Biological Effects of XyloCore, a Glucose Sparing PD Solution, on Mesothelial Cells: Focus on Mesothelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Inflammation and Angiogenesis

Glucose-based solutions remain the most used osmotic agents in peritoneal dialysis (PD), but unavoidably they contribute to the loss of peritoneal filtration capacity. Here, we evaluated at a molecular level the effects of XyloCore, a new PD solution with a low glucose content, in mesothelial and endothelial cells. Cell viability, integrity of mesothelial and endothelial cell membrane, activation of mesothelial and endothelial to mesenchymal transition programs, inflammation, and angiogenesis were evaluated by several techniques. Results showed that XyloCore preserves mesothelial and endothelial cell viability and membrane integrity. Moreover XyloCore, unlike glucose-based solutions, does not exert pro-fibrotic, -inflammatory, and -angiogenic effects. Overall, the in vitro evidence suggests that XyloCore could represent a potential biocompatible solution promising better outcomes in clinical practice.

QUALITY AND SENSORIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED PLUM (CV. SANTA ROSA) WITH SYRUPS OF SUGAR AND HONEY

Osmotic dehydration is becoming more popular as a complementary treatment in the processing of dehydrated foods, since it presents some advantages such as minimising heat damage to the colour and flavour, inhibiting enzymatic browning and reduce energy costs.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of sugar and honey syrups as osmotic agents in the dehydration of plum.Plum fruits were dipped in different concentration (40, 50, 60 and 700Brix) of sugar and honeyfor the preparation of osmotically dehydrated plum followed by packing in LDPE bags. The processed product was stored at ambient conditions and subjected to chemical and sensory evaluationat an interval of one month for a period of three months. With the advancement of storage period, a decreasing trend was observed in moisture, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin.The osmotically dehydrated plum prepared from the treatment T9 (700Brix honey syrup) adjudged as the superior on the basis of colour, texture and taste, respectively. The study concluded better retention of osmotically dried plum prepared with 700Brix honey while as control resulted in greater loss of nutrients.

Nanosuspension as Promising and Potential Drug Delivery: A Review

In the last decade, nanosuspensions have gained considerable interest as a method for formulating poorly soluble drugs. Because of their cost-effectiveness and technological simplicity compared to liposomes and other colloidal drug carriers, nanoscale systems have recently received a lot of attention as a way of solving problems of solubility. Nanosuspensions are biphasic systems comprising of pure drug particles dispersed in an aqueous vehicle, stabilized by surface active agents. Fabrication of nanosuspension is simple and more advantageous than other approaches. Nanosuspension is a very finely single solid drug particle in an aqueous vessel, stabilized by surfactants for either oral or topical use or for parenteral and pulmonary administration, it can also be used for targeted drug delivery when incorporated in the ocular inserts and mucoadhesive hydrogels, with reduced particle size resulting in increased dissolution rate. This article covers the preparation of nanosuspension by bottom up technology, top down technology, melt emulsification, emulsification- solvent evaporation and supercritical fluid with their advantages and disadvantages, aspects of structure, classification and their drug delivery applications. Nanosuspension can be processed for the drugs which are of hydrophobic in nature quite easily employing stability enhancers, solvents that are of organic and additional ingredients including buffering agents, salts, PEG, osmotic agents and anti-freeze compounds.

Preparation Adlay and Black Sesame Seeds Extracts Using Osmotic Dehydration and Increasing the Stability of Extracts Using Encapsulation

Osmotic dehydration is an effective pretreatment method for preservation of herb, fruits and vegetables. This method can be conducted at low temperature so it can maintain the nutritional composition and food quality. In the present study, the effect of osmotic dehydration in 50, 60 and 70o Brix sugar solution at 40oC syrup temperature and drying air temperature (50, 60, 70 oC) on drying behavior of sample (adlay and black sesame seeds) were investigated before drying the sample and determined the percentage yield and total phenolic contents. All results from osmotic dehydration were compared with the soxhlet and maceration extraction methods. Among the three concentration of osmotic agents and drying temperature, percentage yield and total phenolic contents were higher at 70% concentration of osmotic agents and 60 oC air temperature which exhibited the total phenolic contents at 11.29±1.13 mg GAE/g extract and percentage yield of 4.36±0.34, respectively. From this osmotic dehydration, the surface morphologies of prepared bead containing sample had higher degree of surface smoothness and more spherical shape than non-sample bead and exhibited the encapsulation efficiency of micro-bead sample at 80.52 ± 0.36%.

Flavonoid enrichment of fresh-cut apple through osmotic dehydration-assisted impregnation

PurposeInclusion of bioactive compounds in food products is promising for developing novel functional food products. The feasibility of incorporating flavonoids and low-calorie sugar substitutes in fresh-cut apple through osmotic dehydration (OD) was investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe impregnation of quercetin and fisetin in apple cubes was tested. The effects of different osmotic agents, sucrose and sorbitol:mannose, on the water loss (WL) and sugar gain of the samples were studied at 25 and 40 °C for eight hours.FindingsTemperature was a significant factor in the mass transfer kinetics, that is to say, higher temperatures resulting in higher rates. The molecular weight of the solutes in the osmotic solution also affected the OD kinetics and flavonoids uptake, as well as the physico-chemical quality.Originality/valueOverall, the results indicate that OD using alternative low-calorie and health-promoting solutes can be an effective treatment to simultaneously enrich fresh-cut apples with senolytic flavonoids, therefore presenting a great potential for a novel functional food product.

