Genomic architecture of autism spectrum disorder in Qatar: The BARAKA-Qatar Study.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social and communication skills, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. The prevalence of ASD among children in Qatar was recently estimated to be 1.1%, though the genetic architecture underlying ASD both in Qatar and the greater Middle East has been largely unexplored. Here, we describe the first genomic data release from the BARAKA-Qatar Study-a nationwide program building a broadly consented biorepository of individuals with ASD and their families available for sample and data sharing and multi-omics research. METHODS: In this first release, we present a comprehensive analysis of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of the first 100 families (372 individuals), investigating the genetic architecture, including single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs), tandem repeat expansions (TREs), as well as mitochondrial DNA variants (mtDNA) segregating with ASD in local families. RESULTS: Overall, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in known genes or regions in 27 out of 100 families (27%), of which 11 variants (40.7%) were classified as pathogenic or likely-pathogenic based on American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines. Dominant variants, including de novo and inherited, contributed to 15 (55.6%) of these families, consisting of SNVs/indels (66.7%), CNVs (13.3%), TREs (13.3%), and mtDNA variants (6.7%). Moreover, homozygous variants were found in 7 families (25.9%), with a sixfold increase in homozygous burden in consanguineous versus non-consanguineous families (13.6% and 1.8%, respectively). Furthermore, 28 novel ASD candidate genes were identified in 20 families, 23 of which had recurrent hits in MSSNG and SSC cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates the value of ASD studies in under-represented populations and the importance of WGS as a comprehensive tool for establishing a molecular diagnosis for families with ASD. Moreover, it uncovers a significant role for recessive variation in ASD architecture in consanguineous settings and provides a unique resource of Middle Eastern genomes for future research to the global ASD community.

Molecular Marker-Assisted Mapping, Candidate Gene Identification, and Breeding in Melon (Cucumis melo L.): A Review.

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important crop that is cultivated worldwide for its fleshy fruit. Understanding the genetic basis of a plant's qualitative and quantitative traits is essential for developing consumer-favored varieties. This review presents genetic and molecular advances related to qualitative and quantitative phenotypic traits and biochemical compounds in melons. This information guides trait incorporation and the production of novel varieties with desirable horticultural and economic characteristics and yield performance. This review summarizes the quantitative trait loci, candidate genes, and development of molecular markers related to plant architecture, branching patterns, floral attributes (sex expression and male sterility), fruit attributes (shape, rind and flesh color, yield, biochemical compounds, sugar content, and netting), and seed attributes (seed coat color and size). The findings discussed in this review will enhance demand-driven breeding to produce cultivars that benefit consumers and melon breeders.

Identification of a novel locus C2 controlling canary yellow flesh color in watermelons.

The flesh color of watermelon is an important trait that is determined by carotenoid composition and affects consumers' fruit desirability. Although a complete dominant control by C locus (Cllcyb) for canary yellow flesh (CY) over red flesh has been reported, red and CY colors frequently appear as a mixed pattern in the same flesh (incomplete canary yellow, ICY) in F1 and inbred lines carrying dominant C alleles. Therefore, we examined the genetic control of the mixed color pattern in ICY using whole-genome resequencing of three ICY (ICY group) and three CY inbred lines (CY group), as well as genetic linkage mapping of an F2 population. The segregation pattern in 135 F2 plants indicated that CY is controlled by a single locus (named C 2) dominant over ICY. The whole-genome resequencing of ICY and CY inbred lines revealed an ICY/CY-specific region of approximately 27.60-27.88 Mb on Chr. 2 that was polymorphic between the ICY and CY groups. Our genetic map, using nine cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence markers developed based on the single-nucleotide polymorphisms from the ICY/CY-specific region, confirmed that C 2 is located on Chr. 2 and cosegregated with the marker (M7) derived from a non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism of the pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) gene (ClPPR, Cla97C02G039880). Additionally, 27 watermelon inbred lines of ICY, CY, and red flesh were evaluated using previously reported Cllcyb (C locus)-based markers and our C 2 locus-linked ClPPR-based marker (M7). As a result, dominant alleles at the C 2 locus were required to produce CY, in addition to dominant alleles at the C locus, while a recessive homozygous genotype at the C locus gave the red flesh irrespective of the genotype at the C 2 locus. Using a ClPPR-based cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence developed in this study and Cllcyb-based markers, watermelon cultivars with CY, ICY, and red flesh could be successfully discerned, implying that the combined use of these markers will be efficient for marker-assisted selection of flesh color in watermelon breeding.

