Phlorotannin Extracts from Fucales Characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn: Approaches to Hyaluronidase Inhibitory Capacity and Antioxidant Properties

Purified phlorotannin extracts from four brown seaweeds (Cystoseira nodicaulis (Withering) M. Roberts, Cystoseira tamariscifolia (Hudson) Papenfuss, Cystoseira usneoides (Linnaeus) M. Roberts and Fucus spiralis Linnaeus), were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn . Fucophloroethol, fucodiphloroethol, fucotriphloroethol, 7-phloroeckol, phlorofucofuroeckol and bieckol/dieckol were identified. The antioxidant activity and the hyaluronidase (HAase) inhibitory capacity exhibited by the extracts were also assessed. A correlation between the extracts activity and their chemical composition was established. F. spiralis, the species presenting higher molecular weight phlorotannins, generally displayed the strongest lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity (IC50 = 2.32 mg/mL dry weight) and the strongest HAase inhibitory capacity (IC50 = 0.73 mg/mL dry weight). As for superoxide radical scavenging, C. nodicaulis was the most efficient species (IC50 = 0.93 mg/mL dry weight), followed by F. spiralis (IC50 = 1.30 mg/mL dry weight). These results show that purified phlorotannin extracts have potent capabilities for preventing and slowing down the skin aging process, which is mainly associated with free radical damage and with the reduction of hyaluronic acid concentration, characteristic of the process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioactive Marine Drugs and Marine Biomaterials for Brain Diseases

Marine invertebrates produce a plethora of bioactive compounds, which serve as inspiration for marine biotechnology, particularly in drug discovery programs and biomaterials development. This review aims to summarize the potential of drugs derived from marine invertebrates in the field of neuroscience. Therefore, some examples of neuroprotective drugs and neurotoxins will be discussed. Their role in neuroscience research and development of new therapies targeting the central nervous system will be addressed, with particular focus on neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. In addition, the neuronal growth promoted by marine drugs, as well as the recent advances in neural tissue engineering, will be highlighted.The authors are grateful to the financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) through project Pest-C/EQB/LA0006/2013 and from the European Union (FEDER funds) under the framework of QREN through Project NORTE-07–0124-FEDER-000069, to CYTED Programme (Ref. 112RT0460) CORNUCOPIA Thematic Network and project AGL2011–23690 (CICYT). Clara Grosso thanks FCT for the Post-Doc fellowship (SFRH/BPD/63922/2009). We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)Peer reviewe

Alternative and efficient extraction methods for marine-derived compounds

Marine ecosystems cover more than 70% of the globe's surface. These habitats are occupied by a great diversity of marine organisms that produce highly structural diverse metabolites as a defense mechanism. In the last decades, these metabolites have been extracted and isolated in order to test them in different bioassays and assess their potential to fight human diseases. Since traditional extraction techniques are both solvent- and time-consuming, this review emphasizes alternative extraction techniques, such as supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized solvent extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, pulsed electric field-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, and extraction with switchable solvents and ionic liquids, applied in the search for marine compounds. Only studies published in the 21st century are considered. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI.The authors are grateful for the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) through project Pest-C/EQB/LA0006/2013, to financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds) under the framework of QREN through Project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000069, to CYTED Programme (Ref. 112RT0460) CORNUCOPIA Thematic Network and project AGL2011-23690 (CICYT). Clara Grosso thanks FCT for the FCT Investigator (IF/01332/2014). We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer Reviewe

Anthocyanins profiling by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn in radish sprouts

©. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc-by-nc-nd /4.0/ This document is the Accepted version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in [Food Research International]. To access the final edited and published work see [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2015.01.009]The anthocyanin profile of two varieties of red radish sprouts (Raphanus sativus), cv. China rose and Rambo, were studied using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn and HPLC-DAD. The most abundant type of anthocyanins was cyanidin and its derivatives, with one or two acylated groups, with qualitative and quantitative differences among varieties. Some compounds were identified for the first time in both varieties, as we are concern. Radish sprouts were treated during germination (day 3 to 8) using methyl jasmonate, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, sucrose and glucose as elicitors in order to enrich their total anthocyanins content (TAC). An increase in TAC was achieved by 50% in China rose radish sprouts and by 30% in Rambo red radish after glucose treatment. Methyl jasmonate and sucrose also contribute to enhance TAC. Enriching natural food in anthocyanins may contribute to sustain their regular intake with preventive and therapeutic roles in a number of human diseases

Phytochemical and antioxidant characterization of Hypericum perforatum alcoholic extracts

The antioxidant potentials of a total ethanolic extract of Hypericum perforatum (TE) and fractions were evaluated and correlated with their phenolic contents. The extracts were fully characterised by HPLC-DAD-MS-MS. Kaempferol 3-rutinoside and rutin-acetyl were identified for the first time in TE extracts. The free radical-scavenging properties of TE (EC50=21 [mu]g dwb/ml) and fractions were studied using DPPH. Fractions containing flavonoids and/or caffeoylquinic acids were found to be the main contributors to the free radical-scavenging activity of the TE. Lipid peroxidation, induced with ascorbate/Fe2+, was significantly reduced in the presence of the TE (EC50=26 [mu]g dwb/ml) and fractions containing flavonoids and/or caffeoylquinic acids. The fraction containing flavonoid aglycones was found to be responsible for a major part of the TE protection against lipid peroxidation. Hypericins and hyperforins made no significant contributions to the antioxidant properties of TE. Human consumption of H. perforatum extract or fractions could be beneficial.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T6R-4CG2JK5-3/1/ae503f0537dcaaab2ede0770605a66c

Changes in phenolic production of Vitis vinifera cell cultures induced by Phaeomoniella chlamydospora elicitation

A esca é uma doença que afecta plantas da espécie Vitis vinifera levando a importantes perdas na produção de vinho. O fungo Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (PC) é frequentemente associado a plantas de videira com esca e declínio das vinhas. Informação sobre a interacção deste fungo com a esca e declínio das vinhas ainda é escassa. Para estudar mecanismos de defesa da videira ao fungo PC utilizamos culturas in vitro de Vitis vinifera cv. Vinhão (Vv) eliciadas com biomasa autoclavada do fungo PC ou metiljasmonato (MeJ). Várias amostras foram tiradas durante o período experimental e a produção de compostos fenólicos por culturas de Vv foi analisada por HPLC-DAD e HPLC-MS/MS. A produção de compostos fenólicos das células de Vv alterou-se significativamente após exposição a PC e MeJ. As culturas de células de Vv eliciadas por PC e MeJ aumentam a produção total de stilbenos, quando comparadas com o controlo, nomeadamente em compostos do tipo viniferinas. Estes compostos são substâncias de conhecida acção antifúngica podendo ser importantes na defesa da planta contra infecção por PC. Assim, as culturas in vitro de Vv podem ser uma ferramenta importante, uma vez que oferecem um meio simples, rápido e selectivo para estudar as interacções planta/esca.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Structural/Functional Matches and Divergences of Phytoprostanes and Phytofurans with Bioactive Human Oxylipins

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) constitutes a crucial topic to discover new bioactive molecules. This approach initiates with the comparison of a target candidate with a molecule or a collection of molecules and their attributed biological functions to shed some light in the details of one or more SARs and subsequently using that information to outline valuable application of the newly identified compounds. Thus, while the empiric knowledge of medicinal chemistry is critical to these tasks, the results retrieved upon dedicated experimental demonstration retrieved resorting to modern high throughput analytical approaches and techniques allow to overwhelm the constraints adduced so far to the successful accomplishment of such tasks. Therefore, the present work reviews critically the evidences reported to date on the occurrence of phytoprostanes and phytofurans in plant foods, and the information available on their bioavailability and biological activity, shedding some light on the expectation waken up due to their structural similarities with prostanoids and isoprostanes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Induction of phenolic compounds in Hypericum perforatum L. cells by colletotrichum gloeosporioides elicitation

Changes in phenolic metabolism after elicitation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (CG) has been studied in Hypericum perforatum L. (HP) cell suspension cultures. Soluble phenolics were analysed by HPLC–DAD and HPLC–DAD–MS/MS. HP cultures elicited with the CG elicitor showed a significant increase in xanthone accumulation. Xanthone accumulation increased twelve fold when the cells were primed with methyl-jasmonate (MeJ) or salicylic acid (SA), before elicitation. HP cultures exposed only to MeJ produced a set of flavonoids, the flavones which represent a substantial part (approx. 40%) of the total flavonoids accumulated in these cells. The possible importance of xanthones as a component of defence mechanism of HP against biotic stress is discussed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Identification of Botanical Biomarkers in Argentinean Diplotaxis Honeys: Flavonoids and Glucosinolates

To select and establish floral biomarkers of the botanical origin ofDiplotaxis tenuifoliahoneys, the flavonoids and glucosinolates present in bee-deposited nectar collected from hive combs (unripe honey) and mature honey from the same hives fron which the unripe honey samples were collected were analyzed by LC-UV-PAD-ESI-MSn. Glycosidic conjugates of the flavonols quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin were detected and characterized in unripe honey.D. tenuifoliamature honeys contained the aglycones kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. The differences between the phenolic profiles of mature honey and freshly deposited honey could be due to hydrolytic enzymatic activities. Aliphatic and indole glucososinolates were analyzed in unripe and mature honeys, this being the first report of the detection and characterization of glucosinolates as honey constituents. Moreover, these honey samples contained different amounts of propolis-derived flavonoid aglycones (1765−3171 μg/100 g) and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (29−1514 μg/100 g). Propolis flavonoids were already present in the freshly deposited nectar, showing that the incorporation of these compounds to honey occurs at the early steps of honey production. The flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin and the glucosinolates detected in the samples could be used as complementary biomarkers for the determination of the floral origin of ArgentineanDiplotaxishoneys