Virgin coconut oil abrogates depression-associated cognitive deficits by modulating hippocampal antioxidant balance, GABAergic and glutamatergic receptors in mice

Objectives GABA and glutamate neurotransmission play critical roles in both the neurobiology of depression and cognition; and Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is reported to support brain health. The present study investigated the effect of VCO on depression-associated cognitive deficits in mice. Methods Thirty male mice divided into five groups were either exposed to chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS) protocol for 28 days or pre-treated with 3 mL/kg b. wt. of VCO for 21 days or post-treated with 3 mL/kg b. wt. of VCO for 21 days following 28 days of CUMS exposure. Mice were subjected to behavioural assessments for depressive-like behaviours and short-term memory, and thereafter euthanised. Hippocampal tissue was dissected from the harvested whole brain for biochemical and immunohistochemical evaluations. Results Our results showed that CUMS exposure produced depressive-like behaviours, cognitive deficits and altered hippocampal redox balance. However, treatment with VCO abrogated depression-associated cognitive impairment, and enhanced hippocampal antioxidant concentration. Furthermore, immunohistochemical evaluation revealed significant improvement in GABAA and mGluR1a immunoreactivity following treatment with VCO in the depressed mice. Conclusions Therefore, findings from this study support the dietary application of VCO to enhance neural resilience in patients with depression and related disorders.

Synergy of the Inhibitory Action of Polyphenols Plus Vitamin C on Amyloid Fibril Formation: Case Study of Human Stefin B

In order to study how polyphenols and vitamin C (vitC) together affect protein aggregation to amyloid fibrils, we performed similar in vitro studies as before using stefin B as a model and a potentially amyloid-forming protein (it aggregates upon overexpression, under stressful conditions and some progressive myoclonus epilepsy of tape 1—EPM1-missense mutations). In addition to the chosen polyphenol, this time, we added a proven antioxidant concentration of 0.5 mM vitC into the fibrillation mixture and varied concentrations of resveratrol, quercetin, and curcumin. Synergy with vitC was observed with curcumin and quercetin.

Quality Evaluation of Indoor-Grown Microgreens Cultivated on Three Different Substrates

The microgreens are innovative products in the horticultural sector. They are appreciated by consumers thanks to their novelty and health-related benefits, having a high antioxidant concentration. This produce can be adopted for indoor production using hydroponic systems. The aim of the present work was to investigate the influence of three growing media (vermiculite, coconut fiber, and jute fabric) on yield and quality parameters of two basil varieties (Green basil—Ocimum basilicum L., Red basil—Ocimum basilicum var. Purpurecsens) and rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) as microgreens. Microgreens were grown in floating, in a Micro Experimental Growing (MEG®) system equipped with LED lamps, with modulation of both energy and spectra of the light supplied to plants. Results showed high yield, comprised from 2 to 3 kg m−2. Nutritional quality varied among species and higher antioxidant compounds were found in red basil on vermiculite and jute. Coconut fiber allowed the differentiation of crop performance in terms of sucrose and above all nitrate. In particular, our results point out that the choice of the substrate significantly affected the yield, the dry matter percentage and the nitrate concentration of microgreens, while the other qualitative parameters were most influenced by the species.

HPLC ANALYSIS OF PHENOLS OF SLOVENIAN RED WINES: CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND MERLOT

In this study, HPLC-DAD rapid analysis of phenols in wine samples was performed. The recording was performed at different wavelengths: phenolic acid (254nm), flavan-3-ols and stilbene (280nm), flavonoids (340nm) and anthocyanins (520nm). In selected wines, the concentrations of the following compounds were determined and expressed in mg/l of wine. The isolated derivatives were: hydroxybenzoic acids, derivatives of caffeic, ferulic, syringic, and vanillic acids, catechin (flavanol), rutin, myricetin and quercetin (flavonols), and the stilbene derivative-resveratrol. The properties and quantities of phenolic compounds in organic wines were investigated. The results show the content of phenolic compounds in organic wines do not differ qualitatively and quantitatively from those in conventional wines. Wine samples have shown good antioxidative activity according to both DPPH and FRAP analysis, which indicates the good antioxidative potential and high antioxidant concentration in tested wines. Cabernet Sauvignon wines have shown better radical scavenging activity than Merlot, especially when the DPPH test was considered.

