Fumarate Research Articles

In vitro and In vivo Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Fumaria parviflora Lam. Embedded in Chitosan Nanoparticles Against Leishmania major.

Fumaria has been traditionally used to treat skin damages due to anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the ethanolic extract of Fumaria parviflora Lam. (F. parviflora) against Leishmania major (L. major) using chitosan biopolymer drug delivery system both In vitro and In vivo models. The ethanolic extract of F. parviflora was analyzed by HPLC to determine its active ingredients content. The extract was then loaded on chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). The parasite was treated with various concentrations of the ethanolic extract, CNPs and CNPs loaded with F. parviflora extract (CNPs@ F. parviflora). The size of lesions of treated mice were measured on a weekly basis. The parasite burden was evaluated 8 weeks after treatment. The HPLC analysis showed the presence of Fumaric acid at a high concentration. The percentage of the drug released from CNPs@ F. parviflora within 24 and 72 h were 65% and 90% respectively. The results showed that F. parviflora extract and CNPs@ F. parviflora caused 84% and 96% growth inhibition of L. major promastigotes as revealed by Neubauer chamber counting and MTT test respectively. The IC50 values of F. parviflora extract and CNPs@ F. parviflora were 450 and 68.4 µg/ml respectively. In amastigote assay, the best results showed in CNPs@ F. parviflora that only 2% of macrophages were infected with amastigotes. In vivo experiments for mice treated with F. parviflora and CNPs @ F. parviflora in comparison to control group showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the mean diameter of the lesions (2.3 and 1.72 mm and 9.91 mm respectively). The ethanolic extract of F. parviflora both as standalone and loaded in CNPs showed promising inhibitory effects against L. major both upon In vitro and In vivo experimentation as well as therapeutic effects for wound healing in infected mice.

Phytochemical analyses by LC-HRMS, FTIR spectral analysis, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antityrosinase activity of Crataegus orientalis Pall. ex M. Bieb fruit extracted with various solvents.

Crataegus orientalis Pall. ex M. Bieb fruit (COPMB) is extensively used as a source of various products in the medicinal-aromatic field and holds the potential for erosion control, ornamental purposes, food source, and economic benefits for forest villagers from its fruits. This study aims to determine the chemical components and biological activities of extracts prepared from COPMB using different solvents. The present work was designed to define the antioxidant activity [phosphomolybdenum (total antioxidant capacity), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric ion-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and metal chelating activity (MCA)], phytochemical screening analysis, enzyme inhibitor (α-amylase, α-glucosidase and tyrosinase) potential, and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) secondary metabolite profiling in different extracts of COPMB. The results of LC-HRMS revealed that fumaric acid was the main phenolic compound in all extracts. Among the extracts, ethyl acetate extract has the highest phytochemical and antioxidant properties [total phenolic content (TPC): 32.5 mg GAE/g, total flavonoid content (TFC): 12.2 mg QE/g, ABTS: 213.0 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 126.0 mg TE/g, MCA: 145.0 mg EDTA/g; FRAP: 122.8 mg TE/g; TAC: 2.8 mmol TE/g]. Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts are more effective in α-amylase (0.27 ± 0.01 mg/mL; 0.12 ± 0.00 mg/mL), α-glucosidase (0.63 ± 0.02 mg/mL; 0.77 ± 0.02 mg/mL) and tyrosinase (0.03 ± 0.00 mg/mL; 0.03 ± 0.00 mg/mL) enzyme inhibition potentials compared to standard acarbose (0.75 ± 0.02 mg/mL for α-amylase; 1.11 ± 0.03 mg/mL for α-glucosidase) and kojic acid (0.04 ± 0.00 mg/mL). The findings from this study suggest that COPMB could serve as a valuable source of natural agents for the food and pharmaceutical industry. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Prediction of positive pulmonary nodules based on machine learning algorithm combined with central carbon metabolism data

