Formation of 5α-Sitostan-3-one, 5α-Campestan-3-one, and Steroidal Hydrocarbons in Edible Oils during Catalytic Hydrogenation.

Targeted analysis confirmed the presence of new phytosterol degradation products in fully hydrogenated commercial samples. EI-MS, APCI-MS, and 1D-NMR experiments led to the identification of 10 novel markers of catalytic hydrogenation, among which 5α-sitostan-3-one and 5α-campestan-3-one, isomers of saturated and monounsaturated steroidal hydrocarbons, were reported in edible oils for the first time. Examination of the phytosterol degradation mechanism was done by the catalytic transfer deuteration technique. The mitigation strategy of potentially detrimental compounds included optimization of processing parameters. The effect of catalyst dosage (≤0.1% based on Ni basis) and temperature region (>180 °C) were the most crucial factors in phytosterol degradation control.

Effect of N-Feruloylserotonin and Methotrexate on Severity of Experimental Arthritis and on Messenger RNA Expression of Key Proinflammatory Markers in Liver.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, leading to progressive destruction of joints and extra-articular tissues, including organs such as liver and spleen. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a potential immunomodulator, natural polyphenol N-feruloylserotonin (N-f-5HT), with methotrexate (MTX), the standard in RA therapy, in the chronic phase of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in male Lewis rats. The experiment included healthy controls (CO), arthritic animals (AA), AA given N-f-5HT (AA-N-f-5HT), and AA given MTX (AA-MTX). N-f-5HT did not affect the body weight change and clinical parameters until the 14th experimental day. Its positive effect was rising during the 28-day experiment, indicating a delayed onset of N-f-5HT action. Administration of either N-f-5HT or MTX caused reduction of inflammation measured as the level of CRP in plasma and the activity of LOX in the liver. mRNA transcription of TNF-α and iNOS in the liver was significantly attenuated in both MTX and N-f-5HT treated groups of arthritic rats. Interestingly, in contrast to MTX, N-f-5HT significantly lowered the level of IL-1ß in plasma and IL-1ß mRNA expression in the liver and spleen of arthritic rats. This speaks for future investigations of N-f-5HT as an agent in the treatment of RA in combination therapy with MTX.

Mechanism of formation of 3-chloropropan-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters under conditions of the vegetable oil refining.

3-MCPD esters are contaminants that can form during refining of vegetable oils in the deodorization step. It was experimentally shown that their content in the vegetable oil depends on the acid value of the vegetable oil and the chloride content. 3-MCPD esters form approximately 2-5 times faster from diacylglycerols than from monoacylglycerols. It has been proved that the higher fatty acids content in the oil caused higher 3-MCPD esters content in the deodorization step. Neutralization of free fatty acids in the vegetable oil before the deodorization step by alkaline carbonates or hydrogen carbonates can completely suppress the formation of 3-MCPD esters. Potassium salts are more effective than sodium salts.

N-feruloylserotonin in preventive combination therapy with methotrexate reduced inflammation in adjuvant arthritis.

Many of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs often have side effects at high doses and/or during long-term administration. Increased efficacy without increased toxicity is expected for combination therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the study was to examine the effect of N-feruloylserotonin (N-f-5HT) and methotrexate (MTX) in monotherapy and in combination therapy on disease progression and inflammation in arthritic rats. Adjuvant arthritis was induced by intradermal injection of Mycobacterium butyricum in incomplete Freund's adjuvant in Lewis rats. The experiment included healthy animals, arthritic animals without any drug administration, arthritic animals with administration of N-f-5HT in the oral daily dose of 15 mg/kg b.w., arthritic animals with administration of MTX in the oral dose of 0.3 mg/kg b.w. twice a week and arthritic animals treated with the combination of N-f-5HT and MTX. N-f-5HT in monotherapy reduced only activation of NF-κB and did not have any significant effect on other parameters monitored. Low-dose treatment of MTX decreased the level of IL-1ß and MCP-1 on day 14 and activation of NF-κB in liver without significant effect on other parameters. N-f-5HT and MTX combination showed both the anti-arthritic (hind paw volume and arthritic score) and anti-inflammatory effect (plasmatic levels of IL-1ß, IL-17, MCP-1, CRP, and activation of NF-κB in liver). In combination with MTX, N-f-5HT markedly potentiated the therapeutic effect of MTX low dose, which resulted in significant improvement of all parameters measured. The findings showed that the combination therapy simultaneously decreased multiple markers of inflammation, a result crucial for future therapy of RA.

Antioxidant effect of mono- and dihydroxyphenols in sunflower oil with different levels of naturally present tocopherols.

Antioxidant properties of mono- and dihydroxyphenolic acids and their alkyl esters were examined, with emphasis on the relationship between their molecular structure and antioxidant activity. Test media with different tocopherol level were used for determining the oxidative stability: original refined sunflower oil (total tocopherols 149.0 mg/kg), partially tocopherol-stripped sunflower oil (total tocopherols 8.7 mg/kg) and distilled fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) as a tocopherol-free medium. The chemical reaction of tocopherols with diazomethane tested for the purpose to eliminate their antioxidant activity failed due to the negligible degree of methylation of hydroxyl group in the tocopherol molecule. Caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid (3,4-dihydroxyphenolic acids) and their alkyl esters were found to be more active antioxidants than monohydroxyphenolic acid (p-hydroxybenzoic acid), 2,5-dihydroxyphenolic acid (gentisic acid), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenolic acids (vanillic and ferulic acids) and their corresponding alkyl esters. Naturally present tocopherols in refined sunflower oil proved to have a synergistic effect on gentisic acid but not on its alkyl esters. In contrast, tocopherols showed an antagonistic effect on alkyl esters of caffeic acid, because their protection factors decreased with increasing level of tocopherols in the test medium. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of these alkyl esters decreased with increasing length of their alkyl chain in conformity with the polar paradox hypothesis. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Tocopherols as naturally present antioxidants influence considerably the antioxidant activity of other antioxidants added to plant oils used as a test medium. Distilled fatty acid methyl esters prepared from refined sunflower oil may serve as an optimal tocopherol-free test medium. Some alkyl esters of phenolic acids were evaluated to be applicable as natural more lipophilic antioxidants in comparison with phenolic acids.