maxima and C. moschata. The extracts were prepared using “green solvents” (water, 50% propylene glycol, and 20% ethanol) and ultrasound-assisted extraction. The performed analysis showed that the peel extracts from various cultivars differ significantly in respect to the phytochemical content and activity. The type of solvent also had a significant impact on the extract’s composition and bioactivity. Aqueous peel extracts contained the highest amounts of flavonoids, showed the greatest antioxidant potential and the most significant in vitro SPF values. In vitro studies showed that the analyzed peel extracts are not cytotoxic for human keratinocytes up to the concentration of 1000 µg/mL and thus might be considered as non-irritant for the skin. The study confirms the potential application of peel extracts from Cucurbita spp. cultivars in cosmetic products.     

Enhancing Bioactive Saponin Content of Raphanus sativus Extract by Thermal Processing at Various Conditions

Pickled radish (Raphanus sativus) is a traditional Asian ingredient, but the traditional method takes decades to make this product. To optimize such a process, this study compared the saponin content of pickled radishes with different thermal processing and traditional processes (production time of 7 days, 10 years, and 20 years) and evaluated the effects of different thermal processes on the formation of radish saponin through kinetics study and mass spectrometry. The results showed that increasing the pickling time enhanced the formation of saponin in commercial pickled radishes (25 °C, 7 days, 6.50 ± 1.46 mg g⁻¹; 3650 days, 23.11 ± 1.22 mg g⁻¹), but these increases were lower than those induced by thermal processing (70 °C 30 days 24.24 ± 1.01 mg g⁻¹). However, it was found that the pickling time of more than 10 years and the processing temperature of more than 80 °C reduce the saponin content. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis showed that the major saponin in untreated radish was Tupistroside G, whereas treated samples contained Asparagoside A and Timosaponin A1. Moreover, this study elucidated the chemical structure of saponins in TPR. The findings indicated that thermal treatment could induce functional saponin conversion in plants, and such a mechanism can also be used to improve the health efficacy of plant-based crops.     

Anti-Obesity Effect of Dyglomera® Is Associated with Activation of the AMPK Signaling Pathway in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Mice with High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity

Dyglomera^® is an aqueous ethanol extract of the fruit pods of Dichrostachys glomerata, a Cameroonian spice. Several studies have shown its anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. However, the underlying mechanisms for such effects remain unclear. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effect of Dyglomera^® and its underlying mechanisms in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our results revealed that Dyglomera^® inhibited adipogenesis and lipogenesis by regulating AMPK phosphorylation in white adipose tissues (WATs) and 3T3-L1 adipocytes and promoted lipolysis by increasing the expression of lipolysis-related proteins. These results suggest that Dyglomera^® can be used as an effective dietary supplement for treating obesity due to its modulating effect on adipogenesis/lipogenesis and lipolysis.     

Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics to Explore the Action Mechanism of the Pharmaceutical-Grade Triticum vulgare Extract in Speeding Up Keratinocyte Healing

Plant extracts have shown beneficial properties in terms of skin repair, promoting wound healing through a plethora of mechanisms. In particular, the poly-/oligosaccharidic aqueous extract of Triticum vulgare (TVE), as well as TVE-based products, shows interesting biological assets, hastening wound repair. Indeed, TVE acts in the treatment of tissue regeneration mainly on decubitus and venous leg ulcers. Moreover, on scratched monolayers, TVE prompts HaCat cell migration, correctly modulating the expression of metalloproteases toward a physiological matrix remodeling. Here, using the same HaCat-based in vitro scratch model, the TVE effect has been investigated thanks to an LFQ proteomic analysis of HaCat secretomes and immunoblotting. Indeed, the unbiased TVE effect on secreted proteins has not yet been fully understood, and it could be helpful to obtain a comprehensive picture of its bio-pharmacological profile. It has emerged that TVE treatment induces significant up-regulation of several proteins in the secretome (153 to be exact) whereas only a few were down-regulated (72 to be exact). Interestingly, many of the up-regulated proteins are implicated in promoting wound-healing-related processes, such as modulating cell–cell interaction and communication, cell proliferation and differentiation, and prompting cell adhesion and migration.     

用清除羟自由基法评价竹叶提取物抗氧化能力

进行了Fe2+与邻二氮菲生成红色配合物的吸收光谱,抗氧化剂TBHQ及竹叶提取物样品对清除羟自由基能力的研究。分光光度法测定抗氧化剂清除羟自由基能力的测定波长为509.1 nm。以IC₅₀值(清除率为50%时,抗氧化剂的浓度值)作为评价抗氧化剂清除羟自由基能力的指标,测得合成抗氧化剂和效果最好竹叶提取物样品IC₅₀值分别为0.040(TBHQ),0.378(M20),0.323(M40),0.334(M60),M20, M40, M60等竹叶提取物可以作为天然抗氧化剂进行开发。     

玉米须提取液对尿液中草酸钙晶体形成的影响

本文采用X射线衍射(XRD)、红外光谱(FTIR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等方法分析了玉米须提取液对正常人尿液中草酸钙晶体形成的影响,通过电导率法研究了草酸钙晶体生长的动力学过程,以及从生物矿化的角度对玉米须提取液影响尿液中草酸钙晶体的可能机理进行了探讨。由于玉米须提取液中有机酸或多糖的羟基、羰基等通过配位作用与Ca²⁺结合形成可溶性配位化合物,减少了Ca²⁺与Oxa^2-的结合能力,从而抑制了CaOxa的成核和生长。同时,可能由于玉米须提取液中有效成分与二水草酸钙(COD)的吸附点键合,增强了COD晶体在溶液中的热力学稳定性,进而抑制了COD晶体向热力学更稳定态的一水草酸钙(COM)晶体转变。结果显示,这种抑制作用随玉米须浓度增大而增大,且COD晶体尺寸随着玉米须浓度的增大而减小。玉米须抑制COD晶体向COM晶体转变的作用为开发预防和治疗尿结石的药物提供了启示。     

Fouling and cleaning of membranes in the ultrafiltration of the aqueous extract of soy flour

The aqueous extract of soy flour is an emulsion/suspension of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. The foulant deposit formed on the surface of polysulfone membranes in the ultrafiltration of this complex extract was investigated from several aspects including thickness, physical structure, chemical analysis and rheological behaviour. SEM studies showed the thickness of the foulant deposit was approximately 0.2 μm for 50000 MWCO membrane and 0.4 μm for 100000 MWCO membrane. The structure of the foulant deposit consisted of lipids in a globular form of 0.2 to 1 μm diameter adhered to, and supported by, a protein-polysaccharide matrix. Rheological measurements were conducted on a sample of the foulant deposit collected from the 100000 MWCO membrane. This foulant deposit exhibited pseudoplastic and viscoelastic properties which totally resisted the surface shear stresses in the flat-plate module. Recovery of the water flux of the fouled membranes was achieved by a four-stage cleaning procedure comprising successive stages of washing with sodium hydroxide, protease detergent, sodium hypochlorite and flushing with water.     

Antibacterial cotton fabrics with in situ generated silver and copper bimetallic nanoparticles using red sanders powder extract as reducing agent

Using aqueous extraction of red sanders powder as a reducing agent, silver and copper bimetallic nanoparticles were in situ generated in cotton fabrics. Silver and copper nanoparticles were also generated separately for comparison. The resulted nanocomposite cotton fabrics (NCFs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and antibacterial tests. SEM analysis indicated the generation of more number of nanoparticles when bimetallic source solutions were used. Further, the size range of the generated bimetallic nanoparticles was found to be lower than when individual metal nanoparticles were generated in NCFs. XRD analysis confirmed the in situ generation of silver and copper nanoparticles when equimolar bimetallic salt source solutions were utilized. The NCFs with bimetallic nanoparticles exhibited higher antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and hence can be considered for applications as antibacterial bed and dressing materials.