In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Saponins from Medicago spp. against Sheep Gastrointestinal Nematodes

Gastrointestinal strongyle nematodes (GIS) are included among the most important parasites of small ruminants. The widespread drug resistance and drug residues in products of animal origin have increased the interest in the search for natural compounds with anthelmintic activity as a valid alternative to current synthetic drugs. The aim of the present investigation was to test the \u2018in vitro\u2019 anthelmintic activity of saponins and prosapogenins from different Medicago species, selected for their importance as a forage crop worldwide for animal feeding. From these plants, saponin mixtures were extracted, purified and used at scalar concentrations to evaluate their anthelmintic activities against sheep gastrointestinal strongyles (GISs), by the egg hatch test. Treated and untreated controls were used as the comparison. Data were statistically analyzed, and EC50 and EC90 were also calculated. All saponins and prosapogenins showed inhibiting effects on GIS eggs in a concentration-dependent manner. At higher concentrations, most of them showed an efficacy comparable to the reference drug (Thiabendazole 3 \u3bcg/mL) (P < 0.001). With 1.72 mg/mL EC50 and 3.84 mg/mL EC90, saponin from M. polymorpha cultivars Anglona was the most active. Obtained results encourage further studies aimed at evaluating the efficacy \u2018in vivo\u2019 of saponins which resulted as most effective \u2018in vitro\u2019 in this study

From a food safety prospective: The role of earthworms as food and feed in assuring food security and in valuing food waste

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of global goals that provide a framework for shared action. These goals also include the reduction of food waste and the definition of sustainable solutions to achieve food security. In this context, the aim of the study was to describe all phases of a pilot earthworm rearing project started in September 2017 and concluded in December 2017, together with a risk analysis carried out in order to evaluate if earthworms can represent a safe and sustainable protein source for human consumption and/or animal nutrition. The conversion rate, that in this study is more appropriately identified as the \u201cwaste reduction efficiency,\u201d was also calculated in order to define the extent to which earthworm rearing can contribute to the objective of reducing fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). The results showed that earthworms can bio-convert 3750 kg of FVW in three months producing 1050 kg of compost and 82 kg of fresh earthworms with minimal environmental impact showing good waste reduction efficiency. Moreover, the risk analysis conducted on earthworm rearing highlighted a microbiological hazard after the freeze-drying phase. The critical control point was therefore identified, and, in order to guarantee the total food safety of the finished product, corrective action was taken consisting in the implementation of heat treatment\u2014sterilization at 121\u25e6C for 20 min. The results of microbiological analyses carried out on the earthworm meal after the sterilization treatment showed that the treatment guarantees microbiological safety for the consumer and ensures a balanced approach in relation to two main topics\u2014public health and food-borne diseases. In conclusion, earthworm meal is a concentrate of valuable nutrients useful for human and animal nutrition and can also transform fruit and vegetable waste into a resource

Proanthocyanidins from \u3ci\u3eHedysarum, Lotus\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eOnobrychis\u3c/i\u3e spp. Growing in Sardinia and Sicily and Their Antioxidant Activity

Proanthocyanidins (PA), or condensed tannins, are a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, occurring in numerous plant species, including a number of economically significant forage legumes. These compounds are polymers of flavan-3-ols, and typically contain from 2 to 20 units. Their biological significance is still being debated and, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on their role in ruminant nutrition. Evidence has indicated that PA, in a moderate concentration (0.5-5% DM), may have considerable importance in protecting dietary proteins against microbial degradation in the rumen, and in preventing bloat. The antioxidant activity (AA) is also an important feature for animal well-being (Barry & McNabb, 1999). In order to study the PA content related to the antioxidant activity, samples of Hedysarum, Lotus and Onobrychis spp. from Mediterranean environments have been considered and investigated

Proanthocyanidins from \u3cem\u3eHedysarum, Lotus\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eOnobrychis\u3c/em\u3e spp. Growing in Sardinia and Sicily and Their Antioxidant Activity

Proanthocyanidins (PA), or condensed tannins, are a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, occurring in numerous plant species, including a number of economically significant forage legumes. These compounds are polymers of flavan-3-ols, and typically contain from 2 to 20 units. Their biological significance is still being debated and, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on their role in ruminant nutrition. Evidence has indicated that PA, in a moderate concentration (0.5-5% DM), may have considerable importance in protecting dietary proteins against microbial degradation in the rumen, and in preventing bloat. The antioxidant activity (AA) is also an important feature for animal well-being (Barry & McNabb, 1999). In order to study the PA content related to the antioxidant activity, samples of Hedysarum, Lotus and Onobrychis spp. from Mediterranean environments have been considered and investigated

CYP72A67 catalyses a key oxidative step in Medicago truncatula hemolytic saponin biosynthesis

In the Medicago genus, triterpenic saponins are bioactive secondary metabolites constitutively synthesized in the aerial and subterranean parts of plants via the isoprenoid pathway. Exploitation of saponins as pharmaceutics, agrochemicals and in the food and cosmetic industries has raised interest in identifying the enzymes involved in their synthesis. We have identified a cytochrome P450 (CYP72A67) involved in hemolytic sapogenin biosynthesis by a reverse genetic TILLING approach in a Medicago truncatula ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenized collection. Genetic and biochemical analyses, mutant complementation, and expression of the gene in a microsome yeast system showed that CYP72A67 is responsible for hydroxylation at the C-2 position downstreamof oleanolic acid synthesis. The affinity of CYP72A67 for substrates with different substitutions at multiple carbon positions was investigated in the same in vitro yeast system, and in relation to two other CYP450s (CYP72A68) responsible for the production of medicagenic acid, the main sapogenin in M. truncatula leaves and roots. Full sib mutant and wild-type plants were compared for their sapogenin profile, expression patterns of the genes involved in sapogenin synthesis, and response to inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti. The results obtained allowed us to revise the hemolytic sapogenin pathway in M. truncatula and contribute to highlighting the tissue specificities (leaves/roots) of sapogenin synthesis

Genetic reduction of antinutrients in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seed, increases nutrients and in vitro iron bioavailability without depressing main agronomic traits

In common bean, lectins, phytic acid, polyphenols and tannins exert major antinutritional effects when grains are consumed as a staple food. Reduced iron and zinc absorption, low protein digestibility and high toxicity at the intestinal level are the causes of their antinutritional effect. To improve grain nutritional characteristics, the “low phytic acid” (lpa) trait recently obtained in bean and carried by the bean mutant lpa-280-10, was introgressed into different lectin-free (lf) lines, a few of which were white-seeded. The “white seed coat” (wsc) trait is correlated with a reduced amount of tannins and polyphenols in bean seed, and thus higher Fe bioavailability. Lf + lpa bean lines producing colored and white seeds, were developed. Three of these lines were submitted to a first field performance test carried out in two Italian locations, and two of them to biochemical analyses that evaluated fourteen nutritional parameters. Seedling emergence and grain yield of lf + lpa beans were statistically comparable to those of wild type cultivars, confirming the absence of major agronomic defects associated with the lpa trait. The presence of the three genetic traits lf, lpa and wsc in the same genetic background leads to a significant increase of the content of important nutrients such as crude proteins, total zinc, free phosphorus, and, in part, total iron. Iron bioavailability (as measured in vitro via a Caco-2 cell model) in lf + lpa brown and black seeds, was not significantly different from that surveyed in the wild type colored parents, while, it was on average twelve times higher in lf + lpa white bean seeds. Up to now, the white-seeded lf + lpa beans seem thus to be the only materials having really improved nutritional qualities