Investigating the synergistic antibacterial effects of chlorogenic and p-coumaric acids on Shigella dysenteriae.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a well-known plant secondary metabolite exhibiting multiple physiological functions. The present study focused on screening for synergistic antibacterial combinations containing CGA. The combination of CGA and p-coumaric acid (pCA) exhibited remarkably enhanced antibacterial activity compared to that when administering the treatment only. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that a low-dose combination treatment could disrupt the Shigella dysenteriae cell membrane. A comprehensive analysis using nucleic acid and protein leakage assay, conductivity measurements, and biofilm formation inhibition experiments revealed that co-treatment increased the cell permeability and inhibited the biofilm formation substantially. Further, the polyacrylamide protein- and agarose gel-electrophoresis indicated that the proteins and DNA genome of Shigella dysenteriae severely degraded. Finally, the synergistic bactericidal effect was established for fresh-cut tomato preservation. This study demonstrates the remarkable potential of strategically selecting antibacterial agents with maximum synergistic effect and minimum dosage exhibiting excellent antibacterial activity in food preservation.

Exogenous p-coumaric acid treatment improves phenolic compounds biosynthesis of postharvest cherry tomatoes by regulating physiological metabolism.

To investigate the effect of p-coumaric acid (p-CA) on postharvest cherry tomatoes, breaker stage fruits were treated with p-CA to analyze the physiological metabolism during storage. The results showed that exogenous p-CA treatment improved the sensory quality of tomato fruits. Transcriptomics results indicated that 782 genes (339 up-regulated and 443 down-regulated) were differentially expressed between p-CA treated and control fruits. Results suggested that p-CA treatment regulated the synthesis of phenolic compounds and inhibited the fruit ripening through the pathways of mangiferic acid biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism. Key enzymes activities of the phenylpropane metabolic pathway of tomato fruits were increased, including phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL). In addition, the total phenols content, flavonoids content and antioxidant capacities of tomato fruits were improved with p-CA treatment. Overall, these findings showed that p-CA treatment could be a potential strategy for fruit and vegetable preservation.

Antihypertensive effect of a nanoemulsion of baccharis dracunculifolia leaves extract in sodium-dependent hypertensive rats.

Baccharis dracunculifolia (DC) is an important botanical source of Brazilian green propolis and have many compounds with potential antihypertensive activity. However, little is known about the specific antihypertensive properties of DC, or the mechanisms involved. Here we aimed to chemically characterise an ethanolic DC extract (eDC), test its antihypertensive properties and the involvement of neurogenic mechanisms using an animal model of salt-dependent hypertension. The chemical analysis of the eDC revealed the presence of many antihypertensive compounds. Administering the eDC in a nanoemulsion formulation (25 to 50 mg/kg) effectively normalised blood pressure in hypertensive rats. The result also suggested that neurogenic mechanisms are involved in the antihypertensive action of eDC. The treatment with p-coumaric acid (0.32 to 3 mg/kg), a polyphenol abundant in the eDC, produced no significant antihypertensive effect. The findings indicate that the eDC has antihypertensive properties, and that these effects may be mediated through neurogenic pressor mechanisms.

Biochar regulates the functions of keystone taxa to reduce p-coumaric acid accumulation in soil.

Introduction: Applying biochar (BC) to reduce toxic substance accumulation in soil, either through direct adsorption or modulation of the microbial community, has received considerable attention. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding how BC regulates microbial community structure and functions to mitigate toxic substance accumulation. Methods: We previously identified p-coumaric acid (p-CA) as a representative autotoxin in tobacco rhizosphere soil. On this basis, this study simulated a soil environment with p-CA accumulation to investigate the impacts of BC on p-CA, soil physicochemical properties, and microbial community structure and function. Results: The results showed that p-CA could be directly adsorbed onto BC, which followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R 2 = 0.996). A pot experiment revealed that BC significantly reduced soil p-CA, altered soil microbial composition, and enhanced bacterial community diversity. A weighted correlation network analysis showed a close association between taxon 1 in the microbial network and p-CA, suggesting a pivotal role for this taxon in reducing p-CA, with Devosia and Nocardioides identified as potential key contributors to this process. The prediction of possible keystone taxa functions showed that BC increased the relative abundances of aromatic compound degraders. Mantel tests indicated that soil organic matter exerted the greatest influence on keystone taxa functions and hub genera. Discussion: These findings suggest that BC may either directly chemisorb p-CA or indirectly facilitate p-CA degradation by regulating the functioning of keystone taxa. The results of this study provide a novel perspective for further investigation of the mechanisms through which BC reduces the accumulation of toxic substances in soil.

Anti-Melanogenic Potential of Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) in Human Melanoma Cells with Oxidative Stress Suppression and Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Basella alba has been used in Thai remedies to treat skin disorders, but scientific evidence supporting its efficacy is currently limited. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of B. alba extracts on melanin production using melanoma cells, as well as their impact on oxidative stress and inflammation in keratinocytes. The results demonstrate that B. alba extracts inhibited melanin content and cellular tyrosinase activity in 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)-induced melanoma cells by downregulating MITF and the pigmentary genes TYR, TRP-1, and DCT. Interestingly, the MITF regulator gene was inhibited by both the 50% and 95% ethanolic extracts of B. alba with levels of 0.97 ± 0.19 and 0.92 ± 0.09 of the control, respectively, which are comparable to those observed in the arbutin treatment group at 0.84 ± 0.05 of the control. Moreover, after hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure, pretreatment with B. alba reduced lipid peroxidation byproducts and increased the levels of antioxidant-related genes, including SOD-1, GPX-1, and NRF2. Notably, the suppression of the POMC promoter gene in keratinocytes was observed, which may disrupt melanogenesis in melanocytes involving the MC1R signaling pathway. MC1R mRNA expression decreased in the treatments with 50% and 95% ethanolic extracts of B. alba, with relative levels of 0.97 ± 0.18 and 0.90 ± 0.10 of the control, respectively, similar to the arbutin-treated group (0.88 ± 0.25 of control). A significant reduction in nitric oxide was also observed in the B. alba-treated groups, along with a decrease in genes associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-6, and COX-2. These findings suggest that B. alba has potential in the prevention of skin-related problems.

In vitro anthelmintic activity and colocalization analysis of hydroxycinnamic acids obtained from Chamaecrista nictitans against two Haemonchus contortus isolates.

This study assessed the in vitro anthelmintic activity of ethyl acetate extract (Cn-EtOAc) and its bioactive fractions (CnR3 and CnR5) obtained from Chamaecrista nictitans aerial parts against two Haemonchus contortus (Hc) isolates, one resistant (strain HcIVM-R) and another susceptible (strain HcIVM-S) to ivermectin. Ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were identified in the bioactive fractions; therefore, their commercial standards were also assessed. A colocalization analysis between the ferulic acid commercial standard and eggs of the HcIVM-R strain was performed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and the ImageJ program. The ovicidal effects of the Cn-EtOAc extract, bioactive fractions and commercial compounds were tested through the egg hatching inhibition (EHI) assay on H. contortus isolates HcIVM-R and HcIVM-S. The Cn-EtOAc caused 88 % and 92 % EHI at 5000 µg/mL on HcIVM-R and HcIVM-S, respectively. Fractions CnR3 and CnR5 displayed the highest ovicidal activity against HcIVM-S, with effective concentrations (EC90) of 2134 and 601 µg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, the commercial standards ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid also resulted in higher effectiveness on the same strain, with EC90 of 57.5 and 51.1 µg/mL. A colocalization analysis of ferulic acid and eggs of HcIVM-R revealed that this compound is localized to the cuticle surface of the embryo inside the egg parasite. The results demonstrated that both ferulic and p-coumaric acids interrupt the egg-hatching processes of the two Hc isolates. Both phenolic acids isolated from C. nictitans and commercial standards exhibited the best anthelmintic effect on HcIVM-S. These findings indicate that the phenolic acids were less effective in egg hatch inhibiting on the HcIVM-R strain compared to the HcIVM-S strain.

The effect of plum extracts and antioxidants on reduction of ethyl carbamate in plum liqueur.

Stone-fruit liqueurs contain high contents of the carcinogen ethyl carbamate (EC). In this study, we investigated the effect of plum fruit extract and single antioxidants present in plum fruit extracts on the reduction in the EC content during the macerating process in a plum liqueur model system and authentic plum liqueur. 30% ethanol model plum liqueur treated with 0.2% plum extract showed the lowest EC content with 55% reduction rate after the macerating process compared to the content in the control. Interestingly, neither 0.1% ascorbic acid nor 0.1% p-coumaric acid lowered the EC contents in the model liqueur, while they decreased the EC contents in authentic plum liqueur. This was possibly attributed to the synergistic effect of the plum fruit phenolics with the ascorbic acid and p-coumaric acid antioxidants. Thus, plum extracts can be applied to plum liqueurs to reduce the rate of EC formation. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01585-1.

