Supplementation with sesame oil suppresses genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and enterotoxicity induced by sodium arsenite in rats.

BACKGROUND: Sesame oil, an edible essential oil, is known to be rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and lignans with several reported health-promoting benefits. Acute arsenic poisoning produces toxic hepatitis, bone marrow depression and adverse gastrointestinal responses. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of sesame seed oil (SSO) against genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and colonic toxicity induced by sodium arsenite (SA) in Wistar rats. METHODS: Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into four groups: control, SA only (2.5 mg/kg), SA + SSO (4 ml/kg) and SSO alone for eight consecutive days. Liver function and morphology, bone marrow micronuclei induction, colonic histopathology, mucus production and immune expression of Bcl-2, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MUC1 and cytokeratins AE1/AE3 were evaluated. RESULTS: SA provoked increased serum activities of liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and caused severely altered morphology of hepatic and colonic tissues with increased frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MnPCEs/1000PCE) in the bone marrow. In addition, SA triggered increased expression of colonic CEA and MUC1 but weak Bcl-2 immunoexpression. However, cotreatment with SSO demonstrated protective activities against SA-induced damage, as indicated by significantly reduced serum ALT and AST, fewer micronucleated bone marrow erythrocytes and well-preserved hepatic and colonic morphologies compared to the SA-treated rats. Furthermore, SSO protected the colonic mucosa by boosting mucus production, elevating anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression and reducing CEA expression. GC-MS analysis of SSO revealed that it was predominated by linoleic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, and tocopherols. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicated that SSO protected the liver, colon and bone marrow potentially via anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. The data suggest that sesame oil has potential therapeutic applications against chemical toxicities induced by arsenic.

Therapeutic Effectiveness of Sesame Preparations and its Bioactive Ingredients in Management of Cardiometabolic Syndrome in Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

AIM: This systematic review aimed to appraise and recapitulate all research investigations to elucidate the effects of Sesamum indicum preparations on managing the cardiometabolic syndrome of Diabetes mellitus (DM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in a Cochrane fashion and in compliance with the PRISMA checklist using the published academic works in PubMed/MEDLINE, WOS, SCOPUS, and EMBASE databases that were searched up to June 2021. Abstracts that met PICO criteria for qualitative studies were duplicate reviewed for data extraction to assess the quality and details of the study. RESULTS: Sesamum indicum preparations and its bioactive lignans, such as sesamin, sesamol, and pinoresinol, were found to possess anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-hypertensive, cardioprotective, and hepatoprotective effects both in patients with T2DM as well as in experimental animal models with T1DM and MetS. The incorporation of sesame oil as a natural adjuvant can be effective in improving vascular reactivity and aortic permeability, reproductive parameters, and diabetic nephropathy, as well as modification of anthropometry indices. Therefore, sesame oil and bioactive lignans as combination therapy with drugs can exhibit synergistic effects and provide a favorable preference in clinical settings. CONCLUSION: Sesame oil and lignans present in it act in a dose-dependent manner. The best dosage to improve risk biomarkers of patients with T2DM and MetS is 30-35 ml daily of sesame oil or inclusion of sesame oil in daily dietary patterns up to 30% of total energy for 8-12 weeks and/or 200 mg daily of sesamin supplementation for eight weeks.

Effects of sesame, canola and sesame-canola oils on body weight and composition in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, triple-blind, cross-over clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Recent investigations have proposed that sesame and canola oils might affect body fat distribution. The present study aimed to examine the effects of sesame, canola and sesame-canola (a blend of sesame and canola oils) oils on body weight and composition in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the context of a randomized, triple-blind, three-way, cross-over clinical trial. RESULTS: Eligible participants were randomized to replace their regular dietary oil with sesame oil (SO), canola oil (CO) and sesame-canola oil (SCO) (with 40% SO and 60% CO). Treatment periods lasted 9 weeks and were separated by 4-week wash-out periods. Body weight and composition were measured at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of each intervention phase. In total, 93 participants completed the study. After adjustment for confounders, within-period changes were observed following SO and CO intake for body weight (0.34 ± 0.16 kg and 0.33 ± 0.17 kg) and visceral fat (0.13 ± 0.06% and 0.13 ± 0.05%, P < 0.05), respectively. Body mass index was increased within SO intake (0.13 ± 0.05 kg m-2 , P = 0.031). All of the treatment oils resulted in reduced waist circumference and index of central obesity (P < 0.05). A significant difference in change values was observed for visceral fat between SCO (-0.14 ± 0.07%) and SO (0.12 ± 0.08%) treatment periods in females (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Sesame and canola oils might lead to a modest favorable body fat redistribution by reducing central adiposity, particularly in females; however, the changes were of little clinical importance. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

