Composition en acides aminés libres et combinés et en vitamines de la microalgue Micractinium Pusillum Fres. issue d'un lagunage naturel

Dans ce travail est présentée la composition biochimique en acides aminés (AA) libres et combinés et en vitamines de Micractinium pusillum isolée à partir du lagunage naturel expérimental de Ouarzazate où cette microalgue prolifère pendant la période chaude. M. pusillum est produite en culture en vrac, sur milieu synthétique, dans des conditions de lumière et de température fixes. Cette étude révèle la richesse de M. pusillum en acides aminés combinés qui constituent environ 59% de sa matière sèche. Les acides aminés libres forment 3,4% de cette matière. Dix-sept acides aminés et quatre vitamines (D3, B2, B3, et B12) ont été déterminés chez cette microalgue.The biotechnological exploitation of microalgae requires more investigations in order to improve our knowledge of their biochemistry and to look for new potentially interesting species. Microalgae are used in various areas. Among them, wastewater treatment in wastewater stabilisation ponds and high-rate ponds is widely prevalent. Beside their purifying ability, their abundance in these ecosystems makes them interesting as a potential source of valuable products.Micractinium pusillum Fres, a green alga (Chlorophyceae) that grows in these ecosystems, was isolated from the experimental wastewater stabilisation pond of Ouarzazate city (south of Morocco), where it becomes important during the hot period. In the present work, we investigated the dissolved free and combined amino acids and the vitamins produced by this microalgal strain cultured on a mineral medium. The biomass production of M. pusillum was conducted in 2 l cotton-stoppered flasks under continuous light (60 µE m-2 s-1) provided by neon tubes and at a temperature of 24 ± 2°C. The culture medium was sterilised by autoclaving before inoculation. Free and combined amino acids were respectively analysed by HPLC separation of fluorescent o -phthaldialdehyde (OPA) derivatives. Prior to derivatization, the cells were broken and the cell content was digested with HCl. The analysis of vitamins was also realised by HPLC, with UV - visible detection methods, after extraction by appropriate solvents.The results reveal a high content of combined amino acids of approximately 59% (dry matter). Free amino acids constitute 3.4% (dry matter). Seventeen amino acids have been identified in this microalga (Table 1): aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine, methionine, phenylalanine, alanine and lysine were the principal components. The analysis of spectra indicated the presence of six categories of amino acids (AA) (Table 2): aliphatic AA, hydroxy AA, sulphur-containing AA, basic AA, aromatic AA and the diacid AA. Aliphatic AA (glycine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine) largely dominated the total AA pool, with more than 27% of total AA. Diacids AA (aspartic and glutamic acids), at approximately 25%, came in the second rank. Dibasics AA (15%) were relatively more abundant than aromatics AA (11%) and sulfur-containing AA (8%). It should be noted, however, that among the sulphur-containing AA, only methionine was detected by the method used in this work. Hydroxy AA are much less represented with only 4% of the total AA.Four vitamins were detected in M. pusillum (Table 3): vitamins D3, B2, B3, and B12. The content of vitamin D (6970 µg g-1) was highest, followed by vitamin B3 (2820 µg g-1) and vitamin B12 (1860 µg g-1). Vitamin B2 constituted 406 µg g-1. According to the reported values of vitamin contents in several other microalgal species, as well as some conventional foods (Table 5), it appears that M. pusillum species contains relatively important amounts

La cosmétologie à travers les âges

Die Kosmetologie im Laufe der Zeit. Die Verfasserin gibt eine kurze Übersicht der Kosmetologie vom alten Aegypten an bis zum 19. Jahrhundert.Cosmetology across the ages. The author paints a quick sketch of cosmetology from Ancient Egypt to the 19th century.de Roeck-Holtzhauer Yannick. La cosmétologie à travers les âges. In: Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 76ᵉ année, n°279, 1988. pp. 397-399

