RESUMO
The ultimate goal of world crop production is to produce more with less to meet the growing population demands. However, concentrating solely on increased quantity of production often impacts the quality of produce. Consumption of crops or foods that do not meet nutritional or dietary needs can lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition and undernutrition are prevalent in a significant portion of the population. Agronomic biofortification of minerals and vitamins in horticultural crops has emerged as a promising approach to address nutrient deficiencies and enhance the nutritional quality of food. Despite numerous research papers on plant nutrient biofortification, there remains a lack of systematic reviews that comprehensively summarize the latest knowledge on this topic. Herein we discuss different agronomic ways to biofortify several horticultural crops over the past decade. This systematic review aims to fill this gap by presenting various methodologies and comparing the outcomes of these methods in respect to nutrient content in plant parts. The review focuses on original research papers collected from various scientific databases including Scopus and Web of Knowledge, covering the most recent literature from the last ten years (2012-2022) for specific studies on the agronomic biofortification macronutrients, micronutrients, and vitamins in horticultural plants with exclusion of certain criteria such as 'genetic,' 'breeding,' and 'agronomic crops.' This review critically analyzes the current state of research and explores prospects for the future in this field. The biofortification of various minerals and vitamins, including calcium, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, vitamin A, and vitamin C, are examined, highlighting the achievements and limitations of existing studies. In conclusion, agronomic biofortification of minerals and vitamins in horticultural crops with further research offers a promising approach to address nutrient deficiencies and improve the nutritional quality of food.
Assuntos
Desnutrição , Selênio , Produtos Agrícolas , Valor Nutritivo , Melhoramento Vegetal , Revisões Sistemáticas como Assunto , Vitamina A , VitaminasRESUMO
The consumption of plants plays an important role in human health. In addition to providing macro and micronutrients, plants are the sole sources of several phytonutrients that play a major role in disease prevention. However, in modern diets, increased consumption of cheaper, processed foods with poor nutritional value over fruits and vegetables leads to insufficient consumption of essential nutrients such as vitamin C. Taking supplements can address some of the insufficient nutrients in a diet. However, supplements are not as diverse or bioavailable as the nutrients in plants. Improving the abundance of nutrients in plants will reduce the amounts that need to be consumed, thereby reducing the price barrier and use of supplements. In this study, broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) microgreens grown in a controlled environment were biofortified for increased vitamin C content. The microgreens grown on growing pads were treated with supplemental nutrient solutions. Treatments were applied four to five days after germination and included four different concentrations of ascorbic acid specifically, 0% (control), 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.25% and 0.5%, added to the nutrient solution. Microgreens with turgid cotyledons and appearance of tip of first true leaves were harvested about 14 days after germination and were analyzed for biomass, chlorophylls, carotenoids, vitamin C and other minerals content. The ascorbic acid improved the microgreens' fresh biomass, percent dry matter, chlorophylls, carotenoids, vitamin C, and potassium content. Moreover, this study also mapped out the correlation between ascorbic acid, phytochemicals, and broccoli microgreens' mineral composition. The total vitamin C was positively correlated to K and negatively correlated to chlorophylls, N, P, Mg, Ca, S, and B (p < 0.01). These relationships can be applied in future vitamin C biofortification research across different microgreens. In conclusion, vitamin C was increased up to 222% by supplemental ascorbic acid without being detrimental to plant health and mineral composition.
RESUMO
The complexity of affected brain regions and cell types is a challenge for Huntington's disease (HD) treatment. Here we use single nucleus RNA sequencing to investigate molecular pathology in the cortex and striatum from R6/2 mice and human HD post-mortem tissue. We identify cell type-specific and -agnostic signatures suggesting oligodendrocytes (OLs) and oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) are arrested in intermediate maturation states. OL-lineage regulators OLIG1 and OLIG2 are negatively correlated with CAG length in human OPCs, and ATACseq analysis of HD mouse NeuN-negative cells shows decreased accessibility regulated by OL maturation genes. The data implicates glucose and lipid metabolism in abnormal cell maturation and identify PRKCE and Thiamine Pyrophosphokinase 1 (TPK1) as central genes. Thiamine/biotin treatment of R6/1 HD mice to compensate for TPK1 dysregulation restores OL maturation and rescues neuronal pathology. Our insights into HD OL pathology spans multiple brain regions and link OL maturation deficits to abnormal thiamine metabolism.
Assuntos
Biotina , Doença de Huntington , Oligodendroglia , Tiamina , Animais , Humanos , Camundongos , Biotina/metabolismo , Biotina/farmacologia , Suplementos Nutricionais , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Doença de Huntington/metabolismo , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismo , Oligodendroglia/metabolismo , Núcleo Solitário/metabolismo , Tiamina/metabolismo , Tiamina/farmacologiaRESUMO
Vitamin C (Vit C) is an essential micronutrient and antioxidant for human health. Unfortunately, Vit C cannot be produced in humans and is ingested through diet while severe deficiencies can lead to scurvy. However, consumption is often inconsistent, and foods vary in Vit C concentrations. Biofortification, the practice of increasing micronutrient or mineral concentrations, can improve the nutritional quality of crops and allow for more consistent dietary levels of these nutrients. Of the three leading biofortification practices (i.e., conventional, transgenic, and agronomical), the least explored approach to increase Vit C in microgreens is agronomically, especially through the supplemental application of ascorbic acid. In this study, biofortification of Vit C in microgreens through supplemental ascorbic acid was attempted and proven achievable. Arugula (Eruca sativa 'Astro') microgreens were irrigated with four concentrations of ascorbic acid and a control. Total Vit C (T-AsA) and ascorbic acid increased in microgreens as supplementary concentrations increased. In conclusion, biofortification of Vit C in microgreens through supplemental ascorbic acid is achievable, and consumption of these bio-fortified microgreens could help fulfill the daily Vit C requirements for humans, thereby reducing the need for supplemental vitamins.
Assuntos
Biofortificação , Vitaminas , Ácido Ascórbico , Humanos , Micronutrientes/análise , Valor NutritivoRESUMO
This study examined the effects of 15 sessions of hippotherapy (HPOT) on gross motor skills in children (aged 2-3 years) with gross motor developmental delay (DD) (n = 11) in comparison with age-based controls without DD (n = 6). Gross motor skills in both groups were assessed with the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2nd Edition, and gait parameters were measured using a computerized gait analysis system prestudy and poststudy. The DD group took part in 15 sessions of HPOT, and the control (CON) group did not participate in any equine activities. The statistical analysis examined preintervention and postintervention data in the DD group and compared testing data at the same intervals in controls. Functional motor skills significantly improved after HPOT intervention. Mean percent motor delay score decreased by 24.1 points from pretest to post-test in the DD group, indicating significantly (P < .001) less delay after HPOT. In contrast, mean Battelle Developmental Inventory 2nd Edition motor scores of the CON group were unchanged pre-study to post-study. The two groups' scores were significantly (P < .001) different indicating more improvement in the DD HPOT group when compared with the control group. Gait performance measures did not change significantly (P > .05) from pre-test to post-est in the DD group after HPOT; however, improvement trends were seen in step width and step length after HPOT. The results suggest that HPOT intervention in young children with DD can improve gross motor skills. These data provide important quantitative information concerning the efficacy of early HPOT intervention for children with DD during this critical stage of child development.
Assuntos
Terapia Assistida por Cavalos , Transtornos das Habilidades Motoras , Animais , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Marcha , Cavalos , Destreza MotoraRESUMO
Heart rate assays in wild-type zebrafish embryos have been limited to analysis of one embryo per video/imaging field. Here we present for the first time a platform for high-throughput derivation of heart rate from multiple zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos per imaging field, which is capable of quickly processing thousands of videos and ideal for multi-well platforms with multiple fish/well. This approach relies on use of 2-day post fertilization wild-type embryos, and uses only bright-field imaging, circumventing requirement for anesthesia or restraint, costly software/hardware, or fluorescently-labeled animals. Our original scripts (1) locate the heart and record pixel intensity fluctuations generated by each cardiac cycle using a robust image processing routine, and (2) process intensity data to derive heart rate. To demonstrate assay utility, we exposed embryos to the drugs epinephrine and clonidine, which increased or decreased heart rate, respectively. Exposure to organic extracts of air pollution-derived particulate matter, including diesel or biodiesel exhausts, or wood smoke, all complex environmental mixtures, decreased heart rate to varying degrees. Comparison against an established lower-throughput method indicated robust assay fidelity. As all code and executable files are publicly available, this approach may expedite cardiotoxicity screening of compounds as diverse as small molecule drugs and complex chemical mixtures.
Assuntos
Frequência Cardíaca/efeitos dos fármacos , Ensaios de Triagem em Larga Escala/métodos , Animais , Cardiotoxicidade , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos/métodos , Embrião não Mamífero , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Material Particulado/toxicidade , Peixe-Zebra/embriologiaRESUMO
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptomatic treatments of limited effectiveness are available. Preventing early misfolding steps and thereby aggregation of the polyglutamine (polyQ)-containing protein huntingtin (htt) in neurons of patients may represent an attractive therapeutic strategy to postpone the onset and progression of HD. Here, we demonstrate that the green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) potently inhibits the aggregation of mutant htt exon 1 protein in a dose-dependent manner. Dot-blot assays and atomic force microscopy studies revealed that EGCG modulates misfolding and oligomerization of mutant htt exon 1 protein in vitro, indicating that it interferes with very early events in the aggregation process. Also, EGCG significantly reduced polyQ-mediated htt protein aggregation and cytotoxicity in an yeast model of HD. When EGCG was fed to transgenic HD flies overexpressing a pathogenic htt exon 1 protein, photoreceptor degeneration and motor function improved. These results indicate that modulators of htt exon 1 misfolding and oligomerization like EGCG are likely to reduce polyQ-mediated toxicity in vivo. Our studies may provide the basis for the development of a novel pharmacotherapy for HD and related polyQ disorders.
Assuntos
Catequina/análogos & derivados , Doença de Huntington/tratamento farmacológico , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/química , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Nucleares/química , Proteínas Nucleares/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Camellia sinensis/química , Catequina/farmacologia , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Éxons , Humanos , Proteína Huntingtina , Doença de Huntington/genética , Doença de Huntington/metabolismo , Técnicas In Vitro , Microscopia de Força Atômica , Modelos Biológicos , Neurônios Motores/efeitos dos fármacos , Complexos Multiproteicos , Mutação , Degeneração Neural/tratamento farmacológico , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Células Fotorreceptoras de Invertebrados/efeitos dos fármacos , Fitoterapia , Conformação Proteica/efeitos dos fármacos , Dobramento de Proteína , Estrutura Quaternária de Proteína/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/química , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/química , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/efeitos dos fármacos , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genéticaRESUMO
Polyglutamine expansion in certain proteins causes neurodegeneration in inherited disorders such as Huntington disease and X-linked spinobulbar muscular atrophy. Polyglutamine tracts promote protein aggregation in vitro and in vivo with a strict length-dependence that strongly implicates alternative protein folding and/or aggregation as a proximal cause of cellular toxicity and neurodegeneration. We used an intracellular polyglutamine protein aggregation assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to identify inhibitors of androgen receptor (AR) aggregation in three libraries of biologically active small molecules: the Annotated Compound Library, the NINDS Custom Collection and a kinase inhibitor collection. In the primary screen 10 compounds reduced AR aggregation. While 10/10 also reduced huntingtin (Htt) exon 1 aggregation, only 2/10 reduced aggregation of pure polyglutamine peptides. In a PC-12 model 9/10 compounds reduced aggregation. Five out of nine compounds tested in an Htt exon 1 assay of neurodegeneration in Drosophila partially rescued the phenotype. Three of the five compounds effective in flies are FDA-approved drugs. These compounds provide new leads for therapeutic development for the polyglutamine diseases based on their efficacy in mammalian cells and a Drosophila model. The high predictive value of the primary screen suggests that the FRET-based screening assay may be useful for further primary and secondary screens for genes or small molecules that inhibit polyglutamine protein aggregation.
Assuntos
Antagonistas de Receptores de Andrógenos , Drogas em Investigação/farmacologia , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Nucleares/antagonistas & inibidores , Peptídeos/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Bioensaio/métodos , Linhagem Celular , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Drosophila melanogaster/efeitos dos fármacos , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos/métodos , Drogas em Investigação/química , Drogas em Investigação/uso terapêutico , Transferência Ressonante de Energia de Fluorescência/métodos , Humanos , Proteína Huntingtina , Doença de Huntington/tratamento farmacológico , Doença de Huntington/metabolismo , Estrutura Molecular , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/química , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismo , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/metabolismo , Proteínas Nucleares/química , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Células PC12 , Peptídeos/química , Peptídeos/metabolismo , Dobramento de Proteína , Ratos , Receptores Androgênicos/química , Receptores Androgênicos/metabolismo , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Expansão das Repetições de Trinucleotídeos/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the fatty acid profile, in particular trans-fatty acids, of french fries fried in nonhydrogenated cottonseed oil as compared with french fries fried in partially hydrogenated canola oil and french fries fried in partially hydrogenated soybean oil. DESIGN: Cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated canola oil, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil were subjected to a temperature of 177 degrees C for 8 hours per day, and six batches of french fries were fried per day for 5 consecutive days. French fries were weighed before frying, cooked for 5 minutes, allowed to drain, and reweighed. Oil was not replenished and was filtered once per day. Both the oil and the french fries were evaluated to determine fatty acid profiles, trans-fatty acids, and crude fat. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: A randomized block design with split plot was used to analyze the data collected. Least-squares difference was used as the means separation test. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between fries prepared in the three oil types for crude fat. Fatty acid profiles for the french fries remained stable. The french fries prepared in cottonseed oil were significantly lower in trans-fatty acids. The combined total of the trans-fatty acid content and saturated fatty acid content were lower in french fries prepared in cottonseed oil. CONCLUSIONS: Because deep fat frying remains a popular cooking technique, health professionals should educate the public and the food service industry on the benefits of using nonhydrogenated cottonseed oil as an alternative to the commonly used hydrogenated oils.
Assuntos
Culinária/métodos , Óleo de Sementes de Algodão , Tecnologia de Alimentos , Solanum tuberosum/química , Ácidos Graxos trans/análise , Absorção , Óleo de Sementes de Algodão/química , Óleo de Sementes de Algodão/metabolismo , Ácidos Graxos Monoinsaturados/efeitos adversos , Ácidos Graxos Monoinsaturados/análise , Ácidos Graxos Monoinsaturados/metabolismo , Indústria de Processamento de Alimentos/normas , Humanos , Hidrogenação , Distribuição Aleatória , Óleo de Brassica napus , Solanum tuberosum/metabolismo , Óleo de Soja/efeitos adversos , Óleo de Soja/análise , Óleo de Soja/metabolismo , Ácidos Graxos trans/efeitos adversos , Ácidos Graxos trans/metabolismoRESUMO
Many neurodegenerative diseases, including tauopathies, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the polyglutamine diseases, are characterized by intracellular aggregation of pathogenic proteins. It is difficult to study modifiers of this process in intact cells in a high-throughput and quantitative manner, although this could facilitate molecular insights into disease pathogenesis. Here we introduce a high-throughput assay to measure intracellular polyglutamine protein aggregation using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We screened over 2800 biologically active small molecules for inhibitory activity and have characterized one lead compound in detail. Y-27632, an inhibitor of the Rho-associated kinase p160ROCK, diminished polyglutamine protein aggregation (EC(50) congruent with 5 microM) and reduced neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of polyglutamine disease. This establishes a novel high-throughput approach to study protein misfolding and aggregation associated with neurodegenerative diseases and implicates a signaling pathway of previously unrecognized importance in polyglutamine protein processing.
Assuntos
Amidas/farmacologia , Bioensaio/métodos , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Transferência Ressonante de Energia de Fluorescência/métodos , Peptídeos/antagonistas & inibidores , Peptídeos/análise , Piridinas/farmacologia , Amidas/uso terapêutico , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Células COS , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Morte Celular/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Baixo/genética , Drosophila melanogaster , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos/métodos , Inibidores Enzimáticos/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Proteína Huntingtina , Corpos de Inclusão/química , Corpos de Inclusão/efeitos dos fármacos , Corpos de Inclusão/metabolismo , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/deficiência , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/genética , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/metabolismo , Proteínas Nucleares/deficiência , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Peptídeos/metabolismo , Células Fotorreceptoras de Invertebrados/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Fotorreceptoras de Invertebrados/metabolismo , Células Fotorreceptoras de Invertebrados/patologia , Dobramento de Proteína , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Piridinas/uso terapêutico , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Expansão das Repetições de Trinucleotídeos/efeitos dos fármacos , Expansão das Repetições de Trinucleotídeos/genética , Quinases Associadas a rhoRESUMO
Huntington's disease (HD) is one of a number of familial polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat diseases. These neurodegenerative disorders are caused by expression of otherwise unrelated proteins that contain an expansion of a polyQ tract, rendering them toxic to specific subsets of vulnerable neurons. These expanded repeats have an inherent propensity to aggregate; insoluble neuronal nuclear and cytoplasmic polyQ aggregates or inclusions are hallmarks of the disorders [1,2]. In HD, inclusions in diseased brains often precede onset of symptoms, and have been proposed to be involved in pathogenicity [3-5]. Various strategies to block the process of aggregation have been developed in an effort to create drugs that decrease neurotoxicity. A discussion of the effect of antibodies, caspase inhibitors, chemical inhibitors, heat-shock proteins, suppressor peptides and transglutaminase inhibitors upon aggregation and disease is presented.