Corrigendum to "From waste to bioactive compounds: A response surface methodology approach to extract antioxidants from Pistacia vera shells for postprandial hyperglycaemia management" [Food Chem. 443 (2024) 138504

To identify dietary phenolic compounds capable of improving vitamin E status, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed for 4 weeks either a basal diet (control) with 2 g/kg cholesterol and an adequate content of vitamin E or the basal diet fortified with quercetin (Q), (-)-epicatechin (EC), or (+)-catechin (C) at concentrations of 2 g/kg. All three catechol derivatives substantially increased concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) in blood plasma and liver. To study potential mechanisms underlying the observed increase of alpha-T, the capacities of the flavonoids to i) protect alpha-T from oxidation in LDL exposed to peroxyl radicals, ii) reduce alpha-tocopheroxyl radicals (alpha-T (.) ) in SDS micelles, and iii) inhibit the metabolism of tocopherols in HepG2 cells were determined. All flavonoids protected alpha-T from oxidation in human LDL ex vivo and dose-dependently reduced the concentrations of alpha-T (.) . None of the test compounds affected vitamin E metabolism in the hepatocyte cultures. In conclusion, fortification of the diet of Sprague-Dawley rats with Q, EC, or C considerably improved their vitamin E status. The underlying mechanism does not appear to involve vitamin E metabolism but may involve direct quenching of free radicals or reduction of the alpha-T (.) by the flavonoids.

Tephrosia humilis (Leguminosae), is a tropical shrub endemic in central Africa. Species of this genus are used in traditional remedies as antimicrobial, tonic, diuretic, anthelminthic, blood purifier etc [1,2]. Phytochemical analysis of other Tephrosia species resulted in the isolation of coumarins, and several flavonoids [3–9]. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of several plant extracts of Tephrosia humilis (DPPH assay and Co(II)/EDTA -induced luminol chemiluminescence test), as well as their ability to inhibit the aldose reductase enzyme (AR, ALR2, E.C. 1.1.1.21), indicating a potential of this plant to act against the long term diabetic complications [10,11]. After defatting, plant material was extracted in a soxhlet apparatus with methanol and the dry remaining was partitioned with solvents of increasing polarity, giving five different fractions (diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, ethyl acetate residue, n-butanol, water). Antioxidant results according to both tests proved the good antioxidant capacity of the ethyl acetate fraction in comparison to the standards used (trolox and quercetin) [12]. While according to the CL test all other fractions showed low hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, DPPH test results proved that the n-butanolic and ethyl acetate residue fractions are also effective radical scavengers. As about the ALR2 inhibition, all fractions, except the aqueous, were strong inhibitors at the concentration of 25µg/ml in comparison to sorbinil. The n-butanolic and the ethyl acetate fractions inhibited the enzyme above 75%. This research work proves in vitro the good antioxidant capacity of Tephrosia humilis extracts, as well as their strong inhibitory activity against ALR2 enzyme.

Pistacia vera shells, an abundant agricultural by-product, are a rich source of undiscovered bioactive compounds. This study employed a response surface methodology (RSM) approach to optimize the microwave-assisted extraction of antioxidants. The highest total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity were achieved under the optimized extraction conditions (20 % ethanol, 1000 W, 135 s, and solvent-to-solid ratio of 27 mL/g). The resulting extract (OPVS-E) included gallic acid derivatives, hydrolysable tannins, flavonoids, fatty acids, and anacardic acids. Remarkably, OPVS-E displayed potent inhibitory activity against α-amylase (IC50 = 2.05 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 41.07 μg/mL), by far more powerful than the anti-diabetic drug acarbose, OPVS-E exhibited a strong antiradical capacity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) without causing toxicity in intestinal cells (HT29-MTX and Caco-2). These findings introduce OPVS-E as a potential novel dual-action nutraceutical ingredient, able to mitigate postprandial hyperglycemia and counteract the ROS overproduction occurring in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Assessment of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and response surface methodology approaches in draft force prediction of subsoiling tines

Screenning Bioactive Compounds from Allium sativum as HER2 Inhibitors Targeting Breast Cancer by Docking Methods

The Potential of Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds in the Fight Against COVID-19

Consumption of carrots (Daucus carota L.) is in general believed to be beneficial for human health and several bioactive compounds have been identified e.g. the polyacetylene falcarinol, which exhibits anticancer activities both in vitro and in vivo [1,2]. Here we report a range of results suggesting a potential new field of application for carrots towards conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome e.g. insulin resistance and abdominal obesity. Dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH) extracts of two varieties of carrots (var. bolero and purple haze) were made and tested in a number of different bioassays and one in vivo model system. DCM extracts of both carrot varieties were found to activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ without stimulating adipocyte differentiation, suggesting that they can have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity. At low concentrations (<0.5µg/mL) the DCM extract was able to enhance glucose uptake (GU) in porcine myotubes but at higher concentrations this was impaired. Biphasic concentration-dependent bioactivity has previously been reported for e.g. falcarinol [2]. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a good model system for studying lipid metabolism and fat accumulation in vivo. At 200µg/mL, the DCM extract of var. Bolero was able to reduce fat accumulation, as measured by lipophilic dye Nile red, in C. elegans by 50%. The carrot polyacetylenes have structures similar to both the endogenous ligands of PPARγ as well as recently identified alkamides able to activate PPARγ and enhance insulin-stimulated GU in adipocytes [3], indicating that these could be responsible for the observed effects.