Pharmacopées et pharmacie au Moyen-Orient

Arzneibücher und pharmazie im Mittlerenorient Die Autoren haben eine Untersuchung durchgeführt, um die Arzneibücher genau kennenzulernen, die in 150 Ländern der heutigen ökonomischen Welt - trotz der politischen Fluktuationen - gebraucht Werden. Der vorliegende Vortrag enthält einen besonderen Auszug dieser Arbeit. Es ist in der Tat interessant, die verschiedenen Tendenzen im Bereich der pharmazeutischen Gesetzgebung in Ländern mit sehr veränderlichem okonomischen und politischen Zusammenfluss, wie im Mittlerenorient, kennenzulernen. Wir werden dort, parallel zu den Ländern, die einen abendländischen Gebrauch der Arzneibücher handhaben, wie das nationale französische Arzneibuch in Syrien und das britische in Kuweit, Länder finden, die ein eigenes nationales Arzneibuch besitzen, wie : die Türkei, der Irak, und die Vereinigte Arabische Republik (agyptisches Arzneibuch), oder die sich um die Akzeptierung eines universeilen Arzneibuch bemühen, wie das Internationale Arzneibuch. Endlich bereiten bestimmte Staaten einen Codex oder ein Formelbuch unter der Schirmherrschaft des "Conseil de l'Ordre" oder des Gesundheitsministeriums vor.Pharmacopoeias and Pharmacy in Middle-East An investigation was conducted by the authors to know with precision, despite of political changes, the pharmacopoeia or pharmacopoeias in use in the 150 countries of the world. The present communication is drawn from a piece of work carried out since 4 years on this problem. It is of a great interest to know the different tendencies of the pharmaceutical legislation in some countries situated at an economic and political crossroads of the Middle-East. In this group, we shall find some countries who keep up the tradition of western pharmacopoeia, such as the National French one in Syris or the British one in Koweit. Other countries are attached to their National Pharmacopoeias, such as Turkey, Irak or the U.A.R. (Egyptian Pharmacopoeia), or have committed themselves to accept an universal system like the International Pharmacopoeia. Finally, a number of States are working on a Codex or Formulary which will be executed under the sponsorship of the Council of the Order or of the Ministry of Health.Nowbahari A., de Roeck-Holtzhauer Yannick. Pharmacopées et pharmacie au Moyen-Orient. In: Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 63ᵉ année, n°226, 1975. Communications du congrès international d'histoire de la pharmacie de Paris (24-29 septembre 1973) pp. 491-499

Effect of pH on neohesperidin dihydrochalcone thermostability in aqueous solutions

The objective of this work was the evaluation of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone thermostability. For this accelerated stability study, we have used an isothermal method at three temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). The thermodegradation of aqueous diluted solutions of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone at various pH was studied. This degradation appeared to follow first-order kinetics and was found to be pH-dependent. In the best stability conditions (pH = 4.50), the experiments revealed an activation energy ($E_{\rm a}$) of 45.8 kJ mol$^{-1}$ and a $t_{90\%}$ of 164 days, at 20 °C

Accumulation of mycosporine-like amino acids in Asparagopsis armata grown in tanks with fishpond effluents of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata

The accumulation of ultraviolet (UV)-screen substances, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), in the tetrasporophytic phase of the red alga Asparagopsis armata grown in fishpond effluents of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, is analyzed. Both the effects of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) fluxes and the algal densities on MAA accumulation were investigated. MAAs increased with the TAN flux, but only until values lower than 100 μM/h. Above this flux, the MAA content decreased, whereas algal yield increased. The content of individual MAAs was related to nitrogen (N) status, that is, shinorine percentage slightly decreased and palythine increased with increasing N fluxes. The decrease of MAAs at high flux of N (up to 100 μM/h) is related to the decrease of water residence time and the decrease of the biofiltration efficiency. Under different TAN fluxes and algal densities, MAA content was negatively related to algal yield indicating that MAAs were accumulated only under a high ammonium-N availability. Thus, an energy allocation between growth (primary metabolism) and MAA accumulation (secondary metabolism) is regulated by the absorption capacity of inorganic N. In conclusion, A. armata, in addition to its high biofiltration capacity of nutrients, is a good source of MAAs as potential UV screen photoprotectors