Nutritional value, phytochemistry, and health benefits of Morus Alba

The mulberry belongs to the flowering plants' genus Morus which is in the Moraceae family. The Morus genus has 24 species and at least one hundred known varieties belong to one subspecies. Mulberry plants can grow in various climate, soil and topographical conditions. Therefore, it can be found widely in the temperate, tropical or subtropical regions of both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres. Mulberry trees represent three different species: Morus alba (M. alba), Morus rubra and Morus nigra. The Middle East, East and Southeast Asian countries are the main cultivation areas. The nutritional profile of mulberry fruit is rich in carbohydrates, salts, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, amino acids and proteins. Therefore, the fruits are recommended for a well-balanced diet. M. alba also has different usages in traditional foods such as mulberry fruit leather, mulberry churchkhela, mulberry molasses and beverages. Antioxidant, chemical and biological properties of M. alba, which are determined by the phytochemicals such as phenolics, flavonoids, steroids, volatiles and trace elements of the plant, are also effective for different applications in industry and medical usages. M. alba leaves, fruits, stems, roots, fruits, seeds and its oil are preferred widely in traditional medicine and are evaluated in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that different parts of the plant have various positive impacts as antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, anxiolytic, antidepressant, laxative, anthelmintic, odontalgic, expectorant, hepatoprotective, anti- inflammatory and antimicrobial. This plant is also found effective for the treatment of illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, dysentery, sore throat, fever, thirst, melancholia, dyspepsia, oral lesions, Alzheimer's disease and is used to strengthen joints, improve eyesight, lower blood pressure, treat edema, tonify the blood, treat grey hair and wheezing. © 2021 Nova Science Publishers, Inc

Cold pressed grape (Vitis vinifera) seed oil

Grape (Vitis vinifera) seeds are obtained from juice or wine production as by-products and considered an environmentally friendly value-added product. The oil from Vitis vinifera seeds is usually extracted by the cold pressing method in order to keep the antioxidant components in the oil with greater oxidative stability. The fatty acids profile of grape seed oil consists mainly of linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids. Grapeseed oil is one of the richest natural sources of tocols, mainly tocopherols, which are one of the most powerful oil-soluble antioxidants. Grape seed oil is one of the most commonly preferred gourmet oils with its unique nutty and light flavor. It is also considered a beneficial dietary supplement and cosmetic product with its high content of essential fatty acids, natural antioxidants, and phytochemicals. The oil also supports treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and several diseases. For these reasons, grape seed oil should have an important place in the daily diet. The aim of this work is to identify the specific characteristics of cold pressed grape seed oil in terms of chemical properties, production practices, nutritional profile, alternative usages, health effects, and adulteration. © 2020 Elsevier Inc

Theranostic niosomes as a promising tool for combined therapy and diagnosis: "all-in-one" approach

2-s2.0-85055930824Because of the great achievement and progress made for the generation of novel nanostructures, theranostic nanoplatforms have been the trending topic because of their intensive capability of therapy and diagnosis. Hence, theranostics have also recently been a generic strategy for personalized medicine. Moreover, traditional therapy modalities limit the use of chemotherapeutic agents for every patient, and this requires more effective drug-carrier systems by designing the formulation of drug in a specified way. Herein, we performed a generic theranostic platform in an "all-in-one" concept by the combination of two therapy modalities with an active targeting approach. To achieve this, 10 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) were encapsulated into folic acid (FA-)tagged niosome vesicles. The resulting AuNP-PpIX-FA niosomes were characterized, and their particle size was93 ± 17 nm with a high surface charge and encapsulation efficiency (around 85%). In the case of bioapplications for AuNP-PpIX-FA niosomes, folate-receptor-positive [FR(+)] human cervical cancer (HeLa) and FR-negative [FR(-)] human alveolar type II (A549)-like cell lines were examined with the relative control groups of theranostic vesicles. By testing the toxicity of vesicles, nontoxic concentrations were successfully introduced to the cell with the combined treatment of radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy. On the other hand, the cellular uptake of niosomes also showed great potential for FR(+) HeLa cells as the theranostic platform with an all-in-one approach. Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society

Analysis of chemical compositions of 15 different cold-pressed oils produced in turkey: A case study of tocopherol and fatty acid analysis

Many people tend to prefer natural foods and supplements nowadays. Considering this tendency, this study assessed the most significant in quality and purity parameters tocopherol and fatty acid compositions of cold-pressed oils, namely black cumin, sesame, sunflower, poppy, pomegranate, nettle, pumpkin, grape, safflower, flax, canola seed, wheat germ, peanut, hazelnut, and walnut. This study deals with the sample preparation and validation of tocopherols using an HPLC-FLD method for simultaneous determination of ?-ß-?-, and ?-tocopherols, and analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) with using GC-FID. The validated HPLC method was applied for the tocopherols’ analysis and measurement uncertainty was calculated for tocopherols and some fatty acids. The obtained data were evaluated by using principal component analysis to show the relationship between quality parameters and seed oils. Wheat germ, hazelnut, safflower, and sunflower oils have the highest tocopherol contents respectively with a predominance of ?-tocopherol. Seed oils’ fatty acid compositions were classified according to proportions of oleic, linoleic, and other fatty acids. This study shows that the evaluated seeds are valuable sources of natural antioxidants and some specific and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The applied method can also be helpful for the industry to obtain quality analysis approach. © 2018, Turkish Chemical Society. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Ege University, Drug Research and Pharmacokinetic Development and Applied Center, (ARGEFAR). The authors wish to thank the Zade Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. for providing cold-pressed oils. -

