Purification and characterization of soluble peroxidase from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) leaf.

Soluble peroxidase (POD) from oil palm leaf was purified by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and molecular exclusion chromatography. The purification grade obtained was 429 yielding 54% of the enzyme activity. Electrophoresis of purified enzyme under denatured conditions revealed M(r) of 48+/-2 kDa. It has an optimum pH of 5 and it exhibited very high pH and thermal stabilities. K(m) for guaiacol, ABTS and pyrogallol were 3.96, 1 and 0.84 mM, respectively. Immunocytochemical localization studies showed that soluble POD was mainly located in the vascular bundles and epidermis of leaf.

Determination of the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region oligosaccharide structures of proteoglycans from Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans.

Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are relevant models for studying the roles of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) during the development of multicellular organisms. The genome projects of these organisms have revealed the existence of multiple genes related to GAG-synthesizing enzymes. Although the putative genes encoding the enzymes that synthesize the GAG-protein linkage region have also been identified, there is no direct evidence that the GAG chains bind covalently to core proteins. This study aimed to clarify whether GAG chains in these organisms are linked to core proteins through the conventional linkage region tetrasaccharide sequence found in vertebrates and whether modifications by phosphorylation and sulfation reported for vertebrates are present also in invertebrates. The linkage region oligosaccharides were isolated from C. elegans chondroitin in addition to D. melanogaster heparan and chondroitin sulfate after digestion with the respective bacterial eliminases and were then derivatized with a fluorophore 2-aminobenzamide. Their structures were characterized by gel filtration and anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with enzymatic digestion and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight spectrometry, which demonstrated a uniform linkage tetrasaccharide structure of -GlcUA-Gal-Gal-Xyl- or -GlcUA-Gal-Gal-Xyl(2-O-phosphate)- for C. elegans chondroitin and D. melanogaster CS, respectively. In contrast, the unmodified and phosphorylated counterparts were demonstrated in heparan sulfate of adult flies at a molar ratio of 73:27, and in that of the immortalized D. melanogaster S2 cell line at a molar ratio of 7:93, which suggests that the linkage region in the fruit fly first becomes phosphorylated uniformly on the Xyl residue and then dephosphorylated. It has been established here that GAG chains in both C. elegans and D. melanogaster are synthesized on the core protein through the ubiquitous linkage region tetrasaccharide sequence, suggesting that indispensable functions of the linkage region in the GAG synthesis have been well conserved during evolution.

Impact of vitamin A supplementation through different dosages of red palm oil and retinol palmitate on preschool children.

Red palm oil (5 ml and 10 ml), ground nut oil fortified with 400 and 800 retinol equivalent retinol palmitate, and ground nut oil (5 and 10 ml), were administered to six groups of preschool children (four experimental and two control groups) in randomly assigned balwadis of Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu for a period of 7 months, to monitor the difference in the efficacy of the mode of supplementation and the optimum dose for improving vitamin A status. Results show that red palm oil groups recorded more gain in retinol and beta-carotene levels compared to other dosage groups, and that administration of 10 ml did not offer any substantial improvement over the 5-ml daily dose.

Impact of beta-carotene supplementation through red palm.

A 10-month long feeding trial was conducted to assess the impact of beta-carotene supplementation through red palm oil (RPO) with the focus on vitamin A status, morbidity status and acceptability of an RPO-incorporated noon-meal as a dietary supplement among two cohorts of 409 (experimental) and 346 (control) preschool children in two southern districts of rural Tamil Nadu, selected by stratified random sampling. Information was gathered on ocular symptoms of vitamin A deficiency and anthropometry, and blood samples were drawn at baseline and final rounds for estimation of serum beta-carotene, retinol and tocopherol. Data about Socioeconomic Status (SES) were collected once during the study period, while information on attendance, consumption and morbidity was recorded by preschool teachers. The results showed the following. 1. Significant improvement in the vitamin A status of children in terms of disappearance of Bitot's spots (50.0 per cent) in the experimental group vs. 28.0 per cent in the control group. 2. After feeding of RPO, incidence rate of new Bitot's spots cases was low at 2.13 in the experimental children vs. 4.78 in control children. 3. Marked improvement in the serum beta-carotene levels after 10 months of feeding. 4. RPO is acceptable to children as an edible grade oil as there is no perceptible difference in the consumption pattern between experimental and control children.