Tomasz Oniszczuk

The influence of common free radicals and antioxidants on development of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimers Disease (AD) is one of the most important neurodegenerative disorders in the 21st century for the continually aging population. Despite an increasing number of patients, there are only few drugs to treat the disease. Numerous studies have shown several causes of the disorder, one of the most important being oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is connected with a disturbance between the levels of free radicals and antioxidants in organisms. Solutions to this problem are antioxidants, which counteract the negative impact of the reactive molecules. Unfortunately, the currently available drugs against AD do not exhibit activity toward these structures. Due to the fact that natural substances are extremely significant in new drug development, numerous studies are focused on substances which exhibit a few activities including antioxidants and other anti-AD behaviors. This review article presents the most important studies connected with the influence of free radicals on development of AD and antioxidants as potential drugs toward AD.

The potential of photodynamic therapy (PDT)-Experimental investigations and clinical use.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an intensively studied part of medicine based on free radicals. These reactive species, extremely harmful for whole human organism, are used for eradication numerous diseases. Specific structure of ill tissues causes accumulation free radicals inside them without attack remaining healthy tissues. A rapid development of medicine and scientific research has led to extension of PDT towards treatment many diseases such as cancer, herpes, acne and based on antimicrobials. The presented review article is focused on the aforementioned disorders with accurate analysis of the newest available scientific achievements. The discussed cases explicitly indicate on high efficacy of the therapy. In most cases, free radicals turned out to be solution of many afflictions. Photodynamic therapy can be considered as promising treatment with comparable effectiveness but without side effects characteristic for chemotherapy.

COMPARISON OF TWO TLC-DPPH•-IMAGE PROCESSING PROCEDURES FOR STUDYING FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF COMPOUNDS FROM SELECTED VARIETIES OF MEDICAGO SATIVA

TLC-DPPH• test coupled with different image processing procedures have become an interesting technique to screen complex samples for the presence of free radical scavengers. Several procedures have already been published showing the possibility of obtaining quantitative data from TLC plates derivatized with methanolic solution of relatively stable free radical DPPH• (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). In this study two different image processing programs, ImageJ and Sorbfil TLC Videodensitometer, have been applied to study direct antioxidant properties of compounds separated from extracts obtained from selected varieties of Medicago sativa. M. sativa var. Radius possessed the greatest amount of compounds with direct antioxidant properties. The activity of the individual compounds has been compared to the activity of rutin, a flavonoid with well recognized antioxidant properties. Neither of the separated compounds was as active as the standard.

Extruded corn gruels containing linden flowers: quantitation of phenolic compounds and selected quality characteristics

Abstract Extrusion-cooking of plant materials may enhance antioxidant activity and improve health benefits. Selected antioxidant polyphenols in extruded corn gruels enriched with different amounts of linden flowers were determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS and quality characteristics were determined. Phenolic content increased with Tiliae inflorescentia addition and was not decreased by high-temperature extrusion. Linden flower incorporation into instant gruels should be limited to 10% to retain acceptable sensory properties. Graphical Abstract

Radical scavenging activity of extruded corn gruels with addition of linden inflorescence

Abstract Antioxidant activity is one of the most desirable properties of natural compounds. Among these substances are phenolic compounds which exhibit excellent antiradical activity. The main aim of the present study was determination of the free radical scavenging activity of gruels with 5, 10 and 20% addition of linden inflorescence. The studies were based on two methods: TLC-bioautographic assay and spectrophotometric analysis using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical). The obtained results indicate that the radical scavenging properties of the extracts are positively correlated with the content of phenolic compounds in gruels and that a high-temperature extrusion process does not deactivate antioxidant polyphenolic compounds. Graphical Abstract

Radical Scavenging Activity of Instant Grits with Addition of Chamomile Flowers Determined by TLC–DPPH• Test and by Spectrophotometric Method

Phenolic compounds possess multiple biological effects, including antioxidant activity. They may act as scavenger of free radicals or prevent their formation. The antioxidant properties of extruded grits enriched with 5%, 10%, and 20% addition of chamomile were evaluated. In order to determine antioxidant activity of samples, TLC–DPPH• test and spectrophotometric method, using DPPH (2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical), were performed. The results of TLC–DPPH• test and spectrophotometric analysis indicated that antioxidant potential of corn grit increased with the addition of Matricaria chamomilla. The study findings confirmed that high-temperature extrusion process has no negative influence on antioxidant activity of polyphenolic compounds, which are present both in the raw and enriched with the Matricaria chamomilla final product.

