Development and validation of an HPLC-DAD method for the quantification of cannabigerol, cannabidiol, cannabinol and cannabichromene in human plasma and mouse matrices.

Cannabigerol, cannabidiol, cannabinol and cannabichromene are non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids, highly present in , for which numerous therapeutical applications have been described. However, additional pre-clinical and clinical data, including toxicopharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, remain required to support their use in clinical practice and new therapeutic applications. To support these studies, a new high performance liquid chromatography technique (HPLC) with diode-array detection (DAD) was developed and validated to quantify these cannabinoids in human plasma and mouse matrices.

Quality of bee pollen submitted to drying, pasteurization, and high-pressure processing - A comparative approach.

Bee Pollen is a valuable and useful natural food product that can be used for different purposes, among which medical ones. This matrix is deemed a superfood because of its chemical composition, which is rich in nutrients and possesses significant bioactivities, including antioxidant and microbiological properties. Nevertheless, the storage conditions and processing methods must be optimized to maintain their properties and maximise their application.

New Insights into the Biological and Pharmaceutical Properties of Royal Jelly.

Royal jelly (RJ) is a yellowish-white and acidic secretion of hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of nurse bees used to feed young worker larvae during the first three days and the entire life of queen bees. RJ is one of the most appreciated and valued natural product which has been mainly used in traditional medicines, health foods, and cosmetics for a long time in different parts of the world. It is also the most studied bee product, aimed at unravelling its bioactivities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-aging, immunomodulatory, and general tonic action against laboratory animals, microbial organisms, farm animals, and clinical trials.

Enzyme Inhibitory Potential of Aiton Berries.

Aiton and its berries have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for around two thousand years. In the present study, berries harvested in two regions of Portugal were studied. Haemolytic activity and inhibition of oxidative haemolysis as well as the enzyme inhibitory activities (α-amylase enzyme and acetylcholinesterase) were assessed.

Vascular effects of a polyphenolic fraction from L.: role of α-adrenergic receptors Sub-types.

L. is a plant of the family, from which several compounds have been previously identified. Recently, we showed that an L.

Similarity of Data from Bee Bread with the Same Taxa Collected in India and Romania.

Bee Bread samples from Romania and India were analysed by microscopy and High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC/DAD) and compared with pollen from the correspondent taxa. The quantification of sugars, fructose/glucose ratio, total phenolics and flavonoids was also carried out. From the results was possible to identify and samples that present similar HPLC/DAD profiles with the respective ultraviolet (UV) identification of the main compounds as Kaempferol-3--glycosides and Hydrocinnamic acid derivatives.

Hepatotoxicity induced by paclitaxel interaction with turmeric in association with a microcystin from a contaminated dietary supplement.

A 67-year-old Caucasian male with lung cancer was presented to the Emergency Department with asthenia, anorexia, jaundice and choluria. The patient's lung cancer was being treated medically by a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin with bi-monthly frequency. The patient was also self-medicating with several natural products, including Chlorella (520 mg/day), Silybum marianum (total of 13.

Application of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy to the quantification of sugar in honey.

A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic method with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and partial least squares (PLS) regression model for the prediction of sugar content in honey samples was calculated. Standards of trehalose, glucose, fructose, sucrose, melezitose, turanose and maltose were used to identify and quantify the individual sugar components in 63 honey samples by HPAEC-IPAD. Fructose and glucose are the highest sugars in honey with an average value of 36% and 26%, respectively.

Assessment of luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) neuropharmacological activity.

Since the discovery that certain flavonoids (namely flavones) specifically recognise the central BDZ receptors, several efforts have been made to identify naturally occurring GABA(A) receptor benzodiazepine binding site ligands. Flavonoid derivatives with a flavone-like structure such as apigenin, chrysin and wogonin have been reported for their anxiolytic-like activity in different animal models of anxiety. Luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a widespread flavonoid aglycon that was reported as devoid of specific affinity for benzodiazepine receptor (BDZ-R) binding site, but its psychopharmacological activity is presently unknown.

Neuropharmacological evaluation of the putative anxiolytic effects of Passiflora edulis Sims, its sub-fractions and flavonoid constituents.

Passiflora edulis Sims together with several other plants of the genus Passiflora have been reported to possess anxiolytic properties. It has been suggested recently that flavonoids may be partly responsible for the neuropharmacological activity of these plants but there are still few data reporting the relation between the constituents of these plants and their activity. This work evaluated the anxiolytic/sedative activity of an aqueous extract of Passiflora edulis Sims and bioguided its fractionation using the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety and other complementary pharmacological tests.