Enhanced Bioactivity of Quercetin-Tetrahydroisoquinoline Derivatives: Effect on Lipophilicity, Enzymes Inhibition, Antioxidant Potential, and Cytotoxicity.

Quercetin, a well-known flavonoid with significant medicinal potential, was derivatized at the C8 position with a tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) moiety, and physicochemical and pharmacological properties, inhibition potential, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity of new compounds were evaluated. Physicochemical and pharmacological properties, including lipophilicity, membrane permeability, and P-glycoprotein substrate affinity, were assessed theoretically using the SwissADME software. The metal-chelating ability of the new compounds was evaluated on metal ions Fe, Zn, and Cu, whose homeostasis disruption is linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Preventing mislabeling of organic white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) combining NMR-based foodomics, statistical, and machine learning approach.

Organic foods are among the most susceptible to fraud and mislabeling since the differentiation between organic and conventionally grown food relies on a paper-trail-based system. This study aimed to develop a differentiation model that combines nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), statistical approach (principal component analysis - PCA and partial least square discriminant analysis - PLS-DA), and classification artificial neural network (cANN). The model was tested for hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of Agaricus bisporus.

LC-HRMS Lipidomic Fingerprints in Serbian Cohort of Schizophrenia Patients.

Schizophrenia (SCH) is a major mental illness that causes impaired cognitive function and long-term disability, so the requirements for reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapy of SCH are essential. The objective of this work was an untargeted lipidomic study of serum samples from a Serbian cohort including 30 schizophrenia (SCH) patients and 31 non-psychiatric control (C) individuals by applying liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and chemometric analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) of all samples indicated no clear separation between SCH and C groups but indicated clear gender separation in the C group.

Qualitative Profiling, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Polar and Nonpolar Basil Extracts.

Basil ( L.) is a widely used culinary herb. In this study, ethanol, dichloromethane, and sunflower oil were used separately as solvents with distinct polarities for the extraction of basil aerial parts to simulate the different polarity conditions in domestic food processing.

Molecular mechanisms of the anticancer action of fustin isolated from Scop. in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cell line.

The aim of the present work was to investigate some of the molecular mechanisms and targets of the anticancer action of the bioflavonoid fustin isolated from the heartwood of Scop. in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. For this purpose, we applied fluorescence microscopy analysis to evaluate apoptosis, necrosis, and mitochondrial integrity, wound healing assay to study fustin antimigratory potential and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to analyze the expression of genes associated with cell cycle control, programmed cell death, metastasis, and epigenetic alterations.

Probing the structural stability of R-phycocyanin under pressure.

The red macroalgae Porphyra, commonly known as Nori, is widely used as food around the world due to its high nutrient content, including the significant abundance of colored phycobiliproteins (PBPs). Among these, R-phycocyanin (R-PC) stands out for its vibrant purple color and numerous bioactive properties, making it a valuable protein for the food industry. However, R-PC's limited thermal stability necessitates alternative processing methods to preserve its color and bioactive properties.

Synergy of experimental and computational chemistry: structure and biological activity of Zn(II) hydrazone complexes.

In this paper, three different Zn(II) complexes with ()-2-(2-(1-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)-,,-trimethyl-2-oxoethan-1-aminium chloride (HLCl) have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy. All complexes are mononuclear, with the ligand (L) coordinated in a deprotonated formally neutral zwitterionic form NNO donor set atoms. Complex 1 forms an octahedral geometry with the composition [ZnL](BF), while complexes 2 [ZnL(NCO)] and 3 [ZnL(N)] form penta-coordinated geometry.

Unveiling novel insights into Bacillus velezensis 16B pectin lyase for improved fruit juice processing.

Microbial pectinolytic enzymes are important in various industries, particularly food processing. This study focuses on uncovering insights into a novel pectin lyase, BvPelB, from Bacillus velezensis 16B, with the aim of enhancing fruit juice processing. The study examines the structural and functional characteristics of pectinolytic enzyme, underscoring the critical nature of substrate specificity and enzymatic reaction mechanisms.

Fabrication and characterization of bovine serum albumin-phycocyanobilin conjugate: effect on antioxidant and ligand-binding properties.

Background: Phycocyanobilin (PCB) is an open-chain blue tetrapyrrole chromophore of C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a major chromoprotein derived from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis having numerous health-promoting effects. Relying on the ability of PCB to attach to the sulfhydryl group of proteins, we propose a new method for covalent attachment of PCB to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a means of its functionalization.

Results: Traut's reagent (TR, 2-iminothiolane), modifying lysine residues, was used to optimize the introduction of sulfhydryl groups in BSA.

Ovalbumin interaction with polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics alters its structural properties.

Contaminating microplastics can interact with food proteins in the food matrix and during digestion. This study investigated adsorption of chicken egg protein ovalbumin to polystyrene (PS, 110 and 260 μm) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 140 μm) MPs in acidic and neutral conditions and alterations in ovalbumin structure. Ovalbumin adsorption affinity depended on MPs size (smaller > larger), type (PS > PET) and pH (pH 3 > pH 7).

Novel hybrid compounds of sclareol and doxorubicin as potential anticancer nanotherapy for glioblastoma.

Two novel hybrid compounds, CON1 and CON2, have been developed by combining sclareol (SC) and doxorubicin (DOX) into a single molecular entity. These hybrid compounds have a 1:1 molar ratio of covalently linked SC and DOX. They have demonstrated promising anticancer properties, especially in glioblastoma cells, and have also shown potential in treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells that express the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) membrane transporter.

Multi-target potential of newly designed tacrine-derived cholinesterase inhibitors: Synthesis, computational and pharmacological study.

