In vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic activities of milk sphingolipids

Anti-angiogenic therapies aimed at halting new blood vessel formation are now being extensively studied as inhibitors of excessive angiogenesis. Conversely, compounds with ability to stimulate angiogenesis are being considered as a therapeutic approach for insufficient angiogenesis. Food-borne bioactive compounds such as genistein, resveratrol, curcumin, the Bowman-Birk inhibitor, and catechins are being potentially established as good candidates for angioprevention. The aim of our study was to determine the anti-or pro-angiogenic activity of milk-based glycosphingolipids such as C6-ceramide (Cer), Sphingomyelin (SPM) and Glucosylceramide (GluCer), in vitro, using breast cancer (MCF-7), colon cancer (Caco-2) and prostate cancer (DU-145) cell-lines, on angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cathepsin-D and hypoxia inducing factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) expression and cell migration under normoxia and hypoxia. Another aim was to conduct an in vivo study using chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and zebrafish model system to substantiate the in vitro results. Breast cancer cells (MCF-7) treated with SPM had reduced cell migration under hypoxic conditions. Cathepsin-D expression under SPM treated MCF-7 cells was significantly lower under both conditions. GlcCer had significant apoptotic activity under hypoxic MCF-7 cells. Colon cancer cells (Caco-2) treated with Cer had reduced cell growth at \u3e 50 μM under normoxic as well as hypoxic conditions. Cathepsin-D, cell migration and HIF-1α expression were significantly reduced under hypoxic condition. SPM had low cathepsin-D levels and cell migrations in normoxic and hypoxic conditions as well as low HIF-1α at hypoxic condition. In GlcCer treated cells, the levels of cathepsin-D and cell migration were reduced under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Prostate cancer cells (DU-145) exposed to SPM had reduced cell viability. All the compounds had lower levels of VEGF expression at normoxic conditions at 50 μM exposure; only GlcCer had lower VEGF expression under hypoxic condition. The cell migration was reduced under normoxic condition and also for cells exposed to Cer under hypoxic condition. In vivo results showed ceramide was anti-angiogenic as confirmed by both CAM assay as well as zebrafish model. SPM proved to facilitate sprouting, however, the blood vessels looked dilated. GlcCer disrupted the neovascularization in CAM model and restricted the ISV formation in zebrafish

Treatment of organic and inorganic pollutants in municipal wastewater by agricultural by-product based granular activated carbons (GAC)

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate pecan and almond shell-based granular activated carbon\u27s viability to effectively remove organic and inorganic pollutants in municipal wastewater compared to commercial carbons, Filtrasorb 200 (bituminous coal-based), and GRC-20, 206C AW (coconut shell-based). The solution to the objective was approached under three distinct phases, namely (I) physical and chemical characterization of the pecan and almond shell-based experimental and bituminous coal and coconut shell-based commercial granular activated carbons; (II) treatment of organic contaminants in municipal wastewater by experimental and commercial GACs; (III) treatment of inorganic contaminants in municipal wastewater by experimental and commercial GACs. Phase I study showed that the almond shell-based chemically activated carbon (ALA) had the largest total surface area (1340 m2/g) including the commercial carbons. The bulk densities of both physically and chemically (0.49 to 0.57 g/m3) -activated pecan shell-based carbons were comparable to those of commercial carbons (0.49 to 0.54 g/m3). ALA had the highest attrition (31.68%) compared to chemically activated pecan shell-based carbon (PSA) with lowest attrition (7.10%). PSA also contained the lowest ash, a desirable attribute. Activation affected conductivity. Chemical activation lowered conductivity when compared to physical activation. Multivariate analysis showed that steam- and acid-activated pecan shell-based carbons (PSS and PSA) had more similarity to commercial carbons. Phase II study showed that PSS had higher adsorptive capacity towards Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) than carbon dioxide-activated pecan shell-based carbon (PSC) and commercial carbons. Activation methods of the carbons affected the pH. The study on adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) showed that all the experimental carbons exhibited efficient adsorbability of benzene and other halogenated aliphatic compounds under study. Multivariate analysis indicated, PSS and PSA to be similar in terms of overall VOC adsorption. Phase III study showed that the PSS with higher log x/m (solute adsorbed/ carbon dosage) ratio and log Ce ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 g/100 ml is most suitable for the adsorption of Cu2+. However, within the four carbons used for the adsorption of Pb2+ and Zn2+, PSA was found to be more effective compared to PSS and PSC

Performance of a UV-A LED system for degradation of aflatoxins B1 and M1 in pure water: kinetics and cytotoxicity study