A combined in vivo and in vitro approach to evaluate the influence of linseed oil or sesame oil and their combination on innate immune competence and eicosanoid metabolism processes in common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of dietary pure linseed oil or sesame oil or a mixture on innate immune competence and eicosanoid metabolism in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Carp of 100.4 ±â€¯4.7 g were fed to satiation twice daily for 6 weeks with four diets prepared from three lipid sources (CLO; LO; SO; SLO). On day 42, plasma was sampled for immune parameter analyses, and kidney and liver tissues were dissected for gene expression analysis. On day 45, HKL and PBMCs from remaining fish were isolated and exposed to E. coli LPS at a dose of 10 µg/mL for 24 h. Results show that the SLO diet enhanced feed utilisation (P = 0.01), while no negative effects on growth or survival were observed in plant oil-fed fish compared to those fed a fish-oil based diet. Plant oil diets did not alter lysozyme and peroxidase activities or gene expression levels. Moreover, the diets did not affect the expression levels of some genes involved in eicosanoid metabolism processes (pla, pge2, lox5). Lys expression in HKL in vitro following exposure to LPS was up-regulated in LO-fed fish, while expression levels of pge2 were higher in SLO fish than in other groups (P < 0.05). The highest value for peroxidase activity in HKL exposed to LPS was found in the SLO-fed group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results indicate that dietary plant oils did not induce any negative effects on fish growth, survival, and immune competence status. Moreover, a dietary combination of SO and LO improved the feed utilisation efficiency and seemed more effective in inducing a better immunomodulatory response to LPS through a more active eicosanoid metabolism process.

Screening, purification, and characterization of an extracellular lipase from Aureobasidium pullulans isolated from stuffed buns steamers.

An extracellular lipase from Aureobasidium pullulans was obtained and purified with a specific activity of 17.7 U/mg of protein using ultrafiltration and a DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column. Characterization of the lipase indicated that it is a novel finding from the species A. pullulans. The molecular weight of the lipase was 39.5 kDa, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfonate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited its optimum activity at 40 °C and pH of 7. It also showed a remarkable stability in some organic solutions (30%, v/v) including n-propanol, isopropanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and hexane. The catalytic activity of the lipase was enhanced by Ca2+ and was slightly inhibited by Mn2+ and Zn2+ at a concentration of 10 mmol/L. The lipase was activated by the anionic surfactant SDS and the non-ionic surfactants Tween 20, Tween 80, and Triton X-100, but it was drastically inhibited by the cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Furthermore, the lipase was able to hydrolyze a wide variety of edible oils, such as peanut oil, corn oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame oil, and olive oil. Our study indicated that the lipase we obtained is a potential biocatalyst for industrial use.

Minor Constituents in Rice Bran Oil and Sesame Oil Play a Significant Role in Modulating Lipid Homeostasis and Inflammatory Markers in Rats.

The effects of feeding rats with groundnut oil (GNO), rice bran oil (RBO), and sesame oil (SESO) on serum lipids, liver lipids, and inflammatory markers were evaluated in rats. Male Wistar rats were fed with AIN-93 diet supplemented with 10 wt% of GNO, RBO, and SESO in the form of native (N) and minor constituent-removed (MCR) oils. Rats given RBO and SESO showed significant reduction in serum and liver lipids, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, cytokines in liver, and eicosanoids in leukocytes as compared with the rats given GNO and MCR oils. The rats fed with native oils of RBO and SESO showed an upregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and downregulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65. These effects of native oil were significantly compromised when rats were given MCR oils. In conclusion, the minor constituents significantly support the hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory properties of RBO and SESO.

Evaluation of White Sesame Seed Oil on Glucose Control and Biomarkers of Hepatic, Cardiac, and Renal Functions in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats with Chemically Induced Diabetes.

White sesame seed oil (WSSO) has been used in cooking and food preparations for centuries. It has many purported health benefits and may be a promising nutraceutical. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of WSSO on fasting blood glucose (GLU) and insulin (INS) in male Sprague-Dawley rats with chemically induced diabetes. A secondary aim was to explore other hematological biomarkers of hepatic, cardiac, and renal function. Sixty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into standard diet groups, normal control (NCON) (n = 21) and diabetic control (DCON) (n = 21), and a diabetic sesame oil (DSO) (n = 21) group, which were fed a diet containing 12% WSSO. Blood samples were analyzed at 0, 30, and 60 days. Differences between groups and across days were assessed with two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. At baseline, GLU and INS were similar in both diabetic groups, mean 248.4 ± 2.8 mg/dL and mean 23.4 ± 0.4 µU/mL, respectively. At 60 days, GLU was significantly (P < .05) higher in DCON (298.0 ± 2.3 mg/dL) compared with DSO (202.1 ± 1.0 mg/dL). INS showed similar favorable trends after WSSO supplementation. Consumption of WSSO significantly improved glucose control and other biomarkers of hepatic stress, as well as cardiac and renal health. WSSO may be a viable functional food to help reduce the detrimental effects of diabetes.

Effects of boiling and roasting on proximate composition, lipid oxidation, fatty acid profile and mineral content of two sesame varieties commercialized and consumed in Far-North Region of Cameroon.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of boiling and roasting on the proximate, lipid oxidation, fatty acid profile and mineral content of two sesame seeds varieties. The proximate composition was significantly affected (P<0.05) during treatments. The minerals of seeds roasting at 120°C for 10min were significantly decreased. The free fatty acids content of sesame oil after processing was significantly increased (P<0.05). Iodine and peroxide value were also affected by processing. Totox and p-Anisidine values were significantly increased during processing. The fatty acids composition a little modified during processing, and roasting at 180°C for 10min mostly affected the polyunsaturated fatty acids for all sesame varieties. C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 were quantitatively the most important fatty acids in sesame oil. Boiling appeared to be the best processing method for cooking the two sesame varieties concerning oxidative stability and fatty acid profile.

Oxidative stability of sesame and flaxseed oils and their effects on morphometric and biochemical parameters in an animal model.

BACKGROUND: Sesame and flaxseed oils, which are rich in essential n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, are widely consumed. We have determined the optical behavior with respect to the quality and identity of cold-pressed sesame and flaxseed oils. The effects of these oils and their combinations on metabolic parameters in animal models were also measured. RESULTS: Flaxseed oil emitted carotenoid fluorescence (500-650 nm), although it was more unstable than sesame oil, which had a larger induction period by the Rancimat method. The greater stability of sesame may be a result of the lower quantity of linolenic fatty acids. These oils were added to the feed of 56 rats, whereas animal fat was used for the control group. The sesame oil, flaxseed oil and sesame + flaxseed oils groups showed a significantly reduced adiposity index and blood glucose compared to the control group, whereas total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides were lower in flaxseed oil and sesame + flaxseed oils (P < 0.05). Sesame + flaxseed oils had reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein (P < 0.05), indicating an anti-atherogenic effect in this group. CONCLUSION: Sesame oil was more stable than flaxseed oil. In an animal model, the diets with polyunsaturated fat sources proportions of 1:1 n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, improved the metabolic parameters, implying cardioprotective effects. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Sesaminol Feeding on Brain Aß Accumulation in a Senescence-Accelerated Mouse-Prone 8.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the progressive accumulation of extracellular ß-amyloid (Aß) aggregates. Recently, the senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) model was highlighted as a useful model of age-related AD. Therefore, we used the SAMP8 mouse to investigate the preventive effects of sesame lignans on the onset of AD-like pathology. In preliminary in vitro studies, sesaminol showed the greatest inhibitory effect on Aß oligomerization and fibril formation relative to sesamin, sesamolin, and sesaminol triglucoside. Hence, sesaminol was selected for further evaluation in vivo. In SAMP8 mice, feed-through sesaminol (0.05%, w/w, in standard chow) administered over a 16 week period reduced brain Aß accumulation and decreased serum 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, an indicator of oxidative stress. Furthermore, sesaminol administration increased the gene and protein expression of ADAM10, which is a protease centrally involved in the non-amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein. Taken together, these data suggest that long-term consumption of sesaminol may inhibit the accumulation of pathogenic Aß in the brain.

Fatty acid profile of cheese from dairy goats fed a diet enriched with castor, sesame and faveleira vegetable oils.

The addition of vegetable oils to the diets of dairy goats is an alternative to supplemental feeding during the dry period and improves the lipid profile of milk and by-products. Cheeses were produced using milk from cross bred goats (Saanen×Alpina) fed diets enriched with 4% vegetable oil (faveleira, sesame or castor), the fatty acid profile of cheeses was studied. Supplementation with vegetable oils did not increase the total fat percentage of the cheese (p≥0.05) but did increase the percentage of CLA isomers, long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA); in addition, the index of desirable fatty acids (DFA--expressed as the sum of unsaturated fatty acids plus stearic acid) was increased for cheese made from milk from goats fed sesame or faveleira oil. Cheeses may have had increased percentages of cis-9,trans-11-CLA due to the supplementation of animal diets with vegetable oils rich in C18:2, such as faveleira and sesame oils. The fatty acid profile of goat cheese did not change significantly in response to the use of castor oil. Thus, the addition of sesame and faveleira oils to goat diets positively altered the fatty acid profile, which improved the nutritional characteristics of the fat present in goat cheese.

Analysis of expression sequence tags from a full-length-enriched cDNA library of developing sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum).

BACKGROUND: Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is one of the most important oilseed crops with high oil contents and rich nutrient value. However, genetic improvement efforts in sesame could not get benefit from molecular biology technology due to poor DNA and RNA sequence resources. In this study, we carried out a large scale of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) sequencing from developing sesame seeds and further conducted analysis on seed storage products-related genes. RESULTS: A normalized and full-length enriched cDNA library from 5 ~ 30 days old immature seeds was constructed and randomly sequenced, leading to generation of 41,248 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) which then formed 4,713 contigs and 27,708 singletons with 44.9% uniESTs being putative full-length open reading frames. Approximately 26,091 of all these uniESTs have significant matches to the counterparts in Nr database of GenBank, and 21,628 of them were assigned to one or more Gene ontology (GO) terms. Homologous genes involved in oil biosynthesis were identified including some conservative transcription factors regulating oil biosynthesis such as LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), PICKLE (PKL), WRINKLED1 (WRI1) and majority of them were found for the first time in sesame seeds. One hundred and 17 ESTs were identified possibly involved in biosynthesis of sesame lignans, sesamin and sesamolin. In total, 9,347 putative functional genes from developing seeds were identified, which accounts for one third of total genes in the sesame genome. Further analysis of the uniESTs identified 1,949 non-redundant simple sequence repeats (SSRs). CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided an overview of genes expressed during sesame seed development. This collection of sesame full-length cDNAs covered a wide variety of genes in seeds, in particular, candidate genes involved in biosynthesis of sesame oils and lignans. These EST sequences enriched with full length will contribute to comparative genomic studies on sesame and other oilseed plants and serve as an abundant information platform for functional marker development and functional gene study.

Ubiquitination of oleosin-H and caleosin in sesame oil bodies after seed germination.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed oil bodies are composed of triacylglycerols encapsulated by a monolayer of phospholipids embedded with three classes of proteins, oleosin, caleosin and steroleosin. Among proteins extracted from sesame oil bodies after germination, laddering bands higher than the original antigens were recognized by antibodies against oleosin-H (17 kDa) and caleosin (27 kDa), but not those against oleosin-L (15 kDa), steroleosin-A (39 kDa) and steroleosin-B (41 kDa). Regardless the original antigens, the lowest but relatively abundant laddering band (32 kDa) detected by antibodies against oleosin-H and that (42 kDa) detected by antibodies against caleosin were eluted from SDS-PAGE gels, and then subjected to mass spectrometric analyses. The results showed that the 32 kDa and 42 kDa bands were ubiquitinated oleosin-H and caleosin, respectively. The ubiquitination was further confirmed by immunological detection using antibodies against ubiquitin. Ubiquitination sites were found at three lysine residues (130, 143 and 145) of oleosin-H and two lysine residues (165 and 235) of caleosin. Two ubiquitination sites of oleosin-H, Lys(143) and Lys(145), were located in the extra 18-residue segment found only in oleosin-H, but not oleosin-L isoforms.

Comparative antilipidemic effect of N-acetylcysteine and sesame oil administration in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing number of novel antilipidemic therapies under consideration. The putative hypolipidemic effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sesame oil was studied in a mouse model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Male C57bl/6 mice were assigned to the following groups: (NC) control group, (HC) group receiving test diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for 8 weeks, (HCN) group receiving the test diet with NAC supplementation (230 mg/kg p.o.) and (HCS) group fed the test diet enriched with 10% sesame oil. Total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were assayed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Total peroxides and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured in the serum at the end of the experiment. Hepatic and aortic lesions were evaluated by haematoxylin-eosin staining. RESULTS: Higher serum levels of total and LDL-cholesterol were recorded in all groups fed the high cholesterol diet. The HCN group presented reduced lipid levels compared to HC and HCS groups. No differences were observed between HCS and HC groups. Peroxide content in serum was markedly increased in mice consuming high cholesterol diet. NAC and sesame oil administration led to a significant decrease of serum lipid peroxidation in the levels of control group, whereas only NAC restored NO bioavailability. In terms of liver histology, the lesions observed in HCN group were less severe than those seen in the other high cholesterol groups. CONCLUSION: Co-administration of NAC, but not sesame oil, restored the disturbed lipid profile and improved hepatic steatosis in the studied diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice. Both agents appear to ameliorate serum antioxidant defense.

Variations of water uptake, lipid consumption, and dynamics during the germination of Sesamum indicum seed: a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic investigation.

Germination in sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) in water and in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) solution is investigated with magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, supplemented by liquid state NMR spectroscopy. The spectra show good resolution and can be assigned with sufficient confidence. The characteristic spectral peaks and relaxation rates were monitored during the entire course of germination for better understanding of the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms involved in the triphasic water uptake of the seed. A highly positive correlation is found between water uptake and lipid consumption during germination. No significant variation is observed in the relaxation times for the lipid protons during the first two stages of triphasic water uptake, while evident differences are observed for water proton relaxation rates in all stages. Although the total amount of water uptake is largely not changed as a result of IAA, the addition of IAA in seed-germination medium has shown some prominent effects on the germination process, e.g, it suppresses lipid consumption and water mobility, and it reduces the longitudinal and transverse relaxation times of lipid protons and causes a more scattered range for these parameters.

Use of high resolution LC-MSn analysis in conjunction with mechanism-based stress studies: identification of asarinin, an impurity from sesame oil in an animal health product.

During analysis of certain stability batches of an animal health product, an unknown peak was found at a level above the identification thresholds set by VICH. This unknown species is extremely labile in the gas phase under normal electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometric condition. Multiple ions were detected with no clear indication of which one is the molecular ion. To overcome this challenge, we utilized tandem MS/MS analysis and multiple MS instruments. The slightly different ionization processes between the two different instruments provided strong, complementary evidence leading to the identification of the correct molecular ion. Based on the formula thus determined, the unknown species was found to be related to sesame oil, which is one of the major excipients used in this drug product. The unknown species was eventually identified as asarinin using high resolution LC-MSn in conjunction with mechanism-based stress studies, in which the unknown species was generated based on the degradation chemistry of sesamin as revealed by the LC-MSn analysis. This overall approach in combining LC-MSn analysis along with mechanism-based stress studies can be used as a general strategy for identification of unknown pharmaceutical impurities, especially the degradants related to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and excipients.

Antioxidant response in sesame plants grown on industrially contaminated soil: effect on oil yield and tolerance to lipid peroxidation.

