Identification of anthocyanic profile and determination of antioxidant activity of Dahlia pinnata petals: A potential source of anthocyanins.

In recent decades, the food industry has focused on the search for potential sources of anthocyanins that are able to provide color to replace synthetic dyes and at the same time provide health benefits through food products. Thus, in the present work, we propose the Dahlia pinnata flower as a potential source of anthocyanins. The dahlia is a native, annual flower from Mexico with a wide diversity of shapes and colors. The ancestral use of the flower in several dishes, its abundance, and the intense color of the flowers known as black make the D. pinnata flower a suitable candidate to be considered as a potential source of anthocyanins. Thus, the aim of this research is the determination of its nutritional composition, anthocyanin profile, and antioxidant activity. For this purpose, proximate composition of petals was determined by the AOAC standard methods. Anthocyanins were extracted from the dried petals of the flower with 0.1% HCl in methanol and 70% aqueous acetone solution and purified through Amberlite-XAD7-HP resin. Then, the purified extracts were analyzed for antioxidant activity by the DPPH method and the anthocyanin profile was characterized by HPLC and UPLC-MS/MS. Results showed that D. pinnata flowers have a proximate composition similar to other important edible flowers with a high level of moisture (87%-92%) and fiber (6%-7%). The antioxidant activity of both purified extracts was considerable (2.6-12 g/ml) compared to other sources of anthocyanins. The anthocyanin profile of the purified extracts contains four main anthocyanins: delphinidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-sambubioside-5-glucoside, and peonidin-3-sambubioside-5-glucoside, the last two being uncommon as major anthocyanin components in other plant sources. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We present a potential and novel source of anthocyanins based on anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of Dahlia pinnata petals. On the basis of UPLC-MS/MS studies, we identified four main anthocyanins, so this information provides the opportunity to study the source in many areas such as natural pigment stabilization, food additives, and antioxidants.

Identification of Genetic Variants of Human Papillomavirus in a Group of Mexican HIV/AIDS Patients and Their Possible Association with Cervical Cancer.

Infections caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) cause thousands of deaths worldwide each year. So far, there has been no consensus on whether there is a direct relationship between the incidence of neoplasms and the immunosuppression caused by HIV that could help understand if coinfection increases the likelihood of cervical cancer. The objective of the study was to identify the presence of genetic variants of HPV in a group of HIV-positive women and their possible association with cervical cancer. Cervical samples were taken from HIV-positive patients for cytological analysis to identify the HPV genotype by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. The most prevalent L1 capsid protein mutations in the HPV genotype were analyzed in silico. Various types of HPV were identified, both high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR). The most prevalent genotype was HPV51. Analysis of the L1 gene sequences of HPV51 isolates showed nucleotide variations. Of the samples analyzed in Puebla, Mexico, HPV51 had the highest incidence (17.5%, 7/40). Different mutations, which could be used as population markers, were detected in this area, and they have not been reported in the L1 databases for HPV51 in Mexico. Genotypes 6, 14, 86, 87, 89, and 91, not detected or reported in samples from patients with HPV in Mexico, were also identified. Data from the population analyzed suggest no direct relationship between HIV immunosuppression and cervical cancer, regardless of the high- or low-risk HPV genotype. Furthermore, it is possible to develop regional population markers for the detection of HPV based on the mutations that occur in the sequence of nucleotides analyzed.