The efficacy of a UV-A light emitting diode system (LED) to reduce the concentrations of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1 (AFB1, AFM1) in pure water was studied. This work investigates and reveals the kinetics and main mechanism(s) responsible for the destruction of aflatoxins in pure water and assesses the cytotoxicity in liver hepatocellular cells. Irradiation experiments were conducted using an LED system operating at 365 nm (monochromatic wave-length). Known concentrations of aflatoxins were spiked in water and irradiated at UV-A doses ranging from 0 to 1,200 mJ/cm2. The concentration of AFB1 and AFM1 was determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. LC–MS/MS product ion scans were used to identify and semi-quantify degraded products of AFB1 and AFM1. It was observed that UV-A irradiation significantly reduced aflatoxins in pure water. In comparison to control, at dose of 1,200 mJ/cm2 UV-A irradiation reduced AFB1 and AFM1 concentrations by 70 ± 0.27 and 84 ± 1.95%, respectively. We hypothesize that the formation of reactive species initiated by UV-A light may have caused photolysis of AFB1 and AFM1 molecules in water. In cell culture studies, our results demonstrated that the increase of UV-A dosage decreased the aflatoxins-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells, and no significant aflatoxin-induced cytotoxicity was observed at UV-A dose of 1,200 mJ/cm2. Further results from this study will be used to compare aflatoxins detoxification kinetics and mechanisms involved in liquid foods such as milk and vegetable oils

Biochars From Solid Organic Municipal Wastes For Soil Quality Enhancement

The overall municipal organic waste in Qatar accounts for 57% of municipal waste generated annually. Organic solid wastes such as food, newspapers, packaging, furniture woods and wood from building demolition have traditionally been placed in landfill, which create issues of sustainability for a country like Qatar with small land mass. While the recently opened Doha solid waste treatment facility contributed to alleviating the pressure on Landfill sites through composting and incineration, new value-added use of solid organic waste are needed for environmental and economic sustainability. Fortunately, biochars from mixed organic solid wastes can be used in soil amendment for food security and long term carbon sequestration for environmental sustainability. We hypothesize that deficiencies in depleted Qatari soils can be remedied by the application of biochars that are custom-designed to possess the right physicochemical characteristics suitable to improve soil fertility. Hence, this study was conducted to (1) Optimize production of biochars from mixed organic waste for desired physicochemical characteristics as soil enhancers. (2) Produce and characterize designer biochars using optimum production conditions for testing in soil incubation experiments. Select municipal organic wastes (newspaper, cardboard, woodchips and landscaping residues) individually and in a 25% blend were used as a precursor for biochar preparation. These residues were chosen due to their commonality in municipal solid waste streams. A complete 5 × 3 × 3 factorial design was used in this study with five biochar precursors (the 4 solid waste materials and a 25% blend/mixture), 3 sets of pyrolysis temperatures (350, 500, and 750°C) and 3 sets of pyrolysis residence time (2, 4 and 6 hrs). Data obtained showed that biochar yield was in the range of 21- 62% across all feedstocks and pyrolysis conditions. The highest yield was observed in newspaper-based biochars pyrolized at 350°C for 2 hrs. Key parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity bulk density and surface area, which positively improve water and nutrient-holding capacity in biochar-amended soil, varied depending on the precursors and production conditions. Bulk density was high in woodchips-based biochars but was similar among all other biochars, irrespective of precursors and pyrolysis conditions. The total surface area of biochars was low but showed dramatic increase in all feedstocks at 700°C pyrolysis temperature. The highest electrical conductivity observed in cardboard-based biochars pyrolized at 700C. Biochars produced from selected waste precursors were acidic except those produced at 700°C temperature where pH became alkaline. The wide range of biochar pH suggests potential tailoring to remediate the specific soil acidity. Cumulatively, biochars showed promising results for improving soil fertility parameters such as better water holding capacity, pH stabilization, and increased electrical conductivity of soil for better aggregation. These findings indicate that solid organic municipal wastes hold promising potential as precursors for manufacturing of value-added biochars with varied physicochemical characteristics allowing them to be used not only as an alternative to bio-waste management and greenhouse gas mitigation but also as means to improve depleted Qatari soil as the country embarks on its ambitious goals of ensuring food security and environmental sustainability.qscienc

Granular Activated Carbons from Agricultural By-products: Process Description and Estimated Cost of Production (Bulletin #881)

This bulletin is a follow-up, in part, of Bulletin #869, “Granular Activated Carbons from Agricultural By-products: Preparation, Properties and Application in Cane Sugar Refining.” An estimation of production costs for these by product-based carbons was considered prudent because of the potential interest from both bagasse and shell producers and activated carbon manufacturers based on the use of these carbons in various applications compared to commercial carbons.https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agcenter_bulletins/1034/thumbnail.jp

