Determination of Polar Compounds in Guava Leaves Infusions and Ultrasound Aqueous Extract by HPLC-ESI-MS

Literature lacks publications about polar compounds content in infusion or guava leaves tea. Because of that, a comparison between different times of infusion and a conventional ultrasound aqueous extract was carried out. Several polar compounds have been identified by HPLC-ESI-MS and their antioxidant activity was evaluated by FRAP and ABTS assays. Four different classes of phenolic compounds (gallic and ellagic acid derivatives, flavonols, flavanones, and flavan-3-ols) and some benzophenones were determined. The quantification results reported that the order, in terms of concentration of the classes of polar compounds in all samples, was flavonols > flavan-3-ols > gallic and ellagic acid derivatives > benzophenones > flavanones. As expected, the aqueous extract obtained by sonication showed the highest content in the compounds studied. Significative differences were noticed about the different times of infusion and five minutes was the optimal time to obtain the highest content in polar compounds using this culinary method. All the identified compounds, except HHDP isomers and naringenin, were positively correlated with antioxidant activity.This work was funded by the Project cofinanced by FEDER-Andalucía 2007–2013 (Cod. 461100) and Andalusian Regional Government Council of Innovation and Science (P11-CTS-7625). The author Elixabet Díaz-de-Cerio also would like to thank the CEIBiotic for the “Ayudas a la Enseñanza Práctica” Grant (CADP2-71). Ana María Gómez-Caravaca and Vito Verardo thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) for “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract

Ultrasound assisted extraction and liposome encapsulation of olive leaves and orange peels:how to transform biomass waste into valuable resources with antimicrobial activity

Every year million tons of by-products and waste from olive and orange processing are produced by agri-food industries, thus triggering environmental and economic problems worldwide. From the perspective of a circular economy model, olive leaves and orange peels can be valorized in valuable products due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols exhibiting beneficial effects on human health.The aqueous extracts of olive leaves and orange peels rich in phenolic compounds were prepared by ultrasound-assisted extraction. Both extracts were characterized in terms of yield of extraction, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity; the polyphenolic profiles were deeper investigated by HPLC-MS analysis.Each extract was included in liposomes composed by a natural phospholipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and cholesterol prepared according to the thin-layer evaporation method coupled with a sonication process.The antimicrobial activity of the extracts, free and loaded in liposomes, was investigated according to the broth macrodilution method against different strains of potential bacterial pathogenic species: Staphylococcus aureus (NCIMB 9518), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051) and Enterococcus faecalis (NCIMB 775) as Gram-positive, while Escherichia coli (NCIMB 13302), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCIMB 9904) and Klebsiella oxytoca (NCIMB 12259) as Gram-negative.The encapsulation of olive leaves extract in liposomes enhanced its antibacterial activity against S. aureus by an order of magnitude

The epidemiology of malignant mesothelioma in women: gender differences and modalities of asbestos exposure

INTRODUCTION: The epidemiology of gender differences for mesothelioma incidence has been rarely discussed in national case lists. In Italy an epidemiological surveillance system (ReNaM) is working by the means of a national register. METHODS: Incident malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases in the period 1993 to 2012 were retrieved from ReNaM. Gender ratio by age class, period of diagnosis, diagnostic certainty, morphology and modalities of asbestos exposure has been analysed using exact tests for proportion. Economic activity sectors, jobs and territorial distribution of mesothelioma cases in women have been described and discussed. To perform international comparative analyses, the gender ratio of mesothelioma deaths was calculated by country from the WHO database and the correlation with the mortality rates estimated. RESULTS: In the period of study a case list of 21 463 MMs has been registered and the modalities of asbestos exposure have been investigated for 16 458 (76.7%) of them. The gender ratio (F/M) was 0.38 and 0.70 (0.14 and 0.30 for occupationally exposed subjects only) for pleural and peritoneal cases respectively. Occupational exposures for female MM cases occurred in the chemical and plastic industry, and mainly in the non-asbestos textile sector. Gender ratio proved to be inversely correlated with mortality rate among countries. CONCLUSIONS: The consistent proportion of mesothelioma cases in women in Italy is mainly due to the relevant role of non-occupational asbestos exposures and the historical presence of the female workforce in several industrial settings. Enhancing the awareness of mesothelioma aetiology in women could support the effectiveness of welfare system and prevention policies

