Reliable identification and quantification of volatile components of sage essential oil using ultra HRGC.

Salvia officinalis (common sage) essential oil was chemically characterized by means of GC-MS, using 100 meter capillary columns with two different stationary phases. Identification of the analytes was carried out by means of the FFNSC mass spectrum library and the use of the Linear Retention Index (LRI) as an extra criterion of library searching. Quantitative analysis was also carried out by means of GC-FID with the internal standard method and the use of relative response factors determined for each chemical class of components. A total of 45 compounds were identified and quantified and reported with their experimental LRI values

Protective effect of procyanidin-rich grape seed extract against Gram-negative virulence factors

Biofilm formation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are implicated in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Grape seeds, wine industry by-products, have antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. In the present study, the protective effect of procyanidin-rich grape seed extract (prGSE), from unfermented pomace of Vitis vinifera L. cv Bellone, on bacterial LPS-induced oxidative stress and epithelial barrier integrity damage has been studied in a model of Caco-2 cells. The prGSE was characterized at the molecular level using HPLC and NMR. The in vitro activity of prGSE against formation of biofilm of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli was investigated. In vivo, prGSE activity using infected Galleria mellonella larvae has been evaluated. The results show that the prGSE, if administered with LPS, can significantly reduce the LPS-induced permeability alteration. Moreover, the ability of the extract to prevent Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production induced by the LPS treatment of Caco-2 cells was demonstrated. prGSE inhibited the biofilm formation of E. coli and S. Typhimurium. In terms of in vivo activity, an increase in survival of infected G. mellonella larvae after treatment with prGSE was demonstrated. In conclusion, grape seed extracts could be used to reduce GI damage caused by bacterial endotoxin and biofilms of Gram-negative bacteria

Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species on Mitochondrial Content and Integrity of Human Anastomotic Colorectal Dehiscence: A Preliminary DNA Study

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic dehiscence is one of the most severe complications of colorectal surgery. Gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of anastomotic dehiscence following colorectal surgery is important for the reduction of postoperative complications. OBJECTIVE: Based on the close relationship between surgical stress and oxidative stress, the present study aimed to determine whether a correlation exists between increased levels of reactive oxygen species and colorectal anastomotic dehiscence. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical resection for colorectal cancer were divided into three groups: patients with anastomotic dehiscence (group 1); patients without dehiscence who underwent neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (group 2); and patients without anastomotic dehiscence who did not undergo neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (group 3). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to measure nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, and possible oxidative damage to nonmalignant colon and rectal tissues adjacent to the anastomoses. RESULTS: mtDNA content was reduced in the colon tissue of patients in groups 1 and 2. Rectal mtDNA was found to be more damaged than colonic mtDNAs in all groups. The 4977 bp common deletion was observed in the mtDNA of tissues from both the colon and rectum of all patients. DISCUSSION: Patients in groups 1 and 2 were more similar to one another than to group 3, probably due to higher levels of reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria; the greater damage found in the rectum suggests that dehiscence originates primarily from the rectal area. CONCLUSIONS: The present study of mtDNA analyses of normal human colon and rectal tissues from patients with colorectal cancer is among the first of its kind

Effect of essential oils on properties of film forming emulsions and films based on HPMC and chitosan

[EN] Film-forming dispersions (FFD) and films, prepared by incorporating different concentrations of bergamot (BO), lemon (LO) and tea tree (TTO) essential oils into hydroxyproplymethylcellulose (HPMC) and chitosan (CH) were obtained and their physico-chemical properties were characterised. Results showed that the increment of essential oil (EO) content promoted significant changes in the size and surface charge of the FFD particles. As regards the film properties, the higher the EO content, the lower the water vapour permeability and the moisture sorption capacity. In general, the addition of EO into the HPMC or CH matrix leads to a significant decrease in gloss, transparency, tensile strength and elastic modulus of the composite films. Discriminant analyses of obtained data revealed that the polymer type was the main factor which defined the FFD and composite film behaviour. For a given polymer, although both the nature and concentration of the EO influenced FFD behaviour, the concentration played a more important role. In film properties, the discriminant analyses did not reveal different groups associated to the different nature or concentration of the essential oils, although composite films with BO appeared to differ slightly from the rest. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (Project AGL2007-65503). Author L. Sanchez-Gonzalez thanks Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (Spain) for a FPU Grant (AP2006-026)Sánchez González, L.; Chiralt, A.; González Martínez, MC.; Cháfer Nácher, MT. (2011). Effect of essential oils on properties of film forming emulsions and films based on HPMC and chitosan. Journal of Food Engineering. 105(2):246-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.02.028S246253105

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through on-line media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focussed on process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come

Role of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in the pathophysiology of shock and inflammation

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Determination of the Metabolite Content of Brassica juncea Cultivars Using Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Coupled with a Photodiode Array and Mass Spectrometry Detection

Plant-based foods are characterized by significant amounts of bioactive molecules with desirable health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family consists of 350 genera; among them, Brassica is the most important one, which includes some crops and species of great worldwide economic importance. In this work, the metabolite content of three different cultivars of Brassica juncea, namely ISCI Top, “Broad-leaf,” and ISCI 99, was determined using comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection. The analyses were carried out under reversed-phase conditions in both dimensions, using a combination of a 250-mm microbore cyano column and a 50-mm RP-Amide column in the first and second dimension (2D), respectively. A multi (three-step) segmented-in-fraction gradient for the 2D separation was advantageously investigated here for the first time, leading to the identification of 37 metabolites. In terms of resolving power, orthogonality values ranged from 62% to 69%, whereas the corrected peak capacity values were the highest for B. juncea ISCI Top (639), followed by B. juncea “Broad-leaf” (502). Regarding quantification, B. juncea cv. “Broad-leaf” presented the highest flavonoid content (1962.61 mg/kg) followed by B. juncea cv. ISCI Top (1002.03 mg/kg) and B. juncea cv. ISCI 99 (211.37 mg/kg)

Antioxidant and Antiglycation Effects of Polyphenol Compounds Extracted from Hazelnut Skin on Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs) Formation

The advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) arise from non-enzymatic reactions of sugar with protein side chains, some of which are oxido-reductive in nature. Enhanced production of AGEs plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications as well as in natural aging, renal failure, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. The aim of this work is to study antiglycation effects of polyphenol compounds extracted by hazelnut skin that represents an example of polyphenols-rich food industry by-product, on AGEs formation. AGEs derived from incubation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and methylglyoxal (MGO) were characterized by fluorescence. The phenolics identification and total polyphenol content in hazelnut skin extracts were analyzed by HPLC-MS and the Folin–Ciocalteu method, respectively. Antioxidant efficacy was evaluated by monitoring total antioxidant activity to assess the ABTS radical scavenging activity of samples by TEAC assay and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, expressed as millimoles of Trolox equivalents per gram of sample. Data here presented suggest that phenolic compounds in hazelnut skin have an inhibitory effect on the BSA-AGEs model in vitro, and this effect is concentration-dependent. The putative role of the hazelnut skin antioxidative properties for hindering AGEs formation is also discussed. Because of AGEs contribution to the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases, foods enriched, or supplements containing natural bioactive molecules able to inhibit their production could be an interesting new strategy for supporting therapeutic approaches with a positive effect on human health