Diffusion of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) oligomeric polyphenols from seed coats to cotyledons during boiling.

Adzuki beans (Vigna angularis) are major legumes in East Asia, commonly used in traditional Japanese confections in the form of a paste. Although various types of polyphenols are present in seed coats, there are no reports on the diffusion of polyphenols to cotyledons during boiling. This study revealed that oligomeric polyphenols-such as dimeric and more proanthocyanidins-diffused more easily from seed coats to cotyledons than monomeric polyphenols-such as (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin-during heating.

Use of in-vitro experimental results to model in-situ experiments: bio-denitrification under geological disposal conditions.

Some of the low level radioactive wastes from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels contain nitrates. Nitrates can be present in the form of soluble salts and can be reduced by various reactions. Among them, reduction by metal compounds and microorganisms seems to be important in the underground repository.

Encapsulation of concentrated hemoglobin solution in phospholipid vesicles retards the reaction with NO, but not CO, by intracellular diffusion barrier.

One physiological significance of the red blood cell (RBC) structure is that NO binding of Hb is retarded by encapsulation with the cell membrane. To clarify the mechanism, we analyzed Hb-vesicles (HbVs) with different intracellular Hb concentrations, [Hb](in), and different particle sizes using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The apparent NO binding rate constant, k(on)('(NO)), of HbV at [Hb](in) = 1 g/dl was 2.