Isabel S. Carvalho

ω-3 Fatty Acid Desaturase Genes Isolated from Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.): Expression in Different Tissues and Response to Cold and Wound Stress

Two full-length cDNA clones PoleFAD7 and PoleFAD8, encoding plastidial omega-3 fatty acid desaturases were isolated from purslane (Portulaca oleracea). The encoded enzymes convert linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3). Three histidine clusters characteristic of fatty acid desaturases, a putative chloroplast transit peptide in the N-terminal, and three putative transmembrane domains were identified in the sequence. Both genes were expressed in all analyzed tissues showing different levels of expression. PoleFAD7 was up-regulated by wounding but not by low temperature. PoleFAD8 was up-regulated by cold stress but not by wounding. Total fatty acid and linolenic acid content were higher both, in wounded and intact leaves of plants exposed to low temperature.

Mechanism of action of probiotics

ABSTRACT The modern diet doesn’t provide the required amount of beneficial bacteria. Maintenance of a proper microbial ecology in the host is the main criteria to be met for a healthy growth. Probiotics are one such alternative that are supplemented to the host where by and large species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces are considered as main probiotics. The field of probiotics has made stupendous strides though there is no major break through in the identification of their mechanism of action. They exert their activity primarily by strengthening the intestinal barrier and immunomodulation. The main objective of the study was to provide a deep insight into the effect of probiotics against the diseases, their applications and proposed mechanism of action. Key words: Anti-allergic, Gastrointestinal problems, Immunomodulation, Infectious diseases, Probiotics * Author for correspondence: rraja307@yahoo.co.in INTRODUCTION The gut microenvironment has an effect on the nutrition, feed conversion and disease of the host, thereby maintaining the microbial ecology of the gut (Guarner and Malagelada 2003). During the periods of stress, illness or antibiotic treatment, the gut flora is often changed in favor of harmful bacteria that may cause diarrhea and loss of appetite (Cremonini et al. 2002; Harish and Varghese 2006). Overgrowth of the harmful bacteria and its subsequent invasion of the system lead to inflammatory, immunological, neurological and endocrinological problems. Induction of the growth of beneficial bacteria is one of the possible solutions to normalize the health conditions. This could be achieved by the supplementation of viable bacterial cells into the host. Probiotics can help to build up the beneficial bacterial flora in the intestine and completely exclude the pathogenic bacteria. These bacteria also release some enzymes which help in the digestion of the feed (Jean et al. 2003). A daily intake of 10

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of three omega-6 desaturase genes from purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.)

Two full-length cDNA clones of PoleFAD2 and one full-length cDNA clone of PoleFAD6, encoding ω-6 fatty acid desaturases, the key enzymes for the conversion of oleic into linoleic acid, were isolated from purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) leaves and seeds. The deduced amino acid sequence of both isoforms of PoleFAD2 showed higher similarities to other microsomal ω-6 desaturases then to PoleFAD6 or other plastidial orthologues, and vice versa. Expression analysis by RT-PCR showed that all genes are expressed in all tissues of purslane tested, but higher levels of mRNA accumulation were detected in reproductive organs and cells that proliferate rapidly or store lipids. Wounding affected the levels of mRNA accumulation of both, FAD2 and FAD6 genes in purslane leaves, while chilling stress affected only FAD2 transcript level. The expression patterns observed reflect the discrete roles of these genes in membrane synthesis for cell division, thylakoid development, and lipid storage or in the biosynthetic pathway for the production of signaling molecules that influence plant development or defense.

Accumulation of fatty acids in purslane grown in hydroponic salt stress conditions

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is the eighth most common plant distributed throughout the world being a heat- and drought-tolerant plant. In this study, we evaluated the effect of salinity on total amounts of fatty acids (FAs) and ω3/ω6 ratio in leaves of purslane. Plants exposed to four levels of chloride salinity in the root zone (60, 90, 120 and 240 mM NaCl) for 40 days showed no signs of toxicity or death. The main FAs detected were C16:0>C18:3>C18:2. The ratio of ω6 to ω3 was not changed with salt stress. Hierarchic cluster analysis brought together 60 and 90 mM NaCl in control plants, based on their FA content. The results of this study confirm the purslane as a plant rich in FAs whose consumption may contribute to dietary intake of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, with obvious benefits to human health.

Antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties and zinc content of five south Portugal herbs

Abstract Context: Crataegus monogyna L. (Rosaceae) (CM), Equisetum telmateia L. (Equisataceae) (ET), Geranium purpureum Vil. (Geraniaceae) (GP), Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) (MS), and Lavandula stoechas L. spp. luisieri (Lamiaceae) (LS) are all medicinal. Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities of plant extracts and quantify individual phenolics and zinc. Material and methods: Aerial part extracts were prepared with water (W), ethanol (E) and an 80% mixture (80EW). Antioxidant activity was measured with TAA, FRAP and RP methods. Phenolics were quantified with a HPLC. Zinc was quantified using voltammetry. Antibacterial activity (after 48 h) was tested using Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes. Antiproliferative activity (after 24 h) was tested using HEP G2 cells and fibroblasts. Results: Solvents influenced results; the best were E and 80EW. GP had the highest antioxidant activity (TAA and FRAP of 536.90 mg AAE/g dw and 783.48 mg TE/g dw, respectively). CM had the highest zinc concentration (37.21 mg/kg) and phenolic variety, with neochlorogenic acid as the most abundant (92.91 mg/100 g dw). LS was rich in rosmarinic acid (301.71 mg/100 g dw). GP and LS inhibited the most microorganisms: B. cereus, E. coli and S. aureus. GP also inhibited E. faecalis. CM had the lowest MIC: 5830 μg/mL. The antibacterial activity is explained by the phenolics present. LS and CM showed the most significant anti-proliferative activity, which is explained by their zinc content. Conclusion: The most promising plants for further studies are CM, LS and GP.

