scholarly journals Biochemical Characterization of Cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål, 1775), Another Red Sea Jellyfish in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
Gianluca De De Rinaldis ◽  
Antonella Leone ◽  
Stefania De De Domenico ◽  
Mar Bosch-Belmar ◽  
Rasa Slizyte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Enzymatic Digestion ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Blue Growth ◽  
Jellyfish Species ◽  
Italian Coasts

Increasing frequency of native jellyfish proliferations and massive appearance of non-indigenous jellyfish species recently concur to impact Mediterranean coastal ecosystems and human activities at sea. Nonetheless, jellyfish biomass may represent an exploitable novel resource to coastal communities, with reference to its potential use in the pharmaceutical, nutritional, and nutraceutical Blue Growth sectors. The zooxanthellate jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda, Forsskål, 1775 (Cnidaria, Rhizostomeae) entered the Levant Sea through the Suez Canal and spread towards the Western Mediterranean to reach Malta, Tunisia, and recently also the Italian coasts. Here we report on the biochemical characterization and antioxidant activity of C. andromeda specimens with a discussion on their relative biological activities. The biochemical characterization of the aqueous (PBS) and hydroalcoholic (80% ethanol) soluble components of C. andromeda were performed for whole jellyfish, as well as separately for umbrella and oral arms. The insoluble components were hydrolyzed by sequential enzymatic digestion with pepsin and collagenase. The composition and antioxidant activity of the insoluble and enzymatically digestible fractions were not affected by the pre-extraction types, resulting into collagen- and non-collagen-derived peptides with antioxidant activity. Both soluble compounds and hydrolyzed fractions were characterized for the content of proteins, phenolic compounds, and lipids. The presence of compounds coming from the endosymbiont zooxanthellae was also detected. The notable yield and the considerable antioxidant activity detected make this species worthy of further study for its potential biotechnological sustainable exploitation.

scholarly journals Recent improvements in mesoscale characterization of the western Mediterranean Sea: synergy between satellite altimetry and other observational approaches

2013 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ananda Pascual ◽  
Jérôme Bouffard ◽  
Simón Ruiz ◽  
Bruno Buongiorno Nardelli ◽  
Enrique Vidal-Vijande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Satellite Altimetry ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea

Biochemical characterization of the venom of the coral snake Micrurus tener and comparative biological activities in the mouse and a reptile model

Toxicon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 6-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melisa Bénard-Valle ◽  
Alejandro Carbajal-Saucedo ◽  
Adolfo de Roodt ◽  
Estuardo López-Vera ◽  
Alejandro Alagón
Keyword(s):  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Coral Snake

scholarly journals Characterization of a Strain of Fukuyoa paulensis (Dinophyceae) from the Western Mediterranean Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aitor Laza-Martínez ◽  
Helena David ◽  
Pilar Riobó ◽  
Irati Miguel ◽  
Emma Orive
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea

scholarly journals Biochemical Characterization of a Flavonoid O-methyltransferase from Perilla Leaves and Its Application in 7-Methoxyflavonoid Production

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (19) ◽  
pp. 4455
Author(s):  
Hye Lin Park ◽  
Jae Chul Lee ◽  
Kyungha Lee ◽  
Jeong Min Lee ◽  
Hyo Jeong Nam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Modification ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biotechnological Production ◽  
Sequence Comparisons ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
Methyl Group ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Backbone Structure

Methylation is a common structural modification that can alter and improve the biological activities of natural compounds. O-Methyltransferases (OMTs) catalyze the methylation of a wide array of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, and are potentially useful tools for the biotechnological production of valuable natural products. An OMT gene (PfOMT3) was isolated from perilla leaves as a putative flavonoid OMT (FOMT). Phylogenetic analysis and sequence comparisons showed that PfOMT3 is a class II OMT. Recombinant PfOMT3 catalyzed the methylation of flavonoid substrates, whereas no methylated product was detected in PfOMT3 reactions with phenylpropanoid substrates. Structural analyses of the methylation products revealed that PfOMT3 regiospecifically transfers a methyl group to the 7-OH of flavonoids. These results indicate that PfOMT3 is an FOMT that catalyzes the 7-O-methylation of flavonoids. PfOMT3 methylated diverse flavonoids regardless of their backbone structure. Chrysin, naringenin and apigenin were found to be the preferred substrates of PfOMT3. Recombinant PfOMT3 showed moderate OMT activity toward eriodictyol, luteolin and kaempferol. To assess the biotechnological potential of PfOMT3, the biotransformation of flavonoids was performed using PfOMT3-transformed Escherichia coli. Naringenin and kaempferol were successfully bioconverted to the 7-methylated products sakuranetin and rhamnocitrin, respectively, by E. coli harboring PfOMT3.

Preliminary characterization of vasocontractile activities in erythrocytes

1980 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu T. Cheung ◽  
Michael P. McIlhany ◽  
Ramon Lim ◽  
Sean Mullan
Keyword(s):  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Contractile Activity ◽  
Clinical Situation ◽  
Enzymatic Digestion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exclusion Chromatography ◽  
Basilar Arteries ◽  
Peripheral Arterial

✓ The vasocontractile activities of washed red cell preparations hemolyzed by various methods were studied in vitro using isolated canine basilar arteries. Significant contractions were induced by each preparation. The maximum strength of contraction attained by the various preparations was similar. The contractile activity appeared to be dose-related, and molecular exclusion chromatography demonstrated that the activity migrated with the fraction of approximately 40,000 to 45,000 molecular weight. The vasocontractile effect of the active fraction was sustained in vitro when tested against basilar artery, but was inactive in peripheral arterial preparations. Preliminary biochemical characterization indicates that the contractile activity resides in a protein. Enzymatic digestion of the crude fraction appears to enhance the contractile activity significantly, and this observation suggests a possible mechanism for the delayed onset of ischemic symptoms encountered in the clinical situation.

scholarly journals Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Florinda Fratianni ◽  
Antonio d’Acierno ◽  
Donatella Albanese ◽  
Marisa Di Matteo ◽  
Raffaele Coppola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Prunus Armeniaca ◽  
Campania Region ◽  
Important Region ◽  
Phenolic Profiles ◽  
Β Carotene

Campania is the most important region of Italy in the apricot cultivation, present mostly in the Vesuvio area. At least to the best of our knowledge, no studies are reporting the biochemical characterization of the considerable number of traditional apricot varieties present on this territory, including the qualitative and quantitative profile of the polyphenols present. Our work evaluated the content of β-carotene, total phenolics, phenolic profiles, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity of 23 traditional varieties of apricots of the Campania region. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted that, in the two main groups, the antioxidant activity was strongly affected by the content of ascorbic acid (−0.89), or slightly affected by the content of total polyphenols (−0.67), respect to the content of ascorbic acid (−0.55), never by β-carotene. Chlorogenic acid (up to 55.07 μg g−1) and catechin (up to 96.15 μg g−1) resulted the most abundant polyphenols recognized through the chromatographic analysis. PCA, extended to the polyphenol profile, confirmed the distribution of the varieties in two large groups, evidencing once again the hierarchical distance of four varieties (“Panzona”, “Paolona” “Baracca” and “Boccucia Eboli”) compared to the others.

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