Radical Scavenging Research Articles

Phytoconstituents and In Vitro Free Radical Scavenging Potential of n-Hexane and Aqueous Fractions of Cucurbita maxima and Leptadenia hastata

The present study explored the phytoconstituents and radical scavenging activity of the respective n-hexane and aqueous fractions of Cucurbita maxima (CMHF and CMAF) and Leptadenia hastata (LHHF and LHAF) for potential application in oxidative stress-related ailments. The phytoconstituents were qualitatively determined and characterized using Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR), while the antioxidant activity was determined in vitro. Alkaloids were present in only the aqueous fractions of C. maxima and L. hastata, while saponins, steroids, and flavonoids were detected in all the fractions. The FTIR revealed the presence of functional groups, including alcohols, sulfonates, alkenes, alkanes, amines, and aromatics in both plant fractions. The LHHF (35.53 ±2.11 ascorbic acid (AA) equivalent µg/mL) exhibited a significantly (p<0.05) higher total reducing power (TRP) than all the other fractions. The CMHF (69.11 ±2.56 AAE µg/mL) demonstrated a significantly (p<0.05) higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC) than all the other fractions. For the ferric thiocyanate (FTC) assay, the highest inhibition was exhibited by LHHF (79.78 ± 3.24%), significantly (p<0.05) higher than AA (26.46 ± 2.12%), CMHF (69.77 ± 3.16%), and CMAF (43.80 ± 2.12%). In the thiobarbituric acid assay, the lowest MDA concentration was exhibited by the CMHF (0.07 ±0.01 nmol/mL), significantly (p<0.05) lower than all the other fractions and ascorbic acid. Conclusively, the n-hexane fraction of both plants presents potential sources of novel antioxidant compounds with significant free radical scavenging and anti-lipid peroxidation activities, applicable in ailments linked to oxidative stress.

Pharmacological Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Potential of Cuscuta Reflexa Methanol Extract: Role in Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase and Lipooxygenase

In this study, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the methanol extract of Cuscuta reflexa (CRWP-M) were evaluated. The plant material was collected from Dehradun and processed to obtain the extract, which was tested for its total phenolic content, reducing power, and scavenging activities against DPPH and superoxide radicals. The extract's inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes was also assessed. Results showed that the extract contained 0.132 mg/mL of gallic acid equivalents of phenolic compounds. In the reducing power assay, the extract demonstrated lower activity compared to Quercetin and Vitamin C across all concentrations. For DPPH radical scavenging, the extract was more effective than BHT at low concentrations but less effective at higher concentrations. The extract exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of COX-1, COX-2, and LOX, with the most significant effect on LOX (IC50 of 106.49 μg/mL). In superoxide radical scavenging, Vitamin C consistently outperformed the extract at all tested concentrations. These findings suggest that while CRWP-M has notable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, its efficacy varies across different assays and is generally lower than that of standard antioxidants like Quercetin and Vitamin C.

Towards the Development of Novel, Point-of-Care Assays for Monitoring Different Forms of Antioxidant Activity: The RoXstaTM System

(1) Background: This study set out to develop a series of simple, novel, rapid methods for assessing different forms of antioxidant activity. (2) Methods: An ABTS platform was used to engineer: (i) an electrochemical post-activation assay to assess free radical scavenging activity; (ii) an electrochemical pre-activation strategy to assesses the suppression of free radical formation; (iii) a horseradish peroxidase-mediated oxidation system to monitor hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and (iv) a cumene peroxide-hematin system to determine the ability of samples to scavenge the mixture of organic peroxides and peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals generated in the presence of these reagents. Each assay was assessed against a panel of candidate antioxidant compounds to determine their relative activities and specificities. In addition, human semen samples were analyzed to determine how the results of these antioxidant assays correlated with semen quality. (3) Results: All 4 assays revealed dose-dependent antioxidant activity on the part of vitamin C, N-acetyl cysteine, hypotaurine, BSA, melatonin, glutathione, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate. The other compounds tested either completely lacked antioxidant activity or were only active in one of the assays. Using unfractionated human semen as an exemplar of biological fluids rich in antioxidants, the outputs from the individual assays were found to reflect different aspects of semen quality. When the data from all 4 assays were combined, accurate predictions were generated reflecting the importance of oxidative stress in defining semen quality as reflected by sperm count, seminal lipid aldehyde content, sperm DNA damage and free radical generation by the sperm mitochondria. (4) Conclusions: The methodologies described in this paper constitute the basis for rapid, point-of-care assessments of oxidative stress.

