Ampelopsis brevipedunculata var. heterophylla is extensively cultivated in Asia, and the dried leaves and branches have a characteristic odor and have been used as a tea. To investigate the odorants contributing to the characteristic odor of A. brevipedunculata var. heterophylla, the aroma extraction dilution analysis method was performed through gas chromatography olfactometry. In addition, volatile sulfur compounds were evaluated using pulsed flame photometric detector. As a result, 86 compounds were identified in the oils of leaves and 78 in branches, accounting for 80.0% and 68.3%, respectively, of the compounds identified. The main compounds in the essential oil of leaves were palmitic acid (12.5%), phenylacetaldehyde (4.1%) and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (3.9%). On the other hand, the essential oil of branches contained palmitic acid (12.7%), terpinen-4-ol (4.4%) and α-cadinol (3.7%). The total number of odor-active compounds identified in the leaf and branch oils was 39. The most odorous compounds of leaves and branches of A. brevipedunculata var. heterophylla were (E, Z)-2,6-nonadienal (melon, green odor), (E)-2-nonenal (grassy odor), phenylacetaldehyde (honey-like) and (E)-linalool oxide (woody odor).

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The present study investigated the feasibility of ostrich oil utilizing as a promising vehicle for improved skin permeation of sinomenine with reference to vaseline matrix containing different content of chemical enhancers. The fatty acid composition of ostrich oil was analyzed by GC-MS. Penetration enhancing potential of ostrich oil on permeation of sinomenine across rat abdominal skin in vitro was studied using an automatic diffusion cell apparatus. The content of sinomenine percutaneous absorbed was determined by HPLC. Various parameters viz. steady-state skin flux (J_ss), permeability coefficient (k_P), cumulative amount of sinomenine (Q) and enhancement ratios (ER) were calculated from the permeation data. Fick’s law of diffusion and Scheuplein kinetic were used to evaluate the transdermal absorbent enhancement of ostrich oil to sinomenine. Ostrich oil showed significant penetration effect on sinomenine compared with vaseline matrix containing different content of chemical enhancers, the density sequence as follow: 2% Azone > ostrich oil > 1% Azone plus 1% propylene glycol > 1% Azone > 3% Azone > 1% propylene glycol. The percutaneous endosmic rate constant (J_ss) and permeability coefficient (k_P) of sinomenine in ostrich oil through rat skin were 10.01 μg/cm²/h and 0.087, respectively. Ostrich oil produced stronger enhancement (ER = 24.31) with greater cumulative amount of drug permeated (255.53 μg/cm²) up to 24 h and caused no skin irritation. The drug release of sinomenine was coincided with Fick’s equation. In summary, ostrich oil containing fatty acids is proposed as a promising adjuvant for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals for improved permeation of drug.

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Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) is an essential oil crop grown worldwide for production of essential oil, as medicinal or as culinary herb. The essential oil is extracted via steam distillation either from the whole aboveground biomass (herb) or from fennel fruits (seed). The hypothesis of this study was that distillation time (DT) can modify fennel oil yield, composition, and antioxidant capacity of the oil. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight DT (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 min) on fennel herb essential oil. Fennel essential oil yield (content) reached a maximum of 0.68% at 160 min DT. The concentration of trans-anethole (32.6–59.4% range in the oil) was low at 1.25 min DT, and increased with an increase of the DT. Alpha-phelandrene (0.9-10.5% range) was the lowest at 1.25 min DT and higher at 10, 80, and 160 min DT. Alpha-pinene (7.1-12.4% range) and beta-pinene (0.95-1.64% range) were higher in the shortest DT and the lowest at 80 min DT. Myrcene (0.93-1.95% range), delta-3-carene (2.1-3.7% range), cis-ocimene (0-0.23% range), and gamma-terpinene (0.22-2.67% range) were the lowest at 1.25 min DT and the highest at 160 min DT. In contrast, the concentrations of paracymene (0.68-5.97% range), fenchone (9.8-22.7% range), camphor (0.21-0.51% range), and cis-anethole (0.14-4.66% range) were highest at shorter DT (1.25-5 min DT) and the lowest at the longer DT (80-160 min DT). Fennel oils from the 20 and 160 min DT had higher antioxidant capacity than the fennel oil obtained at 1.25 min DT. DT can be used to obtain fennel essential oil with differential composition. DT must be reported when reporting essential oil content and composition of fennel essential oil. The results from this study may be used to compare reports in which different DT to extract essential oil from fennel biomass were used.

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Multichain amide-bonded anionic amphiphilic oligomers consisting of dodecyl acrylamide and sodium acrylate (i.e., xC₁₂AAm-yAA, where x and y represent the number of dodecyl acrylamide (C₁₂AAm) and sodium acrylate (AA) units, respectively) were synthesized via the radical oligomerization of two monomers in the presence of 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride. Equilibrium and dynamic surface tension, pyrene fluorescence, dynamic light scattering, and steady-state fluorescence quenching measurements were used to characterize the properties of the oligomers. In addition, the effects of the polymerization degree and number of dodecyl chains and hydrophilic groups on these properties were evaluated via comparison of these results with those of previously reported amphiphilic oligomers with ester bonds and conventional anionic monomeric surfactants. xC₁₂AAm-yAA exhibits lower critical micelle concentration (cmc) values than conventional sodium n-dodecanoate surfactant, indicating their excellent micelle-forming ability despite the large molecular structure with a long polymer main chain. The 3.0C₁₂AAm-7.5AA oligomer features the lowest cmc. The surface tensions of xC₁₂AAm-yAA at the cmc are lower than those of the conventional surfactant, which indicates that the oligomers adsorb and orient efficiently at the air-water interface. Further, xC₁₂AAm-yAA forms small aggregates with diameters of ~10 nm and aggregation numbers of 2–8 as well as large aggregates composed of masses of small aggregates. An increase in the polymerization degree of the oligomers decreases the aggregation number of the small aggregates; this indicates that it is more difficult for oligomers with long polymer chains to form aggregates due to their bulky structure.

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The structures of Langmuir-Gibbs (LG) films at the air-solution interface were studied using surface tensiometry, Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), and infrared external reflection spectroscopy (IR-ERS). The LG films were fabricated by forming Langmuir films of deuterated arachidic acid (D19A) and then injecting a water-soluble surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate or octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether, into the subphase. The presence of the LG films at the air-solution interface affected the surface tension of water. BAM observations revealed the formation of phase-separated monolayers consisting of D19A monolayers and expanded monolayers of water-soluble surfactant at low concentrations of the water-soluble surfactant. The presence of phase-separated structures was supported by the IR-ERS results. At high concentrations, the water-soluble surfactants adsorbed to the domains of D19A monolayers, forming bilayers under the monolayers. The IR-ERS results suggest the penetration of the water-soluble surfactants into the domains of D19A monolayers and the diffusion of D19A molecules into the bilayer regions of the water-soluble surfactants. At concentrations greater than the critical aggregate concentration and/or critical micelle concentration, D19A molecules were solubilized in the solution. In some cases, the multilayers were kinetically stabilized and were present even 24 h after the injection of the water-soluble surfactants into the subphase.

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The semi-empirical spectrophotometric (SESp) method, for the indirect determination of ion exchange constants (K_X^Br) of ion exchange processes occurring between counterions (X^– and Br^–) at the cationic micellar surface, is described in this article. The method uses an anionic spectrophotometric probe molecule, N-(2-methoxyphenyl)phthalamate ion (1^–), which measures the effects of varying concentrations of inert inorganic or organic salt (Na_vX, v = 1, 2) on absorbance, (A_ob) at 310 nm, of samples containing constant concentrations of 1^–, NaOH and cationic micelles. The observed data fit satisfactorily to an empirical equation which gives the values of two empirical constants. These empirical constants lead to the determination of K_X^Br (= K_X/K_Br with K_X and K_Br representing cationic micellar binding constants of counterions X and Br^–). This method gives values of K_X^Br for both moderately hydrophobic and hydrophilic X^–. The values of K_X^Br, obtained by using this method, are comparable with the corresponding values of K_X^Br, obtained by the use of semi-empirical kinetic (SEK) method, for different moderately hydrophobic X. The values of K_X^Br for X = Cl^– and 2,6-Cl₂C₆H₃CO₂^–, obtained by the use of SESp and SEK methods, are similar to those obtained by the use of other different conventional methods.

