Search Results (274)

Hydropriming rice seeds effectively improve the germination percentage, shortens the germination period, and promotes seedling growth. The impact of seed hydropriming is to speed up growth under dry soil conditions, thereby avoiding drought damage. This study analyzes the effect of hydropriming on morpho-physiological changes in the water uptake of rice seeds using “Kasalath” and “Nipponbare” under water-deficit conditions. Upon exposure to osmotic stress, both varieties showed delays in the time to reach germination. In addition, all germination phases exhibited reductions in the activity of alpha-amylase and total soluble sugar by osmotic stress; however, in all germination phases of the hydroprimed seeds, the activity and contents of those were significantly increased, resulting in increased size of the coleoptile, plumule, and radicle. In hydroprimed seeds, “Kasalath” was superior to “Nipponbare” in the ratio of the water-deficit-to-well-watered conditions for all traits related to germination, which may have been attributable to hydropriming having a greater effect on “Kasalath”. Interestingly, Primed “Kasalath” had a lower level of α-amylase, despite the having a higher content of total soluble sugars than primed “Nipponbare”. Full article

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a reactive carbonyl compound produced through lipid peroxidation during feed storage, which poses a significant threat to fish health. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary MDA on the growth rate, gastrointestinal health, and muscle quality of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). A basal diet (M0) containing 34% crude protein and 10.5% crude lipid was formulated. Each group was sprayed with malondialdehyde solution (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg, on dietary crude lipid basis; 0, 0.53, 1.07, 2.13, 4.26, and 8.52 mg/kg, on dietary basis) before feeding, respectively. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicates of 30 striped catfish (initial weight 31.38 g) per net cage. After 8 weeks, dietary inclusion of MDA regardless of level significantly depressed the growth rate and feed utilization. The extent of structural damage to the gastrointestinal tract increased progressively with increasing dietary MDA levels. The extent of damage to the intestinal biological barrier (intestinal microbial structure), chemical barrier (trypsin, lipase, amylase, and maltase activity), physical barrier (zonula occludent-2, occludin, claudin 7α, and claudin 12 relative expression), and immune barrier (contents of complement 4, complement 3, immunoglobulin M, and lysozyme activity) was dose-related to dietary MDA. Moreover, a linear decline in the activities of intestinal antioxidant enzymes (catalas, superoxide dismutase, et al.) and anti-inflammatory factor (transforming growth factor beta1, interleukin 10) relative expression was noted alongside an increase in dietary MDA content. In contrast, the relative expression levels of intestinal inflammatory factor (interleukin 8, transcription factor p65, tumor necrosis factor alpha) relative expression displayed an opposing trend. Additionally, dietary MDA exerted a linear influence on muscle color and texture characteristics. In conclusion, high doses of MDA (5–80 mg/kg) reduced the growth performance of striped catfish, attributed to linear damage to the gastrointestinal tract, a linear decrease in antioxidant function, and the occurrence of an inflammatory response. High doses of MDA (>40 mg/kg) were observed to significantly increase dorsal muscle b-value and induce muscle yellowing. Full article

Withering is one of the major processing steps critical for the quality of black tea. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the physicochemical changes in metabolites and gene expression during the withering process of black tea using metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches, respectively. Based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry non-targeted metabolomic approaches (GC-MS) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), a total of 76 volatile compounds and 160 non-volatile compounds were identified from tea leaves, respectively. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for the comparative combination of withering time (i.e., W4h, W6h, W8h, W10h, and W12h) compared with CK (i.e., fresh leaves) were 3634, 2906, 4127, 5736, and 7650, respectively. The core genes in starch metabolism, namely alpha-amylase (AMY) and beta-amylase (BAM), were upregulated as withering time increased. AMY and BAM contributed to the decomposition of starch to increase the soluble sugars. The content of tea leaf alcohols and aldehydes, which are the vital contributors for greenish aroma, gradually decreased as withering time increased due to the downregulation of associated genes while the compounds related to sweet and fruity characteristics increased due to the upregulated expression of related genes. Most DEGs involved in amino acids were significantly upregulated, leading to the increase in free amino acids content. However, DEGs involved in catechins metabolism were generally downregulated during withering, and resulted in a reduction in catechins content and the accumulation of theaflavins. The same trend was observed in alpha-linolenic acid metabolism-related genes that were downregulated and enhanced the reduction in grassy aroma in black tea. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of DEGs showed that one module can be associated with more components and one component can be regulated by various modules. Our findings provide new insights into the quality formation of black tea during the withering process. Full article