Osmo-predried fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) leaf and its nutri-economic evaluation

Purpose Leafy vegetables are known to be highly perishable because of high moisture content, which had resulted in applications of different preservative methods. However, these methods were not without certain limitations during storage. Osmotic pre-dehydration had been proved to be a better alternative because of high retention and improvement in nutritional qualities and stability during storage. This study aims to investigate the osmotic pre-dehydration of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) leaves. Design/methodology/approach Fluted pumpkin (T. occidentalis) leaves were pre-dried using sucrose, corn syrup and sodium chloride solutions as osmotic agents, while unosmo-predried leaves were used as the control. Both osmo-predehydrated and unosmo-predried leaves were dried in a hot air oven, whereas the effect of the osmotic agents on the nutritional qualities was investigated using standard protocols. Findings There were significant differences (p-values ranged from 0.001 to 0.030) in the proximate compositions of samples. Osmo-predried leaves recorded higher mineral contents in Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn and Na. Osmotic pre-dehydration by NaCl had a significant effect (p = 0.02) on ascorbic acid. The amino acid profile of the oven-dried leaves (unosmo-predried) showed that histidine and cysteine recorded high amino acid scores of 120.42% and 135%, respectively. Threonine (43.73%) recorded the highest essential amino acid score (without histidine). The economic evaluation indicated the percentage cost index difference of leaves treated with NaCl as 2.08%, sucrose (11.19%) and corn syrup (16.43%). Originality/value The high proportion of beneficial elements such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and appreciable chemical compositions of the osmo-predried leaves compared to unpre-dried leaves proved osmotic pre-dehydration as a value-added technique for preservation of leafy vegetables. The best osmotic agent was sodium chloride. This process could be applied on a small scale for the development of self-entrepreneurs and home-scale industries.

EFEITO DA SALINIDADE NA GERMINAÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE PLÂNTULAS DE Ochroma pyramidale

No presente trabalho, foi avaliado o efeito da salinidade sobre a germinação de sementes e desenvolvimento pós-seminal de Ochroma pyramidale através de três agentes osmóticos (NaCl, CaCl2 e KCl), em dois experimentos. No primeiro, foi avaliado o estresse salino na germinação em esquema fatorial de 3 x 6, utilizando NaCl, CaCl2 e KCl, e seis potenciais osmóticos (0,0; -0,1; -0,2; -0,4; -0,6 e -0,8 MPa). No segundo experimento, estudou-se o crescimento inicial de plântulas, utilizando os mesmos agentes osmóticos, em quatro potenciais osmóticos (0,0; -0,1; -0,2 e -0,3 MPa), no delineamento inteiramente ao acaso esquema fatorial 3 x 4. O efeito da salinidade interferiu na germinação de sementes O. pyramidale, havendo redução à medida que os potenciais se tornaram mais negativos à produção de massa seca de plântula, percentual de germinação e velocidade do processo germinativo. No potencial osmótico de -0,8 MPa, ocorreu inibição total, evidenciando que o CaCl2 apresentou um efeito inibitório mais acentuado que o NaCl, seguido pelo KCl. No desenvolvimento de plantas, o NaCl provocou maior sensibilidade, comparando-se ao CaCl2 nos maiores potenciais osmóticos.Palavras-chave: Pau-de-balsa; germinabilidade; potencial osmótico; estresse salino. EFFECT OF SALINITY IN THE GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF Ochroma pyramidale SEEDLINGS ABSTRACT: In the present study, the effect of salinity on seed germination and post-seminal development of Ochroma pyramidale was evaluated through three osmotic agents (NaCl, CaCl2 and KCl) in two experiments. In the first experiment, salt stress in germination was evaluated in a factorial scheme 3 x 6, using NaCl, CaCl2 and KCl; and six osmotic potentials (0.0, -0.1, -0.2, -0.4, -0.6 and -0.8 MPa). In the second experiment, the initial development of plants, using the same osmotic agents, was studied in four osmotic potentials (0.0; -0.1; -0.2 and -0.3 MPa), in a completely randomized design 3 x 4 factorial scheme. The effect of salinity interfered on the germination of O. pyramidale seeds, with reduction as the potentials became more negative for the production of dry seedling mass, percentage of germination and germination speed. In the osmotic potential of -0.8 MPa, total inhibition occurred, evidencing that CaCl2 had a stronger inhibitory effect than NaCl, followed by KCl. In the development of plants, NaCl caused greater sensitivity when compared to CaCl2 in the highest osmotic potentials.Keywords: Pau-de-Balsa wood; germinability; osmotic potential; saline stress.