Outlook for the forest-based bioeconomy

Non peer reviewe

Wood extractives of Finnish pine, spruce and birch – availability and optimal sources of compounds

Forest-based biomass is one of the main sources of energy and feedstock for industrial production of bio-materials, bio-chemicals, bio-fuels, and other novel bio-refinery products in Finland. Apart from its main chemical constituents (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin), wood also contains a wide variety of low molecular mass compounds known as extractives. These compounds can be separated from insoluble wood constituents by simple solvent extraction using polar or non-polar solvents. The aim of enhancing efficiency in the utilization of feedstock through product diversification and improved recovery has led to an increased interest in studying individual chemical components of wood. In particular, extractive compounds provide potential functionalities for several types of industrial chemicals and well-being and health products for consumers. The extractives content within a tree and between trees in the same stand is not uniform and may also vary according to the age of the trees, the season, the site and provenance. Differences in the amounts of extractives from one geographic location to the next can be found, but the differ-ences between plots and parts of a single tree are clearer. The effects of different factors (e.g. location, the part of the tree, age, the site type, time of har-vesting, or storage time) on the quantity of extractives have been well studied, but no review sum-marizing the effects of the aforementioned parameters on individual extractive compounds exists. A comprehensive review (or a set of more detailed summaries)concerning the extractive compositions of the overall tree biomass (incl. not only the stem, but also the bark, foliage, and stump-root sys-tem) of most common Finnish industrial wood species has not been available until now. Often scien-tific articles are concentrated on studying certain parts of trees, while some examine the geographic origins or site, or they might focus on even more specific issues such as certain groups of compounds in certain parts of the tree. In addition, the study material in some studies is very limited. In this re-port the results of the studies on extractives of Norway spruce, Scots pine, and silver and white birch have been summarized to facilitate the identification of the best suitable biomass assortments for sourcing future biorefineries and their production lines. Metsäbiomassa on yksi biomateriaalien, biokemikaalien ja muiden uusien biotuotteiden sekä bio-energian pääraaka-aineista. Pääosa metsäbiomassasta koostuu erilaisesta puuaineksesta. Puussa on sen pääkomponenttien (selluloosa, hemiselluloosa ja ligniini) lisäksi erilaisia pienimolekyylisiä uuteai-neita, jotka voidaan nimensä mukaisesti erottaa puusta uuttamalla. Nykyisin metsäbiomassan hyö-dyntämisastetta pyritään kasvattamaan ja käyttöä monipuolistamaan, minkä vuoksi yksittäisiin uu-teaineyhdisteisiin kohdistuva kiinnostus lisääntyy. Näitä uuteaineyhdisteitä voidaan hyödyntää erityi-sesti lähtöaineina hyvinvointi- ja terveystuotteiden ja erilaisten teollisuuskemikaalien valmistuksessa. Uuteaineiden koostumus ja määrä puun sisällä ja puuyksilöiden välillä vaihtelee runsaasti, ja li-säksi puun ikä, korjuuajankohta, geneettinen alkuperä ja kasvupaikka vaikuttavat uuteaineiden mää-rään. Uuteaineiden määrä vaihtelee maantieteellisen sijainnin mukaan, mutta erot ovat paljon sel-vemmät puun eri osien välillä ja yksittäisten metsikköjen välillä. Eri tekijöiden vaikutusta uuteaineiden määrään on tutkittu paljon, mutta yhteenvetoa näiden tekijöi-den vaikutuksesta ei ole tehty. Kattavia tai yksityiskohtaisia yhteenvetoja koskien uuteaineiden mää-riä puun eri osissa (ei vain runkopuussa, vaan myös kuoressa, lehvästössä, kantopuussa ja juurissa) ei ole tehty yleisimmillä suomalaisilla puulajeilla. Tieteelliset artikkelit ovat usein keskittyneet tiettyyn puun osaan, tai yhteen tiettyyn yhdisteryhmään tietyssä osassa puuta. Lisäksi tutkitut aineistot ovat olleet usein pieniä. Tämä raportti on yhteenveto kuusen, männyn ja koivun uuteaineiden tutkimustu-loksista. Sen tulosten toivotaan edesauttavan biojalostukseen ja sen prosesseihin parhaiten soveltu-vien biomassaositteiden tunnistamisessa.201

The way forward: Management and policy actions

Non peer reviewe

2D Bipyrimidine silver(I) nitrate: Synthesis, X-ray structure, solution chemistry and anti-microbial activit

Synthesis and X-ray single crystal structure analysis of the compound {[Ag₂(μ₂-bpym)(μ-O-NO₃)₂]}_n, (1), (where bpym = 2,2′-bipyrimidine) are presented. Compound (1) has a (6,3)-2D honeycomb structure with a tetrahedral coordination geometry around the Ag(I) ion. In contrary to the solid state structural investigation, ESI-MS for (1) in solution shows a strong peak at m/z 423.0269 which indicates that the [Ag(bpym)₂]⁺ cation is dominating instead of [Ag₂(bpym)]²⁺. The anti-microbial activity of (1) was screened against 15 multi-drug resistant bacteria in comparison to silver(I) sulphadiazine and it showed a high activity against Burkholderia mallei which causes glanders; with a MIC value of 4 μg/ml

Paclitaxel, Imatinib and 5-Fluorouracil Increase the Unbound Fraction of Flucloxacillin In Vitro

