Carbohydrate Consumption and Fatigue: A Review

Fatigue is a condition that negatively impacts quality of life and occurs in about twenty four percent of adults worldwide. Many factors may contribute to fatigue. One factor is the macronutrient composition of a person’s diet, particularly, the amount of simple carbohydrates. This paper is a review of the current literature and examines the relationship of carbohydrate consumption and fatigue to determine if a diet low in simple carbohydrates results in an improvement in fatigue ratings. Results of studies regarding carbohydrate consumption and fatigue vary, the preponderance demonstrate a positive relationship between simple carbohydrate consumption and fatigue. Additionally, diets low in simple carbohydrates may improve cognition, mood and help reduce type 2 diabetes. To date, no study has been conducted to examine the long term effect of a diet low in simple carbohydrates therefore further research is needed in this area

Suboptimal light conditions influence source-sink metabolism during flowering

Reliance on carbohydrates during flower forcing was investigated in one early and one late flowering cultivar of azalea (Rhododendron simsii hybrids). Carbohydrate accumulation, invertase activity, and expression of a purported sucrose synthase gene (RsSUS) was monitored during flower forcing under suboptimal (natural) and optimal (supplemental light) light conditions, after a cold treatment (7 degrees C + dark) to break flower bud dormancy. Post-production sucrose metabolism and flowering quality was also assessed. Glucose and fructose concentrations and invertase activity increased in petals during flowering, while sucrose decreased. In suboptimal light conditions RsSUS expression in leaves increased as compared to optimal light conditions, indicating that plants in suboptimal light conditions have a strong demand for carbohydrates. However, carbohydrates in leaves were markedly lower in suboptimal light conditions compared to optimal light conditions. This resulted in poor flowering of plants in suboptimal light conditions. Post production flowering relied on the stored leaf carbon, which could be accumulated under optimal light conditions in the greenhouse. These results show that flower opening in azalea relies on carbohydrates imported from leaves and is source-limiting under suboptimal light conditions

Glyconanoparticles for colorimetric bioassays

Carbohydrate molecules are involved in many of the cellular processes that are important for life. By combining the specific analyte targeting of carbohydrates with the multivalent structure and change of solution colour as a consequence of plasmonic interactions with the aggregation of metal nanoparticles, glyconanoparticles have been used extensively for the development of bioanalytical assays. The noble metals used to create the nanocore, the methodologies used to assemble the carbohydrates on the nanoparticle surface, the carbohydrate chosen for each specific target, the length of the tether that separates the carbohydrate from the nanocore and the density of carbohydrates on the surface all impact on the structural formation of metal based glyconanoparticles. This tutorial review highlights these key components, which directly impact on the selectivity and sensitivity of the developed bioassay, for the colorimetric detection of lectins, toxins and viruses

Impact of Carbohydrates on the Aggregation of Probiotic Bacteria

Probiotic bacteria can be beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract in the human body in numerous ways. Autoaggregation may play a key role in allowing probiotics to prevent pathogenic organisms from colonizing the intestinal system. Currently, scientific research does not account for the extent in which the autoaggregation capacities of probiotics may be influenced by carbohydrates. In this experiment, nine carbohydrate sources, including those with prebiotic qualities, were applied to eighteen strains of bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus. The experiment evaluated the autoaggregation abilities of the lactobacilli strains exposed to the carbohydrate treatments. Generally, no carbohydrates stimulated the autoaggregation of most strains of lactobacilli. However, experimental results confirmed the rapid autoaggregation of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 exposed to treatments of 2’-fucosyllactose. These experimental results are relevant in understanding how carbohydrates may indirectly impact how probiotics can prevent pathogens from colonizing the gastrointestinal tract within the human body.Ope

Evaluation of a two-phase extraction system of carbohydrates and proteins from chlorella vulgaris utex 1803

Microalgae are a valuable source of high-value products and biofuels, however the high-energy cost required for the extraction of their metabolites has kept questioning on possible industrial upgrading. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature, solvent/biomass, NaOH concentration and thermal pretreatment of the biomass in a 2-cycle carbohydrate and protein extraction system. Results shown that best conditions for carbohydrates extraction are achieved at a solvent concentration of 3.67 M, 55°C and a solvent/biomass ratio of 30mL/g. On the other side, the best conditions for protein were 3 M, 85°C and 45 mL/g. The efficiencies achieved under these conditions were 95% for carbohydrates and 98% for proteins. Using the best extraction conditions for each metabolite a thermal pre-treatment was performed at 25°C, 75°C and 105°C. Results indicate that highest efficiencies were achieved with dry biomass pretreated at 105°C, with values of 95% for carbohydrates and 98% for proteins

Silylation of Carbohydrate Syrups

Introduction Carbohydrates are usually difficult to analyze in solutions. Gas chromatography provides a suitable means for analysis. However most carbohydrate compounds are not volatile enough for use by this method. Suitable deriviatives are the aldol acetates and the silylated carbohydrates. Aldol acetates are difficult to prepare and require long time periods for their formation. Silylation is the most suitable means for preparing volatile deriviatives. However most silyl compounds are water sensitive. This paper discusses silylating agents, their reaction mechanisms and a solution to the problem of water sensitivity

Some effects of boron to the growth and chemical composition of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia scop.) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirmeents for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Plant Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Some effects of boron on the growth and chemical composition of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.) plants cv Fakir were evaluated in a glasshouse. The growth and development of sainfoin plants was not affected by the different levels of boron applied but was affected by nitrogen application and inoculation due to the nodulation failure of the latter. Generally, the root showed the highest dry matter yield and the fastest relative growth rate. Similarly, the total nonstructural carbohydrates of the sainfoin plants were not affected by the different levels of boron. Nitrogen application reduced the total nonstructural carbohydrates of the whole plant. Moreover, when 1 ppm boron was applied, both the shoot and the root yielded the highest total nonstructural carbohydrates. Likewise, root and shoot total nonstructural carbohydrates were reduced by the application of nitrogen. Roots gave a higher total nonstructural carbohydrate yield than the shoot. Boron content of the whole sainfoin plant, the shoot and the root ranging from 0-55 µg/g increased in proportion with the increment of boron applied. Similar results were obtained from boron uptake of the whole plant, the shoot and the root. There was a depression of boron concentrations and boron uptake of the whole plant, the shoot and the root, when nitrogen was applied, implying a deficiency situation. Although nonsignificant effects of boron levels were obtained from nitrogen and phosphorus concentration and uptake, respectively, of both shoot and root, application of 2 ppm boron reduced the concentration of nitrogen but not nitrogen uptake, and reduced phosphorus concentration and phosphorus uptake. Application of nitrogen increased shoot and root nitrogen contents and nitrogen uptake but decreased root and shoot phosphorus concentrations and phosphorus uptake. It was concluded that levels of 2 ppm boron concentration were not adequate to support satisfactory growth when plants were supplied with sufficient levels of other nutrients. Keywords: Boron, nitrogen, Rhizobium, total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC

How do nematodes transfer phosphorylcholine to carbohydrates?

An unusual aspect of the biology of nematodes is the attachment of phosphorylcholine (PC) to carbohydrate. The attachment appears to play an important role in nematode development and, in some parasitic species, in immunomodulation. This article considers the nature of the biosynthetic pathway of nematode PC-containing glycoconjugates and, in particular, the identity of the final component in the pathway - the enzyme that transfers PC to carbohydrate (the 'PC transferase'). We offer the opinion that the PC transferase could be a member of the fukutin family (fukutin refers to the mutated gene product that causes Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy), a group of enzymes with apparent phosphoryl-ligand transferase activity that are found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans

Microalgae cultivation for lipids and carbohydrates production

Microalgae are photoautotrophic microorganisms that can produce energy both by using sunlight, water and CO2 (phototrophic metabolism) and by using organic sources such as glucose (heterotrophic metabolism). Heterotrophic growth is a key factor in microalgae research, due to its increased productivity and the lower capital and operative costs compared to photoautotrophic growth in photobioreactors. Carbohydrate production from microalgae is usually investigated for the production of biofuels (e.g. bioethanol) by successive fermentation, but also other applications can be envisaged in biopolymers. In this work an increment in carbohydrate purity after lipid extraction was found. Protein hydrolysis for different microalgae strains (Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp.) was investigated. Microalgae were cultivated under photoautotrophic or heterotrophic conditions, collecting biomass at the end of the growth. Biomass samples were dried or freeze dried and used for carbohydrate and lipid extraction tests. Lipid extraction was achieved using different organic solvents (methanol-chloroform and hexane-2propanol). Basic protein hydrolysis has been carried out testing different temperatures and NaOH concentrations values. Lipids were spectrophotometrically quantified, while residual biomass was saccharificated and the total amount of sugars was measured. Significant differences about the purity of extracted carbohydrates were found comparing dried with freeze dried biomass. However, not a very promising purification of carbohydrates was achieved after protein hydrolysis, asking for further analysis. © Copyright 2017, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Anomeric O-Functionalization of Carbohydrates for Chemical Conjugation to Vaccine Constructs.

Carbohydrates mediate a wide range of biological interactions, and understanding these processes benefits the development of new therapeutics. Isolating sufficient quantities of glycoconjugates from biological samples remains a significant challenge. With advances in chemical and enzymatic carbohydrate synthesis, the availability of complex carbohydrates is increasing and developing methods for stereoselective conjugation these polar head groups to proteins and lipids is critically important for pharmaceutical applications. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of commonly employed strategies for installing a functionalized linker at the anomeric position as well as examples of further transformations that have successfully led to glycoconjugation to vaccine constructs for biological evaluation as carbohydrate-based therapeutics