Amino acid composition,antioxidant and functional properties of protein hydrolysates from the roe of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

A fish roe protein hydrolysate from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) trout roe protein hydrolysates (TRH) was produced by pepsin and Alcalase. Proximate, amino acid compositions, protein digestibility and molecular mass distribution of the hydrolysates were determined. The degree of hydrolysis was found to be 44.08% and 27.62% (pepsin and Alcalase, respectively). The two hydrolysates contained a high amount of essential amino acids (33.53% Alcalase–29.39% pepsin). The results showed that TRH by different enzymes is a good source of the leucine and lysine amino acids. The pepsin produced a white powder with higher brightness (L* = 89.50). Alcalase hydrolysate was brownish yellow in colour (L* = 52.85, a* = 10.30, b* = 26.25). The hydrolysates represented excellent antioxidant activities in various concentrations. TRHs showed a good foaming and emulsification properties. The results thus revealed that protein hydrolysates from rainbow trout roe could be used as food additives possessing essential amino acids and antioxidant activity.     

RAPID: a knowledge-based assistant for designing web APIs

Requirements Engineering - With the rise in initiatives such as software ecosystems and Internet of Things (IoT), developing web Application Programming Interfaces (web APIs) has become an...     

Preparation of quaternary boro-phosphate multifunctional glasses and their structural,optical, switching and antibacterial properties

In this paper, the glass composition of (50-x)P₂O₅-xB₂O₃-30CuO-20Li₂O (x?=?0, 5, 10, 15, and 20?mol%) was prepared and the effect of P₂O₅ substitution by B₂O₃ on their structural, optical, switching, and antibacterial characteristics was studied. FT-IR spectra showed that an increase in the B₂O₃ content leads to gradual erosion of the phosphate characteristic bonds, and the emergence of borate-related ones by creating new linkages between phosphate chains through P–O–B bonds and formation of highly cross-linked P³-O-B⁴ linkages. The incorporation of boron up to 20?mol%, also leads to an overall increase in glass transition temperature together with a decrease in the molar volume which both, implied improvement of glass stability. Optical studies revealed that all glasses are almost transparent in the UV–Vis region with high band gap energy about 3.83?eV, which experiences a red-shift with increase in the B₂O₃ concentration to 15?mol%. By calculating the wavelength-dependent optical parameters, however, it was found that the present glass composition with highest concentration of B₂O₃ shows refractive index near one and very negligible extinction coefficient (and imaginary optical dielectric function) at the visible region. These results support the great potential of the mentioned glass composition as a window layer. The analysis of the high electric field measurements demonstrated a wide range reduction in switching threshold voltage as the B₂O₃ content increases. This hints at their potential application as electrical-induced sensors. The antibacterial activity of x?=?0 and x?=?5 glass compositions has been examined by zone of inhibition measurements and it was found that they have potential applications as antibacterial agent.     

Super Magnetic Niosomal Nanocarrier as a New Approach for Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Case Study on SK-BR-3 and MDA-MB-231 Cell Lines

In the present study, a magnetic niosomal nanocarrier for co-delivery of curcumin and letrozole into breast cancer cells has been designed. The magnetic NiCoFe₂O₄ core was coated by a thin layer of silica, followed by a niosomal structure, allowing us to load letrozole and curcumin into the silica layer and niosomal layer, respectively, and investigate their synergic effects on breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the nanocarriers demonstrated a pH-dependent release due to the niosomal structure at their outer layer, which is a promising behavior for cancer treatment. Additionally, cellular assays revealed that the nanocarriers had low cellular uptake in the case of non-tumorigenic cells (i.e., MCF-10A) and related high viability but high cellular uptake in cancer cell lines (i.e., MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3) and related low viability, which is evidenced in their high cytotoxicity against different breast cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the letrozole/curcumin co-loaded nanocarrier is higher than that of the aqueous solutions of both drugs, indicating their enhanced cellular uptake in their encapsulated states. In particular, NiCoFe₂O₄@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome showed the highest cytotoxicity effects on MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. The observed cytotoxicity was due to regulation of the expression levels of the studied genes in breast cancer cells, where downregulation was observed for the Bcl-2, MMP 2, MMP 9, cyclin D, and cyclin E genes while upregulation of the expression of the Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 genes was observed. The flow cytometry results also revealed that NiCoFe₂O₄@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome enhanced the apoptosis rate in both MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells compared to the control samples. The findings of our research show the potential of designing magnetic niosomal formulations for simultaneous targeted delivery of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into cancer cells in order to enhance their synergic chemotherapeutic effects. These results could open new avenues into the future of nanomedicine and the development of theranostic agents.     

Preparation of SnO2 Nanoparticles from a New Tin(IV) Complex: Spectroscopic and Photoluminescence Studies

A new dimethyltin(IV) complex, {[Me₂Sn(O₂CNC₉H₆)]₂O}₂ (1), was prepared by reaction of dimethyltin(IV) dichloride with the quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H-, ¹³C-, ¹¹⁹Sn-NMR spectroscopes. The structure of 1 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The results showed that 1 is a tetranuclear, centrosymmetric dimeric, and contains two endo-cyclic five-coordinated and two exo-cyclic six-coordinated tin atoms and a N-atom of the 2-quinaldic carboxylate ligand coordinated to exo-cyclic tin. Complex 1 was utilized as a precursor for SnO₂ nanoparticles by direct thermal decomposition at 500 °C in air. The nano-structure of SnO₂ was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The SnO₂ core showed a band gap of ~4 eV determined from the UV/visible absorption spectrum. The SnO₂ nanoparticles show stable photoluminescence (PL) with an emission centered at 557 nm.     

Silicon Nanoparticles and Methyl Jasmonate Improve Physiological Response and Increase Expression of Stress-related Genes in Strawberry cv. Paros Under Salinity Stress

Silicon - Salinity is one of the most crucial abiotic stresses, which is the consequence of an increase in the concentration of NaCl ions, influencing the plant’s growth, development, and...     

Optimization strategies on the structural modeling of gelatin/chitosan scaffolds to mimic human meniscus tissue

Meniscus lesions are frequently occurring injuries with poor ability to heal. Typical treatment procedure includes removal of damaged regions, which can lead to sub-optimal knee biomechanics and early onset of osteoarthritis. Some of the drawbacks of current treatment approach present an opportunity for a tissue engineering solution. In this study, gelatin (G)/chitosan (Cs) scaffolds were synthesized via gel casting method and cross-linked with naturally derived cross-linker, genipin, through scaffold cross-linking method. Based on the characteristics of native meniscus tissue microstructure and function, three different layers were chosen to design the macroporous multilayered scaffolds. The multi-layered scaffolds were investigated for their ability to support human-derived meniscus cells by evaluating their morphology and proliferation using MTT assay at various time points. Based on structural, mechanical and cell compatibility considerations, laminated scaffolds composed of G60/Cs40, G80/Cs20 and G40/Cs60 samples, for the first, second and third layers, respectively, could be an appropriate combination for meniscus tissue engineering applications.