An Electrochemical Biosensor Platform for Testing of Dehydroepiandrosterone 3-Sulfate (DHEA?S) as a Model for Doping Materials

2-s2.0-85071341127Endogenous steroids such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulfate (DHEA?S) have commonly used as doping materials by athletes and to date novel techniques are needed for detection of these molecules. In this study, antibody-based electrochemical biosensor has developed for testing level of the DHEA?S. For this aim, gold surfaces were initially modified with cysteamine (Cys) and then, DHEA?S antibody was immobilized on the surface via glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent. The stepwise modification of electrode surface was monitored by using various electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Linear range was determined as 2.5–100 ng/mL DHEA?S using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique, as well. Moreover, repeatability (±S.D.), coefficient of variation (%) and limit of detection (LOD) values were calculated as 0.033, 1.030 and 3.971, respectively. Also, DHEA?S in synthetic serum and urine samples were successfully determined with standard addition method and confirmation analysis were performed with liquid chromatography quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) system. The selectivity was studied with the addition of some interfering molecules (testosterone, bovine serum albumin (BSA), cholesterol, uric acid, lactic acid, codein (COD), ascorbic acid, DHEA). Consequently, this work is proposed as practical, innovative and cost-effective technique that can be easily adapted for the miniaturized form for the analysis of other doping substances as well as DHEA?S for the future works. © 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimEge Üniversitesi: 18?EGEMATAL?001This study was supported by Ege University Scientific Research Project Coordination (BAP) coded 18?EGEMATAL?001. All experiments were conducted in Ege University Central Research Test and Analysis Laboratory Application and Research Center (EGE?MATAL). Also, throughout all experiments, facilities provided by 16?DPT?001 project were used

Catechol-Attached Polypeptide with Functional Groups as Electrochemical Sensing Platform for Synthetic Cannabinoids

Herein, we first constructed a functional surface using a catechol-attached polypeptide (CtP) for the detection of JWH-018 (N-4-hydroxypentyl metabolite). K2 antibody was then incorporated to the polymer via covalent cross-linker. Step-by-step modifications on the glassy carbon electrode surface were characterized by electrochemical measurements such as differential pulse voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Linearity and the limit of detection for JWH-018 (N-4-hydroxypentyl metabolite) were determined as 10-500 ng/mL with an equation of y = 0.0018x + 0.136 (R2 = 0.993) and 5.892 ng/mL, respectively. The selectivity of the biosensor was evaluated with different interfering molecules (methamphetamine, codeine, and cocaine). Finally, the biosensor was successfully used in the determination of JWH-018 (N-4-hydroxypentyl metabolite) in spiked synthetic urine samples, and a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system was used as a reference method to confirm the sample application. The results show that this biosensor platform can be applied to detect other JWH series of synthetic cannabinoids with high sensitivity and accuracy. Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society.2010K120810, 2016K121190; 117Z152The authors would like to thank the Turkish Scientific and Research Council (Project No. 117Z152) and Istanbul Technical University Research Fund for financial support. The Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Development, is also acknowledged (Project Grant Nos. 2016K121190 and 2010K120810) for providing the infrastructure to Ege University Central Research, Testing and Analysis Laboratory, Research and Application Center (EGE-MATAL)

Magnetic Nanofiber Layers as a Functional Surface for Biomolecule Immobilization and One-Use ‘Sensing in-a-Drop’ Applications

Stabilization of biomolecules on matrices is critically important. Here we constructed composite nanofibers with magnetic features by electro-spinning of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) in an appropriate polymer matrix on a collector surface for multiple uses. ‘Poly(vinylalcohol)-polyethyleneimine/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles’ (PVA-PEI/MNP) composite nanofiber was used on the screen printed electrodes (SPE) to serve as a platform for the glucose oxidase (GOx) biofilm as the model biomolecule. To show the potential application of this material as a biosensor component, the resulted biofilm, called ‘PVA-PEI/MNP/GOx’, was fixed on SPE via a neodymium magnet for the electrochemical detection of glucose at -0.7 V where oxygen consumption due to enzymatic reaction was measured. The main advantage of the obtained magnetic biomembrane is that it allows analysis with a single drop. After step-by-step surface modifications, analytical characterization was performed using various techniques, such as voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as microscopic techniques. The linear range of the PVA-PEI/MNP/GOx surface was found as 0.0125 to 0.5 mM with a limit of detection of 11.5 µM for glucose as analyte. The application of PVA-PEI/MNP/GOx for glucose detection in synthetic samples was carried out. Data proved the potential use of the ‘PVA-PEI/MNP’ surface as a biomolecule immobilization platform for disposable biosensor applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei