Acetic Research Articles

Aspergillus awamori: potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities in acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic colonic inflammation with a significant health hazard. Aspergillus awamori (A. awamori) is a microorganism with various bioactive compounds with natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present work aimed to elucidate the protective and therapeutic effects of varying concentrations of A. awamori against acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats. Nine groups of albino male rats were established: a control negative group (G1), a control positive group (G2,AA), and preventive protocol groups (including G3A, G4A, and G5A) that received 100mg, 50mg, and 25mg/kg b.w, respectively, of A. awamori orally and daily from the 1st day of the experiment and for 7 consecutive days. Then, they were subjected to one dose of AA intrarectally on day 8th. G3B, G4B, and G5B were termed as curative protocol groups that received one dose of AA on day 8th and then administered 100mg, 50mg, and 25mg/kg b.w. of A. awamori, respectively, on day 9th and continued receiving these doses daily until day 16th. Rats in the AA group exhibited marked histopathological alterations of the distal colon, with an exaggeration of the DAI. In addition, a remarkable increase in oxidative stress was represented by the elevation of MDA and NO levels with a decline in SOD and GPx activities. In addition, upregulation of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β mRNA expressions and downregulation of Muc2 and Nrf2 levels were detected. Unambiguously, a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect was noticed either in A. awamori prevented or treated groups expounded by reducing and regulating TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β with improved pathological lesion scoring. The Muc2, Nrf2, and bcl-2 gene levels were upregulated and restored also. In summary, the findings in this work reveal that A. awamori supplementation successfully alleviated the UC induced by AA, which had a better effect when administered before colitis induction.

Bifidobacterium longum S3 alleviates loperamide-induced constipation by modulating intestinal acetic acid and stearic acid levels in mice.

Constipation is a major gastrointestinal (GI) symptom worldwide, with diverse causes of formation, and requires effective and safe therapeutic measures. In the present study, we used loperamide hydrochloride to establish a constipation model and assessed the effect of Bifidobacterium on constipation and its possible mechanism of relief. The results showed that B. longum S3 exerted a constipation-relieving effect primarily by improving the gut microbiota, enriching genera including Lactobacillus, Alistipes, and Ruminococcaceae UCG-007, and decreasing the bacteria Lachnospiraceae NK4B4 group. These changes may thereby increase acetic acid and stearic acid (C18:0) levels, which significantly increase the expression levels of ZO-1 and MUC-2, repair intestinal barrier damage and reduce inflammation (IL-6). Furthermore, it also inhibited oxidative stress levels (SOD and CAT), decreased the expression of water channel proteins (AQP4 and AQP8), significantly elevated the Gas, 5-HT, PGE2, and Ach levels, and reduced nNOS and VIP levels to improve the intestinal luminal transit time and fecal water content. Collectively, these changes resulted in the alleviation of constipation.

Oral Administration Properties Evaluation of Three Milk-derived Extracellular Vesicles Based on Ultracentrifugation Extraction Methods.

Milk-derived extracellular vesicles (M-EVs) are low-cost, can be prepared in large quantities, and can cross the gastrointestinal barrier for oral administration. However, the composition of milk is complex, and M-EVs obtained by different extraction methods may affect their oral delivery. Based on this, we propose a new method for extracting M-EVs based on cryogenic freezing treatment (Cryo-M-EVs) and compare this method with the previously reported acetic acid treatment (Acid-M-EVs) method and the conventional ultracentrifugation method (Ulltr-M-EVs). The new method simplifies the pretreatment step and achieves 25-fold and 2-fold higher yields than Acid-M-EVs and Ulltr-M-EVs. And it was interesting to note that Cryo-M-EVs and Acid-M-EVs had higher cellular uptake efficiency, and Cryo-M-EVs presented the best transepithelial transport effect. After oral administration of the three M-EVs extracted by three methods in mice, Cryo-M-EVs effectively successfully crossed the gastrointestinal barrier and achieved hepatic accumulation, whereas Acid-M-EVs and Ultr-M-EVs mostly resided in the intestine. The M-EVs obtained by the three extraction methods showed a favorable safety profile at the cellular as well as animal level. Therefore, when M-EVs obtained by different extraction methods are used for oral drug delivery, we can utilize their accumulation properties at different sites to better deal with different diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Effect of organic acids on fermentation quality and microbiota of horseshoe residue and corn protein powder.

