Chemical Characterization, Bioactive Properties, and Pigment Stability of Polyphenolics in Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.)

Phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, pigment stability, bioactive properties, and in-vitro absorption of polyphenolics in acai fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) were investigated. Detailed characterization of phenolic compounds present in acai fruit, acai fruit pulp, and a polyphenolic-enriched acai oil were conducted by HPLCESI- MSn analyses and their stability and influence on antioxidant capacity determined. Anthocyanins were predominant in acai fruits, which also contained several flavone and flavonol glycosides, flavanol derivatives, and phenolic acids. In-vitro absorption and antiproliferative effects of phytochemical extracts from acai pulp and acai oil were determined as a function of chemical composition. Polyphenolic mixtures from both acai pulp and acai oil extracts significantly inhibited HT-29 colon cancer cell proliferation, also inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species. In-vitro intestinal absorption using Caco-2 cell models demonstrated that phenolic acids and monomeric flavanol derivatives are readily transported through cell monolayers in-vitro. The influence of polyphenolic cofactors on the stability of anthocyanins in acai fruit under varying conditions of temperature and pH was evaluated. Significant time, temperature, and pH-dependent anthocyanin losses were observed in all models, yet the presence of phenolic acids, procyanidins, and flavone-C-glycosides had a positive influence on anthocyanin stability. External addition of flavone-C-glycosides significantly enhanced visual color, increased anthocyanin stability during exposures to high pH or storage temperatures, and had comparable effects to those of a commercial anthocyanin enhancer. Anthocyanin polymerization reactions occurring during storage of acai fruit juice models were investigated and potential mechanisms and reaction products identified. Polymeric anthocyanin fractions contained several anthocyanin-flavanol adducts based on cyanidin or pelargonidin aglycones and their presence was related to increased anthocyanin sulfite bleaching resistance and to the appearance of large, unresolved peaks in HPLC chromatograms. A reaction mechanism involving the nucleophilic addition of anthocyanins in their hydrated form to flavanol carbocations resulting from cleavage of interflavanic bonds was proposed for the formation of flavanol-anthocyanin adducts in acai fruit juices. Antiproliferative activity and in-vitro absorption of monomeric and polymeric anthocyanin fractions were also evaluated. Both fractions inhibited HT-29 colon cancer cell growth in a similar, concentration-dependent manner, yet in-vitro absorption trials using Caco-2 intestinal cell monolayers indicated the presence of anthocyanin polymers may influence anthocyanin absorption in acai fruit products

Physical activity and bone health in schoolchildren: the mediating role of fitness and body fat

This is the final version of the article. Available from Public Library of Science via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: The relationship between physical activity (PA) and bone health is well known, although the role of percent body fat (%BF) and fitness as confounders or mediators in this relationship remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the association between PA and bone mineral content (BMC) is mediated by %BF and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). METHODS: In this cross sectional study, BMC, total %BF (by DXA), vigorous PA (VPA), CRF, age and height were measured in 132 schoolchildren (62 boys, aged 8-11 years). ANCOVA was used to test differences in BMC by %BF, CRF and VPA, controlling for different sets of confounders. Simple mediation analyses and serial multiple mediation analyses were fitted to examine whether the relationship between PA and BMC is mediated by %BF and fitness. RESULTS: Children with high %BF had higher total body BMC than their peers after controlling for all sets of confounders. Children with good CRF or VPA had significantly less total body BMC after controlling for age and sex but in children with good CRF this inverse relation disappeared after adjusting by %BF. %BF and CRF both act as a full mediator in the association between VPA and BMC, after inclusion of the potential confounders in the models. CONCLUSION: Fitness and %BF seem to have a mediator role on the relationship between physical activity and bone mass.This study was funded by grant numbers PII1I09-0259-9898 and POII10-0208-5325 from the Ministry of Education and Science - Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, and Ministry of Health (FIS grant number PI081297). Additional funding was provided by the Research Network on Preventative Activities and Health Promotion (RD06/0018/0038)

Importancia de la implementación de la auditoría ambiental en la perspectiva de la gestión ambiental de las empresas

