Dose-dependent influence of commercial garlic (Allium sativum) on rats fed cholesterol-containing diet

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the dose-dependent influence of commercial garlic on rats fed cholesterol-containing diets. It was found that commercial garlic contains high concentrations of dietary fibers, microelements, and total polyphenols, and its total antioxidant capacity as determined by two independent assays [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)] was similar to that of the original garlic samples. Wistar rats (35) were randomly divided into five diet groups, named control, Chol, Garlic500, Garlic750, and Garlic1000. Control rats were fed basal diet (BD), which included wheat starch, casein, soybean oil, and vitamin and mineral mixtures. To the BD of the Chol group was added 1% of cholesterol. To the BD of the other three groups (Garlic500, Garlic750, and Garlic1000) were added 1% of cholesterol and commercial garlic equal to 500, 750, and 1000 mg of raw garlic per kilogram of animal weight. After 4 weeks of the experiment only in rats from the Garlic500 group were a significant hindering in the rise in plasma lipids and also a significant hindering in a decrease of plasma antioxidant activity registered. A significant decrease in plasma circulating fibrinogen and an increase in the clotting time were found in the same group of rats (P < 0.05 in both cases). The fibrinogenolytic effect of garlic diets was visualized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In the fibrinogen fraction of Garlic500 the 66, 24, and 14 kDa protein bands were detected with weaker protein intensity than in the corresponding ones in the Garlic750 and Garlic1000 diet groups. In conclusion, the positive influences of commercial garlic on plasma lipids, proteins, antioxidant activity, and some indices of blood coagulation are dose-dependent. Therefore, commercial garlic (Elena, Zelazków, Poland) could be a valuable component of atherosclerosis-preventing diets only in optimal doses.     

Purification and characterization of windmill palm tree (Trachycarpus fortunei) peroxidase

High peroxidase activity was demonstrated to be present in the leaf of several species of cold-resistant palms. Histochemical studies of the leaf of windmill palm tree (Trachycarpus fortunei) showed the peroxidase activity to be localized in hypoderma, epidermis, cell walls, and conducting bundles. However, chlorophyll-containing mesophyll cells had no peroxidase at all. The leaf windmill palm tree peroxidase (WPTP) was purified to homogeneity and had a specific activity of 6230 units/mg, RZ = 3.0, a molecular mass of 50 kDa, and an isoelectric point of pI 3.5. The electronic spectrum of WPTP with a Soret band at 403 nm was typical of plant peroxidases. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of WPTP was determined. The substrate specificity of WPTP was distinct from that of other palm peroxidases, and the best substrate for WPTP was 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid). The palm peroxidase showed an unusually high stability at elevated temperatures and high concentrations of guanidine.     

Changes in antioxidant content of tomato fruits in response to cultivar and nutrient solution composition

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cationic proportions (K/Ca/Mg) in the nutrient solution on fruit quality (quality attributes and antioxidant content) using a high-pigment, 'Lunarossa', tomato cultivar and a standard tomato cultivar ('Corfù') grown in soilless culture. Treatments were defined by a factorial combination of three nutrient solutions having different cationic proportions and two indeterminately growing round tomato cultivars. A high proportion of K in the nutrient solution increased the quality attributes (fruit dry matter, total soluble solids content) and the lycopene content of tomato fruit, whereas a high proportion of Ca improved tomato fruit yield and reduced the incidence of blossom-end rot (BER). The highest total antioxidant activity was observed in the treatment with a high proportion of Mg in the Lunarossa cultivar. The high-pigment hybrid has provided a higher antioxidant content (lycopene and alpha-tocopherol content) than the commercial hybrid, but it was more susceptible to BER and consequently less productive.     

Gambusia holbrooki,the ‘tadpolefish’: The impact of its predatory behaviour on four protected species of European amphibians

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Regional specificity of radionuclide fixation in river basins due to soil petrology and mineralogy

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The main goal of this research was to compare and reveal the difference in the character of Cs-137 distribution and fixation in fine fractions of alluvial soils...     

