Revealing the illegal harvesting of Manila clams (ruditapes philippinarum) using fatty acid profiles of the adductor muscle

The Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) is one of the most traded bivalves in the world. Knowing its harvesting location is therefore paramount to guarantee the safety of consumers. The present study employs fatty acid (FA) profiles of the adductor muscle (AM) to reveal the most likely harvesting location of four batches of Manila clams suspected of having been illegally sourced from the Tagus estuary. In this ecosystem, where the collection of Manila clams is currently prohibited for food safety reasons, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) capture is known to occur. In order to trace the geographic origin of these four batches of Manila clams, a reference model based on the FA profiles of the AM was developed with specimens originating from the two most representative ecosystems supplying the trade-chain of this species in mainland Portugal (the Tagus estuary and Ria de Aveiro), as well as Ría de Vigo, a production area outside Portugal and that is also an important supplier. The ability of this model to allocate clams to its origin ecosystem was evaluated using independent datasets, with an allocation success of 100% (all samples were correctly assigned to its origin ecosystem, thus validating the model). Based on the reference model established, the harvesting location of the four batches suspected of originating from ongoing IUU in the Tagus estuary was investigated. Specimens from 3 of the 4 batches screened were classified, as most likely originating from the Tagus estuary (with a likelihood ranging from 90% up to 100%). These results highlight the potential of this approach to fight the IUU capture of Manila clams, as this practice endangers important habitats and threatens public health.publishe

Elderberry Stalks as a Source of High-Value Phytochemical: Essential Minerals and Lipophilic Compounds

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) consumption has been growing in the last years, generating a large number of stalks (~10% of the berries bunch) that are still under-valorized. This study focused on the evaluation of elderberry stalks as a source of high-value phytochemicals. In this vein, the essential mineral content and lipophilic composition were analyzed for the first time. In addition, the polar fraction was evaluated regarding its total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity by both 2,2-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assays. The lipophilic fraction was mainly composed of triterpenic acids (2902.20 mg kg−1 of dry weight (dw)), fatty acids (711.73 mg kg−1 dw) and sterols (288.56 mg kg−1 dw). Minor amounts of long-chain aliphatic alcohols and other components were also detected. Ursolic acid (2265.83 mg kg−1 dw), hexadecanoic acid (219.85 mg kg−1 dw) and β-sitosterol (202.74 mg kg−1 dw) were the major lipophilic components verified. The results of this study also indicated that elderberry stalks might be used as a natural source of essential minerals, particularly calcium, iron and potassium, which are known to play important roles in various body functions. The analysis of the polar fraction also showed that elderberry stalks present TPC as high as elderberry themselves as well as considerable antioxidant activity (1.04 and 0.37 mmol TE g−1 of extract, against respectively ABTS and DPPH radicals). These results highlight the potential of elderberry stalks as a natural source of high-value phytochemicals that may be explored in several fieldspublishe

Major anthocyanins in elderberry effectively trap methylglyoxal and reduce cytotoxicity of methylglyoxal in HepG2 cell line

The accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the body is implicated in numerous diseases, being methylglyoxal (MGO) one of the main precursors. One of the strategies to reduce AGEs accumulation might be acting in an early stage of glycation by trapping MGO. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate, for the first time, the potential of elderberries polyphenols to trap MGO, access the formation of MGO adducts, and evaluate the cytoprotection effect in HepG2 and Caco-2 cells. The results demonstrated that monoglycosylated anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside) are very efficient in trapping MGO, forming mono- and di-adducts. Quercetin-3-glucoside and quercetin-3-rutinoside reacted slowly, while diglycosylated anthocyanins did not react. The trapping of MGO by elderberry monoglycosylated anthocyanins significantly decreased the MGO cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells (∼70 % of cell viability), while the effect in Caco-2 cells was lower (∼50 %). Thus, elderberry phenolics present antiglycation potential by trapping MGOpublishe

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts of cork from Quercus suber L.

