Trace Element Contents in the Edible Mushroom Boletus edulis Bull. ex Fries

Study was carried out on the trace element concentrations of edible mushroom Boletus edulis from Gorski kotar, Croatia. Samples were collected between March and December 2013. The analyses were carried out by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the values of the studied elements decreased in the order: Cu (13.01) > Se (12.25) > Mn (9.19) > Al (4.62) > Ag (2.34) > Hg (2.18) > Cd (1.22) > Ni (0.99) > Pb (0.79) > Sb (0.60) > As (0.41) > Ba (0.38) > Cr (0.22) > Co (0.07). The essential elements in fruiting bodies Boletus edulis were a considerably higher than those of toxic elements. The consumption of wild edible mushroom Boletus edulis from Gorski kotar is safe for human health

Effect of Olive (Olea europaea L.) Variety on Leaf Biophenolic Profile

Olive leaves are rich in valuable biophenolic compounds, characterised by high antioxidant activity, antimicrobial properties and beneficial effects on human health. Leaf biophenols are essential for metabolic adaptation of olive to various abiotic or biotic stressors and maintenance of homeostasis. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of olive variety (‘Buža’, ‘Karbonaca’ and ‘Oblica’) on the leaf biophenols concentrations. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomised design in 3 replicates. Olive leaves were collected in three sampling periods, starting from harvest in October 2017 until pruning in March 2018. The variety ‘Buža’ differed significantly from the other cultivars with its highest content of oleuropein (5239.88 mg 100 g-1 DW) and total biophenols (5943.25 mg 100 g-1 DW). The highest levels of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (3.92 mg 100 g-1 DW), luteolin (48.17 mg 100 g-1 DW) and apigenin (7.55 mg 100 g-1 DW) were recorded in ‘Karbonaca’ samples. Tyrosol concentrations were not significantly different between ‘Karbonaca’ (4.79 mg 100 g-1 DW) and ‘Oblica’ (4.96 mg 100 g-1 DW) cultivars, however both differed from ‘Buža’ with the highest tyrosol concentration (6.67 mg 100 g-1 DW). The obtained results showed significant differences in the content of important biophenols between the selected olive varieties. Accordingly, the highest concentration of oleuropein, the most important secoiridoid in olive leaves, in cultivar ‘Buža’ could strongly determine their metabolic response to different stressors

A baseline study of the metallothioneins content in digestive gland of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus from Northern Adriatic Sea: Body size, season, gender and metal specific variability

Metallothioneins content was investigated in digestive gland of two wild-caught Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus populations from the Northern Adriatic Sea, in relation to body size, season and gender. Concomitant accumulation of cadmium, mercury, arsenic, lead, chromium and manganese, reactive oxygen species concentration and energy reserves in digestive gland were also assessed. While differences between genders were not recorded, metallothioneins content seasonal trends were affected by body size. Most of parameters displayed inconsistent trends across sampling sites. Significant correlation between metallothioneins content and cadmium, arsenic and mercury concentrations was recorded only for larger lobsters. A negative correlation of reactive oxygen species concentration and metallothioneins content was observed for small, but not large lobsters. Energy reserves, in particular lipids, could considerably influence biochemical and chemical parameters variations. The present results constitute the essential baseline for future studies aimed at evaluating the N. norvegicus health in relation to metal contamination of coastal sediments

Evaluation of the Antioxidant Capacity, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Potential of Fir (Abies alba Mill.) Honeydew Honey Collected from Gorski kotar (Croatia)

