Oryza Ceramide®, a rice-derived extract consisting of glucosylceramides and β-sitosterol glucoside, improves facial skin dehydration in Japanese subjects

Background and objective: The ingestion of plant-derived glucosylceramides (GlcCer) has been reported to contribute to skin barrier function and hydration of the epidermis. b-sitosterol glucoside (BSG) colocalized with GlcCer in the rice hydrophobic fraction has been shown to increase ceramides in the stratum corneum in vitro. Although clinical studies demonstrated that GlcCer reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the contribution of BSG to epidermal dehydration when applied with GlcCer remains unknown. Therefore, we herein conducted a clinical trial on the effects of a rice-derived mixed fraction of GlcCer and BSG (Oryza Ceramide®) on TEWL and other skin parameters. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design was used. Oryza Ceramide® (type PCD, 40 mg daily) containing 1.2 mg of GlcCer and 40 mg of BSG was used as the active sample. We enrolled 44 healthy Japanese women with epidermal dehydration. All subjects were randomly allocated to an active group (n=22) or placebo group (n=22) using a computerized random number generator. Capsules containing the active sample or placebo were administered for 12 weeks between August and December 2020. Cheek TEWL after 12 weeks was assessed as the primary outcome, and TEWL on a different part of the skin and various skin parameters, including epidermal moisture, pigmentation, pores, and elasticity, were measured before and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of the intervention. Blood, urine, and body parameters were also examined to evaluate safety.Results: Forty-four subjects completed the trial, and the per protocol set comprised 22 each in the active and placebo groups. Cheek TEWL significantly reduced after the Oryza Ceramide® intervention for 4 and 12 weeks. Among the secondary outcomes examined, lip moisture (12 weeks) and visible pore number (4 weeks) were improved by Oryza Ceramide®. Laboratory tests revealed no abnormalities to suggest any adverse effects of Oryza Ceramide®.Conclusions: Oryza Ceramide® (40 mg/day) consisting of GlcCer and BSG improved facial TEWL, lip moisture, and visible pores, and these effects may be attributed to increases in epidermal ceramides. The combination of rice GlcCer and BSG appears to be beneficial for improving facial skin conditions.Trial Registration: UMIN-CTR: UMIN000041295Foundation: The study was funded by Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co., Ltd. and Aichi Prefectural Subsidies for Research and Development of Creative Products in 2020.Keywords: rice; glucosylceramide; β-sitosterol glucoside; trans epidermal water loss; pore

Size and resin fractionations of dissolved organic matter and characteristics of disinfection by-product precursors in a pilot-scale constructed wetland

Controlling the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) is a major issue in the drinking water industry, and understanding the characteristics of DBP precursors in treatment processes for micro-polluted raw water is key to improving water quality. In this study, a sampling program was undertaken to investigate the fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the characteristics of DBP precursors in a pilot constructed wetland imitating the Yanlong Lake ecological project. Using XAD resin adsorption and ultrafiltration techniques, the dissolved organic carbon, UV254, and DBP formation potential (DBPFP) were measured in different DOM fractions in raw water and wetland effluents. After the constructed wetland treatment, the low molecular weight fraction (<3 kDa) of DOM and DBPFP generally showed a decreasing trend along the water path, while the high molecular weight fraction (>3 kDa) of DOM increased. The specific DBPFP (SDBPFP) was much higher in the <1 kDa fraction than in the other fractions. Although the hydrophobic fraction of DOM was the most abundant in all stages of the wetland treatment, the SDBPFP of the hydrophilic fraction was higher than that of the hydrophobic fraction. Furthermore, compared with raw water, the DOC, UV254 and DBPFP in the treated wetland effluents increased; however, all of the chemical DOM fractions exhibited decreased SDBPFP in accordance with a decrease in the specific ultraviolet absorbance during wetland treatment. These conclusions indicate that the DOM produced by the wetland system may generate DBPs less readily compared with the DOM of raw water.

Chemometric Analysis of Extracts and Fractions from Green, Oxidized, and Microbial Fermented Teas and Their Correlation to Potential Antioxidant and Anticancer Effects

Previous reports on phytochemicals in green tea (GT) and processed teas mainly focused on more representative compounds such as catechins. Here, we focus on the insignificantly studied non-catechin components in tea extracts, and explore the multivariate correlation between diverse phenolic compounds in tea and the in vitro antioxidant and anticancer effects. Extracts from GT and four types of processed teas were further divided into hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions, whose phenolic compositions and antioxidant capacities were quantified using HPLC-MS and three antioxidant assays, respectively. For three types of teas, the anticancer effects of their extracts and fractions were assessed using cancer cell lines. The hydrophobic fractions had lower antioxidant capacities than the corresponding hydrophilic fractions, but exhibited superior antiproliferative effects on cancer cells compared with the whole extract and the hydrophilic fraction. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis revealed a strong correlation between the anticancer effects and the theaflavins and flavonols. Therefore, in addition to catechins, the hydrophobic fraction of tea extracts may have beneficial health effects.

Effect of Rootstock and Harvesting Period on the Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Two Orange Cultivars (‘Salustiana’ and ‘Sanguinelli’) Widely Used in Juice Industry

Oranges are a rich source of bioactive compounds with recognized benefits for human health. To guarantee high quality and production levels, citrus farms usually employ the combination of selected cultivars with well adapted rootstocks. This study analyzes the impact of four different citrus rootstocks (Forner-Alcaide no.5, ‘Cleopatra mandarin’, Citrus volkameriana and Carrizo citrange) on the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of two orange cultivars (‘Salustiana’ and ‘Sanguinelli’) widely used in the orange juice industry. For the hydrophilic fraction, the phenolic compound, anthocyanin, and organic acid profiles were determined by HPLC-DAD-HRMS, and the antioxidant activity by ABTS, DPPH, and ORAC assays. Besides, the total carotenoids and ABTS concentrations were calculated for the hydrophobic fraction. A set of three flavanones, one flavone, and eight anthocyanins were tentatively identified and quantified in the orange cultivars tested. The predominant phenolic compounds obtained in both orange cultivars were hesperidin and narirutin, while cyanidin-3-O-(6″-malonyl) glucoside followed by cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were the main anthocyanins found in the ‘Sanguinelli’ cultivar. Citric acid, followed by malic, oxalic, and ascorbic acids were the main organic acids. The higher amount of antioxidant compounds was found in fruit from the Forner-Alcaide no.5 rootstock. These results indicate that Forner-Alcaide n.5 affects positively the phenolic and organic acid composition and the antioxidant capacity of ‘Sanguinelli’ and ‘Salustiana’ cultivars, and is therefore a good option for the sector based on the healthy promoting properties.

Effect of betaine and selenium on the growth and photosynthetic pigment production in Dunaliella salina as biostimulants

ABSTRACT The aim of our study was to establish the effect of selenium and betaine on the growth of D. salina, accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant activity of the hydrophobic fraction. This approach was an attempt to demonstrate ‘microalgae biostimulant’ effects, similar to ‘plant biostimulant’ effects, i.e. increased tolerance to abiotic stress and enhanced accumulation of bioactive compounds. A high-throughput assay was done in 24-well microplates, at 15% NaCl and different concentrations of sodium selenite (0, 0.5, 2 and 8 µM) or betaine (0, 5, 50 and 500 µM). Both selenium and betaine induced a slight delay in algae growth during the actively growing stage but the final density reached similar values to the control. Betaine significantly enhanced (50%–100%) carotenoids and chlorophyll a accumulation, in a concentration depending manner. Antioxidant activity increased almost 3-fold in extracts of algae treated with 50 µM betaine. Selenium had a much more discrete effect than betaine on pigments biosynthesis. The antioxidant activity of the extracts increased 2-fold in the presence of Se compared to the control. Our work proves that it is possible to enhance production and activity of bioactive compounds from microalgae by using ingredients, which already proved to act as plant biostimulants.

Hydrophobicity and iron coagulation of extracellular polymeric substance from colonial Microcystis

The bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis occurs mainly as colonial aggregates under the natural conditions. This paper investigated the hydrophobicity and iron coagulation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) from colonial Microcystis in order to understand the impact of EPS on the water treatment process. The higher contents of dissolved EPS (dEPS) and bound EPS (bEPS, mucilaginous matrix around the cells), lower dEPS/bEPS ratio and greater negative zeta potential of bEPS and dEPS were found in colonial Microcystis compared with unicellular Microcystis. XAD resin fractionation analysis indicated that the hydrophobicity could be ranked in an order as follows: bEPS > dEPS > dissolved extracellular organic matter (dEOM) for all the Microcystis strains. Correlation analysis showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between the amounts of carbohydrate and dissolved organic carbon in the hydrophobic fraction of EOM (dEOM, dEPS and bEPS), indicating that the hydrophobicity of Microcystis EOM might be related to carbohydrate. The coagulation experiment showed that for each colonial Microcystis strain, the removal efficiency of bEPS was higher than that of dEPS within the pH range from 3 to 10. The implications of the EPS characteristics were further discussed with respect to water treatment.

Housefly (Musca domestica) Larvae Preparations after Removing the Hydrophobic Fraction Are Effective Alternatives to Fish Meal in Aquaculture Feed for Red Seabream (Pagrus major)

Insects are an attractive alternative to fish meal (FM) as a sustainable protein source in aquaculture feed that does not negatively impact the marine ecosystem. Despite housefly (Musca domestica) larvae having adequacy of amino acid profiles, they have sometimes been reported to be inferior to FM, especially for marine carnivorous fish species. Here, we report that the removal of the hydrophobic fractions from housefly larvae enables significant replacement of FM in the diet of the red seabream (Pagrus major). In a feeding trial, housefly (HF) larvae that had the hydrophobic fraction removed as a complete substitution for 70% FM produced satisfactory growth. However, HF larvae that were supplemented with the hydrophobic fraction resulted in significant growth reduction. Growth recovery was incomplete by supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to undefatted HF larvae, being equivalent to that of fatty acid content with a control diet. Moreover, fish with a dietary intake of catechol identified from the hydrophobic fraction of the HF showed growth reduction and morphological alterations in the intestine. Our findings indicate that the hydrophobic fraction from HF larvae contains a negative factor for fish growth and eliminating the fraction from HF larvae is thought to be an important process for sustainable aquaculture.

Impact of Blood Collection Tubes and Sample Handling Time on Serum and Plasma Metabolome and Lipidome

Background: Metabolomics is emerging as a valuable tool in clinical science. However, one major challenge in clinical metabolomics is the limited use of standardized guidelines for sample collection and handling. In this study, we conducted a pilot analysis of serum and plasma to determine the effects of processing time and collection tube on the metabolome. Methods: Blood was collected in 3 tubes: Vacutainer serum separator tube (SST, serum), EDTA (plasma) and P100 (plasma) and stored at 4 degrees for 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 24 h prior to centrifugation. Compounds were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction to obtain a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic fraction and analyzed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Differences among the blood collection tubes and sample processing time were evaluated (ANOVA, Bonferroni FWER ≤ 0.05 and ANOVA, Benjamini Hochberg FDR ≤ 0.1, respectively). Results: Among the serum and plasma tubes 93.5% of compounds overlapped, 382 compounds were unique to serum and one compound was unique to plasma. There were 46, 50 and 86 compounds affected by processing time in SST, EDTA and P100 tubes, respectively, including many lipids. In contrast, 496 hydrophilic and 242 hydrophobic compounds differed by collection tube. Forty-five different chemical classes including alcohols, sugars, amino acids and prenol lipids were affected by the choice of blood collection tube. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the choice of blood collection tube has a significant effect on detected metabolites and their overall abundances. Perhaps surprisingly, variation in sample processing time has less of an effect compared to collection tube; however, a larger sample size is needed to confirm this.