Search results for: PHOTOCHEMICAL ISOMERIZATION
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Light-Modulated Sunscreen Mechanism in the Retina of the Human Eye
PublicationThe functioning of the human eye in the extreme range of light intensity requires a combination of the high sensitivity of photoreceptors with their photostability. Here, we identify a regulatory mechanism based on dynamic modulation of light absorption by xanthophylls in the retina, realized by reorientation of pigment molecules induced by trans–cis photoisomerization. We explore this photochemically switchable system using chromatographic...
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Nondestructive Optical Sensing of Flavonols and Chlorophyll in White Head Cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata subvar. alba ) Grown under Different Nitrogen Regimens
PublicationA multiparametric optical sensor was used to nondestructively estimate phytochemical compounds in white cabbage leaves directly in the field. An experimental site of 1980 white cabbages (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata subvar. alba), under different nitrogen (N) treatments, was mapped by measuring leaf transmittance and chlorophyll fluorescence screening in one leaf/cabbage head. The provided indices of flavonols (FLAV) and...
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Luminescence recognition material as an INHIBIT logic gate in presence of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions in aqueous solutions
PublicationA recognition material consisting of silica xerogel with amino-modified surface selectively recognizes Pb2+ and Cu2+ (but only in presence of Pb2+ ions) in aqueous solutions of other metal ions. The analytical action of the material is based on a significant change in luminescence emission spectra of the material after chemisorption of Pb2+ ions. In the presence of Pb2+ in octahedral coordination environment, a new broad and strong...
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Properties of Different Varieties of Durian
PublicationDurian (Durio zibethinus Murr.), like many other exotic, tropical, and conventional fruits, is important in the prevention of different diseases. In this study, the characterization of the main bioactive compounds of the most popular cultivars of durian and their properties are described. The changes in the quality indices of the antioxidant status were determined by CUPRAC, ABTS, FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC assays. The profiling of phytochemicals...
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Ribes nigrum L. Extract-Mediated Green Synthesis and Antibacterial Action Mechanisms of Silver Nanoparticles
PublicationSilver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) represent one of the most widely employed metal-based engineered nanomaterials with a broad range of applications in different areas of science. Plant extracts (PEs) serve as green reducing and coating agents and can be exploited for the generation of Ag NPs. In this study, the phytochemical composition of ethanolic extract of black currant (Ribes nigrum) leaves was determined. The main components...
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The impact of interactions between polyphenolic antioxidants on the redox-related chemical and biological properties of their mixtures – the extension of food synergy concept.
PublicationThe results of studies indicate that chemopreventive efficiency of isolated phytochemicals is lower than that of polyphenol-rich foods. This discrepancy has been ascribed to the food synergy concept that assumes additive or even synergistic influence of different food ingredients on human health. The results presented in the dissertation made it possible to propose an alternative and innovative explanation of these observations. The...
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Potential of Silver Nanoparticles in Overcoming the Intrinsic Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Secondary Metabolites from Carnivorous Plants
PublicationCarnivorous plants are exemplary natural sources of secondary metabolites with biological activity. However, the therapeutic antimicrobial potential of these compounds is limited due to intrinsic resistance of selected bacterial pathogens, among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents an extreme example. The objective of the study was to overcome the intrinsic resistance of P. aeruginosa by combining silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)...
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Hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of pollutants as a factor influencing their redistribution during snowpack melt
PublicationGlaciers accumulate organic pollutants delivered by snow. However, our understanding of the exact dynamics of organic pollutants in the snowpack relies primarily on laboratory experiments and mathematical models. To fill the gap related to the detailed field data, we have conducted observations of melting snow profiles in two locations and three different stages of melting on one High Arctic glacier, as well as in superimposed...
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The extended version of restriction analysis approach for the examination of the ability of low-molecular-weight compounds to modify DNA in a cell-free system
PublicationOne of the primary requirements in toxicology is the assessment of ability of chemicals to induce DNA covalent modification. There are several well-established methods used for this purpose such as 32P-Postlabeling or HPLC-MS. However, all of these approaches have difficult to overcome limitations, which prevents their use in genotoxin screening. Here, we describe the simple protocol exploiting specificity of restriction enzymes...
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Study of the Anti-Staphylococcal Potential of Honeys Produced in Northern Poland
PublicationThe antimicrobial activity of 144 samples of honeys including 95 products from apiaries located in Northern Poland was evaluated. The antibacterial activity of those natural products, their thermal stability, and activity in the presence of catalase was investigated by microdilution assays in titration plates. The MTT assay was performed for the determination of anti-biofilm activity. Spectrophotometric assays were used for the...
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Study of pH and temperature effect on lipophilicity of catechol-containing antioxidants by reversed phase liquid chromatography
PublicationLipophilicity of selected antioxidant phytochemicals, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and xanthonoids, was determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (RP-HPLC-UV). The analyses run at different temperature and pH conditions in isocratic mode suggested that lipophilicity as distribution coefficient (logD) between aqueous and organic phase decreases with increasing temperature. For...