Acute aggressive behavior perturbates the oxidative status of a wild bird independently of testosterone and progesterone

Aerobically demanding activities like aggression can lead to an elevated oxidative metabolism affecting the concentration of pro-oxidant and antioxidant compounds and can result in an overall perturbation of the oxidative status. Aggression may also alter the oxidative status indirectly through an increase in testosterone and progesterone concentrations. Given that changes in the oxidative status could represent a physiological cost of aggression, we tested the hypothesis that acute conspecific aggression impairs the oxidative status and evaluated the role of testosterone and progesterone as potential mediators. To achieve this, we experimentally manipulated the aggressive behavior of wild female and male birds and measured the concentrations of pro-oxidants, enzymatic- and non-enzymatic antioxidants, testosterone and progesterone in blood. After 20 minutes of conspecific aggressive behavior, both sexes had lower concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants than control individuals. This effect was independent of testosterone and progesterone concentrations, and much stronger in females than in males. Further, only in females (but not in males) being more aggressive came at the expense of lower antioxidant concentration. We provide the first experimental evidence that acute aggressive behavior perturbates the oxidative state of a wild vertebrate independently of testosterone and progesterone, with potential ecological and evolutionary implications given the role of the redox system in shaping life-history traits.

Efficiency of DPPH and FRAP assays for estimating antioxidant activity and separation of organic acids and phenolic compounds by liquid chromatography in fresh-cut nectarine

Nectarine contain relevant amounts of antioxidants, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, anthocyanins, procyanidins, and carotenoids. The aim of this research was to compare the efficiency of DPPH and FRAP assays to estimate antioxidant activities contents in nectarine minimally processed. Moreover, separation of organic acids, phenolic compounds and carotenoids were done by HPLC. Nectarine fruits ‘R48’ cv. were hand harvested, with 80% of their reddish coloration. The following treatments were applied: Control; 1% citric acid + 1% calcium chloride as anti-browning (AB) agent; 4 KJ m-2 UV-C radiation; 8 KJ m-2 UV-C; 12 KJ m-2 UV-C ; AB +  95 kPa O2 (High O2); AB + 4 KJ m-2 UV-C + High O2; AB + 8 kJ m-2 UV-C + High O2 and AB + 12 KJ m-2 UV-C + High O2. We determined antioxidant activity to DPPH; antioxidant activity to FRAP; total phenols and HPLC-DAD analyses. In general the DPPH showed higher efficiency of antioxidant concentration in comparison with FRAP in minimally processed nectarines. There was clear trend in phenolic content in fresh-cut nectarine the treatment AB + 8 kJ m-2UV-C + High O2. The 22 minimally processed nectarine phenolic compounds were studied and quantified by HPLC, being detected: Hydroxycinnamates, flavonols, and anthocyanins. These results allow to conclude that the most abundant compounds found in this study of fresh-cut nectarine were chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and ellagic acid with HPLC chromatograms were recorded at 280 nm, quercentin 3-galactoside, quercetin 3- Xyloside at 340nm and Cyanidin 3- glucoside at 510nm.

Pengaruh pemberian minuman lidah buaya terhadap kadar antioksidan total dan persentase lemak tubuh pada sindrom metabolik

Background: Metabolic syndrome is related to glucose metabolism disturbance (hyperglycemia), lipid (dyslipidemia), high blood pressure, and central obesity. Metabolic syndrome implicates to heart attack, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and death. Aloe vera, well known rich of polyphenol and vitamin, has a pharmacological effect to improve insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress.Objective: To prove the effect of Aloe vera-based drink toward total antioxidant concentration improvement and body fat percentage reduction in metabolic syndrome subjects.Methods: Thus study was pre-post randomized true experimental study with control group design. The subjects were divided by 2 groups, treatment group (n=19) and control group (n=19). Treatment group was given 165 g/d Aloe vera-based drink for 30 days. Both of groups were given nutrition education about metabolic syndrome management. Total antioxidant concentration and body fat percentage were assessed pre-post-test by ABTS and BIA respectively, while food intake and activity were assessed by 24-h recall and GPAQ respectively. Independent t-test and Mann Whitney test were used to compare before and after treatment between control and treatment group.Results: Total antioxidant concentration significantly improved (p=0.00) in treatment group from 1.2 to 2.0 mmol/L, while total antioxidant concentration decreased from 1.4 to 1.3 mmol/L (p=0.074) in this control group. Moreover, there was significant difference of total antioxidant between treatment and control groups in the end of study (p=0.00). Furthermore, body fat percentage was reduced significantly from 32.8 to 32,4 mmol/L (p=0.005) in treatment group, while the reduction of body fat percentage in control group was not significant from 33.1 to 33,4 mmol/L (p=0.100). There was no difference of body fat percentage between two groups after intervention (p=0.358).Conclusion: Aloe vera-based drink improved total antioxidant concentration in metabolic syndrome subjects.