Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity of γ-Oryzanol Compared to Rice Bran Oil to Repair Ovarian Histological Structure from One Push Transfluthrin Exposure Effect

BACKGROUND: Fertility is affected by both the reproductive organs and external factors (genetics, hormones, radiation exposure, use of insecticides, and nutrition). The histological structure of the ovaries is an indicator of reproductive function. Insect repellent use with pyrethroid active ingredients and its impact on health has become a discussion in the medical sector for years. Disruption of the reproductive system homeostasis may cause several issues, from disruption of ovarian function to infertility. γ-Oryzanol has higher antioxidants than vitamin E. It is found mostly in rice bran oil (RBO). Researchers have investigated the effectiveness of RBO and γ-Oryzanol, but the number of studies focusing on the reproductive system is very limited. Results of in silico showed anti-inflammatory potential, and nitric oxide γ-Oryzanol is stronger than the antioxidant activity. It also showed γ-Oryzanol bond with Foxo3a and Growth Differentiating Factor 9 (GDF9), indicating the γ-Oryzanol potential for reproductive health (women). Studies also reported that γ-Oryzanol administration caused anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity compared to RBO in improving ovarian physiological function using tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) levels, Foxo3a expression, and GDF9 expression exposed to one push transfluthrin as the parameter. AIM: We aimed to investigate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of γ-Oryzanol compared to rice bran oil to repair ovarian histological structure from one push transfluthrin exposure effect. METHODS: Experimental research, post-test only control group design approach, with a completely randomized design, consisted of 6 (six) groups of Wistar strain female rats. They were exposed to one push with the active ingredient of transfluthrin 21.3%, by inhalation for 6 hours, RBO 0.3 mg/g/ body weight (BW)/day, γ-Oryzanol 3.75 ml/g/BW/day. Statistical analysis was done with the Mann Whitney’s posthoc Kruskal Wallis test with IBM SPSS version 25 software. RESULTS: γ-Oryzanol had more potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity than RBO in improving the ovarian histology structure (including maintaining ovarian weight, increasing follicular growth, and suppressing follicular abnormalities) through decreased TNF-α levels and decreased Foxo3a expression, and increased GDF9 expression. CONCLUSION: The administration of γ-Oryzanol improves the ovarian histological structure from free radicals effects, namely exposure to one push of transfluthrin.

Effects of Rice Bran Oil on Lipid Profiles of Hypercholesterolemic Junior High School Teachers

Rice Bran Oil (RBO) is an abundant food source in Indonesia. RBO contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and rich in antioxidants. However, clinical trials on this material are still very limited. This research aims to assess the differences of effect of rice bran oil (RBO) and olive oil (OO) on lipid profile alteration of hypercholesterolemia junior high school teachers. This study used a quasi-experimental method with a non-randomized pre-test and post-test design. A total of 28 junior high school teachers in the Tamalanrea District of Makassar City who experienced hypercholesterolemia were recruited in this study and were divided into 2 groups. The two groups were at different research locations and received different interventions. The intervention group was given rice bran oil (30 ml/day) while the control group was given olive oil (30 ml/day) for 30 days. The pair t test was used to determine the difference in lipid profile before and after giving RBO and OO. The analysis was continued by comparing the results in the two groups using the independent t test. The level of confidence was set at 95% with a significance value less than 0.05 (p <0.05). After giving RBO for 30 days, the results were a decrease in total cholesterol by 4.59%, triglycerides by 15.8%, LDL by 4.87%, but HDL levels also decreased, although in insignificant amounts (3.41%). Meanwhile, giving OO as a control reduced total cholesterol by 5.04% and triglycerides by 28.2%. In addition, there was also a slight increase in HDL levels by 0.45%, in contrast to LDL levels which did not show any difference at all. At the end of the study of the four lipid profile parameters observed, significant improvements were observed in the reduction of total cholesterol and triglyceride levels significantly after administration of RBO and OO (p <0.05). The results also showed that there was no significant difference between RBO and OO on changes in lipid profile (p> 0.05). From this study, we can conclude that rice bran oil and olive oil have the same effect in improving lipid profiles by significantly lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

The involvement of TGF-β1 /FAK/α-SMA pathway in the antifibrotic impact of rice bran oil on thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats

The objective of the current study is to investigate the effect of rice bran oil (RBO) on hepatic fibrosis as a characteristic response to persistent liver injuries. Rats were randomly allocated into five groups: the negative control group, thioacetamide (TAA) group (thioacetamide 100 mg/kg thrice weekly for two successive weeks, ip), RBO 0.2 and 0.4 groups (RBO 0.2mL and 0.4 mL/rat/day, po) and standard group (silymarin 100 mg/kg/day, po) for two weeks after TAA injection. Blood and liver tissue samples were collected for biochemical, molecular, and histological analyses. Liver functions, oxidative stress, inflammation, liver fibrosis markers were assessed. The obtained results showed that RBO reduced TAA-induced liver fibrosis and suppressed the extracellular matrix formation. Compared to the positive control group, RBO dramatically reduced total bilirubin, AST, and ALT blood levels. Furthermore, RBO reduced MDA and increased GSH contents in the liver. Simultaneously RBO downregulated the NF-κβ signaling pathway, which in turn inhibited the expression of some inflammatory mediators, including Cox-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α. RBO attenuated liver fibrosis by suppressing the biological effects of TGF-β1, α-SMA, collagen I, hydroxyproline, CTGF, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). RBO reduced liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation and modulating the interplay among the TGF-β1 and FAK signal transduction. The greater dosage of 0.4 mL/kg has a more substantial impact. Hence, this investigation presents RBO as a promising antifibrotic agent in the TAA model through inhibition of TGF-β1 /FAK/α-SMA.

In Search of a “Stable Green Nanofluid” for Applications in High Voltage Equipment

Nanofluids are considered as the next generation of dielectric fluids due to their higher thermal conductivity and dielectric properties. In this investigation, locally produced ester oils, such as rice bran oil (RBO) and jatropha oil (JO), were compared with mineral oil (MO). Initially, hydrophilic SiO2 nano particles were used to prepare nanofluids using RBO and MO. However, results showed that with loading of nanoparticles (NPs) up to 0.075 g/L, the dielectric strength (DS) of MO based NFs increased but decreased drastically with further increase in loading as these suffered agglomeration and sedimentation in less than 72 h. To overcome this drawback, NPs were functionalized under plasma discharge. These efforts also did not yield many favorable results. Instead, hydrophobic fumed silica NPs grafted with hexamethyldi-siloxane (HMDS) were utilized for further study. Plasma treated NFs exhibited improved DS, as well as excellent dispersibility and stability.

Rice Bran-Based Bioplastics: Effects of Biopolymer Fractions on Their Mechanical, Functional and Microstructural Properties

Rice bran is an underutilized by-product of rice production, containing proteins, lipids and carbohydrates (mainly starches). Proteins and starches have been previously used to produce rice bran-based bioplastics, providing a high-added-value by-product, while contributing to the development of biobased, biodegradable bioplastics. However, rice bran contains oil (18–22%), which can have a detrimental effect on bioplastic properties. Its extraction could be convenient, since rice bran oil is becoming increasingly attractive due to its variety of applications in the food, pharmacy and cosmetic industries. In this way, the aim of this work was to analyze the effect of the different components of rice bran on the final properties of the bioplastics. Rice bran refining was carried out by extracting the oil and fiber fractions, and the effects of these two procedures on the final properties were addressed with mechanical, functional and microstructural measures. Results revealed that defatted rice bran produced bioplastics with higher viscoelastic moduli and better tensile behavior while decreasing the water uptake capacity and the soluble matter loss of the samples. However, no significant improvements were observed for systems produced from fiber-free rice bran. The microstructures observed in the SEM micrographs matched the obtained results, supporting the conclusions drawn.

Immobilization of cellulase on magnetic nanoparticles for rice bran oil extraction in a magnetic fluidized bed

This paper presents a method for extracting rice bran oil using magnetic immobilized cellulase (MIC) in a magnetic fluidized bed (MFB). Cellulase was immobilized on Fe3O4/SiO x -g-P (glycydylmethacrylate) with an average grain size of 120 nm. The rice bran was hydrolyzed using MIC combined with magnetic immobilized alkaline protease to extract rice bran oil. Under intermittent conditions, the MIC concentration was 1.6 mg/g, the liquid to material ratio was 4:1, the enzymatic hydrolysis time was 150 min, and the oil yield was as high as 85.6 ± 1.20% at 55 °C. The fluid in the MFB had a magnetic field strength of 0.022 T, a flow velocity of 0.005 m/s, and an oil extraction rate of 90.3%. This provides a theoretical basis for the extraction of rice bran oil using the subsequent MFB hydroenzyme method.

Gamma oryzanol niosomal gel for skin cancer: formulation and optimization using quality by design (QbD) approach

Skin cancer is fifth most diagnosed disease in human population due to ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure. Gamma oryzanol (OZ) is a natural antioxidant, and it also has skin anti-aging properties. OZ is naturally found in rice bran oil. The main aim of the present work was to optimize OZ niosomal formulation using quality by design approach including one variable at a time and full factorial design. Niosomes were prepared by solvent injection method and characterized for size, polydispersity index, drug entrapment, and transmission electron microscopy. The optimized batch obtained at X1 [drug to span 60 molar ratio (1:5)], X2 [volume of hydration (75 mL)], and X3 [stirring speed (2500 rpm)] to Y1 [average vesicle size (196.6 nm)] and Y2 [entrapment efficiency (78.31%)] as dependent variables. The optimized OZ noisomes were formulated by niosomal gel to provide improved physicochemical stability upon topical application against UV. The niosomal gel was characterized using pH meter, viscometer, Draize test for skin irritancy, ex vivo permeation studies, and stability studies. Ex vivo permeation studies of OZ niosomal gel not only showed fourfold higher permeation but also exhibited better drug retention in dermal layers of skin as compared to OZ gel. Quality Target Product Profile of OZ niosomal formulation was generated. Risk analysis of optimized OZ gel suggested most critical quality attributes (CQAs) and critical process parameters (CPPs) to be characterized as low risk. Thus, γ-oryzanol niosomal gel for topical use can serve as a promising prophylactic treatment in skin cancer, and the developed prototype formulation can be further extended to future newly discovered drugs with similar characteristics. Graphical abstract