Seasonal and Ageing-Depending Changes of Aquaporins 1 and 9 Expression in the Genital Tract of Buffalo Bulls (Bubalus bubalis)

The presence of Aquaporins 1 (AQP1) and 9 (AQP9), integral membrane water channels that facilitate rapid passive movement of water and solutes, was immunohistochemically detected in the excurrent ducts collected from sexually mature buffalo bulls of proven fertility during the mating (late autumn-winter) and non-mating (late spring to the beginning of autumn) seasons. Furthermore, the research was performed also on the epididymal cauda of a senile buffalo bull with inactive testis. Aquaporins 1 and 9 were immunolocalized at distinct levels. In the efferent ducts, AQP1 immunoreactivity was strongly evidenced at the apical surface of the non-ciliated cells and weakly along the basal membrane of the epithelial cells. The latter reactivity disappeared during the non-mating season. No AQP1 immunoreactivity was detected in the epithelium of epididymis and vas deferens, whereas AQP1 was expressed in the smooth muscle layer of the vas deferens. Aquaporin 1 was present in the blood vessels and in small nerve bundles all along the genital tract. The supranuclear zone of the epididymal principal cells was AQP9 immunoreactive, limited to the corpus and cauda regions, and vas deferens. The samples collected in the two reproductive seasons showed a weaker AQP9 immunoreactivity during the non-mating season. A typical AQP9 immunoreactivity was noticed in the old buffalo examined. The tested AQP molecules showed a different expression pattern in comparison with laboratory mammals, primates, equine, dog and cat. In addition, seasonal differences were noticed which are possibly useful in regard to the comprehension of the morphophysiology of reproduction in the bubaline species, which are still a matter of debat

Determination of antioxidant compounds in foodstuff

© 2017 Scrivener Publishing LLC. Phenolic compounds, vitamins and carotenoids are naturally found in different foodstuff. These antioxidant compounds play an important role in human health and are of interest for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries. Modern chromatographic and spectrometric techniques have made analysis easier than ever before, but their success depends on the extraction method used. In fact, the different antioxidants are identifified using chromatographic techniques coupled to diff erent specififi c detectors according to the characteristics of each molecule. Beyond their well-known health-promoting effects, antioxidant molecules can also be used to functionalize or preserve the freshness, nutritive value, flflavor and color of foodstuff s, which justify their incorporation into several matrices. In this chapter, the most common antioxidant compounds in foodstuff will be described, as well as the methodologies involved in their extraction, separation, identifification and quantifification. The bioactive properties and industrial applications of these compounds through innovative techniques will also be taken into account.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio