Comparative analysis of isothiocyanates in eight cruciferous vegetables and evaluation of the hepatoprotective effects of 4-(methylsulfinyl)-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (sulforaphene) from daikon radish ( L.) sprouts.

The contributions of cruciferous vegetables to human health are widely recognised, particularly at the molecular level, where their isothiocyanates play a significant role. However, compared to the well-studied isothiocyanate 4-(methylsulfinyl)butyl isothiocyanate (sulforaphane) produced from broccoli sprouts, less is known about the pharmacological effects of other isothiocyanates and the stage of vegetables preferable to obtain their benefits. We analysed the quantity and quality of isothiocyanates produced in both the sprouts and mature stages of eight cruciferous vegetables using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Potential roles of cereal bioactive compounds in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes: A review of the current knowledge.

Diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in both developed and underdeveloped countries with a 9.3% prevalence. Unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are among the most common reasons for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 system and the preferred no-indel end-joining repair in tardigrades.

Tardigrades are small aquatic animals known for the tolerant ability against various extreme stresses. Recent studies identified several tardigrade-unique proteins as protective factors of biomolecules from extreme stresses. Due to the limitation of the technique available in tardigrades, the function of these protective molecules has largely been studied utilizing the systems of in vitro and the heterologous expression in other organisms.

Combined Effects of Amino Acids in Garlic and Buna-Shimeji ( on Suppression of CCl-Induced Hepatic Injury in Rats.

The combination of the garlic-derived amino acid, -allyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide (ACSO), and ornithine or arginine on CCl-induced hepatic injury was examined. After investigating the effectiveness of the mixture of ACSO and ornithine or arginine in preventing hepatic injury in vivo, an extract rich in ACSO and ornithine was prepared by converting arginine in garlic to ornithine by arginase from (buna-shimeji), after screening the productivity of ornithine among 12 kinds of mushrooms. Co-administration of ACSO with ornithine or arginine suppressed the increase in aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, and the decrease in glutathione -transferase and cytochrome p450 2E1 activities after CCl injection more effectively than a single administration of ACSO.

Suppressive Effect of Shiitake Extract on Plasma Ethanol Elevation.

Alcohol is usually consumed with meals, but chronic consumption is a leading cause of alcoholic liver diseases. We investigated if shiitake extracts with a high lentinic acid content (Shiitake-H) and without lentinic acid (Shiitake-N) could suppress the elevation in plasma ethanol concentrations by accelerating ethanol metabolism and preventing ethanol absorption from the gut. Shiitake-H and Shiitake-N suppressed the elevation in concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde in plasma, and promoted the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the liver.

Publisher Correction: Developmental stage-specific distribution and phosphorylation of Mblk-1, a transcription factor involved in ecdysteroid-signaling in the honey bee brain.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Developmental stage-specific distribution and phosphorylation of Mblk-1, a transcription factor involved in ecdysteroid-signaling in the honey bee brain.

In the honey bee, the mushroom bodies (MBs), a higher-order center in insect brain, comprise interneurons termed Kenyon cells (KCs). We previously reported that Mblk-1, which encodes a transcription factor involved in ecdysteroid-signaling, is expressed preferentially in the large-type KCs (lKCs) in the pupal and adult worker brain and that phosphorylation by the Ras/MAPK pathway enhances the transcriptional activity of Mblk-1 in vitro. In the present study, we performed immunoblotting and immunofluorescence studies using affinity-purified anti-Mblk-1 and anti-phosphorylated Mblk-1 antibodies to analyze the distribution and phosphorylation of Mblk-1 in the brains of pupal and adult workers.

Allergenicity of Deamidated and/or Peptide-Bond-Hydrolyzed Wheat Gliadin by Transdermal Administration.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl)-treated wheat protein (HWP) is widely used in various products, including foods, cosmetics and shampoos. Recently, immediate hypersensitivity towards facial soap containing HWP has been reported. HCl treatment of protein causes hydrolysis not only of main-chain amide bonds (peptide-bond hydrolysis) but also of side-chain ones (deamidation).

Characteristics, biosynthesis, decomposition, metabolism and functions of the garlic odour precursor, -allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide.

-Allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (ACSO) is an odour precursor in garlic bulbs. One plausible pathway for the biosynthesis of ACSO involves -2-carboxypropyl glutathione produced from glutathione and methacrylic acid via valine or from γ-glutamyl cysteine. The elimination of glycine and glutamic acid from -2-carboxypropyl glutathione produces -2-carboxypropyl cysteine, which is converted to -allyl cysteine by decarboxylation and oxidation.

Evaluation and Suppression of Retrogradation of Gelatinized Rice Starch.

Starch starts to retrograde and form a crystalline structure immediately after gelatinization upon heating with water. The retrogradation rate is affected by the starch granule size, degree of polymerization, amylose/amylopectin ratio, starch concentration, water content, and storage temperature. Retrogradation of amylose occurs over a short term, while that of amylopectin occurs over a long term.

Bioactive Ingredients in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Function in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) greatly impacts human health worldwide as over 400 million patients suffer from DM-related symptoms. Type 2 DM accounts for more than 90% of DM and is caused mainly by unhealthy lifestyles, such as high-calorie and high-fat diets. Such undesirable eating habitats induce resistance to insulin resulting in high blood sugar levels that cause induction of various symptoms and complications of DM.

Sulfuric Odor Precursor -Allyl-l-Cysteine Sulfoxide in Garlic Induces Detoxifying Enzymes and Prevents Hepatic Injury.

-Allyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide (ACSO) is a precursor of garlic-odor compounds like diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATS) known as bioactive components. ACSO has suitable properties as a food material because it is water-soluble, odorless, tasteless and rich in bulbs of fresh garlic. The present study was conducted to examine the preventive effect of ACSO on hepatic injury induced by CCl in rats.

Suppressive Effect of the α-Amylase Inhibitor Albumin from Buckwheat ( Moench) on Postprandial Hyperglycaemia.

Inhibiting starch hydrolysis into sugar could reduce postprandial blood glucose elevation and contribute to diabetes prevention. Here, both buckwheat and wheat albumin that inhibited mammalian α-amylase in vitro suppressed blood glucose level elevation after starch loading in vivo, but it had no effect after glucose loading. In contrast to the non-competitive inhibition of wheat α-amylase inhibitor, buckwheat albumin acted in a competitive manner.

S-Allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide, a garlic odor precursor, suppresses elevation in blood ethanol concentration by accelerating ethanol metabolism and preventing ethanol absorption from gut.

Alcoholic beverages are enjoyed together with meals worldwide, but their excessive intake is associated with an increased risk of various diseases. We investigated whether S-allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (ACSO), a sulfuric odor precursor of garlic, suppresses elevation in plasma ethanol concentration by accelerating ethanol metabolism and preventing ethanol absorption from the gut in rats. ACSO and garlic extract with a high ACSO content (Garlic-H) suppressed elevation in concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde in plasma and promoted the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Analysis of water sorption isotherms of amorphous food materials by solution thermodynamics with relevance to glass transition: evaluation of plasticizing effect of water by the thermodynamic parameters.

Relation between the thermodynamic parameters obtained from water sorption isotherms and the degree of reduction in the glass transition temperature (T), accompanied by water sorption, was quantitatively studied. Two well-known glassy food materials namely, wheat gluten and maltodextrin were used as samples. The difference between the chemical potential of water in a solution and that of pure water ([Formula: see text]), the difference between the chemical potential of solid in a solution and that of a pure solid ([Formula: see text]), and the change in the integral Gibbs free energy ([Formula: see text]) were obtained by analyzing the water sorption isotherms using solution thermodynamics.

Rice (Oryza sativa japonica) Albumin Suppresses the Elevation of Blood Glucose and Plasma Insulin Levels after Oral Glucose Loading.

The suppressive effect of rice albumin (RA) of 16 kDa on elevation of blood glucose level after oral loading of starch or glucose and its possible mechanism were examined. RA suppressed the increase in blood glucose levels in both the oral starch tolerance test and the oral glucose tolerance test. The blood glucose concentrations 15 min after the oral administration of starch were 144 ± 6 mg/dL for control group and 127 ± 4 mg/dL for RA 200 mg/kg BW group, while those after the oral administration of glucose were 157 ± 7 mg/dL for control group and 137 ± 4 mg/dL for RA 200 mg/kg BW group.

A Simple Synthesis of Alliin and allo-Alliin: X-ray Diffraction Analysis and Determination of Their Absolute Configurations.

A simple method for the isolation of the bioactive compound alliin from garlic, as well as a method for the synthesis of diastereomerically pure alliin and allo-alliin on a preparative laboratory scale, was developed. The absolute configuration of the sulfur atom in alliin and allo-alliin was assigned on the basis of enzyme reactivity, optical rotatory dispersion, and circular dichroism analyses. A comparison of the results from these analyses, in combination with an X-ray diffraction study on a protected allo-alliin derivative, revealed S and R configurations of the sulfur atoms in alliin and allo-alliin, respectively.

Prevention of osteoporosis by oral administration of phytate-removed and deamidated soybean β-conglycinin.

Phytate-removed and deamidated soybean β-conglycinin (PrDS) prepared by ion-exchange resins was supplemented to be 4% in the diet administered to ovariectomized rats to investigate its preventive effect on osteoporosis. The apparent calcium absorption rate decreased following ovariectomy and was not replenished by oral administration of phytate-removed soybean β-conglycinin (PrS) or casein. On the other hand, administration of PrDS restored the calcium absorption rate to the same level as the sham group.

Evaluation of reduced allergenicity of deamidated gliadin in a mouse model of wheat-gliadin allergy using an antibody prepared by a peptide containing three epitopes.

Gliadin is the principal allergen of wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). The primary structure of IgE-binding epitopes in wheat gliadin includes tandem sequencing sites of glutamine residues. Therefore, deamidation would be an effective approach to reduce the allergenicity of wheat proteins.

Relationship between the rheological properties of thickener solutions and their velocity through the pharynx as measured by the ultrasonic pulse Doppler method.

The dependence of the dynamic viscoelastic parameters of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xanthan gum, and guar gum solutions on the angular frequency (omega) was compared with that of their viscosity (mu) on the shear rate (gamma). In addition, the effect of these rheological properties on the maximum velocity through the pharynx, V(max), as measured by the ultrasonic pulse Doppler method, was investigated. The CMC and guar gum solutions examined were taken as a dilute solution and a true polymer solution, respectively.

Quantitative analysis of saponins in a tea-leaf extract and their antihypercholesterolemic activity.

A novel simple method using liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS) and LC/UV was established for the quantification of saponins in an extract from green tea leaves. The amount of saponins in a fraction with high in vitro antihypercholesterolemic activity, Fr2-3, was determined to be 72%. An in vivo experiment showed that the addition of 0.

Biological and chemical stability of garlic-derived allicin.

This study verifies the instability of garlic ( Allium sativum L.)-derived allyl 2-propenylthiosulfinate (allicin) in various aqueous and ethanolic solutions as well as in vegetable oil through chemical and biological analyses performed simultaneously. Crushed fresh garlic cloves generated antibacterial activity and chemically detectable allicin, a major antibacterial principle, and both declined on a daily basis in aqueous and ethanolic solutions at room temperature, showing biological and chemical half-lives of about 6 and 11 days, respectively.

Improvement of digestibility, reduction in allergenicity, and induction of oral tolerance of wheat gliadin by deamidation.

Wheat gliadin was deamidated by using a cation-exchange resin in the presence or absence of added cysteine, with the change in digestibility being measured. The allergenicity of the gliadin was evaluated by using sera from patients RAST-positive to wheat. Gliadin-specific IgE was measured after the gliadin had been orally administered to rats.

Inhibitory activity of shiitake flavor against platelet aggregation.

Sulfuric-flavored compounds were extracted from shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and their inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation was investigated. Platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and U-46619, the analog of thromboxane A(2), was inhibited by the essential oil from shiitake that contained lenthionine as a major sulfuric compound. This result indicates that the inhibitory site of the shiitake flavor compounds would be different from that of garlic-flavor compounds because the latter inhibits the passage between arachidonic acid and thromboxane A(2).