Flucloxacillin (FLU), an isoxazolyl penicillin, is widely used for the treatment of different bacterial infections in intensive care units (ICU). Being highly bound to plasma proteins, FLU is prone to drug-drug interactions (DDI) when administered concurrently with other drugs. As FLU is binding to both Sudlow's site I and site II of human serum albumin (HSA), competitive and allosteric interactions with other drugs, highly bound to the same sites, seem conceivable. Knowledge about interaction(s) of FLU with the widely used anticancer agents paclitaxel (PAC), imatinib (IMA), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU is scarce. The effects of the selected anticancer agents on the unbound fraction of FLU were evaluated in pooled plasma as well as in HSA and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) samples, the second major drug carrier in plasma. FLU levels in spiked samples were analyzed by LC-MS/MS after ultrafiltration. Significant increase in FLU unbound fraction was observed when in combination with PAC and IMA and to a lesser extent with 5-FU. Furthermore, significant binding of FLU to AGP was observed. Collectively, this is the first study showing the binding of FLU to AGP as well as demonstrating a significant DDI between PAC/IMA/5-FU and FLU

Modification of carbonic anhydrase II with acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, leads to decreased enzyme activity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, can generate covalent modifications of proteins and cellular constituents. However, functional consequences of such modification remain poorly defined. In the present study, we examined acetaldehyde reaction with human carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozyme II, which has several features that make it a suitable target protein: It is widely expressed, its enzymatic activity can be monitored, its structural and catalytic properties are known, and it contains 24 lysine residues, which are accessible sites for aldehyde reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Acetaldehyde treatment in the absence and presence of a reducing agent (NaBH₃(CN)) caused shifts in the pI values of CA II. SDS-PAGE indicated a shift toward a slightly higher molecular mass. High-resolution mass spectra of CA II, measured with and without NaBH₃(CN), indicated the presence of an unmodified protein, as expected. Mass spectra of CA II treated with acetaldehyde revealed a modified protein form (+26 Da), consistent with a "Schiff base" formation between acetaldehyde and one of the primary NH₂groups (e.g., in lysine side chain) in the protein structure. This reaction was highly specific, given the relative abundance of over 90% of the modified protein. In reducing conditions, each CA II molecule had reacted with 9–19 (14 on average) acetaldehyde molecules (+28 Da), consistent with further reduction of the "Schiff bases" to substituted amines (N-ethyllysine residues). The acetaldehyde-modified protein showed decreased CA enzymatic activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The acetaldehyde-derived modifications in CA II molecule may have physiological consequences in alcoholic patients.</p

Compositions of dissolved organic matter in the ice-covered waters above the Aurora hydrothermal vent system, Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean

Hydrothermal vents modify and displace subsurface dissolved organic matter (DOM) into the ocean. Once in the ocean, this DOM is transported together with elements, particles, dissolved gases and biomass along with the neutrally buoyant plume layer. Considering the number and extent of actively venting hydrothermal sites in the oceans, their contribution to the oceanic DOM pool may be substantial. Here, we investigate the dynamics of DOM in relation to hydrothermal venting and related processes at the as yet unexplored Aurora hydrothermal vent field within the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean at 82.9∘ N. We examined the vertical distribution of DOM composition from sea ice to deep waters at six hydrocast stations distal to the active vent and its neutrally buoyant plume layer. In comparison to background seawater, we found that the DOM in waters directly affected by the hydrothermal plume was molecularly less diverse and 5 %–10 % lower in number of molecular formulas associated with the molecular categories related to lipid and protein-like compounds. On the other hand, samples that were not directly affected by the plume were chemically more diverse and had a higher percentage of chemical formulas associated with the carbohydrate-like category. Our results suggest that hydrothermal processes at Aurora may influence the DOM distribution in the bathypelagic ocean by spreading more thermally and/or chemically induced compositions, while DOM compositions in epipelagic and mesopelagic layers are mainly governed by the microbial carbon pump dynamics and surface-ocean–sea-ice interactionspublishedVersio

Elevated methane alters dissolved organic matter composition in the Arctic Ocean cold seeps

Cold seeps release methane (CH4) from the seafloor to the water column, which fuels microbially mediated aerobic methane oxidation (MOx). Methane-oxidising bacteria (MOB) utilise excess methane, and the MOB biomass serves as a carbon source in the food web. Yet, it remains unclear if and how MOx modifies the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in cold seeps. We investigated MOx rates, DOM compositions and the microbial community during ex-situ incubations of seawater collected from a cold seep site at Norskebanken (north of the Svalbard archipelago) in the Arctic Ocean. Samples were incubated with and without methane amendments. Samples amended with methane (∼1 µM final concentration) showed elevated rates of MOx in both seep and non-seep incubations. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) analyses showed that the number of DOM formulas (i.e., molecular diversity) increased by up to 39% in these incubations. In contrast, the number of formulas decreased by 20% in samples not amended with methane, both from non-seep and seep locations. DOM composition was thus altered towards a more diverse and heterogeneous composition along with elevated methanotrophic activity in methane-amended conditions. In addition to microbial DOM production, abating microbial diversity indicates that elevated DOM diversity was potentially related to grazing pressure on bacteria. The diversity of DOM constituents, therefore, likely increased with the variety of decaying cells contributing to DOM production. Furthermore, based on a principal coordinate analysis, we show that the final DOM composition of non-seep samples amended with methane became more resemblant to that of seep samples. This suggests that methane intrusions will affect water column DOM dynamics similarly, irrespective of the water column’s methane history