This experiment aimed to investigate the impact of malic acid (MA) and citric acid (CA) on the nutritional composition, fermentation quality, rumen degradation rate, and microbial diversity of a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling. The experiment used apple pomace and corn protein powder as raw materials, with four groups: control group (CON), malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg), citric acid treatment group (CA, 10g/kg), and citric acid + malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg + CA, 10g/kg). Each group has 3 replicates, with 2 repetitions in parallel, subjected to mixed ensiling for 60 days. The results indicated: (1) Compared to the CON group, the crude protein content significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.05), with the highest content observed in the MA + CA group. The addition of MA and CA effectively reduced the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the CA group showed a decreasing trend in NDFom and hemicellulose content (p = 0.08; p = 0.09). (2) Compared to the CON group, the pH significantly decreased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.01), and the three treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in lactic acid and acetic acid content (p < 0.01). The quantity of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly (p < 0.01), with the MA + CA group showing a more significant increase than the MA and CA groups (p < 0.05). (3) Compared to the CON group, the in situ dry matter disappearance (ISDMD) significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.05). All three treatment groups showed highly significant differences in in situ crude protein disappearance (ISCPD) compared to the CON group (p < 0.01). (4) Good's Coverage for all experimental groups was greater than 0.99, meeting the conditions for subsequent sequencing. Compared to the CON group, the Shannon index significantly increased in the CA group (p < 0.01), and the Simpson index increased significantly in the MA group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the Chao index among the three treatment groups and the CON group (p > 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Lentilactobacillus in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). PICRUSt prediction results indicated that the metabolic functional microbial groups in the CA and MA treatment groups were significantly higher than in the CON group (p < 0.05), suggesting that the addition of MA or CA could reduce the loss of nutritional components such as protein and carbohydrates in mixed ensilage. In conclusion, the addition of malic acid and citric acid to a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling reduces nutritional losses, improves fermentation quality and rumen degradation rate, enhances the diversity of the microbial community in ensiled feed, and improves microbial structure. The combined addition of malic acid and citric acid demonstrates a superior effect.

Enhancing probiotic impact: engineering Saccharomyces boulardii for optimal acetic acid production and gastric passage tolerance.

Saccharomyces boulardii has been a subject of growing interest due to its potential as a probiotic microorganism with applications in gastrointestinal health, but the molecular cause for its probiotic potency has remained elusive. The recent discovery that S. boulardii contains unique mutations causing high acetic acid accumulation and inhibition of bacterial growth provides a possible clue. The natural S. boulardii isolates Sb.P and Sb.A are homozygous for the recessive mutation whi2S270* and accumulate unusually high amounts of acetic acid, which strongly inhibit bacterial growth. However, the homozygous whi2S270* mutation also leads to acetic acid sensitivity and acid sensitivity in general. In the present study, we have constructed a new S. boulardii strain, derived from the widely therapeutically used CMCN I-745 strain (isolated from the pharmaceutical product Enterol), producing even higher levels of acetic acid while keeping the same tolerance toward low pH as the parent Enterol (ENT) strain. This newly engineered strain, named ENT3, has a homozygous deletion of ACH1 and strong overexpression of ALD4. It is also able to accumulate much higher acetic acid concentrations when growing on low glucose levels, in contrast to the ENT wild-type and Sb.P strains. Moreover, we show the antimicrobial capacity of ENT3 against gut pathogens in vitro and observed that higher acetic acid production might correlate with better persistence in the gut in healthy mice. These findings underscore the possible role of the unique acetic acid production and its potential for improvement of the probiotic action of S. boulardii.IMPORTANCESuperior variants of the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii produce high levels of acetic acid, which inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens. However, these strains also show increased acid sensitivity, which can compromise the viability of the cells during their passage through the stomach. In this work, we have developed by genetic engineering a variant of Saccharomyces boulardii that produces even higher levels of acetic acid and does not show enhanced acid sensitivity. We also show that the S. boulardii yeasts with higher acetic acid production persist longer in the gut, in agreement with a previous work indicating competition between probiotic yeast and bacteria for residence in the gut.

Changes in chemical properties and microbial communities' composition of a forest litter-based biofertilizer produced through aerated solid-state culture under different oxygen conditions.

Fermented forest litter (FFL) is a bioproduct used as biofertilizer for several decades in Eastern Asia and Latin America. It is locally handcrafted by farmers in anaerobic conditions by fermenting forest litter added with agricultural by-products such as whey, cereal bran, and molasses. The aim of this study was to characterize the FFL process and product through gas and liquid chromatography analyses. It also provides some highlights on the influence of O2 on this solid-state culture. Under anoxic condition, a maximum CO2 production rate (CDPR) of 0.41mL/h∙g dry matter (dm) was reached after 8days. The main volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were ethanol and ethyl acetate, with a production rate profile similar to CDPR. After 21days of culture, no residual sucrose nor lactose was detected. Lactic and acetic acids reached 58.8mg/g dm and 10.2mg/g dm, respectively, ensuring the acidification of the matrix to a final pH of 4.72. A metabarcoding analysis revealed that heterolactic acid bacteria (Lentilactobacillus, Leuconostoc), homolactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus), and yeasts (Saccharomyces, Clavispora) were predominant. Predicted genes in the microbiome confirmed the potential link between detected bacteria and acids and VOCs produced. When O2 was fed to the cultures, final pH reached values up to 8.5. No significant amounts of lactic nor acetic acid were found. In addition, a strong shift in microbial communities was observed, with a predominance of Proteobacteria and molds, among which are potential pathogens like Fusarium species. This suggests that particular care must be brought to maintain anoxic conditions throughout the process.

Genetic engineering of a thermophilic acetogen, Moorella thermoacetica Y72, to enable acetoin production

Acetogens are among the key microorganisms involved in the bioproduction of commodity chemicals from diverse carbon resources, such as biomass and waste gas. Thermophilic acetogens are particularly attractive because fermentation at higher temperatures offers multiple advantages. However, the main target product is acetic acid. Therefore, it is necessary to reshape metabolism using genetic engineering to produce the desired chemicals with varied carbon lengths. Although such metabolic engineering has been hampered by the difficulty involved in genetic modification, a model thermophilic acetogen, M. thermoacetica ATCC 39073, is the case with a few successful cases of C2 and C3 compound production, other than acetate. This brief report attempts to expand the product spectrum to include C4 compounds by using strain Y72 of Moorella thermoacetica. Strain Y72 is a strain related to the type strain ATCC 39073 and has been reported to have a less stringent restriction-modification system, which could alleviate the cumbersome transformation process. A simplified procedure successfully introduced a key enzyme for acetoin (a C4 chemical) production, and the resulting strains produced acetoin from sugars and gaseous substrates. The culture profile revealed varied acetoin yields depending on the type of substrate and culture conditions, implying the need for further engineering in the future. Thus, the use of a user-friendly chassis could benefit the genetic engineering of M. thermoacetica.

Degradation of pharmaceuticals and other emerging pollutants employing bi-metal catalysts/magnesium and/or (green) hydrogen in aqueous solution.

Contaminations by pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other emerging pollutants in water resources have become a seriously burgeoning issue of global concern in the first third of the twenty-first century. As societal reliance on pharmaceuticals continues to escalate, the inadvertent introduction of these substances into water reservoirs poses a consequential environmental threat. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate reductive degradation, particularly, catalytic hydrogenation regarding model pollutants such as diclofenac (DCF), ibuprofen (IBP), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), or bisphenol-A (BPA), respectively, in aqueous solutions at lab scale. Iron bimetals (zero valent iron, ZVI, and copper, Cu, or nickel, Ni) as well as zero valent magnesium (Mg, ZVM) in combination with rhodium, Rh, or palladium, Pd, as hydrogenation catalysts (HK), were investigated. Studies were executed through various short-term batch experiments, with multiple sample collections, over a total range of 120min. The results indicated that DCF was attenuated at over 90 % when exposed to Fe-Cu or a Fe-Ni bimetal (applied as a single model pollutant). However, when DCF was part of a mixture alongside with IBP, EE2, and BPA, the attenuation efficacy decreased to 79 % with Fe-Cu and 23 % with Fe-Ni. Conversely, both IBP and BPA exhibit notably low attenuation levels with both bimetals, less than 50 %, both deployed as single substances or in mixtures. No reaction (degradation) products could be identified employing LC-MS, but sometimes a release of the parent pollutant when applying an acetic acid buffer could be noted to a certain extent, suggesting adsorption processes on corrosion products such as iron hydroxide and/or oxides. Surprisingly, Mg in combination with Rh (Rh-HK) or Pd (Pd-HK) showed a significantly rapid decrease in the concentrations of DCF, EE2, and BPA, in part up to approximately 100 %, that is, within a few minutes only in part due to hydrogenation degradation reactions (related reaction products could actually be identified by LC-MS; adsorption processes were not observed here). Moreover, kinetic modeling of the DCF degradation with Mg-Rh-HK was conducted at different temperatures (15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C) and varied initial concentrations (2.5mg/L, 5.0mg/L, 7.5mg/L, 10.0mg/L). The outcomes prove that the degradation of DCF at the Rh-HK's surface followed a modified first-order kinetics, most probably by catalytic hydrodehalogenation and subsequent hydrogenation of the aromatic moieties (molecular hydrogen was provided by the corrosion of Mg). From the determined reaction rate constants at four different temperatures, the activation energy was estimated to be 59.6kJ/mol by means of the Arrhenius equation what is in good agreement with similar results reported in the literature. This coupled hydrodehalogenation and hydrogenation approach may be upscaled into a new promising technical process for comprehensively removing such pharmaceuticals and similar pollutants in sewage plants in a single step, furthermore, even in combination with adsorption by activated carbon and/or ozonation which have already been established at some sewage plants in Switzerland and Germany recently.

Secondary metabolite fingerprinting, anti-pathogenic activity, elite chemotype selection and conservation of Curcuma caesia- an ethnomedicinally underutilized species.

Curcuma caesia Roxb. is an ethnomedicinally important, essential oil (EO) yielding aromatic plant. A total of twelve accessions of this plant rhizome were collected from six different agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India and evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against eight disease-causing, multi-drug-resistant pathogenic strains of urinary-tract infection and respiratory-tract infection. The EO and extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity, with the highest inhibition zone of 18.00 ± 0.08 and 17.50 ± 0.14mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae by accession 06, even where all the broad-spectrum antibiotics failed to respond. In this study, we employed high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) to quantify curcumin, the primary secondary metabolite of C. caesia, and the highest 0.228mg/gm of curcumin resulted from accession 06. Hence, on the basis of all aspects, accession 06 was identified as the elite chemotype among all twelve accessions. The chemical profiling of EO from accession 06 was done using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Conceivably, about 13 medicinally significant compounds were detected. As this plant species is seasonal and has difficulties in conventional breeding due to dormancy, it must be conserved through in vitro tissue culture for a steady supply throughout the year in massive amounts for agricultural demand. A maximum number of 19.28 ± 0.37 shoots has been obtained in MS medium fortified with 6-Benzylaminopurine, Kinetin, and Naphthalene acetic acid. The genetic uniformity of the plants has been studied through Start Codon Targeted Polymorphism. Therefore, this study must help meet the need for essential phytoactive compounds through a simple, validated, and reproducible plant tissue culture protocol throughout the year.

Effects of anticoagulant (EDTA and Heparin) on blood of goat.

Blood is an important tool for accurate diagnosis of disease, forensic investigation, and hematological analysis. However this phenomenon can be thwarted occasionally if appropriate anticoagulant with storage times is not maintained properly. This research aims to compare and explore the effect of anticoagulants (such as ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid and heparin) and storage time on the hematological parameters in indigenous goats. Twenty goats were enrolled and raised for this purpose. Bloods were collected into two different tubes containing EDTA and heparin and analyzed immediately to evaluate the basal value. All tubes were divided into two aliquots and stored at 4°C and 25°C and were analyzed again at the 24th and 48th hours of collection. The statistical analysis of this result showed that there was no significant difference (P&gt;0.05) in the anticoagulant’s effect on the hematological parameters. RBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC, total WBC, and Platelets except ESR decreased gradually along with the storage time of up to 48 hours compared to the basal value. The hematological parameters were reduced more significantly (P&lt;0.05) when stored at 250C rather than 4°C indicating that the parameters remain in better condition in refrigeration. The samples should be stored at 4°C rather than room temperature and be used within 24 hours because the storage time modify the analyzed results. These findings demonstrate that both of the anticoagulants (EDTA and Heparin) show reliable results, therefore it can be used to store blood samples for any diagnostic purpose. Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. Vol. 11, No. 1, April 2024: 1-10

Isolation of endophytic fungi from wild rice species for disease management and growth promotion in cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.)

ABSTRACT The focus of plant health management is shifting from synthetic chemicals to bio-agents, and endophytes are beneficial for this purpose. In the present study, we isolated eleven endophytic fungi from seven wild rice species. Independent treatment of endophytic fungi in rice showed significant improvements in plant growth, higher tillering and percent fertility, panicle number/hill and filled grain number in endophyte-inoculated plants compared to control plants. Growth promotion activities of two endophytes Curvularia lunata (NRRI EF-11) and Hypocreals sp. (NRRI EF-8) were recorded with increased rice yield. These isolates also exhibited higher plant growth promoting chemicals namely, Indole acetic acid (IAA) and Inorganic phosphate (IP) which was realised into better growth promotion in rice. The biocontrol efficacy of endophytic fungi was highest in NRRI EF-11among all isolates as indicated by inhibition of radial growth of pathogens by 76.98–77.06% and in NRRI EF-8 by 74.81–76.61%, which is due to higher production of prussic acid. Defense induction was confirmed by analyzing the expression of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) defense enzymes, where expression of CAT, POD and SOD increased by 19.44–25.86, 2.70–3.16, 11.14–12.95 Units g−1 in treated NRRI EF-11 plants and 18.39–25.84, 2.16–2.94, 10.96–12.62 Units g−1 in treated NRRI EF-8 plants, respectively. These two endophytes have the potentiality to manage crop health in a sustainable way.

A Validated Chiral Chromatography Method for Enantiomeric Separation of Pomalidomide in Human Plasma.