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Chemical Aspects of Biological Activity of Isothiocyanates and Indoles, the Products of Glucosinolate Decomposition
PublicationThere is growing evidence that cancer chemoprevention employing natural, bioactive compounds may halt or at least slow down the different stages of carcinogenesis. A particularly advantageous effect is attributed to derivatives of sulfur-organic phytochemicals, such as glucosinolates (GLs) synthesized mainly in Brassicaceae plant family. GLs are hydrolysed enzymatically to bioactive isothiocyanates (ITC) and indoles, which exhibit strong...
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Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Treatment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern
PublicationThe application of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pesticides, plasticizers, endocrine disruptors, surfactants, flame retardants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) became an indispensable requirement of the current era. Although the CEC are useful for wide-spectrum purposes, they can also result in undesirable effects on human health and other animals....
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Applicability of edible Candelilla wax composite blended with Bryophyllumpinnatum extract to prolong shelf life of fruits/vegetables
PublicationCandelilla wax (CW) is a natural lipid source that can be used to make biodegradable and edible coatings and films for fruits. However, CW alone does not provide sufficient antimicrobial and antioxidant properties to prevent microbial spoilage and oxidative deterioration of fresh products. This study aims at evaluating the applicability of CW blended with Bryophyllum pinnatum extract (BPE), a plant with medicinal and phytochemical...
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Antimicrobial Activity of Honey
PublicationHoney has had a valued place in traditional medicine for centuries. It was used to overcome liver, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems and for treatment of some types of infectious disease. Particularly, good results were achieved in the case of application of this product for therapy of infected, difficult to heal wounds. The high health-promoting properties of honey have been recently confirmed in many research investigations....
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Correlation between in vitro and in vivo data on food digestion. What can we predict with static in vitro digestion models?
PublicationDuring the last decade, there has been a growing interest in understanding food's digestive fate in order to strengthen the possible effects of food on human health. Ideally, food digestion should be studied in vivo on humans but this is not always ethically and financially possible. Therefore, simple in vitro digestion models mimicking the gastrointestinal tract have been proposed as alternatives to in vivo experiments. Thus,...
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Effects of Post-Harvest Elicitor Treatments with Ultrasound, UV- and Photosynthetic Active Radiation on Polyphenols, Glucosinolates and Antioxidant Activity in a Waste Fraction of White Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
PublicationBiosynthesis of phytochemicals in leaves of Brassica can be initiated by abiotic factors. The aim of the study was to investigate elicitor treatments to add value to waste of cabbage. A leaf waste fraction from industrial trimming of head cabbage was exposed to UV radiation (250–400 nm, 59 and 99 kJ m-2, respectively), photosynthetic active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm, 497 kJ m-2), and ultrasound in water bath (35 kHz, at 15, 30...
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Synthesis of phosphono and phosphate derivatives of hydroxyimino-D-alditols as new potential antifungal agents
PublicationIn search for new effective we antyfungals we focus on two enzymes involved in biosynthesis of the fungal cell wall. The first enzyme is glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlmS), which catalyzes transformation of D-fructose-6-phosphate (Fru-6P) to D-glucosamine-6-phodphate (GlcN-6P) in the chitin biosynthesis pathway. The second enzyme is phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) repored to play a crucial role in biosynthesis of many mannosylated structures,...
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Comparative Analysis of Metabolic Variations, Antioxidant Profiles and Antimicrobial Activity of Salvia hispanica (Chia) Seed, Sprout, Leaf, Flower, Root and Herb Extracts
PublicationThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical profiles of the seeds, sprouts, leaves, flowers, roots and herb of Salvia hispanica and to demonstrate their significant contribution to antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Applied methods were: HPLC-DAD coupled with post-column derivatization with ABTS reagent, untargeted metabolomics performed by LC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, and two-fold micro-dilution broth method, which...
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Noble metal modified TiO2 microspheres: Surface properties and photocatalytic activity under UV-vis and visible light
PublicationComposite photocatalysts that consist of TiO2and noble metal nanostructures have been considered tobe the promising and pivotal material for accessible enhancement of the efficiency in the photocatalyticprocess carried out in the aqueous and gas phases. In this work we fabricated porous TiO2microspheresthrough a hydrothermal process followed by photochemical reduction of noble metal nanoparticles atthe TiO2surface. The morphology...
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Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 microspheres decorated by bimetallic nanoparticles
PublicationComposite photocatalysts that consist of TiO2and noble metal nanostructures have been considered tobe the promising and pivotal material for accessible enhancement of the efficiency in the photocatalyticprocess carried out in the aqueous and gas phases. In this work we fabricated porous TiO2microspheresthrough a hydrothermal process followed by photochemical reduction of noble metal nanoparticles atthe TiO2surface. The morphology...