Mutagenesis-based plant breeding approaches and genome engineering: A review focused on tomato.

Breeding is the most important and efficient method for crop improvement involving repeated modification of the genetic makeup of a plant population over many generations. In this review, various accessible breeding approaches, such as conventional breeding and mutation breeding (physical and chemical mutagenesis and insertional mutagenesis), are discussed with respect to the actual impact of research on the economic improvement of tomato agriculture. Tomatoes are among the most economically important fruit crops consumed worldwide because of their high nutritional content and health-related benefits. Additionally, we summarize mutation-based mapping approaches, including Mutmap and MutChromeSeq, for the efficient mapping of several genes identified by random indel mutations that are beneficial for crop improvement. Difficulties and challenges in the adaptation of new genome editing techniques that provide opportunities to demonstrate precise mutations are also addressed. Lastly, this review focuses on various effective and convenient genome editing tools, such as RNA interference (RNAi), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9), and their potential for the improvement of numerous desirable traits to allow the development of better varieties of tomato and other horticultural crops.

Relative mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of chemical mutagens (Caffeine and EMS) and heavy metals [(Pb(NO3)2 and Cd(NO3)2)] in developing chlorophyll and morphological mutants in lentil.

Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency are the utmost vital indices to determine the effective and efficient mutagenic concentrations for the generation of high frequency of desirable mutation in mutation breeding. Nevertheless, there are meager study are available for employing effective and efficient concentration of caffeine, EMS, Pb(NO3)2 and Cd(NO3)2 for the crop improvement. Thus, the current study was performed to assess the mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of caffeine, EMS and heavy metals [Pb(NO3)2 Cd(NO3)2] and to determine the genetic variability of M2 and M3 lentil mutant lines. The frequency of different chlorophyll and chromophyll mutation was found highest at moderate and higher concentrations of chemical mutagens and heavy metals in M1 and M2 generation. The highest effectiveness was in 20 ppm Cd(NO3)2, followed by 20 ppm Pb(NO3)2, 0.10% EMS, and 0.10% caffeine. The present investigation also showed lower doses of caffeine, EMS, Pb(NO3)2, and Cd(NO3)2 were more efficient than higher concentrations, and caffeine was found more efficient followed by EMS, Pb(NO3)2, and Cd(NO3)2. Furthermore, a broad spectrum of viable mutations affecting different morphological characters of the plants viz., leaves, plant height, growth habits, flowers, pods, and seeds in M2 and M3 generation were recorded. Ten morphological mutants showing acceptable agronomic and horticultural features were identified, as genetic resources for further breeding.

Comparative effects of caffeine and lead nitrate on the bio-physiological and yield associated traits of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.).

Lentil belonging to the fabaceae family is a proteinaceous cool-season legume consumed across the world. However, lentil is low yielding with a narrow genetic base compared to other grain legumes such as chickpea, faba bean, and cowpea. In the present study, we intended to investigate the effect of two different mutagens viz., caffeine and lead nitrate on the bio-physiological and agronomical traits of lentil. Unlike other mutagens like ethyl methanesulphonate, sodium azide, and hydrazine hydrates very little is known about the mutagenic potency of caffeine and lead nitrate. The results revealed contrasting effects as lower doses of caffeine-induced a substantial increase in mean values of physiological and agronomical traits whereas both lower and higher doses of lead nitrate negatively impacted the agronomical traits of lentil. Among the mutagen doses, 0.1% caffeine was most efficient in inducing a substantial increase in mean values of bio-physiological and quantitative traits. The present study also revealed the successful conduct of induced mutagenesis in lentil and present a protocol that could be followed in future breeding programs aimed at increasing the yielding potential of legumes.

Role of microbial inoculants as bio fertilizers for improving crop productivity: A review.

