Pumpkin seed oil and zinc attenuate chronic mild stress perturbations in the cerebral cortex of rats

Purpose This study aims to investigate the potential of pumpkin seed oil (PSO) and zinc to attenuate oxidative stress and neuroinflammation caused by chronic mild stress (CMS) in the cerebral cortex of male rats. Design/methodology/approach The rats were submitted to stress for six weeks and then the behavior of the rats was tested by forced swimming test (FST) and novel cage test. The treated groups were given venlafaxine (20 mg/kg), pumpkin seed oil (40 mg/kg) and zinc (4 mg/kg). The cortex homogenate was used for the detection of the oxidative stress parameters, the concentration of neurotransmitters, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β), Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and the expression of histamine N-methyltransferase (Hnmt) and tyrosine hydroxylase (Th). Findings CMS causes a significant increase in immobility time in the FST and a significant decrease in the number of rearing in the novel cage test. CMS group showed a significant increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, levels of cortisol, TNF-α, IL-1β, nitric oxide and malondialdehyde. CMS caused a significant decrease in the concentrations of serotonin, GABA, norepinephrine, and the activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and Na+/K+-ATPase. CMS caused a marked reduction in the expression of Hnmt and Th in the cortex. PSO and zinc attenuated the Na+/K+-ATPase activity, oxidative parameters and neuroinflammation induced by the CMS, and this was reflected by the elevation of the concentration of neurotransmitters and reduction of cortisol and ALT, in addition to the behavior normalization. PSO and zinc attenuated the CMS by improving the antioxidant milieu and anti-inflammatory status of the cerebral cortex. Originality/value There are no studies on the effect of pumpkin seed oil on depression

Phytosterols in hull-less pumpkin seed oil, rich in Δ7-phytosterols, ameliorate benign prostatic hyperplasia by lowing 5α-reductase and regulating balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis in rats

Background: Pumpkin seed oil is widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in elder men. However, its active components and mechanism have remained to be elucidated. Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the active components of pumpkin seed oil and its mechanism against BPH. Design: Total phytosterol (TPS) was isolated from hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. var. Styriaca) seed oil and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Three phytosterols were purified by preparative HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) and confirmed by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). TPS (3.3 mg/kg body weight, 1 mL/day/rat) was administered intragastrically to the testosterone propionate-induced BPH rats for 4 weeks. The structure changes of prostate tissues were assessed by hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, while that of 5α-reductase (5AR), apoptosis, or proliferation-related growth factors/proteins was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction or western blotting. Results: The ∆7-phytosterols in TPS reached up to 87.64%. Among them, 24β-ethylcholesta-7,22,25-trienol, 24β-ethylcholesta-7,25(27)-dien-3-ol, and ∆7-avenasterol were confirmed by NMR. TPS treatment significantly ameliorated the pathological prostate enlargement and restored histopathological alterations of prostate in BPH rats. It effectively suppressed the expressions of 5AR, AR, and coactivator SRC-1. TPS inhibited the expression of proliferation-related growth factor epidermal growth factor, whereas it increased the expressions of apoptosis-related growth factor/gene transforming growth factor-β1. The proliferation-inhibiting effect was achieved by decreasing the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylation, while apoptosis was induced by Caspase 3 activation through JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and p38 phosphorylation. Conclusion: TPS from hull-less pumpkin seed oil, with ∆7-phytosterols as its main ingredients, is a potential nutraceutical for BPH prevention.

Use of new similarities Bl and Blturb. to optimize the calculation and selection of heat exchange equipment for working with nanofluid coolants

The problem of correct, exact calculation and selection of the optimal heat exchange equipment at use in it of nanoliquid heat carriers was investigated in the work. Classical numerical equations, which are widely used in the calculation and selection of heat exchangers with nanofluids, especially at temperatures above 50 °C, give an error of (15–20) % or more. This leads to the fact that the selected heat exchange equipment may not work efficiently with excessive consumption of thermal energy. A new approach to heat transfer processes is considered, taking into account the theory of J. Businesque, which gives an idea of turbulent viscosity and thermal conductivity, as well as comparing the resistance of the coolant flow to the nanoparticle with surface forces and considering turbulent fluid as Newtonian. It is shown that the consideration of the behavior of a nanoparticle in a turbulent liquid coolant without taking into account surface forces is inaccurate and erroneous. The physical content of the previously obtained new numbers of similarity Bl and Blturb is considered and the possibility of their effective application in the new numerical equation obtained by us for the calculation of heat exchangers using nanofluid coolants is shown. The existing express method of estimating the efficiency of nanorluids use in heat exchangers on the basis of classical numerical equations is analyzed and a new express method on the basis of a new numerical equation and new numbers of similarity Bl and Blturb is proposed. The proposed express calculation method shows that a mixture of H2O + EG (60:40) improves the heat transfer properties of water by + 12.86 %, and a mixture of (H2O + EG (60:40) + 1.5 % TiO2) and (milk) + 0.5 % pumpkin seed oil) – by +16.75 %, which corresponds to the experiments and our calculations, and the known express method based on classical numerical equations shows a deterioration of – 4.5 % and, accordingly, by – 1.2 %. An example of calculating the optimal shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to the new algorithm when heating milk with hot water with the addition of mixtures (H2O + EG (60:40) + 1.5 % TiO2) and accordingly (milk + 0.5 % pumpkin seed oil) fully confirms the correctness of the new express –method.

The Potential Use of Cold-Pressed Pumpkin Seed Oil By-Products in a Low-Fat Salad Dressing: The Effect on Rheological, Microstructural, Recoverable Properties, and Emulsion and Oxidative Stability

The cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil by-product (POB) was evaluated for its application as a natural fat substitute and stabilizer in the reduced-fat salad dressings. For this aim, the samples were prepared by combining the xanthan gum (0.2–0.4 g/100 g), POB (1.0–5.0 g/100 g), egg yolk powder (3 g/100 g), and sunflower oil (10–30 g/100 g) in 17 different formulations. The optimization was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and full factorial central composite design (CCD). Results showed that all samples presented the shear-thinning (or pseudoplastic) flow behavior with 3.75–16.11 Pa·sn and 0.18–0.30, K and n values, respectively. The flow behavior rheological data were fitted to a power-law model (R2 > 0.99). The samples with high POB and low oil content showed similar K and n values compared to high oil content samples. Additionally, the dynamic rheological properties and three interval thixotropic test (3-ITT) were determined. The G′ value was larger than G″ in all frequency ranges, indicating viscoelastic solid characteristics in all samples. The optimum formulation was determined as 0.384% XG, 10% oil, and 3.04% POB. The samples prepared with the optimum formulation (POBLF-SD) were compared to low-fat (LF-SD), and high-fat (HF-SD) control salad dressing samples based on the rheological properties, emulsion stability, oxidative stability, zeta potential, and particle size. The oxidation kinetic parameters namely, IP, Ea, ΔS++, and ΔG++ showed that the oxidative stability of salad dressing samples could be improved by enriched by POB. The results of the present study demonstrated that POB could be considerably utilized as a natural fat substitute and stabilizer in salad dressing type emulsions.

Physicochemical Property and Some Vitamin Contents of Telfaria occidentalis Seeds Oil

Fluted pumpkin, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a versatile fruit and is used for various food processing application in Nigeria. As a result of its versatility, this study was conducted to ascertain the physiochemical characteristics and some vitamins content of its seeds oil. The pumpkin pods were gotten from a local farm in Benin metropolis, Edo state, Nigeria. The extraction of oil was conducted by the use of Seed-2-oil ® hot press machine. Various other standard methods were employed in the study. The physicochemical characteristics showed that the light yellow oil had a refractive index of 1.4710C ± 0.001 and melting point of 19.670C ± 1.80 while the chemical properties revealed acid value (0.64 mg KOH/ g of oil ± 0.05), peroxide value (0.99 Meq of 𝑂2/Kq of Oil ± 0.01), saponification value (189.73 mg KOH/g of oil ± 5.20) and p-anisidine (0.09 ± 0.01) respectively. The findings for the vitamins revealed vitamin A (781IU ± 1.35), D (1361IU ± 0.14) and K3 (8.145IU ± 0.36) respectively. The findings from this study revealed that pumpkin seed oil can be a good nutritive enrichment of foods and food products and a possible utilization in pharmaceuticals.

Physicochemical Property and Some Vitamin Contents of Telfaria occidentalis Seeds Oil

Fluted pumpkin, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a versatile fruit and is used for various food processing application in Nigeria. As a result of its versatility, this study was conducted to ascertain the physiochemical characteristics and some vitamins content of its seeds oil. The pumpkin pods were gotten from a local farm in Benin metropolis, Edo state, Nigeria. The extraction of oil was conducted by the use of Seed-2-oil ® hot press machine. Various other standard methods were employed in the study. The physicochemical characteristics showed that the light yellow oil had a refractive index of 1.4710C ± 0.001 and melting point of 19.670C ± 1.80 while the chemical properties revealed acid value (0.64 mg KOH/ g of oil ± 0.05), peroxide value (0.99 Meq of 𝑂2/Kq of Oil ± 0.01), saponification value (189.73 mg KOH/g of oil ± 5.20) and p-anisidine (0.09 ± 0.01) respectively. The findings for the vitamins revealed vitamin A (781IU ± 1.35), D (1361IU ± 0.14) and K3 (8.145IU ± 0.36) respectively. The findings from this study revealed that pumpkin seed oil can be a good nutritive enrichment of foods and food products and a possible utilization in pharmaceuticals.

FID-Gas Chromatography of West-Algerian Cucurbita pepo (or Pumpkin) Seed Oil Extract

Fatty acid and phytosterol vegetable oils were extracted from seeds of Cucurbita pepo (or pumpkin) into (v/v) hexane. The extract obtained was characterized by the contents of sterols, unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The content of the bioactive compounds was determined by gas-chromatography FID method. Pumpkin seed oil extracts showed higher content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (49.10%) than that from saturated fatty acids (28%). Sterols exhibited different molecules dominated by β-sistostérol (47%), Stigmastérol (23.6%) and campesterol (21.5%). Several peaks were present on the FID GC chromatogram of two extracts (fatty acids and sterols respectively). GC spectra confirmed the presence of the predominant bioactive compounds (PUFA, β-sistostérol , Stigmastérol and campesterol). The composition of pumpkin seed oil extract was characterized by FID-GC spectra with maximum at 280 nm.

Sustainable Jet Fuel Production: Using Pumpkin Seed Oil

Biofuels are fuels of biological origin, and they are among the prominent energy sources from renewable energy sources in recent years. Unlike fuels such as petroleum derivatives, coal, natural gas, biofuels are renewable and sustainable energy sources. Biofuels can be obtained by thermochemical or biochemical methods from agricultural and forestry products, animal and vegetable residues and wastes, organic origin domestic, industrial and urban wastes. Global warming caused by greenhouse gas effect is today shown as the most important common environmental problem in the world. The most important advantage of using biofuels in environmental terms is that there will be a reduction of greenhouse gas impact and acid rain. In this study, it is aimed to produce and characterize jet fuel by converting from pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seed oil, which is a sustainable bio energy source, into biofuel, by transesterification method. It has an important place in matters such as environment, sustainability, and reduction of carbon emissions. Biojet fuel produced using pumpkin seed oil, which is a sustainable resource, is a candidate product for development and commercialization.