Mauricio A. Rostagno

Flavonoids as anti-inflammatory agents: implications in cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Chronic inflammation is being shown to be increasingly involved in the onset and development of several pathological disturbances such as arteriosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and even cancer. Treatment for chronic inflammatory disorders has not been solved, and there is an urgent need to find new and safe anti-inflammatory compounds. Flavonoids belong to a group of natural substances occurring normally in the diet that exhibit a variety of beneficial effects on health. The anti-inflammatory properties of flavonoids have been studied recently, in order to establish and characterize their potential utility as therapeutic agents in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain in vivo flavonoid anti-inflammatory actions, such as antioxidant activity, inhibition of eicosanoid generating enzymes or the modulation of the production of proinflammatory molecules. Recent studies have also shown that some flavonoids are modulators of proinflammatory gene expression, thus leading to the attenuation of the inflammatory response. However, much work remains to be done in order to achieve definitive conclusions about their potential usefulness. This review summarizes the known mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids and the implications of these effects on the protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of soy isoflavones.

Efficiency in extracting four isoflavone derivatives (daidzin, glycitin, genistin and malonyl genistin) from freeze-dried ground soybeans was compared for mix-stirring extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction, using different solvents and extraction temperatures with both. The efficiency of the extraction of soy isoflavones was improved by ultrasound but was dependent on the solvent employed. Optimization of the ratios of sample quantity to solvent volume and length of extraction time was also performed. Isoflavones can be quantitatively extracted from soybeans with 50% ethanol at 60 degrees C using ultrasound-assisted extraction in 20 min.

Edible mushrooms: Role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Edible mushrooms are a valuable source of nutrients and bioactive compounds in addition to a growing appeal for humans by their flavors and culinary features. Recently, they have become increasingly attractive as functional foods for their potential beneficial effects on human health. Hence, food industry is especially interested in cultivated and wild edible mushrooms. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Several investigations have shown the influence of mushrooms intake on some metabolic markers (total, LDL, HDL cholesterol, fasting triacylglycerol, homocysteine, blood pressure, homeostatic function and oxidative and inflammatory damage), which potentially may reduce the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases. Relevant nutritional aspects of mushrooms include a high fiber supply, a low fat content with low trans isomers of unsaturated fatty acids and a low concentration of sodium as well as the occurrence of components such as eritadenine, phenolic compounds, sterols (such as ergosterol), chitosan, triterpenes, etc., which are considered as important responsible agents for some hitherto healthy properties. The aims of this review are to report putative positive effects of mushrooms consumption on cardiovascular diseases risk markers and to identify some putative bioactive compounds involved in these effects.

Fast and simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds and caffeine in teas, mate, instant coffee, soft drink and energetic drink by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fused-core column

A fast HPLC method with diode-array absorbance detector and fluorescence detector for the analysis of 19 phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavonols and caffeine in different types of samples was developed. Using a C(18) reverse-phase fused-core column separation of all compounds was achieved in less than 5 min with an overall sample-to-sample time of 10 min. Evaluation of chromatographic performance revealed excellent reproducibility, resolution, selectivity and peak symmetry. Limits of detection for all analyzed compounds ranged from 0.5 to 211 μg L(-1), while limits of quantitation ranged between 1.5 and 704 μg L(-1). The developed method was used for the determination of analytes present in different samples, including teas (black, white, green), mate, coffee, cola soft drink and an energetic drink. Concentration of the analyzed compounds occurring in the samples ranged from 0.4 to 314 mg L(-1). Caffeine was the analyte found in higher concentrations in all samples. Phytochemical profiles of the samples were consistent with those reported in the literature.

In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of phenolic rich extracts from white and red common beans.

According to epidemiological evidence, diets rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the incidence of several chronic diseases that share an inflammatory component. These protective effects are attributed, in part, to the occurrence of different antioxidant components, mainly phenolic compounds. Our aim was to characterise phenolic composition, and to determine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of phenolic rich extracts obtained from two kinds of common beans, white kidney beans (WKB) and round purple beans (RPB). Phenolic acids were the predominant component in WKB extracts, whereas RPB extracts presented higher concentrations of phenolic compounds, mainly catechin derivatives, proanthocyanidins and catechin glucoside. In addition, RPB extracts showed higher antioxidant capacity and higher anti-inflammatory activity by the reduction of NO production and cytokine mRNA expression of LPS stimulated macrophages. These results suggest that common bean extracts may be used as a source of anti-inflammatory agents as well as a dietary complement for health promotion.

Mushrooms as a Source of Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Inflammation is nowadays well known to be involved in the development of several chronic diseases such as arteriosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Treatment for chronic inflammatory disorders has not been solved yet, and there is an urgent need to find new and safe anti-inflammatory preventive and therapeutic compounds. Medicinal mushrooms have been traditionally used in Asian countries to manage and treat different diseases. On the other hand, edible mushrooms have recently attracted much interest as a functional food because of their antimutagenic, anti-tumoral, anti-viral, anti-thrombotic, hypocholesterolemic, hypolipidemic, and anti-oxidant properties. Among all of these healthy properties, special attention was paid to the immunomodulatory activity of some fungal compounds such as polysaccharides, mainly β-glucans. Recently, some studies have demonstrated that both whole mushrooms and extracts may show anti-inflammatory activity due to the presence of bioactive compounds. This review summarizes the most recent studies investigating immunomodulatory and especially, anti-inflammatory properties of both medicinal and edible mushrooms, the compounds putatively implicated and the mechanisms that were already established.

