Comparison of polyamine,phenol and flavonoid contents in plants grown under conventional and organic methods

The objective of this work was to compare the contents of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), and total soluble phenols and flavonoids in parts of plants grown under either organic or conventional cropping, commonly discarded during food preparation. The contents of free polyamines, total phenols and total soluble flavonoids in peels (zucchini squash, banana, potato, eggplant, orange, lime, mango, passion fruit and radish), leaves (zucchini squash, broccoli, carrot, collard, cassava, radish and grape), stalks (broccoli, collard and spinach) and zucchini seeds were analysed. Most analysed vegetables presented higher contents of polyamines and total phenols under organic cropping, contrary to the results obtained for total flavonoids, possibly because of the cultural practices adopted.     

The speciation of the chemical forms of arsenic in the biological monitoring of exposure to inorganic arsenic

Total As content may be determined in blood and urine by means of an AAS method that involves reduction of As to its volatile hydride and ashing at 600°C with MgO and Mg (NO₃)₂. Separation of inorganic As (InAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) by ion-exchange chromatography, followed by direct AAS analysis, allows the determination of each As species in the urine.In a reference population of 148 subjects with only normal environmental exposure to As, total As concentration in the urine averages 17.2 ± 11.1 μg/l. Urinary As consists of 10% each of InAs, MMAA and DMAA, the remaining 70% consisting of other forms of organic As.Blood As concentration averages 5.1 ± 6.9 μg/l and correlates significantly with the urinary concentration of InAs and the sum of its metabolites (InAs + MMAA + DMAA).Inorganic arsenic undergoes methylation in the organism. After ingestion of high quantities of As₂O₃, the time course of excretion of its metabolites indicates that As methylation occurs by a saturable mechanism.In workers exposed to As₂O₃, InAs, MMAA and DMAA are the only chemical forms of As excreted in the urine that are relevant to a study of occupational exposure. Blood As concentration is proportional to exposure and correlates only with urinary DMAA excretion; DMAA seems to be the most appropriate single indicator of exposure. At high levels of exposure (total As excretion above 200 μg/l), As accumulates in the organism and DMAA excretion reflects its accumulation. At low levels of exposure (total As excretion below 50 μg/l) a short-term accumulation does not occur and the best biological indicator of exposure is InAs excretion.Seafood ingestion brings about a marked increase in urinary excretion of total As that lasts for 24–48 h and is not accompanied by any increase in InAs, MMAA or DMAA excretion. Organic As from seafood does not mix with the pool of inorganic As in the organism and may be separately detected in urine. In the biological monitoring of human exposure to As, particularly in the case of high urinary values, the speciation of the chemical forms of As in urine is necessary in order to establish with certainty the source, industrial or alimentary, of exposure.     

Short communication: Detection of undeclared presence of bovine milk in buffalo yogurt

The authenticity of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) dairy products is a focal issue, considering the increasing demand for buffalo milk products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the undeclared presence of bovine (Bos taurus) milk in buffalo yogurt, to understand which risk factors might make the product vulnerable to fraud. Real-time PCR assay showed the undeclared presence of bovine DNA in addition to buffalo DNA in 18 of 72 samples. Given the widespread lack of data on the presence of undeclared milk species in buffalo dairy products, the study provides a significant insight into the incidence of fraud in the buffalo dairy field. The data from this study could help improve the analysis of food safety risks along the buffalo milk supply chain and in the dairy processing industry, perceived as being highly vulnerable to food fraud, and prioritize target areas for food policy making to steer and enforce European food fraud regulations.     

Predialysis and Dialysis Therapies Differently Affect Nitric Oxide Synthetic Pathway in Red Blood Cells from Uremic Patients: Focus on Peritoneal Dialysis

Red blood cells (RBCs) have been found to synthesize and release both nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), contributing to systemic NO bioavailability. These RBC functions resulted impaired in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to evaluate whether predialysis (conservative therapy, CT) and dialysis (peritoneal dialysis, PD; hemodialysis, HD) therapies used during CKD progression may differently affect NO-synthetic pathway in RBCs. Our data demonstrated that compared to PD, although endothelial-NO-synthase activation was similarly increased, HD and CT were associated to cGMP RBCs accumulation, caused by reduced activity of cGMP membrane transporter (MRP4). In parallel, plasma cGMP levels were increased by both CT and HD and they significantly decreased after hemodialysis, suggesting that this might be caused by reduced cGMP renal clearance. As conceivable, compared to healthy subjects, plasma nitrite levels were significantly reduced by HD and CT but not in patients on PD. Additionally, the increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) values did not reach the significance exclusively in patients on PD. Therefore, our results show that PD might better preserve the synthetic NO-pathway in CKD-erythrocytes. Whether this translates into a reduced development of uremic vascular complications requires further investigation.     

iPSCs: A Preclinical Drug Research Tool for Neurological Disorders

The development and commercialization of new drugs is an articulated, lengthy, and very expensive process that proceeds through several steps, starting from target identification, screening new leading compounds for testing in preclinical studies, and subsequently in clinical trials to reach the final approval for therapeutic use. Preclinical studies are usually performed using both cell cultures and animal models, although they do not completely resume the complexity of human diseases, in particular neurodegenerative conditions. To this regard, stem cells represent a powerful tool in all steps of drug discovery. The recent advancement in induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) technology has opened the possibility to obtain patient-specific disease models for drug screening and development. Here, we report the use of iPSCs as a disease model for drug development in the contest of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Fragile X syndrome (FRAX).     

Plastic and Placenta: Identification of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Compounds in the Human Placenta by HPLC-MS/MS System

The placenta is a crucial interface between the fetus and the maternal environment. It allows for nutrient absorption, thermal regulation, waste elimination, and gas exchange through the mother’s blood supply. Furthermore, the placenta determines important adjustments and epigenetic modifications that can change the phenotypic expression of the individual even long after birth. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from medicine to industrial manufacturing. In this study, for the first time, an integration of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) was used to detect suites of PEG compounds in human placenta samples, collected from 12 placentas, originating from physiological pregnancy. In 10 placentas, we identified fragments of PEG in both chorioamniotic membranes and placental cotyledons, for a total of 36 samples.