Electrophoretic method for the identification of a haze-active protein in grape seeds

A simple, fast, and more selective approach is presented in this study for the identification of haze-active proteins. Grape seed proteins were unfolded by 1% SDS and then interacted with different amounts of tannin at 4 degrees C, followed by gel electrophoresis. It was found that the intensity of the band at 45 kDa was decreased as tannins increased. The amino acid composition of this isolated 45-kDa protein was higher in proline (9.49%) than the average proline content of total grape seed proteins (4.85%). To verify the selectivity of the proposed method, a globular protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) and a proline-rich protein (gelatin) were selected and used in the model system. As expected, gelatin was removed as it reacted with the increasing added tannins, whereas BSA did not. These results showed that it is possible to identify haze-active proteins by modulating the accessibility of protein to tannins, suggesting this new method can be used by the beverage industry to trouble-shoot haze problems and for quality control.     

Characterization of haze-active proteins in apple juice

The nature of the haze-active protein (HAP) in apple juice was investigated. Heat treatment removed protein indiscriminately while polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) treatment was fairly specific for proteins of 15 and 28 kDa. Presumably, the PVPP bound to polyphenols, which in turn were complexed with protein. Three candidate apple HAPs were isolated. Two were extracted from juice with acetone and fractionated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and solid phase extraction with C18 (HAP I) or SAX (HAP II) material. Hydroxyproline-rich protein was extracted from apple tissue (HAP III). The order of haze formation with tannic acid was gliadin > HAP III > HAP II > HAP I > bovine serum albumin, which shows increasing haze formation with increasing proline content. The sizes of HAP I, II, and III were 28, 15, and 12 kDa; the first two corresponded to the sizes of proteins removed by PVPP treatment and are involved in juice haze formation.     

Inhibitory effect of red koji extracts on mushroom tyrosinase

Red koji has been recognized as a cholesterol-lowering diet supplement because of it contains fungi metabolites, monacolins, which reduce cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase. In this study, water extracts of red koji were loaded onto a C(18) cartridge, and the acetonitrile eluate was collected as test fraction. Red koji water extracts and its C(18) cartridge acetonitrile eluent had total phenols concentrations of 5.57 and 1.89 mg/g of red koji and condensed tannins concentrations of 2.71 and 1.20 mg/g of red koji, respectively. Both exhibited an antioxidant activity and an inhibitory activity to mushroom tyrosinase. The higher antioxidant activity of the red koji acetonitrile eluent was due to the existence of a high percentage of condensed tannins. The results from the kinetic study for inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase by red koji extracts showed that the compounds in the extracts competitively inhibited the oxidation of tyrosine catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase with an ID(50) of 5.57 mg/mL.     

Luteolin ameliorates experimental lung fibrosis both in vivo and in vitro: implications for therapy of lung fibrosis

Lonicera japonica (Caprifoliaceae) has been known as an anti-inflammatory herb in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is used constantly for upper respiratory tract infections. Luteolin, an active flavonoid compound isolated from Lonicera japonica, has a spectrum of biological activities, especially with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. However, whether luteolin has a direct inhibitory effect on lung fibrosis has not been established. In this study, we examined the effects of luteolin on lung fibrosis both in vivo and in vitro. We found that oral administration of luteolin (10 mg/kg) efficiently suppressed the neutrophil infiltration as well as TNF-α and IL-6 elevation in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in bleomycin-instilled C57BL/6J mice. Luteolin also alleviated collagen deposition, TGF-β1 expression, and lung fibrosis upon bleomycin instillation. A similar tendency was observed in both early and delayed luteolin-treated groups. Next, our in vitro studies showed that luteolin inhibited TGF-β1-induced α-SMA, type I collagen, and vimentin expression in primary cultured mouse lung fibroblasts. Moreover, luteolin significantly blocked TGF-β1-mediated epithelial marker (E-cadherin) downregulation and mesenchymal cell markers (fibronectin and vimentin) upregulation, as well as retaining epithelial morphology in human alveolar epithelial-derived A549 cells. Additionally, luteolin could attenuate TGF-β1-induced Smad3 phosphorylation in both lung fibroblasts and A549 cells. These findings suggest that luteolin has a potent antifibrotic activity; this effect was mediated, at least in part, by inhibition of lung inflammation and suppression of myofibroblast differentiation as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.