BackgroundLung cancer causes a huge disease burden, and early detection of positive pulmonary nodules (PPNs) as an early sign of lung cancer is extremely important for effective intervention. It is necessary to develop PPNs risk recognizer based on machine learning algorithm combined with central carbon metabolomics.MethodsThe study included 2248 participants at high risk for lung cancer from the Ma'anshan Community Lung Cancer Screening cohort. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) was used to screen 18 central carbon-related metabolites in plasma, recursive feature elimination (RFE) was used to select all 42 features, followed by five machine learning algorithms for model development. The performance of the model was evaluated using area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores. In addition, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was performed to assess the interpretability of the final selected model and to gain insight into the impact of features on the predicted results.ResultsFinally, the two prediction models based on the random forest (RF) algorithm performed best, with AUC values of 0.87 and 0.83, respectively, better than other models. We found that homogentisic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, hippuric acid, gluconic acid, and succinic acid played a significant role in both PPNs prediction model and NPNs vs PPNs model, while 2-oxadipic acid only played a role in the former model and phosphopyruvate only played a role in the NPNs vs PPNs model. This model demonstrates the potential of central carbon metabolism for PPNs risk prediction and identification.ConclusionWe developed a series of predictive models for PPNs, which can help in the early detection of PPNs and thus reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Complementary nutritional and health promoting constituents in germinated and probiotic fermented flours from cowpea, sorghum and orange fleshed sweet potato

Germination and fermentation are age-long food processes that beneficially improve food composition. Biological modulation by germination and probiotic fermentation of cowpea, sorghum, and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and subsequent effects on the physicochemical (pH and total titratable acidity), nutritional, antinutritional factors and health-promoting constituents/properties (insoluble dietary fibres, total flavonoid and phenolic contents (TFC and TPC) and antioxidant capacity) of the derived flours were investigated in this study. The quantification of targeted compounds (organic acids and phenolic compounds) on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system was also done. The whole cowpea and sorghum were germinated at 35 °C for 48 h. On the other hand, the milled whole grains and beans and OFSP were fermented using probiotic mesophilic culture at 35 °C for 48 h. Among the resultant bioprocessed flours, fermented sorghum and sweet potato (FSF and FSP) showed mild acidity, increased TPC, and improved ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power. While FSF had better slowly digestible and resistant starches and the lowest oxalate content, FSP indicated better hemicellulose, lowest fat, highest luteolin, caffeic and vanillic acids. Germinated cowpea flour exhibited reduced tannin, better lactic acid, the highest crude fibre, cellulose, lignin, protein, fumaric, l-ascorbic, trans-ferulic and sinapic acids. The comparable and complementary variations suggest the considerable influence of the substrate types, followed by the specific processing-based hydrolysis and biochemical transitions. Thus, compositing the bioprocessed flours based on the unique constituent features for developing functional products from climate-smart edibles may partly be the driver to ameliorating linked risk factors of cardiometabolic diseases.

LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of phenolic compounds and in vitro cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing effects of Nonea pulmonarioides extracts

The chemical composition of Nonea pulmonarioides extracts were investigated for the first time. The phytoconstituents of the methanol extracts were screened by using LC/MS-MS technique. The anticancer activity of the acetone and methanol extracts were measured against four cancer cell lines; MCF-7, PC3, HT-29, and U-87 MG. Thirty phenolic compounds were identified, rosmarinic (90.06 mg analyte/g extract) and fumaric acids (39.737 mg analyte/g extract) were major compounds of the studied species. Moreover, both methanol and acetone extracts were found to have strong anticancer activities. The acetone extract HT-29 (with IC50 of 10.17 ± 0.25 µg/mL) compared with standard cis-platin (with IC50 of 22.20 ± 0.72 µg/mL) with apoptotic mediated programmed cell death. These findings identified N. pulmonarioides as a potential species exhibiting anticancer properties. In conclusion, the compelling results show that the methanol extract contains possible bioactive compounds with anticancer properties that require isolation and further characterisation.

