An Avocado Extract Enriched in Mannoheptulose Prevents the Negative Effects of a High-Fat Diet in Mice.

Beginning at 16 weeks of age and continuing for 44 weeks, male C57BL/6J were fed either a control (CON) diet; a high-fat (HF) diet (60% unsaturated); or the HF diet containing an extract of unripe avocados (AvX) enriched in the 7-carbon sugar mannoheptulose (MH), designed to act as a glycolytic inhibitor (HF + MH). Compared to the CON diet, mice on the HF diet exhibited higher body weights; body fat; blood lipids; and leptin with reduced adiponectin levels, insulin sensitivity, VO2max, and falls from a rotarod. Mice on the HF + MH diet were completely protected against these changes in the absence of significant diet effects on food intake. Compared to the CON diet, oxidative stress was also increased by the HF diet indicated by higher levels of total reactive oxygen species, superoxide, and peroxynitrite measured in liver samples by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, whereas the HF + MH diet attenuated these changes. Compared to the CON, the HF diet increased signaling in the mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, and the addition of the MH-enriched AvX to this diet attenuated these changes. Beyond generating further interest in the health benefits of avocados, these results draw further new attention to the effects of this rare sugar, MH, as a botanical intervention for preventing obesity.

Characterization of avocado honey (Persea americana Mill.) produced in Southern Spain.

Plant origin, physicochemical parameters and composition were analysed to characterize the avocado honey (Persea americana Mill.) from Andalusia (Southern, Spain). Ashes content, total polyphenol, and electrical conductivity corresponded to these of a typical dark honey (>80 mm scale Pfund). Regarding mineral elements, K was predominant, followed by P and Mg. Antioxidant and invertase activities presented some desirable values. In the 20 analysed samples, 48 pollen types corresponding to 33 families were identified. Avocado pollen was found in high variability (13-58%). At least a 20% was suggested to guarantee the authentic avocado honey. Perseitol, sugar-alcohol identified only in avocado honey, fundamentally contributes to distinguish this kind of honey. The content varied between 0.31 and 1.56 g/100 g. The correlation between perseitol and avocado pollen was found to be significant. A minimum concentration of 0.30 g/100 g of perseitol is suggested to characterize the proposed monofloral avocado honey.

A reinvestigation of the lipopolysaccharide structure of Helicobacter pylori strain Sydney (SS1).

In this study, we describe a reinvestigation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure of Helicobacter pylori strain Sydney (SS1) based on the NMR analysis of oligosaccharides obtained through the use of various degradations of the LPS as well as capillary electrophoresis-MS data. The results of the analysis indicated that the core region of a major H. pylori SS1 LPS glycoform consists of a backbone core oligosaccharide substituted at the D-glycero-D-manno-heptose (DD-Hep) residue by a linear chain composed of a trisaccharide fragment α-ddHep-3-α-L-Fuc-3-ß-GlcNAc, as previously demonstrated for H. pylori strain 26695, further elongated by consecutively added α-Glc and ß-Gal residues, and terminating in a novel linear chain consisting of 1,2-linked ß-ribofuranosyl residues, where the last ß-ribofuranosyl residue provides a point of attachment for the O-chain polysaccharide: [Formula: see text] where [2-ß-Ribf-](n) is a short (three to five residues) oligomer of 1,2-linked ß-ribofuranose (riban), and PS is a polysaccharide chain consisting of N-acetyllactosamine, substituted with α-Fuc to form Lewis (Le)-type structures. In addition to the previously identified LacNAc, Le(y) and Le(x) components, the O-chain polysaccharide of H. pylori SS1 LPS was found to contain a novel LacNAc unit carrying a phosphoethanolamine substituent at the O-6 position of ß-GlcNAc residues.

Phase-variation of the truncated lipo-oligosaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis NMB phosphoglucomutase isogenic mutant NMB-R6.

The detection of antibodies specific to meningococcal lipo-oligosaccharides (LOSs; outer-core-->inner-core-->lipid A) in sera of patients convalescent from meningococcal infection suggests the potential use of LOS as a vaccine to combat pathogenic Neisseria spp. Removal of the outer-core region, which expresses glycans homologous to human blood-group antigens, is a required first-step in order to avoid undesirable immunological reactions following vaccination. To this end, we describe here the structural makeup of the LOS produced by serogroup B N. meningitidis NMB isogenic phosphoglucomutase (Pgm) mutant (NMB-R6). The dominant LOS types produced by NMB-R6 expressed a deep-truncated inner-core region, GlcNAc-(1-->2)-LDHepII-(1-->3)-LDHepI-(1-->5)-[Kdo-2-->4]-Kdo-->lipid A, with one PEA unit attached at either O-6 or O-7 of LDHepII, or with two simultaneously PEA moieties attached at O-3 and O-6 or O-3 and O-7 of the same unit. Unexpectedly, this mutation did not completely deactivate the production of Glc, as some LOS molecules were observed to carry Glc at O-4 of LDHepI and at O-3 of LDHepII. A glycoconjugate vaccine comprised of NMB-R6 LOSs is currently being evaluated in our laboratory.