The epidemiology of malignant mesothelioma in women: gender differences and modalities of asbestos exposure

ntroduction The epidemiology of gender differences for mesothelioma incidence has been rarely discussed in national case lists. In Italy an epidemiological surveillance system (ReNaM) is working by the means of a national register. Methods Incident malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases in the period 1993 to 2012 were retrieved from ReNaM. Gender ratio by age class, period of diagnosis, diagnostic certainty, morphology and modalities of asbestos exposure has been analysed using exact tests for proportion. Economic activity sectors, jobs and territorial distribution of mesothelioma cases in women have been described and discussed. To perform international comparative analyses, the gender ratio of mesothelioma deaths was calculated by country from the WHO database and the correlation with the mortality rates estimated. Results In the period of study a case list of 21 463 MMs has been registered and the modalities of asbestos exposure have been investigated for 16 458 (76.7%) of them. The gender ratio (F/M) was 0.38 and 0.70 (0.14 and 0.30 for occupationally exposed subjects only) for pleural and peritoneal cases respectively. Occupational exposures for female MM cases occurred in the chemical and plastic industry, and mainly in the non-asbestos textile sector. Gender ratio proved to be inversely correlated with mortality rate among countries. Conclusions The consistent proportion of mesothelioma cases in women in Italy is mainly due to the relevant role of non-occupational asbestos exposures and the historical presence of the female workforce in several industrial settings. Enhancing the awareness of mesothelioma aetiology in women could support the effectiveness of welfare system and prevention policie

Phytochemicals Determination, and Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activities of Blackberry Fruits

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https:// www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12071505/s1, Table S1: Calibration ranges, curves, regression coefficients and LOD and LOQ of the standard molecules.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the project ACTIVE HONEY: Innovative formulations of main bee products using natural ingredients. 2019–2022. (EXP 00116482/INNO-20182004), funded by the Technological Center for the Industrial Development (CDTI).A comprehensive characterization of the phytochemicals present in a blackberry fruit extract by HPLC-TOF-MS has been carried out. The main compounds in the extract were ursane-type terpenoids which, along with phenolic compounds, may be responsible for the bioactivity of the extract. In vitro antioxidant capacity was assessed through Folin-Ciocalteu (31.05 +/- 4.9 mg GAE/g d.w.), FRAP (637.8 +/- 3.2 mu mol Fe2+/g d.w.), DPPH (IC50 97.1 +/- 2.4 mu g d.w./mL) and TEAC (576.6 +/- 8.3 mu mol TE/g d.w.) assays. Furthermore, the extract exerted remarkable effects on in vitro cellular antioxidant activity in HUVEC cells at a concentration of 5 mg/mL. Antimicrobial activity of the extract was also tested. Most sensible microorganisms were Gram-positive bacteria, such as E. faecalis, B. cereus and Gram-negative E. coli (MBC of 12.5 mg/mL). IC50 values against colon tumoral cells HT-29 (4.9 +/- 0.2 mg/mL), T-84 (5.9 +/- 0.3 mg/mL) and SW-837 (5.9 +/- 0.2 mg/mL) were also obtained. Furthermore, blackberry extract demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity inhibiting the secretion of pro-inflammatory IL-8 cytokines in two cellular models (HT-29 and T-84) in a concentration-dependent manner. These results support that blackberry fruits are an interesting source of bioactive compounds that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of different diseases, mainly related to oxidative stress.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the project ACTIVE HONEY: Innovative formulations of main bee products using natural ingredients. 2019-2022 - Technological Center for the Industrial Development (CDTI) EXP 00116482/INNO-2018200

Letter concerning:‘Response to:‘The epidemiology of malignant mesothelioma in women: gender differences and modalities of asbestos exposure’by Marinaccio et al’