Biochar reduces the cadmium content of Panax quinquefolium L. by improving rhizosphere microecology

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) can negatively impact its yield and safety. Our previous study found that biochar could reduce cadmium content of P. quinquefolius, however, the mechanism was yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we tested four treatments in order to reveal the mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs: control, Cd, Cd + biochar and biochar. The results showed that the following responses were induced by the addition of biochar under Cd stress. Firstly, the soil physicochemical properties were improved, this is especially true for the soil pH value and soil organic matter content, which were increased by 20.42 % and 15.57 %, respectively. Secondly, the relative abundances of several beneficial microorganism phyla; such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Actinobacteria; were increased by 10.69 %, 20.11 % and 60.86 %, respectively. Thirdly, treatment with biochar reduced the Cd content by increasing cadmium-chelated metabolites within the soil (e.g., naringenin, caffeic acid, and valine) and increasing detoxification substances in plants (e.g., malic acid, flavonoids, and fumaric acid). Changes in these metabolites were significantly correlated with rhizosphere microecology. In summary, biochar treatment reduced the Cd content in seedlings by improving the soil properties, rhizosphere community, soil metabolites, and plant metabolites.

Metabolic modulation of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): an insight into growth, metabolomics and antioxidant activity under varying temperature and light conditions

BackgroundTemperature and light are two critical environmental stimuli that greatly impact our agricultural industry. We explored the effects of varying temperature and light conditions on the metabolomics of basil, a plant widely used in cuisine and for medicinal purposes worldwide. Basil plants were subjected to elevated temperatures of 30 °C, 35 °C, and 40 °C, along with two light intensities (D11 and D23).ResultsOur results showed that the maximum shoot length (42.98 cm) was achieved at T30 and D23, the maximum leaf area (6.92 cm) at T30/D11, and the highest number of leaves (472) at T40/D11. However, at the higher temperature of T40, the number of leaves increased, but shoot length and leaf size significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Maxim shoot biomass (81 gm) and root biomass (91.2 gm) was recorded at T35/D23 treatments. Metabolomic studies of basil revealed that rosmarinic acid (RA), and linalool and eugenol were the major phenolic and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under different growth conditions. RA levels were higher at 30 °C, correlated with elevated shikimate levels, indicating a carbon supply through the TCA cycle. In contrast, the growth conditions of 35 °C/D11 (μmol/m2/d) up-regulated the glyoxylate cycle (fumaric acid and malic acid) as part of stomatal closure, preventing ROS accumulation and resulting in increased VOC emission. Exposure to the higher temperature of 40 °C induced higher amino acid accumulation, improving temperature stresstolerance.ConclusionsThis study suggests that elevated temperature and light intensity affected the overall health of basil plants by modulating underlying growth mechanisms. Furthermore, elevated temperature plays a vital role in plant defense mechanisms by mediating the production of secondary metabolites associated with plant defense responses.Graphical

Controlled atmosphere storage alleviates the browning of walnut (Juglans regia L.) fruit through enhancing GABA-mediated energy metabolism

Browning is the primary physiological damage that shortens the postharvest life and deteriorates the quality of stored fruits. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage has been shown to be effective in alleviating the browning of ‘Xifu 1′ in-hull walnut; however, its alleviation mechanism is less understood. To further explore the effect and regulatory mechanism of CA on the browning of fresh in-hull walnut, we stored four varieties of in-hull walnuts under CA-treated (5% O2 + 7.5% CO2) and untreated conditions at 0 ± 0.5 °C with 70–80% relative humidity for 70 d. The indicators related to browning and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism were measured until 56 d of storage. The results showed that the CA significantly increased GABA levels by maintaining higher activities of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), GABA transaminase (GABAT) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). This reduced the changes in the browning index (BI), color values, and respiration rate (RR) of the four walnut fruit varieties compared with controls during storage. Consistent with the active GABA metabolism, higher energy charge (EC) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), succinic acid (SA), malic acid (MLA), fumaric acid (FA), and citric acid (CTA) contents were also observed in the CA-treated walnut hull compared to the controls. The epicarp degradation of the CA-treated ‘Xifu 1′ walnut fruit occurred later, and their mitochondria and cells maintained better integrity compared to the controls. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) screened via RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq), 32 were annotated as part of the citrate cycle (TCA cycle) pathway, and 27 were annotated in the GABA metabolism pathway. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that eight candidate genes were closely related to the effect of CA on the synthesis, transport, and transformation of GABA. In conclusion, CA effectively controlled the browning of different varieties of fresh in-hull walnuts by enhancing GABA metabolism and maintaining energy balance.