Effects of grass species and harvest date on cell wall components and feed efficiency of dairy cows.

There is a balance between DM yield and feed value when choosing types of grasses on a farm depending on the acreages of farmland and types of ruminants to be fed. Therefore, optimisation of the harvest strategy for grass silage is important for profitable dairy farming. Tall fescue has high DM yield and can replace traditional grasses, such as timothy, in Northern Europe in a changing climate as it has been shown to be more drought tolerant. As differences in climate responses previously have been related to differences in cell wall structure between grass species and, consequently, in digestibility, it is highly relevant to compare these species at similar maturity stages and to investigate if a very early harvest date will diminish potential differences between the species. This study evaluated the effects of harvest date and forage species on the concentration of hydroxycinnamic acids in silages and its relationship to feed efficiency of dairy cows. Tall fescue and timothy were harvested at very early date on May 25 or at early date on May 31 in the spring growth cycle. Forty lactating dairy cows were used in a block design. Cows received 1 of 4 treatments: (1) tall fescue harvested at very early date, (2) timothy harvested at very early date, (3) tall fescue harvested at early date, and (4) timothy harvested at early date. Diets were formulated to have the same forage-to-concentrate ratio (49:51 on DM basis). Tall fescue silages showed greater concentrations of DM, ash, and CP than timothy silages. Grasses harvested at early date showed greater concentrations of NDF, ADL, and cell wall than grasses harvested at very early date. Tall fescue silages showed greater concentration of p-coumaric acid and lower in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) compared to timothy silages. Milk production and composition were not affected by treatments but cows fed tall fescue-based diets showed lower milk protein yield and greater milk urea nitrogen than when timothy-based diets were fed. Furthermore, cows receiving timothy-based diets showed greater feed efficiency compared to cows receiving tall fescue-based diets. Thus, the lower concentration of p-coumaric acid and the higher IVOMD was associated with greater feed efficiency of cows fed timothy-based diets compared to tall fescue-based diets.

Poly(p-coumaric acid) nanoparticles alleviate temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis by inhibiting chondrocyte ferroptosis.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are key drivers of osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis and disease progression. Herein we report the synthesis of poly(p-coumaric) nanoparticles (PCA NPs) from p-courmaic acid (p-CA), a naturally occurring phytophenolic acid, to be a multifunctional and drug-free therapeutic for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). Compared to hyaluronic acid (HA) that is clinically given as viscosupplementation, PCA NPs exhibited long-term efficacy, superior anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in alleviating TMJOA and repairing the TMJ cartilage and subchondral bone in a rat model of TMJOA. Notably, TMJ repair mediated by PCA NPs could be attributed to their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in enhancing cell proliferation and matrix synthesis, while reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, matrix degradation, and chondrocyte ferroptosis. Overall, our study demonstrates a multifunctional nanoparticle, synthesized from natural p-coumaric acid, that is stable and possess potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties and ferroptosis inhibition, beneficial for treatment of TMJOA.

p-Coumaric Acid Differential Alters the Ion-Omics Profile of Chia Shoots under Salt Stress.

p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) is a phenolic compound that plays a crucial role in mediating multiple signaling pathways. It serves as a defense strategy against plant wounding and is also presumed to play a role in plant development and lignin biosynthesis. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and ionomic effect of p-CA on chia seedlings under salt stress. To this end, chia seedlings were supplemented with Nitrosol® containing 100 µM of p-CA, 100 of mM NaCI, and their combined (100 mM NaCI + 100 µM p-CA) solutions in 2-day intervals for a period of 14 days along with a control containing Nitrosol® only. The treatment of chia seedlings with 100 mM of NaCI decreased their growth parameters and the content of the majority of the essential macro-elements (K, P, Ca, and Mg), except for that of sodium (Na). The simultaneous application of p-CA and a salt stress treatment (p-CA + NaCI) alleviated the effect of salt stress on chia seedlings' shoots, and this was indicated by the increase in chia biomass. Furthermore, this combined treatment significantly enhanced the levels of the essential microelements Mg and Ca. In summary, this brief report is built on the foundational work of our previous study, which demonstrated that p-CA promotes growth in chia seedlings via activation of O2-. In this brief report, we further show that p-CA not only promotes growth but also mitigates the effects of salt stress on chia seedlings. This mitigation effect may result from the presence of Mg and Ca, which are vital nutrients involved in regulating metabolic pathways, enzyme activity, and amino acid synthesis.