In the present work, new chiral stationary phase high-performance liquid chromatography (CSP-HPLC) method was established and validated for the quantification of pomalidomide (PMD) enantiomers in human plasma. The chromatographic enantiomeric separation was achieved on a Daicel-CSP, Chiralpack IA 4.6 × 250mm, 5μm; because of its advantages of high degree of retention, high resolution capacity, better reproducibility, ability to produce lower back pressure and low degree of tailing. The mobile phase was maintained as methanol: glacial acetic acid (499.50ml:50μL). Ultraviolet wavelength for detection was 220nm. PMD enantiomer-I and enantiomer-II were separated at 8.83 and 15.34min, respectively. Limit of detection and limit of quantification for each enantiomer and the calibration curve of standard PMD was linear in range between 10-5,000ngmL-1. The method was validated according to The International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH(Q2R1)) specific guidelines. We found no interference peak with PMD chromatogram obtained. This is a simple, reliable and specific method for detection and quantification of enantiomer of PMD in human plasma sample.

Machine Learning for Polymer Design to Enhance Pervaporation-Based Organic Recovery.

Pervaporation (PV) is an effective membrane separation process for organic dehydration, recovery, and upgrading. However, it is crucial to improve membrane materials beyond the current permeability-selectivity trade-off. In this research, we introduce machine learning (ML) models to identify high-potential polymers, greatly improving the efficiency and reducing cost compared to conventional trial-and-error approach. We utilized the largest PV data set to date and incorporated polymer fingerprints and features, including membrane structure, operating conditions, and solute properties. Dimensionality reduction, missing data treatment, seed randomness, and data leakage management were employed to ensure model robustness. The optimized LightGBM models achieved RMSE of 0.447 and 0.360 for separation factor and total flux, respectively (logarithmic scale). Screening approximately 1 million hypothetical polymers with ML models resulted in identifying polymers with a predicted permeation separation index >30 and synthetic accessibility score <3.7 for acetic acid extraction. This study demonstrates the promise of ML to accelerate tailored membrane designs.

Optimized Feeding Strategies for Biosurfactant Production from Acetate by Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2

Biosurfactants are much-discussed alternatives to petro- and oleochemical surfactants. Alcanivorax borkumensis, a marine, Gram-negative γ-proteobacterium, produces a glycine-glucolipid biosurfactant from hydrocarbons, pyruvate, and acetate as carbon sources. Sustainable acetate production from lignocellulose or syngas adds to its relevance for the bioeconomy. This study investigated nitrogen sources and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (C/N) to optimize fed-batch fermentation for biosurfactant production using A. borkumensis with acetate as the carbon source. Urea enabled high biosurfactant production, which was confirmed in DO-based fed-batch fermentation. Varying C/N ratios led to increased glycine-glucolipid production and decreased biomass production, with improvement plateauing at a C/N ratio of 26.7 Cmol Nmol−1. pH-stat fed-batch fermentation using glacial acetic acid as the carbon source and a pH-adjusting agent doubled the biosurfactant production. Finally, bubble-free membrane aeration was used to prevent extensive foam formation observed during conventional bubble aeration. The efficient production made it possible to investigate the bioactivity of glycine-glucolipid in combination with antibiotics against various microorganisms. Our findings allow for the leverage of glycine-glucolipid biosurfactant production using acetate as a carbon source.

Sorption Characteristics and Chromatographic Separation of 90Y3+ from 90Sr2+ from Aqueous Media by Chelex-100 (Anion Ion Exchange) Packed Column

There is growing demand for separation of 90Y carrier free from 90Sr coexisting to produce high purity 90Y essential for radiopharmaceutical uses. Thus, in this context the sorption profiles of Y3+ and Sr2+ from aqueous solutions containing diethylenetriaminepenta acetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA), acetic acid, citric acid, or NaCl onto Chelex-100 (anion ion exchange) solid sorbent were critically studied for developing an efficient and low-cost methodology for selective separation of Y3+ from Sr2+ ions (1.0 × 10−5 M). Batch experiments displayed relative chemical extraction percentage (98 ± 5.4%) of Y3+ from aqueous acetic acid solution onto Chelex-100 (anion ion exchanger), whereas Sr2+ species showed no sorption. Hence, a selective separation of Y3+ from its parent 90Sr2+ has been established based upon percolation of the aqueous solution of Y3+ and Sr2+ ions containing acetic acid at pH 1-2 through Chelex-100 sorbent packed column at a 2 mL min−1 flow rate. Y3+ species were retained quantitatively while Sr2+ ions were not sorbed and passed through the sorbent packed column without extraction. The sorbed Y3+ species were then recovered from the sorbent packed column with HNO3 (1.0 M) at a 1.0 mL min−1 flow rate. A dual extraction mechanism comprising absorption associated to “weak-base anion exchanger” and “solvent extraction” of Y3+ as (YCl6)3− and an extra part for “surface adsorption” of Y3+ by the sorbent is proposed. The established method was validated by measuring the radiochemical (99.2 ± 2 1%), radionuclide purity and retardation factor (Rf = 10.0 ± 0.1 cm) of 90Y3+ recovered in the eluate. Ultimately, the sorbent packed column also presented high stability for reusing 2-3 cycles without drop in its efficiency (±5%) towards Y3+ uptake and relative chemical recovery. A proposed flow sheet describing the analytical procedures for the separation of 90Y3+ from 90Sr2+ using chelating Chelex 100 (anion exchange) packed column is also included.

Simultaneous determination of five plant hormones in cotton leaves using QuEChERS combined with HPLC‒MS/MS

BackgroundPlant hormones profoundly influence cotton growth, development, and responses to various stresses. Therefore, there is a pressing need for an efficient assay to quantify these hormones in cotton. In this groundbreaking study, we have established QuEChERS-HPLC‒MS/MS method, for the simultaneous detection of multiple plant hormones in cotton leaves, allowing the analysis and quantification of five key plant hormones.ResultsSample extraction and purification employed 0.1% acetic acid in methanol and C18 for optimal recovery of plant hormones. The method applied to cotton demonstrated excellent linearity across a concentration range of 0.05–1 mg·L−1, with linear regression coefficients exceeding 0.99. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 20 μg·kg−1 for GA3 and 5 μg·kg−1 for the other four plant hormones. Recovery rates for the five plant hormones matrix spiked at levels of 5, 10, 100, and 1000 μg·kg−1 were in the range of 79.07% to 98.97%, with intraday relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 2.11% to 8.47%. The method was successfully employed to analyze and quantify the five analytes in cotton leaves treated with plant growth regulators.ConclusionThe study demonstrates that the method is well-suited for the determination of five plant hormones in cotton. It exhibits excellent selectivity and sensitivity in detecting field samples, thus serving as a robust tool for in-depth research into cotton physiology.

Devices for cervical cancer screening: a narrative review

This research aimed to describe the scientific and patent literature on devices for visual inspection of the cervix in cancer screening. The searches were performed without time restriction in the PUBMED, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases. For patent review, the technological bases named The Lens, Patentscope/WIPO[1], Espacenet, USPTO[2], and INPI[3] were used. Based on the strategy (“Cervix Uteri” AND Neoplasms AND “Equipment and Supplies” AND Patent), sixty-four articles were identified, of which 61 were excluded and 03 selected for analysis. Considering four combinations of the terms “Schiller”, “lugol”, “iodine”, “cervical cancer test”, “device”, “gynecological test”, “sponge”, “cervical”, “cervical test”, “Schiller’s test” and “diagnostic”, three hundred and sixty-three patents were returned, of which 22 dealt with devices. Of these, nineteen were duplicates and 03 were selected for analysis. Considering the 03 articles and 03 patents selected for analysis, only 03 met the study objective, being 01 granted patent and 02 scientific articles. However, none of them represents a tool for the practice of visual inspection of the cervix through Schiller's test and visual inspection with acetic acid. Thus, the study showed the need for the development of new technologies focused on the practice of visual inspection of the cervix and strengthening of cervical cancer screening.

Single-site iron-anchored amyloid hydrogels as catalytic platforms for alcohol detoxification.