Background and Objectives: Assessing pain deception is challenging due to its subjective nature. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of pain deception using machine learning (ML) analysis with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scales, considering accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-score as diagnostic parameters. Materials and Methods: This study was a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Subjects were randomly allocated into a non-deception (ND) group and a deception (D) group. Pain deception, as a form of psychological intervention, was taught to subjects in the D group to deceive the physician. MMPI-2, Waddell’s sign, and salivary alpha-amylase (SAA) were also measured. For analyzing the MMPI-2, the XGBoost ML algorithm was applied. Results: Of a total of 96 participants, 50 and 46 were assigned to the ND group and the D group, respectively. In the logistic regression analysis, pain and MMPI-2 did not show diagnostic value. However, in the ML analysis, values of the selected MMPI-2 (sMMPI-2) scales related to pain deception showed an accuracy of 0.724, a precision of 0.692, a recall of 0.692, and an f1-score of 0.692. Conclusions: Using MMPI-2 test results, ML can diagnose pain deception better than the conventional logistic regression analysis method by considering different scales and patterns together. Full article

Volleyball referees, as athletes and staff members, are exposed to different stress levels which can be determined by measuring pre- and post-match levels of salivary cortisol (C) and alpha-amylase (AA). This study aimed to determine the dynamics of stress biomarkers in referees during official volleyball matches and the connection to the roles or level of competition. The participants in this study were nine international volleyball referees (three females and six males) with a mean chronological age of 48.23 ± 2.31 years. In this study, saliva samples were collected during 24 official matches during the European championship for senior women’s teams (Eurovolley 2021). The AA activity and C concentrations were determined from saliva samples. When the referees’ roles were assessed in line with their duties, the first referees’ salivary C levels showed a significant increase between the pre- and post-match measurements (p = 0.01), while in the second referees remained low. The reserve and challenge referees demonstrated a significant drop in their C concentrations (p = 0.00 and p = 0.02, respectively). Additionally, when assessing AA which accounts for the responsibilities of referees and the intensity of competition, the first (p = 0.06 and p = 0.07) and second referees (p = 0.01 and p = 0.00) showed an increase between the pre- and post-match measurements, respectively. At the same time, the AA activity did not show any significant change concerning the reserve and challenge referees. Our results indicate that referees’ roles and the level of competition may cause higher responses in “active referee roles”—mainly the first and second referees—while reserve and challenge referees showed no increase or even a decrease in the measured biomarkers. The observed changes in the stress markers can be explained by psychological or emotional effects and are dependent on the level of competition and the role referees are fulfilling. Full article

This study represents the first investigation into the ultrasonic and microwave extraction of bioactive metabolites from Jania rubens (J. rubens) (red seaweed) and Sargassum. muticum (S. muticum) (brown seaweed), with a focus on their biological activities. The research compares ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) with microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) utilizing a hydromethanolic solvent to evaluate their effects on these seaweeds’ bioactive compounds and biological activities. The assessment included a series of antioxidant essays: DPPH, ABTS, phenanthroline, and total antioxidant capacity, followed by enzyme inhibition activities: alpha-amylase and urease. Results revealed significant proportions of phenolic compounds, ranging from 48.31 ± 0.32 to 74.42 ± 0.80 μg GAE/mg, depending on the extraction method. The extracts demonstrated a high antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 26.58 ± 0.39 to 87.55 ± 0.69 μg/mL. Notably, the MAE extract of S. muticum showed a value of 48.11 ± 2.75 μg/mL for alpha-amylase inhibition, which is strictly superior to the reference acarbose with an IC₅₀ equal to 3431.01 μg/mL. UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis identified 14 bioactive compounds. The proportion of riboflavin with MAE was 70.58% and 59.11% for J. rubens and S. muticum fractions, respectively. These findings underscore the critical influence of extraction technique selection on bioactive compounds’ yield and efficiency, highlighting the potential of algal biomass as a sustainable alternative in various applications. Full article

The inhibition of the alpha-amylase digestive enzyme impedes starch digestion by blocking access to the active site of the enzyme, thereby playing a role in the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Plant-derived alpha-amylase inhibitors (αAIs) are promising nonpharmacological alternatives for the prevention of these diseases. Alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (αAI-1) present in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is derived from a precursor protein. In this study, the effect of digestion on the digestibility, immune reactivity, and bioactivity of αAI-1 was assessed from four varieties of Hungarian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), with special regard to the precursor protein. For this purpose, αAI-1 was tested in both matrix (native flour and cooked flour) and purified forms under in vitro and acute rat in vivo digestion experiments. The effect of digestion on αAI-1s was monitored by lab-on-a-chip (LOC) electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE/immunoblot, and inhibitory activity analyses by native PAGE. After both in vitro and in vivo digestion, we established that αAI-1 was not degraded even after 60 min gastric digestion and showed immune-reactive properties as well. Although the activity of the purified αAI-1 was lost, that of αAI-1 in the flour matrix (noncooked and cooked) was retained in the stomach. Presumably, in the beans, αAI-1 polypeptides became active due to the pepsin digestion of the precursor protein. The latter samples were also tested in vivo in the small intestine and their resistance and immune reactivity were observed, but αAI-1 did not show activity, as αAI-1 polypeptides were probably complexed by pancreatic amylases. From these results, we can assume that the αAI-1-rich bean protein preparation can affect the carbohydrate metabolism; thus, it could be a promising ingredient for weight loss purposes. Full article

