Comparative Amino Acid Profile and Antioxidant Activity in Sixteen Plant Extracts from Transylvania, Romania.

In addition to the naturopathic medicines based on the antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, or antioxidant properties of plant extracts that have been capitalized upon through the pharmaceutical industry, the increasing interest of the food industry in this area requires potent new materials capable of supporting this market. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro amino acid contents and antioxidant activities of ethanolic extracts from sixteen plants. Our results show high accumulated amino acid contents, mainly of proline, glutamic, and aspartic acid. The most consistent values of essential amino acids were isolated from T. officinale, U. dioica, C. majus, A. annua, and M. spicata. The results of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay indicate that R. officinalis was the most potent antioxidant, followed by four other extracts (in decreasing order): T. serpyllum, C. monogyna, S. officinalis, and M. koenigii. The network and principal component analyses found four natural groupings between samples based on DPPH free radical scavenging activity content. Each plant extracts' antioxidant action was discussed based on similar results found in the literature, and a lower capacity was observed for most species. An overall ranking of the analyzed plant species can be accomplished due to the range of experimental methods. The literature review revealed that these natural antioxidants represent the best side-effect-free alternatives to synthetic additives, especially in the food processing industry.

Geographical origin identification of Romanian wines by ICP-MS elemental analysis.

Trace elemental analysis, besides its ability to determine stable isotopes ratios, represents a possible complementary tool useful to differentiate wines based on their regional origins. Wines and their provenance soils from two major wine producing areas in Southeast Romania ('Valea Calugareasca' and 'Murfatlar'), and also wine from the region of Moldova (Eastern Romania) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and statistical data of elemental composition was used to differentiate these wines according to grape type and geographical origin. Moreover, this study gathers relevant elemental trace composition of wines produced in most important Romanian vineyards, thus offering a useful wine differentiation tool by their production district. The results show that the differentiation of Romanian wines according to their provenance is based on the following main elements: Ni, Ag, Cr, Sr, Zn, and Cu for Valea Calugareasca, Rb, Zn, and Mn for Murfatlar, and Pb, Co, and V for Moldova.

The role of exhaled nitric oxide assessment in children with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) assessment in children with bronchial asthma (BA) is an easy and non-invasive test that provides informations on the presence of bronchial inflammation. METHODS: The study included 110 children aged between 5-18 years with a diagnosis of BA. The patients were assessed clinically (objective examination, questionnaire regarding the disease control) and by medical tests (exhaled breath analysis for nitric oxide, induced sputum, spirometry). RESULTS: Of the 33 patients with non-atopic BA, 9 (27.27%) presented normal eNO values, and 24 (72.72%) had higher than normal levels. There were 26 patients with controlled BA, 59 with partially controlled BA and 25 with uncontrolled BA, the levels of eNO demonstrating the existence of the statistically significant differences between the mean values of the variables obtained in the studied groups (p=0.003). Increased individual values were more frequently noted in patients with an exacerbation of asthma in the last month (70% vs 56.6%), but the differences were not statistically significant. Of the 77 patients with atopic BA, 35 (45.45%) had normal eNO, while 42 (54.54%) had increased values. The normal values of the eNO were most frequently noted in patients undergoing treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids (IGC). Patients with low percent of eosinophils in sputum had increased eNO values (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The investigation of the airways by measuring the eNO levels is a useful method of assessing bronchial inflammation in children with bronchial asthma, in order to establish the disease responsiveness and therapy.

Evaluation and differentiation of the Betulaceae birch bark species and their bioactive triterpene content using analytical FT-vibrational spectroscopy and GC-MS.

BACKGROUND: Aiming to obtain the highest triterpene content in the extraction products, nine bark samples from the forest abundant flora of Apuseni Mountains, Romania were Raman spectroscopically evaluated. Three different natural extracts from Betula pendula Roth birch bark have been obtained and characterized using Fourier transform vibrational spectra. RESULTS: This study shows that principal components of the birch tree extract can be rapidly recognized and differentiated based on their vibrational fingerprint band shape and intensity. The vibrational spectroscopy results are supported by the GC-MS data. Based on IR and Raman analysis, one can conclude that all the extracts, independent on the solvent(s) used, revealed dominant betulin species, followed by lupeol. CONCLUSIONS: Since Raman measurements could also be performed on fresh plant material, we demonstrated the possibility to apply the present results for the prediction of the highest triterpene content in bark species, for the selection of harvesting time or individual genotypes directly in the field, with appropriate portable Raman equipment.

Methods validation for the determination of trihalomethanes in drinking water.

Trihalomethanes (THMs), chlorinated by-products in drinking water, have been determined by comparing some analytical methods, based on the following techniques: liquid-liquid extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LLE-GC-MS), headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (headspace-GC-MS) and purge and trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PT-GC-MS). The mass spectrometer was operated in the SIM mode. The quantitative methods were validated and compared to the ability to identify and to measure reliably the yields of the toxic compounds. Good validation parameters were obtained for each method.

Chromatographic analysis of carotenol fatty acid esters in Physalis alkekengi and Hippophae rhamnoides.

The carotenol fatty acid esters of two potentially valuable sources of plant carotenoids, sepals of Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern) and fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn), were separated by column chromatography and identified by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS. A chemical and an enzymatic hydrolysis were employed to identify the parent carotenoids and to remove the lipid components. Zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin esters represented the main fraction in P. alkekengi sepals and an important one in H. rhamnoides fruits. Beta-Cryptoxanthin palmitate and zeaxanthin dipalmitate were identified as major compounds in both plants. In P. alkekengi, the carotenoids were mainly (> 90%) esterified with palmitic acid, and a high proportion (> 80%) of saturated medium chain fatty acids was found (by GC-MS) in the total lipid extract. Although the total lipid extract of H. rhamnoides contained significant amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and palmitoleic acids, the xanthophylls were mainly esterified with saturated fatty acids. The oleoresins of both species represent potential sources of carotenoid esters and can be used as food additives, cosmetic ingredients or nutraceuticals.

Electron ionisation mass spectral analysis and fragmentation pathways for some thiophosphorylic p-carboxybenzene sulfonamides.

The work presents the 70 eV electron impact mass spectra of some thiophosphorylic p-carboxybenzene sulfonamides, and proposes rationalisation of their fragmentation pathways. Accurate mass measurements of the fragment ions, and metastable ion analyses performed in the MIKES mode, were used to elucidate the most abundant ion compositions and to elucidate the fragmentation patterns of these pharmacologically interesting compounds.