Diagoras of Cyprus (3rd century BC) – an eminent oculist and opposer to the use of opium

The objective of this article is to showcase the use of opium in ancient times, as well as the beliefs surrounding it, focusing on the opinion of Diagoras of Cyprus, a physician with great knowledge of pharmacology who probably practiced ophthalmology, composing a rose-based collyrium. Opium, a drug produced from poppy, used to have several uses such as in anesthesia, pain relief and ritualistic purposes. There is evidence of its creation since before 5000BC. In Greece, the first documentation dates back to around 2600-1100 BC in Crete. Many ancient medico-philosophers used to utilize it in their practice, mentioning it in the majority of the medical texts of that time. However, there were others that disapproved of its use due to the possible side effects. Diagoras was one of them, as he categorized opium as a lethal substance that could cause severe problems to the vision. He may even have thought of the possible addiction that it can cause because of the euphoric state it puts a person in. Some practitioners mentioned Diagoras’s opinion on opium, such as Erasistratus and Pliny the Elder. Despite his contributions in opium usage and ophthalmology, Diagoras is still unappreciated as a medical figure

Isolation of bioactive compounds from cruciferous vegetables: identification and quantification by synthetic and spectroscopic techniques

Vegetables of the Cruciferae family (order Brassicales) contain a number of organic compounds with biological activity. Among these are glucosinolates, which are found only in the order Brassicales. Upon enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates, aliphatic isothiocyanates, aromatic isothiocyanates and indole derivatives, are released. The isothiocyanate sulforaphane and the indole derivatives, indole-3-carbinol, indole-3-acetonitrile, indole-3-carbaldehyde and ascorbigen were synthesized and used as standards for the developing of new qualitative and quantitative methods applied in cruciferous vegetables. Indole derivatives such as indole-3-acetamide and amide conjugates of indole-3-acetic acid with 10 amino acids were also synthesized. All synthesized compounds were studied by NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and HRMS. A new method for the direct quantification of total isothiocyanate content of cruciferous vegetables by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, using the Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) technique, in combination with the PLS algorithm, was developed. The assay was based on the absorbance of the 2150-2120 cm-1 region, where the asymmetric stretching of N=C=S appears. The new method proved equivalent to the UV-Vis literature method, based on the F and t statistical tests and the % recovery, which were within the acceptable limits. Subsequently, a new method for the simultaneous determination of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol was developed, using a high-resolution mass spectrometer with a Q-TOF mass analyzer. The new UPLC-HRMS/MS method was validated and characterized by excellent linearity and low detection limits. The new UPLC-HRMS/MS method is the first that utilizes high resolution mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol in cruciferous vegetables. Indole-3-carbaldehyde, indole-3-carbinol, indole-3-acetonitrile and ascorbigen, were determined by UHPLC-HRMS/MS. The indole derivatives were studied in extracts of 7 cruciferous vegetables (red and white cabbage, green and purple broccoli, turnip, radish, white cauliflower) through a new UHPLC-HRMS/MS method which was developed for the study. This method is the first application of UHPLC-HRMS/MS for the simultaneous determination of glucobrassicin hydrolysis products in cruciferous vegetables. In