The Hypocholesterolemic Potential of the Edible Algae : Proteomic and Quantitative PCR Analysis.

A brown seaweed consumed worldwide, , has been used to prevent atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia, among other uses. However, the mechanisms of action that lead to these effects are not yet fully understood. This work aims to study the in vitro effect of an aqueous extract of , previously characterized as rich in phlorotannins and peptides, on the expression of different proteins involved in the synthesis and transport of cholesterol.

Novel, Edible Melanin-Protein-Based Bioactive Films for Cheeses: Antimicrobial, Mechanical and Chemical Characteristics.

The cheese rind is the natural food packaging of cheese and is subject to a wide range of external factors that compromise the appearance of the cheese, including color defects caused by spoilage microorganisms. First, eight films based on whey protein isolate (WPI) coatings were studied, of which IS3CA (WPI 5% + sorbitol 3% + citric acid 3%) was selected for presenting better properties. From the IS3CA film, novel films containing melanin M1 (74 µg/mL) and M2 (500 µg/mL) were developed and applied to cheese under proof-of-concept and industrial conditions.

Edible Seaweeds Extracts: Characterization and Functional Properties for Health Conditions.

Seaweeds are popular foods due to claimed beneficial health effects, but for many there is a lack of scientific evidence. In this study, extracts of the edible seaweeds Aramé, Nori, and Fucus are compared. Our approach intends to clarify similarities and differences in the health properties of these seaweeds, thus contributing to target potential applications for each.

Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives effect on hypercholesterolemia, comparison with ezetimibe: Permeability assays and FTIR spectroscopy on Caco-2 ​cell line.

High blood cholesterol levels may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Since intestinal cholesterol absorption plays a major role in maintaining total body cholesterol homeostasis, the aim of the present study was to compare the effect of ezetimibe and three hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid and m-coumaric acid) that are present in several medicinal plants on cholesterol absorption in the intestinal Caco-2 ​cells. In addition to the permeability assays, studies on alteration of the biochemical properties of Caco-2 ​cells under the effect of ezetimibe and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives was evaluated using FTIR accompanied with multivariate analysis by PCA.

Phenolic composition, antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of Opuntia ficus-indica peel and flower teas after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Background: The flowers and peels of cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) are by-products generally discarded. Their beneficial properties have been linked to the chemical composition without taking into account its transformations during digestion. This study evaluated and compared the phenolic composition, antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of OFI peel and flower teas before and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Influence of Gender and Age of Brown Seaweed () on Biochemical Activities of Its Aqueous Extracts.

L. is a common coastal brown seaweed associated with various benefits to human health due to its phenolic content and nutrients and is used as food through different methods of consumption. This study aims to evaluate the influence of the seaweed's gender and growth stage on different types of biological activities as well as its chemical constitution and elements present.

Melanin: Production from Cheese Bacteria, Chemical Characterization, and Biological Activities.

Pigments are compounds of importance to several industries, for instance, the food industry, where they can be used as additives, color intensifiers, and antioxidants. As the current trend around the world is shifting to the use of eco-friendly commodities, demand for natural dyes is increasing. Melanins are pigments that are produced by several microorganisms.

Untargeted metabolomic study of HepG2 cells under the effect of Fucus vesiculosus aqueous extract.

Rationale: Fucus vesiculosus has been described with potential to develop functional foods containing bioactive compounds against various diseases. However, more studies are needed to better understand its functioning and its previously reported bioactivities, mainly at the molecular level.

Methods: An untargeted metabolomic study was performed to analyse HepG2 cells exposed to F.

Molecular-level changes induced by hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in HepG2 cell line: Comparison with pravastatin.

Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives are an important class of polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants and widely consumed in human diet. In the present work, alterations of HepG2 cells biochemical profile under the effect of four hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (caffeic acid, m-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid and rosmarinic acid) relatively to the effect of pravastatin, a drug often prescribed to inhibit HMG-CoA reductase enzyme, the regulator enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, were reported. The application of FTIR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate analysis by PCA showed a similarity between pravastatin and the four hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in metabolite profile modification expressed by various changes in proteins region, the phosphate region which mainly corresponds to nucleic acids as well as in lipids regions.

Yogurt Enriched with : An Innovative Functional Food.

Microalgae are a valuable and innovative emerging source of natural nutrients and bioactive compounds that can be used as functional ingredients in order to increase the nutritional value of foods to improve human health and to prevent disease. The marine microalga has great potential for the food industry as a functional ingredient, given its richness in ω3 long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), with high contents of oleic, linoleic, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), stearidonic, and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. This study focuses on the formulation of a functional food by the incorporation of 2% (/) of freeze-dried biomass and 2% (/) of ethyl acetate lipidic extract in solid natural yogurts preparation.

Brown Algae Potential as a Functional Food against Hypercholesterolemia: Review.

Brown algae have been part of the human diet for hundreds of years, however, in recent years, commercial and scientific interest in brown algae has increased due to the growing demand for healthier diet by the world population. Brown algae and its metabolites, such as carotenoids, polysaccharides, phlorotannins, and proteins, have been associated with multiple beneficial health effects for different diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, one of the main causes of death in Europe. Since high blood cholesterol levels are one of the major cardiovascular risks, this review intends to provide an overview of current knowledge about the anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of different brown algae species and/or their isolated compounds.

Data on identification of primary and secondary metabolites in aqueous extract of .

Tentative identification of primary and secondary metabolites in aqueous extracts from aerial parts of Kuntze was done. This plant belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family and is used for several treatments in folk medicine. One of the processes commonly used to prepare this plant for consumption is boiling with water during approximately 20 minutes, that is, a decoction process.

