Biochemistry Research International最新文献

Micromeria graeca L. is a dense chemical source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, which have various health-related properties. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of different extractor solvents on phenol and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant and antifungal activities of different extracts. Initially, three extractor solvents (methanol, ethyl acetate, and water) were used to prepare the Soxhlet extracts, which were then examined for their polyphenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant potential using three complementary assays (DPPH, FRAP, and TAC). The antifungal capacity against the two fungal strains (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger) was performed using the method of diffusion on disc. The dosage of phytochemical compounds revealed that the highest values were established in water extract with values of 360 ± 22.1 mg GAE/g dry weight plant and 81.3 ± 21.2 mg RE/g dry weight plant for TPC and TFC, respectively. In addition, the strongest antioxidant activity measured by DPPH and FRAP assays was established in water extract with IC₅₀ values of 0.33 ± 0.23 and 0.23 ± 0.12 mg/mL, respectively, while the methanol extract showed the best antioxidant activity as measured by TAC with an IC₅₀ of 483 ± 17.6 mg GAEq/g dry weight plant. The water extract recorded the most important antifungal activity against Candida albicans with an inhibition zone of 16 ± 1.6 mm and MFC = 500 μg/mL, whereas ethyl acetate extract showed the lowest activity against both studied fungi strains. Micromeria graeca L. contains considerable amounts of bioactive contents with high antioxidant and antifungal potentials, which may make it a promising source of antioxidants and natural antifungal agents.

Bioluminescence has been a fascinating natural phenomenon of light emission from living creatures. It happens when the enzyme luciferase facilitates the oxidation of luciferin, resulting in the creation of an excited-state species that emits light. Although there are many bioluminescent systems, few have been identified. D-luciferin-dependent systems, coelenterazine-dependent systems, Cypridina luciferin-based systems, tetrapyrrole-based luciferins, bacterial bioluminescent systems, and fungal bioluminescent systems are natural bioluminescent systems. Since different bioluminescence systems, such as various combinations of luciferin-luciferase pair reactions, have different light emission wavelengths, they benefit industrial applications such as drug discovery, protein-protein interactions, in vivo imaging in small animals, and controlling neurons. Due to the expression of luciferase and easy permeation of luciferin into most cells and tissues, bioluminescence assays are applied nowadays with modern technologies in most cell and tissue types. It is a versatile technique in a variety of biomedical research. Furthermore, there are some investigated blue-sky research projects, such as bioluminescent plants and lamps. This review article is mainly based on the theory of diverse bioluminescence systems and their past, present, and future applications.

Bacterial and mammalian cells are rich in putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Polyamines are required for optimum fitness, but the biological function of these small aliphatic compounds has only been partially revealed. Known functions of polyamines include interaction with nucleic acids that alters gene expression and with proteins that modulate activity. Although polyamines can be incorporated into proteins, very few naturally occurring polyaminated proteins have been identified, which is due in part to the difficulty in detecting these adducts. In the current study, bovine albumin and the recombinant universal stress protein from Francisella tularensis were used as models for mass spectrometry analysis of polyaminated proteins. The proteins were covalently bound to putrescine, spermidine, or spermine by the action of carbodiimide or microbial transglutaminase. Tryptic peptides, subjected to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), were identified using Protein Prospector software. We describe the search parameters for identifying polyaminated peptides and show MS/MS spectra for adducts with putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Manual evaluation led us to recognize signature ions for polyamine adducts on aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine, as well as neutral loss from putrescine, spermidine, and spermine during the fragmentation process. Mechanisms for the formation of signature ions and neutral loss are presented. Manual evaluation identified a false-positive adduct that had formed during trypsinolysis and resulted in peptide sequence rearrangement. Another false positive initially appeared to be a 71 kDa putrescine adduct on a cysteine residue. However, it was an acrylamide adduct on cysteine for a sample extracted from a polyacrylamide gel. The information presented in this report provides guidance and serves as a model for identifying naturally occurring polyaminated proteins.

To provide scientific evidence of the efficacy of Allium ampeloprasum against female infertility, the effects of the aqueous extract of the said plant (AE) were evaluated in rats with letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). AE was administered orally to PCOS rats at doses of 192, 384, and 768 mg/kg. The positive control was co-treated with clomiphene citrate (1 mg/kg) and metformin (200 mg/kg). Normal and negative controls received distilled water. The vaginal contents of rats were examined daily under a microscope before (7 days) and during treatment. Treatments were administered orally for 15 days, and then, 6 rats from each group were sacrificed for biochemical and histological analyses. The remaining rats were mated with males of proven fertility for 5 days. The daily examination of vaginal smears allowed the evaluation of fertility index. After parturition, additional fertility parameters were determined. Results showed that in PCOS rats, AE decreased body weight (p < 0.001), abdominal fat weight (p < 0.001), serum levels of LH (p < 0.001), testosterone (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p < 0.05), and LDL cholesterol (p < 0.01). HDL cholesterol increased and atherogenic indices decreased (p < 0.001). The number of Graafian follicles and corpora lutea increased, while cystic (p < 0.001) and atretic (p < 0.05) follicles decreased. AE also decreased oxidative stress in the ovaries, restored the estrous cycle, induced uterine epithelial cell hypertrophy, and improved fertility. These effects were attributed to phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and anthocyanins present in AE. The overall results justify the traditional use of A. ampeloprasum against female infertility and suggest its potential use as a dietary supplement for PCOS patients.