The Effect of the Composition of a Liposomal Nanocomplex on the Antioxidant Activity of Murine Blood Plasma and Lipids of the Liver and Brain

Much attention is given to research and development of efficient systems for the delivery of essential omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids and other nutraceuticals to the human body with food. Nanocomplexes, which are based on soybean phosphatidylcholine liposomes with nutraceuticals included, are among the efficient delivery systems. The prolonged use of these nanocomplexes may affect the antioxidant status in various organs and tissues. In this work, thermo-initiated chemiluminescence was used to study changes in the antioxidant activity of the blood plasma, liver, and brain lipids in mice divided into six groups depending on the composition of liposomal nanocomplexes introduced into drinks substituted for water in a long-term (3 month) diet. The components of six types of liposomal nanocomplexes, except for phosphatidylcholine, in different combinations were clove essential oil, fish oil, and sodium caseinate. The results of the study showed that nanocomplexes containing liposomes made of phosphatidylcholine with the addition of fish oil and clove essential oil and encapsulated in milk protein (sodium caseinate) proved to be the most effective in increasing the antioxidant activity of the blood plasma and brain lipids in mice compared to the control.

     

The Kinetics of Initiated Oxidation of Phosphatidylcholine Liposomes with Introduced Aloe Extracts and Determination of their Antioxidant Activity

Biophysics - Numerous species of the genus Aloe have attracted the attention of researchers because of their different biological benefits and their capacity to act as antioxidants. This paper...     

A comparative analysis of the antioxidant activity of Kalanchoe juices

A study of the biological, including the antioxidant, activity of various medicinal plants with the aim of searching for the most active sources of biologically active compounds among them is, at present, of interest. In the present work, a comparative analysis of the antioxidant activity of juices from 14 Kalanchoe species, measured by the ammetric, voltammetric, and chemiluminescence methods has been performed. Among the samples examined, two members of the Kalanchoe genus were shown to have the highest antioxidant activity: Kalanchoe scapigera and K. rhombopilosa. They may appear to be richer sources of biologically active compounds compared with the currently used Kalanchoe species.     

The Inhibitory Action of Several Bioantioxidants and Their Mixtures in a Model Hemoglobin–Hydrogen Peroxide–Luminol Chemiluminescent System

Determination of the antioxidant activities of various biological objects, for example, food, medicinal preparations, beverages, blood plasma, and other human biological fluids, is an important task for biomedical research. Chemiluminescent methods are widely used for this purpose. These methods are sensitive and rapid and make it possible to directly control the kinetics of inhibition of oxidation by an antioxidant. In the present work, a chemiluminescent model was used of free-radical oxidation of luminol, as initiated by a mixture of hemoglobin–hydrogen peroxide in an aqueous medium. The kinetics of the inhibitory effect of eight water-soluble bioantioxidants with different molecular structures and their binary mixtures was studied; the inhibition parameters of luminol oxidation by these antioxidants and their stoichiometric coefficients were determined. Features of the inhibition kinetics for glutathione are revealed. The synergistic and antagonistic effects of antioxidants in the mixtures were evaluated. The independence of chemiluminescence quenching by individual antioxidants was noted for the majority of the studied binary antioxidant mixtures, with more “active” antioxidants inhibiting oxidation earlier than less “active” ones. Mixtures of some antioxidants that strengthened or weakened each other upon interacting, thus exhibiting synergism or antagonism, were an exception.     

The interaction of the coloboma and aphakia mutant genes in mice

The eye development has been studied in the 12-day-old, 14-day-old embryos and in neonates of Cm/+ ak/ak genotype. The gene coloboma (Cm) in heterozygous state causes a typical coloboma of the iris and the gene aphakia (ak) blocks the lens development in the homozygotes. It has been shown that in Cm/+ ak/ak mice the eyes go through mainly the same abnormal development as that in +/+ ak/ak animals. In mice of both genotypes the lens morphogenesis blocking at the vesicle stage and the retinal fold in the dorsal half of the eye develops. However, the ventral retinal fold which is characteristic for the +/+ ak/ak mice does not form in the Cm/+ ak/ak animals that is the result of the interaction of Cm and ak genes in the eye morphogenesis. The Cm gene suppressing the growth of the retina ventral half inhibits the formation of its fold in Cm/+ ak/ak embryos. As a result of the gene interaction a certain normalization of the eye development compared to the +/+ ak/ak mice is observed in the Cm/+ ak/ak animals. The obtained data show that the Cm gene expresses in the cell clones of the retina ventral half.     

Determination of Antioxidant Activity of Various Bioantioxidants and Their Mixtures by the Amperometric Method

To date, simple and operative electrochemical methods are widely used to study antioxidant properties of various biological objects. One of them is the amperometric method, which is used in various fields of science, technology and medicine to determine the antioxidant activity (AOA) of various beverages, extracts and biological fluids, as well as the total content of antioxidants (AOs) present in them. Measurements of AOA (electrochemical oxidability) of some known individual AO and their mixtures by the amperometric method was performed in the present work. The coefficients of their oxidability were determined. The AOA values obtained correlate well with the AOA of these compounds measured by other methods. The coincidence of the experimental values of AOA and the values calculated with the use of the coefficients of oxidability for each component of the mixture was observed for most combinations of binary mixtures of used AOs. This indicates the absence of interaction between them (synergism or antagonism) during the oxidation. Several mixtures with a lower value of the measured AOA compared with the calculated value (antagonism) represented the exception. During the electrochemical oxidation of the “oxidized glutathione + ascorbic acid” mixture, partial reduction of glutathione by ascorbic acid is likely to proceed, which results in an excess of the measured AOA value over the calculated value. The results obtained may be useful when working with devices based on the amperometric method.