The world's population is increasing and is anticipated to spread 10 billion by 2050, and the issue of food security is becoming a global concern. To maintain global food security, it is essential to increase crop productivity under changing climatic conditions. Conventional agricultural practices frequently use artificial/chemical fertilizers to enhance crop productivity, but these have numerous negative effects on the environment and people's health. To address these issues, researchers have been concentrating on substitute crop fertilization methods for many years, and biofertilizers as a crucial part of agricultural practices are quickly gaining popularity all over the globe. Biofertilizers are living formulations made of indigenous plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which are substantial, environment-friendly, and economical biofertilizers for amassing crop productivity by enhancing plant development either directly or indirectly, and are the renewable source of plant nutrients and sustainable agronomy. The review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on microbial inoculants as biofertilizers, including their types, mechanisms of action, effects on crop productivity, challenges, and limitations associated with the use of microbial inoculants. In this review, we focused on the application of biofertilizers to agricultural fields in plant growth development by performing several activities like nitrogen fixation, siderophore production, phytohormone production, nutrient solubilization, and facilitating easy uptake by crop plants. Further, we discussed the indirect mechanism of PGPRs, in developing induced system resistance against pest and diseases, and as a biocontrol agent for phytopathogens. This review article presents a brief outline of the ideas and uses of microbial inoculants in improving crop productivity as well as a discussion of the challenges and limitations to use microbial inoculants.

Development of a Gene-Based Marker Set for Orange-Colored Watermelon Flesh with a High ß-Carotene Content.

The fruit flesh of watermelons differs depending on the distinct carotenoid composition. Orange-colored flesh relates to the accumulation of ß-carotene, which is beneficial to human health. Canary-yellow-fleshed OTO-DAH and orange-ß-fleshed (orange-fleshed with high ß-carotene) NB-DAH near-isogenic lines (NILs) were used to determine the genetic mechanism attributed to orange watermelon flesh. For genetic mapping, an F2 population was developed by crossing the two NILs. The segregation ratio of flesh color in the F2 population indicated that the orange-ß flesh of the NB-DAH NIL was controlled by a single incompletely dominant gene. Through a comparative analysis of the whole-genome sequences of the parent lines and NILs, a major introgression region unique to the NB-DAH NIL was detected on Chr. 1; this was considered a candidate region for harboring genes that distinguish orange from canary-yellow and red flesh. Among the 13 genes involved in the carotenoid metabolic pathway in watermelons, only ClPSY1 (ClCG01G008470), which encodes phytoene synthase 1, was located within the introgression region. The genotyping of F2 plants using a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker developed from a non-synonymous SNP in ClPSY1 revealed its relationship with orange-ß flesh. The insights gained in this study can be applied to marker-assisted breeding for this desirable trait.

Trans-generational response of TiO2 nanoparticles in inducing variability and changes in biochemical pool of lentil F2 progenies.

Investigations were carried out to analyze the role of anatase nanoparticles in inducing genetic variability in lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) for yield improvement and subsequent involvement in development, quality, and biochemical response of second-generation seedlings through their lifecycle. Trans-generational alterations in the morphological and biochemical pool of the plant system were evaluated over a range of concentrations (25-200 µg/mL). Analysis of F2 seedlings showed an increase in yield parameters at the lowest concentration (25 µg/mL). Biochemical studies revealed that the F2 plants experienced lower oxidative stress as compared with previous generation plants. Quality analysis of seeds revealed a slight positive shift in the mean values of seed protein content at the lowest concentration. The effect of nanoparticles on the growth parameters was antagonistic except at the lowest concentration, where the growth parameters were found to be slightly higher than in the controls. The variability present in different traits in the F2 populations was quantified as phenotypic variability and its components, which is a measure of the transmissibility of variations of the so-called mutated populations as a result of nanoparticle application.

Physio-biochemical analysis and molecular characterization of induced lentil mutant lines.

