Production of Bioactive Substances to Alleviates Hangover and Ethanol-Induced Liver Damage through Fermentation of Oenanthe javanica Using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the bioconversion products of Oenanthe javanica extract fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (OEFL) on relieving hangovers and improving liver function. In addition, the bioactive substance of the OEFL, which alleviates hangover and ethanol-induced liver damage, was identified and its bioactive property was verified through in vivo experiments. In major substances analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography, OEFL produced 9.5-fold higher p-coumaric acid than the O. Javanica extract (OE). In addition, considering that quinic acid, which is not present in the OE, was produced in the OEFL it was confirmed that chlorogenic acid was decomposed into quinic acid by bioconversion. In the in vivo experiment using Sprague-Dawley rats, the OEFL and p-coumaric acid diets reduced blood ethanol, acetaldehyde, GPT, and ALP concentrations, increasing blood albumin concentrations compared to ethanol-administered groups, demonstrating that OEFL and p-coumaric acid, the main substance in the OEFL, improved ethanol-induced liver damage. Furthermore, the OEFL and its main bioactive substance, p-coumaric acid, alleviated liver fibrosis by downregulating TGF-ß, SMAD-2, SMAD-4, α-SMA, and upregulating MMP-1. Therefore, OEFL is expected to be used as a functional food or pharmaceutical material as it has been confirmed to effectively relieve hangovers, prevent liver damage, and delay liver fibrosis in ethanol-induced liver damages.

Development of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction to Produce Skin-Whitening and Anti-Wrinkle Substances from Safflower Seed.

In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was applied to extract bioactive substances with skin-whitening, anti-wrinkle, and antioxidant effects from safflower seeds, and the extraction conditions were optimized by a central composite design. The independent variables, including extraction time (5.0~55.0 min), extraction temperature (26.0~94.0 °C), and ethanol concentration (0.0~100%), were optimized to increase tyrosinase activity inhibitory (TAI), collagenase activity inhibitory (CAI), and radical scavenging activity (RSA), which are indicators of skin-whitening, anti-wrinkle, and antioxidant effects. An extraction time of 26.4 min, extraction temperature of 52.1 °C, and ethanol concentration of 50.7% were found to be optimum conditions of UAE, under which TAI, CAI, and RSA were 53.3%, 91.5%, and 27.7%, respectively. The extract produced by UAE was analyzed by LC-MS/MS, and maleic acid and levulinic acid were identified as the main substances. Therefore, UAE is evaluated as an effective process to extract skin-whitening, anti-wrinkle, and antioxidant substances from safflower seeds at lower temperatures and shorter extraction times compared to the conventional extraction methods. Overall, safflower seeds extract can be used as a material for value-added cosmetics, including maleic acid and levulinic acid, which have bioactive functions.

Effects of Sargassum thunbergii Extract on Skin Whitening and Anti-Wrinkling through Inhibition of TRP-1 and MMPs.

Sargassum thunbergii has been traditionally used as an edible and medicinal material in oriental countries. However, the skin-whitening and anti-wrinkling effects of S. thunbergii have not yet been investigated. This study was conducted to establish optimal extraction conditions for the production of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity as well as skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle effects using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in S. thunbergii. The extraction time (5.30~18.7 min), extraction temperature (22.4~79.6 °C), and ethanol concentration (0.0~99.5%), which are the main variables of the UAE, were optimized using a central composite design. Quadratic regression equations were derived based on experimental data and showed a high coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.85), demonstrating suitability for prediction. The optimal UAE condition for maximizing all dependent variables, including radical scavenging activity (RSA), tyrosinase inhibitory activity (TIA), and collagenase inhibitory activity (CIA), was identified as an extraction time of 12.0 min, an extraction temperature of 65.2 °C, and ethanol of 53.5%. Under these conditions, the RSA, TIA, and CIA of S. thunbergii extract were 86.5%, 88.3%, and 91.4%, respectively. We also confirmed S. thunbergii extract had inhibitory effects on the mRNA expression of tyrosinase-related protein-1, matrix metalloproteinase-1, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, which are the main genes of melanin synthesis and collagen hydrolysis. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify the main phenolic compounds in S. thunbergii extract, and caffeic acid was identified as a major peak, demonstrating that high value-added ingredients with skin-whitening and anti-wrinkling effects can be produced from S. thunbergii and used for developing cosmetic materials.

Process Development for the Detoxification of Fermentation Inhibitors from Acid Pretreated Microalgae Hydrolysate.

The aim of this study was to remove 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and furfural, known as fermentation inhibitors, in acid pretreated hydrolysates (APH) obtained from Scenedesmus obliquus using activated carbon. Microwave-assisted pretreatment was used to produce APH containing glucose, xylose, and fermentation inhibitors (5-HMF, furfural). The response surface methodology was applied to optimize key detoxification variables such as temperature (16.5-58.5 °C), time (0.5-5.5 h), and solid-liquid (S-L) ratio of activated carbon (0.6-7.4 w/v%). Three variables showed significant effects on the removal of fermentation inhibitors. The optimum detoxification conditions with the maximum removal of fermentation inhibitors and the minimum loss of sugars (glucose and xylose) were as follows: temperature of 36.6 °C, extraction time of 3.86 h, and S-L ratio of 3.3 w/v%. Under these conditions, removal of 5-HMF, furfural, and sugars were 71.6, 83.1, and 2.44%, respectively, which agreed closely with the predicted values. When the APH and detoxified APH were used for ethanol fermentation by S. cerevisiae, the ethanol produced was 38.5% and 84.5% of the theoretical yields, respectively, which confirmed that detoxification using activated carbon was effective in removing fermentation inhibitors and increasing fermentation yield without significant removal of fermentable sugars.

Skin-Whitening and Anti-Wrinkle Effects of Bioactive Compounds Isolated from Peanut Shell Using Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction.

Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions for simultaneous optimization of dependent variables, including DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), tyrosinase activity inhibition (TAI), and collagenase activity inhibition (CAI) of peanut shell extracts. The effects of the main variables including extraction time (5.0~55.0 min, X1), extraction temperature (26.0~94.0 °C, X2), and ethanol concentration (0.0%~99.5%, X3) were optimized. Based on experimental values from each condition, quadratic regression models were derived for the prediction of optimum conditions. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the independent variable was in the range of 0.89~0.96, which demonstrates that the regression model is suitable for the prediction. In predicting optimal UAE conditions based on the superimposing method, extraction time of 31.2 min, extraction temperature of 36.6 °C, and ethanol concentration of 93.2% were identified. Under these conditions, RSA of 74.9%, TAI of 50.6%, and CAI of 86.8% were predicted, showing good agreement with the experimental values. A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that peanut shell extract decreased mRNA levels of tyrosinase-related protein-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-3 genes in B16-F0 cell. Therefore, we identified the skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle effects of peanut shell extracts at protein as well as gene expression levels, and the results show that peanut shell is an effective cosmetic material for skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle effects. Based on this study, peanut shell, which was considered a byproduct, can be used for the development of healthy foods, medicines, and cosmetics.

Effects of Allium sativum Stem Extract on Growth and Migration in Melanoma Cells through Inhibition of VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 Genes Expression.

The present study investigated the effects of Allium sativum stem extract (ASE) on B16-F0 cell growth and metastasis. Evaluation of the effects of ASE on B16-F0 cells' viability and migration showed that 0.5 mg/mL ASE inhibited B16-F0 cells' growth by 30.2% and migration by 38.5%, which indicates that the ASE has anticancer and antimetastatic effects on B16-F0 cells. To study the anticancer and antimetastatic mechanism, mRNA levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) expressions were evaluated with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and 0.25 and 0.5 mg/mL ASE was found to exert significant inhibition on mRNA expressions of VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in B16-F0 cells. Thus, ASE reduce extracellular matrix degradation through inhibitions of expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and also showed an angiogenesis inhibitory effect through reduction of VEGF expression. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that among various polyphenols, gallic acid (2.1 mg/g) was a major compound of ASE. Overall, our results demonstrated that ASE inhibited the growth and migration of B16-F0 cells through downregulation of the VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 genes expression, which indicates ASE could be applied for the prevention and treatment of melanoma.

Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Condition for Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant Activity, and Epigallocatechin Gallate in Lipid-Extracted Microalgae.

Lipid-extracted microalgae (LEM, Tetraselmis KCTC 12236BP), a solid waste by-product obtained from algal biodiesel production, is typically considered a rich source of antioxidant compounds, including phenolic compounds. The purpose of this study was to apply a statistically-based methodology to enhance the extraction of total phenolic compounds (TPCs) and antioxidant activity (AA) from LEM and to verify the production of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a bioactive material, under optimum conditions. The optimal extractions of TPC and AA were explored by varying the key variables, including the extraction temperature, ethanol concentration, extraction time, and ultrasonic power, through statistical optimization. The optimal extraction conditions were identified through 27 runs following the central composite design. The regression analyses of TPC and AA showed good fit of the experimental data to the second-order polynomial models, with coefficient of determination (R2) values of 0.8769 and 0.8432, respectively. In the variation experiment, the maximum TPC and AA values of 9.8 mg GAE/g and 91.8% were obtained respectively with an extraction temperature of 74.4 °C, ethanol concentration of 55.4%, extraction time of 59.6 min, and ultrasonic power of 700 W. HPLC coupled with diode array detection was used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds in the extracts, and EGCG (0.12 mg/g DM) was identified as a major peak in the analysis, demonstrating that high value-added material with a bioactive property can be produced from LEM. The results indicated that statistical optimization is applicable for optimizing the extraction of TPC and AA from LEM and provided a scientific basis for applying ultrasound-assisted extraction on an industrial scale by optimizing the conditions. LEM has a high TPC value, particularly with regard to EGCG, and excellent AA, considering it is highly used as a functional material for food, cosmetics, and medicine.