Improvement of Versatility and Analytical Range of AOAC Official Method 2015.06 for Selenium.

AOAC Official Method 2015.06 is not applicable for infant formula without selenium addition because of lack of sensitivity. In addition, Method 2015.

The relationship between ergosterol and mycotoxin contamination in maize from various countries.

Maize is a good substrate for fungal growth and production of toxic secondary metabolites or mycotoxins. The relationships between the fungal biomarker ergosterol (ERG) and mycotoxins such as aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) were investigated in maize collected from four different geographic locations. ERG and mycotoxins were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV and fluorescence detection.

Adsorption of zearalenone to Japanese acid clay and influencing factors.

Zearalenone (ZEA) mainly contaminates grains such as corn and wheat, causing damage to livestock through ingestion of contaminated feed. Recently, various clays have been added to the feed to adsorb mycotoxins and to prevent mycotoxicosis of animals fed contaminated feeds. However the adsorption mechanism of the mycotoxin to clay is not well understood.

Modified use of a commercial ELISA kit for deoxynivalenol determination in rice and corn silage.

The analysis of deoxynivalenol (DON) in silage samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) often leads to an overestimation. To better analyze DON in rice and corn silages using a commercially available ELISA kit, a cleanup method using a MultiSep #226 column was developed. As a result, overestimation of DON by the influence of specific cross-reaction with acetyldeoxynivalenol (AcDON) was confirmed.

Improvement and validation of the method to determine neutral detergent fiber in feed.

To improve the performance of the analytical method for neutral detergent fiber in feed with heat-stable α-amylase treatment (aNDFom), the process of adding heat-stable α-amylase, as well as other analytical conditions, were examined. In this new process, the starch in the samples was removed by adding amylase to neutral detergent (ND) solution twice, just after the start of heating and immediately after refluxing. We also examined the effects of the use of sodium sulfite, and drying and ashing conditions for aNDFom analysis by this modified amylase addition method.

Synthesis of pyranicin and its inhibitory action with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I.

Total synthesis of pyranicin was achieved using Cl2Pd(CH3CN)2-catalyzed diastereoselective cyclization of the allylic ester as the key step. The inhibitory activity of this compound for mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) was slightly poorer than that of ordinary mono-THF acetogenins such as cis-solamin.

Synthesis of murisolin, (15R, 16R, 19R, 20S)-murisolin A, and (15R, 16R, 19S, 20S)-16,19-cis-murisolin and their inhibitory action with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I.

The asymmetric total synthesis of murisolin, (15R, 16R, 19R, 20S)-murisolin A, and (15R, 16R, 19S, 20S)-16,19-cis-murisolin was performed by using an epoxy alcohol as a versatile chiral building block for synthesizing the stereoisomers of mono-THF annonaceous acetogenins. The inhibitory activity of these murisolin compounds was examined with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I, and they showed almost the same activity.

Synthesis, determination of the absolute configuration of tonkinelin, and inhibitory action with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I.

The first synthesis of two possible diastereomers of tonkinelin was achieved. By comparison of the optical rotation of two candidates of tonkinelin and the natural compound, it is suggested that the absolute configuration of natural tonkinelin is likely to be (17S,18S). The inhibitory activity of these compounds was examined with bovine heart mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase.

Stress-activated MAP kinases regulate rubratoxin B-caused cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion in hepatocyte-derived HepG2 cells.

The effects of stress-activated MAP kinases (SAPKs) on biological phenomena in HepG2 cells caused by the hepatotoxin rubratoxin B were investigated. The amounts of phosphorylated (active) SAPKs (c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38s) were significantly increased after treating cells with rubratoxin B, suggesting that rubratoxin B exerts its toxicity through SAPK signal transduction pathways. Compared with rubratoxin B-treatment alone, treatment with both rubratoxin B and the JNK inhibitor SP600125 decreased cell morphology changes and the activity of the apoptosis-related enzymes caspase-3 and caspase-7, indicating that JNKs are involved in rubratoxin B-induced apoptosis.

Rubratoxin B induced the secretion of hepatic injury-related colony stimulating factors in human hepatoma cells.

The induction of cytokine secretion by rubratoxin B was investigated using human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and HuH-7. Interleukin (IL)-8, macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF were detected in the media of rubratoxin B-treated both cell lines, and their levels peaked at about 40 microg/ml. Rubratoxin B-induced cytokine secretion was enhanced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in HepG2 cells.