Impact of UV-C irradiation on the quality, safety, and cytotoxicity of cranberry-flavored water using a novel continuous flow UV system

The influence of short wavelength UV-C irradiation at 254 nm on microbial inactivation, anthocyanins stability, ascorbic acid, and cytotoxicity of formulated cranberry flavored water was studied. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 13311 were inactivated by more than 5 log10 at UV-C fluence of 21 mJ cm−2. At UV-C fluence of 40 mJ cm−2 the content of ascorbic acid was 82% of that in the untreated beverage. The concentrations of the anthocyanins (Cy3Ar, Cy3Ga, Pe3Ar, and Pe3Ga) were not significantly affected at the same treatment level. Cytotoxicity evaluation of the irradiated beverage on normal colon (CCD-18Co), colon cancer (HCT-116), and healthy mice liver (AML-12) cells showed that UV-C irradiation had no cytotoxic effects on all three cell lines. This research study suggests that UV-C treatment of formulated cranberry flavored water can achieve high levels of microbial inactivation without significantly decreasing the concentration of anthocyanins, ascorbic acid content or generating cytotoxic effects. These results suggest that UV-C irradiation can be an alternative to thermal pasteurization in producing high quality beverages

Agricultural by-products as important food sources of polyphenols

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants. Dietary phenolics are not only classified as human nutrients, but play important roles in human health and are therefore called nutraceuticals. Both epidemiological studies and controlled human studies have shown that regular intakes of diets rich in phenolics are inversely related to some chronic diseases such as certain cancers and coronary heart diseases. Types and contents of phenolics in different food system vary greatly and foods of plant origin including fruits, vegetables, legumes and some beverages are good sources of bioactive phenolics. Beside the edible part of plant foods, some agricultural by-products usually contain higher levels of polyphenols, particularly, flavonoids than products themselves. This chapter describes the major classes of dietary phenolics, and their occurence in the commercially important agricultural by-products including peanuts skin, grape pomace, apples pomace, citrus processing by-products, and cranberry pomace. The possible applications of the polyphenolics from these agricultural by-products in food system are also discussed.Scopu

Conversion of Organic Municipal Wastes into Biochars and their Effect on Fertility Parameters of Normal and Sabkha Soils of Qatar

