Search Results (10)

Underlying the dawn of humanity was primarily the search for food and access to drinking water. Over the course of civilization, there has been a significant increase in drinking water quality. By the average of the nutritional standards, the daily water demand is 2.5 L (also including liquid products such as tea, coffee, or soup). However, it is worth noticing that the need is strictly individual for each person and depends on two major factors, namely, epidemiological (sex, age state of health, lifestyle, and diet) and environmental (humidity and air temperature). Currently, our diet is more and more often enriched with isotonic drinks, functional drinks, or drinks bearing the hallmarks of health-promoting products. As a result, manufacturing companies compete to present more interesting beverages with complex compositions. This article will discuss both the composition of functional beverages and their impact on health. Full article

The present study reports on the in vivo application of (Bio)silver nanocomposite formulations (LBPC-AgNCs) on wound healing. Additionally, the present study emphasizes the limited uptake of silver by liver and blood tissues as well as the high viability of PBMCs following external LBPC-AgNCs treatment. The wound closure was monitored via stereoscopic microscope, a localization case study in liver and blood tissue was carried out by (Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometers (ICP/MS), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC) viability was determined via flow cytometry technique. The silver formulation was applied externally on the site of the wound infection for a period of ten days. At the beginning of the experiment, a moderate decrease in body weight and atypical behavior was observed. However, during the last period of the experiment, no abnormal mouse behaviors were noticed. The wound-healing process took place in a gradual manner, presenting the regeneration effect at around 30% from the fourth day. From the seventh day, the wounds treated with the silver formulation showed 80% of the wound healing potential. The viability of PBMCs was found to be 97%, whereas the concentrations of silver in the liver and blood samples were determined to be 0.022 µg/g and 9.3 µg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the present report becomes a pilot study in transferring from in vitro to in vivo scale (e.g., medical field application) once LBPC-AgNCs have demonstrated a unique wound healing potential as well as a non-toxic effect on the liver and blood. Full article

The presence of certain microorganisms in dairy products or silage is highly desirable. Among them are probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which show many beneficial features, including antimicrobial properties that support the development of beneficial microflora; in addition, owing to their biochemical activity, they influence the nutritional, dietary, and organoleptic properties of food products. Before being placed on the market, each strain requires separate testing to determine its probiotic properties and effectiveness. The aim of this study was to isolate LAB strains from a pickled beetroot sample that could be used in the dairy industry and with the potential to be considered as a probiotic in the future. Two strains identified using the MALDI technique were selected—Lactococcus lactis and Weissella cibaria. The optimal growth conditions of the strains were determined, and their proteolytic properties were assessed with the use of the o-PA reagent and spectrophotometry. The lipid profile was analyzed using the SALDI (surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization) technique and silver nanoparticles. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to assess the ability of the strains to synthesize beneficial metabolites, such as B vitamins (B2, B3, and B9) or lactic acid, and gas chromatography was used to analyze the substances responsible for organoleptic properties. Moreover, the ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic strains was also tested in the selected strains. Both tested strains demonstrated the desired properties of starter cultures for future use in functional food production, showing that fermented plant products can serve as valuable potential probiotic sources. Full article

Butter is an important source of essential fatty acids, lipid-soluble vitamins, and antioxidants in the diet. However, this study showed that the presence of the Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain has a great influence on the fatty acid profile as well as provitamin D3 and vitamin D3 content in the cream—the raw material from which the butter is obtained. The addition of this lactic acid bacteria enriches the cream in 9-hexadecenoic acid, oleic acid, octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid, which exhibit antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties. Moreover, a higher level of monounsaturated fatty acids can extend the shelf life of butter in the future. In the present work, we observed that the presence of lactic acid bacteria contributed to an increase in the level of provitamin D after 6 h of incubation and an increase in the levels of vitamin D3 after 24 and 48 h. Fatty acid profiles and the content of vitamins were largely dependent on the presence of light and mixing, which are probably associated with the status of lipid peroxidation. Full article