Experimental synthesis and characterization of PVA‐fumaric acid cross‐linked biodegradable films: Implications as a sustainable matrix for composites

AbstractPolyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a widely used polymer that is biocompatible, nontoxic, and water‐soluble due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in its domain. This study aims to investigate the effects of fumaric acid (FA) cross‐linking and thermal cross‐linking (TC) on the PVA's mechanical and thermal properties. When the FA is mixed with PVA, it was found in the chemical reaction that the OH groups of PVA are condensing with the carboxylic acid units of FA to yield new ester linkages and water as a by‐product, which further results in the reduction of the water absorption capacity. Quantitatively, the addition of 8 (wt. /wt. %) FA resulted in a minimum of 65% water absorption rate, as compared with 117% for pure PVA. The mechanical and thermal properties of PVA also enhanced with the addition of 2% to 8% FA by weight. For the TC case, the % increase in ultimate tensile strength was 30.9% and 42.5% with and without TC, respectively. As the wt. % of FA increased from 2 to 10%, the % elongation value decreased for both with and without TC films relative to pure PVA. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed the change in degradation temperature of FA‐PVA blended film in comparison with pure PVA. Dynamic mechanical analysis was utilized to analyze the viscoelastic nature and temperature variation at the glass transition temperature. The current fabricated film is a potential candidate for the food packaging films application; moreover, the results reported in this investigation will accelerate the industrial applications of biodegradable PVA.Highlights Increasing the weight percentage of fumaric acid leads to an enhancement in mechanical and thermal properties of the film. Esterification is the usual reaction between fumaric acid and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), in which ester linkages are formed when the carboxyl groups (‐COOH) of fumaric acid and the hydroxyl groups (‐OH) of PVA combine. Water absorption characteristics of the film reduces as the wt. % of fumaric acid increases. Thermal cross‐linking of the film leads to further improvements in mechanical and thermal properties. The overall effect of increasing the wt. % of fumaric acid is negative on the glass transition temperature of the film. The developed film is a potential candidate for the food packaging films application.

Modulating poly(lactic acid) degradation rate for environmentally sustainable applications

The huge amount of plastics generated by the massive use of packaging makes it difficult to manage waste safely. Introducing biodegradable polymers, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), can at least partially reduce the environmental pollution from plastic waste. Biodegradable polymers must have a degradation rate appropriate for the intended use to replace durable plastics. This work aims to introduce PLA fillers that can modulate the degradation rate during hydrolysis and composting. For this purpose, fumaric acid and magnesium hydroxide have been proposed. The experimental findings demonstrated that magnesium oxide makes hydrolysis faster than fumaric acid. A model describing the hydrolysis reaction, which also considers the effect of crystallinity, is proposed. The model can capture the filler effect on the kinetic constants related to the autocatalytic part of the hydrolysis reaction.Degradation of the PLA and compounds was also conducted in a composting medium. The compound with fumaric acid shows faster degradation than the compound with magnesium oxide; this behavior is opposite to what is observed during hydrolysis. Degradation in a composting medium is favored in a narrow pH window corresponding to the optimum environment for microorganism growth. Magnesium oxide leads to a pH increase above the optimum level, making the environment less favorable to microorganism growth. Vice-versa, fumaric acid maintains the pH level in the optimum range: it represents an additional carbon source for microorganism growth.

Role of fumarate reductase on the fermentation properties of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus

Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are symbiotic starters widely used in yogurt fermentation. They exchange metabolites to meet their nutritional demands during fermentation, promoting mutual growth. Although S. thermophilus produces fumaric acid, and the addition of fumaric acid has been shown to promote the growth of L. bulgaricus monoculture, whether fumaric acid produced by S. thermophilus is used by L. bulgaricus during coculture remains unclear. Furthermore, the importance of fumaric acid metabolism in the growth of L. bulgaricus is yet to be elucidated. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the importance of fumaric acid metabolism in L. bulgaricus monocultures and coculture with S. thermophilus. We deleted the fumarate reductase gene (frd), which is responsible for the metabolism of fumaric acid to succinic acid, in L. bulgaricus strains 2038 and NCIMB 701373. Both Δfrd strains exhibited longer fermentation times than their parent strains, and fumaric acid was metabolized to malic acid rather than succinic acid. Coculture of Δfrd strains with S. thermophilus 1131 also resulted in a longer fermentation time, and the accumulation of malic acid was observed. These results indicated that fumaric acid produced by S. thermophilus is used by L. bulgaricus as a symbiotic substance during yogurt fermentation and that the metabolism of fumaric acid to succinic acid by fumarate reductase is a key factor determining the fermentation ability of L. bulgaricus.

Enhancing Conductivity of Silver Nanowire Networks through Surface Engineering Using Bidentate Rigid Ligands.

Solution processable metallic nanomaterials present a convenient way to fabricate conductive structures, which are necessary in all electronic devices. However, they tend to require post-treatments to remove the bulky ligands around them to achieve high conductivity. In this work, we present a method to formulate a post-treatment free conductive silver nanowire ink by controlling the type of ligands around the silver nanowires. We found that bidentate ligands with a rigid molecular structure were effective in improving the conductivity of the silver nanowire networks as they could maximize the number of linkages between neighboring nanowires. In addition, DFT calculations also revealed that ligands with good LUMO to silver energy alignment were more effective. Because of these reasons, fumaric acid was found to be the most effective ligand and achieved a large reduction in sheet resistance of 70% or higher depending on the nanowire network density. The concepts elucidated from this study would also be applicable to other solution processable nanomaterials systems such as quantum dots for photovoltaics or LEDs which also require good charge transport being neighboring nanoparticles.

Apoplast-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens LAS10 for plant growth promotion and drought stress tolerance in little millet (Panicum sumatransae)

Bacterial endophytes thriving in the apoplast could be tailored to withstand environmental challenges, thereby contributing to plant stress resilience. Developing plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria resilient to drought is crucial for sustainable agriculture and improved crop production under stress conditions. Thus, the present study aimed to decode the drought-tolerant apoplast-associated PGP bacteria from little millet (Panicum sumatrense L.) and profile its functional traits including the metabolites for PGP and drought resilience. The drought tolerant PGP bacterial isolates from apoplastic fluids of little millet (Var. ATL1) grown under stressed conditions (-10 bars) on polyethylene glycol (PEG) (PEG 6000) infused agar plates revealed that a total of 12 isolates, were initially screened for their ability to tolerate drought up to –36.6 bars (–3.6 MPa) and of which, 6 isolates (LAS1, LAS2, LAS4, LAS6, LAS9, and LAS10) were selected. Further, screening for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits such as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCd) production, exopolysaccharide production, potassium (K), phosphorous (P), and Zinc (Zn) nutrition, indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore production, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) exhibited higher PGP potentials in LAS10 followed by LAS2 and LAS4. Of three potential isolates (LAS10, LAS2, and LAS4), LAS10 produced the highest ACCd (147 n moles α- ketobutyrate mg–1h–1), IAA (15.9 μg mL–1), siderophore (54.9 % units) and P solubilization compared to other isolates. Further, isolate LAS10 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Metabolite profiling of B. amyloliquefaciens LAS10 in GC–MS under induced stress conditions yielded several drought-tolerant metabolites belonging to the class viz., organic acids, fatty acids, amino acid and its derivatives, organoheterocyclic compounds, and benzenoids. The compounds responsible for drought tolerance such as phenol, proline, fumaric acid, ascorbic acid, and gibberellic acid are more pronounced under induced drought stress (PEG 6000) which would aid in drought stress tolerance and facilitate plant health and fitness. These results implied that B. amyloliquefaciens LAS10, an apoplast-associated drought-tolerant endophytic bacteria, would enhance plant growth under drought stress, and can be further extrapolated as a newer bio inoculant for abiotic stress mitigation and sustainable production in little millet.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membranes tailored with zirconium‐based MOF‐801 for water treatment applications

AbstractHighly hydrophilic and antifouling poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes are developed with excellent permeation using a zirconium‐based metal–organic framework (MOF‐801). MOF‐801 is synthesized by a solvothermal method using zirconium(IV) oxychloride octahydrate (ZrOCl2⋅8H2O) and fumaric acid. The chemical functionality of MOF‐801 is studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) whereas surface morphology and elemental composition are probed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX). The PVDF/MOF‐801 membranes are characterized in terms of FTIR, XRD, FESEM/EDX and atomic force microscopy. The performance of the hybrid PVDF/MOF‐801 membranes in terms of pure water flux and antifouling ability is found to be improved compared with bare PVDF membranes. The wettability of the membranes is measured by water contact angle and found to be 76.7° for bare PVDF membrane, which decreases upon the addition of MOF‐801 to 55.1° due to the increase in surface hydrophilicity. A notable increase in roughness of 226.29 nm and a porosity of 67.91% is observed for the addition of 2 wt% MOF‐801 in PVDF membrane matrix. The flux recovery ratio of the hybrid membrane is increased from 66.4% to 89.6% and from 68.3% to 85.2% for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and humic acid (HA) separation, respectively. In addition, the reversible and irreversible fouling performance during the rejection of BSA (93%) and HA (88%) indicates the enhanced antifouling property of the PVDF/MOF‐801 membranes. A zone of inhibition test evidences the outstanding antibiofouling activity of the PVDF/MOF‐801 membranes against E. coli and S. aureus. Overall results demonstrated the suitability of hybrid PVDF/MOF‐801 membranes for water and wastewater treatment. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

Improving the proton conductivity of MOF materials by regulating the pore space

The construction of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with structural tunability, designability, and high stability is crucial in proton conduction studies. In this paper, MOF-801 and UiO-66 were used as precursors. A solvothermal synthesis method was employed to modulate the pore space of composite MOFs. The hydrogen-bonding network and structure within the pore cavities are adjusted by varying the molar ratios of fumaric acid and terephthalic acid to improve the proton transfer rate and proton conductivity of the materials. A total of 14 materials, MOF/MOG-801&UiO-66-X (X is the molar ratio of fumaric acid and terephthalic acid) were synthesised, the variation of proton conductivity with temperature of which was investigated at different tempertures and humidities. The results shows that MOG-801&UiO-66–1:1 has the best proton conductivity with 0.12 S cm−1 at 353 K and 100 % RH, which is 5 times higher than that of MOF-801&UiO-66–1:3 (2.54 × 10−2 S cm−1), 11 times higher than that of MOF-801 and 22 times higher than that of UiO-66. Based on the calculated activation energy and structural characterisation, the proton conduction mechanism of the composite was investigated. This work opens up novel research fields for the design of new proton-conducting MOF materials.

Ionomic Concentration and Metabolomic Profile of Organically and Conventionally Produced ‘Rojo Brillante’ Persimmon

This study evaluates mineral concentrations, biocomponents contents and fruit quality attributes in ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmon grown under organic and conventional managements. During two seasons, the concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) were determined in leaves and fruits. Weight, color, firmness, and total soluble solids (TSS) were also evaluated in fruits. Moreover, in the second season, organic acids (citric, succinic, and fumaric acids), main sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), carotenoids (β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin), phenolic compounds (gallic and ρ-coumaric), and ascorbic acid concentrations were determined in fruit flesh. The crop yield in the conventional plots was bigger than that for organic crops. Nevertheless, the highest agronomic efficiency was found in organic management. In general, the greater nutrient supply in the conventional compared to in the organic system did not result in higher concentrations of macro- and microelements in leaves and fruits. The organic fruit had higher color values and lower firmness values than the conventional fruit. The concentrations of malic acid, β-cryptoxanthin, and ascorbic acid were higher in the organic compared to in the conventional fruit, while no crop system effect was found in the other evaluated biocompounds.

A preliminary study of fumaric acid, called allomaleic acid, as a pharmaceutical antimicrobial compound

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms and the adverse effects associated with antibiotic use have necessitated the exploration of new, natural substances for antimicrobial treatments. Fumaric acid, or allomaleic acid, is a natural bioactive compound primarily derived from plant-based products. Fumaric acid has potential analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-psoriatic, chemopreventive, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective properties. So far, studies on the antimicrobial activity of fumaric acid have used a plant ingredient. The antimicrobial activity was attributed to fumaric acid because it was detected in large amounts in herbal products. In this preliminary study, the antibacterial and antifungal properties of pure fumaric acid (99+%) were determined by the microdilution method. As a result of the antimicrobial study, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of fumaric acid against Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis were 9.375, 37.5, 4.687, 4.687, and 1.172 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, bacterial cells were found to be approximately one hundred times more sensitive to fumaric acid than Candida cells. The MIC values of fumaric acid against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter aerogenes were determined as 150 µg /mL, and against Staphylococcus aureus was 75 µg /mL. These results showed that pure fumaric acid has a potent inhibitory effect against pathogenic or opportunistic microorganisms. Its unique properties and potential as an antimicrobial agent make it a compelling study area. Therefore, the usability of fumaric acid in the pharmacotherapeutic field is promising for future advanced in vivo studies.

EFFECTS OF ADDITION OF CHITOSAN AND DICARBOXYLIC ACID ON PROPERTIES OF 3D PRINTABLE ACRYLIC RESIN DENTURE BASE

3D-printing has gained popularity in recent years due to the many advantages it offers over the traditional approaches for instance this technology reduces the time a dentist needs to create and fit dentures to just 2–3 sessions. Fumaric, maleic, and adipic acids with the percentage (0.1 wt.%) were added to chitosan solution (2 wt.%) and the final composite was added to the 3D printable acrylic resin. The specimens were examined for several chemical analyses (XRD, SEM, FTIR) and mechanical tests (impact strength and surface hardness tests), where the total number (115) of specimens used in the study was specimens divided into five groups. In chemical analysis, one specimen was constructed for each modified group and one specimen was used as the control group (3d printable resin without addition (non-modified) for each test. For mechanical tests ten specimens were constructed for each modified group and ten specimens were used as the control group (3d printable resin without addition (non-modified) for each test. The results of chemical analysis showed improvement in the properties of modified 3d printable acrylic denture base resin, additionally the mechanical test results showed that the (Fumaric acid and Maliec acid with Chitosan) specimens have the highest properties in comparison with other specimens, while the lowest properties were for specimens of 3D printable acrylic resin with chitosan. The chemical and mechanical properties of the modified 3D-printed denture base are improved when chitosan is modified with dicarboxylic acids. Conversely, if chitosan alone is used to modify the 3D-printed polymers, the mechanical and chemical properties would be decreased.

An effective visible-light driven fumarate production from gaseous CO2 and pyruvate by the cationic zinc porphyrin-based photocatalytic system with dual biocatalysts.

Fumaric acid is a useful unsaturated dicarboxylic acid that serves as a precursor for the biodegradable plastics poly(butylene succinate) and poly(propylene fumarate). Currently, fumaric acid is mainly synthesised from petroleum resources such as benzene. It is therefore desirable to develop methods to produce fumaric acid from renewable resources such as those derived from biomass. In this work, an effective visible-light driven fumarate production from gaseous CO2 and pyruvate with the system consisting of triethanolamine, cationic water-soluble zinc porphyrin, zinc tetrakis(4-N,N,N-trimethylaminophenyl)porphyrin, pentamethylcyclopentadienyl coordinated rhodium(III) 2,2'-bipyridyl complex, NAD+, malate dehydrogenase (NAD+-dependent oxaloacetate-decarboxylating) and fumarase was developed.

Metal-free negative linear compressibility (NLC) material - the cocrystal of 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane and fumaric acid.

Materials that show significant negative linear compressibility (NLC) reported so far suffer from a number of shortcomings that affect their applicability. The cocrystal of 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane and fumaric acid, which exhibits exceptional NLC behaviour, overcomes these problems and sets the foundation for the development of environmentally friendly metal-free NLC materials.