U radu su ispitani antiproliferativni, antimikrobni i antioksidacijski učinci medljikovaca jele (Abies alba Mill.) prikupljenih s planinskog područja Hrvatske (Gorski kotar) a u svrhu potencijalne primjene umjesto standardnih antibiotika i kemoterapeutika. Preživljavanje stanica, annexin V test i protočna citometrijska analiza poslužili su za procjenu antiproliferativnog učinka na indukciju apoptoze i smrti humanih tumorskih staničnih linija: HeLa, MCF-7, SW620, CFPAC-1, MIA PaCa-2 i normalnih diploidnih humanih fibroblasta (BJ). Antimikrobna je aktivnost testirana na različitim sojevima bakterija Staphylococcus i Acinetobacter uporabom difuzijske i mikrodilucijske metode. DPPH˙ testom određena je sposobnost uklanjanja radikala, dok je matematičkim modelima proučavana kinetika inhibicije DPPH˙. Uočen je antiproliferativni učinak na sve ispitivane stanične linije kao i na normalne diploidne fibroblaste (BJ), kolorektalni adenokarcinom (SW620, metastatski) i adenokarcinom epitela dojke (MCF-7, metastatski). Mehanizmi antiproliferativnog učinka uključuju nakupljanje stanica u sub-G1 fazi u svim ispitivanim stanicama te indukciju apoptoze osobito u SW620 i MCF-7 stanicama. Antibakterijski testovi pokazuju da su rezistentni sojevi obaju bakterija, uključujući i multirezistentni soj A. baumannii ATCC® BAA-1605™, bili osjetljivi na sve ispitane uzorke meda. Proučavanjem kinetike uklanjanja radikala dokazano je da antioksidansi prisutni u medu posjeduju različite sposobnosti hvatanja radikala, da reagiraju s njima različitim brzinama i time uzrokuju dva stupnja reakcije. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da hrvatski medljikovac ima terapeutski potencijal zbog snažne biološke aktivnosti te može služiti u zaštiti ljudskog zdravlja.The paper examines the antiproliferative, antimicrobial and antioxidative effects of fir (Abies alba Mill.) honeydew honey from mountain region of Croatia (Gorski kotar) as a potential replacement for standard antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents. Cell viability, annexin V assay and flow cytometry analysis served to analyse the antiproliferative effect on, apoptosis induction in and cell death of cancer cell lines: HeLa, MCF-7, SW620, CFPAC-1, MIA PaCa-2 and normal diploid human fibroblasts (BJ). Antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter strains by agar well diffusion and microdilution assays. The DPPH˙ assay determined the radical scavenging activity, while mathematical models helped to evaluate the kinetic data of DPPH˙ inhibition. Antiproliferative effect on all tested cell lines and the prominent effect on normal diploid human fibroblasts (BJ), colorectal adenocarcinoma (SW620, metastatic) and breast epithelial adenocarcinoma (MCF-7, metastatic) was observable. The mechanisms of antiproliferative effect included accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase in all tested cells and induction of apoptosis in SW620 and MCF-7 cells predominantly. The antibacterial assays showed that antibiotic resistant strains of both bacteria, including multi-resistant strain A. baumannii ATCC® BAA-1605™, were sensitive to all tested honey samples. Radical scavenging assay suggests that antioxidants present in the honey possess different radical suppressing abilities and that they react at different rates with radicals, thereby causing two steps of reaction. The results of the study indicate that Croatian fir honeydew honey has a therapeutic potential due to the strong biological activity and can serve to protect human health

Odgovor industrijske rajčice na primjenu arbuskularnih mikoriznih gljiva u uvjetima konvencionalne proizvodnje