Qatar is undergoing rapid economic growth fueled by its ambitious national vision 2030 which specifically aims to achieve sustainable development. To achieve the latter, durable and sustainable alternatives for municipal solid waste management are needed, especially since Qatar tops most nations in terms of per capita solid waste generation with nearly 2.5 million tons/year of which 60% consists of organic waste. Current disposal methods include incineration, composting, and land filling which generate greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. At the same time, the soils in most of the country are poor with weak aggregation, low in organic matter, and low water holding capacity. Hence, it makes economic and environmental sense to convert solid organic wastes generated by municipalities into biochars that improve soil quality and act as carbon sink. The suitability of biochar as an effective soil amendment has been related to but not limited to boosting soil fertility by raising soil pH, increasing water holding capacity (WHC) and retention of nutrients in soil, providing a habitat for beneficial fungi and microbes, improving Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), and reducing nutrients leaching. In addition, biochar has the ability to reduce the emission of the most potent greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The objectives of this study were to: (1) produce and characterize biochars from solid organic wastes commonly found in Qatar municipal waste streams, (2) determine the effects of solid waste-based biochars on major soil fertility characteristics of normal and sabkha soils of Qatar, (3) select the best performing biochars for use in plant growth experiments. Four feedstocks [paper, landscape waste, wood, and a mixture of all three) were pelletized, dried, and used as precursors for the production of biochars following a 4 × 3 × 3 factor factorial design consisting of the type of precursor (four different municipal solid organic precursors), pyrolysis temperatures (300, 500, and 750°C) and residence time (2, 4, and 6 hours). Feedstocks were pyrolyzed under N2 gas at a flow rate of 0.1 mL min− 1 using a Lindberg box furnace equipped with an air tight retort. Yields, surface area, and chemical properties [ash content, pH, surface charge, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Carbon (TC), and elemental analysis] of biochars with relevance to soil applications were determined. Qatari sandy soils (Normal and Sabkha) from the Ap horizon (0–15 cm deep) were collected, air dried, and 2-mm sieved. The incubation experiment was conducted in greenhouse pots. To each pot, sufficient amount of 0.25-mm sieved biochar was mixed with soil to yield carbon to soil ratios of 0, 1, and 2% (wt/wt). Box-Behnken experimental design was used instead of the full factorial to decrease the number of treatments to a manageable level (126 treatments) with three replications at the center. The biochar-amended soils (Normal sandy and Sabkha soils) were incubated for 120 days in a greenhouse at a 10% (wt/wt) moisture level. Samples of incubated soils were collected at time 0 (T0: after 8hrs) and at time120 (T120: after 120 days of incubation) for evaluation of soil fertility characteristics (pH, EC, WHC, aggregate stability, TCN content, macro, and micronutrients composition). In addition, pots were leached at days 60 and 120 and their leachates weighed, filtered, and analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC), pH, EC, micro, and macronutrients. The application of biochars from different precursors to normal soil at different application rates showed a slight increase in pH of treated soil compared to the soil control at T0 and T120, particularly for biochars produced at high temperature and application rate. The increased soil pH is attributable to buffering effect of biochars pH which typically increases as the pyrolysis temperature increases. The same trend was observed for EC where the pyrolysis temperature of biochars seems to be the most influential on the normal soil EC, especially as it ages. The aggregate stability for the normal soil did not increase as the biochar application rate increases, except for hard wood-based biochar produced at high temperature which had a positive effect on the aggregate stability. However for sabkha soil, the pyrolysis temperature and biochar rate significantly increased the aggregate stability of this soil regardless of the precursor. This can be explained by the accumulation of organic matter that was favored by the binding of organic biochar compounds to abundant soil minerals through cation bridging and the formation of microaggregates that would then form large soil aggregates. The addition of biochars has significantly increased the total carbon (TC) of both soil types compared to the control soils. The total carbon increased with both application rate and pyrolysis temperature. Biochar pyrolysis temperature and application rates favored increased TC with variation depending on the type of precursor, soil type, and duration of incubation. This may be attributed to the oxidation and microbial activity processes that speeded up the process of mineralization in the soil. Overall, the TC in normal soil was higher compared to the sabkha soil which may be due to the fact that the starting carbon concentration in the normal soil was higher than that of sabkha soil. In terms of water holding capacity, it significantly increased in both soil types following biochar amendment, especially those produced at high pyrolysis temperature. The positive effect of soil amendment with biochars on WHC was most pronounced in the sabkha soil which exhibited markedly increased ability to absorb and retain water after biochar addition. This is likely due to the high surface area and porosity of the biochars combined with the effect of the polarity of compounds on the surface of biochars which physically retain water and/or improve soil aggregation thereby retaining more water in the soil. The addition of biochars to soil had a positive effect on the pH of normal soil leachates but less so on leachates from sabkha soil. Some pH variations were also observed within the pH of the same soil leachates as a function of the type of precursors used to produce biochars, most likely due to difference in initial composition of the precursors. This implies that biochars with greater liming capacity can provide greater benefit to arable soils that require liming. The results of cluster analysis were used to determine the group of biochar-amended soils which are the most significantly different from the control treatment in terms of soil fertility parameters (pH, EC, TC, WHC, aggregate stability, leachate pH, micro and macronutrients). From the four precursors, only two (soft and mixed materials) were found to be most effective for normal soil and all improved sabkha soil. To further narrow the selection, a secondary selection was carried out based on the biochars precursor type, yield, and energy required for biochar production. Two biochars emerged as the best performing biochars for normal and sabkha soils. Biochars produced from mixed materials pyrolyzed at 500–750°C for 4–6 hours of pyrolysis time and used 2% application rate are best for amendment of normal soil while soft and mixed materials pyrolyzed at 300–500°C for 4 hours and used at 0.5–1% application rates as most suitable for the amendment of sabkha soil. These biochars were found to improve all soil fertility parameters, especially in terms of pH and WHC. From the above discussion, it is clear that Biochar characterization and short-term soil incubations can provide insights into the potential effectiveness of biochar as soil fertility enhancer and aid in the selection of potential biochars that can improve crop productivity. Overall, normal soil seems to require mixed material produced at high temperature and longer time and applied at high rate while sabkha soil required softer materials produced at lower temperature and shorter time and applied a low application rate. This is encouraging results for carbon depleted soil in Qatar where the application of biochar to agricultural soils has the potential to greatly improve soil physical and chemical conditions while serving as a long term carbon sink. These best performing biochars are being tested in plant growth experiments designed to assess their impact on plant biomass and productivity as indicator or their potential in field agriculture in Qatar.qscienc