La auditoría ambiental como parte importante en el desarrollo empresarial permite que la relación entre ambiente, sociedad y empresa se vea fortalecido por la responsabilidad de las compañías con el entorno donde esta llevan a cabo sus actividades, junto a la gestión ambiental la auditoria, permite que las empresas implemente métodos, procesos y herramientas que permitan mitigar el daño realizado por estas a la naturaleza y sociedad, ya sea por las actividades mineras o industriales que suelen generar una contaminación desproporcionar al entorno que rodea a la compañía. En base a lo mencionado se lleva acabo el presente trabajo, que tendrá como meta establecer la importancia de la auditoría ambiental en la gestión ambiental de las empresas, con el fin de determinar cuál es el manejo que le dan las empresas a la gestión ambiental, como estas llevan a cabo los procesos y cuáles son las medidas y decisiones que se toman en base a la misma. El trabajo se desarrolló teniendo en cuenta una metodología mixta que permitirá cumplir con los objetivos planteados en el proyecto, en base a ellos se realizaran el marco referencial y se hará una descripción del problema planteado con el fin de utilizar una metodología adecuada para la realización de los resultados y conclusiones.The environmental audit as an important part in business development allows the relationship between environment, society and company to be strengthened by the responsibility of the companies with the environment where they carry out their activities, together with the environmental management the audit, allows companies implement methods, processes and tools to mitigate the damage done by these to nature and society, either by mining or industrial activities that usually generate disproportionate pollution to the environment that surrounds the company. Based on the aforementioned, the present work is carried out, which will aim to establish the importance of environmental auditing in the environmental management of companies, in order to determine what is the management that companies give to environmental management, how are they carrying out the processes and what are the measures and decisions that are taken based on the environmental audit. The work was developed taking into account a mixed methodology that will allow meeting the objectives set out in the project, based on which the referential framework will be made and a description of the proposed problem will be made in order to use an adequate methodology for the realization of the results and conclusion

LC-ESI-MS/MS profiling of phenolics from Eleutherococcus spp. inflorescences, structure-activity relationship as antioxidants, inhibitors of hyaluronidase and acetylcholinesterase

AbstractNature is a source of many plant-based molecules used as pro- or drugs. Eleutherococcus species are native to Asia and the North Russia, and are traditionally used to treat various diseases. In turn, neither secondary metabolites of the species cultivated in the West Europe nor the bioactivity is known. No differences in the phenols and flavonoids content in the inflorescences were found. The richest in polyphenols was E. giraldii (5.18mg/g), while in flavonoids it was E. gracilistylus (1.80mg/g). Using LC-ESI-MS/MS, protocatechuic and trans-caffeic acids have been identified as the most abundant compounds in E. gracilistylus, E. giraldii, E. senticosus (833.4; 855.6; 614.7 and 280.8; 156.0; 167.6μg/g DE). It was observed that all species were able to chelate Fe2+ with the EC50 value of 0.2, 0.6, 0.3mg/mL for E. gracilistylus, E. giraldii, E. senticosus, respectively. E. gracilistylus exhibited the strongest antiperoxidation and anti-DPPH∗ activity (EC50 3.2 and 0.48mg/mL). The weak inhibitory potential has been observed in case of AChE inhibition at the level of 16.17 and 12.2% for E. gracilistylus, E. giraldii. We report for the first time that the extracts inhibited Hyal activity in the range from 16.4 to 60.7%. To our best knowledge, no information was available on this activity of the inflorescences and this provides a background to study inflorescences in more detail. Considering the SAR, an antioxidant activity may be correlated with a high amount of protocatechuic and trans-caffeic acids and their chemical structure

Evaluación del cuero obtenido a partir de piel de pescado de Cachama Negra (Colossoma macropomum) utilizando taninos extraídos del pseudotallo del plátano (Musa paradisiaca)