The potential effect of pre-inoculation of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on yield and fruit properties was investigated in conventional production. Tomato seeds were sown in seedling trays filled with a substrate non-inoculated (AMF-) or inoculated (AMF+) by selected mycorrhizal strains. Seedlings were transplanted in Terra rossa soil and grown in conditions with mineral fertilization and irrigation. Tomato fruits were sampled at harvest. Tomato plants under both treatments had high levels of mycorrhizal colonization, due to applied inoculum (AMF+) or indigenous (AMF-) inoculum present in the soil. Applied AMF+ treatment increased P and decreased K content in tomato fruits. Content of trace elements such as As and V significantly increased, while Pb content significantly decreased in the fruits of AMF+ when compared to the AMF- treatment. No significant effect of AMF+ treatment was observed on yield, fruit quality (soluble solids, pH, total acidity, fruit firmness), lycopene and antioxidant activity of tomato fruits. The overall results suggest that processing tomato is highly susceptible to the indigenous AMF, while seedlings inoculation with selected AMF improves only total phenolic and P fruit content. This means that AMF have a potential application in commercial processing tomato production, however a targeted adaptation of management decissions is required for more extensive results.Potencijalni utjecaj inokulacije presadnica industrijske rajčice (Solanum lycopersicum L.) selekcioniranim arbuskularnim mikoriznim gljivama (AMF), na prinos i svojstva ploda, istražen je u konvencionalnoj proizvodnji. Sjeme rajčice posijano je u polistirenske kontejnere s neinokuliranim (AMF-) ili mikorizama inokuliranim (AMF+) supstratom. Presadnice su posađene u crvenicu, u proizvodnim uvjetima s mineralnom gnojidbom i navodnjavanjem. Uzorkovanje plodova industrijske rajčice provedeno je u berbi. Kod oba tretmana utvrđen je visoki postotak kolonizacije selekcioniranim mikorizama (AMF+) i nativnim vrstama (AMF-) prisutnim u tlu. Plodovi rajčice s AMF+ biljaka imali su veći sadržaj P i manji sadržaj K u odnosu na AMF- tretman. Sadržaj As i V bio je signifikantno veći, dok je sadržaj Pb bio signifikantno manji u AMF+ u usporedbi s AMF- tretmanom. Signifikantan učinak tretmana AMF+ na prinos, kvalitetu ploda (suha tvar, pH, ukupna kiselost, čvrstoća ploda), likopen i antioksidacijsku aktivnost je izostao. Temeljem dobivenih rezultata možemo zaključiti da je industrijska rajčica podložna nativnim AMF, dok je ciljana inokulacija presadnica AMF značajno povećala ukupni sadržaj fenola i P. Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju na potencijalnu primjenu AMF u komercijalnoj proizvodnji industrijske rajčice, međutim prethodna prilagodba uzgojnih uvjeta je neophodna za postizanje značajnijih rezultata

Phenolic leaf profile of olive cultivar \u27Istarska bjelica\u27 at different boron concentrations in the nutrient solution

Bor (B) je esencijalni biogeni element neophodan za rast i razvoj masline, a nedostatak B općenito se smatra jednim od najčešćih nedostataka mikroelemenata u maslinarstvu. Iako nedostatak B može dovesti do promjene koncentracije različitih fenolnih spojeva u listu masline utjecaj ishranjenosti masline B na fenolni profil lista udomaćenih sorata masline nije dovoljno istražen. Stoga, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi utjecaj primjene hranive otopine s (B+) (30 μM B) ili bez (B-) (0 μM B) bora na fenolni profil lista masline (Olea europaea L.) sorte \u27Istarska bjelica\u27. Pokus je postavljen kao slučajni blokni raspored u četiri ponavljanja na ukupno 40 sadnica masline sorte \u27Istarska bjelica\u27. Uzorkovanje lista provedeno je nakon 60 dana od početka pokusa. Koncentracija B u listu masline bila je značajno veća u B+ tretmanu, dok su utvrđene koncentracije ukupnih fenola i verbaskozida u listu masline bile značajno veće u B- tretmanu. Gnojidba B nije značajno utjecala na koncentraciju ostalih fenolnih spojeva. Značajno veća koncentracija ukupnih fenola i verbaskozida u listu sorte \u27Istarska bjelica\u27 kod B- tretmana može se povezati s fiziološkim odgovorom biljke na nedostatak B.Boron (B) is an essential nutrient for growth and development of olive, whereas B deficiency is among the most common micronutrient disorders in olive production. Boron deficiency contributes changes in the concentration of different phenolic compounds in olive leaves, the impact of B nutrition on the phenolic leaf profile of autochthonous olive varieties is mainly unknown. This study aimed to investigate the impact of nutrient solutions, with (B+) and without (B-) boron addition, on the phenolic profile in olive leaves of cultivar ‘Istarska bjelica’. The experiment was set up in random block design in four repetitions, on 40 olive plantlets of cultivar ‘Istarska bjelica’. Olive leaves were sampled 60 days after the beginning of the experiment. Boron concentration in olive leaves was significantly higher in the B+ treatment, whereas total phenolic content and verbascoside concentration were significantly higher in the olive leaves of the B- treatment. Boron nutrition had no significant impact on other phenolic compounds. A significantly higher total phenolic content and verbascoside concentration, determined in olive leaves of cultivar ‘Istarska bjelica’, indicate the relation between physiological plant response and B deficiency

