Protease and hemicellulase assisted extraction of dietary fiber from wastes of Cynara cardunculus

6057-6075The action of protease and hemicellulase for the extraction of fractions enriched in soluble fiber from bracts and stems of Cynara cardunculus was evaluated. Using a two-factor simplex design comprising protease amounts of 0-200 ?L and hemicellulase amounts of 0-200 mg for 5 g of material, we explored the effect of a 5 h enzymatic treatment at 40 °C on the chemical composition and yield of the fractions isolated. The fractions contained inulin and pectin. In general, the protein, inulin, and polyphenol contents and also the yields were higher for fractions obtained from stems. The most marked effects were observed when enzymes were used at higher concentrations, especially for hemicellulase. The inclusion of a pre-heating step increased the yield and the inulin content for fractions isolated from bracts and stems and decreased the protein and polyphenol contents, and the galacturonic acid for bracts. These fractions, in general, contained the polyphenolic compounds monocaffeoylquinic acid, apigenin, and pinoresinol

Efecto de la fibra soluble de alcaucil en el crecimiento de bacterias intestinales asociadas con la buena salud

Se estudió el efecto de diferentes fracciones enriquecidas en fibra soluble obtenidas a partir de alcaucil usando ácido cítrico o ácido cítrico/hemicelulasa, sobre el crecimiento selectivo de Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 y de Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863. El modelado según Gompertz del crecimiento de Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 mostró una mayor tasa de crecimiento específico (: 0,16 h-1) en presencia de la fracción aislada de tallo utilizando hemicelulasa (fracción A) que en presencia de glucosa (μ: 0,09 h-1). En el caso de Bifidobacterium bifidum 11863, el mayor μ se obtuvo para el microorganismo que creció en presencia de la fracción aislada de tallo utilizando buffer citrato, siendo su tasa de crecimiento el doble que la observada para glucosa (μ: 0,04 h-1). A su vez, se obtuvieron scores positivos de actividad prebiótica con respecto a Escherichia coli 25922, esto indicó que las fibras ensayadas son metabolizadas tan bien como la glucosa por Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 y por Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863, y que son metabolizadas selectivamente por dichos microorganismos. La capacidad potencial de la fracción A de estimular selectivamente el crecimiento de las bacterias intestinales asociadas con la buena salud, se puede atribuir a su alto contenido de inulina y de pectina de bajo grado de metilación.The effect of different fractions enriched in soluble fiber obtained from artichoke using citric acid or citric acid / hemicellulase on the selective growth of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 was evaluated. Gompertz modeling of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 growth showed a higher specific growth rate (μ: 0.16 h-1) in the presence of fraction isolated from stem using hemicellulase (fraction A) than in the presence of glucose (μ: 0.09 h-1). In the case of Bifidobacterium bifidum 11863, the highest μ was obtained for the microorganism grown in the presence of fraction A and for the fraction isolated from stem without hemicellulase, their rate being twice that observed for glucose (0.04h-1). The positive prebiotic activity scores observed with respect to Escherichia coli 25922 indicated that fibers assayed are metabolized as well as glucose by Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 and that they are selectively metabolized by these microorganisms. The potential capacity to selectively stimulate the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health shown by fraction A can be ascribed to its high inulin and low methylation degree pectin contents.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Perinatal Tobacco Smoke Exposure Increases Vascular Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Damage in Non-Human Primates

Epidemiological studies suggest that events occurring during fetal and early childhood development influence disease susceptibility. Similarly, molecular studies in mice have shown that in utero exposure to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increased adult atherogenic susceptibility and mitochondrial damage; however, the molecular effects of similar exposures in primates are not yet known. To determine whether perinatal ETS exposure increased mitochondrial damage, dysfunction and oxidant stress in primates, archived tissues from the non-human primate model Macaca mulatta (M. mulatta) were utilized. M. mulatta were exposed to low levels of ETS (1 mg/m3 total suspended particulates) from gestation (day 40) to early childhood (1 year), and aortic tissues were assessed for oxidized proteins (protein carbonyls), antioxidant activity (SOD), mitochondrial function (cytochrome oxidase), and mitochondrial damage (mitochondrial DNA damage). Results revealed that perinatal ETS exposure resulted in significantly increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and damage which were accompanied by significantly decreased mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial copy number in vascular tissue. Increased mitochondrial damage was also detected in buffy coat tissues in exposed M. mulatta. These studies suggest that perinatal tobacco smoke exposure increases vascular oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in primates, potentially increasing adult disease susceptibility

Number crunching in the cancer stem cell market

Like their normal counterparts, many tumours are thought to have a hierarchical organization, albeit a disorganized one. Accordingly, the concept of cancer stem cells has emerged, and that these cells are responsible for perpetuating tumour existence. Operationally, cancer stem cells are regarded as prospectively purified cells that are the most effective at tumour initiation in an in vivo assay, usually after xenotransplantation to NOD/SCID mice. The conventional wisdom is that such tumour-initiating cells are rare based upon having to xenotransplant large numbers of human tumour cells into immunodeficient mice to propagate the tumour, but new evidence indicates that perhaps these cells are not so rare, at least in malignant melanoma, if a supportive soil is provided for the transplanted cells along with further restriction of the murine host's immune response

Microenvironmental regulation of metastasis

Metastasis is a multistage process that requires cancer cells to escape from the primary tumour, survive in the circulation, seed at distant sites and grow. Each of these processes involves rate-limiting steps that are influenced by non-malignant cells of the tumour microenvironment. Many of these cells are derived from the bone marrow, particularly the myeloid lineage, and are recruited by cancer cells to enhance their survival, growth, invasion and dissemination. This Review describes experimental data demonstrating the role of the microenvironment in metastasis, identifies areas for future research and suggests possible new therapeutic avenues

Biochemical evidence for programmed cell death in rabbit uterine epithelium.

Uterine epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, and death are known to be regulated by estrogen and progesterone. The authors investigated a specific pattern of cell death called apoptosis, or programmed cell death, which is biochemically characterized by a specific pattern of DNA degradation. DNA isolated from endometrium of ovariectomized pseudopregnant rabbits showed a pattern of DNA cleavage at internucleosomal locations. In comparison, DNA from the endometrium of non-ovariectomized animals, as well as several other organs, did not exhibit that pattern. This biochemical evidence supports previous and present morphologic data and correlates with it. Under the experimental conditions used, only the uterine epithelial compartment of the endometrium shows apoptotic cell death, which is absent in the stromal compartment