Analysis of food supplement with unusual raspberry ketone content

In recent years food supplement market increased constantly, including slimming products and against obesity. The case of rasberry ketone (RK) is here reported. HPTLC and HPLC-DAD analyses on a marketed product containing raspberry juice evidenced an abnormal quantity of RK, not in accordance with the juice natural content. The reported data confirm the need of adequate controls on marketed food supplements and the necessity of a complete adherence between labelling and real constitution of the product. Practical Applications: Determining the natural origin and assuring the consumers' safety for raspberry-based food supplement

DNA binding and oxidative DNA damage induced by climacostol\u2013copper(II) complexes: Implications for anticancer properties

Climacostol is a natural toxin isolated from the freshwater ciliated protozoan Climacostomum virens and belongs to the group of resorcinolic lipids. Climacostol exerts a potent antimicrobial activity against a panel of bacterial and fungal pathogens. In addition it inhibits the growth of tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner by inducing programmed cell death via intrinsic pathway. In this work, we investigated the possibility that climacostol exerts a prooxidant effect, inducing plasmid DNA strand breakage and eukaryotic DNA damage in presence of Cu(II) ions. Inhibition of DNA breakage using SOD, catalase and neocuproine confirmed the involvement of reactive oxygen species and Cu(I) ions in the DNA damage. UV\u2013visible absorption changes and mass spectrometric analysis identified a product of reaction as a deprotonated form of climacostol. Study of the interaction with DNA, using fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, showed that climacostol binds with DNA. Given the structure\u2013activity relationship of this compound and the mechanism of its prooxidant effect, we propose that the Cu(II)-mediated oxidative DNA damage by climacostol could explain its antimicrobial and antiproliferative activity

Simultaneous Determination of 18 Bioactive Compounds in Italian Bitter Liqueurs by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Diode Array Detection

A simple, fast and accurate method has been developed to simultaneously determine 18 bioactive compounds in Italian bitter liqueurs containing gentian, cinchona, cinnamon, rhubarb, clove, star anise or orange, by reversed-phase highperformance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with diode array detection (DAD). HPLC analysis was performed with a C18 column using methanol and aqueous phosphoric acid (pH 2.5) as mobile phase. Selected wavelengths, i.e. 210, 232, 275, 285, 291, 310 and 368 nm, were used for quantification of compounds. The column temperature was controlled at 30 °C. The correlation coefficients (R2) of the calibration curves of the analysed compounds were ≥0.9999 in a relatively wide concentration range (0.5–50 μg/ml). The proposed method proved successful in simultaneously analysing 18 bitter liqueurs produced in Italy. The concentration of the most important bitter principles, gentiopicroside, amarogentin, quinine and naringin, ranged as follows: 1.17–299.20, 0.25–32.24, 1.44–6.93 and 0.28–39.99 μg/ml, respectively

SPME-GC-MS analysis of commercial henna samples (Lawsonia inermis L.)

The aim of this work was to provide a characterisation of volatile constituents from different commercial batches of henna (Lawsonia inermis) leaves of different geographic origin. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used for the purpose. A total of 72 components were identified by GC–MS in the headspace of different henna samples which proved to differ considerably from each other, because they were characterised by different classes of components, mainly aliphatic compounds (9.0–64.7%), terpenoids (5.8–45.5%) and aromatics (7.9–45.2%), with alkanes (0.9–18.5%), aldehydes (2.1–18.8%) and carboxylic acids (3.1–29.3%), monoterpenes (3.4–30.0%) and sesquiterpenes (0.8–23.7%) and phenyl propanoids (0.6–43.1%), being the most abundant, respectively. Major representatives of these groups were nhexadecane (0.5–4.7%), (2E)-hexenal (0.5–11.7%) and acetic acid (2.8–24.5%), limonene (0.8–14.7%), carvol (3.8–7.1%), geranyl acetone (1.4–7.9%) and (E)-caryophyllene (3.3–8.4%), and (E)-anethole (0.6–35.0%), respectively. We assume that factors such as the manufacturing process, the storage conditions and the different geographic origin of the samples may contribute to such variability

Assessment and Comparison of Phytochemical Constituents and Biological Activities between Full Flowering and Late Flowering of Hypericum perforatum L.

This study assessed the impact of full and late flowering stages on the polyphenols and enzyme inhibitory properties of Hypericum perforatum from Poland. Recognizing the significance of phenolic compounds in disease prevention and melatonin’s emerging protective role, we employed an UHPLC-MS/MS system to quantify 38 phenolic compounds, not typical of St. John’s wort, and to develop a new method for melatonin quantification. Afterward, the extracts were tested for their antioxidant capabilities (using phosphomolybdenum, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC and ferrous chelating assays). Moreover, we investigated enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and tyrosinase) involved in neurodegenerative disorders and (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) in diabetes. This study recognized the importance of phenolic compounds in disease prevention and explored the emerging protective role of melatonin, taking into account the floral ontogeny of the plant. Indeed, the full-flowering plant contained the greatest concentration of phenolic compounds (a total of 65,276.5 μg/g): hyperoside (18,726.59 μg/g), isoquercitrin (11,895.02 μg/g) and delphindin-3.5-diglucoside (10,619.51 μg/g), and showed the highest inhibitory enzyme activity. Moreover, only full-flowering St. John’s wort contained melatonin (40 ng/g). Our results offer additional perspectives on the chemical-biological characteristics of H. perforatum and scientific knowledge that testifies to the importance of considering plant growth conditions for the development of nutraceuticals

Evaluation of the Fecal Proteome in Healthy and Diseased Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) Suffering from Gastrointestinal Disorders

Fecal proteomics allows for the identification of proteins and peptides present in stools and is useful in finding possible new biomarkers for diagnosing and/or monitoring gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In the present study, we investigated the fecal proteome in healthy and diseased cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Captive individuals of this species frequently show gastrointestinal disorders characterized by recurrent episodes of diarrhea, rare episodes of vomiting and weight loss, associated with Helicobacter spp. infection. Fecal proteomic evaluation has been performed by two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In healthy cheetahs, the results showed the presence of the following proteins: collagen alpha-1 (II) chain, transthyretin, IgG Fc-binding protein, titin, dystonin, isopentenyl-diphosphate Delta-isomerase 1, sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha-1 and protein disulfide-isomerase A6. The presence of albumin isoforms was found only in diseased cheetahs. The present paper reports the study of the fecal proteome in the cheetah, evidences some differences between healthy and diseased patients and confirms, once again, the potential of fecal proteomics for the study of the GI environment, with promising developments regarding the identification of new diagnostic/monitoring markers