This study investigated the psycho-physiological impact of a black belt examination. Older brown-belt judoka (Tori, F = 2, M = 4; age = 75.6 ± 4.5 yrs) and their 2nd–5th Dan black-belt coaches (Uke; M = 6; age = 36.5 ± 10.8 yr) were evaluated during a simulated and official examination and a resting day. Participants’ trait anxiety (STAI-Y2) was recorded prior to the study. State anxiety (STAI-Y1), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), enjoyment (ENJ), and fear of falling (FoF) were collected 15 min before and after the experimental conditions. Saliva samplings at awakening (T0), PRE (T1), and POST (T2) exercise and during the recovery (15 min-T3, 30 min-T4, 60 min-T5) were collected for cortisol (sC), testosterone (sT), and alpha-amylase (sAA). Participants showed normal age-reference population trait anxiety. A difference (p ≤ 0.05) for role emerged for ENJ and sT only. For STAI-Y1, higher PRE values with respect to POST ones emerged (p = 0.005), and the highest values (p = 0.007) for PRE of the examination were with respect to the simulation. For sAA, differences for sampling were found in the examination conditions only, with peak values at T2 (370.3 ± 78.6 U/mL, p = 0.001). For sC, a significant peak value (0.51 ± 0.09 μg/dL, p = 0.012) emerged at T2 in the examination condition. With respect to Tori, Uke showed higher mean sT values in all conditions (p ≤ 0.05) and the highest T2 during examination (712.5 ± 57.2 pg/mL). Findings suggest the relevance of monitoring psycho-physiological stress-related responses in judo for optimizing both coaching effectiveness and sport performance, especially in older judo practitioners. Full article

Periodontal disease, characterized by bacterial plaque accumulation and subsequent immune response, can lead to gingivitis and periodontitis if untreated. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has emerged as a potential biomarker with implications in periodontal disease progression. Objectives: This study aimed to assess and compare salivary alpha-amylase levels in individuals with periodontitis and healthy controls and to investigate its relationship with clinical parameters of periodontal disease. Forty-five participants were categorized into periodontally healthy (n = 13), Stage I and II Periodontitis (n = 17), and Stage III and IV periodontitis (n = 15) groups. Saliva samples were collected and analyzed using ELISA kits. Statistical analyses included tests for normality, group comparisons, post hoc analysis, and correlation analysis. Significant differences in salivary alpha-amylase levels were observed among severity groups (p < 0.05), with higher levels in periodontitis patients than healthy controls. Spearman correlation revealed moderate positive associations between alpha-amylase levels and probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Elevated salivary alpha-amylase levels were found to be associated with more severe periodontal disease, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for periodontitis severity. These findings support the utility of salivary biomarkers in periodontal disease diagnosis and monitoring, although further validation and standardization are warranted for clinical application. Full article

Compounds of natural origin found in varying quantities in plant-based products constitute a highly significant category, possessing structural significance as well as the capacity to regulate oxidative processes. The activity of these compounds may be modulated by the composition of the biological environment in which they operate, the pH of the environment, or the presence of metal cations in plants or plant extracts. A successful complexation reaction was mainly confirmed by FT-IR, observing the shift from the original transmittance of catechin bonds, especially O-H ones. This work shows the synthetic methodology and the optimization process that took place to synthesize a catechin–copper complex, which demonstrated antioxidant activity. It was tested for iron chelation ability, hydroxyl radicals, and the inhibition of lipoxygenase (15-LOX). An antidiabetic assay was performed by determining the inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, finding that the synthesized complex had similar inhibitory potential as pure catechin. The antibacterial tests showed results against Staphylococcus aureus and the antifungal properties of the complex against Candida albicans. Full article

Colostrum is a mammary secretion released from the time of farrowing to 36 h post-farrowing. After this time and during all the rest of lactation, the mammary secretion is considered milk. The objectives of this study were: (1) to perform an analytical validation in the colostrum and milk of sows of assays for four analytes related to immunity: total ADA (tADA) and its isoenzymes (ADA1 and ADA2), myeloperoxidase (Mpx), calprotectin, and calgranulin, and two analytes related to welfare: cortisol and alpha-amylase. (2) To evaluate the changes in these analytes during lactation (3) To assess the correlations between these new analytes, as well as with IgG and IgA. In the analytical validation, all the assays were precise and accurate. When changes during lactation were evaluated, the concentration of tADA and ADA2 was found to be higher in colostrum than in milk (p < 0.02), while the activity of Mpx was observed to be higher in mature milk than in colostrum (p < 0.03). Furthermore, cortisol and alpha-amylase activity were found to be higher in colostrum compared to mature milk (p < 0.04 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Regarding the relation between analytes, alpha-amylase showed a significant correlation with both IgG and IgA and calprotectin was correlated with calgranulin and Mpx. Further studies should be performed to elucidate the possible practical application of the analytes evaluated in this study as biomarkers of colostrum and milk in sows. Full article

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising approach for gene therapy in cancers, but it requires carriers to protect and deliver therapeutic small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules to cancerous cells. Starch-based carriers, such as quaternized starch (Q-Starch), have been shown to be biocompatible and are able to form nanocomplexes with siRNA, but significant electrostatic interactions between the carrier and siRNA prevent its release at the target site. In this study, we aim to characterize the effects of the degree of substitution (DS) and molecular weight (Mw) of Q-Starch on the gene silencing capabilities of the Q-Starch/siRNA transfection system. We show that reducing the DS reduces the electrostatic interactions between Q-Starch and siRNA, which now decomplex at more physiologically relevant conditions, but also affects additional parameters such as complex size while mostly maintaining cellular uptake capabilities. Notably, reducing the DS renders Q-Starch more susceptible to enzymatic degradation by α-amylase during the initial Q-Starch pretreatment. Enzymatic cleavage leads to a reduction in the Mw of Q-Starch, resulting in a 25% enhancement in its transfection capabilities. This study provides a better understanding of the effects of the DS and Mw on the polysaccharide-based siRNA delivery system and indicates that the polysaccharide Mw may be the key factor in determining the transfection efficacy of this system. Full article

Acute and chronic stress each have physical manifestations in the human body that can lead to many negative health impacts. Today, reported stress levels worldwide are at an all-time high, spurring the search for non-pharmaceutical interventions to maintain healthy stress levels. In this study, we examined whether a pet dog’s presence influences healthy adults’ acute stress responses as assessed through self-reports, heart rate, plasma cortisol, and salivary alpha-amylase. Participating pet dog owners were randomly assigned to undergo the Trier Social Stress Test either with their pet dog or alone. While there was no group difference in perceived anxiety levels, participants undergoing the acute psychological stressor with their pet dogs present had significantly lower heart rates, lower plasma cortisol responses, and higher salivary alpha-amylase responses than people without their dogs. Those who participated without their dogs had a statistically flat alpha-amylase response, which is typically associated with extreme or pathological stress. These findings extend the potential effects of pet dogs beyond merely lowering their owner’s stress levels to maintaining a healthier, balanced response across the sympathoadrenal medullary axis and hypothalamic–pituitary-adrenal axis. Full article

Oleuropein (OLP) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound in olive plant with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential and can possibly be used in treating pancreatic injuries. This investigation aimed to follow the molecular mechanism behind the potential therapeutic effect of OLP against pancreatic injury persuaded by ischemia–reperfusion (I/R). Pancreatic I/R injury was induced by splenic artery occlusion for 60 min followed by reperfusion. Oral administration of OLP (10 and 20 mg/kg) for 2 days significantly alleviated I/R-persuaded oxidative damage and inflammatory responses in pancreatic tissue as indicated by the decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, accompanied by the suppression of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and reduced levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in pancreatic tissues. Furthermore, OLP treatment markedly restored the serum levels of amylase, trypsinogen-activated peptide (TAP), and lipase, with concurrent improvement in pancreatic histopathological alterations. Moreover, treatment with OLP regulated the pancreatic expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) relative to rats of the pancreatic IR group. Thus, OLP treatment significantly alleviates the I/R-induced pancreatic injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation in rats through downregulation of HMGB1 and its downstream NF-κB signaling pathway. Full article

Chestnuts become sweetened with better tastes for fried products after cold storage, but the possible mechanism is not clear. The dynamics of sugar components and related physiological responses, as well as the possible molecular mechanism in chestnuts during cold storage, were investigated. Sucrose accumulation and starch degradation contributed to taste improvement. Sucrose content reached the peak after two months of cold storage, along with the accumulation of reducing sugars of maltose, fructose and glucose to a much lesser extent. Meanwhile, alpha-amylase and beta-amylase maintained high levels, and the activities of acid invertase and sucrose synthase increased. Transcriptome data demonstrated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the process of starch and sucrose metabolism pathway, revealing the conversion promotion of starch to sucrose. Furthermore, DEGs involved in multiple phytohormone biosynthesis and signal transduction, as well as the transcription regulators, indicated that sucrose accumulation might be interconnected with the dormancy release of chestnuts, with over 90% germinated after two months of cold storage. Altogether, the results indicated that cold storage improved the taste of chestnuts mainly due to sucrose accumulation induced by DEGs of starch and sucrose metabolism pathway in this period, and the sweetening process was interconnected with dormancy release. Full article