Modelling of mass transfer kinetic in osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit

Abstract Osmotic dehydration characteristics of kiwifruit were predicted by different activation functions of an artificial neural network. Osmotic solution concentration (y1), osmotic solution temperature (y2), and immersion time (y3) were considered as the input parameters and solid gain value (x1) and water loss value (x2) were selected as the outlet parameters of the network. The result showed that logarithm sigmoid activation function has greater performance than tangent hyperbolic activation function for the prediction of osmotic dehydration parameters of kiwifruit. The minimum mean relative error for the solid gain and water loss parameters with one hidden layer and 19 nods were 0.00574 and 0.0062% for logarithm sigmoid activation function, respectively, which introduced logarithm sigmoid function as a more appropriate tool in the prediction of the osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit slices. As a result, it is concluded that this network is capable in the prediction of solid gain and water loss parameters (responses) with the correlation coefficient values of 0.986 and 0.989, respectively.

Recent developments in therapeutic applications of Cyanobacteria

Abstract The cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are photosynthetic prokaryotes having applications in human health with numerous biological activities and as a dietary supplement. It is used as a food supplement because of its richness in nutrients and digestibility. Many cyanobacteria (Microcystis sp, Anabaena sp, Nostoc sp, Oscillatoria sp., etc.) produce a great variety of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. Cyanobacteria produce biologically active and chemically diverse compounds belonging to cyclic peptides, lipopeptides, fatty acid amides, alkaloids and saccharides. More than 50% of the marine cyanobacteria are potentially exploitable for extracting bioactive substances which are effective in killing cancer cells by inducing apoptotic death. Their role as anti-viral, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, anti-HIV and a food additive have also been well established. However, such products are at different stages of clinical trials and only a few compounds have reached to the market.

Biomass from Microalgae: An Overview

Microalgal biomass offers a number of advantages over conventional biomass such as higher productivities, use of non-productive land, reuse and recovery of waste nutrients, use of saline or brackish waters, and reuse of CO2 from power-plant flue-gas. The production of microalgal biomass reduces Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and provides biofuel as a replacement for fossil fuels. They are useful for production of food, health supplements, fodder, biofuel, aquaculture, fine chemicals and various biotechnological applications. The most commonly used marine algal cultures are Botryococcus braunii, Chlorella vulgaris, Chaetoceros muelleri, Dunaliella salina, Nannochloropsis oculata, Arthrospira maxima, Scenedesmus quadricauda. The current review provides details of the microalgal biomass with emphasis on strain selection, cultivation, strain improvement and biotechnological potentials.

Antioxidant activities, distribution of phenolics and free amino acids of Erica australis L. leaves and flowers collected in Algarve, Portugal

Leaves and flowers from Erica plant possess nutritional and medicinal properties. We determined the antioxidant activity, phenolic, flavonoid and amino acid profiles of the leaves and flowers of this plant. Total amino acid content varied from 28 to 49 and essential amino acids from 8 to 20 mg/g for flowers and leaves, respectively, with different distributions within the plant. From 16 phenolic compounds identified, delphinidin-3-glucoside, caffeic acid and cyanidin-3,5-glucoside in leaves and pelargonidin-3,5-glucoside in flowers were the compounds in highest amount, all with over 500 μg/g. Although flowers had higher contents of phenolic compounds (4000 μg/g) than leaves (3400 μg/g), they showed lower antioxidant activity, indicating that the antioxidant activity depends not only on the content of phenolics, but also on their type. This study shows that this plant has the potential to be used as an extra dietary source of amino acids and phenolic compounds and its consumption may provide health benefits.

Screening of the aerodynamic and biophysical properties of barley malt

Abstract An understanding of the aerodynamic and biophysical properties of barley malt is necessary for the appropriate design of equipment for the handling, shipping, dehydration, grading, sorting and warehousing of this strategic crop. Malting is a complex biotechnological process that includes steeping; germination and finally, the dehydration of cereal grains under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. In this investigation, the biophysical properties of barley malt were predicted using two models of artificial neural networks as well as response surface methodology. Stepping time and germination time were selected as the independent variables and 1 000 kernel weight, kernel density and terminal velocity were selected as the dependent variables (responses). The obtained outcomes showed that the artificial neural network model, with a logarithmic sigmoid activation function, presents more precise results than the response surface model in the prediction of the aerodynamic and biophysical properties of produced barley malt. This model presented the best result with 8 nodes in the hidden layer and significant correlation coefficient values of 0.783, 0.767 and 0.991 were obtained for responses one thousand kernel weight, kernel density, and terminal velocity, respectively. The outcomes indicated that this novel technique could be successfully applied in quantitative and qualitative monitoring within the malting process.