Gluten protein functionality in wheat flour processing: a review

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Gras ◽  
R. S. Anderssen ◽  
M. Keentok ◽  
F. Békés ◽  
R. Appels

Gluten protein functionality remains the basis of any understanding of the end-product quality of wheat flours. Information about this functionality has been obtained by both in vivo and in vitro studies. Recent advances include structure/function studies of deletion mutants and transformed genotypes, where the genes incorporated were both naturally occurring genes and genes which have been desired to provide specific structural features. The contributions of these specific changes in structure to the rheology of the resulting doughs allow insight into the underlying physical processes that determine dough and end-product properties.

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 3207-3215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Ingram ◽  
William Ellis ◽  
Jennifer Keiser

ABSTRACTInteresting antischistosomal properties have been documented for the antimalarial mefloquine, a 4-quinolinemethanol. We evaluated the antischistosomal activities of nine mefloquine-related compounds belonging to the 4-pyridinemethanols, 9-phenanthrenmethanols, and 4-quinolinemethanols. Eight compounds revealed high activities againstSchistosoma mansoni in vitro, with two drugs (the 4-quinolinemethanols WR7573 and WR7930) characterized by significantly lower half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) (2.7 and 3.5 μM, respectively) compared to mefloquine (11.4 μM). Mefloquine and WR7930 showed significantly decreased IC50s when incubated in the presence of hemoglobin. High worm burden reductions (WBR) were obtained with enpiroline (WBR, 82.7%; dosage, 200 mg/kg of body weight) and itsthreoisomers (+)-threo(WBR, 100%) and (−)-threo(WBR, 89%) and with WR7930 (WBR, 87%; dosage, 100 mg/kg) against adultS. mansoniin mice. Furthermore, excellentin vitroandin vivoantischistosomal activity was observed for two WR7930-related structures (WR29252 and WR7524). In addition, mefloquine (WBR, 81%), enpiroline (WBR, 77%), and WR7930 (WBR, 100%) showed high activities againstS. haematobiumharbored in mice following single oral doses of 200 mg/kg. These results provide a deeper insight into the structural features of the arylmethanols that rule antischistosomal activity. Further studies should be launched with enpiroline and WR7930.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 657-680
Author(s):  
Pone Kamdem Boniface ◽  
Ferreira Igne Elizabeth

Background and Objectives: Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with filarial worms that are transmitted through mosquito bites. Globally, 120 million people are infected, with nearly 40 million people disfigured and disabled by complications such as severe swelling of the legs (elephantiasis) or scrotum (hydrocele). Current treatments (ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine) have limited effects on adult parasites and produce side effects; therefore, there is an urgent to search for new antifilarial agents. Numerous studies on the antifilarial activity of pure molecules have been reported accross the recent literature. The present study describes the current standings of potent antifilarial compounds against lymphatic filariasis. Methods: A literature search was conducted for naturally occurring and synthetic antifilarial compounds by referencing textbooks and scientific databases (SciFinder, PubMed, Science Direct, Wiley, ACS, SciELO, Google Scholar, and Springer, among others) from their inception until September 2019. Results: Numerous compounds have been reported to exhibit antifilarial acitivity in adult and microfilariae forms of the parasites responsible for lymphatic filariasis. In silico studies of active antifilarial compounds (ligands) showed molecular interactions over the protein targets (trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, thymidylate synthase, among others) of lymphatic filariasis, and supported the in vitro results. Conclusion: With reference to in vitro antifilarial studies, there is evidence that natural and synthetic products can serve as basic scaffolds for the development of antifilarial agents. The optimization of the most potent antifilarial compounds can be further performed, followed by their in vivo studies.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (17) ◽  
pp. 5405
Author(s):  
Sotirios Kiokias ◽  
Vassiliki Oreopoulou

Phenolic acids comprise a class of phytochemical compounds that can be extracted from various plant sources and are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A few of the most common naturally occurring phenolic acids (i.e., caffeic, carnosic, ferulic, gallic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, vanillic) have been identified as ingredients of edible botanicals (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, etc.). Over the last decade, clinical research has focused on a number of in vitro (in human cells) and in vivo (animal) studies aimed at exploring the health protective effects of phenolic acids against the most severe human diseases. In this review paper, the authors first report on the main structural features of phenolic acids, their most important natural sources and their extraction techniques. Subsequently, the main target of this analysis is to provide an overview of the most recent clinical studies on phenolic acids that investigate their health effects against a range of severe pathologic conditions (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and viral infections—including coronaviruses-based ones).


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 777
Author(s):  
Hasriadi ◽  
Peththa Wadu Dasuni Wasana ◽  
Opa Vajragupta ◽  
Pornchai Rojsitthisak ◽  
Pasarapa Towiwat

Chronic pain is a persistent and unremitting condition that has immense effects on patients’ quality of life. Studies have shown that neuroinflammation is associated with the induction and progression of chronic pain. The activation of microglia and astrocytes is the major hallmark of spinal neuroinflammation leading to neuronal excitability in the projection neurons. Excessive activation of microglia and astrocytes is one of the major contributing factors to the exacerbation of pain. However, the current chronic pain treatments, mainly by targeting the neuronal cells, remain ineffective and unable to meet the patients’ needs. Curcumin, a natural plant product found in the Curcuma genus, improves chronic pain by diminishing the release of inflammatory mediators from the spinal glia. This review details the role of curcumin in microglia and astrocytes both in vitro and in vivo and how it improves pain. We also describe the mechanism of curcumin by highlighting the major glia-mediated cascades in pain. Moreover, the role of curcumin on inflammasome and epigenetic regulation is discussed. Furthermore, we discuss the strategies used to improve the efficacy of curcumin. This review illustrates that curcumin modulating microglia and astrocytes could assure the treatment of chronic pain by suppressing spinal neuroinflammation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 955-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengjie Liu ◽  
John Wade ◽  
Mohammed Akhter Hossain

: Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid octanoylated peptide hormone that is implicated in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Specific visualization of ghrelin and its cognate receptor using traceable ligands is crucial in elucidating the localization, functions, and expression pattern of the peptide’s signaling pathway. Here 12 representative radio- and fluorescently-labeled peptide-based ligands are reviewed for in vitro and in vivo imaging studies. In particular, the focus is on their structural features, pharmacological properties, and applications in further biochemical research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan A. Bisceglia ◽  
Maria C. Mollo ◽  
Nadia Gruber ◽  
Liliana R. Orelli

Neglected diseases due to the parasitic protozoa Leishmania and Trypanosoma (kinetoplastids) affect millions of people worldwide, and the lack of suitable treatments has promoted an ongoing drug discovery effort to identify novel nontoxic and cost-effective chemotherapies. Polyamines are ubiquitous small organic molecules that play key roles in kinetoplastid parasites metabolism, redox homeostasis and in the normal progression of cell cycles, which differ from those found in the mammalian host. These features make polyamines attractive in terms of antiparasitic drug development. The present work provides a comprehensive insight on the use of polyamine derivatives and related nitrogen compounds in the chemotherapy of kinetoplastid diseases. The amount of literature on this subject is considerable, and a classification considering drug targets and chemical structures were made. Polyamines, aminoalcohols and basic heterocycles designed to target the relevant parasitic enzyme trypanothione reductase are discussed in the first section, followed by compounds directed to less common targets, like parasite SOD and the aminopurine P2 transporter. Finally, the third section comprises nitrogen compounds structurally derived from antimalaric agents. References on the chemical synthesis of the selected compounds are reported together with their in vivo and/or in vitro IC50 values, and structureactivity relationships within each group are analyzed. Some favourable structural features were identified from the SAR analyses comprising protonable sites, hydrophobic groups and optimum distances between them. The importance of certain pharmacophoric groups or amino acid residues in the bioactivity of polyamine derived compounds is also discussed.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Nader Kameli ◽  
Anya Dragojlovic-Kerkache ◽  
Paul Savelkoul ◽  
Frank R. Stassen

In recent years, plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have gained the interest of many experts in fields such as microbiology and immunology, and research in this field has exponentially increased. These nano-sized particles have provided researchers with a number of interesting findings, making their application in human health and disease very promising. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that PDEVs can exhibit a multitude of effects, suggesting that these vesicles may have many potential future applications, including therapeutics and nano-delivery of compounds. While the preliminary results are promising, there are still some challenges to face, such as a lack of protocol standardization, as well as knowledge gaps that need to be filled. This review aims to discuss various aspects of PDEV knowledge, including their preliminary findings, challenges, and future uses, giving insight into the complexity of conducting research in this field.


1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Coenraad Hendriksen ◽  
Johan van der Gun

In the quality control of vaccine batches, the potency testing of inactivated vaccines is one of the areas requiring very large numbers of animals, which usually suffer significant distress as a result of the experimental procedures employed. This article deals with the potency testing of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, two vaccines which are used extensively throughout the world. The relevance of the potency test prescribed by the European Pharmacopoeia monographs is questioned. The validity of the potency test as a model for the human response, the ability of the test to be standardised, and the relevance of the test in relation to the quality of the product are discussed. It is concluded that the potency test has only limited predictive value for the antitoxin responses to be expected in recipients of these toxoids. An alternative approach for estimating the potency of toxoid batches is discussed, in which a distinction is made between estimation of the immunogenic potency of the first few batches obtained from a seed lot and monitoring the consistency of the quality of subsequent batches. The use of animals is limited to the first few batches. Monitoring the consistency of the quality of subsequent batches is based on in vitro test methods. Factors which hamper the introduction and acceptance of the alternative approach are considered. Finally, proposals are made for replacement, reduction and/or refinement (the Three Rs) in the use of animals in the routine potency testing of toxoids.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 3005
Author(s):  
Kanchan Bhardwaj ◽  
Ana Sanches Silva ◽  
Maria Atanassova ◽  
Rohit Sharma ◽  
Eugenie Nepovimova ◽  
...  

Conifers have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential in different disorders. Alkaloids, terpenes and polyphenols are the most abundant naturally occurring phytochemicals in these plants. Here, we provide an overview of the phytochemistry and related commercial products obtained from conifers. The pharmacological actions of different phytochemicals present in conifers against bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are also reviewed. Data obtained from experimental and clinical studies performed to date clearly underline that such compounds exert promising antioxidant effects, being able to inhibit cell damage, cancer growth, inflammation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, an attempt has been made with the intent to highlight the importance of conifer-derived extracts for pharmacological purposes, with the support of relevant in vitro and in vivo experimental data. In short, this review comprehends the information published to date related to conifers’ phytochemicals and illustrates their potential role as drugs.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Silvia Tampucci ◽  
Antonella Castagna ◽  
Daniela Monti ◽  
Clementina Manera ◽  
Giuseppe Saccomanni ◽  
...  

Chitosan is receiving increasing attention from the food industry for being a biodegradable, non-toxic, antimicrobial biopolymer able to extend the shelf life of, and preserve the quality of, fresh food. However, few studies have investigated the ability of chitosan-based coatings to allow the diffusion of bioactive compounds into the food matrix to improve its nutraceutical quality. This research is aimed at testing whether a hydrophilic molecule (tyrosol) could diffuse from the chitosan-tyrosol coating and cross the tomato peel. To this end, in vitro permeation tests using excised tomato peel and an in vivo application of chitosan-tyrosol coating on tomato fruit, followed by tyrosol quantification in intact fruit, peel and flesh during a seven-day storage at room temperature, were performed. Both approaches demonstrated the ability of tyrosol to permeate across the fruit peel. Along with a decreased tyrosol content in the peel, its concentration within the flesh was increased, indicating an active transfer of tyrosol into this tissue. This finding, together with the maintenance of constant tyrosol levels during the seven-day storage period, is very promising for the use of chitosan formulations to produce functional tomato fruit.


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