Corrigendum to “Recent advances on bioactive compounds, biosynthesis mechanism, and physiological functions of Nelumbo nucifera” [Food Chem. 412 (2023) 135581]

Bibliometric analysis of Hericium mushrooms for medicinal and food purposes: 1992−2023

Chloroacetamides are a popular class of herbicides often used against weeds in a variety of major crops, such as corn, cotton, rice, and soybeans.1 One such herbicide is acetochlor or 2-chloro-N-(ethoxymethyl)-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide that, since its registration in 1994, has become commonly used in the United States.2 Although acute and chronic toxicological effects in humans of acetochlor at low environmental exposures are still unknown, animal tests have shown in some species the development of lung tumors, nasal epithelia, and thyroid cancer; for that reason, the U.S. EPA classifies acetochlor as likely to be carcinogenic in humans.3,4 This project’s primary objective is to investigate the electrochemical behavior of acetochlor and to develop a possible degradation method for acetochlor as well as other chloroacetamide-type herbicides. To the best of our knowledge, previous electrochemical studies of acetochlor have been performed only via anodic Fenton treatment;5 electrochemical reduction has not yet been pursued. In the present study, we have conducted cyclic voltammetry to evaluate the electrochemical behavior of acetochlor at carbon and silver cathodes in dimethylformamide (DMF) containing 0.05 M tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TMABF4). Glassy carbon is a traditional electrode material and silver has been shown to be catalytic for the cleavage of carbon–halogen bonds. Reduction of acetochlor at silver (–0.95 V vs. Cd/Hg) occurs at more positive potentials than at carbon (–1.4 V vs. Cd/Hg) and affords primarily the dechlorinated parent compound, N-(ethoxymethyl)-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide. In addition, reduction of acetochlor in the presence of electrogenerated nickel(I) salen (–0.95 V vs. Cd/Hg) indicates that nickel salen complexes can be an alternative to silver in order to achieve catalytic reduction. Controlled-potential (bulk) electrolysis coupled with traditional analytical methods such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) led to the identification and quantitation of reduction products. References Lamberth, C. Chloroacetamide Herbicides. In Bioactive Carboxylic Compound Classes, Pharmaceuticals and Agrochemicals, Lamberth, C., Dinges, J., Eds.; Wiley: Germany, 2016; pp 293–302.Lerro, C. C.; Koutros, S.; Andreotti, G.; Hines, C. J.; Blair, A; Lubin, J.; Ma, X.; Zhang, Y.; Beane Freeman, L. E. Int. J. Cancer. 2015, 137, 1167–1175.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Acetochlor (Harness) Pesticide Petition Filing 1/00. Fed Regist. 2000, 65, 3682–3690. Report of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Tolerance Reassessment Progress and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Acetochlor. EPA 738-R-00-009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA): 2006, 1–9.Friedman, C. L.; Lemley, A. T.; Hay, A. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 2640–2651.

Optimization of process parameters of Lagerstroemia speciosa seed hull pyrolysis using a combined approach of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for renewable fuel production

Sulfonated-polysulfone membrane surface modification by employing methacrylic acid through UV-grafting: Optimization through response surface methodology approach

Effect of polymaleic acid and microwave radiations on reverse osmosis membrane's performance and properties: A response surface methodology approach

This study is analyzed the material removal rate, electrode wear ratio and workpiece surface finish on process parameters during the manufacture of SKD61 by electrical discharge machining (EDM). A hybrid method including a back-propagation neural network (BPNN), a genetic algorithm (GA), and response surface methodology (RSM) were proposed to determine optimal parameter settings of the EDM process. Specimens were prepared under different EDM processing conditions according to a Taguchi orthogonal array table. The results of 18 experimental runs were utilized to train the BPNN to predict the material removal rate (MRR), relative electrode wear ratio (REWR) and roughness average (Ra) properties. Simultaneously, the RSM and GA approaches were individually applied to search for an optimal setting. In addition, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was implemented to identify significant factors for the EDM process parameters, and results from the BPNN with integrated GA were compared with those from the RSM approach. The results show that the proposed algorithm of GA approach has better prediction and confirmation results than the RSM method.

The aim of this work was to use response surface methodology (RSM) approach, a statistical mathematical tool, to model effects and interactions of glucose oxidase (GOD), glucose, lactoperoxidase (LPO) and pH-values on the thiocyanate (SCN-) peroxidation, to determine the best concentrations of lactoperoxidase system (LP-s) components in order to obtain maximal SCN- peroxidation and so to enhance the LP-s antibacterial effects. Experimental design using RSM was used for modelling effects and interactions of GOD (28.5-142.5 IU l(-1)), glucose (0.55-11.11 mmol l(-1)), LPO (0-6284 IU l(-1)) concentrations, and pH-values (6.0-7.4) on thiocyanate peroxidation. A fixed SCN- concentration of 0.5 mmol l(-1) was used. Experiments were carried out at 4 or at 25 degrees C in 0.1 mol l(-1) phosphate buffer. Optimized concentrations for both temperatures (4 and 25 degrees C) were quite similar and were 85.5 IU l(-1) for GOD, 8 mmol l(-1) for glucose and 3927.5 IU l(-1) for LPO at an initial pH-value of 6.5. SCN- peroxidation was more efficient at 25 than at 4 degrees C. At 4 degrees C, no interaction between factors occurred. At 25 degrees C, thiocyanate peroxidation was affected by GOD/glucose, GOD/pH and LPO/pH. Thiocyanate peroxidation was mainly increased by glucose and LPO factors. The optimized system had a bacteriostatic effect on Listeria monocytogenes CIP 82110(T) and a strong bactericidal effect on Pseudomonas fluorescens CIP 6913(T). Appropriate combinations of LPO, GOD, glucose concentrations and pH-values allowed maximal thiocyanate peroxidation and enhanced the antibacterial effect of the LP-s. This optimization by RSM approach allowed a better understanding of the LP-s functioning, the description of the component impacts on the SCN- peroxidation, and the observation of different interactions between the factors. The antimicrobial efficiency of LP-s can be enhanced by better concentration ratios of the LP-s components.