Towards sustainable rural landscapes? a multivariate analysis of the structure of traditional tree cropping systems along a human pressure gradient in a mediterranean region

The worldwide increase of human pressure in rural areas has resulted in a progressive fragmentation of agro-forest landscapes. Relatively few studies have identified processes of landscape modification and patch fragmentation reflecting long-term human activity from those caused by recent urbanization stimulated by economic development, population growth and improved accessibility of rural areas. In rural districts dominated by high-quality crop mosaics and exposed to increasing levels of human pressure, urbanization-driven changes in the use of land have determined complex and non-linear processes of landscape fragmentation which deserve further investigation. Multidimensional procedures and data mining are appropriate to explore such transformations, basing on a comprehensive assessment of landscape metrics. The present study investigates changes in land-use and landscape structure (2000–2008) in three districts of Latium (central Italy) featuring different cropping systems, physiographic attributes and level of human pressure. A principal component analysis was run to identify a core set of metrics aimed at (i) evaluating the role of traditional cropping systems in the preservation of traditional agro-forest systems and (ii) inferring the relationship between spatial heterogeneity in rural landscapes and socio-ecological processes of change. Our results indicate that crop intensification has contributed to landscape homogeneity and simplification in all areas studied, in contrast with the effects of urban expansion resulting in a more fragmented and diversified landscape with relict tree crop patches. The findings of this study clarify the contribution of traditional tree crop systems to sustainable structures and functions of rural landscapes by preserving the place-specific eco-mosaic complexity.     

Connection of Isolated Stereoclusters by Combining 13C-RCSA,RDC, and J-Based Configurational Analyses and Structural Revision of a Tetraprenyltoluquinol Chromane Meroterpenoid from Sargassum muticum

The seaweed Sargassum muticum, collected on the southern coast of Galicia, yielded a tetraprenyltoluquinol chromane meroditerpene compound known as 1b, whose structure is revised. The relative configuration of 1b was determined by J-based configurational methodology combined with an iJ/DP4 statistical analysis and further confirmed by measuring two anisotropic properties: carbon residual chemical shift anisotropies (¹³C-RCSAs) and one-bond ¹H-¹³C residual dipolar couplings (¹D_CH-RDCs). The absolute configuration of 1b was deduced by ECD/OR/TD-DFT methods and established as 3R,7S,11R.     

Effect of Echinochrome A on Submandibular Gland Dysfunction in Ovariectomized Rats

Post-menopausal dry mouth or xerostomia is caused by reduced salivary secretion. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of echinochrome A (Ech A) in alleviating submandibular gland dysfunctions in ovariectomized rats that mimic menopause. Female rats that were eight-weeks-old were randomly divided into SHAM-6, -12; OVX-6, -12; and ECH-6, -12 groups (consisting of 6- and 12-weeks post-sham-operated, ovariectomized, and Ech A-treated ovariectomized rats, respectively). The ECH groups had lower body weight than OVX but similar food intake and estradiol or estrogen receptor β expression. However, the ECH groups had lower mRNA expression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1c (Srebp-1c), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc), fatty acid synthase (Fasn), cluster of differentiation 36 (Cd36), and lipid vacuole deposition than OVX mice. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and iron accumulation were lower in the ECH than in the OVX groups. Fibrosis markers, transforming growth factor β (Tgf-βI and Tgf-βII mRNA) increased in the OVX than SHAM groups but decreased in the ECH groups. Aquaporin (Aqp-1 and Aqp-5 mRNA) and mucin expressions were downregulated in the OVX groups but improved with Ech A. In addition, Ech A prevented post-menopausal salivary gland dysfunction by inhibiting lipogenesis and ferroptosis. These findings suggest Ech A as an effective remedy for treating menopausal dry mouth.     

Physicochemical Evaluation of Personal Care Products Developed with Chondrus crispus Fractions Processed by Ecofriendly Methodologies

Novel personal care products are necessary to cope with the growing market demand for sustainable green products. In this context, this work deals with the formulation and fundamental physicochemical and rheological characterization of different natural personal care products using bioactive fractions from Chondrus crispus red macroalgae extracted under optimized green conditions. Body milks, body oils and shampoos were supplemented with soluble extracts with antioxidant features recovered after hydrothermal (200 °C) and microwave (170 °C)- and ultrasound (80 °C)-assisted extraction of the red macroalgae used as raw material. Formulated products were also compared with those prepared using (±)-α-tocopherol and butylhydroxytoluene standards. Body scrubs were formulated with the remaining solids (<2.25%) after microwave hydrodiffusion and gravidity treatment of the macroalgae. Results indicated that selected extracts provided personal care products with similar or even better physicochemical, color and viscous features than those supplemented with (±)-α-tocopherol or butylhydroxytoluene commercial antioxidants. Rheological profiles indicated that it is possible to develop personal care products with adequate viscous behavior (10²–10⁵ mPa s, at 1 s⁻¹), comparable with their synthetic counterparts. To conclude, the addition of antioxidant extracts led to lower apparent viscosity values suggesting an advantage from the skin applicability point of view, jointly with the absence of both the hysteresis phenomenon and water syneresis of the proposed formulations.