Phenolic Compounds in Organic and Conventional Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Wholemeal

Winter wheat wholemeal is an important component of the human diet and may be a significant source of antioxidants. The objective of this study was to determine individual phenolic compounds in five winter wheat varieties: ‘Fredis’, ‘Edvins’, ‘94-5-N’, ‘Skagen’, and ‘SW Magnific’ wholemeal, grown according to organic and conventional agricultural practices. Ten phenolic compounds (vanilin, rutin, catechin hydrate, quercetin, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, 3.4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-hydroxycinnamic acid, trans (3)-hydroxycinnamic acid, and gallic acid) were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (Schimadzu Prominence HPLC). Catechin hydrate and quercetin were the main phenolic compounds in the grain of all tested winter wheat varieties. Significant differences (p < 0.05) among the analysed winter wheat cultivars in the concentration of individual phenolic compounds were observed. Concentrations of vanillin in organic and conventional winter wheat wholemeal were significantly lower (0.28 ± 0.02 to 0.65 ± 0.04 µg·g−1 DW), although the differences in the levels of phenolic were not large. The obtained results showed a statistically significant trend (p < 0.05) towards higher levels of phenolic compounds in organic wheat wholemeal samples.

Protective Effect of Catechin Hydrate on Spinal Cord Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Rats

Background: Aortic artery stenosis leads to Ischemia-Reperfusion (I-R) injury, which can cause certain clinical expressions, such as paraplegia. Objectives: To appraise the effect of Catechin Hydrate (CH) against spinal cord I-R injury. Materials & Methods: A total of 35 male rats (250-300 g) were divided randomly into five groups: intact, sham surgery, dimethyl sulfoxide (I-R+DMSO), low-dose CH (I-R+10 mg/kg CH), and high-dose CH (I-R+20 mg/kg CH). Abdominal aorta clamping was done for 60 min. Seventy-two hours after I-R, animals were evaluated for neurologic function, biochemical analysis, and histology. The data analysis was conducted by SPSS v. 16 using ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: The mean Motor Deficit Index (MDI) score and white matter damage in the CH (20 mg/kg) group were lower than in the DMSO group (P=0.032). The mean plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the CH groups were lower than that of the DMSO group (P<0.05). The plasma level of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) in the CH (20 mg/kg) group was higher than in the DMSO group (P=0.032). In addition, the plasma level of catalase in the CH (20 mg/kg) group was higher than in the DMSO and CH (10 mg/kg) groups (P<0.001). The average number of normal motor neurons in the experimental groups was lower than in the sham surgery group (P<0.001).

Targeted Metabolic and In-Silico Analyses Highlight Distinct Glucosinolates and Phenolics Signatures in Korean Rapeseed Cultivars

Rapeseed is an economically important oilseed crop throughout the world. We examined the content and composition of glucosinolates (GSLs) and phenolics in the sprouts of seven Korean cultivars. A total of eight GSLs that include four aliphatic GSLs (AGSLs) (progoitrin, gluconapin, gluconapoleiferin, and glucobrassicanapin) and four indole GSLs (IGSLs) (4-methoxyglucobrassicin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and glucobrassicin) were identified in these cultivars. Of the total GSLs, the highest level was detected for progoitrin, while the lowest level was identified for glucobrassicanapin in all the cultivars. Phenolics that include chlorogenic acid, catechin hydrate, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, epicatechin, caffeic acid, rutin, quercetin, trans-cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, and kaempferol were present in all the cultivars. Of these, rutin was identified with the highest level while trans-cinnamic acid was identified with the lowest level in all the cultivars. Cluster analysis revealed the unique metabolic signature of eight GSLs and thirteen phenolics for the seven cultivars of rapeseed, which implies that genomic commonality and variability resulted from the previous breeding program. Further, gene expression and cis-regulatory elements suggest that the biosynthesis of GSLs and phenolics of these cultivars appears to be regulated through transcription factors associated with stress responses, phytohormones, and cellular growth.

STUDY OF POSSIBLE MECHANISMS OF ACTOPROTECTIVE ACTION OF СATEKHIN HYDRATE

A study was carried out to study the possible mechanisms of actoprotective action of catechin hydrate administered at a dosage of 100 mg/kg. The animals were subjected to daily exhausting loads in the forced swimming test with a load of 10% of the animal's weight. After the end of the experiment, the rats were decapitated under chloral hydrate anesthesia (350 mg/kg) and the skeletal muscle was taken to obtain the supernatant. Using the ELISA method, the concentrations of nitric oxide isoforms (eNOS, iNOS, nNOS), PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors) and JNK were estimated. It was found that against the background of the introduction of the test substance, an increase in eNOS activity was observed by 48.7% (p <0.05) relative to the group of negative control rats, as well as a decrease in iNOS and JNK — 1.9 times (p <0.05). In comparison with the group receiving Metaprot®, the concentration of endothelial synthase in the group receiving catechin hydrate was 1.3 times higher (p <0.05). The experiment performed suggests that the actoprotective effect of catechin hydrate is likely to be associated with inhibition of pathways mediated by JNK, activation of PPAR receptors, and the effect of these compounds on NO isoforms.

In vitro effects of nutraceutical treatment on human osteoarthritic chondrocytes of females of different age and weight groups

The in vitro effects of four nutraceuticals, catechin hydrate, gallic acid, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, on the ability of human osteoarthritic chondrocytes of two female obese groups to form articular cartilage (AC) tissues and to reduce inflammation were investigated. Group 1 represented thirteen females in the 50–69 years old range, an average weight of 100 kg and an average body mass index (BMI) of 34⋅06 kg/m2. Group 2 was constituted of three females in the 70–80 years old range, an average weight of 75 kg and an average BMI of 31⋅43 kg/m2. The efficacy of nutraceuticals was assessed in monolayer cultures using histological, colorimetric and mRNA gene expression analyses. AC engineered tissues of group 1 produced less total collagen and COL2A1 (38-fold), and higher COL10A1 (2⋅7-fold), MMP13 (50-fold) and NOS2 (15-fold) mRNA levels than those of group 2. In comparison, engineered tissues of group 1 had a significant decrease in NO levels from day 1 to day 21 (2⋅6-fold), as well as higher mRNA levels of FOXO1 (2-fold) and TNFAIP6 (16-fold) compared to group 2. Catechin hydrate decreased NO levels significantly in group 1 (1⋅5-fold) while increasing NO levels significantly in group 2 (3⋅8-fold). No differences from the negative control were observed in the presence of other nutraceuticals for either group. In conclusion, engineered tissues of the younger but heavier patients responded better to nutraceuticals than those from the older but leaner study participants. Finally, cells of group 2 formed better AC tissues with less inflammation and better extracellular matrix than cells of group 1.

Investigation of Anti-Proliferative Effects of Natural Products Quercetin Hydrate and Catechin Hydrate on Leukemia Lymphocytes

The major problem of conventional cancer therapy is lack of selectivity and induction of harmful side-effects on normal (healthy) cells and tissues. In the recent years, scientific efforts are focused to find a proper approach for highly selective influence on cell viability, as well as induction of cell death in cancer cells only. In this regard, natural herbal products are of great interest due to their low cytotoxicity to normal cells and tissues and their potential as supplements to conventional chemotherapeutics. It is well known that flavonoids exhibit various biological activities, such as anti oxidative, anti bacterial, anti inflammatory, anti viral and anti cancer, and may play a role in cancer prevention. In the present study, the effects of low concentrations of quercetin hydrate and catechin hydrate on cell viability of leukemia lymphocytes were investigated, in order to provide an experimental basis for their future incorporation into newly-synthesized biocompatible nano-formulations.

Determination and Evaluation of Flavonoids in Hawthorn in China

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) is a common agricultural product with applications in medicine and food in China. In particular, the flavonoids in hawthorn have important medicinal effects. To quantify the flavonoid contents in hawthorn fruit of different regions in China and scientifically guide the reasonable consumption of hawthorn, 12 flavonoids in hawthorn samples from Shandong (SD), Henan (HN), Shaanxi (SAX), Shanxi (SX), and Jiangsu (JS) were detected by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The total flavonoid content in the Henan sample from hawthorn was the highest, at 177.94 μg · g−1, and the Jiangsu sample was the lowest at 124.67 μg · g−1. Epicatechin was the flavonoid with the highest concentration in samples from all regions, and the average content in Shandong samples reached 73.44 μg · g−1. Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were also performed to evaluate the effect of different growing regions in China on the contents of flavonoids in hawthorn. We found the Jiangsu samples had obvious regional characteristics, and the compositions of (±)-catechin hydrate, epicatechin and phlorizin dihydrate could be used to distinguish hawthorn grown in Jiangsu from the other four producing areas. The results will provide the reference basis for Chinese hawthorn consumers.