Antioxidant profile of dihydroxy- and trihydroxyphenolic acids--a structure-activity relationship study

Eight structurally similar dihydroxy and trihydroxyphenolic acids (protocatechuic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, hydrocaffeic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid and 3-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)propenoic acid) were examined for their total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Furthermore, their ability to scavenge peroxyl radicals, generated by AAPH in liposomes, was determined. The antioxidant/pro-oxidant activity of the compounds was screened using the 2'-deoxyguanosine assay. All compounds behave as radical scavengers, with 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenylacetic acid being the most potent. Nevertheless, in the lipid peroxidation assay an inverse ranking order was observed, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid being the most effective compound. All the dihydroxylated compounds showed a pro-oxidant behaviour leading to an increase of 50% in 8-OH-dG induction. From the structure-antioxidant activity relationship studies performed it may be concluded that the number of phenolic groups and the type of the alkyl spacer between the carboxylic acid and the aromatic ring strongly influence the antioxidant activity.     

Biobleaching of wheat straw-rich soda pulp with alkalophilic laccase from gamma-proteobacterium JB: optimization of process parameters using response surface methodology

An alkalophilic laccase from gamma-proteobacterium JB was applied to wheat straw-rich soda pulp to check its bleaching potential by using response surface methodology based on central composite design. The design was employed by selecting laccase units, ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) concentration and pH as model factors. The results of second order factorial design experiments showed that all three independent variables had significant effect on brightness and kappa number of laccase-treated pulp. Optimum conditions for biobleaching of pulp with laccase preparation (specific activity, 65 nkat mg(-1) protein) were 20 nkat g(-1) of pulp, 2mM ABTS and pH 8.0 which enhanced brightness by 5.89% and reduced kappa number by 21.1% within 4h of incubation at 55 degrees C, without further alkaline extraction of pulp. Tear index (8%) and burst index (18%) also improved for laccase-treated pulp as compared to control raw pulp. Treatment of chemically (CEH1H2) bleached pulp with laccase showed significant effect on release of chromophores, hydrophobic and reducing compounds. Laccase-prebleaching of raw pulp reduced the use of hypochlorite by 10% to achieve brightness of resultant hand sheets similar to the fully chemically bleached pulp.     

Lipopolysaccaride-binding peptides obtained by phage display method

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. It has strong toxicity and might cause sepsis or septic shock. Thus early detection of LPS and neutralization of LPS toxicity are required. We obtained several new LPS-binding peptides using a phage display method. We synthesized 3 of these peptides and analyzed their binding affinity and capacity to LPS. One of these peptides, named Li5-001, showed high binding affinity to LPS and lipid A; the K_d values were 10 and 1 nM, respectively. Li5-001 showed a high binding capacity to LPS, and was estimated to bind 130 ng LPS/mg, which is higher than that of polymyxin B (80 ng LPS/mg); however, its LPS-neutralizing activity was low. Li5-001 coupled with beads will be useful for eliminating endotoxin contamination from pharmaceuticals. Its low LPS-neutralizing activity allows to be used in the Limulus amebocyte lysate test without eluting LPS from the Li5-001 coupled beads.     

Structure-Function Studies of a Melanocarpus albomyces Laccase Suggest a Pathway for Oxidation of Phenolic Compounds

Melanocarpus albomyces laccase crystals were soaked with 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, a common laccase substrate. Three complex structures from different soaking times were solved. Crystal structures revealed the binding of the original substrate and adducts formed by enzymatic oxidation of the substrate. The dimeric oxidation products were identified by mass spectrometry. In the crystals, a 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone and a C-O dimer were observed, whereas a C-C dimer was the main product identified by mass spectrometry. Crystal structures demonstrated that the substrate and/or its oxidation products were bound in the pocket formed by residues Ala191, Pro192, Glu235, Leu363, Phe371, Trp373, Phe427, Leu429, Trp507 and His508. Substrate and adducts were hydrogen-bonded to His508, one of the ligands of type 1 copper. Therefore, this surface-exposed histidine most likely has a role in electron transfer by laccases. Based on our mutagenesis studies, the carboxylic acid residue Glu235 at the bottom of the binding site pocket is also crucial in the oxidation of phenolics. Glu235 may be responsible for the abstraction of a proton from the OH group of the substrate and His508 may extract an electron. In addition, crystal structures revealed a secondary binding site formed through weak dimerization in M. albomyces laccase molecules. This binding site most likely exists only in crystals, when the Phe427 residues are packed against each other.     