the final stage of dissertation, a determination of phytohormones in eight cruciferous vegetables was carried out. The compounds included in the study (27 compounds) were indole-3-acetic acid, 4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid. Indole-3-acetonitrile and indole-3-acetamide and indole-3-carbaldehyde were also studied. Finally, the amide conjugates of indole-3-acetic acid with the amino acids alanine, glycine, tryptophan, serine, methionine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, valine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid were studied. The new UHPLC-HRMS/MS method enabled the identification and quantification of new compounds with unknown role in plants, providing accuracy and reliability of results and can be applied for the study of phytohormones in other plant species.Τα λαχανικά της οικογένειας των σταυρανθών (τάξη Brassicales) περιέχουν πλήθος βιοδραστικών οργανικών ενώσεων. Μεταξύ αυτών ξεχωρίζουν οι γλυκοζινολίτες οι οποίοι συναντώνται στην τάξη Brassicales. Κατά την ενζυμική υδρόλυση των γλυκοζινολιτών, απελευθερώνονται αλειφατικές ισοθειοκυανικές ενώσεις, αρωματικές ισοθειοκυανικές ενώσεις και παράγωγα του ινδολίου. Στα πλαίσια της διατριβής, συντέθηκαν, η ισοθειοκυανική ένωση σουλφοραφάνη, οι ινδολικές ενώσεις ινδολο-3-καρβινόλη, ινδολο-3-ακετονιτρίλιο, ινδολο-3-καρβαλδεΰδη και ασκορβιγόνο. Επίσης, συντέθηκαν τα ινδολικά παράγωγα, ινδολο-3-ακεταμίδιο και τα αμιδικά συζεύγματα του ινδολο-3-οξικού οξέος με 10 αμινοξέα. Όλες οι ενώσεις που συντέθηκαν, μελετήθηκαν με φασματοσκοπία NMR και FT-IR και φασματομετρία μάζας HRMS. Αναπτύχθηκε μια νέα μέθοδος άμεσου ποσοτικού προσδιορισμού του συνόλου των ισοθειοκυανικών ενώσεων στα σταυρανθή λαχανικά, με φασματοσκοπία υπερύθρου με μετασχηματισμό Fourier, αξιοποιώντας την τεχνική της εξασθενημένης ολικής ανάκλασης (ATR FT-IR), σε συνδυασμό με τον αλγόριθμο PLS. Ο ποσοτικός προσδιορισμός βασίστηκε στις απορροφήσεις της περιοχής 2150-2120 cm-1 όπου εμφανίζεται η ασύμμετρη τάση N=C=S. Η νέα μέθοδος αποδείχθηκε ισοδύναμη με την αντίστοιχη μέθοδο UV-Vis της βιβλιογραφίας, βάση των στατιστικών ελέγχων F και t και της % ανάκτησης, που ήταν εντός των αποδεκτών ορίων. Στη συνέχεια της διατριβής, αναπτύχθηκε μια νέα μέθοδος ποιοτικού και ποσοτικού προσδιορισμού της σουλφοραφάνης και της ινδολο-3-καρβινόλης, χρησιμοποιώντας φασματογράφο μάζας υψηλής διακριτικής ικανότητας με αναλυτή μαζών Q-TOF. Η νέα μέθοδος UPLC-HRMS/MS επικυρώθηκε και χαρακτηρίστηκε από εξαιρετική γραμμικότητα και χαμηλά όρια ανίχνευσης. Επιπλέον, προσδιορίστηκαν με UΗPLC-HRMS/MS οι ενώσεις, ινδολο-3-καρβαλδεΰδη, ινδολο-3-καρβινόλη, ινδολο-3-ακετονιτρίλιο και ασκορβιγόνο. Η συγκριμένη μέθοδος αποτελεί την πρώτη εφαρμογή του UHPLC-HRMS/MS για τον ταυτόχρονο προσδιορισμό των προϊόντων ενζυμικής υδρόλυσης της γλυκομπρασικίνης σε σταυρανθή λαχανικά. Στο τελευταίο στάδιο της διατριβής πραγματοποιήθηκε προσδιορισμός των φυτορμονών με UΗPLC-HRMS/MS σε οχτώ σταυρανθή λαχανικά. Οι ενώσεις που συμπεριλήφθηκαν στη μελέτη (27 ενώσεις) ήταν οι φυτορμόνες, ινδολο-3-οξικό οξύ, 4-χλωροϊνδολο-3-οξικό οξύ, ιασμονικό οξύ και σαλικυλικό οξύ. Επίσης προσδιορίστηκαν, το ινδολο-3-ακετονιτρίλιο, το ινδολο-3-ακεταμίδιο και η ινδολο-3-καρβαλδεΰδη. Τέλος, προσδιορίστηκαν στοχευμένα τα αμιδικά συζεύγματα του ινδολο-3-οξικού οξέος με τα αμινοξέα αλανίνη, γλυκίνη, θρυπτοφάνη, σερίνη, μεθειονίνη, τυροσίνη, φαινυλαλανίνη, βαλίνη, ασπαρτικό οξύ και γλουταμινικό οξύ. Η νέα μέθοδος UΗPLC-HRMS/MS που αναπτύχθηκε, επέτρεψε την ταυτοποίηση και ποσοτικοποίηση νέων ενώσεων, που δεν είναι γνωστός ο ρόλος τους στα φυτά, παρέχοντας ακρίβεια και αξιοπιστία των αποτελεσμάτων και μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί για την μελέτη των φυτορμονών και σε άλλα είδη φυτών

Diagoras of Cyprus (3rd century BC) – An eminent oculist and opposer to the use of opium

The objective of this article is to showcase the use of opium in ancient times, as well as the beliefs surround‑ ing it, focusing on the opinion of Diagoras of Cyprus, a physician with great knowledge of pharmacology who probably practiced ophthalmology, composing a rose‑based collyrium. Opium, a drug produced from poppy, used to have several uses such as in anesthesia, pain relief and ritualistic purposes. There is evidence of its creation since before 5000BC. In Greece, the first documentation dates back to around 2600‑1100 BC in Crete. Many ancient medico‑philosophers used to utilize it in their practice, mentioning it in the majority of the medical texts of that time. However, there were others that disapproved of its use due to the possible side effects. Diagoras was one of them, as he categorized opium as a lethal substance that could cause severe problems to the vision. He may even have thought of the possible addiction that it can cause be‑ cause of the euphoric state it puts a person in. Some practitioners mentioned Diagoras’s opinion on opium, such as Erasistratus and Pliny the Elder. Despite his contributions in opium usage and ophthalmology, Diagoras is still unappreciated as a medical figure. Copyright © 2018 Balkan Medical Union

Development of a UPLC-Q-ToF-MS Method for the Determination of Sulforaphane and Iberin in Cruciferous Vegetables

Sulforaphane (1-isothiocyanato-4-(methylsulfinyl)-butane) and iberin (1-isothiocyanato-3-methylsulfinylpropane) have attracted widespread attention due to their anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventive properties. These isothiocyanates are products of the enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucosinolates glucoraphanin and glucoiberin, which are found only in the plants of the order Brassicales. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, belong to the order Brassicales, specifically, in the Brassicaceae family. Our aim was to develop an efficient and accurate method for the simultaneous determination of sulforaphane and iberin in cruciferous vegetables using Ultra-high Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-Q-ToF-MS). The method was applied for the quantitative determination of these compounds in a variety of cruciferous vegetables (green and purple broccoli, white and purple cabbage, radish, turnip, arugula, watercress and cauliflower). The results showed that green and purple broccoli contained the highest levels of sulforaphane (660.14 ± 34.29 to 210.11 ± 9.76 μg g−1 dry weight), while the highest concentration of iberin was detected in purple broccoli (144.98 ± 3.56 μg g−1 dry weight). The lowest concentrations of sulforaphane and iberin were measured in watercress and radish. The differences in the content of these compounds can be attributed to the variability among Brassicaceae species, geography, season and various environmental factors

Greek Honey Authentication: Botanical Approach

Honey is a functional, honeybee product with a useful role in human nutrition and several health benefits. Greece is a Mediterranean region with several types of monofloral honey. Today, Greek honey has acquired an important position in national and international markets. Due to this increased industrialization and globalization, quality control is a necessity. Mislabeling constitutes one of the most notable types of fraudulence, while most consumers are looking for authentic honey. Moreover, producers and suppliers are searching for rapid and analytical methodologies to secure Greek honey in a competitive environment. In this context, we aimed to describe the classical (melissopalynological, physicochemical) and analytical (chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic) methods for the standardization of the botanical origin of Greek honey

Current Methods for the Extraction and Analysis of Isothiocyanates and Indoles in Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are characterized by the presence of sulfur-containing secondary plant metabolites known as glucosinolates (GLS). The consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, rocket salad, and cauliflower has been related to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Their beneficial effects are attributed to the enzymatic degradation products of GLS, e.g., isothiocyanates and indoles. Owing to these properties, there has been a shift in the last few years towards the research of these compounds and a wide range of methods for their extraction and analytical determination have been developed. The aim of this review is to present the sample preparation and extraction procedures of isothiocyanates and indoles from cruciferous vegetables and the analytical methods for their determination. The majority of the references that have been reviewed are from the last decade. Although efforts towards the application of eco-friendly non-conventional extraction methods have been made, the use of conventional solvent extraction is mainly applied. The major analytical techniques employed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of isothiocyanates and indoles are high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled with or without mass spectrometry detection. Nevertheless, the analytical determination of isothiocyanates presents several problems due to their instability and the absence of chromophores, making the simultaneous determination of isothiocyanates and indoles a challenging task

Greek Honey Authentication: Botanical Approach

Honey is a functional, honeybee product with a useful role in human nutrition and several health benefits. Greece is a Mediterranean region with several types of monofloral honey. Today, Greek honey has acquired an important position in national and international markets. Due to this increased industrialization and globalization, quality control is a necessity. Mislabeling constitutes one of the most notable types of fraudulence, while most consumers are looking for authentic honey. Moreover, producers and suppliers are searching for rapid and analytical methodologies to secure Greek honey in a competitive environment. In this context, we aimed to describe the classical (melissopalynological, physicochemical) and analytical (chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic) methods for the standardization of the botanical origin of Greek honey