Carbon dots nanoparticles derived from showy Asian grapes (Medinilla speciosa) for free radical scavenger

Carbon dot nanoparticles (CNPs) were synthesized from the peels of showy Asian grapes (Medinilla speciosa) using microwave irradiation for free radical scavenging. The optimal emission and absorption intensities were achieved with a 50-min irradiation duration, at wavelengths of 430 nm and 267 nm, respectively. XRD analysis revealed characteristic peaks at angles of 26.37° and 29.63°. FTIR analysis indicated that antioxidant potential is attributed to hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the CNPs’ surface. TEM images showed diameters ranging from 2 nm to 8 nm. The CNPs exhibited 73.82% antioxidant activity at 5 mg/mL, with an IC50 value of 6.89 ppm, indicating strong antioxidant activity. Additionally, the CNPs demonstrated good storage stability, suggesting potential applications in food supplements and biomedical materials.

Isolation of highly polar galloyl glucoside tautomers from Saxifraga tangutica through preparative chromatography and assessment of their in vitro antioxidant activity

In this work, the rapid and efficient preparation of isolated galloyl glucoside tautomer free radical inhibitors was investigated using Saxifraga tangutica as a raw material. Four highly polar galloyl glucoside tautomers, 3-O-galloyl-α-d-glucose ⇌ 3-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (Fr2-1-1), 2-O-galloyl-α-d-glucose ⇌ 2-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (Fr2-1-2/2-1-3), 1-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (Fr2-2-1), and 6-O-galloyl-α-d-glucose ⇌ 6-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (Fr2-3-1/Fr2-3-2), were obtained via two-step medium-pressure liquid chromatography (with solid loading instead of conventional liquid injection) and one-step high-performance chromatography coupled with on-line RPLC-DPPH techniques for targeted isolation. This separation integration technique not only increases sample intake and reduces time cost but also visualizes each step of targeted separation. All four compounds were isolated from the plant for the first time. In vitro antioxidant activity assays by DPPH (1,1‑diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) revealed that Fr2-1-2/Fr2-1-3 (IC50: 5.52 ± 0.32 μM), Fr2-2-1 (IC50: 7.22 ± 0.57 μM), and Fr2-3–1/Fr2-3-2 (IC50: 7.36 ± 0.25 μM) had superior free radical scavenging abilities and that both were superior to that of quercetin (IC50: 18.61 ± 3.55 μM). Oxidative stress assays revealed that Fr2-1-2/Fr2-1-3 significantly inhibited oxidative stress damage in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells, decreased the level of ROS (P < 0.01) and protected hepatocytes. Combined with the current results, gallic acid showed greater antioxidant activity when H atoms were replaced at d-glucose –OH (C-2) than at the other three sites [–OH (C-1), –OH (C-6) and –OH (C-3)].