Harnessing the power of enzymes for environmental stewardship

Enzymes are versatile catalysts with a growing number of applications in biotechnology. Their properties render them also attractive for waste/pollutant treatment processes and their use might be advantageous over conventional treatments. This review highlights enzymes that are suitable for waste treatment, with a focus on cell-free applications or processes with extracellular and immobilized enzymes. Biological wastes are treated with hydrolases, primarily to degrade biological polymers in a pre-treatment step. Oxidoreductases and lyases are used to biotransform specific pollutants of various nature. Examples from pulp and paper, textile, food and beverage as well as water and chemical industries illustrate the state of the art of enzymatic pollution treatment. Research directions in enzyme technology and their importance for future development in environmental biotechnology are elaborated. Beside biological and biochemical approaches, i.e. enzyme prospection and the design of enzymes, the review also covers efforts in adjacent research fields such as insolubilization of enzymes, reactor design and the use of additives. The effectiveness of enzymatic processes, especially when combined with established technologies, is evident. However, only a limited number of enzymatic field applications exist. Factors like cost and stability of biocatalysts need to be addressed and the collaboration and exchange between academia and industry should be further strengthened to achieve the goal of sustainability.     

Meetings & Symposia

Optimization of the extraction process of phenolics from Bryophyllum pinnatum was carried out using response-surface methodology (RSM). The effect of different variables such as ratio of solvents, plant material/solvent ratio, extraction time, and temperature were investigated. An optimal phenolics yield of 7.952 mg/g gallic acid equivalence (GAE) was achieved at reduced levels of methanol/water ratio (1:1, v/v). During optimization, the product yield was enhanced by ～2-fold at reduced extraction solvent (methanol/water) up to 37%. Validation of the RSM model for extraction of total phenolic content (TPC) was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The obtained experimental values were in good agreement with the predicted values, thereby indicating the appropriateness of the model generated. Phenolic extracts from B. pinnatum were further examined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) methods for determining the radical scavenging activities. EC₅₀ values of B. pinnatum extracts (BPEs) obtained by these methods were in accordance with the amount of phenolics present in the extract. Significant correlation was found between total phenolic content and antioxidant activities (p < 0.05).     

Antioxidative properties of ascorbigen in using multiple antioxidant assays

The antioxidative properties of ascorbigen, one of the major indole-derived compounds of Brassica vegetables, were systematically evaluated using multiple assay systems with comparison to the well-known antioxidants ascorbic acid and Trolox. We first performed assays using model radicals, DPPH radical, galvinoxyl radical, and ABTS radical cation (ABTS^?+). Ascorbigen showed stronger activity than that of ascorbic acid in the ABTS^?+-scavenging assay but showed no activity in the DPPH radical- and galvinoxyl radical-scavenging assays. In the ABTS^?+-scavenging assay, the indole moiety of ascorbigen contributed to scavenging of the radicals to produce indole-3-aldehyde as one of the final reaction products. The activity of ascorbigen was then evaluated by an oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay and an oxidative hemolysis inhibition assay using physiologically relevant peroxyl radicals, AAPH-derived radicals. Ascorbigen showed much stronger antioxidant activity than did ascorbic acid and Trolox. Therefore, antioxidant activity of ascorbigen might be more beneficial than has been thought for daily health care.     