The plants of sesame white (Sesamum indicum L. var. T55) grown on tannery sludge (TS) contaminated soil have shown that Cr level in the seeds was found below detection limits in 10% and 25% TS, however, the levels of Ni, Pb and Cd were found above the recommended limits. In roots, the level of antioxidants increased in the plants grown upto 35% TS at 30d over their respective controls. Total chlorophyll content increased significantly (p<0.5) in the plants (leaves) grown on lower sludge amendments (upto 35% TS at 30d and 25% TS at 60d) over their respective controls. In addition, the oil content increased (35% increase over control) in the plants grown on 35% TS. No significant change was observed in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), a lipid peroxidation index, in the plants (upto 50% TS). The number of trichomes in the leaves of treated plants was found more than control. In lower and upper leaves surfaces, the anterior end of the trichomes was found acute tipped and bent downwards, whereas, the trichome tip was straight and blunt in control. The stomata on upper and lower surfaces of the leaves were found partially or totally closed in the plants grown on 100% TS as compared to control. The toxicity was observed at higher amendments which are evident from the observed morphological changes and decrease in chlorophyll content. This study concludes that it is not advisable to grow the plants on contaminated area, besides its healthy growth.

Phytase production by a thermophilic mould Sporotrichum thermophile in solid state fermentation and its potential applications.

Phytase production by a thermophilic mould Sporotrichum thermophile Apinis was investigated in solid state fermentation (SSF) using sesame oil cake as the substrate. Scanning electron microscopy of the fermented sesame oil cake revealed a dense growth of the mould with abundant conidia. Glucose, ammonium sulphate and incubation period were identified as the most significant factors by Plackett-Burman design. The optimum values of the critical components determined by central composite design of response surface methodology for the maximum phytase production were glucose 3%, ammonium sulphate 0.5% and incubation period 120 h. An overall 2.6-fold improvement in phytase production was achieved due to optimization. Highest enzyme production (348.76 U/g DMR) was attained at a substrate bed depth of 1.5 cm in enamel coated metallic trays. The enzyme liberated inorganic phosphate from wheat flour and soymilk with concomitant dephytinization and liberation of soluble inorganic phosphate.

Morphological observations on a lipid-based drug delivery system during in vitro digestion.

The in vitro digestion of a self nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was visualized by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM). The dynamic lipolysis model, simulating the environment of the gastrointestinal tract in fasted conditions, was used for this purpose. The results revealed that micelles are present during the entire lipolysis process. Oil droplets from the self nano-emulsifying drug delivery system are transformed to spherical or elongated unilamellar vesicles as lipolysis progresses. Low numbers of bilamellar and open vesicles were detected. After 50% hydrolysis a decrease in the number of unilamellar vesicles and oil droplets was observed. Furthermore, the electrical properties of the oil droplets were investigated by measuring their zeta-potential values as a function of time. An increase (in absolute values) to the zeta-potential of the hydrolyzing SNEDDS droplets observed versus time implying (binding or incorporation) of the micelles to the surface. The current data emphasize that Cryo-TEM combined with the in vitro dynamic lipolysis model can offer useful information on the formation of the various colloid phases during in vitro digestion of lipid-based formulations. Furthermore, it can provide a better understanding of the in vivo behavior of these systems, as well the solubilization of lipophilic drug compounds, offering new insights for designing and optimizing oral lipid-based formulations and possibly predicting their in vivo behavior. Such methodology can be a useful tool for the strategic development of lipid-based formulations.

Quantitative NMR analysis of a sesamin catechol metabolite in human urine.

Sesamin, the major sesame oil lignan, is recognized for its health-promoting effects, including the lowering of cholesterol and elevation of gamma-tocopherol in rats and humans. However, little is known about the absorption and metabolism of sesamin in humans. In this study, 6 healthy volunteers took a single dose of sesame oil (508 micromol sesamin) and their urine was collected for four 12-h periods. The urine samples were treated with beta-glucuronidase/sulphatase and extracted with chloroform. The major urinary sesamin metabolite in the chloroform extract was collected using HPLC diode array detector and characterized as (1R,2S,5R,6S)-6-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo-[3,3,0]octane using NMR and mass spectroscopy. A quantitative (1)H-NMR technique, based on the methylenedioxyphenyl protons signal (delta 5.91), was used for the quantification of the metabolite in the chloroform extracts of urine. The excretion of the sesamin catechol metabolite ranged from 22.2 to 38.6% (mean +/- SD, 29.3 +/- 5.6) of the ingested dose and happened mainly in the 1st 12 h after ingestion.