SWATH Differential Abundance Proteomics and Cellular Assays Show In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Arachidonic Acid- and Docosahexaenoic Acid-Based Monoacylglycerols in HT-29 Colorectal Cancer Cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and mortal types of cancer. There is increasing evidence that some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exercise specific inhibitory actions on cancer cells through different mechanisms, as a previous study on CRC cells demonstrated for two very long-chain PUFA. These were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n6) in the free fatty acid (FFA) form. In this work, similar design and technology have been used to investigate the actions of both DHA and ARA as monoacylglycerol (MAG) molecules, and results have been compared with those obtained using the corresponding FFA. Cell assays revealed that ARA- and DHA-MAG exercised dose- and time-dependent antiproliferative actions, with DHA-MAG acting on cancer cells more efficiently than ARA-MAG. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH)—mass spectrometry massive quantitative proteomics, validated by parallel reaction monitoring and followed by pathway analysis, revealed that DHA-MAG had a massive effect in the proteasome complex, while the ARA-MAG main effect was related to DNA replication. Prostaglandin synthesis also resulted as inhibited by DHA-MAG. Results clearly demonstrated the ability of both ARA- and DHA-MAG to induce cell death in colon cancer cells, which suggests a direct relationship between chemical structure and antitumoral actions

Life after harvest: circadian regulation in photosynthetic pigments of rocket leaves during supermarket storage affects the nutritional quality

Vegetables, once harvested and stored on supermarket shelves, continue to perform biochemical adjustments due to their modular nature and their ability to retain physiological autonomy. They can live after being harvested. In particular, the content of some essential nutraceuticals, such as carotenoids, can be altered in response to environmental or internal stimuli. Therefore, in the present study, we wondered whether endogenous rhythms continue to operate in commercial vegetables and if so, whether vegetable nutritional quality could be altered by such cycles. Our experimental model consisted of rocket leaves entrained under light/darkness cycles of 12/12 h over 3 days, and then we examined free-run oscillations for 2 days under continuous light or continuous darkness, which led to chlorophyll and carotenoid oscillations in both constant conditions. Given the importance of preserving food quality, the existence of such internal rhythms during continuous conditions may open new research perspective in nutrition science. However, while chromatographic techniques employed to determine pigment composition are accurate, they are also time-consuming and expensive. Here we propose for the first time an alternative method to estimate pigment content and the nutritional quality by the use of non-destructive and in situ optical techniques. These results are promising for nutritional quality assessments.This work was funded by the following research grants: UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16 (from the Basque Government) and CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P, CGL2017-84723-P (IBERYCA) and PGC2018-093824-B-C44 (from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO, and the ERDF). RE received a IJCI-2014-21452 Juan de la Cierva incorporation contract. This research was also supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018-2021 program, and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation (MDM-2017-0714)

Nutritional and Growth Effect of Insect Meal Inclusion on Seabass (Dicentrarchuss labrax) Feeds

This work studies the effect of high-level fish meal replacement with insect meal: YW meal (obtained from Tenebrio larvae fed a broiler diet), BSF meal (from hermetia larvae fed broilers diet), BSFm meal (obtained from hermetia larvae fed discard fish) on growth performance nutritive indices and in vitro digestibility of Dicentrarchus labrax juvenile. Three different insect meals were used: BSF meal from hermetia larvae fed broilers diet; BSF improve (BSFm) obtained from hermetia larvae fed discarded fish; YW meal obtained from the larvae of Tenebrio fed a broiler diet. Five diets were used, a control (C) diet and four experimental diets by replacing fishmeal with insect meal from BSF at 30% and 50% (BSF30 and BSF50) substitutions, BSFm at 50% substitution (BSF50 m) and YM at 50% substitution (YW50). Nutritional and growth indices worsened by including insect meal, especially for hermetia meal at 50% substitution, BSF50 and BSF50 m. The internal organs’ weight reflected the growth of the fish fed each experimental diet. No differences were found in fillet composition. Nevertheless, under our experimental condition, YW replacement obtained better results than both BSF diets

Production of n-3-rich insects by bioaccumulation of fishery waste

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens) might be an advantageous option for recycling fish waste for obtaining n-3-fatty acid-rich foods. To investigate the effects of consuming fish waste (an n-3-fatty acid-rich by-product) on the fatty acid (FA) profiles of BSF, larvae were assigned to experimental feeding systems according to the time fish waste was eaten before slaughtering: BSFc-control (without eating fish) and BSF1d, BSF2d, BSF4d, BSF6d, BSF8d, BSF10d and BSF12d (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 days eating fish, respectively). The percentage of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) increases significantly (P < 0.001) from 4.32 in BSFc to 14.8% in BSF12d. Larval biomass was notably enriched in both eicosapentaenoic (EPA) (up to 7.2%) (P < 0.001) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) (up to 4.9%) (P < 0.001) fatty acids, while the consumption time of fish waste increased, and the n-6:n-3 ratio and both the atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) indices were reduced (P < 0.001). The maximum percentage of EPA + DHA (12.2% of total fatty acids) (P < 0.001) was obtained at 12 days. The recommended daily intake of both n-3 PUFAs for humans could be satisfied with 150 g of a 12-day-feed larval meal

Life after harvest: circadian regulation in photosynthetic pigments of rocket leaves during supermarket storage affects the nutritional quality

Vegetables, once harvested and stored on supermarket shelves, continue to perform biochemical adjustments due to their modular nature and their ability to retain physiological autonomy. They can live after being harvested. In particular, the content of some essential nutraceuticals, such as carotenoids, can be altered in response to environmental or internal stimuli. Therefore, in the present study, we wondered whether endogenous rhythms continue to operate in commercial vegetables and if so, whether vegetable nutritional quality could be altered by such cycles. Our experimental model consisted of rocket leaves entrained under light/darkness cycles of 12/12 h over 3 days, and then we examined free-run oscillations for 2 days under continuous light or continuous darkness, which led to chlorophyll and carotenoid oscillations in both constant conditions. Given the importance of preserving food quality, the existence of such internal rhythms during continuous conditions may open new research perspective in nutrition science. However, while chromatographic techniques employed to determine pigment composition are accurate, they are also time-consuming and expensive. Here we propose for the first time an alternative method to estimate pigment content and the nutritional quality by the use of non-destructive and in situ optical techniques. These results are promising for nutritional quality assessments

Different Diets Based on Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>)—Part B: Modification of the Intestinal Inflammatory Response and the Microbiota Composition of Rainbow Trout (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>)

With the purpose of improving aquaculture sustainability, the search for protein alternatives to fishmeal makes it necessary to test different variables and the possible repercussions of new ingredients. The use of insect meal as a protein source for aquaculture is well described, but the complex composition of insect meals (fat and other components) can affect the physiology of fish. For this reason, as a part of a bigger study, the aim of the current manuscript was to test diets based on three different presentations of insect meal coming from yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor): full fat, partially defatted, and supplemented with a long chain omega–3-enriched oil, and to evaluate their effects on protein digestibility, biometric indices, immunological system and gut health (intestinal histomorphology and microbiota) of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Digestibility of the protein and body indices showed a minor but consistent trend. The non-specific immunological system did not show changes, but the histology of the intestine showed signs that insect meals could be softening a mild inflammatory response. The gut microbiota suffered several changes, which could be associated with the different amino acid and fatty acid compositions of the diets