Effect of Food Preparations on In Vitro Bioactivities and Chemical Components of .

is a brown macroalgae used in food and generally considered safe to be consumed, according to EU Directive (EC 258/97). The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of food preparation on of different origins on what concerns its chemical constituents and final bioactivities. The aqueous extract of the seaweeds were obtained at different temperatures, similar to food preparation and then purified by SPE.

Bioactivities of (Gentianaceae) Decoctions: Antioxidant Activity, Enzyme Inhibition and Docking Studies.

is recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and to reduce hypercholesterolemia in ethno-medicinal practice. To perform a top-down study that could give some insight into the molecular basis of these bioactivities, decoctions from leaves were prepared and the compounds were identified by liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Secoiridoids glycosides, like gentiopicroside and sweroside, and several xanthones, such as di-hydroxy-dimethoxyxanthone, were identified.

Action of euptox A from Ageratina adenophora juice on human cell lines: A top-down study using FTIR spectroscopy and protein profiling.

Euptox A, from Ageratina adenophora juice, is a toxin associated with the plant's resistance to infections, invasiveness and traditional use in cancer treatment. We used FTIR spectroscopy and protein profiling of cell lines to study the impact of euptox A on human cells, to clarify its mechanism of action in a top-down approach. Euptox A was extracted from the juice of A.

Evidence of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation by the Estuarine Microbial Communities Obtained in Stable Hg Isotope Studies.

Microbial activity is a critical factor controlling methylmercury formation in aquatic environments. Microbial communities were isolated from sediments of two highly mercury-polluted areas of the Tagus Estuary (Barreiro and Cala do Norte) and differentiated according to their dependence on oxygen into three groups: aerobic, anaerobic, and sulphate-reducing microbial communities. Their potential to methylate mercury and demethylate methylmercury was evaluated through incubation with isotope-enriched Hg species (HgCl and CH₃HgCl).

Bioactivities of decoctions from Plectranthus species related to their traditional use on the treatment of digestive problems and alcohol intoxication.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Decoctions of Plectranthus species are traditionally ingested after large meals for treatment of food digestion and alcohol abuse.

Aim Of The Study: This study aims at associating the digestion-related ethno-uses of Plectranthus species decoctions to molecular mechanism that might explain them: easing digestion (AChE inhibition) and treating hangover (ADH inhibition) MATERIAL AND METHODS: Decoctions from Plectranthus species were analysed for their alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) inhibition and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, related with alcohol metabolism and intestinal motility, respectively. Identification of the active components was carried out by LC-MS/MS and the docking studies were performed with AChE and the bioactive molecules detected.

Broad bean (Vicia faba L.) pods: a rich source of bioactive ingredients with antimicrobial, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, anti-diabetic and health-promoting properties.

This study was aimed at investigating the chemical composition (proximate, minerals, fatty acids and phenolic compounds) and the in vitro (antimicrobial, radical scavenging, anti-acetylcholinesterase and protein denaturing activities) and in vivo (anti-diabetic and histo-protective effects in alloxan-induced diabetic mice) biological activities of broad bean pods (BBPs), a food waste by-product material. The results showed that BBPs have high dietary fiber (57.46%), carbohydrate (18.

Serum Albumin Modulates the Bioactivity of Rosmarinic Acid.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a phenolic compound with biological activity. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether this compound kept its biological activity in the presence of proteins. For this purpose, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein, and the capacity of the RA to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and affect antioxidant activity was evaluated in the absence and presence of BSA.

Isorhamnetin derivatives and piscidic acid for hypercholesterolemia: cholesterol permeability, HMG-CoA reductase inhibition, and docking studies.

Bioactive compounds, such as isorhamnetin and piscidic acid, were obtained from decoctions of cladodes (stem pads from Opuntia ficus-indica). The effect of these phenolic compounds, in a fiber-free extract, were evaluated as inhibitors of cholesterol permeation through a Caco-2 cell monolayer and as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor. A reduction of 38% in cholesterol permeation through the Caco-2 cell monolayer was obtained, and the phenolic compounds all permeated between 6 and 9%.

Optimization of microbial detoxification for an aquatic mercury-contaminated environment.

Mercury (Hg) reduction performed by microorganisms is well recognized as a biological means for remediation of contaminated environment. Recently, studies demonstrated that Hg-resistant microorganisms of Tagus Estuary are involved in metal reduction processes. In the present study, aerobic microbial community isolated from a highly Hg-contaminated area of Tagus Estuary was used to determine the optimization of the reduction process in conditions such as the contaminated ecosystem.

In vitro digestion, antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of two species of Ruta: Ruta chalepensis and Ruta montana.

Context: Ruta genus (Rutaceae) is abundantly used and described in the most ancient systematic records of medical practice of the Mediterranean world. In Tunisia, this genus is represented by two medicinal and aromatic shrubs: Ruta chalepensis L. and Ruta montana L.

Metabolomics for undergraduates: Identification and pathway assignment of mitochondrial metabolites.

Metabolomics is a key discipline in systems biology, together with genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. In this omics cascade, the metabolome represents the biochemical products that arise from cellular processes and is often regarded as the final response of a biological system to environmental or genetic changes. The overall screening approach to identify all the metabolites in a given biological system is called metabolic fingerprinting.

New In Vitro Studies on the Bioprofile of Genista tenera Antihyperglycemic Extract.

The inhibition of α-glucosidase and glucose-6-phosphatase, two enzymes involved in the carbohydrate metabolism, is an important target to control glycaemia on individuals with type 2 diabetes. In this work we report for the first time the inhibition of both enzymes by the antihyperglycemic n-butanol extract from Genista tenera (Fabaceae). This extract decreased α-glucosidase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities to 0.