scholarly journals Potential Benefits of Jujube (Zizyphus Lotus L.) Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition and Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souleymane Abdoul-Azize
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Cyclopeptide Alkaloids ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Deciduous Shrub ◽  
Medical Interest

Zizyphus lotus, belonging to the Rhamnaceae family, is a deciduous shrub which generally grows in arid and semiarid regions of the globe. In traditional medicine, Z. lotus is used as antidiabetes, sedative, bronchitis, and antidiarrhea by local populations. Recently, several scientific reports for health benefit and nutritional potential of bioactive compounds from this jujube have been reported. This plant is rich in polyphenols, cyclopeptide alkaloids, dammarane saponins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These identified compounds were supposed to be responsible for most of Z. lotus biologically relevant activities including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. The aim of the present review was to give particular emphasis on the most recent findings on biological effects of the major groups of Zizyphus lotus components and their medical interest, notably for human nutrition, health benefit, and therapeutic impacts.

Isatin: A Scaffold with Innumerable Biodiversity

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyobrata Nath ◽  
Agnish Mukherjee ◽  
Sougata Mukherjee ◽  
Sabyasachi Banerjee ◽  
Samarpita Das ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Effects ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Extensive Information ◽  
Relevant Compound ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Clinical Conditions

: Isatin is an endogenous and a significant category of fused heterocyclic component, widely been a part of several potential biologically useful synthetics. Since its discovery, tons of research work has been conducted with respect to the synthesis, chemical properties, and biological and industrial applications. It contains indole nucleus having both lactam and keto moiety which while being a part of a molecular framework exerted several biological effects, viz.; antimicrobial, antitubercular, anticonvulsant, anticancer etc. Isatin derivatives are synthetically significant substrates, which can be utilized for the synthesis of huge diversified chemical entities of which few members emerged to be a drug. The reason for this review is to provide extensive information pertaining to the chemistry and its significance in altering several pathological states of isatin and its derivatives. A Structure Activity Relationships study thus developed through a gamut of scientific information indicates the importance of mostly electron withdrawing groups, halogens, nitro, alkoxy and to a minor extent groups with positive inductive effects, such as methyl at position 1, 5, 6 and 7 of isatin in alleviating several clinical conditions. It is also observed from the survey that the presence of two oxo groups at position 2 and 3 sometimes become insignificant as fusion with a heterocycle at those position resulted in a biologically relevant compound.

scholarly journals Wheat, Barley, and Oat Breeding for Health Benefit Components in Grain

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Igor G. Loskutov ◽  
Elena K. Khlestkina
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Cereal Grain ◽  
Staple Foods ◽  
Functional Components ◽  
Oat Breeding

Cereal grains provide half of the calories consumed by humans. In addition, they contain important compounds beneficial for health. During the last years, a broad spectrum of new cereal grain-derived products for dietary purposes emerged on the global food market. Special breeding programs aimed at cultivars utilizable for these new products have been launched for both the main sources of staple foods (such as rice, wheat, and maize) and other cereal crops (oat, barley, sorghum, millet, etc.). The breeding paradigm has been switched from traditional grain quality indicators (for example, high breadmaking quality and protein content for common wheat or content of protein, lysine, and starch for barley and oat) to more specialized ones (high content of bioactive compounds, vitamins, dietary fibers, and oils, etc.). To enrich cereal grain with functional components while growing plants in contrast to the post-harvesting improvement of staple foods with natural and synthetic additives, the new breeding programs need a source of genes for the improvement of the content of health benefit components in grain. The current review aims to consider current trends and achievements in wheat, barley, and oat breeding for health-benefiting components. The sources of these valuable genes are plant genetic resources deposited in genebanks: landraces, rare crop species, or even wild relatives of cultivated plants. Traditional plant breeding approaches supplemented with marker-assisted selection and genetic editing, as well as high-throughput chemotyping techniques, are exploited to speed up the breeding for the desired genotуpes. Biochemical and genetic bases for the enrichment of the grain of modern cereal crop cultivars with micronutrients, oils, phenolics, and other compounds are discussed, and certain cases of contributions to special health-improving diets are summarized. Correlations between the content of certain bioactive compounds and the resistance to diseases or tolerance to certain abiotic stressors suggest that breeding programs aimed at raising the levels of health-benefiting components in cereal grain might at the same time match the task of developing cultivars adapted to unfavorable environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Role of Selenium and Selenoproteins in Male Reproductive Function: A Review of Past and Present Evidences

Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izhar Hyder Qazi ◽  
Christiana Angel ◽  
Haoxuan Yang ◽  
Evangelos Zoidis ◽  
Bo Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Fertility ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Antioxidant Defense ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Male Reproductive Function ◽  
The Subject

