Enhancement of nutraceutical properties of licorice callus cultures using sample pre-treatment strategy

Licorice is an herbal plant in the Leguminosae family, and its roots and rhizomes are used as sweeteners in food and confectionery products. Moreover, it has a distinct inflammatory activity. In the present study, a sample pre-treatment method to induce the deglycosylation of active metabolites in callus cultures of Glycyrrhiza inflata (GI) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG) was developed. The results of the method evaluation showed the biotransformation of ononin to formononetin, a rare flavonoid found in trace amounts in licorice. The magnitude of enhancement was 3- and 19-fold in the GI and GG samples, respectively. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity assay showed that the potency of the sample pre-treatment group was higher than that of the untreated group because it exerted an enhanced suppression of cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression. This is the first report on the anti-inflammatory activity of licorice callus, which has the potential to be utilised as a functional food for health promotion. These findings support the idea of using sample preparation to impart nutraceutical properties to plant products.     

Thermal,mechanical and drug release characteristics of an acrylic film using active pharmaceutical ingredient as non-traditional plasticizer

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate thermal and mechanical properties as well as in vitro drug release of Eudragit® RL (ERL) film using chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) as either active pharmaceutical ingredient or non-traditional plasticizer. Differential scanning calorimeter was used to measure the glass transition temperature (T_g) of 0–100% w/w CPM in ERL physical mixture. Instron testing machine was used to investigate Young’s modulus, tensile stress and tensile strain (%) of ERL film containing 20–60% w/w CPM. Finally, a Franz diffusion cell was used to study drug release from ERL films obtained from four formulations, i.e. CRHP0/0, CRHP0/5, CRHP2/0 and CRHP2/5. The T_g of ERL was decreased when the weight percentage of CPM increased. The reduction of the T_g could be described by Kwei equation, indicating the interaction between CPM and ERL. Modulus and tensile stress decreased whereas tensile strain (%) increased when weight percentage of CPM increased. The change of mechanical properties was associated with the reduction of the T_g when weight percentage of CPM increased. ERL films obtained from four formulations could release the drug in no less than 10?h. Cumulative amount of drug release per unit area of ERL film containing only CPM (CRHP0/0) was lower than those obtained from the formulations containing traditional plasticizer (CRHP0/5), surfactant (CRHP2/0) or both of them (CRHP2/5). The increase of drug release was a result of the increase of drug permeability through ERL film and drug solubility based on traditional plasticizer and surfactant, respectively.     

Impact of quenching process on the surface defect of titanium dioxide for hydrogen production from photocatalytic decomposition of water

Nanocrystalline titania was prepared by solvothermal reaction of titanium butoxide in toluene at 300 °C for 2 h. Thus obtained-powder was calcined at 300 °C in box furnace for 1 h and then quenched in various media at different temperature. The physiochemical properties of samples were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption, CO₂-Temperature Programmed Desorption (CO₂-TPD), UV–visible scanning spectrophotometer, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) techniques. All physical properties such as phase, BET surface area and crystal size were not changed after quenching processes. While the CO₂-TPD and ESR results indicate the changing of Ti³⁺ contents on the surface of TiO₂ after quenching process. The amounts of Ti³⁺ increased as the quenching temperature decreased. Photocatalytic decomposition of water was carried out to evaluate the catalytic activity of quenched TiO₂. The activity of quenched-powder increased corresponding to the increasing of Ti³⁺ contents increased by following order: air at 77 K > air at RT > air at 373 K > 30 wt% H₂O₂ at RT = 30 wt% H₂O₂ at 373 K > H₂O at RT > H₂O at 373 K.     

Preparation of a single-chain variable fragment and a recombinant antigen-binding fragment against the anti-malarial drugs, artemisinin and artesunate, and their application in an ELISA

Two different recombinant antibodies, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and an antigen-binding fragment (Fab), were prepared against artemisinin (AM) and artesunate (AS) and were developed for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The recombinant antibodies, which were derived from a single monoclonal antibody against AM and AS (mAb 1C1) prepared by us, were expressed by Escherichia coli cells and their reactivity and specificity were characterized. As a result, to obtain sufficient signal in indirect ELISA, a much greater amount of a first antibody was needed in the use of scFv due to the differences of the secondary antibody and conformational stability. Therefore, we focused on the development of the recombinant Fab antibodies and applied it to indirect competitive ELISA. The specificity of the Fab was similar to that of mAb 1C1 in that it showed specific reactivity toward AM and AS only. The sensitivity of the icELISA (0.16 μg/mL to 40 μg/mL for AM and 8.0 ng/mL to 60 ng/mL for AS) was sufficient for analysis of antimalarial drugs, and its utility for quality control of analysis of Artemisia spp. was validated. The Fab expression and refolding systems provided a good yield of high-quality antibodies. The recombinant antibody against AM and AS provides an essential component of an economically attractive immunoassay and will be useful in other immunochemical applications for the analysis and purification of antimalarial drugs.     

Development of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific Detection of Mulberroside A in Mulberry (Morus alba L.) Using Anti-mulberroside A Polyclonal Antibody

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using polyclonal antibody (PAb) against mulberroside A (MuA), a major active component found in the root bark of mulberry (Morus alba L.). MuA was conjugated with the carrier protein bovine serum albumin for immunization to rabbits. The results showed that the antibodies were specific only for MuA and have very low specificity for its aglycone, oxyresveratrol. The ELISA assay was suitable for quantitating MuA in the range of 0.17–15.62 μg/mL with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 5 % for both intra- and inter-assay precision levels. The recovery rates of MuA in the samples were in the range of 97.6–101.4 % with a RSD of less than 5 %. The developed ELISA exhibited a good correlation value (R ²?=?0.994) with the standard high-performance liquid chromatography method in the crude extracts of plant samples. These results suggest that the developed ELISA method using PAb against MuA can be applied to determine MuA content with high specificity, rapidity, and simplicity in mulberry samples. The developed ELISA method described could prove to be useful as an analytical tool for quality control of mulberry and their products.     

Lipase from Penicillium camembertii KCCM 11268: Optimization of solid state fermentation and application to biodiesel production

Lipase was produced by Penicillium camembertii KCCM 11268 under solid state fermentation (SSF), and the production process was optimized by using statistical experimental designs. The initial moisture content, cultivation time, inoculum size and concentration of basal medium were considered as the factors of optimum conditions for SSF. P. Camembertii KCCM 11268 was cultivated in SSF using wheat bran as the substrate for lipase production. Under the optimized condition, lipase activity was reached around 7.8 U/ml after eight days fermentation. To partially purify the lipase, ammonium sulfate (80% saturation) was added to the crude lipase solution and concentrated using a diafiltration (VIVAFLOW 50). The concentrated lipase solution from P. Camembertii KCCM 11268 (PCL) was immobilized on silica gel by cross-linking method. Also, PCL was mixed with a commercial lipase solution from Candida rugosa (CRL), and this mixture was co-immobilized on silica gel. The immobilized and co-immobilized lipase activities were 1150.1 and 7924.8 U/g matrix, respectively. Palm oil and methanol were used as substrates and 1mmol of methanol was added every 1.5 h and 2 times during biodiesel production. The reaction was carried out at temperatures of 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C. The maximum biodiesel conversion by co-immobilized lipase was 99% after 5 h at 50 °C.     

Fabrication of core–shell structured macrocapsules by electro‐coextrusion with agar–hydrocolloid mixtures for precooked food applications: textural and release characteristics

Textural and release characteristics of three types of core–shell macrocapsules, fabricated by electro‐coextrusion with agar only, an agar/fish gelatin (80:20) mixture or an agar/κ‐carrageenan (80:20) mixture at a total hydrocolloid concentration of 2% (w/v) and different applied voltages (0–8 kV), were investigated. The capsule diameter (1.1–1.6 mm) and shell thickness (15.1–38.4 μm) decreased with increasing applied voltage. Mixing agar with fish gelatin or κ‐carrageenan reduced slightly the capsule hardness and breaking energy; however, the capsule integrity was solid enough for safe handling. The release of core (olive oil containing a dye) in boiling water followed first‐order kinetics and was retarded significantly when κ‐carrageenan was mixed with agar but accelerated with fish gelatin addition (only 2.5–3.4 min for the release of 80% of the core). The agar/fish gelatin macrocapsules can be applied in precooked foods, because they are mechanically stable and can rapidly release the core upon contact with hot water.     

Preparation and dielectric properties of barium iron niobate by molten-salt synthesis

In this work, barium iron niobate; BaFe_0.5Nb_0.5O₃ powder has been successfully synthesized by molten salt method. The power was characterized by a variety technique. Pure phase perovskite was obtained at relative low calcination temperature of <700 °C. The powder exhibits a fine grain with a relatively uniform particle size and microstructure. In addition, BaFe_0.5Nb_0.5O₃ ceramics were prepared and its dielectric properties were investigated. The result suggested that the ceramic prepared from molten-salt synthesis may be has a better properties than that of the ceramics synthesized by a conventional method.