Biological and chemical valorization potential of portuguese seaweeds: Ulva rigida, Gracilaria sp. and Fucus vesiculosus

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In vivo and in vitro effects of RAD001 on bladder cancer

Objective: To evaluate the influence of Everolimus (RAD001) on chemically induced urothelial lesions in mice and its influence on in vitro human bladder cancer cell lines. Methods: ICR male mice were given N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine in drinking water for a period of 12 weeks. Subsequently, RAD001 was administered via oral gavage, for 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, all the animals were sacrificed and tumor development was determined by means of histopathologic evaluation; mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expressivity was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Three human bladder cancer cell lines (T24, HT1376, and 5637) were treated using a range of RAD001 concentrations. MTT assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and flow cytometry were used to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis index, and cell cycle analysis, respectively. Immunoblotting analysis of 3 cell line extracts using mTOR and Akt antibodies was performed in order to study the expression of Akt and mTOR proteins and their phosphorylated forms. Results: The incidence of urothelial lesions in animals treated with RAD001 was similar to those animals not treated. RAD001 did not block T24 and HT1376 cell proliferation or induce apoptosis. A reduction in cell proliferation rate and therefore G0/G1 phase arrest, as well as a statistically significant induction of apoptosis (P 0.001), was only observed in the 5637 cell line. Conclusion: RAD001 seems not to have a significant effect on chemically induced murine bladder tumors. The effect of RAD001 on tumor proliferation and apoptosis was achieved only in superficial derived bladder cancer cell line, no effect was observed in invasive cell lines

Impact of cooking method on phenolic composition and antioxidant potential of four varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Glycine max L.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different cooking conditions - atmospheric (100°C) and pressure cooking (115°C) - on the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of four Phaseolus vulgaris varieties and soy (Glycine max). Contrary to soy, in P. vulgaris varieties both cooking methods increased drastically the total phenolic, flavonoid, and ortho-diphenol content, as well as antioxidant capacity. These results were corroborated by HPLC analysis, where an overall increase of phenolic acids and flavonoids was detected in processed samples. However, draining the cooking water significantly decreased phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in all P. vulgaris varieties and as well as soy. The hypothesis that cooking increases the compound accessibility and nutritional value through increased release of phytochemicals was verified in the present study for P. vulgaris varieties. Keeping the cooking water is crucial to the increased nutritional value of all Phaseolus varieties. Overall, compared with the tested varieties of Phaseolus, soy, to which many health benefits are attributed, is not the best legume source of antioxidants.The author Catarina I. Teixeira-Guedes acknowledges the financial support provided FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/52544/2014), under the Doctoral Program “Agricultural Production Chains – from fork to farm” (PD/00122/ 2012). This work was supported by the European Investment Funds FEDER/COMPETE/POCI– Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958] and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [UID/AGR/ 04033/2019]; Project I&D Interact - Integrative Research in Environment, Agro-Chain and Technology [NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000017], co-financed by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through NORTE 2020 (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte 2014/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Use of moderate electric fields for the extraction of bioactive and texturizing food ingredients from macroalgae: a biorefinery approach to clean label foods

With the increase in population and, subsequently, in food demand, the use of novel foods and ingredients is fundamental. Seaweeds are promising alternatives for the food industry due to their availability, nutritional value, wide range of macro and micronutrients and high added-value bioactive compounds [1,2]. Of equal importance is the use of more environmentally friendly processing strategies. The use of moderate electric fields is a sustainable alternative, recognized for its energy efficiency and reduced emissions, with given proof in the extraction and functionalization of algae fractions [3,4,5]. In order to fully valorise the red seaweeds Gracilaria vermiculophylla and Porphyra dioica into functional food ingredients, a series of sequential extraction procedures was applied: i) aqueous extraction (aimed at phycobiliprotein recovery); ii) ethanolic extraction (targeting chlorophyll and carotenoid recovery) and iii) hot-water extraction (for gelling polysaccharide recovery). Moreover, the effect of green alternatives (moderate electric fields) on the recovery yields and behaviour of the extracted fractions was accessed. The use of moderate electric fields allowed for an increase in the extraction yield of phycoerythrin (1.6 times), without compromising its thermal stability, alongside an increase in chlorophyll a (1.3 times) and chlorophyll b (1.8 times). Furthermore, the extracts obtained using electric fields presented a higher antioxidant activity than those obtained by conventional heating. Regarding the texturizing fractions, the use of moderate electric fields increased the gelling strength 1.3 times, without compromising the extraction yields. Lastly, the remaining solid fraction was further valorised using enzyme-assisted extractions aimed at aimed at bioactive peptide and fermentable monosaccharide recovery. Overall, the used strategy proved that it is possible to recovery functional and bioactive ingredients from red seaweeds, using more energetically sustainable processes, that can be applied as clean-label colouring and texturizing agents, alongside nutraceutical and bioactive ingredients, towards more nutritious and natural food alternatives.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and by COMPETE 2020 – Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), under the scope of the project cLABEL+ - Innovative natural, nutritious and consumeroriented clean label foods (POCI-01- 0247-FEDER-046080) and VALORMAR – Full valorization of marine resources: potential, technological innovation and new applications (call 10/SI/2016; reference: 24517).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effects of whole green tea infusion on mouse urinary bladder chemical carcinogenesis

Objective(s):Green tea (GT) is one of the most popular beverages worldwide whose beneficial effects on health have been demonstrated. Recent studies suggest that GT may contribute to reduction of cancer risk and progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of whole GT on urinary bladder chemical carcinogenesis in male and female ICR mice. Materials and Methods: The GT characterization was performed using spectrophotometric methods. Urinary bladder lesions were induced using N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) by gavage during 10 weeks and whole GT (0.5%) was provided ad libitum during 20 weeks. Results:Animals from groups BBN+GT and BBN only developed preneoplastic lesions. Conclusion:We did not observe any effects by GT infusion administration on urinary bladder cancer development

Phenolic rich extracts from cowpea sprouts decrease cell proliferation and enhance 5-fluorouracil effect in human colorectal cancer cell lines

It is known that diets high in legumes can help in the prevention and/or reduction of colorectal cancer. These effects may result, in part, from their high phenolic content. The aims of this study were to characterize the effect of sprouting on phenolic content and antioxidant activity, and test the anti-colorectal cancer effects including possible potentiation of 5-fluorouracil efficacy. Sprouting increased 1.7-fold the total phenolic content and 2.8-fold the antioxidant activity relative to raw extracts. The extract from sprouts produced a significant decrease in cell viability particularly in HCT116 and HCT15. The sprout extracts also induced significant cell death in all cell lines. The combination of extracts of cowpea sprouts with 5-fluorouracil increased sensitivity to the drug in the most resistant cells. Overall, spouting increased the anti-colorectal cancer activity of cowpea and potentiated 5-fluorouracil efficacy which warrants further research on the potential of cowpea sprouts as anti-colorectal cancer functional foods.The corresponding author acknowledges the financial support provided by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/52544/2014), under the Doctoral Program “Agricultural Production Chains – from fork to farm” (PD/00122/2012). This work was supported by: - European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI– Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Program, under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958 and National Funds by TFCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/AGR/04033/2013. - Project I&D Interact - Integrative Research in Environment, AgroChain and Technology, n.° of operation NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000017, on the investigation line entitled: Innovation for Sustainable Agro-food Chains - ISAC, co-financed by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through NORTE 2020 (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte 2014/2020). - We are especially grateful for the help provided by Professor Ana Cunha from CITAB-Centre for the Research and Technology of AgroEnvironmental and Biological Sciences, University of Minho, in the preparation of the extracts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved