Effect of Bitter Melon Aqueous Extract and Pomegranate Oil on Glucose Concentration and Lipid Profile in Blood of Rats – Preliminary Study

Conjugated fatty acids is a term given to a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids with conjugated double bonds systems in their carbon chains. Conjugated linolenic acids (CLnA) are present in seeds of certain plants e.g. α-eleostearic acid (cis-9, trans-11, trans-13 C18:3) in bitter melon (Momordica charantia, Cucurbitaceae) or punicic acid (cis-9, trans-11, cis-13 C18:3) in pomegranate (Punica granatum, Punicaceae), where usually they are most prevalent among fatty acids. Bitter melon and pomegranate have been widely investigated as they are commonly consumed plants which also have been used in traditional medicine, mainly in Asia, for treatment of many diseases, such as diabetes and atherosclerosis.The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a diet supplemented with an aqueous extract of bitter melon fruits and/or with pomegranate oil on health status and lipid profile of blood. Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided into four groups with different diet supplementation: pomegranate oil (G), aqueous extract of bitter melon (M), pomegranate oil and aqueous extract from bitter melon (M+G), and control group (C). During the experiment fasting glucose concentration and total cholesterol (TC), HDL, LDL, and triglyceride (TG) concentration were measured in blood collected intravitally from the tail vein.The modifications introduced into the diets did not influence negatively overall health condition of the animals. Bitter melon fruits extract slightly decreased the fasting glucose concentration during the experiment but its action was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Pomegranate oil caused an increase of fasting glucose level in G group (p=0.03657) but in M+G group its influence was diminished by the opposite activity of bitter melon fruits extract (p>0.05). TC was the lowest in G group and it did not change during the time of experiment, which can suggest that the diet supplementation with pomegranate oil prevents the age-related increase in cholesterol level. TC in blood of G group was significantly lower than in other groups in 14th (p=0.01057) and 21st (p=0.01433) weeks respectively. Aqueous extract of bitter melon fruits slightly diminished age-related TG increase, whereas pomegranate oil strongly prevents this tendency, as the TG content in G group was significantly lower than TG content in C and M groups at 14th (p=0.00060) and 21st (p=0.00003) week respectively. Similar activity, although not so pronounced, was visible as far as the M+G group was concerned

Selenized yeast in production of selenium enriched Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom with good flavour

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential influence of selenized yeast (Sel Plex, Alltech Inc., Lexington, USA) on chemical composition and flavour of solid state grown mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus. Amino acid composition that influences the flavour of selenium-enriched P.ostreatus P80 (137.84 ppm of selenium in d.w.) and non enriched cultivated strains with particular emphasis on selenomethionine was determined by HPLC method, after complete hydrolysis. Volatile flavour compounds of mushroom cultures were analyzed by GC-MS using Headspace sampler. In mushrooms with high selenium content, selenium in the form of L-selenomethionine was present. High selenium concentration in fruit body did not significantly change the amino acid composition of mushrooms. The major amino acids of fruit body sample were glutamic acid, alanine, aspartic acid and tryptophan. In the fruit body of P.ostreatus P80 control, 30 volatile compounds were detected, and in selenium enriched sample number of detected compounds was 25. Compounds that were detected in control sample, but not in eriched fruit body are 2-amino-N-ethylpropanamide, 2-methylpropyl pentan-2-yl sulfite, 2,3-pentanedione, heptan-2-one, pentan-1-ol, 2-methyldihydrofuran-3(2H)-one,1-hydroxyacetone, 3-hydroxy-2-butanon, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine and benzaldehyde. Compounds that were detected in enriched P.ostreatus P80, but not in control are acetone, ethylacetate, 2-propanol, acetonitrile, 2-methylbenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate. Selenized yeast presents good source of selenium for selenium enriched mushroom production with good flavour, which is probably safety for consumption

Nanocomposites as biomolecules delivery agents in nanomedicine

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) are atomic clusters of crystalline or amorphous structure that possess unique physical and chemical properties associated with a size range of between 1 and 100 nm. Their nano-sized dimensions, which are in the same range as those of vital biomolecules, such as antibodies, membrane receptors, nucleic acids, and proteins, allow them to interact with different structures within living organisms. Because of these features, numerous nanoparticles are used in medicine as delivery agents for biomolecules. However, off-target drug delivery can cause serious side effects to normal tissues and organs. Considering this issue, it is essential to develop bioengineering strategies to significantly reduce systemic toxicity and improve therapeutic effect. In contrast to passive delivery, nanosystems enable to obtain enhanced therapeutic efficacy, decrease the possibility of drug resistance, and reduce side effects of “conventional” therapy in cancers. The present review provides an overview of the most recent (mostly last 3 years) achievements related to different biomolecules used to enable targeting capabilities of highly diverse nanoparticles. These include monoclonal antibodies, receptor-specific peptides or proteins, deoxyribonucleic acids, ribonucleic acids, [DNA/RNA] aptamers, and small molecules such as folates, and even vitamins or carbohydrates

Dopamine-imprinted polymers: Template-monomer interactions, analysis of template removal and application to solid phase extraction. Molecules 2007

Abstract: A dopamine-imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared in aqueous methanol solution at 60 o C by free-radical cross-linking polymerization of methacrylic acid in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker and dopamine hydrochloride as the template molecule. Its ability to isolate dopamine was evaluated as the basis of a solid phase extraction procedure and compared with that of a non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The binding of dopamine was 84.1 % and 29.1 % for MIP and NIP, respectively. Various reported post-polymerization treatments to reduce template bleeding were examined. In our case the lowest bleeding was achieved after applying a combined procedure: continuous extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus (CE), followed by microwaveassisted extraction (ME) to a level of 0.061 μg/mL. A simplified model of the templatemonomer complexes allowed rationalization of monomer choice based on the heats of complex formation at a PM3 level of theory

Distribution of polyethylenimine in zebrafish embryos

Background. Polyethylenimine (PEI) plays important roles in the pharmaceutical design of non-viral gene delivery systems. Due to a set of unique physicochemical properties this cationic polymer has a great potential in modern gene therapies. Objective. The aim of the present study was to determine the distribution of branched PEI (0.8 kDa) in zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio). Material and methods. Zebrafish embryos at 3 hours post-fertilization (hpf) were incubated with PEI (10 μg/ml) for 24 and 48 hours and studied using the confocal laser microscopy. Results. The obtained results show that PEI effectively distributed into the layers of the chorion and yolk sac in developing embryos due to first 24 hours of exposure. In contrast, PEI was found in the yolk, head, trunk and tail of the embryos due to prolonged treatments (48 hours). Conclusion. The study evidences a high distribution of the branched PEI (0.8 kDa) polymer in the zebrafish embryo tissues

A Search for the Optimum Selenium Source to Obtain Mushroom-Derived Chemopreventive Preparations

The objective of this research was to test whether selenium-yeast (Se-yeast) is a better source of selenium than sodium selenite for accumulation in mycelia and immunoactive cell wall polysaccharides. Culture media were enriched in selenium to a concentration of 20 mu g/mL. Selenium was added to the medium either in the form of sodium selenite or in form of Se-yeast (Sel-Plex; Alltech Inc., Lexington, KY). The total selenium concentrations in the mycelium biomass and in the isolated crude polysaccharides were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. We found that selenium accumulated more efficiently in cultures enriched with Se-yeast. A higher concentration of selenium was also found in the crude polysaccharide fractions isolated from the mycelium grown in Se-yeast-enriched media. With the use of the needle trap gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method, we found that there are significant differences in the composition of the volatile aroma and flavor compounds secreted by the mycelia cultivated in different media

Studies on the thermal sensitivity of lung cancer cells exposed to an alternating magnetic field and magnesium-doped maghemite nanoparticles

Abstract Background Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) represents a promising therapeutic strategy in cancer utilizing the heating capabilities of magnetic nanoparticles when exposed to an alternating magnetic field (AMF). Because the efficacy and safety of MFH treatments depends on numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors, therefore, the proper MFH setups should focus on thermal energy dosed into the cancer cells. Methods In this study, we performed MFH experiments using human lung cancer A549 cells (in vitro) and NUDE Balb/c mice bearing human lung (A549) cancer (in vivo). In these two experimental models, the heat was induced by magnesium-doped iron(III) oxide nanoparticles coated with mPEG-silane (Mg0.1-γ-Fe2O3(mPEG-silane)0.5) when exposed to an AMF. Results We observed that the lung cancer cells treated with Mg0.1-γ-Fe2O3(mPEG-silane)0.5 (0.25 mg·mL−1) and magnetized for 30 min at 14.4 kA·m−1 yielded a satisfactory outcome in reducing the cell viability up to ca. 21% (in vitro). The activation energy calculated for this field strength was estimated for 349 kJ·mol−1. Both volumetric measurements and tumor mass assessments confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a superior thermal effect in mice bearing human lung cancer injected intratumorally with Mg0.1-γ-Fe2O3(mPEG-silane)0.5 nanoparticles (3 mg·mL−1) and subjected to an AMF (18.3 kA·m−1) for 30 min four times at weekly intervals. Research demonstrated that mice undergoing MFH exhibited a marked suppression of tumor growth (V = 169 ± 94 mm3; p < 0.05) in comparison to the control group of untreated mice. The CEM43 (cumulative number of equivalent minutes at 43 °C) value for these treatments were estimated for ca. 9.6 min with the specific absorption rate (SAR) level ranging from 100 to 150 W·g−1. Conclusions The as-obtained results, both cytotoxic and those related to energy calculations and SAR, may contribute to the advancement of thermal therapies, concurrently indicating that the proposed magnetic fluid hyperthermia holds a great potential for further testing in the context of medical applications. Graphical Abstrac

Extracellular Vesicles as Next-Generation Diagnostics and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) hold great promise for clinical application as new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. This paper describes major GMP-based upstream and downstream manufacturing processes for EV large-scale production, also focusing on post-processing technologies such as surface bioengineering and uploading studies to yield novel EV-based diagnostics and advanced therapy medicinal products. This paper also focuses on the quality, safety, and efficacy issues of the bioengineered EV drug candidates before first-in-human studies. Because clinical trials involving extracellular vesicles are on the global rise, this paper encompasses different clinical studies registered on clinical-trial register platforms, with varying levels of advancement, highlighting the growing interest in EV-related clinical programs. Navigating the regulatory affairs of EVs poses real challenges, and obtaining marketing authorization for EV-based medicines remains complex due to the lack of specific regulatory guidelines for such novel products. This paper discusses the state-of-the-art regulatory knowledge to date on EV-based diagnostics and medicinal products, highlighting further research and global regulatory needs for the safe and reliable implementation of bioengineered EVs as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in clinical settings. Post-marketing pharmacovigilance for EV-based medicinal products is also presented, mainly addressing such topics as risk assessment and risk management