Lens culinaris is a proteinaceous food crop that is consumed worldwide for protein requirements. Mutation breeding has been used to improve protein content, yield, and related traits, as well as to select highly desirable mutants that are economically significant. An investigation of genotypic variation in lentil germplasm was carried out using induced mutagenesis, with caffeine, ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS), lead nitrate, and cadmium nitrate as mutagens that resulted in 18 mutant lines in the M3 generation. For the present study, we analyzed the genetic diversity of lentil mutant lines using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers (RAPD). The heterozygosity of RAPD markers per primer ranged from 50.00-90.90% with an average of 71.04%. The genetic divergent analysis was performed using hierarchical clustering (UPGMA), exhibited that these mutant lines were classified mainly into five subpopulation or clusters. A close resemblance with highest genetic coefficient similarity (1.00) were observed between control and mutant H; between mutant M and E; between mutant Q and J2, while more divergent mutants were N2 with mutant B; and mutant R with mutant J1with least genetic coefficient similarity (0.22). Protein and mineral content (Fe, Zn and Cu) were increased significantly in some high yielding mutant lines concerning to the control plant, and showed polymorphic variations in polypeptide chains in terms of banding pattern. Stomatal morphology in high yielding mutants were perceived utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), exhibiting variations in stomatal size, stomatal opening and number of stomata. The present study's promising mutant lines' biological, physiological, and molecular profiles provide a foundation for forthcoming preservation and consumption strategies to broaden the genetic diversity of the breeding population of lentil.

Prenatally diagnosed large intrapericardial rhabdomyoma without haemodynamic compromise.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma is the most common primary cardiac tumour and is considered to be a hamartoma of developing embryonic cardiac myocytes. It is commonly seen in tuberous sclerosis. The size and location of the tumour is the surrogate determinant of the risk of haemodynamic compromise. Pericardial rhabdomyoma is very rare and tends to follow the inherent natural history of spontaneous regression. We present cases of two foetuses diagnosed with large pericardial rhabdomyoma and no haemodynamic consequences.

Anatomical Variations in Pulmonary Fissures on Computed Tomography (CT).

Objective To determine the frequency of anatomical variations in lung fissures using computed tomography (CT) at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of Radiology and Imaging Services at Memon Medical Institute Hospital, Karachi, between November 2021 to April 2022. Patients aged between 15 to 92 years with a completed high-resolution CT scan chest were included. Subjects with no significant structural lung disease that could alter the anatomy were analyzed. Baseline data was gathered using a pre-designed questionnaire, and two qualified radiologists assessed the CT chest images. Results A total of 382 subjects participated in this study, out of which 57.1% were males whilst 42.9% were females. The right horizontal fissure was absent in 10 (2.6%) cases. Accessory fissures were seen in 7.33%. The most common fissural variation was azygos fissure (14; 3.7%), followed by superior accessory fissure (six; 1.6%), inferior accessory fissures (four; 1%), and left horizontal fissure (four; 1%). These variations were more common in males. The significant difference was only seen in the superior accessory fissures with respect to gender (P-value<0.05). Conclusion This study showed the presence of accessory fissures in 7.33% of patients, the most common being the azygos fissure, irrespective of gender. The absence of normal right horizontal fissures was observed in 2.6% of cases.

A World Psychiatric Association Initiative to Increase Interest in Psychiatry as a Career in Qatar Medical Students: A Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization identified a chronic shortage of psychiatrists in Low- Middle- and High-Income Countries. In Qatar, the situation is dire with reports there is one psychiatrist per 170,000 people in the population. A one-day, student-led mental-health conference was held in Doha, Qatar under the auspices of the World Psychiatric Association with the aim of increasing interest in psychiatry as a career. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this single-arm, pre-post comparison study, a questionnaire assessing interest in psychiatry as a career was administered on participants before and after attending the conference. Demographic information was obtained and response items were on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-sample t-test with a significant p-value set at <0.05. RESULTS: The conference was attended by 102 individuals. Fifty-four attendees completed the pre-conference survey (53% response rate) and 36 participants completed the post-conference survey (35% response rate). Data for the 36 matched pre-post responses were included in our analyses. The average age of respondents was 22 years and 81% were female. There was improvement in post-conference results however these changes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge this is the first intervention study on increasing interest in psychiatry as a career carried out in Qatar. It is likely that psychiatry enthusiasts attended the conference and therefore their interest in this medical specialty was already high as corroborated by the favorable pre-conference survey results. This might explain why there was a lack of statistical significance in comparison to post- intervention scores. We recommend that such an event be integrated into the medical school curricula throughout Qatar to include students with low baseline interest in psychiatry. Further research in this area with more robust methodology is urgently needed to help narrow the pervasive treatment gap.

Extractive silylation method for high throughput GC analysis of flaxseed cyanogenic glycosides.

The reported methods for the estimation of CG are indirect, long and tedious uses solvent extraction which results in lower recoveries due to several co-eluted components. The present study aims to develop and validate a high throughput method for the analysis of cyanogenic glycosides (CG) in flaxseed using extractive silylation. The experimental procedure comprised of preparation of trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of CG, their quantitation through gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and further characterization by LC-MS/MS. Different validation parameters determined in the experiment include the relative standard deviation both inter-day and intraday less than 5%, recovery in the range of 79.9-112.7%, limit of detection 4.72-6.43 µg/mL and limit of quantitation 14.31-19.50 µg/mL. Combinations of silylation reagent were screened in a central composite experimental design in order to examine their effect on the extraction recovery. Finally, the developed method was applied successfully to quantify CG in various flaxseed cultivars. Advantages of the extractive silylation are simple preparation, short reaction times and the combination of extraction and silylation in one step which indicate that the method has the potential to sensitively and accurately determine CG where large numbers of samples are being routinely analysed.

Toxicity assessment of anatase (TiO2) nanoparticles: A pilot study on stress response alterations and DNA damage studies in Lens culinaris Medik.

The research was targeted to investigate the effect of nano-TiO2 (anatase) on germination, vigour index, stress enzymes and mitotic cell cycle profile in lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.). Seed germination results indicated that TiO2 NP (Nanoparticle) at lowest concentration promotes seed germination, vigour index and biomass; however, at higher concentrations, they showed significant reduction in growth parameters and photosynthetic pigments in concentration-dependent manner. NP treatments triggered an excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which was evident from increased production of stress enzymes, lipid peroxidation, augmented DNA damage and aberrant mitotic cell division. The results exhibit a dose-dependent modification of NP- mediated oxidative stress and genotoxicity in lentil.

Induction of phenotypic diversity in mutagenized population of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) by using heavy metal.

Pulse breeding has been performed in the past by utilizing the genetic variability using conventional method. At the present time, these techniques are insufficient for producing new cultivars to fulfill globally increased food demand. In this situation, induced mutagenesis have been appeared as a new technique which are largely utilized for evolving improved mutants with good quality of agronomic traits and for determining desired genes that control agronomical traits. In the present investigation lentil seeds were mutagenized with different doses (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 ppm) of lead and cadmium nitrate. M2 generation was raise from collected seeds of M1 generation. Distinct morphological mutants were selected with different traits such plant height, growth habit, leaf morphology, flower character, pigmentation and pod size. Different meiotic aberration such as stickiness, precocious separation of chromosome, unequal division, disturbed polarity with laggards, cytomixis, disorientation, unpolarized chromosome, sticky metaphase, multinucleate condition with micronuclei were also observed in this experiment. Some mutants may be utililised directly in selection or some of these are beneficial in breeding programme. Beneficial mutants were determined at lower concentrations both heavy metals with highest mutation frequency in cadmium than lead nitrate.

Antioxidant and antiacetylcholine esterase potential of aerial parts of Conocarpus erectus, Ficus variegata and Ficus maclellandii.

The current study was designed to check the antioxidant and enzyme inhibition potential of various extracts/ fractions of three selected plants. The aerial parts of Conocarpus erectus (Combretaceae), Ficus variegata (Moraceae) and Ficus maclellandii (Moraceae) were extracted with ethanol (95%) and the resulting crude extracts were partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform and n-butanol successively. Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was used to calculate the total phenolic contents, flavonoids contents were calculated with aluminum chloride while antioxidant and enzyme studies were carried out through standard protocols. All extracts/fractions contained reasonable amount of phenolic compounds ranging from 0.58-58.23 mg CE/g of DW and 0.43-30.56 mg GAE/g of DW. Total flavonoids were determined using rutin and quercetin standards, ranging from 2.65-18.2 mg rutin equivalent/g of dry weight and 0.92-5.41 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dry weight. Antioxidant studies such as DPPH inhibition FRAP and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was checked. The crude ethanolic extract of C. erectus showed maximum antiradical scavenging power (90.43%; IC50=7 µg) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (16.5 µM eq.FeSO4.7H2O), respectively while leave extract of F. variegata (chloroform) was the most active (0.6577) in TAC among other extracts of the selected medicinal plants. Butanolic leave extract of C. erectus exhibited maximum enzyme inhibition activity (91.62% with IC50 40 µg/ml) while other extracts showed significant activity. It was observed from results that all extracts/fractions of under consideration plants, exhibited significant bioactivities especially ethanolic and butanolic fractions, which may be the richest source of such type of activities.

Anticancer activity of Cinnamon tamala leaf constituents towards human ovarian cancer cells.

Bioassay guided fractionation of Cinnamon tamala leaf extracts yielded bornyl acetate (1), caryophylene oxide (2), p-coumaric acid (3) and vanillic acid (4) using A-2780 human ovarian cancer cell lines. The structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed through spectroscopic techniques (EIMS, (1)H and (13)C NMR). Compound 1 exhibited highest cytotoxicity with 90.16 ± 1.06% inhibition (IC50=5.30 x 10(-4) mg/ml) followed by compound 2 (84.40±1.53% inhibition; IC50=8.94 x 10(-3)mg/ml), while compounds 3 and 4 were inactive in the bioassay.

Bioactive constituents from Croton sparsiflorus Morong.

Whole plant extracts of Croton sparsiflorus in methanol have shown significant enzyme inhibition and antioxidant activities. Bioassay-guided isolation of chloroform fraction at pH 3 resulted in the identification of crotsparinine (1) and crotsparine (2), while sparsiflorine (3) was purified from the chloroform fraction at pH 9. The structures of the compounds were confirmed through spectral analyses (EI-MS, (1)H and (13)C NMR). The isolated compounds 1-3 exhibited remarkable enzyme inhibition activity with IC50 values 27.01 ± 1.1, 22.26 ± 1.0 and 18.02 ± 1.3 µM in xanthine oxidase and 48.42 ± 1.5, 48.05 ± 1.4 and 7.42 ± 1.0 µM in acetylcholine esterase assays, respectively. These compounds also showed potent radical scavenging and reducing properties in DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively. The present results suggest the validity of the traditional uses of C. sparsiflorus in rheumatism and gout. Furthermore, the isolated noraporphine alkaloids can be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Identification of flavonoids with trypsin inhibitory activity extracted from orange peel and green tea leaves.

BACKGROUND: Orange peel (Citrus sinensis) and green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves, rich sources of food flavonoids, were analyzed for their trypsin inhibitory potential. Hesperetin, rutin and hesperidin from orange peel, and catechin from green tea leaves, were isolated and their chemical structures were analyzed. All four compounds were evaluated for their trypsin inhibitory potential. RESULTS: Among all the isolated compounds, rutin exhibited the highest protease inhibition activity (75.4 ± 0.9%) with IC50 = 16 ± 2 µmol L(-1), followed by catechin (65.3 ± 1.4%; IC50 = 83 ± 9 µmol L(-1)), hesperetin (62.1 ± 1.3%; IC50 = 104 ± 12 µmol L(-1)) and hesperidin (59.7 ± 1.1%; IC50 = 127 ± 14 µmol L(-1)). Lineweaver-Burk and Dixon plots and their secondary replots indicated that all four compounds possessed non-competitive inhibition. The Ki values of hesperetin, rutin, hesperidin and catechin were calculated as 90.2 ± 1.1, 17.5 ± 0.6, 84.2 ± 1.5 and 65.1 ± 1.5 µmol L(-1) respectively. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that the four isolated flavonoids can be used as a supplement in food for the treatment of pathologies associated with the degradation of a specific protein.