2G-lactic acid from olive oil supply chain waste: olive leaves upcycling via Lactobacillus casei fermentation.

The transition towards a sustainable model, particularly the circular economy, emphasizes the importance of redefining waste as a valuable resource, paving the way for innovative upcycling strategies. The olive oil industry, with its significant output of agricultural waste, offers a promising avenue for high-value biomass conversion into useful products through microbial processes. This study focuses on exploring new, high-value applications for olive leaves waste, utilizing a biotechnological approach with Lactobacillus casei for the production of second-generation lactic acid. Contrary to initial expectations, the inherent high polyphenol content and low fermentable glucose levels in olive leaves posed challenges for fermentation. Addressing this, an enzymatic hydrolysis step, following a preliminary extraction process, was implemented to increase glucose availability. Subsequent small-scale fermentation tests were conducted with and without nutrient supplements, identifying the medium that yielded the highest lactic acid production for scale-up. The scaled-up batch fermentation process achieved an enhanced conversion rate (83.58%) and specific productivity (0.26 g/L·h). This research confirms the feasibility of repurposing olive waste leaves for the production of lactic acid, contributing to the advancement of a greener economy through the valorization of agricultural waste. KEY POINTS: • Olive leaves slurry as it did not allow L. casei to ferment. • High concentrations of polyphenols inhibit fermentation of L. casei. • Enzymatic hydrolysis combined to organosolv extraction is the best pretreatment for lactic acid production starting from leaves and olive pruning waste.

Design, synthesis, and biological investigation of selective human carbonic anhydrase II, IX, and XII inhibitors using 7-aryl/heteroaryl triazolopyrimidines bearing a sulfanilamide scaffold.

A novel library of human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) inhibitors based on the 2-sulfanilamido[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine skeleton modified at its 7-position was prepared by an efficient convergent procedure. These derivatives were evaluated in vitro for their inhibition properties against a representative panel of hCA isoforms (hCA I, II, IV, IX, and XII). The target tumour-associated isoforms hCA IX and XII were potently inhibited with KIs in the low nanomolar range of 5-96 nM and 4-72 nM, respectively. Compounds 1d, 1j, 1v, and 1x were the most potent hCA IX inhibitors with KIs of 5.1, 8.6, 4.7, and 5.1 nM, respectively. Along with derivatives 1d and 1j, compounds 1r and 1ab potently inhibited hCA XII isoform with KIs in a single-digit nanomolar range of 8.8, 5.4, 4.3, and 9.0 nM, respectively. Compounds 1e, 1m, and 1p exhibited the best selectivity against hCA IX and hCA XII isoforms over off-target hCA II, with selectivity indexes ranging from 5 to 14.

Multifunctional Profiling of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts for Topical Application: A Comparative Study of Different Collection Time.

This research investigated plant extracts as a source of potential new actives in the nutritional, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. Moringa oleifera, which is extensively known for its nutritional properties, has been investigated in this work by preparation, characterization, and evaluation of the antioxidant (FRAP, DPPH, ORAC, and PCL test), antifungal, photoprotective, and cytotoxicity profile against human melanoma Colo38 cell line of two different extracts (hydroalcoholic and methanolic) and one infusion of dry leaves collected from Paraguay in four distinct harvest times (February, March, April, and May 2017). The outcomes of this study highlight Moringa oleifera as a potential ally to counteract skin aging and oxidative stress, as indicated by the favorable antioxidant profile of the extracts and infusions of Paraguay, which was, in all cases, superior to that provided by the same plant species when collected from Senegal. Moreover, some samples were more efficient in preventing the photodegradation of UVA filter butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone) compared to commercial filters, thus suggesting an interesting future role as natural additives in sunscreens.

Alpha-Phellandrene and Alpha-Phellandrene-Rich Essential Oils: A Systematic Review of Biological Activities, Pharmaceutical and Food Applications.

Alpha-phellandrene is a very common cyclic monoterpene found in several EOs, which shows extensive biological activities. Therefore, the main focus of the present systematic review was to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of the state of the art regarding its biological activities and pharmaceutical and food applications. In addition, the study identified essential oils rich in alpha-phellandrene and summarized their main biological activities as a preliminary screening to encourage subsequent studies on their single components. With this review, we selected and critically analyzed 99 papers, using the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, SciELO, Wiley and WOS, on 8 July 2022. Data were independently extracted by four authors of this work, selecting those studies which reported the keyword "alpha-phellandrene" in the title and/or the abstract, and avoiding those in which there was not a clear correlation between the molecule and its biological activities and/or a specific concentration from its source. Duplication data were removed in the final article. Many essential oils have significant amounts of alpha-phellandrene, and the species Anethum graveolens and Foeniculum vulgare are frequently cited. Some studies on the above-mentioned species show high alpha-phellandrene amounts up to 82.1%. There were 12 studies on alpha-phellandrene as a pure molecule showed promising biological functions, including antitumoral, antinociceptive, larvicidal and insecticidal activities. There were 87 research works on EOs rich in alpha-phellandrene, which were summarized with a focus on additional data concerning potential biological activities. We believe this data is a useful starting point to start new research on the pure molecule, and, in particular, to distinguish between the synergistic effects of the different components of the OEs and those due to alpha-phellandrene itself. Toxicological data are still lacking, requiring further investigation on the threshold values to distinguish the boundary between beneficial and toxic effects, i.e., mutagenic, carcinogenic and allergenic. All these findings offer inspiration for potential applications of alpha-phellandrene as a new biopesticide, antimicrobial and antitumoral agent. In particular, we believe our work is of interest as a starting point for further studies on the food application of alpha-phellandrene.

Hyaluronic Acid in the Third Millennium.

Since its first isolation in 1934, hyaluronic acid (HA) has been studied across a variety of research areas. This unbranched glycosaminoglycan consisting of repeating disaccharide units of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine and d-glucuronic acid is almost ubiquitous in humans and in other vertebrates. HA is involved in many key processes, including cell signaling, wound reparation, tissue regeneration, morphogenesis, matrix organization and pathobiology, and has unique physico-chemical properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, mucoadhesivity, hygroscopicity and viscoelasticity. For these reasons, exogenous HA has been investigated as a drug delivery system and treatment in cancer, ophthalmology, arthrology, pneumology, rhinology, urology, aesthetic medicine and cosmetics. To improve and customize its properties and applications, HA can be subjected to chemical modifications: conjugation and crosslinking. The present review gives an overview regarding HA, describing its history, physico-chemical, structural and hydrodynamic properties and biology (occurrence, biosynthesis (by hyaluronan synthases), degradation (by hyaluronidases and oxidative stress), roles, mechanisms of action and receptors). Furthermore, both conventional and recently emerging methods developed for the industrial production of HA and its chemical derivatization are presented. Finally, the medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications of HA and its derivatives are reviewed, reporting examples of HA-based products that currently are on the market or are undergoing further investigations.