Structure of the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa O-12 with a randomly O-acetylated core region.

The lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa O-12 was studied by strong alkaline and mild acid degradations and dephosphorylation followed by fractionation of the products by GPC and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and analyses by ESI FT-MS and NMR spectroscopy. The structures of the lipopolysaccharide core and the O-polysaccharide repeating unit were elucidated and the site and the configuration of the linkage between the O-polysaccharide and the core established. The core was found to be randomly O-acetylated, most O-acetyl groups being located on the terminal rhamnose residue of the outer core region.

Structural characterization of a novel branching pattern in the lipopolysaccharide from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strain 981 has been achieved using NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS on O-deacylated LPS and core oligosaccharide (OS) material as well as by ESI-MSn on permethylated dephosphorylated OS. A heterogeneous glycoform population was identified, resulting from the variable length of the OS branches attached to the glucose residue in the common structural element of H. influenzae LPS, l-alpha-d-Hepp-(1-->2)-[PEtn-->6]-l-alpha-d-Hepp-(1-->3)-[beta-d-Glcxp-(1-->4)]-l-alpha-d-Hepp-(1-->5)-[PPEtn-->4]-alpha-Kdop-(2-->6)-Lipid A. Notably, the O-6 position of the beta-d-Glcp residue was either substituted by PCho or the disaccharide branch beta-d-Galp-(1-->4)-d-alpha-d-Hepp, while the O-4 position was substituted by the globotetraose unit, beta-d-GalpNAc-(1-->3)-alpha-d-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-d-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-d-Glcp, or sequentially truncated versions thereof. This is the first time a branching sugar residue has been reported in the outer-core region of H. influenzae LPS. Additionally, a PEtn group was identified at O-3 of the distal heptose residue in the inner-core.

[Characterization of lipopolysaccharides from Ralstonia solanacearum]. / Kharakteristika lipopolisakharidov Ralstonia solanacearum.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from four strains of Ralstonia solanacearum belonging to biovar I (ICMP 6524, 8115, 5712, and 8169) were isolated and investigated. The structural components of the LPS molecule, such as lipid A, the core oligosaccharide, and O-specific polysaccharide (O-PS), were obtained after mild acid hydrolysis of the LPS preparations. In lipid A from all the LPS samples studied, 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic, 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic, tetradecanoic, and hexadecanoic fatty acids prevailed. The dominant monosaccharides of the core oligosaccharides of all of the strains studied were rhamnose, glucose, glucosamine, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid, and heptose. However, individual strains varied in the content of galactose, ribose, xylose, and arabinose. Three types of the O-PS structure were established, which differed in their configuration (alpha or beta), as well as in the type of the bond between glucosamine and rhamnose residues (1-->2 or 1-->3).

Structural diversity in lipopolysaccharide expression in nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. Identification of L-glycerol-D-manno-heptose in the outer-core region in three clinical isolates.

Structural elucidation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from three nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae clinical isolates, 1209, 1207 and 1233 was achieved using NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS on O-deacylated LPS and core oligosaccharide (OS) material as well as ESI-MS(n) on permethylated dephosphorylated OS. It was found that the organisms expressed a tremendous heterogeneous glycoform mixture resulting from the variable length of the OS chains attached to the common structural element of H. influenzae, L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1-->2)-[PEtn-->6]-L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1-->3)-[beta-D-Glcp-(1-->4)]-L-alpha-D-Hepp-(1-->5)-[PPEtn-->4]-alpha-Kdop-(2-->6)-Lipid A. Notably, the O-6 position of the beta-D-Glcp residue could either be occupied by PCho or L-glycero-D-manno-heptose (L,D-Hep), which is a location for L,D-Hep that has not been seen previously in H. influenzae LPS. The outer-core L,D-Hep residue was further chain elongated at the O-6 position by the structural element beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Galp, or sequentially truncated versions thereof. The distal heptose residue in the inner-core was found to be chain elongated at O-2 by the globotetraose unit, beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Glcp, or sequentially truncated versions thereof. Investigation of LPS from an lpsA mutant of isolate 1233 and a lic1 mutant of isolate 1209 was also performed, which aside from confirming the functions of the gene products, simplified elucidation of the OS extending from the proximal heptose (the lpsA mutant), and showed that the organism exclusively expresses LPS glycoforms comprising the outer-core l,d-Hep residue when PCho is not expressed (the lic1 mutant).