Jujube Syrup and Starter YF‐L922 Co‐Fermentation of Yak Yogurt: Effects of Quality Properties, Antioxidative Activities and Structure

ABSTRACTDifferent percentages of jujube yrup (0%, 3%, 6% and 9%) were incorporated into yak milk and fermented using the fermenting agent YF‐L922. The quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of the resulting yogurt were evaluated at days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. The results indicated that the pH and acidity of the yogurt were not significantly influenced by the varying additions of jujube syrup during storage (p &gt; 0.05). However, the addition of jujube syrup significantly reduced the water‐holding capacity of the yogurt (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of jujube syrup were significantly and positively correlated with both antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging ability (p &lt; 0.05). The live bacterial count of the yogurt decreased significantly by day 28, although the count of live lactic acid bacteria remained above 106 CFU/mL. Notably, yak yogurt with a 3% addition of jujube syrup achieved a favorable sensory score. The incorporation of jujube syrup resulted in a firmer texture and a more porous microstructure, demonstrating a higher degree of syneresis. Additionally, the inclusion of jujube syrup substantially diminished the animalic odor associated with yak milk, improved flavor acceptability and enhanced the antioxidative properties of yak yogurt. Therefore, yak yogurt augmented with jujube syrup represents a novel product with high nutritional value.

Targeted Screening of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains Isolated from Tomatoes and Its Application in Tomato Fermented Juice

This study explores the functional attributes of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) strains isolated from fermented tomato juice, focusing on their physiological, biochemical, and probiotic characteristics. The identified 66 gram-positive strains included 36 L. plantarum ones, which exhibited robust growth in acidic environments (pH 2.0–5.0) and utilization of various carbohydrates. Notably, seven strains outperformed a commercial strain in extreme acidic conditions. Antioxidant activity varied, with strain A24 showing the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, while strains with high surface hydrophobicity had lower DPPH scavenging activity, indicating no direct correlation between these properties. Strains also showed strain-specific differences in carbohydrate utilization and antibiotic resistance, with some resistant to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. Survival rates under simulated gastrointestinal conditions were strain-specific, with some strains demonstrating high survival rates, indicating their potential as probiotics. Furthermore, 13 strains used as fermentation starters in tomato juice significantly enhanced antioxidant activity and reduced pH and total soluble solids, indicating efficient sugar utilization and lactic acid production. These findings suggest that L. plantarum strains are well-suited for functional food fermentation and probiotic applications, with strain-specific traits offering versatility for use in acidic food products and probiotic formulations.

Seed priming - induced drought tolerance in Castor: Unravelling the physiological and molecular mechanisms

Castor is an essential nonedible oilseed crop with significant applications in the cosmetic and chemical industries. It is cultivated primarily in rainfed regions, where drought is a common abiotic stress factor. Seed germination, the critical initial stage, is particularly affected by drought. Seed priming with radical scavenging chemicals such as salicylic acid, melatonin, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid has been explored to increase germination under water deficit conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of these chemicals on the physiological and antioxidant enzyme activities of castor under drought stress. Two water regimes were applied in the study. Among the treatments, seed priming with 80 ppm salicylic acid significantly improved key parameters, including the germination % (71 %), speed of germination (4.1 %), vigour index (3141), chlorophyll content (28.3 SPAD units) and relative water content (63 %). It also increased the antioxidant enzyme activities such as CAT, POD, SOD and APX, along with the overexpression of the drought-responsive gene RCECP63 under water deficit conditions. These findings highlight that seed priming, particularly with salicylic acid, offers a promising strategy to enhance castor resilience under prolonged drought stress, providing a practical approach for improving crop performance in drought-prone regions.

Ultrasmall Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots with Robust Antioxidative Properties for Acute Kidney and Liver Injury Therapy

AbstractAcute organ injuries, such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute liver injury (ALI), usually present high morbidity and mortality in patients. However, the current clinical treatments remain limited, especially the lack of effective drug‐based treatment. Since these acute injuries are often associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, it is a promising strategy to develop therapeutic agents with potent ROS scavenging ability and excellent biocompatibility for efficient antioxidation therapy. Black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs), low‐dimensional nanomaterials prepared through a straightforward one‐step method and capable of complete controllable biodegradation, offer significant potential. This study comprehensively explores the extensive free‐radical scavenging capabilities of BPQDs, underscoring their immense potential in treating ROS‐related organ injuries. BPQDs could simultaneously achieve radical scavenging of DPPH, ABTS·, OH·, and O2−· and exhibit excellent cytoprotective effects against ROS‐mediated damage even at extremely low dosages. Besides, the ultrasmall size of BPQDs (≈3‐5 nm) allows them to effectively penetrate the glomerular filtration barrier (≈6 nm), significantly improving the symptoms of AKI and ALI in vivo. The therapeutic efficacy and great biocompatibility of BPQDs facilitate the clinical management of ROS‐related diseases, which will broaden the applications of QDs in the field of biomedicine.

Oral administration of butylated hydroxytoluene induces neuroprotection in a streptozotocin-induced rat Alzheimer’s disease model via inhibition of neuronal ferroptosis

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common human neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Owing to its chronic nature, our limited understanding of its pathophysiological mechanisms, and because of the lack of effective anti-AD drugs, AD represents a significant socio-economic challenge for all industrialized countries. Neuronal cell death is a key factor in AD pathogenesis and recent studies have suggested that neuronal ferroptosis may play a major patho-physiological role. Since ferroptosis involves free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation, we hypothesized that enteral administration of the radical scavenger butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) might slow down or even prevent the development of AD-related symptoms in an in vivo animal AD model.Material and methodsTo test this hypothesis, we employed the rat model of streptozotocin-induced AD and administered butylated hydroxytoluene orally at a dose of 120 mg/kg body weight. Following BHT treatment, neuronal cell death was induced by bilateral stereotactic intraventricular injection of streptozotocin at a dose of 3.0 mg/kg body weight. Three weeks after surgery, we assessed the learning capabilities and the short-term memory of three experimental groups using the conventional y-maze test: (i) streptozotocin-treated rats (BHT pre-treatment), (ii) streptozotocin-treated rats (no BHT pre-treatment), (iii) sham-operated rats (BHT pre-treatment but no streptozotocin administration). After the y-maze test, the animals were sacrificed, hippocampal tissue was prepared and several biochemical (malonyl dialdehyde formation, glutathione homeostasis, gene expression patterns) and histochemical (Congo-red staining, Nissl staining, Perls staining) readout parameters were quantified.ResultsIntraventricular streptozotocin injection induced the development of AD-related symptoms, elevated the degree of lipid peroxidation and upregulated the expression of ferroptosis-related genes. Histochemical analysis indicated neuronal cell death and neuroinflammation, which were paralleled by aberrant intraneuronal iron deposition. The streptozotocin-induced alterations were significantly reduced and sometimes even abolished by oral BHT treatment.ConclusionOur data indicate that oral BHT treatment attenuated the development of AD-related symptoms in an in vivo rat model, most probably via inhibiting neuronal ferroptosis. These findings suggest that BHT might constitute a promising candidate as anti-AD drug. However, more work is needed to explore the potential applicability of BHT in other models of neurodegeneration and in additional ferroptosis-related disorders.

Optimized Liquid Medium Formulation for Sanghuangporus vaninii and Biological Activity of the Exopolysaccharides

Aims: Sanghuangporus vaninii (S. vaninii) is a rare medicinal mushroom that is rich in polysaccharides, triterpenes, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds. It has good potential development value. Methods and Results: We performed single factor experiments and Box-Behnken response surface methodology to optimize the liquid fermentation medium formulation for S. vaninii with mycelial biomass as the indicator. The in vitro antioxidant and anti-cancer capacity of the exopolysaccharides of S. vaninii were estimated. The optimal liquid fermentation media composition for the MS-4, MS-6, and MS-8 strains of Sanghuangporus vaninii consisted of 25.86 ± 0.068 g/L maltose, 7.3 ± 0.043 g/L yeast extract, and 0.71 ± 0.005 g/L dandelion powder. The average mycelial biomass of S. vaninii under optimal conditions was 12.61 g/L. The mycelial biomass of the Sanghuangporus vaninii strains in the optimized formulation was 109–191% higher than that obtained with the basic potato dextrose broth (PDB). The exopolysaccharides of Sanghuangporus vaninii exhibited an ABTS radical scavenging activity with an EC50 of 0.021 ± 0.017 mg/mL and a DPPH radical scavenging activity with an EC50 of 0.076 ± 0.043 mg/mL. In anti-cancer assays, these exopolysaccharides demonstrated an IC50 value of 1.98 ± 0.36 mg/mL against PC-3 human prostate cancer cells, indicating significant bioactivity, highlighting their potential as functional food ingredients. Conclusions: In this study, the formula of liquid fermentation of S. vaninii strains was optimized, which lays a theoretical foundation for increasing the yield of S. vaninii and its application in industry. Moreover, our data showed the clinical potential of the S. vaninii exopolysaccharides as antioxidants and anti-cancer drugs.

Investigating the effect of fermentation byLactobacillus reuteri on biochemical properties of Ceylon Cinnamon

Abstract Introduction Fermentation is an important biotechnological process that improves the biochemical properties of natural raw materials by transforming high molecular compounds into more beneficial low molecular compounds through microbial biotransformation. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume), globally recognized as 'true cinnamon', contains high molecular weight, complex compounds that are responsible for its renowned antioxidant, antibacterial, and therapeutic properties, making it a vital component in medicinal applications1. Aims The present study aimed to investigate the effect of fermentation by Lactobacillus reuteri on selected phytochemical contents, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of bark extracts of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) and to determine the optimum conditions for fermentation of Cinnamon bark extract by L. reuteri. Method Authenticated Ceylon cinnamon bark (CCB) was extracted into water using the decoction method. The water extract was fermented by L. reuteri under controlled conditions (pH 6, incubation at 35 ºC) and optimized using two parameters; the inoculum density (1.5×108 cfu/ml and 7.5×108 cfu/ml) and incubation time (2 and 4 days). After fermentation, total polyphenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH free radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity of non-fermented extracts (NFE) and fermented extracts (FE) of CCB were evaluated. Antibacterial activity was determined using the agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ethical approval was not required since no human or animal study was done during the study. Results The extract fermented with an inoculum density of 7.5×108 cfu/ml and incubated for 4 days showed the highest TFC (19.3 ± 0.3 mg RE/g) and antioxidant activity (IC50: 97.2 ± 0.8 µg/ml) in comparison to that of NFEs (TFC:13.3 ± 0.3 mg RE/g and DPPH activity: IC50: 233.7 ± 12.8 µg/ml). Moreover, the fermented samples showed a reduction in TPC, indicating possible biotransformation of compounds. and no significant change in the antibacterial activity in comparison to the non-fermented samples. Discussion and Conclusion This study was mainly focused on investigating the effect of fermentation of Ceylon cinnamon bark aqueous extract by Lactobacillus reuteri. The increased antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content are notable and could be attributed to chemical transformations of some complex flavanols including catechin gallate and epicatechin gallate present in aqueous cinnamon to catechin and epicatechin monomers by the action of enzymes secreted by L. reuteri during the fermentation process2. Hence, this study suggests that fermentation using L. reuteri has a considerable positive impact on certain biochemical properties of cinnamon water extract. Cinnamon bark is a complex matrix containing various phytochemicals that could interact with bacterial strains in ways that are not fully understood. These interactions could lead to unexpected effects or limitations during fermentation.

Evaluating the antidiabetes and antioxidant activities of halogenated Schiff bases derived from 4-(diethylamino)salicylaldehyde: in vitro antidiabetes, antioxidant and computational investigation

Six Schiff bases with general name 5-(diethylamino)-2-(((halophenyl)imino)methyl)phenol (where halo = 4-fluoro (H1), 2-fluoro (H2), 2-bromo (H3), 4-bromo (H4), 4-chloro (H5) and 3-chloro-4-fluoro (H6)) were prepared by the condensation reaction between 4-(diethylamino)salicylaldehyde and suitable halogenated aromatic amines. The six halogenated Schiff bases were elucidated using different spectroscopic techniques and the structure of H3 and H6 were confirmed using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The bond lengths of C7–N1, C7–C8 and C8–C9 obtained from structural analysis for both compounds depicted their enol-tautomeric characteristic form. The Hirshfeld analysis revealed that H‧‧‧H intermolecular contacts contributed most towards the Hirshfeld surfaces of both H3 (47.6%) and H6 (39.9%). Quantum chemical calculation studies showed that H1 and H2 have the highest and lowest energy band gap (∆E = 3.80 eV for H1 and ∆E = 3.73 eV for H2), depicting H2 and H1 as the most and least chemically reactive respectively among all the compounds. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase assay were used to evaluate the antidiabetes prowess of the synthesized compounds. All the compounds exhibited lower IC50 values than acarbose (reference drug) in α-amylase assay experiments and H5 with lowest IC50 value of 63.54 μM could be suggested to have the highest α-amylase inhibitory potential among the test samples. For α-glucosidase assay, H1–H6 displayed good antidiabetic potential. However, none of the compounds outshined acarbose with H6 having highest α-glucosidase inhibitory potential when compared to others i.e., IC50 of H6 = 60.89 μM and IC50 of acarbose = 51.42 μM. We measured the antioxidant potential of H1–H6 exploring 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and ferric reducing ability power (FRAP) assays. The DPPH as well as NO radical scavenging assay showed that all the compounds exhibited excellent antioxidant results with some of the compounds surpassing catechin (reference drug). Compound H5 with IC50 values of 30.32 mM and 31.73 mM outshined catechin with IC50 values of 31.17 mM and 140.62 mM for DPPH and NO assays respectively. All the compounds fell within the threshold of Lipinski’s Ro5 projecting them as orally bioavailable and less toxic future therapeutics.

Moisturizing Effects of Alcalase Hydrolysate Fractions from Haliotis discus Viscera, a Marine Organism, on Human Dermal Fibroblasts, HaCaT Keratinocytes, and Reconstructed Human Skin Tissues

Haliotis discus, an abalone, is a marine gastropod mollusk that has been cultivated globally owing to its nutritional value and high market demand. However, the visceral parts of H. discus are typically discarded as by-products, highlighting the need to explore their potential value in developing cosmeceuticals and pharmaceuticals. This study investigated the potential moisturizing effects of H. discus visceral tissues. Various hydrolysates from H. discus viscera tissue were evaluated for proximate composition, radical scavenging, and hyaluronidase inhibition activities. Alcalase hydrolysate was isolated using gel filtration chromatography (GFC), and its moisturizing effects were tested on human dermal fibroblasts (HDF), HaCaT keratinocytes, and reconstructed human skin tissue. The Alcalase hydrolysate showed the highest extraction yield, radical scavenging, and hyaluronidase inhibition activities. The Alcalase hydrolysate GFC fraction 1 increased collagen synthesis-related molecules, including procollagen type 1 in HDF and hyaluronic acid-related molecules in HaCaT cells. These moisturizing effects were confirmed in reconstructed human skin tissues by increased levels of aquaporin 3 and filaggrin. Fraction 1 consisted of two main peptides: DNPLLPGPPF and SADNPLLPGPPF. In conclusion, H. discus Alcalase hydrolysate and its fractions have potential moisturizing properties and can be used as cosmeceuticals.

Hepatoprotective effects of ethanolic extract of Corallocarpus epigaeus roots on nitrobenzene-induced liver injury in Wistar rats

ABSTRACT This study examined the potential of Corallocarpus epigaeus ethanolic root extract to combat free radicals using DPPH, FRAP, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide scavenging assays. Rats were initially exposed to a single oral dose of nitrobenzene (50 mg kg−1 body weight), followed by a 15-d oral regimen of the ethanolic root extract of C. epigaeus at 200 mg kg−1 body weight. The assessment of serum liver marker enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), lipid peroxidation levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and histopathological examinations of liver tissues were carried out. The C. epigaeus ethanolic root extract demonstrated antioxidant properties and contained flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, lycopene, and phenolic compounds. In Nitrobenzene-induced rats, elevated serum markers and increased liver lipid peroxidation were observed that were normalized by the extract. It also increased antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. Histopathological analysis confirmed the hepatoprotective effects of the extract.

Peroxydisulfate Activation by Biochar from Banana Peel Promoted with Copper Phosphide for Bisphenol S Degradation in Aqueous Media

In this work, the decomposition of bisphenol S (BPS) by biochar derived from banana peel (BPB) promoted by copper phosphide (Cu3P) was examined. Different materials with Cu3P loadings from 0.25 to 4.00 wt.% on biochar were synthesized, characterized using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and evaluated. Nearly all of the synthesized materials exhibited low to moderate adsorption capacity, attributable to their limited surface area (&lt;3.1 m2/g). However, in the presence of sodium persulfate (SPS), the 2%Cu3P/ΒPB/SPS system was capable of removing 90% of 500 μg/L BPS in less than 10 min. The system’s performance was enhanced under inherent pH, and the reaction rate followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to BPS and persulfate concentrations. Interestingly, the presence of 250 mg/L of sodium chloride had a negligible effect, while low to moderate inhibition was observed in the presence of bicarbonates and humic acid. In contrast, significant retardation was observed in experiments performed in real matrices, such as secondary effluent (WW) and bottled water (BW). According to scavenging experiments, both radical and non-radical mechanisms participated in the BPS degradation. Four transformation products were identified using the UHPLC/TOF-MS system in negative ionization mode, with two of them having higher molecular weights than BPS, while the other two TBPs involved the ring-opening reaction, and a BPS decomposition pathway was proposed.

A Novel Look at Mechanisms and Applications of Xanthohumol (XN) in Dermatology and Cosmetology

Xanthohumol (XN), representing the group of chalcones, is a hydroxyl and superoxide free radical scavenger. It also has antimicrobial properties, showing antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes. XN exerts an inhibitory effect on tyrosinase (it hinders the oxidation of l-tyrosine and l-DOPA). However, it also affects the transport of pigment (through a reduction in the number and length of dendrites) and its degradation (through damage to melanosomes). Additionally, it has been shown to inhibit the different activation pathways of the premeditated response in macrophages and reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. Xanthohumol also improves skin elasticity by reducing the activity of elastase and MMP 1, 2 and 9, and it increases the expression of type I, III and V collagen, as well as elastin and fibrillins in skin fibroblasts. It acts against the main factors contributing to the pathogenesis of acne by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., COX-2, PGE2, IL-1β and TNF-α). Moreover, it shows antibacterial activity against P. acnes and S. aureus, as well as seboregulatory and antioxidant properties. It has also been recognized that XN intake could affect diabetic wound healing. XN shows antitumoral activity, e.g., in the case of skin melanoma, which is associated with the antioxidant, pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic and immunostimulating effects of this compound.

Study on Bioactive Components of Aromatic Cynanchum thesioides (Freyn) K. Schum by Solvent Fractionation

This study evaluated the antioxidant activity of the methanol extract from aromatic Cynanchum thesioides (Freyn) K. Schum. by fractionating it with different solvents, aiming to provide theoretical evidence for the development of products related to aromatic Cynanchum thesioides (Freyn) K. Schum. The yield of the methanol extract was 13.33%, with the water fraction showing the highest yield, followed by n-hexane, n-butanol, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate. Among these fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity, as indicated by total polyphenol content and ABTS radical scavenging activity. The DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and SOD-like activity measurements showed no significant difference between the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions, as both showed the highest radical scavenging activity. In the FRAP activity measurement, the n-butanol fraction ranked behind the ethyl acetate and dichloromethane fractions in terms of antioxidant activity. Although the ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity, its yield was only 1.29%, making it unsuitable for product production considering productivity and economy. However, the n-butanol fraction showed overall high antioxidant activity and was approximately four times more abundant, with a yield of 5.80% compared to the ethyl acetate fraction. Consequently, considering both productivity and economy, the n-butanol fraction is considered suitable for product development and production.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant study of combined essential oils of Anethum Sowa Kurz. and Trachyspermum ammi (L.) along with quality determination, comparative histo-anatomical features, GC‒MS and HPTLC chemometrics

Spices played crucial and variable roles in traditions, culture, history, religious ceremonials and festivals along with fetching food flavor and microbial protection globally due to presence of structurally unique and multi-natured chemotypes. Their existence in dishes portrayed key roles in improving shelf life by regulating spoilage of cuisine with different synergistic mechanism. Histo-anatomically (A) sowa exhibited distinguished cellular attributes which created remarkable differences with T. ammi. HPTLC chemometrics of both fruits revealed several peaks for active metabolomics with unique isocratic combination of menstruum. GC-MS study of hydro-distillate exhibited presence of monoterpenic cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcoholic and ketonic groups along with phenolic derivative that covers majorly 90% of total metabolites. Combined essential oils (EOs 1 + 2) of both fruits showed excellent antimicrobial activity against various clinical pathogenic strains such as K. pneumoniae at 10 µL/mL, S. aureus at 2.5 µL/mL, E. coli and E. faecalis at 1.25 µL/mL, and MRSA and Bcereus at 0.625 µL/mL and (C) albicans at 0.312 µL/mL as the MIC. The antioxidant study of (EOs 1 + 2) with maximum inhibition percentage to DPPH assay was 84.02 ± 1.05 at 100 µg/mL, and minimal inhibition was 72.31 ± 0.63 at 5 µg/mL with IC50 value 4.69 ± 0.22 µg/mL, while ABTS assay extreme was 79.15 ± 2.14 µg/mL and minimal was 67 ± 1.34 with the IC50 value of 18.37 ± 0.15 µg/mL, in superoxide assay uppermost inhibition was 81.03 ± 0.27 µg/mL and lowest was at 65.16 ± 3.15 with the IC50 value 16.46 ± 0.54, and H2O2 radical scavenging activity, predominant value was 78.01 ± 0.47 and least was 64.1 ± 2.01 with IC50 15.58 ± 0.34. These comparative key diagnostic features and synergistic effect of multicomponent natural antimicrobials will provide profound intellect of ancient utility and further scientists to explore their multiple mechanistic modality and application in food and beverages industry.

Conformational and processing properties of a high-active ingredient involving soy protein isolates bound with anthocyanins and its application in cake baking

Soybean protein is of plant origin and is commonly appropriate for improving the processing characteristics of foods. This study aimed to explore a novel functional ingredient that contained soybean protein isolate (SPI) and blueberry anthocyanins (BANs). The spatial conformation and secondary structure of SPI-BANs complexes were analyzed using circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, the processing properties were investigated as well as the retention of antioxidant activity during thermal treatments. Results showed that the contents of free sulfhydryl and free amino groups in complexes increased to 3.50 and 1.19 folds than those of SPI, respectively, while the surface hydrophobicity decreased by 74.23%. Compared with SPI, the BANs-modified SPI had a smaller particle size of 29.12 nm and a lower zeta-potential of -8.73 mV and on the other hand, the complexes possessed higher solubility (83.08%) and foaming and emulsifying properties (115.08% and 54.03 m2/g). After fortification with SPI-BANs, the baking loss rate and adhesiveness of chiffon cake were reduced by 10.82% and improved to 0.24 N.mm, respectively. The high antioxidant activities of SPI-BANs under heat led to the cake’s bioactivities largely enhanced by 1.99 ~ 12.71 folds, being 345.19 µg Trolox/g for the DPPH radical scavenging activity. This study developed the functional food ingredients as antioxidants and a substitute for animal-based proteins in bakery products, which was safe and sustainable by using the dietary components from plant resources.Graphical