Nutraceutical and antinutraceutical components of Croatian red wines with protected designation of origin

Antioksidacijski kapacitet te koncentracije nutraceutičkih (fenolni spojevi, makro-, mikro- i elementi u tragovima) i antinutraceutičkih (toksični elementi, biogeni amini, okratoksin A) komponenata određene su u 110 uzoraka hrvatskih crnih vina sa zaštićenom oznakom izvornosti. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo vina sedam sorti iz pet godišta berbe i sedam zaštićenih oznaka izvornosti. Antioksidacijski kapacitet vina te koncentracije pojedinačnih fenola u hrvatskim su vinima ovisne većim dijelom o geografskom podrijetlu vina, a manjim dijelom o karakteristikama proizvodne sorte, dok je elementni sastav vina najvećim dijelom ovisan o geografskom podrijetlu vina. Među biogenim aminima, histamin je jedini bio sortno i regionalno specifičan. Više koncentracije histamina izmjerene su u vinima s višim pH te u vinima proizvedenim od grožđa ubranog u klimatološki nepovoljnoj godini. Koncentracije okratoksina A i udio kontaminiranih vina postupno je rastao od sjevera prema jugu. Također je učestalost kontaminacije upućivala na sortno specifičnu osjetljivost. Analizom glavnih komponenata i kanoničkom diskriminacijskom analizom istražen je potencijal ispitivanih fenolnih spojeva i elemenata za diskriminaciju hrvatskih crnih vina s obzirom na sortu, geografsko podrijetlo i godište berbe. Učinkoviti fenolni spojevi u diskriminaciji vina bili su: katehin, kvercetin, miricetin, vanilinska i ferulinska kiselina i resveratrol. Učinkoviti elementi u diskriminaciji vina bili su K, Na, Al, Cr, Co i As.Antioxidant capacity and concentrations of nutraceutical (phenols, macro-, micro- and trace elements) and antinutraceutical (toxic elements, biogenic amines and ochratoxin A) components were determined in 110 samples of Croatian red wines with protected designation of origin. Seven varieties, five vintages and seven protected designations of origin were included in the study. Antioxidant capacity and concentrations of individual phenols in Croatian wines depended mostly on the geographic origin and less on the variety, while elemental composition in greatest part depended on the geographic origin. Among biogenic amines, only histamine was varietally and regionally specific. Higher histamine concentrations were measured in wines with higher pH and in wines produced from the grapes harvested in the climatologically unfavorable year. Ochratoxin A concentration and frequency of contamination increased southwards. The frequency of ochratoxin A contamination pointed to variety-specific susceptibility. Principal component analysis and canonical discriminant analysis were used to investigate the potential of investigated phenols and elements to discriminate Croatian red wines according to variety, geographic origin and vintage. Catechin, quercetin, miricetin, vanillic and ferulic acid and resveratrol were efficient phenols while K, Na, Al, Cr, Co and As were efficient elements in wine discrimination

Nutraceutical and antinutraceutical components of Croatian red wines with protected designation of origin

Antioksidacijski kapacitet te koncentracije nutraceutičkih (fenolni spojevi, makro-, mikro- i elementi u tragovima) i antinutraceutičkih (toksični elementi, biogeni amini, okratoksin A) komponenata određene su u 110 uzoraka hrvatskih crnih vina sa zaštićenom oznakom izvornosti. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo vina sedam sorti iz pet godišta berbe i sedam zaštićenih oznaka izvornosti. Antioksidacijski kapacitet vina te koncentracije pojedinačnih fenola u hrvatskim su vinima ovisne većim dijelom o geografskom podrijetlu vina, a manjim dijelom o karakteristikama proizvodne sorte, dok je elementni sastav vina najvećim dijelom ovisan o geografskom podrijetlu vina. Među biogenim aminima, histamin je jedini bio sortno i regionalno specifičan. Više koncentracije histamina izmjerene su u vinima s višim pH te u vinima proizvedenim od grožđa ubranog u klimatološki nepovoljnoj godini. Koncentracije okratoksina A i udio kontaminiranih vina postupno je rastao od sjevera prema jugu. Također je učestalost kontaminacije upućivala na sortno specifičnu osjetljivost. Analizom glavnih komponenata i kanoničkom diskriminacijskom analizom istražen je potencijal ispitivanih fenolnih spojeva i elemenata za diskriminaciju hrvatskih crnih vina s obzirom na sortu, geografsko podrijetlo i godište berbe. Učinkoviti fenolni spojevi u diskriminaciji vina bili su: katehin, kvercetin, miricetin, vanilinska i ferulinska kiselina i resveratrol. Učinkoviti elementi u diskriminaciji vina bili su K, Na, Al, Cr, Co i As.Antioxidant capacity and concentrations of nutraceutical (phenols, macro-, micro- and trace elements) and antinutraceutical (toxic elements, biogenic amines and ochratoxin A) components were determined in 110 samples of Croatian red wines with protected designation of origin. Seven varieties, five vintages and seven protected designations of origin were included in the study. Antioxidant capacity and concentrations of individual phenols in Croatian wines depended mostly on the geographic origin and less on the variety, while elemental composition in greatest part depended on the geographic origin. Among biogenic amines, only histamine was varietally and regionally specific. Higher histamine concentrations were measured in wines with higher pH and in wines produced from the grapes harvested in the climatologically unfavorable year. Ochratoxin A concentration and frequency of contamination increased southwards. The frequency of ochratoxin A contamination pointed to variety-specific susceptibility. Principal component analysis and canonical discriminant analysis were used to investigate the potential of investigated phenols and elements to discriminate Croatian red wines according to variety, geographic origin and vintage. Catechin, quercetin, miricetin, vanillic and ferulic acid and resveratrol were efficient phenols while K, Na, Al, Cr, Co and As were efficient elements in wine discrimination

Growth inhibition and recovery patterns of common duckweed Lemna minor L. after repeated exposure to isoproturon

Aquatic non-targeted organisms are more likely to be exposed to herbicides in multiple pulse events then long continuous exposure. The potential of an organism to recover between exposures has an important role in the overall effects of the toxicant. Common duckweeds show high potential for recovery after a single exposure to isoproturon. To evaluate the growth patterns and recovery potential between multiple exposures, L. minor plants were exposed to isoproturon in three repetitive 7-day treatment cycles in three time- variable exposure scenarios with equivalent time- weighted average concentrations. The growth was significantly inhibited during each exposure phase with significant cumulative effects in every subsequent treatment cycle resulting in a cumulative decrease in biomass production. However, inhibitory effects were reversible upon transferring plants to a herbicide-free nutrient solution. These results indicate that L. minor plants have a high recovery potential even after multiple exposures to isoproturon. Observed cumulative decrease in biomass production, as well as the potential for fast and efficient recovery from repeated herbicide exposure, might affect the competitiveness of L. minor in surface water communities. The observations made during each exposure period, recovery patterns, and the resulting cumulative effects over time may contribute to further development, calibration and validation of mechanistic toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic models for simulating the effects of pesticides on aquatic plants populations in the laboratory and environmental conditions