Phytochemical composition,antioxidant, in vitro and in silico studies of active compounds of Curculigo latifolia extracts as promising elastase inhibitor

Curculigo latifolia is a plant in the Hypoxidaceae family commonly used in herbal medicine. The study objective was to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-elastase properties of C. latifolia extracts in vitro and silico as a candidate for antiaging active ingredients. This study identified secondary metabolites of the hexane (HE), ethyl acetate (EAE), and ethanol extracts (EE) from the root (R), stem (S), and leaf (L) organs by LC-ESI-MS and evaluated in vitro antioxidant and inhibitor elastase activity. An antioxidant evaluation was performed using ABTS, Beta Carotene Bleaching (BCB), and Ferric Reduction Antioxidant Power (FRAP). Evaluation of anti-elastase was carried out using elastase and followed by an in silico study of molecular docking using the target protein elastase (1B0F). Fifteen C. latifolia metabolites were identified in C. latifolia extracts, most of which were phenolic compounds. In antioxidant testing, REE, REAE, SEE, and SEAE extracts showed potent antioxidant activity based on the ABTS, BCB, and FRAP methods. In anti-elastase testing, it was found that SEE, REE, REAE, and RHE extracts gave powerful inhibition of elastase activity (in the ranges of 16.89 to 27.91 µg/mL). The in-silico study demonstrated the potential of the identified metabolites to bind to the target protein 1B0F involved in remodeling the skin aging process. This research concludes that the extracts from C. latifolia have the potential to serve as an active antiaging source.     

Imidazolo and tryptophan-imidazolo hybrid derived ureas/thioureas as potent bioactive agents – SAR and molecular modelling studies

Herein, we used an imidazole derivative (IMD) which showed promising antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties in our earlier investigation. Prompted by this, we converted IMD to hydrazide (IMH) by hydrazinolysis which was derivatized to various ureas (3–7) and thioureas (8–12). On the other hand, IMH was conjugated to Boc-Trp-OH as it has been shown in the past that hybridization of two molecules produced promising biologically active compounds. Boc of the conjugate was removed and further converted into several urea (14–18) and thiourea (19–23) derivatives. All the title compounds so also the starting materials and intermediates were assessed for potential biological applications. The results showed that compounds 3, 4, 8, 9, 14, 15, 19 and 20 were excellent antioxidants as revealed by DPPH, DMPD and ABTS assays. Further, certain analogues like 5–7, 10–12, 16–18 and 21–23 were found to be potent antimicrobials against pathogenic bacteria and fungi whereas good anti-inflammatory activity was obtained for molecules 5–7, 10–12, 16–18 and 21–23. All together, derivatives of the conjugates have shown superior activity over non-conjugated compounds and the former have exhibited potent activity against standard drugs in all the assays. In a quest to understand the binding interactions of the compounds with active site of tyrosine kinase (PDB ID: 2HCK), glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) synthase (PDB ID: 2VF5) and cyclooxygenase-2 (PDB ID: 1CX2) enzymes, the correlation studies were conducted using molecular modelling which showed good receptor binding interactions with several amino acids of the enzymes. Overall, the current investigation may be considered for the discovery of lead compound(s) for treating multiple disorder conditions using singular molecular entity.     

Early attack and subsequent changes produced in an industrial lignin by a fungal laccase and a laccase-mediator system: an analytical approach

An industrial kraft pine lignin (Indulin AT, KL) was characterized and treated in both aqueous-buffered media and dioxane to water, either with a partially purified laccase from Fusarium proliferatum or with the laccase plus 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid (ABTS) as mediator. The changes in the lignin after different incubation periods were analyzed through the application of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV–visible (Vis) spectroscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). At the onset of incubation, laccase-treated samples showed a slight polymerization and strong modifications in UV–Vis spectra. Through Py-GC/MS, a decrease in phenolic and methoxy-bearing pyrolysis products was observed, in contrast to an increase in the more oxidized products. After longer incubation periods (48 h) a substantial polymerization was detected by HPLC, along with a decrease in the guaiacyl (G) units. In contrast, the analysis by HPLC of the samples recovered from the laccase-ABTS system (LMS) showed an intense depolymerization, accompanied by a sizeable loss in G units and a decrease in the methyl and ethyl side-chain phenolic compounds. These results provide conclusive evidence of a rapid initial attack of the industrial lignin by laccase and notable modifications in the KL after longer incubation periods with laccase or LMS.