Despite numerous studies, the molecular mechanism of prostate cancer development is still unknown. Recent investigations indicated that citric acid and lipids—with a special emphasis on fatty acids, steroids and hormones (ex. prolactin)—play a significant role in prostate cancer development and progression. However, citric acid is assumed to be a potential biomarker of prostate cancer, due to which, the diagnosis at an early stage of the disease could be possible. For this reason, the main goal of this study is to determine the citric acid concentration in three different matrices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time for citric acid to be determined in three different matrices (tissue, urine and blood). Samples were collected from patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and from a selected control group (individuals with benign prostatic hyperplasia). The analyses were performed using the rapid fluorometric test. The obtained results were correlated with both the histopathological data (the Gleason scale as well as the Classification of Malignant Tumors (pTNM) staging scale) and the biochemical data (the values of the following factors: prostate specific antigen, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, total cholesterol, creatinine and prolactin) using chemometric methods. For tissue samples, the results indicated a decreased level of citric acid in the case of prostate cancer. The analyte average concentrations in serum and urine appeared to be corresponding and superior in the positive cohort. This trend was statistically significant in the case of urinary citric acid. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the concentration of citric acid and the tumor stage. A negative correlation between the total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein and prolactin was particularly prominent in cancer cases. Conversely, a negative association between low-density lipoprotein and prolactin levels was observed solely in the control group. On the basis of the results, one may assume the influence of hormones, particularly prolactin, on the development of prostate cancer. The present research allowed us to verify the possibility of using citric acid as a potential biomarker for prostate cancer. Full article

Investigation of interactions between the target protein molecule and ligand allows for an understanding of the nature of the molecular recognition, functions, and biological activity of protein–ligand complexation. In the present work, non-specific interactions between a model protein (Bovine Serum Albumin) and four cyclitols were investigated. D-sorbitol and adonitol represent the group of linear-structure cyclitols, while shikimic acid and D-(–)-quinic acid have cyclic-structure molecules. Various analytical methods, including chromatographic analysis (HPLC-MS/MS), electrophoretic analysis (SDS-PAGE), spectroscopic analysis (spectrofluorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), were applied for the description of protein–cyclitol interactions. Additionally, computational calculations were performed to predict the possible binding places. Kinetic studies allowed us to clarify interaction mechanisms that may take place during BSA and cyclitol interaction. The results allow us, among other things, to evaluate the impact of the cyclitol’s structure on the character of its interactions with the protein. Full article

The main goal of this study was to explore the phospholipid alterations associated with the development of prostate cancer (PCa) using two imaging methods: matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF/MS), and electrospray ionization with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (ESI-QqQ/MS). For this purpose, samples of PCa tissue (n = 40) were evaluated in comparison to the controls (n = 40). As a result, few classes of compounds, namely phosphatidylcholines (PCs), lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), sphingomyelins (SMs), and phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), were determined. The obtained results were evaluated by univariate (Mann–Whitney U-test) and multivariate statistical analysis (principal component analysis, correlation analysis, volcano plot, artificial neural network, and random forest algorithm), in order to select the most discriminative features and to search for the relationships between the responses of these groups of substances, also in terms of the used analytical technique. Based on previous literature and our results, it can be assumed that PCa is linked with both the synthesis of fatty acids and lipid oxidation. Among the compounds, phospholipids, namely PC 16:0/16:1, PC 16:0/18:2, PC 18:0/22:5, PC 18:1/18:2, PC 18:1/20:0, PC 18:1/20:4, and SM d18:1/24:0, were assigned as metabolites with the best discriminative power for the tested groups. Based on the results, lipidomics can be found as alternative diagnostic tool for CaP diagnosis. Full article

