Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Properties in Extracts of Developing Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) Seeds.

We investigated changes in the phenolic profile and antioxidant properties in the extracts of developing seeds of açaí (Euterpe oleracea). Four developmental stages were evaluated, with earlier stages displaying higher antioxidant activity and polyphenols content, while mass spectrometry analysis identified procyanidins (PCs) as the major components of the extracts in all stages. B-type PCs varied from dimers to decamers, with A-type linkages in a smaller number. Extracted PCs decreased in average length from 20.5 to 10.1 along seed development. PC composition indicated that (-)-epicatechin corresponded to over 95% of extension units in all stages, while (+)-catechin presence as the starter unit increased from 42 to 78.8% during seed development. This variation was correlated to the abundance of key enzymes for PC biosynthesis during seed development. This study is the first to report PC content and composition variations during açaí seed development, which can contribute to studies on the plant's physiology and biotechnological applications.

Bauhinia forficata Link Infusions: Chemical and Bioactivity of Volatile and Non-Volatile Fractions.

This study aimed to evaluate Bauhinia forficata infusions prepared using samples available in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As such, infusions at 5% (w/v) of different brands and batches commercialized in the city (CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS4) and samples of plant material botanically identified (BS) were evaluated to determine their total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC), antioxidant capacity (ABTS•+, DPPH•, and FRAP assays), phytochemical profile, volatile compounds, and inhibitory effects against the α-amylase enzyme. The results showed that infusions prepared using BS samples had lower TPC, TFC and antioxidant potential than the commercial samples (p < 0.05). The batch averages presented high standard deviations mainly for the commercial samples, corroborating sample heterogeneity. Sample volatile fractions were mainly composed of terpenes (40 compounds identified). In the non-volatile fraction, 20 compounds were identified, with emphasis on the CS3 sample, which comprised most of the compounds, mainly flavonoid derivatives. PCA analysis demonstrated more chemical diversity in non-volatile than volatile compounds. The samples also inhibited the α-amylase enzyme (IC50 value: 0.235−0.801 mg RE/mL). Despite the differences observed in this work, B. forficata is recognized as a source of bioactive compounds that can increase the intake of antioxidant compounds by the population.

Street-Like Synthesis of Krokodil Results in the Formation of an Enlarged Cluster of Known and New Morphinans.

"Krokodil" is the street name for a homemade injectable drug that has been used as a cheap substitute for heroin. Codeine is the opioid starting material for krokodil synthesis, and desomorphine is claimed to be the main opioid of krokodil and the main component responsible for its addictive and psychoactive characteristics. However, due to its peculiar manufacture, using cheap raw materials, krokodil is composed of a large and complex mixture of different substances. In order to shed some light upon the chemical complexity of krokodil, its profiling was conducted by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detector (RP-HPLC-DAD) and by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-Orbitrap-MS). Besides desomorphine, codeine, and morphine, profiting from the high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) data, an endeavor to study the morphinans content in krokodil was set for the first time. Considering codeine as the only morphinan precursor and the possible chemical transformations that can occur during krokodil synthesis, the morphinan chemical space was designed, and 95 compounds were defined. By making use of the morphinan chemical space in krokodil, the exact masses featured by HRMS, and the morphinan mass fragmentations patterns, a targeted identification approach was designed and implemented.The proposed 95 morphinans were searched using the full scan chromatogram of krokodil, and findings were validated by mass fragmentation of the correspondent precursor ions (MS2 spectra). Following this effort, a total of 54 morphinans were detected, highlighting the fact that these additional morphinans may contribute to the psychotropic effects of krokodil.

Avaliação da remoção de interferentes endócrinos, ativos farmacêuticos e cafeína em água para abastecimento público do estado de São Paulo / Assessment of endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and caffeine removal in drinking water of the São Paulo State

Alguns compostos orgânicos como interferentes endócrinos e ativos farmacêuticos estão sendo encontrados em águas superficiais e vêm chamando a atenção de orgãos públicos e da comunidade científica. Dentre esses compostos, foram enfatizados nesse trabalho, o hormônio sintético 17α-etinilestradiol, o surfactante (4-nonilfenol), bisfenol A, o antibiótico ß-lactâmico amoxicilina e a cafeína como traçador de atividade antrópica. Estes compostos são continuamente introduzidos em corpos d'água pelo lançamento de esgoto in natura o que afeta a qualidade da água, a saúde dos ecossistemas e impacta o suprimento de água potável. Considerando a baixa taxa de remoção desses contaminantes pelo tratamento de água atualmente utilizado no Brasil e o estado de degradação dos mananciais de água para abastecimento público, esse trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de metodologia analítica para determinação dos compostos citados e a avaliação da eficiência de remoção quando o tratamento convencional de água é aplicado. A determinação foi baseada em métodos já estabelecidos e envolveram as etapas de limpeza e concentração de amostra usando extração em fase sólida (SPE) e análise por cromatografia a líquido de alta eficiência (HPLC) com detector de arranjo de diodos (DAD) e espectrometria de massas. As amostras do Reservatório do Guarapiranga foram utilizadas para ensaios em escala laboratorial que simulavam o tratamento convencional de água em planta real. Os resultados mostraram a adequação dos métodos utilizados para a separação e determinação desses compostos em amostras ambientais. Além disso, apontaram para a necessidade de se avaliar a utilização de metodologias não convencionais que otimizem a remoção pelo tratamento de água atualmente utilizado

Some organic compounds, such as endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals, are being found in the surface water, and are concerning both the public organs and the scientific community. Among these compounds, the synthetic hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol, the surfactant (4-nonylphenol), bisphenol-A, the ß-lactam antibiotic amoxicillin and the marker of human activity caffeine were highlighted in the present work. These compounds are continuously drained to the water bodies by sewers, affecting not only the water quality itself, but also the ecosystems, and impacting the drinking water availability. Currently in Brazil, the removal rate of these contaminants is low, whereas the water sources for public supply are highly degraded. In this context, the present work develops an analytical method to detect the aforementioned compounds, and to evaluate the efficiency of its removal by conventional water treatments. Detection was based on pre-established methods and steps involved clean up and samples concentration by solid phase extraction (SPE), high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (DAD), and mass spectrometry. Recovery tests were done using environmental samples from Guarapiranga Reservoir (São Paulo, SP). This samples were further used in laboratorial tests, simulating real scale water conventional treatments. Current results revealed the adequacy of the chosen methods in the separation and determination of the abovementioned compounds from natural samples. Also, they highlight the need for the evaluation of non-conventional methodologies that optimize removal by current water treatment