Mixed Solid Municipal Waste-Based Biochar for Soil Fertility and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Municipal solid waste management is one of the major challenges facing Qatar with more than 2.5 million tons of municipal solid waste each year, a very high waste generation rate in a country with small land mass. Solid waste in Qatar consists mostly of organic materials (60%) with the remaining made up of recyclables, such as glass, metals and plastics. Qatar's ambitious development strategy targets environmental sustainability and invests in research on key grand challenges including water/food security. Fortunately both can be addressed through value-added conversion of solid organic waste into biochars. Solid municipal wastes such as newspaper, cardboard, woodchips and plant residues from landscaping can be converted to biochar for mitigation of their environmental impact and value-addition. On the other hand, agricultural soils have significant deficiencies in a range of essential trace elements and macronutrients and often exhibit low water holding capacity. These deficiencies impact both the yield and the nutritional quality of edible crops with direct consequences cost-effectiveness and human health. Fortunately, these challenges can be advantageously addressed by production of biochars from organic sources such as mixed organic solid waste from municipalities as well as agricultural and landscaping operations. The landfill and composting of these solid municipal wastes generate greenhouse gases that contribute to climate changes. Biochars prepared from solid municipal wastes can greatly benefit the carbon content of soil. Additionally, biochar may interact with fertilizers to deliver indirect improvements in plant growth and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from native organic matter. Biochars can also be custom-designed to increase/decrease native soil pH to bring it closer to the optimum range for microbial and plant growth. These applications give solid organic municipal wastes promising potential as precursors for value-added biochars with varied physicochemical characteristics allowing them to be used not only as an alternative to bio-waste management and greenhouse gas mitigation but also as means to improve depleted soil. We hypothesize that soil deficiencies in soil can be remedied by the application of biochars that are custom-designed to possess the right physicochemical characteristics suitable to improve soil fertility. The aim of this study was to: (1) produce biochars from mixed solid organic waste for use in soil quality enhancement, (2) investigate the effect of biochar addition to soil on plant germination and growth and (3) evaluate the potential of biochars in mitigating green house gas (GHGs) emissions. Select solid organic municipal wastes (newspaper, cardboard, woodchips and landscaping residues) were used as a precursor for biochar preparation. A blend of 25% of each precursor was used and pyrolyzed at 700°C for 2 hrs under N2 gas at a flow rate of 0.1 mL min− 1 using a Lindberg box programmable furnace equipped with an air-tight retort. Soil fertility parameters such as pH, water retention and macro and micronutrients were analyzed. Fine sandy clay loam soil from the Ap horizon (0-15 cm deep) was amended with biochar at the rate of 2% (w/w). To test the germination rate in soils, with and without biochars (produced from municipal solid waste precursors of 25% blend of four types of waste materials), hybrid savoyed spinach seeds were sown in germination trays (3 seeds/well) for two weeks in climate controlled greenhouse settings. Trays were watered twice daily to maintain moisture level between 10 and 12 percent. The percentage of seed germination was calculated and the plant growth measured as dry biomass. Incubation experiments were conducted to measure GHGs production in sealed glass vials containing soil with and without biochar or raw materials from which this biochar was produced. Greenhouse gases emission differential between the biochars and their corresponding raw feedstocks in treated soil was used as indicator of GHGs emission by biochars during the incubation period Biochars prepared from blends produced at 700°C pyrolysis temperatures and used at 2% application rate to soil showed higher pH (6.8), increased water retention, and high K and NO3-N content. The net effect of these changes in soil properties positively impacted both seed germination and biomass yield of the plants (up to two folds in soil amended with biochars). At the same time, conversion of solid organic wastes into biochar enabled 14% reduction in GHGs emission compared to the solid waste precursors, as indicated by lower CO2 emission. Biochar amendment in soil significantly reduced the CO2 emission (14%), which would otherwise have increased greenhouse gas due to solid waste decomposition in soil. This differential is mainly due to respiration controlled by microbes. Soil amended with biochar closely followed the trend of soil treatment signifying no additional contribution to CO2 efflux. The increase in CO2 efflux seen in feedstock-amended soil can be attributed to the decomposition of feedstock during the time incubation period. In summary, biochars from mixed solid organic wastes at 2% carbon to soil ratio improved seed germination, increased plant biomass yield, and reduced GHGs emission compared to precursors. To reach the maximum benefits, pyrolysis conditions and feedstock selection are critical steps to produce biochars with desirable properties for specific soil amendment. From the present study, it is clear that constituents of municipal solid organic wastes hold promising potential as inexpensive precursor for value-added biochar manufacturing with varied and customizable physicochemical characteristics that would be beneficial in soil amendments while alleviating the problem of solid waste disposal and contributing to mitigation of GHGs. Further studies are need needed to confirm the reported advantages in natural field settings.qscienc