Valorization of seed and kernel marcs and evaluation of their antioxidant potential.

The processing and consumption of mango (Mangifera indica) generate a sizeable amount of kernel waste with enormous and largely unexplored potential, while by-products from njangsa (Ricinodendron heudelotii) seed and bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) kernel oil extraction are often discarded. This study aims to repurpose these kernels and seed wastes into added/high-value products and evaluate the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of their pressed marcs for polyphenolic content and potential antioxidant activity. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in the marc extracts ranged between 47.87 and 376.0 mg GAE/g and 4.85 and 13.70 mg Rutin/g, respectively. Both mango kernel marc extracts showed higher potent reducing power, ABTS+ radical and DPPH radical scavenging activities with half effective concentration (EC50) values (0.20-0.22 mg/mL) comparable to the reference compound; ascorbic acid (0.20 mg/mL). The TPC and TFC of the marc extracts generally strongly correlated with antioxidant activity. Relatively higher contents of xanthophyll and ß-carotene were detected in bush mango kernel methanolic extract than in the other extracts. Extraction solvent affected the composition and content of bioactives in pressed marcs of njangsa seed and mango kernel.

Immunologic profiles of multiple sclerosis treatments reveal shared early B cell alterations.

OBJECTIVE: We undertook a systems immunology approach of the adaptive immune system in multiple sclerosis (MS), overcoming tradeoffs between scale and level of detail, in order to identify the immunologic signature of MS and the changes wrought by current immunomodulatory treatments. METHODS: We developed a comprehensive flow cytometry platform measuring 38 immunologic cell types in the peripheral blood of 245 individuals in a routine clinical setting. These include patients with MS, untreated or receiving any of 4 current immunomodulatory treatments (interferon-ß, glatiramer acetate, natalizumab, or fingolimod), patients with autoimmune thyroid disease, and healthy controls. RESULTS: An increase in memory CD8(+) T cells and B cells was observed in untreated patients with MS. Interferon-ß and fingolimod induce significant changes upon multiple aspects of the peripheral immune system, with an unexpectedly prominent alteration of B cells. Overall, both treatments push the immune system in different directions, with only 2 significant effects shared across these treatments-an increase in transitional B cells and a decrease in class-switched B cells. We further identified heightened B cell-activating factor (BAFF) levels as regulating this shared B cell pathway. CONCLUSIONS: A systems immunology approach established different immunologic profiles induced by current immunomodulatory MS treatments, offering perspectives for personalized medicine. Pathways shared between the immunologic architecture of existing efficacious treatments identify targets for future treatment design.