Constructing effective antidotes to reduce global health impacts induced by alcohol prevalence is a challenging topic. Despite the positive effects observed with intravenous applications of natural enzyme complexes, their insufficient activities and complicated usage often result in the accumulation of toxic acetaldehyde, which raises important clinical concerns, highlighting the pressing need for stable oral strategies. Here we present an effective solution for alcohol detoxification by employing a biomimetic-nanozyme amyloid hydrogel as an orally administered catalytic platform. We exploit amyloid fibrils derived from β-lactoglobulin, a readily accessible milk protein that is rich in coordinable nitrogen atoms, as a nanocarrier to stabilize atomically dispersed iron (ferrous-dominated). By emulating the coordination structure of the horseradish peroxidase enzyme, the single-site iron nanozyme demonstrates the capability to selectively catalyse alcohol oxidation into acetic acid, as opposed to the more toxic acetaldehyde. Administering the gelatinous nanozyme to mice suffering from alcohol intoxication significantly reduced their blood-alcohol levels (decreased by 55.8% 300 min post-alcohol intake) without causing additional acetaldehyde build-up. Our hydrogel further demonstrates a protective effect on the liver, while simultaneously mitigating intestinal damage and dysbiosis associated with chronic alcohol consumption, introducing a promising strategy in effective alcohol detoxification.

Matrix-free laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging for rapid evaluation of wood biomass conversion.

This study overcomes traditional biomass analysis limitations by introducing a pioneering matrix-free laser desorption/ionization (LDI) approach in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for efficient lignin evaluation in wood. The innovative acetic acid-peracetic acid (APA) treatment significantly enhances lignin detection, enabling high-throughput, on-site analysis. Wood slices, softwood from a conifer tree (Japanese cypress) and hardwood from a broadleaf tree (Japanese beech), were analyzed using MSI with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. The developed APA treatment demonstrated effectiveness for MSI analysis of biomass. Our imaging technique successfully distinguishes between earlywood and latewood and enables the distinct visualization of lignin in these and other wood tissues, such as the radial parenchyma. This approach reveals significant contrasts in MSI. It has identified intense ions from β-O-4-type lignin, specifically in the radial parenchyma of hardwood, highlighting the method's precision and utility in wood tissue analysis. The benefits of matrix-free LDI include reduced peak overlap, consistent sample quality, preservation of natural sample properties, enhanced analytical accuracy, and reduced operational costs. This innovative approach is poised to become a standard method for rapid and precise biomass evaluation and has important applications in environmental research and sustainable resource management and is crucial for the effective management of diverse biomass, paving the way towards a sustainable, circular society.

Determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil by HPLC-ELSD after alkaline hydrolysis

AbstractA rapid and simple method for the determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil by high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection was established. The oil sample was first pretreated by alkaline hydrolysis. The analysis was performed on a Zhongpu Develop XD-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with gradient elution of methanol and 1% acetic acid aqueous solution at a flow rate of 1.2 mL·min−1 and a column temperature of 40 °C. The drift tube temperature of the evaporative light scattering detection system was set at 40 °C, and the pressure of carrier gas (N2) was 337 kPa. The regression equation revealed a good linear relation (r = 0.9993–0.9995) during the test ranges (119.1–1190.7 μg·mL−1 for 12-hydroxystearic acid, 10.7–107.4 μg·mL−1 for stearic acid). The detection limits of 12-hydroxystearic acid and stearic acid were 1.1 and 2.5 μg·mL−1, the limits of quantitation were 3.2 and 7.4 μg·mL−1, respectively. And the mean recoveries were 101.5 and 101.0%, the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2.1 and 2.8%, respectively. The RSDs corresponding to repeatability (n = 6) were both less than 1.7% in terms of precision. As to the stability, the test results remained stable after 8 h at room temperature (RSDs were both less than 2.6%). The developed method showed high sensitivity, recovery, repeatability and stability, which indicated that the method could be applied as a quality evaluation method for the determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil.