Wild L.: Phytochemical Characterization, Acute Toxicity, and Bioactive Properties.

Wild (VAC) is a Mediterranean plant that is rich in bioactive metabolites. This study aimed to validate, for the first time, the beneficial use of VAC fruits and fruit decoctions (VFDs) through in vitro and in vivo trials. Forty-one volatile components were detected in VAC fruits, with 1,8-cineole (30.

Effect of Flavoring with Rosemary, Lemon and Orange on the Quality, Composition and Biological Properties of Olive Oil: Comparative Study of Extraction Processes.

The goal of this work was to investigate the impact of the flavoring of some aromatic plants/spices, including rosemary (R), lemon (L) and orange (O) at the concentration of 5% and 35% (/) added by 2 methods (conventional maceration and direct flavoring), on quality attributes, chemical changes and oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Six flavored oils were obtained (EVOO + O, O + O, EVOO + R, O + R, EVOO + L and O + L). The physicochemical parameters (water content, refractive index, acidity and peroxide value, extinction coefficient, fatty acids, volatile aroma profiles, Rancimat test, phenols and pigments composition) of the flavored oils were investigated.

Chemical characterization and nutritional quality investigations of healthy extra virgin olive oil flavored with chili pepper.

The production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) flavored with diverse spices, herbs, fruits, and vegetables or natural aromas is believed to provide advantageous properties considering either the high nutritional value or biological activity in addition to the flavoring and industrial aspects. The biological activities including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Tunisian EVOO obtained from "Chemlali" variety and mixed with chili pepper were investigated. Molecular analyses, including the detection of twelve olive-infecting viruses and Pseudomonas savastanoi pv savastanoi, were performed to ensure that the samples were obtained from healthy olive trees and EVOO quality was not affected.

Effect of oleuropein on oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat kidney.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of oleuropein (OLE), the main phenolic compound present in olive leaves, on kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and to explore the underlying protective mechanism.

Main Methods: Rat kidneys were subjected to 60 min of bilateral warm ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. OLE was administered orally 48 h, 24 h and 30 min prior to ischemia at doses of 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight.

Nutritional properties, identification of phenolic compounds, and enzyme inhibitory activities of Feijoa sellowiana leaves.

The nutritional values, the identification of individual phenolic compounds as well as the functional properties (in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and pancreatic lipase inhibition) of Tunisian Feijoa sellowiana (O.Berg) leaves were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and mass spectrometry detector. Feijoa Sellowiana  leaves Extract (FSLE) were evaluated in the present work.

Wild edible Swiss chard leaves (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla): Nutritional, phytochemical composition and biological activities.

Nutritional, soluble carbohydrates and aroma volatile profiles of Tunisian wild Swiss chard leaves (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla) have been characterized.

Biological Activities Evaluation of Enantiopure Isoxazolidine Derivatives: In Vitro, In Vivo and In Silico Studies.

A series of enantiopure isoxazolidines (3a-c) were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between a (-)-menthone-derived nitrone and various terminal alkenes. The screened compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by two in vitro antioxidant assays, including β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive species, TBARS). The results revealed that compound 3b (EC = 0.

Rhaponticum acaule (L) DC essential oil: chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties.

Background: α-glucosidase is a therapeutic target for diabetes mellitus (DM) and α-glucosidase inhibitors play a vital role in the treatments for the disease. Furthermore, xanthine oxidase (XO) is a key enzyme that catalyzes hypoxanthine and xanthine to uric acid which at high levels can lead to hyperuricemia which is an important cause of gout. Pancreatic lipase (PL) secreted into the duodenum plays a key role in the digestion and absorption of fats.

Revalorization of wild Asparagus stipularis Forssk. as a traditional vegetable with nutritional and functional properties.

The nutritional values and phytochemical composition of young shoots of wild Asparagus stipularis Forssk. from Tunisia were determined in this study. The antioxidant (tested by four different in vitro assays) and antiproliferative properties (against human tumour cell lines) of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of the young shoots were also investigated.

Hepatoprotective effect of Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff flowers against diabetes type II induced in rats.

Opuntia sp. has long been used as a folk medicine to treat hepatitis and diabetes in Sicile (Italy). To extract the polyphenols from the flower of Opuntia microdasys Lehm.

Activity of anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antigenotoxic of the aqueous flower extracts of Opuntia microdasys Lem.Pfeiff.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic and the anti-inflammatory activity of Opuntia microdasys at post flowering stage, F3 (OMF3) in rat and, in other hand, its antigenotoxic effects by the Allium cepa test.

Methods: OMF3 extracts were screened for activity of analgesic and anti-inflammatory using, respectively, the acetic acid writhing test in mice and the carrageenan-induced paw oedema assay in rats. The antigenotoxic has been evaluated by A.

Antimicrobial Activity of Scabiosa arenaria Forssk. Extracts and Pure Compounds Using Bioguided Fractionation.

The emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens threatened the clinical efficacy of many existing antibiotics. This situation has been recognized globally as a serious concern and justifies further research to discover antimicrobial agents from natural origins including plant extracts. The aim of our work was to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of Scabiosa arenaria Forssk.

Characterisation of phenolic antioxidants in Scabiosa arenaria flowers by LC-ESI-MS/MS and NMR.

Objectives: This work describes the bioguided fractionation of the flower's ethyl acetate fraction of Scabiosa arenaria Forssk. (Dipsacaceae).

Methods: The identification of the pure compound isolated has been studied by mono-dimensional NMR experiments.

Chemical composition and biological activities of Eruca vesicaria subsp. longirostris essential oils.

Context To date, there are no reports to validate the Tunisian traditional and folklore claims of Eruca vesicaria (L) Cav. subsp. longirostris (Brassicaceae) for the treatment of disease.

Improvement of biomass production and glucoamylase activity by Candida famata using factorial design.

To improve biomass production and glucoamylase activity (GA) by Candida famata, culture conditions were optimized. A 2(3) full factorial design (FFD) with a response surface model was used to evaluate the effects and interactions of pH (X1 ), time of cultivation (X2 ), and starch concentration (X3 ) on the biomass production and enzyme activity. A total of 16 experiments were conducted toward the construction of an empiric model and a first-order equation.

α-Glucosidase inhibition by Tunisian Scabiosa arenaria Forssk. extracts.

Recent decades have witnessed a sharp increase in the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. One antidiabetic therapeutic approach is to reduce gastrointestinal glucose production and absorption through the inhibition of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes such as α-amylase and α-glucosidase. In this study, crude extracts and their corresponding fractions of flowers, fruits, (stems and leaves) and roots of the endemic North African plant Scabiosa arenaria Forssk.

Hsp70-2 gene polymorphism: susceptibility implication in Tunisian patients with coronary artery disease.

Unlabelled: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial disease where genetic and environmental factors interact in complex ways to cause the disease. Heat shock protein genes are involved in the progress of CAD. This implies that genetic variants of Hsp70-2 genes might contribute to the development of the CAD.

Partial characterization of a novel amylase activity isolated from Tunisian Ficus carica latex.

Context: A large number of plants still need to be investigated through screening of amylases suitable for industry. In the present study, and for the first time, we describe the amylolytic activity of Saint Pedro Ficus carica L. (Moraceae) crude latex of Kahli and Bidhi varieties.

Importance of the residue Asp 290 on chain length selectivity and catalytic efficiency of recombinant Staphylococcus simulans lipase expressed in E. coli.

In addition to their physiological importance, microbial lipases, like staphylococcal ones, are of considerable commercial interest for biotechnological applications such as detergents, food production, and pharmaceuticals and industrial synthesis of fine chemicals. The gene encoding the extracellular lipase of Staphylococcus simulans (SSL) was subcloned in the pET-14b expression vector and expressed in Esherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The wild-type SSL was expressed as amino terminal His6-tagged recombinant protein.

Ostrich pancreatic phospholipase A(2): purification and biochemical characterization.

Ostrich pancreatic phospholipase A(2) (OPLA(2)) was purified from delipidated pancreases. Pure protein was obtained after heat treatment (70 degrees C), precipitation by ammonium sulphate and ethanol, respectively followed by sequential column chromatography on MonoQ Sepharose and size exclusion HPLC column. Purified OPLA(2), which is not a glycosylated protein, was found to be monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 13773.

The N-terminal His-tag affects the enantioselectivity of staphylococcal lipases: a monolayer study.

In order to check the influence of the polyhistidine tag at the N-terminus of recombinant lipases, a comparative study on the interfacial properties of native and recombinant Staphylococcus simulans (SSL and rSSL) or Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL and rSXL) was investigated using the monomolecular film technique. No phospholipase activity was detected with rSSL or rSXL when using different phospholipids spread as monomolecular films maintained at various surface pressures, suggesting that the His-tag in the N-terminus of the recombinant proteins, do not affect the substrate recognition. The critical surface pressure measured with monomolecular films of egg-PC was slightly lowered with the two recombinant proteins compared to the native SSL or SXL one.

Involvement of Gly 311 residue on substrate discrimination, pH and temperature dependency of recombinant Staphylococcus xylosus lipase: a study with emulsified substrate.

The importance of microbial lipases like the staphylococcal ones, results not only from their significance implication in the bacterial lipid metabolism but also their involvement in some pathogenic processes. The aminoacid sequence of the mature Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL) shows 99.7% identity with the mature aminoacid sequence of Staphylococcus simulans lipase (SSL) with one substitution of Gly311 by Val.

Gly311 residue triggers the enantioselectivity of Staphylococcus xylosus lipase: a monolayer study.

Using emulsified triacylglycerols, we have shown recently [Mosbah et al., 2007, submitted for publication] that amino acid residue G311 of Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL) is critically involved in substrate selectivity, pH and temperature dependency. Using the monomolecular film technique, we show in the present study that the four single mutants of this residue (G311L, G311W, G311D, and G311K), interact efficiently with egg-phosphatidyl choline (egg-PC) monomolecular films, comparably to the wild-type (G311).

Biochemical and molecular characterization of a lipase produced by Rhizopus oryzae.

A novel strain of Rhizopus oryzae WPG secretes a noninduced lipase (ROLw) in the culture medium; purified ROLw is a protein of 29 kDa, the 45 N-terminal amino acid residues were sequenced, this sequence is very homologous to Rhizopus delemar lipase (RDL), Rhizopus niveus lipase (RNL) and R. oryzae lipase (ROL29) sequences; the cloning and sequencing of the part of the gene encoding the mature ROLw, shows two nucleotides differences with RDL, RNL and ROL29 sequences corresponding to the change of the residues 134 and 200; ROLw does not present the interfacial activation phenomenon when using tripropionin or vinyl propionate as substrates; the lipase activity is maximal at pH 8 and at 37 degrees C, specific activities of 3500 or 900 U mg(-1) were measured at 37 degrees C and at pH 8, using olive oil emulsion or tributyrin as substrates, respectively; ROLw is unable to hydrolyse triacylglycerols in the presence of high concentration of bile salts; it is a serine enzyme as it is inhibited by tetrahydrolipstatin and was stable between pH 5 and pH 8.

Biochemical characterization, cloning, and molecular modelling of chicken pancreatic lipase.

Chicken pancreatic lipase (CPL) was purified from delipidated pancreas. Pure CPL was obtained after ammonium sulphate fractionation, then DEAE-cellulose, Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration, and FPLC Mono-Q Sepharose columns. The pure lipase is a glycosylated monomer having a molecular mass of about 50kDa.