Determination by near-infrared spectroscopy of perseitol used as a marker for the botanical origin of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) honey.

This paper reports the application of near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy to determine the concentration in honey of perseitol, a sugar that is specific to avocado honey. Reference values for perseitol were obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis in 109 honey samples. Although the average concentration of perseitol in honey samples was only 0.48%, accurate prediction equations were successfully developed. The regression model of modified partial least squares was superior to that of principal component regressions. Calibrations based on the first or second derivative of Log(1/R) were equally good (R(2) > 0.95). Using half of the samples for calibration and the second half for validation, the correlation between actual and predicted values of the second half was satisfactory (R(2) = 0.87), the slope did not differ from 1, bias was low (0.005%), and the standard error of prediction was relatively low (0.13%). It was concluded that NIRS analysis may be used to detect to what extent honeybees have harvested avocado nectar but not to authenticate avocado honey as unifloral.

Synthesis and serological characterization of L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranose-containing di- and tri-saccharides of the non-reducing terminus of the Escherichia coli K-12 LPS core oligosaccharide.

Synthesis of the title trisaccharide was accomplished by sugar chain extension starting from the non-reducing terminus: coupling of Glcp NAc with LD-Hepp, then adding Glcp-OAll. An alternative route started from the reducing end: coupling of LD-Hepp with Glcp-OAll, then addition of Glcp NAc. In the synthesis of the title disaccharide a modification of the first approach was employed. The allyl glycosides were coupled with cysteamine, activated with thiophosgene and conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The neoglycoconjugates obtained were used in immunochemical studies of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed against Escherichia coli K-12 lipopolysaccharide.

Synthesis of L-glycero-D-manno-heptopyranose-containing oligosaccharide structures found in lipopolysaccharides from Haemophilus influenzae.

Syntheses are described of the tetrasaccharide 2-(4-trifluoroacetamidophenyl)ethyl O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1-->2)-O- (L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranosyl)-(1-->2)-O-(L-glycero-alpha-D- manno-heptopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranoside (20) and the three trisaccharides 2-(4-trifluoroacetamidophenyl)ethyl O-(L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranosyl)-(1-->2)-O-(L-glycero-alpha-D- manno-heptopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranoside (17), 2-(4-trifluoroacetamidophenyl)ethyl O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1-->4)- O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1-->4)-L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyrano side (5), and 2-(4-trifluoro-acetamidophenyl)ethyl O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1-->4)-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1-->4)- L-glycero-alpha-D-manno-heptopyranoside (8), corresponding to structures found in the lipooligosaccharides of Haemophilus influenzae.

[Structure of repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide from Yersinia mollaretii strain WS 42/89]. / Struktura povtoriaiushchegosia zvena O-spetsificheskogo polisakharida Yersinia mollaretii stamma WS 42/89.

The O-specific polysaccharide was isolated from Yersinia mollaretii strain WS 42/89 and characterized. Studies of the partial hydrolysis and methylation products and the 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy data enabled the following structure to be proposed for the repeating unit of the polysaccharide: -->2)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-6dGulp-(1--> The same structure was ascribed to the O-specific polysaccharide from Yersinia enterocolitica serovar O:6.31. The difference between these two O-antigens from various Yersinia species is in the absence of D-glycero-D-manno-heptose residues in the structure of the lipopolysaccharide from Y. mollaretii.

The O polysaccharide chain of the lipopolysaccharide from Vibrio cholerae O76 is a homopolymer of N-[(S)-(+)-2-hydroxypropionyl]-alpha-L-perosamine.

Chemical and serological studies of LPS from Vibrio cholerae O76 (O76) were performed. The LPS of O76 contained D-glucose, D-galactose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, D-fructose, D-glucosamine, D-quinovosamine (2-amino-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose) and L-perosamine (4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-L-mannopyranose). The sugar composition of the LPS from O76 was quite similar to that of LPS from V. cholerae O1 with the exception of the presence of a small amount of D-galactose in the LPS of O76. However, perosamine, a major sugar component of the LPS from O76, was in the L configuration in contrast to the D configuration of the perosamine in the LPS of V. cholerae O1. The L-perosamine was N-acylated with an (S)-(+)-2-hydroxypropionyl group in the LPS from O76. Structural analysis by NMR spectroscopy, as well as GC/MS, revealed that the O polysaccharide chain of the LPS from O76 was an alpha(1-->2)-linked homopolymer of N-[(S)-(+)-2-hydroxypropionyl]-L-perosamine. The serological cross-reactivity between the LPS of O76 and the LPS from other strains, such as V. cholerae O1 (Ogawa and Inaba O forms), Vibrio bio-serogroup 1875 (Original and Variant strains), V. cholerae O140 (Hakata) and Yersinia enterocolitica O9, was examined in passive haemolysis tests with sheep red blood cells that had been sensitized with LPS and antisera raised against whole cells of these bacteria. The latter six strains have in common the O antigen that includes Inaba antigen factor C, in addition to their own O-antigenic factors. Thus, they crossreact serologically. The O polysaccharide chains of the LPS of these six trains are known to consist exclusively of alpha(1-->2)-linked D-perosamine homopolymers and differences are found only among the N-acyl substituents. In passive haemolysis tests, the LPS of O76 did not cross-react serologically with any of the other LPS examined. Thus, the results obtained in this study support the hypothesis that Inaba antigen factor C, associated with the O antigens of these six strains, which include V. cholerae O1, is related substantially and exclusively to their alpha(1-->2)-linked homopolymers of N-acylated D-perosamine, and not to such homopolymers of N-acylated L-perosamine.

Structural study on a lipopolysaccharide from Coxiella burnetii strain Nine Mile in avirulent phase II.

A lipopolysaccharide isolated from Coxiella burnetti strain Nine Mile in avirulent phase II contains in the lipid A proximal region D-mannose, D-glycero-D-manno-heptose, and 3-deoxy-D- manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) in the molar ratio 2:2:3. The primary structure 1 of the heptasaccharide was determined by glycose analysis, methylation analysis, ESI-MS, and FABMS. [sequence: see text]

Lipo-oligosaccharide of Campylobacter lari strain PC 637. Structure of the liberated oligosaccharide and an associated extracellular polysaccharide.

Lipo-oligosaccharide from phenol-water extraction of cells of Campylobacter lari strain PC 637 was separated as a water-insoluble gel of low relative molecular mass (M(r)) from a water-soluble extracellular polysaccharide of high M(r). Structural investigations were performed on the lipo-oligosaccharide and the extracellular polysaccharide, variously using 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy, linkage analysis, and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry of permethylated derivatives of the glycans and their products of chemical and enzymic degradation. The following structures are proposed for the highly branched oligosaccharide region: [formula: see text] and for the tetraglycosyl phosphate repeating unit of the extracellular polysaccharide: [formula; see text]

Lipo-oligosaccharide of the Campylobacter lari type strain ATCC 35221. Structure of the liberated oligosaccharide and an associated extracellular polysaccharide.

Lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) from phenol-water extraction of cells of the Campylobacter lari type strain (ATCC 35221) was separated as a water-insoluble gel of low relative molecular mass (M(r)) from a water-soluble extracellular polysaccharide of high M(r). Structural investigations were performed on the liberated oligosaccharide and the extracellular polysaccharide, variously using 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy, linkage analysis, and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry of permethylated derivatives of the glycans and their products of chemical and enzymic degradation. The following structures are proposed for the highly branched region of the LOS: [formula: see text] and for the tetraglycosyl phosphate repeating unit of the extracellular polysaccharide: [-(PO3-)-->3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->2)-6-d-alpha-L-gul-Hepp -(1-->2)-3-d-beta-D-threo-Penp-(1-->3)-6-d-alpha-L-gul-He pp-]n

Structure of a hexasaccharide proximal to the hydrophobic region of lipopolysaccharides present in Bordetella pertussis endotoxin preparations.

A branched-chain hexasaccharide containing 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid was released by detergent-promoted hydrolysis from Bordetella pertussis endotoxin preparations that were first dephosphorylated with aqueous HF and then treated with nitrous acid. Its structure (2) [Formula: See text] was determined by chemical and physical methods. This hexasaccharide is present in all four lipopolysaccharides that make up the B. pertussis strain 1414 (phase 1) endotoxin preparations analysed, and is situated near to the hydrophobic domains. An analogous structure reported previously (ref 7) is erroneous and should be disregarded.

Structural studies of the saccharide part of the cell envelope lipopolysaccharide from Haemophilus influenzae strain AH1-3 (lic3+).

The structure of the saccharide part of the lipopolysaccharide from Haemophilus influenzae strain AH1-3 (lic3+) has been investigated. The saccharide was obtained from the lipopolysaccharide by mild acid hydrolysis followed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, and isolated fractions were studied by methylation analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and FAB mass spectrometry. The major saccharide is a heptasaccharide with the following structure, [formula: see text] in which Kdo is 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid and PEA is 2-aminoethyl phosphate. Hep is identified as L-glycero-D-manno-heptose. The absolute configuration of the phosphorylated heptose is tentative only.