Searching for the mechanisms of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathophysiology has become a crucial aspect of research performed in the last decades. However, the pathogenesis of this complex and heterogeneous endocrinopathy remains unknown. Thus, there is a need to investigate the metabolic pathways, which could be involved in the pathophysiology of PCOS and to find the metabolic markers of this disorder. The application of metabolomics gives a promising insight into the research on PCOS. It is a valuable and rapidly expanding tool, enabling the discovery of novel metabolites, which may be the potential biomarkers of several metabolic and endocrine disorders. The utilization of this approach could also improve the process of diagnosis and therefore, make treatment more effective. This review article aims to summarize actual and meaningful metabolomic studies in PCOS and point to the potential biomarkers detected in serum, urine, and follicular fluid of the affected women. Full article

During the early stages of pregnancy, the uterine endometrium undergoes dramatic morphologic and functional changes accompanied with dynamic variation in gene expression. Pregnancy-stage specific differentially expressed gene (DEG)-transcript-probes were investigated and identified by comparing endometrium transcriptome at 9th day (9D), 12th day (12D) and 16th day (16D) of early pregnancy in Polish large-white (PLW) gilts. Endometrium comparisons between 9D-vs-12D, 9D-vs-16D and 12D-vs-16D of early pregnancy identified 6049, 374 and 6034 highly significant DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC). GO term enrichment analysis identified commonly shared upregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC), that were regulating the gene functions of anatomic structure development and transport (TG), DNA-binding and methyltransferase activity (ZBTB2), ion-binding and kinase activity (CKM), cell proliferation and apoptosis activity (IL1B). Downregulated DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC) were involved in regulating the gene functions of phosphatase activity (PTPN11), TC616413 gene-transcript and Sus-scrofa LOC100525539. Moreover, blastn comparison of microarray-probes sequences against sus-scrofa11 assembly identified commonly shared upregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (E < 0.06; >2 FC), that were regulating the gene functions of reproduction and growth (SELENOP), cytoskeleton organization and kinase activity (CDC42BPA), phosphatase activity (MINPP1), enzyme-binding and cell-population proliferation (VAV3), cancer-susceptibility candidate gene (CASC4), cytoskeletal protein-binding (COBLL1), ion-binding, enzyme regulator activity (ACAP2) Downregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (E < 0.06; >2FC) were involved in regulating the gene functions of signal-transduction (TMEM33), catabolic and metabolic processes (KLHL15). Microarray validation experiment on selected candidate genes showed complementarity to significant endometrial DEG-transcript-probes responsible for the regulation of immune response (IL1B, S100A11), lipid metabolism (FABP3, PPARG), cell-adhesion (ITGAV), angiogenesis (IL1B), intercellular transmission (NMB), cell-adhesion (OPN) and response to stimuli (RBP4) was confirmed by RT-PCR. This study provides a clue that identified pregnancy-stage specific microarray transcript probes could be considered as candidate genes for recognition and establishment of early pregnancy in the pig. Full article

Urinary pterins have been found as potential biomarkers in many pathophysiological conditions including inflammation, viral infections, and cancer. However, pterins determination in biological samples is difficult due to their degradation under exposure to air, light, and heat. Besides, they occur at shallow concentration levels, and thus, standard UV detectors cannot be used without additional sample preconcentration. On the other hand, ultra-sensitive laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection can be used since pterins exhibit native fluorescence. The main factor that limits an everyday use of LIF detectors is its high price. Here, an alternative detector, i.e., light-emitted diode induced fluorescence (LEDIF) detector, was evaluated for the determination of pterins in urine samples after capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation. An optimized method was validated in terms of linearity range, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), intra- and interday precision and accuracy, sample stability in the autosampler, and sample stability during the freezing/thawing cycle. The obtained LOD (0.1 µM) and LOQ (0.3 µM) values were three-order of magnitude lower compared to UV detector, and two orders of magnitude higher compared to previously reported house-built LIF detector. The applicability of the validated method was demonstrated in the analysis of urine samples from healthy individuals and cancer patients. Full article