The phenolic fraction of cork from Quercus sober L. was obtained following two distinct fractionation schemes, namely methanol/water extraction followed by ethyl ether fractionation and sequential extraction with methanol and water. The extracts were studied in terms of total phenolics content, using Folin-Ciocalteu method, detailed chemical analysis by HPLC-MS. and antioxidant activity. The first method underestimates both total extractives, total phenolics as well as the amounts of identified compounds. The HPLC-MS, revealed that, apart from smaller components, all the extracts displayed the same qualitative composition; 15 phenolic components were identified, with ellagic acid, followed by gallic and protocatechuic acids as the most abundant compounds. Additionally some compounds identified were reported for the first time as cork components, namely salicylic acid, eriodictyol, naringenin, quinic acid and hydroxyphenyllactic acid. The antioxidant activity of the extracts, evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, showed to be considerably higher than that of BHT, and in the range of ascorbic acid. The antioxidant potential per mass unit of the three extracts is in the same range, but the high extraction yields obtained by water extraction open good perspectives for the exploitation of this extract in nutraceutical applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FCT - SFRH/BD/42021/200

Current Research on the Bioprospection of Linear Diterpenes from Bifurcaria bifurcata: From Extraction Methodologies to Possible Applications

Marine resources are considered as a very promising source of bioactive molecules, and macroalgae in particular have gained special attention, due to their structurally diverse composition. Particular interest has been devoted to the brown macroalga Bifurcaria bifurcata, due to their abundance in bioactive linear diterpenes. In this appraisal, a thorough review concerning the methodologies used in the extraction, fractionation, and identification of diterpenes from B. bifurcata is provided and discussed in detail. An exhaustive compilation of the mass spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data are also provided. The in vitro and in chemico assays already performed to assess different biological activities attributed to B. bifurcata diterpenes are also reviewed, emphasizing the use of isolated components, enriched fractions, or crude extracts. The associated major strengths and challenges for the exploitation of B. bifurcata diterpenes for high-value applications are critically discussed

Analysis of linoleic acid hydroperoxides generated by biomimetic and enzymatic systems through an integrated methodology

An integrated methodology for the identification and quantification of linoleic acid hydroperoxides (HPODEs) mixtures, obtained by the Fenton's reaction and by enzymatic oxidation, is reported. Unambiguous identification of the HPODEs formed (13-hydroperoxy-(9Z,11E)-octadecadienoic acid, 13-hydroperoxy-(9E,11E)-octadecadienoic acid and 9-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid) was performed by HPLC-MS/MS analysis, while quantification was carried out by HPLC-UV using an external calibration, based on the collection of chromatographic peaks, and measuring of total hydroperoxides by ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) method. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FCT/EU - ERANOEL ProjectERANOEL Project - ERA-IB/BIO/0001/200

Dietary curcumin counteracts extracellular transthyretin deposition: Insights on the mechanism of amyloid inhibition

The transthyretin amyloidoses (ATM) are devastating diseases characterized by progressive neuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy for which novel therapeutic strategies are needed. We have recently shown that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), the major bioactive polyphenol of turmeric, strongly suppresses TTR fibril formation in vitro, either by stabilization of TTR tetramer or by generating nonfibrillar small intermediates that are innocuous to cultured neuronal cells. In the present study, we aim to assess the effect of curcumin on TTR amyloidogenesis in vivo, using a well characterized mouse model for familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (PAP). Mice were given 2% (w/w) dietary curcumin or control diet for a six week period. Curcumin supplementation resulted in micromolar steady-state levels in plasma as determined by LC/MS/MS. We show that curcumin binds selectively to the TTR thyroxine-binding sites of the tetramer over all the other plasma proteins. The effect on plasma TTR stability was determined by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and curcumin was found to significantly increase TTR tetramer resistance to dissociation. Most importantly, immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of mice tissues demonstrated that curcumin reduced TTR load in as much as 70% and lowered cytotoxicity associated with TTR aggregation by decreasing activation of death receptor Fas/CD95, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone BiP and 3-nitrotyrosine in tissues. Taken together, our results highlight the potential use of curcumin as a lead molecule for the prevention and treatment of TTR amyloidosis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved