Antiproliferative Acylated Glycerols from New Zealand Propolis.

Previous work has shown that a number of phenolic components of NZ propolis possess antiproliferative activity against certain human gastrointestinal cancer cell lines. Here we report on a series of acylglycerols isolated from the nonpolar fraction of propolis resin, which represent further bioactive constituents unrelated to the more usual phenolic compounds generally found in propolis. NZ propolis is sourced from poplar trees, and the acylglycerols have been shown to be present in the leaves and buds of some common poplars.

Antiproliferative activity of New Zealand propolis and phenolic compounds vs human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells.

New Zealand propolis is a "European" type propolis obtained by honey bees mainly from exudates of poplar. European type propolis is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties and this activity has been attributed to some of the main constituents such as chrysin and CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester). As part of our studies on how New Zealand propolis might benefit gastro-intestinal health, we carried out in vitro bioactivity-guided fractionation of "Bio30™" propolis using both anti-inflammatory (TNF-α, COX-1, COX-2) and anti-colon cancer (DLD-1 colon cancer cell viability) assays; and determined the phenolic compounds responsible for the activity.

Supercritical fluid assisted, integrated process for the synthesis and separation of different lipid derivatives.

The partial synthesis of ethyl esters from corn and fish oil was carried out in a stirred tank at supercritical conditions and the products were separated from the reaction mixture using the supercritical fluid. Corn oil can be almost completely converted to ethyl esters under optimized conditions and the rate of reaction is comparable to atmospheric pressure conditions. Some concentration of polyunsaturates occurs in the partially converted glyceride fraction of fish oil, as the enzyme used, Lipozyme TL-IM, allows preferential esterification of the saturates and mono-unsaturates that are concentrated in positions 1 and 3 of the triglycerides.

Extraction of chili, black pepper, and ginger with near-critical CO2, propane, and dimethyl ether: analysis of the extracts by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance.

Ginger, black pepper, and chili powder were extracted using near-critical carbon dioxide, propane, and dimethyl ether on a laboratory scale to determine the overall yield and extraction efficiency for selected pungent components. The temperature dependency of extraction yield and efficiency was also determined for black pepper and chili using propane and dimethyl ether. The pungency of the extracts was determined by using an NMR technique developed for this work.