Chemical characterization of water and ethanolic extracts of Turkish propolis byHPLC-DAD and GC-MS

This study aims to determine the qualitative and quantitative contents of Turkish propolis collected from various regions of Turkey using high-performance liquid chromatography with the diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in water and ethanolic extracts. In HPLC-DAD analyses, it was determined that water extract of Turkish propolis contains phenolic acids such as caffeic acid (204.00 µg/mL), trans-cinnamic, chlorogenic, and caffeoylquinic acids, responsible for its antioxidant activity; whereas, the ethanolic extract of Turkish propolis contains chrysin (641.33 µg/mL), caffeic acid phenethyl ester (630.67 µg/mL), pinocembrin (572.67 µg/mL), galangin (534.11 µg/mL), naringenin (372.39 µg/mL), and also kaempferol, trans-cinnamic acid, caffeic acid, myricetin, and quercetin. GC-MS analyses showed that ethanolic extract of propolis contains caffeic acid by Rtx-1 column and the water extract of propolis contains quinic acid and ferulic acid by Rtx-5ms column. Various sugar derivatives were detected by both columns in water and ethanolic extracts of Turkish propolis. HPLC-DAD can be considered as a more effective method than GC-MS for the chemical characterization of propolis. Water extract of Turkish propolis can be a good source of raw materials for various sectors, as it is both cheap and has less health risk than ethanolic extract, and is suitable for human use

Augmented mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase activity in children with iron deficiency: a tandem between iron and copper?

Introduction: Dyshomeostasis of essential trace elements including iron and copper plays a key role in the pathogenesis of a myriad of serious conditions including iron deficiency (ID) anemia, in which impaired cellular energy metabolism is prominent. Although experimental studies documented decreased activity of cytochrome c oxidase (CytOx) in ID, there are not enough clinical data. The present study was conducted to determine serum copper levels and activity of mitochondrial CytOx in isolated lymphocytes of patients with iron deficiency. Material and methods: A total of 210 cases (2-17 years) were included in this prospective study. Serum iron and copper levels were measured. According to the serum iron levels, patients were allocated to iron deficient (ID, n = 70) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA, n = 70) groups, and iron-sufficient participants were allocated to the control group (n = 70). Activity of CytOx in the circulating lymphocytes was colorimetrically measured and compared with the controls. Results: The CytOx activity was significantly higher in the IDA (2.9 ±1.2 mOD/min, n = 62) group compared to the control group (2.4 ±1.3 mOD/ min, n = 68, p < 0.001). Interestingly, serum copper levels were significantly higher in both the ID (106.9 ±55.5 µg/dl, n = 64, p = 0.0001) and IDA (115.1 ±50.2 µg/dl, n = 59, p = 0.0001) groups than the control group (72.1 ±46.7 µg/dl, n = 69). Conclusions: Higher serum copper levels in patients with IDA implicate co-operative interaction between these trace elements. The elevated CytOx activity in patients with IDA is probably secondary to the normal/elevated serum copper levels