Tannins are phenolic compounds of great economic and ecological interest, with various uses among which are natural tanning of skins, which help to minimize the environmental impact caused by the indiscriminate use of chromium. For this reason, in this research, it was proposed to extract, quantify and evaluate tanning effect of tannins on the skin of fish of the species cachama (Colossoma macropomum), extracted from the sap of the pseudostem of banana (Musa paradisiaca) in a state of senescence. For this, extractions were made with different concentrations of solvent Sap/Ethanol/Water varying its temperature (4 and 30 °C) with the purpose of finding the best ratio of solvents to optimize extraction of tannins. It was found that the optimal tannins extraction temperature of the pseudostem was at 4 °C with a ratio 1:1 Sap/Ethanol. The extract obtained was analyzed by a qualitative test to show the presence of condensed tannins in the pseudostem in a state of senescence. The quantification of tannins was performed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry analysis using Folin Ciocalteu method at a measurement of 280 nm, obtaining a maximum concentration of 12,27 g/L equivalent to gallic acid (EAG). The process of tanning in cachama fish skin (Colossoma macropomum) was performed, where physical-mechanical properties of the leather obtained were determined as tensile strength (26,3 MPa), elongation percentage (91,2 %), tear resistance (58,6 N), shrinkage temperature (62 °C), distension (13,72 mm) and breakage (53,16 daN), comparing the quality of tanning with vegetable tannin extracts of the pseudostem with industrial tanning with chromium (wet blue). It was found that the pseudostem extract can be a potential substitute to chromium salts, allowing tannery processes with similar properties and with less environmental impact.  Los taninos son compuestos fenólicos de gran interés económico y ecológico, con diversos usos entre los cuales se encuentran la curtición natural de pieles, los cuales ayudan a la minimización del impacto ambiental causado por el uso indiscriminado del cromo. Por tal razón, en esta investigación, se propuso extraer, cuantificar y evaluar el efecto curtiente de taninos en la piel de pescado de la especie cachama (Colossoma macropomum), extraídos de la savia del pseudotallo del plátano (Musa paradisiaca) en estado de senescencia. Para esto, se realizaron extracciones con diferentes concentraciones de disolvente Savia/Etanol/Agua variando su temperatura (4 y 30 °C) con el fin de encontrar la mejor relación de solventes para optimizar la extracción de taninos. Se encontró que la temperatura óptima de extracción de taninos del pseudotallo fue a 4 °C con una relación 1:1 Savia/Etanol. El extracto obtenido fue analizado mediante una prueba cualitativa logrando mostrar la presencia de taninos condensados en el pseudotallo en estado de senescencia. La cuantificación de los taninos se realizó mediante el análisis de espectrofotometría UV-Vis utilizando el método Folin Ciocalteu a una medición de 280 nm, obteniendo una concentración máxima de 12,27 g/L equivalentes a ácido gálico (EAG). Se realizó el proceso de curtido en piel de pescado Cachama (Colossoma macropomum), donde se determinaron las propiedades físico-mecánicas del cuero obtenido como resistencia a la tracción (26,3 MPa), porcentaje de elongación (91,2 %), resistencia al desgarre (58,6 N), temperatura de contracción (62 °C), distensión (13,72 mm) y rotura (53,16 daN), comparando la calidad del curtido con los extractos de tanino vegetal del pseudotallo respecto al curtido industrial con cromo (wet blue). Se encontró que el extracto del pseudotallo es un potencial sustituto a las sales de cromo, permitiendo procesos de curtiembres con propiedades similares y con menor impacto ambiental

The powerful in vitro bioactivity of Euterpe oleracea Mart. seeds and related phenolic compounds

The Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) is a plant from the Amazon region, classified as "super fruit" because of its various functional properties. However, limited investigation has been performed on açaí by-products, such as seeds. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterized the phenolic compounds of the aqueous extract of açaí seeds and further evaluate its bioactivity (antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Only proanthocyanidins were detected, being a B-type (epi)catechin tetramer the most abundant; however, procyanidin trimmers were the most predominant form. Açaí seeds extract revealed a high antioxidant (EC50 ranging from 3.6 to 19.4 μg/mL) and cytotoxic activity, being more effective in the cervical carcinoma cell line (HeLa; GI50 = 18 μg/mL); it did not show toxicity for non-tumor cells. Açaí seeds are considered a waste and could have an added economic benefit, through the extraction of natural antioxidants, particularly proanthocyanidins, that could find applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the research centre CIMO (strategic project PEst OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and L. Barros researcher contract under “Programa Compromisso com Ciência - 2008”. The authors are also grateful to Jamil S. Oliveira by the initial discussions on the preparation of samples

In vitro approaches to assess the effects of açai (Euterpe oleracea) digestion on polyphenol availability and the subsequent impact on the faecal microbiota

A considerable proportion of dietary plant-polyphenols reach the colon intact; determining the effects of these compounds on colon-health is of interest. We hypothesise that both fibre and plant polyphenols present in açai (Euterpe oleracea) provide prebiotic and anti-genotoxic benefits in the colon. We investigated this hypothesis using a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of açai pulp, and a subsequent pH-controlled, anaerobic, batch-culture fermentation model reflective of the distal region of the human large intestine. Following in vitro digestion, 49.8% of the total initial polyphenols were available. In mixed-culture fermentations with faecal inoculate, the digested açai pulp precipitated reductions in the numbers of both the Bacteroides-Prevotella spp. and the Clostridium-histolyticum groups, and increased the short-chain fatty acids produced compared to the negative control. The samples retained significant anti-oxidant and anti-genotoxic potential through digestion and fermentation. Dietary intervention studies are needed to prove that consuming açai is beneficial to gut health

Nasal Acai Polysaccharides Potentiate Innate Immunity to Protect against Pulmonary Francisella tularensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei Infections

Pulmonary Francisella tularensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei infections are highly lethal in untreated patients, and current antibiotic regimens are not always effective. Activating the innate immune system provides an alternative means of treating infection and can also complement antibiotic therapies. Several natural agonists were screened for their ability to enhance host resistance to infection, and polysaccharides derived from the Acai berry (Acai PS) were found to have potent abilities as an immunotherapeutic to treat F. tularensis and B. pseudomallei infections. In vitro, Acai PS impaired replication of Francisella in primary human macrophages co-cultured with autologous NK cells via augmentation of NK cell IFN-γ. Furthermore, Acai PS administered nasally before or after infection protected mice against type A F. tularensis aerosol challenge with survival rates up to 80%, and protection was still observed, albeit reduced, when mice were treated two days post-infection. Nasal Acai PS administration augmented intracellular expression of IFN-γ by NK cells in the lungs of F. tularensis-infected mice, and neutralization of IFN-γ ablated the protective effect of Acai PS. Likewise, nasal Acai PS treatment conferred protection against pulmonary infection with B. pseudomallei strain 1026b. Acai PS dramatically reduced the replication of B. pseudomallei in the lung and blocked bacterial dissemination to the spleen and liver. Nasal administration of Acai PS enhanced IFN-γ responses by NK and γδ T cells in the lungs, while neutralization of IFN-γ totally abrogated the protective effect of Acai PS against pulmonary B. pseudomallei infection. Collectively, these results demonstrate Acai PS is a potent innate immune agonist that can resolve F. tularensis and B. pseudomallei infections, suggesting this innate immune agonist has broad-spectrum activity against virulent intracellular pathogens

Protein diagenesis in "Patella" shells: Implications for amino acid racemisation dating

Abstract: The inter- and intra-crystalline fractions of Patella vulgata limpets recovered from archaeological sites in Northern Spain (covering Neolithic, Mesolithic, Magdalenian, Solutrean, and Aurignacian periods) were examined for amino acid composition and racemisation over time. The calcitic apex and rim areas of the shells were found to probably be composed of similar proteins, as the D/L values and amino acids were comparable and varied in the same way with increasing age; however, the mineral structures present in these areas differed. The aragonitic intermediate part of the shell showed a distinctly different amino acid composition and mineral structure. The main protein leaching from the inter-crystalline fraction occurred within the first 6000 yr after the death of the organism. In contrast, the intra-crystalline fraction d comprised of a different protein composition than the inter-crystalline fraction d appeared to behave as a closed system for at least 34 ka, as reflected by the lack of a significant decrease in the amino acid content; however, changes in the amino acid percentages occurred during this period. The concentration of aspartic acid remained almost constant with age both in inter- and intra-crystalline proteins, and its contribution to the total amino acid content increased with age at the expense of other amino acids such as glutamic acid, serine, glycine and alanine. Temperature is thought to play a key role in the amino acid racemisation of P. vulgata and could explain why in the localities belonging to the Gravettian and Solutrean period, which formed during relatively cold conditions, D/L values were similar to those detected in shells from sites formed during the Magdalenian.This paper was made possible by funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation projects: HAR2010-22115-C02-01 “La respuesta humana al cambio climático global en una zona litoral: el caso del tránsito al Holoceno en la costa cantábrica (10000-5000 cal BC)”, and HAR2010-22115-C02-02 “Aplicación del análisis de sustancias orgánicas e inorgánicas a la reconstrucción paleoambiental, cronológica y tafonómica de yacimientos arqueológicos del Norte de España”

Sexualidad y relaciones contemporáneas

Se presentan los resultados de una investigación en la cual se sistematizaron los avances en la generación de nuevo conocimiento y producto del acompañamiento de proyectos de grado relacionados con la sexualidad y las relaciones contemporáneas, desarrollados por investigadores del grupo “Cultura, Educación y Sociedad” y sus redes de colaboración académica. Se implementó un proceso de sistematización, a partir del cual se identificaron las siguientes categorías: La primera, presenta la concepción actual sobre la sexualidad y la salud sexual, así como posturas relacionadas con la construcción psicosocial del género. La segunda, da cuenta de los estudios relacionados con la expresión de la sexualidad y el género en contextos de relación como la vida de pareja, el escenario organizacional y la vida comunitaria. En la tercera, se muestran las tendencias producto de los modelos de evaluación e intervención basados en evidencia para mitigar las problemáticas asociadas a las conductas sexuales de riesgo, la educación sexual en niños y adolescentes, el conflicto de pareja y la violencia de género. Se espera que el texto sirva para la fundamentación de los académicos interesados en esta área del conocimiento dada la relevancia que tienen las problemáticas asociadas a este tema en el territorio nacional