Influence of water addition on mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch foils

Abstract The aim of this paper is to study the influence of water on the mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch films. Experimental observations of Young modulus and the breaking force of thermoplastic starch foils with different percentages of polyvinyl alcohol and keratin additives and screw rotation speeds are reported. Thermoplastic starch foils are prepared by the extrusion method with the bowling from potato starch and glycerol as a plasticizer. Young modulus and the breaking force were determined by the random marker method. Measurements of Young modulus and the breaking force of the films were performed after their production and after dosing with water. It was observed that in all cases Young modulus decreases after dosing with water, but the breaking force lied in the same range. Thermoplastic starch foils produced at the screw rotation speed equal to 60 r.p.m. have the best mechanical properties. The highest value of Young modulus and the breaking force were obtained for samples with a 1% keratin additive.

Active polyphenolic compounds, nutrient contents and antioxidant capacity of extruded fish feed containing purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.)

The growth of fish is directly dependent on feed composition and quality. Medicinal plants can be added to fish feed as adjuvant therapy for the prevention of fish diseases. The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.) has been reported to have multiple biological effects, including immunomodulatory and antioxidant activity. The most active compounds of E. purpurea are polyphenols - caffeic acid derivatives: caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, cynarin, echinacoside and cichoric acid. Due to a relatively limited number of studies on the use of the purple coneflower as a nutritional supplement for fish feeding, extruded fish feed with addition of Echinacea roots was produced. In the feed total phenolic content, selected polyphenol contents, the energetic value, nutrient contents and antioxidant capacity were examined. The results indicate that fish feed with addition of the Echinacea has a great potential to be a good source of natural radical scavengers, for example polyphenols, and nutritive ingredients. Antioxidant properties of feed were well correlated with the coneflower content. The study findings confirmed that high-temperature extrusion-cooking process does not deactivate phenolic antioxidant compounds, which are present both in the Echinacea roots and in the final product. Fish feed with addition of E. purpurea can be used as a nutritional supplement in the prevention of fish diseases caused by oxidative stress.

A STUDY OF THE SOLUBILITY OF BIODEGRADABLE FOAMS OF THERMOPLASTIC STARCH

The paper presents the results of a study on the water absorption capacity and solubility of biodegradable starch foams produced with single-screw extruder TS-45 with L/D=12. Two different moulding dies were used: one with a circular hole with the diameter of 3 mm and one with a ring hole with the inner diameter of 5 mm. During the extrusion process, the temperature of the cylinder ranged from 80 to 130°C and the screw speeds applied were: 100 and 130 rpm. For the application of the ring die, it was observed that regardless of the speed of the screw, the use of the raw material of higher moisture content led to the production of materials with higher solubility. As a result, the obtained materials revealed solubility at a level of 40%. The results demonstrate good solubility of the starchy fillers of the packaging, which may indicate their susceptibility to decomposition in the conditions of high ambient humidity. A statistical analysis showed a significant impact of moisture of the raw material on the WSI of starch foams used irrespective of the other parameters of the extrusion-cooking process. The raw material moisture had a significant effect on the water absorption capacity of only TPS foams produced in the ring die at the screw speed of 100 rpm.

Matrix solid-phase dispersion versus ultrasound assisted extraction with solid-phase extraction in the HPLC analysis of furanocoumarins from fruits of Archangelica officinalis Hoffm

In this study an efficient matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) method for the simultaneous HPLC analysis of furanocoumarins from fruits of Archangelica officinalis Hoffm. was performed. Herbal samples were prepared by an optimized MSPD procedure using C18 as sorbent. The analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The efficiency of the MSPD method was also compared with ultrasound assisted extraction with solid-phase extraction (USAE with SPE). The MSPD extracted furanocoumarins (isoimperatorin, imperatorin, bergapten, isopimpinellin, xanthotoxin, umbelliferone and xanthotoxol) from Archangelica officinalis with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 91.43% to 96.07% and relative standard deviations lower than 4.34%. The detection limit of various furanocoumarins was found to be in the range of 0.37 mg mL-1 for xanthotoxol to 10.82 mg mL-1 for imperatorin. The results presented in the paper reveal that MSPD is efficient, fast, simple and easy to perform method suitable for the isolation of furanocoumarins from herbs.