Characterisation of Bee Pollen from the Marche Region (Italy) According to the Botanical and Geographical Origin with Analysis of Antioxidant Activity and Colour, Using a Chemometric Approach.

Attempts have often been made to isolate and characterise monofloral pollens to correlate nutritional with botanical properties. Nevertheless, pollen harvested in a particular area that can have a high biodiversity could have healthier properties. In addition, the analysis of the pollen's botanical composition can be important for characterising the typical flora of a specific geographical area. On this basis, various pollens collected in different locations of the Marche region (Italy) and in different harvesting periods were analyzed for botanical composition and antioxidant (total phenolic content, ABTS, DPPH and ORAC tests), granulometry and colour (CIE L*a*b*) properties to evaluate the biodiversity of pollen sources within a particular geographical area and to correlate this to the nutraceutical characteristics. Antioxidant activity results showed values generally higher than those of monofloral pollens harvested in the same areas but manually separated according to colour, shape and size. This suggests that even the floral species present in low percentages may have an influence on the nutraceutical properties of these products. The multivariate statistical elaboration of the obtained results permitted the separation of samples containing a prevalent botanical species and the grouping of all the samples into separate clusters corresponding to different areas of Marche.

Nanoscale Structure of Langmuir-Blodgett Film of Bent-Core Molecules.

Bent-core mesogens (BCMs) are a class of thermotropic liquid crystals featuring several unconventional properties. However, the interpretation and technological exploitation of their unique behavior have been hampered by the difficulty of controlling their anchoring at surfaces. To tackle this issue, we report the nanoscale structural characterization of BCM films prepared using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Even though BCMs are quite different from typical amphiphilic molecules, we demonstrate that stable molecular films form over water, which can then be transferred onto silicon substrates. The combination of Brewster angle microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray reflectivity measurements shows that the molecules, once transferred onto a solid substrate, form a bilayer structure with a bottom layer of flat molecules and an upper layer of upright molecules. These results suggest that Langmuir-Blodgett films of BCMs can provide a useful means to control the alignment of this class of liquid crystals.

Morphological, Physicochemical and FTIR Spectroscopic Properties of Bee Pollen Loads from Different Botanical Origin.

Bee pollen loads generally have a homogeneous and monospecific pollen content and assume a typical form and color, due to the typical bee foraging habits, thus having a typical composition related to the botanical origin. The present study aims to characterize bee pollen loads belonging to different botanical species using morphological, spectroscopic and color properties and to find relationships between these variables. IR spectra analysis allowed to have a reliable picture of the components present in the different samples; color and granulometry permits a visual identification of pollen load belonging to different species. Multivariate analysis enabled differentiation among the botanical origin of most of the bee pollen samples, grouping them according to the family and the genus and confirming the possibility to use IR and color measurements for the evaluative analysis and classification of bee pollen samples, to promote the consumption of this bee product as functional food.

Lyotropic Liquid-Crystalline Nanosystems as Drug Delivery Agents for 5-Fluorouracil: Structure and Cytotoxicity.

Lyotropic cubic liquid-crystalline systems have received increasing attention due to their unique microstructural and physicochemical properties as efficient nanocarriers for drug delivery. We report the preparation and characterization of bulk phases and cubosome dispersions of phytantriol loaded with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil, in neutral and anionic forms. In both cases, a Pn3m cubic phase was observed. The phytantriol phase behavior can be influenced by the addition of ionic agents, and, to this purpose, a positively charged lipid, such as N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride salt (DOTAP), was included in the studied formulations. It was found to induce a variation of the spontaneous membrane curvature of the phytantriol lipid bilayer, generating a transition from the Pn3m to the Im3m cubic phase. When 5-fluorouracil, in its anionic form (5-FUs), was encapsulated in these latter systems, a further transition to the HII hexagonal phase was observed as a consequence of the formation of a complex phytantriol/DOTAP/5-FUs. The physicochemical characterization was performed with various complementary techniques including synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering, and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared and UV resonance Raman spectroscopies. Encapsulation of 5-fluorouracil in the corresponding nanodispersions was evaluated, and their in vitro cytotoxicity was assessed in MDA-MB-231 cell line. Phytantriol cubosomes containing 5-fluorouracil showed a higher toxicity compared with the bare drug solution, and hence they represent potential nanocarriers in the delivery of 5-fluorouracil for cancer therapy.

Influence of steeping conditions (time, temperature, and particle size) on antioxidant properties and sensory attributes of some white and green teas.

The influence of commonly used steeping times and temperatures, as well as leaf size on the antioxidant activity and sensory attributes of tea were studied. Five unblended white and green tea samples from China and Malawi, infused in hot (70 °C and 90 °C; 7 min) or cold water (room temperature: 15, 30, 60, or 120 min) either as whole leaves or as milled, were analyzed. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as antioxidant power (ABTS assay) were measured. The results show that the maximum extraction efficiency occurs with cold water for 120 min and with hot water at 90 °C and that only in the case of teas from whole, large leaves, the extraction was greater in cold than in hot infusions. Moreover, tea infusions prepared from milled leaves have the greatest antioxidant activity. In the sensory evaluation of some of the tea infusions, white teas were perceived more fragrant than green ones and were judged as the most favorite by the majority of the judges, especially for the brew prepared in cold water from whole leaves; all infusions obtained from the milled leaves in fact have a more bitter and astringent taste.

Radical-scavenging activity, protective effect against lipid peroxidation and mineral contents of monofloral Cuban honeys.

Several monofloral Cuban honeys were analyzed to determine their free radical-scavenging activity and from this the total antioxidant content was estimated. The protective effect against lipid peroxidation in an in vitro model of rat liver homogenates was evaluated and, lastly, the mineral content of the honeys, which can be related to the maintenance of intracellular oxidative balance, was determined. The scavenging capacities against hydroxyl and superoxide radicals were determined using the spin-trapping technique and the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase assay, respectively. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated through the production of TBARS and hydroperoxides. All honeys tested showed potential antioxidant activity with Linen vine displaying the highest scavenging capacity towards the DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, while the least efficient was Christmas vine honey. Honeys also inhibited, in a concentration-dependent mode, lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates, with Linen vine resulting the best while the least effective was Christmas vine honey. The ability to scavenge free radicals and protect against lipid peroxidation may contribute to the ability of certain Cuban honeys to help in preventing/reducing some inflammatory diseases in which oxidative stress is involved. A total of eight minerals were identified and quantified as follows: cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc. Minerals found in higher concentrations were iron, zinc and manganese.

Strawberry polyphenols attenuate ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats by activation of antioxidant enzymes and attenuation of MDA increase.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Free radicals are implicated in the aetiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as gastric ulcer, colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Strawberries are common and important fruit due to their high content of essential nutrient and beneficial phytochemicals which seem to have relevant biological activity on human health. In the present study we investigated the antioxidant and protective effects of three strawberry extracts against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa damage in an experimental in vivo model and to test whether strawberry extracts affect antioxidant enzyme activities in gastric mucosa. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Strawberry extracts were obtained from Adria, Sveva and Alba cultivars. Total antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging capacity were performed by TEAC, ORAC and electron paramagnetic resonance assays. Identification and quantification of anthocyanins was carried out by HPLC-DAD-MS analyses. Different groups of animals received 40 mg/day/kg body weight of strawberry crude extracts for 10 days. Gastric damage was induced by ethanol. The ulcer index was calculated together with the determination of catalase and SOD activities and MDA contents. Strawberry extracts are rich in anthocyanins and present important antioxidant capacity. Ethanol caused severe gastric damage and strawberry consumption protected against its deleterious role. Antioxidant enzyme activities increased significantly after strawberry extract intake and a concomitantly decrease in gastric lipid peroxidation was found. A significant correlation between total anthocyanin content and percent of inhibition of ulcer index was also found. CONCLUSIONS: Strawberry extracts prevented exogenous ethanol-induced damage to rats' gastric mucosa. These effects seem to be associated with the antioxidant activity and phenolic content in the extract as well as with the capacity of promoting the action of antioxidant enzymes. A diet rich in strawberries might exert a beneficial effect in the prevention of gastric diseases related to generation of reactive oxygen species.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of several monofloral Cuban honeys and their correlation with color, polyphenol content and other chemical compounds.

Several monofloral Cuban honeys were analyzed to determine their total phenolic, flavonoid, ascorbic acid, amino acid, protein and carotenoid contents as well as their radical-scavenging activity and antimicrobial capacities. The total phenolic, flavonoid and carotenoid contents varied considerably, and the highest values were obtained for Linen vine (Govania polygama (Jack) Urb) honey, which is classified as an amber honey. The highest amino acid content was found in Morning glory (Ipomoea triloba L.) while Liven vine had the highest protein content. Similarly Linen vine honey had the highest antioxidant activity while the lowest was found in Christmas vine (Turbina corymbosa (L.) Raf). Ascorbic acid was absent. Hydroxyl radical formation was studied by EPR and spin trapping, and it was found in all honeys tested. The antimicrobial activity was screened using two Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. S. aureus was the most sensitive microorganism while Pseudomonas aeruginosa presented higher minimum active dilution values. Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were both moderately sensitive to honey antimicrobial activity. A correlation between radical-scavenging activity and total phenolic content was found. Correlation existed also between color vs phenolics content, vs flavonoid content or between phenolic vs flavonoid.