Fast analysis of curcuminoids from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fused-core column.

The recent development of fused-core technology in HPLC columns is enabling faster and highly efficient separations. This technology was evaluated for the development of a fast method for the analysis of main curcuminoids (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin) present in extracts of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). A step-by-step strategy was used to optimize temperature (40-55 °C), flow rate (1.0-2.5 mL min(-1)), mobile phase composition and equilibration time (1-5 min). A gradient method was developed using acidified water and acetonitrile combined with high column temperature (55 °C) and flow rate (2.5 mL min(-1)). Optimized conditions provided a method for the separation of these three curcuminoids in approximately 1.3 min with a total analysis time (sample-to-sample) of 7 min, including the clean-up and the re-equilibration of the column. Evaluation of chromatographic performance revealed excellent intraday and interday reproducibility (>99%), resolution (>2.23), selectivity (>1.12), peak symmetry (1.24-1.42) while presenting low limits of detection (<0.40 mg L(-1)) and quantification (<1.34 mg L(-1)). The robustness of the method was calculated according to the concentration/dilution of the sample and the injection volume. Several combinations of methanol and ethanol with water as sample solvents were evaluated and the best chromatographic results and extraction rate were obtained using 100% methanol. Finally, the developed method was validated with different extracts of turmeric rhizome and products that use turmeric in their formulation.

Subcritical and supercritical technology for the production of second generation bioethanol

Abstract There is increased interest in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewable raw materials in our energy supply chain due to environmental and economic concerns. Ethanol is emerging as a potential alternative to liquid fuels due to its eco-friendly characteristics and relatively low production costs. As ethanol is currently produced from commodities also used for human and animal consumption, there is an urgent need of identifying renewable raw materials that do not pose a competitive problem. Lignocellulosic agricultural residues are an ideal choice since they can be effectively hydrolyzed to fermentable sugars and integrated in the context of a biorefinery without competing with the food supply chain. However, the conventional hydrolysis methods still have major issues that need to be addressed. These issues are related to the processing rate and generation of fermentation inhibitors, which can compromise the quality of the product and the cost of the process. As the knowledge of the processes taking place during hydrolysis of agricultural residues is increasing, new techniques are being exploited to overcome these drawbacks. This review gives an overview of the state-of-the-art of hydrolysis with subcritical and supercritical water in the context of reusing agricultural residues for the production of suitable substrates to be processed during the fermentative production of bioethanol. Presently, subcritical and/or supercritical water hydrolysis has been found to yield low sugar contents mainly due to concurrent competing degradation of sugars during the hydrothermal processes. In this line of thinking, the present review also revisits the recent applications and advances to provide an insight of future research trends to optimize on the subcritical and supercritical process kinetics.

Sub-2 μm fully porous and partially porous (core–shell) stationary phases for reversed phase liquid chromatography

The need for increased throughput and superior performance has increased the demand for stationary phases with improved kinetic performance. Among them, increasing the sample throughput of the ever-growing number of necessary (routine) analyses has become a popular target for reducing precious time. For the past thirty years, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been the leading technology when it comes to various analyses; however, the requirement of typically 10–45 min for serial analyses has been a sample throughput-limiting barrier. Recently, the fundamentals of HPLC have been exploited to develop new technologies that can speed up analyses to ground-breaking limits without compromising separation efficiency. This paper reviews the most promising technologies, including porous sub-2 μm ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and fused-core particle technology, which have the potential to take LC to the next level. As each analytical method has its own demands, the advances of the above mentioned technologies are discussed for different applications where high throughput analysis can be meaningful. Moreover, we discuss and compare the perspectives of these technologies.

Fast analysis of β-ecdysone in Brazilian ginseng (Pfaffia glomerata) extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fused-core column

The recent development of fused-core technology in HPLC columns is enabling faster and highly efficient separations. This technology was evaluated for the development of a fast analysis method for β-ecdysone in extracts of Pfaffia glomerata. A step-by-step strategy was used to optimize temperature (30–55 °C), flow rate (1.0–2.0 mL min−1), mobile phase composition (mixtures of water and methanol or acetonitrile) and equilibration time (1–5 min). A gradient method has been developed using two solvents: 0.1% acetic acid in water and 0.1% acetic acid in acetonitrile. Optimized conditions provided a method for the separation of β-ecdysone in approximately 2 min with a total analysis time (sample-to-sample) of 9 min, including the return to initial conditions and the re-equilibration of the column. Evaluation of chromatographic performance revealed excellent intraday and interday reproducibility (>99.5%), resolution (2.78), selectivity (1.13), and peak symmetry (1.09) while presenting low limits of detection (0.20 mg L−1) and quantitation (0.67 mg L−1). The robustness of the method has also been calculated according to the concentration/dilution of the sample. Several sample solvents were evaluated and the best chromatographic results were obtained using 80% methanol in water. Finally, the developed method was validated with different extracts of Pfaffia glomerata samples.