Simple and scalable synthetic approach was used for the preparation of thirteen novel tacrine derivatives consisting of tacrine and N-aryl-piperidine-4-carboxamide moiety connected by a five-methylene group linker. An anti-Alzheimer disease (AD) potential of newly designed tacrine derivatives was evaluated against two important AD targets, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). In vitro pharmacological evaluation showed strong ChE inhibitory activity of all compounds, with IC values ranging from 117.

Improvement of fruit juice quality: novel -polygalacturonase II from FAT 43 for enhanced liquefaction, clarification, and antioxidant potential.

This study focuses on the isolation, purification, and characterisation of -polygalacturonase II from FAT43, particularly emphasising its potential applications in the fruit juice industry. A comprehensive screening test revealed the temporal dynamics of -polygalacturonase production during a 96-hour fermentation process. The purification process, involving ammonium sulfate and ethanol precipitation followed by ion-exchange chromatography, resulted in a 3.

Silver(I) complexes containing antifungal azoles: significant improvement of the anti- potential of the azole drug after its coordination to the silver(I) ion.

Inspired by the emergence of resistance to currently available antifungal therapy and by the great potential of metal complexes for the treatment of various diseases, we synthesized three new silver(I) complexes containing clinically used antifungal azoles as ligands, [Ag(ecz)]SbF (1, ecz is econazole), {[Ag(vcz)]SbF} (2, vcz is voriconazole), and [Ag(ctz)]SbF (3, ctz is clotrimazole), and investigated their antimicrobial properties. The synthesized complexes were characterized by mass spectrometry, IR, UV-vis and H NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In the mononuclear complexes 1 and 3 with ecz and ctz, respectively, the silver(I) ion has the expected linear geometry, in which the azoles are monodentately coordinated to this metal center through the N3 imidazole nitrogen atom.

LC-ESI QToF MS Non-Targeted Screening of Latex Extracts of ssp. Necker and and Determination of Their Potential Anticancer Activity.

ssp. Necker (ES) and (EC) with a habitat in the Deliblato Sands were the subject of this examination. The latexes of these so far insufficiently investigated species of the genus are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of wounds and warts on the skin.

Theoretical investigation of tautomerism of 2- and 4-pyridones: origin, substituent and solvent effects.

Computational investigation at the BHandHLYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory of the gas-phase tautomerism of 2- and 4-pyridones confirmed the slight prevalence of lactim in the case of the former, but its dominance in the case of the latter, as shown previously. Examination of aromaticity by using HOMA, EDDB, NBOdel, NICS and AICD led to the conclusion that tautomerization of 4-pyridone results in greater aromaticity gain. It is also driven by the Pauli repulsion relief, which was revealed by the tautomerization energy decomposition analysis.

Untargeted Lipidomics Study of Bipolar Disorder Patients in Serbia.

The Lipidomic profiles of serum samples from patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls (C) were explored and compared. The sample cohort included 31 BD patients and 31 control individuals. An untargeted lipidomics study applying liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was conducted to achieve the lipid profiles.

Ultrasensitive Quantification of Crustacean Tropomyosin by Immuno-PCR.

Tropomyosin is the major and predominant allergen among shellfish. This study developed an ultrasensitive immuno-PCR method for the quantification of crustacean tropomyosin in foods. The method couples sandwich ELISA with the real-time PCR (rtPCR) amplification of marker DNAs.

Docking Studies, Cytotoxicity Evaluation and Interactions of Binuclear Copper(II) Complexes with S-Isoalkyl Derivatives of Thiosalicylic Acid with Some Relevant Biomolecules.

The numerous side effects of platinum based chemotherapy has led to the design of new therapeutics with platinum replaced by another transition metal. Here, we investigated the interactions of previously reported copper(II) complexes containing S-isoalkyl derivatives, the salicylic acid with guanosine-5'-monophosphate and calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and their antitumor effects, in a colon carcinoma model. All three copper(II) complexes exhibited an affinity for binding to CT-DNA, but there was no indication of intercalation or the displacement of ethidium bromide.

Heterologous Expression and Partial Characterization of a Putative Opine Dehydrogenase from a Metagenomic Sequence of Desulfohalobium retbaense.

The aim of this research was to prove the function of the putative opine dehydrogenase from Desulfohalobium retbaense and to characterize the enzyme in terms of functional and kinetic parameters. A putative opine dehydrogenase was identified from a metagenomic library by a sequence-based technique search of the metagenomic library, and afterward was successfully heterologously produced in Escherichia coli. In order to examine its potential for applications in the synthesis of secondary amines, first the substrate specificity of the enzyme towards different amino donors and amino acceptors was determined.

Optimization of solid-state fermentation for enhanced production of pectinolytic complex by Aspergillus tubingensis FAT43 and its application in fruit juice processing.

The main goal of this study was to examine the efficiency of a newly isolated fungus from quince, Aspergillus tubingensis FAT43, to produce the pectinolytic complex using agricultural and industrial waste as the substrate for solid state fermentation. Sugar beet pulp was the most effective substrate inducer of pectinolytic complex synthesis out of all the waste residues examined. For endo-pectinolytic and total pectinolytic activity, respectively, statistical optimization using Placked-Burman Design and Optimal (Custom) Design increased production by 2.

Exploring and strengthening the potential of R-phycocyanin from Nori flakes as a food colourant.

This study aimed to purify, characterise and stabilise the natural food colourant, R-phycocyanin (R-PC), from the red algae Porphyra spp. (Nori). We purified R-PC from dried Nori flakes with a high purity ratio (A/A ≥ 3.