Finkelstein1 invited physicians and researchers interested in mesothelioma to investigate on past usage of talcum powders by affected people. In Italy, asbestos contamination in talc for industrial use has been documented,2 and, as he underlines tremolite contamination at low levels of cosmetic and pharmaceutical talc has been reported in USA by Blount3 and Gordon and colleagues.4 In the Italian National Mesothelioma Register (ReNaM), the analysis of intensive exposure to talc has been evaluated with respect to occupational and environmental history. The catalogue of possible asbestos exposure circumstances (a tool for the interviewers) reports the potential presence of industrial talcs in quarries or mines working activities, in leather tanning and in rubber industries. The use of intensive cosmetic talc for personal use is evaluated by means of a structured questionnaire,5 as reported in the ReNaM guidelines (see https://www.inail.it/cs/internet/docs/all-linee-guida-renam.pdf?section=attivita, p82, p98, in Italian). In our paper regarding gender differences in mesothelioma epidemiology,6 we have presented figures referring to 21 463 MM cases detected by ReNaM with a diagnosis between 1993 and 2012. Among female case list (6087 cases), 4374 cases (71.9%) have been interviewed for defining exposure. During the interview, 30 MM female cases referred an intensive use of talc in the context of occupational or life habits. For five of them, the regional centre has identified an exposure to asbestos due to intensive talc use, classifying such modality of exposure as ‘leisure activities’ (see ReNaM guidelines5). For the remaining 25 cases, an occupational exposure to asbestos in other working (or familiar or environmental) circumstances has been identified and coded. Registry data such as those provided by ReNaM cannot provide estimates of the mesothelioma risk associated with any particular exposure circumstance. We plan to include talc exposure at work and cosmetic talc usage in the analyses of a case–control study on pleural mesothelioma currently under way. A specific survey to compare and discuss how the modalities of exposure to talc have been evaluated in patients with mesothelioma in countries where epidemiological surveillance systems are active could improve knowledge and support prevention policies

Establishment of a Sonotrode Extraction Method and Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anticancer Potential of an Optimized Vaccinium myrtillus L. Leaves Extract as Functional Ingredient

Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) leaves are an important by-product of berry production that may be used as a source of phenolic compounds which have a positive effect on human health. Therefore, an ultrasound-assisted extraction via sonotrode has been used for the first time to recover bioactive compounds from bilberry leaves. The extraction has been optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The influence of ethanol:water ratio (v/v), time of extraction (min) and amplitude (%) were evaluated considering total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP assays) as dependent variables in a response surface methodology (RSM). Optimum values for the independent factors were 30:70 ethanol/water (v/v), 5 min of extraction and 55% amplitude. The empirical values of the independent variables using the optimized conditions were 217.03 +/- 4.92 mg GAE/g d.w. (TPC), 271.13 +/- 5.84 mg TE/g d.w. (DPPH) and 312.21 +/- 9.30 mg TE/g d.w. (FRAP). The validity of the experimental design was confirmed using ANOVA and the optimal extract was characterized using HPLC-MS. A total of 53 compounds were tentatively identified, of which 22 were found in bilberry leaves for the first time. Among them, chlorogenic acid was the most abundant molecule, representing 53% of the total phenolic compounds identified. Additionally, the antimicrobial and anticancer activities of the optimum extract were tested. Gram-positive bacteria demonstrated high sensitivity to bilberry leaves extract in vitro, with MBC values of 6.25 mg/mL for Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua and Enterococcus faecalis, and 0.8 mg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. Furthermore, bilberry leaves extract exerted in vitro antiproliferative activity against HT-29, T-84 and SW-837 colon tumor cells with IC50 values of 213.2 +/- 2.5, 1140.3 +/- 5.2 and 936.5 +/- 4.6 mu g/mL, respectively. Thus, this rapid ultrasound-assisted extraction method has demonstrated to be an efficient technique to obtain bilberry leaves extract with in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer capacities that may be useful for the food industry as natural preservative or even for the production of functional foods or nutraceuticals

Exploratory Characterization of Phenolic Compounds with Demonstrated Anti-Diabetic Activity in Guava Leaves at Different Oxidation States

Psidium guajava L. is widely used like food and in folk medicine all around the world. Many studies have demonstrated that guava leaves have anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities, among others, and that these activities belong mainly to phenolic compounds, although it is known that phenolic composition in guava tree varies throughout seasonal changes. Andalusia is one of the regions in Europe where guava is grown, thus, the aim of this work was to study the phenolic compounds present in Andalusian guava leaves at different oxidation states (low, medium, and high). The phenolic compounds in guava leaves were determined by HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS. The results obtained by chromatographic analysis reported that guava leaves with low degree of oxidation had a higher content of flavonols, gallic, and ellagic derivatives compared to the other two guava leaf samples. Contrary, high oxidation state guava leaves reported the highest content of cyanidin-glucoside that was 2.6 and 15 times higher than guava leaves with medium and low oxidation state, respectively. The QTOF platform permitted the determination of several phenolic compounds with anti-diabetic properties and provided new information about guava leaf phenolic composition that could be useful for nutraceutical production