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Chemical investigation on the mechanism and kinetics of the atmospheric degradation reaction of Trichlorofluoroethene by OH⋅ and Its subsequent fate in the presence of O2/NOx
PublicationThe M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory was used to examine the degradation of Trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE) initiated by OH⋅ radicals. Additionally, the coupled-cluster single-double with triple perturbative [CCSD(T)] method was employed to refine the single-point energies using the complete basis set extrapolation approach. The results indicated that OH-addition is the dominant pathway. OH⋅ adds to both the C1 and C2 carbons,...
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Relationship between the betalain composition in Opuntia ficus indica and Beta vulgaris varieties and biological activity of their extracts
PublicationBetalains are a class of pigments that are much less com- monly found in nature than anthocyanins or carotenoids. They occur only in a few edible plants such as red beetroot (Beta vulgaris), prickly pears (Opuntia ficus indica), amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) and some mushrooms. This group of pig- ments can be divided into two major groups: yellow vulgax- anthins and red betanins. Despite their structural similarity to compounds from...
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More than just a beer – Brewers' spent grain, spent hops, and spent yeast as potential functional fillers for polymer composites
PublicationBeer is among the most popular beverages in the world, with the production distributed uniformly between the biggest continents, so the utilization of brewing by-products is essential on a global scale. Among their potential recipients, the plastics industry offers extensive range of potential products. Herein, the presented study investigated the application of currently underutilized solid brewing by-products (brewers' spent...
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Towards spectral sensitivity curve for two-photon vision mechanism
PublicationAbstract Purpose: The perceived brightness of different visible light sources can be compared with photometric units based on the standardized luminosity curves (300-780nm range). As reported previously (PNAS 111(50), pp. E5445-E5454 (2014)), near-infrared (NIR) radiation can cause isomerization of visual pigments by one- or two-photon absorption. The perceived color of the stimulus is red in the case of one-photon vision (1PV)...
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The impact of cooking method on the phenolic composition, total antioxidant activity and starch digestibility of rice (Oryza sativa L.)
PublicationThis study investigated changes in the phenolic composition, total antioxidant activity (TAA) and starch digestibility in white and brown rice due to three different cooking procedures, and subsequent reheating of cooked rice after storage. Among the analyzed samples, brown rice showed the highest TAA and phenolic content (622.5 mg kg-1 DW). All cooking methods resulted in significant decrease of phenolic content and TAA of rice...
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Evaluation of Sicilian landraces of broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica Plenck) for quality traits
PublicationBrassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck is one of the most popular vegetables which belong to Brassicaceae family. It is getting attention as an important source of bioactive compounds such as glucosinolates, and many other phytochemicals. In the frame of the H2020 BRESOV project, we evaluated three landraces (‘Broccolo nero', ‘Ramoso calabrese' and ‘Sparaceddu') and two commercial F1 hybrid cultivars (‘Marathon' and ‘Naxos')....
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Anti-cancer effect of Rumex obtusifolius in combination with arginase/nitric oxide synthase inhibitors via downregulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and polyamine synthesis
PublicationCancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, making the development of new treatment methods crucial in the fight against it. With cancer incidence rates increasing worldwide, ongoing research must focus on identifying new and effective ways to prevent and treat the disease. The combination of herbal extracts with chemotherapeutic agents has gained much interest as a novel strategy to combat cancer. Rumex obtusifolius...
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Deep eutectic solvent-based shaking-assisted extraction for determination of bioactive compounds from Norway spruce roots
PublicationPolyphenolic compounds play an essential role in plant growth, reproduction, and defense mechanisms against pathogens and environmental stresses. Extracting these compounds is the initial step in assessing phytochemical changes, where the choice of extraction method significantly influences the extracted analytes. However, due to environmental factors, analyzing numerous samples is necessary for statistically significant results,...
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Covalent DNA modification by products of myrosinase catalysed glucosinolate degradation in cell-free system
PublicationThe bioactive phytochemicals found in Brassica vegetables belonging to glucosinolates (GLS) and especially the products of their degradation isothiocyanates (ITC) and indoles are regarded as the most promising cancer chemopreventive compounds. These secondary metabolites constitute defence system repelling or preventing the development of agrophages attacking brassica plants. The antibiological properties of these compounds suggest...
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Hypericum alpestre extract exhibits in vitro and in vivo anticancer properties by regulating the cellular antioxidant system and metabolic pathway of L‐arginine
PublicationConventional treatment methods are not effective enough to fight the rapid increase in cancer cases. The interest is increasing in the investigation of herbal sources for the development of new anticancer therapeutics. This study aims to investigate the antitumor capacity of Hypericum alpestre (H. alpestre) extract in vitro and in vivo, either alone or in combination with the inhibitors of the L‐arginine/polyamine/nitric oxide...
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Nanoparticles preparation using microemulsion systems
PublicationMetallic nanoparticles become of current interests because they exhibit unique properties compared with those of metal atoms or bulk metal due to the quantum size effect and their large surface area, which make them attractive for applications in optics, electronics, catalysis biology and medicine. TiO2 has been used for environmental remediation purposes such as in the purification of water and air and also solar-to chemical energy...