Influence of cultivar and concentration of selected phenolic constituents on the in vitro chemiopreventive potential of olive oil extracts

One of the main olive oil phenolic compounds, hydroxytyrosol (3,4-DHPEA), exerts in vitro chemopreventive activities (antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic) on tumor cells through the accumulation of H(2)O(2) in the culture medium. However, the phenol composition of virgin olive oil is complex, and 3,4-DHPEA is present at low concentrations when compared to other secoiridoids. In this study, the in vitro chemopreventive activities of complex virgin olive oil phenolic extracts (VOO-PE, derived from the four Italian cultivars Nocellara del Belice, Coratina, Ogliarola, and Taggiasca) were compared to each other and related to the amount of the single phenolic constituents. A great chemopreventive potential among the different VOO-PE was found following this order: Ogliarola > Coratina > Nocellara > Taggiasca. The antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of VOO-PE were positively correlated to the secoiridoid content and negatively correlated to the concentration of both phenyl alcohols and lignans. All extracts induced H(2)O(2) accumulation in the culture medium, but this phenomenon was not responsible for their pro-apoptotic activity. When tested in a complex mixture, the olive oil phenols exerted a more potent chemopreventive effect compared to the isolated compounds, and this effect could be due either to a synergistic action of components or to any other unidentified extract constituent.     

Mineralization of Monomeric Components of Biodegradable Plastics in Preconditioned and Enriched Sandy Loam Soil Under Laboratory Conditions

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution - In the last 20&;nbsp;years, a new generation of materials was developed: the biodegradable plastics. They reduce the accumulation of plastic in the environment...     

In vitro evaluation of gut contractile response to histamine in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792)

The contractile response of intestinal strips in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792) to the administration of histamine was assessed by means of the organ bath technique. Intestinal strips were isolated from 16 clinically healthy fish and mounted in organ baths. Histamine was compared with the full agonist serotonin, to evaluate their contractile efficacy and potency. Serotonin elicited a concentration-related contraction in all examined intestinal strips, whereas histamine induced the contraction only in 14 exemplars. Of these, seven exhibited a concentration-related response. A sigmoidal curve was fitted from data (R(2) = 0.55) and its best fit values were compared with those of serotonin. Interestingly, histamine exhibited the same efficacy (E(max)) as serotonin (F-test, p > 0.05), but showed lower potency (by an order of magnitude) (F-test, p < 0.01). Moreover, the effect of the H1 antagonist, pyrilamine, has been tested to exclude aspecific contraction due to other agonists eventually released in situ following histamine administration. Pyrilamine showed a marked concentration-related antagonist action on the contractility induced by histamine with complete contractility antagonism at 10(-4)M. The authors suggest that the responses to histamine measured in the present study reflect a less sensitive response to an exogenous source of histamine, possibly due to bacterial metabolism.     

Comparative evaluation of two ivermectin injectable formulations against psoroptic mange in feedlot cattle

A study was carried out to compare the efficacy of two injectable formulations of ivermectin, Ivomec,(1) Merial (IVM reference) and Ivogell,(2) Intervet (IVM generic) in the treatment of psoroptic mange (Psoroptes ovis) in Charollais feedlot cattle. A total of 22 animals were ranked in order of the severity of mange and allocated to 11 replicates of 2 animals each. Within each replicate, one animal was randomly allocated to IVM reference product treatment (Group 1) and one to IVM generic (Group 2). Animals were treated on Day 0 and on Day 8 at the recommended dosage of 200 microg ivermectin/kg bodyweight. The pharmacokinetics profiles (pK) of both IVM formulations were evaluated in plasma samples taken from 6 cattle randomly chosen per group on Day 0, before treatment, and then at 6, 12, 24 hours and daily from Day 2 to Day 7 after the treatment on Day 0. Additionally, the severity of mange lesions was assessed and mites were counted in skin scrapings on Days 0, 8, 15 and 25. Animals were weighed on Day 0 and 25 and body weight and average daily gains (ADG) were evaluated. No statistical differences were found between the cattle of the two groups in any pK parameters, although the mean IVM plasma concentrations in cattle treated with the IVM reference product were consistently higher than those found in cattle treated with the generic compound. By Day 25, all animals in Group 1 had recovered clinically and parasitologically from psoroptic mange while cattle from Group 2 still had mange lesions and, in two animals, living mites were found in the skin scrapings; these differences were significant (P<0.001). The mean body weight of the two groups was significantly different on Day 25 (P<0.01) when animals in Group 1 weighed 20 kg more than those in Group 2. In conclusion, despite similarities in their pharmacokinetic profiles and formulations, the clinical efficacy of the two injectable formulations of IVM differed significantly in their therapeutic efficacy against psoroptic mange in feedlot cattle up to 25 days after treatment: this difference in response was reflected in an incomplete clinical and parasitological response in Group 2 and a slower growth rate.     

Adjuvant Electrochemotherapy Increases Local Control in a Recurring Equine Anal Melanoma

A 25-year-old gelding sport horse was referred for the treatment of recurring bilateral anal amelanotic melanoma. On physical examination, the horse presented bilateral poorly delimited perianal masses that recurred 2 months after surgical excision. The owner elected the lesions to be treated with surgery combined with electrochemotherapy using the drug cisplatin. The two masses were removed, and the surgical bed was treated with electrochemotherapy. A second session was performed 3 weeks later. The horse remained disease-free for 5 months and then experienced a marginal recurrence in one side. The nodule was re-treated, and the horse remained disease-free for 2 additional months, when it died of abdominal metastases. Electrochemotherapy can be added to the current strategies to palliate recurrent melanomas in horses.     

trans-Resveratrol, quercetin, (+)-catechin, and (-)-epicatechin content in south Italian monovarietal wines: relationship with maceration time and marc pressing during winemaking

The concentrations of trans-resveratrol, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, and quercetin were evaluated by means of high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection in red wines obtained from Aglianico, Piedirosso, and Nerello Mascalese grapes. The trans-resveratrol and epicatechin concentrations did not differ significantly between experimental wines. The concentration of quercetin in Nerello Mascalese wines was more than twice that observed in Aglianico and Piedirosso wines. Nerello Mascalese wines also significantly differed from other wines in the (+)-catechin content, which was significantly higher than those found in the other two wines. During maceration, the maximum extraction of trans-resveratrol was reached after 12 days for Aglianico and Piedirosso, after which a decline was observed. On the contrary, in the case of Nerello Mascalese, the concentration of trans-resveratrol increased steadily throughout the whole maceration process. After 2 days of maceration, the maximum concentration of quercetin was observed in Aglianico must, whereas the maximum quercetin extraction was reached after 12 days for Piedirosso and 17 days for Nerello Mascalese. The maximum levels of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin were generally observed after 12 days of maceration for all wines, although a decline of (-)-epicatechin occurred after maximum extraction in Aglianico and Piedirosso wines. Following marc pressing, a significant increase in the concentration of trans-resveratrol for Aglianico, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin for Piedirosso, and (-)-epicatechin for Nerello Mascalese was observed.     

Olea europaea L. leaf extract and derivatives: antioxidant properties

This paper reports a very simple and fast method to collect eluates with high amounts of hydroxytyrosol, biotransforming Olea europaea L. leaf extract by a thermophilic beta-glycosidase immobilized on chitosan. Some phenolic compounds in the leaf tissue and in the eluates obtained by biotransformation are identified. To propose the eluates as natural substances from a vegetal source, their antioxidant properties have been compared with those of the leaf extract from which they are originated. The eluates possess a higher concentration of simple phenols, characterized by a stronger antioxidant capacity, than those available in extra virgin olive oils and in many tablets of olive leaf extracts, commercially found as dietetic products and food integrators.     

Influence of 1-methylcyclopropene and storage atmosphere on changes in volatile compounds and fruit quality of conference pears

Conference pears (Pyrus communis L.) were treated with 25 and 50 nL L(-1) 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at -0.5 degrees C for 24 h, then stored for up to 22 weeks in air (NA) and controlled atmosphere (CA). After 7 and 14 weeks of storage, fruits were retreated with 1-MCP. After 7, 14, and 22 weeks of storage, fruits were kept for up to 7 days at 20 degrees C in air for poststorage ripening. The effects of 1-MCP treatment declined with duration of storage in both storage atmospheres, indicating that retreatments had little additional effects on subsequent ripening. Ethylene production was lower and firmness was higher in 50 nL L(-1) fruits, while the 25 nL L(-1) dose was not very different from the control. Development of superficial scald was not prevented by 1-MCP treatments, but the severity of the symptoms was influenced. The 1-MCP effects were perceivable on texture (juiciness) and flavor. Control fruit and 25 nL L(-1) fruit reached their best sensory quality after 14 weeks of storage, while 50 nL L(-1) fruit reached the same sensory quality later, keeping a fresh flavor when the quality of control fruit declined and became watery or grainy. The fresh flavor in 50 nL L(-1) fruit was probably due to the presence below the odor detection threshold concentrations of the volatile compounds responsible for the "ripe pear" aroma, mainly of butanol and ethyl butanoate. CA prolonged or enhanced the effects of 1-MCP; 1-MCP cannot substitute for CA but can reinforce the CA effects.