Selenium (Se) is an important trace mineral having many essential roles at the cellular and organismal levels in animal and human health. The biological effects of Se are mainly carried out by selenoproteins (encoded by 25 genes in humans and 24 in mice). As an essential component of selenoproteins, Se performs structural and enzymic roles; in the latter context it is well known for its catalytic and antioxidative functions. Studies involving different animal models have added great value to our understanding regarding the potential implications of Se and selenoproteins in mammalian fertility and reproduction. In this review, we highlight the implications of selenoproteins in male fertility and reproduction followed by the characteristic biological functions of Se and selenoproteins associated with overall male reproductive function. It is evident from observations of past studies (both animal and human) that Se is essentially required for spermatogenesis and male fertility, presumably because of its vital role in modulation of antioxidant defense mechanisms and other essential biological pathways and redox sensitive transcription factors. However, bearing in mind the evidences from mainstream literature, it is also advisable to perform more studies focusing on the elucidation of additional roles played by the peculiar and canonical selenoproteins i.e., glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and selenoprotein P (SELENOP) in the male reproductive functions. Nevertheless, search for the elucidation of additional putative mechanisms potentially modulated by other biologically relevant selenoproteins should also be included in the scope of future studies. However, as for the implication of Se in fertility and reproduction in men, though a few clinical trials explore the effects of Se supplementation on male fertility, due to inconsistencies in the recruitment of subjects and heterogeneity of designs, the comparison of such studies is still complicated and less clear. Therefore, further research focused on the roles of Se and selenoproteins is awaited for validating the evidences at hand and outlining any therapeutic schemes intended for improving male fertility. As such, new dimensions could be added to the subject of male fertility and Se supplementation.

scholarly journals Exploitation of Agro-Industrial Waste as Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds for Aquaculture

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 843
Author(s):  
Nayely Leyva-López ◽  
Cynthia E. Lizárraga-Velázquez ◽  
Crisantema Hernández ◽  
Erika Y. Sánchez-Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Bodies Of Water

The agroindustry generates a large amount of waste. In postharvest, food losses can reach up to 50%. This waste represents a source of contamination of soil, air, and bodies of water. This represents a problem for the environment as well as for public health. However, this waste is an important source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, terpenes, and β-glucans, among others. Several biological activities have been attributed to these compounds; for example, antioxidant, antimicrobial, gut microbiota, and immune system modulators. These properties have been associated with improvements in health. Recently, the approach of using these bioactive compounds as food additives for aquaculture have been addressed, where it is sought that organisms, in addition to growing, preserve their health and become disease resistant. The exploitation of agro-industrial waste as a source of bioactive compounds for aquaculture has a triple objective—to provide added value to production chains, reduce pollution, and improve the well-being of organisms through nutrition. However, to make use of the waste, it is necessary to revalue them, mainly by determining their biological effects in aquaculture organisms. The composition of bioactive compounds of agro-industrial wastes, their biological properties, and their application in aquaculture will be addressed here.

scholarly journals A Next-Generation Risk Assessment Case Study for Coumarin in Cosmetic Products

2020 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 236-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria T Baltazar ◽  
Sophie Cable ◽  
Paul L Carmichael ◽  
Richard Cubberley ◽  
Tom Cull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Animal Testing ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Margin Of Safety

Abstract Next-Generation Risk Assessment is defined as an exposure-led, hypothesis-driven risk assessment approach that integrates new approach methodologies (NAMs) to assure safety without the use of animal testing. These principles were applied to a hypothetical safety assessment of 0.1% coumarin in face cream and body lotion. For the purpose of evaluating the use of NAMs, existing animal and human data on coumarin were excluded. Internal concentrations (plasma Cmax) were estimated using a physiologically based kinetic model for dermally applied coumarin. Systemic toxicity was assessed using a battery of in vitro NAMs to identify points of departure (PoDs) for a variety of biological effects such as receptor-mediated and immunomodulatory effects (Eurofins SafetyScreen44 and BioMap Diversity 8 Panel, respectively), and general bioactivity (ToxCast data, an in vitro cell stress panel and high-throughput transcriptomics). In addition, in silico alerts for genotoxicity were followed up with the ToxTracker tool. The PoDs from the in vitro assays were plotted against the calculated in vivo exposure to calculate a margin of safety with associated uncertainty. The predicted Cmax values for face cream and body lotion were lower than all PoDs with margin of safety higher than 100. Furthermore, coumarin was not genotoxic, did not bind to any of the 44 receptors tested and did not show any immunomodulatory effects at consumer-relevant exposures. In conclusion, this case study demonstrated the value of integrating exposure science, computational modeling and in vitro bioactivity data, to reach a safety decision without animal data.

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