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Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and is detrimental to several organs including the liver and kidneys. The flaxseed-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids including the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids have been shown to blunt the effects of hypertension. It is however, unclear whether the flaxseed, which is rich in these essential fatty acids, could improve the liver and kidney dysfunctions observed in the hypertensive condition. To test this, functional markers of the liver and kidneys, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid (UA), creatinine, and renin were examined in hypertensive male Wistar rats fed a flaxseed diet. Normotensive rats maintained on a standard diet were rendered hypertensive with a daily administration of cyclosporin A (CYS) (25 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Subsequently, hypertensive rats were either fed a standard diet alone or a flaxseed-supplemented standard diet (FLX; 10% W/W) for 8 weeks. Compared to normotensive rats, standard diet-fed hypertensive rats had significantly elevated blood pressure, altered lipid profile, and increased plasma levels of tissue markers measured immediately following the CYS treatment and thereafter at 4 and 8 week intervals. On the other hand, rats fed the FLX-supplemented diet had significantly lower blood pressure, an improved lipid profile and decreased tissue marker levels measured after 4 and 8 week durations. The data demonstrate for the first time the favourable effects of FLX in improving liver and kidney functions in the hypertensive condition. These effects are likely to be mediated by the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) contents of flaxseed oil due to its demonstrated ability to lower the blood pressure.

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Neurodegenerative disorders are a class of diseases that have been linked to apoptosis induced by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present study was undertaken to explore the effect of sea cucumber cerebrosides (SCC) and starfish cerebrosides (SFC) on the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative damage in PC12 cells. Cell viability, the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were determined for their effect on oxidative damage. Quantitative real-time PCR was investigated to analyze the mitochondrial genes expression. These results showed that both SCC and SFC decreased the leakage of LDH and intracellular ROS in a dose-dependent manner. SCC and SFC could also increase the SOD activity compared with the model groups. In H₂O₂ damage model, 400 μg/mL SCC increased the SOD activity by 79%, which was stronger than SFC. The results demonstrated that SCC and SFC exhibited the protective effects, which may be related to their antioxidant action. In addition, SCC and SFC dramatically increased the gene expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) but significantly decreased the gene expression of Cytochrome c, caspase9 and caspase3 compared with H₂O₂ or t-BHP treatment. These results suggested that SCC and SFC might exert a protective function against oxidative damage by inhibiting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. In conclusion, SCC and SFC played an important protective role in H₂O₂ and t-BHP-induced damage of PC12 cells, suggesting that the SCC and SFC may be a potential therapeutic agent against nervous system oxidative damage.

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In the food industry, syrups containing a high concentration of sugar used for fruit preservation is abundantly discharged as a food processing waste and disposed by incineration, resulting in the rise of the manufacturing cost and environmental pollution. This study demonstrates how waste syrup can be utilized as carbon source for production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and astaxanthin by the thraustochytrid strain, Aurantiochytrium sp. KH105. The strain could grow in culture medium containing 3-50% waste syrup, and the maximum yields of DHA and astaxanthin were 207.6 mg/L (at 50%) and 1.1 mg/L (at 25%), respectively. After the optimization of culture medium composition by response surface method, DHA and astaxanthin yields increased by 2.1 and 1.5 fold, respectively. When the waste syrup was treated with activated charcoal, citrate concentration in the syrup was reduced and the astaxanthin yield increased by 2.3 fold. This study shows that the waste syrup can be effectively used for the functional lipid production by the thraustochytrid.

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Maple syrup is used as a premium natural sweeter, and is known for being good for human health. In the present study, we investigate whether maple syrup is suitable as a sweetener in the management of type 2 diabetes using Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. OLETF rats develop type 2 diabetes mellitus by 30 weeks of age, and 60-week-old OLETF rats show hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia via pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. The administration of sucrose or maple syrup following an OGT test increased plasma glucose (PG) levels in OLETF rats, but the enhancement in PG following the oral administration of maple syrup was lower than in the case of sucrose administration in both 30- and 60-week-old OLETF rats. Although, the insulin levels in 30-week-old OLETF rats also increased following the oral administration of sucrose or maple syrup, no increase in insulin levels was seen in 60-week-old OLETF rats following the oral administration of either sucrose or maple syrup. No significant differences were observed in insulin levels between sucrose- and maple syrup-administered OLETF rats at either 30 or 60 weeks of age. The present study strongly suggests that the maple syrup may have a lower glycemic index than sucrose, which may help in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

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Muscular insulin resistance is a characteristic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, but little is known about fatty acid (FA) metabolism in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated the effects of the repeated administration of the PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone on fat accumulation, FA composition, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) index in rat tissues. Seventeen 4-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into control (C, n = 9) and pioglitazone treatment (P, n = 8) groups, and all the rats were fed a high-fat and high-sucrose diet for 8 weeks. Vehicle or pioglitazone (3 mg/kg) was orally administered daily to rats in the C group and P group, respectively. In the eighth week of the test period, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed after 12 h fasting. At the end of the test period, serum, liver, perirenal adipose tissue, and skeletal muscles were removed after 12 h fasting. The fasting serum and plasma glucose concentrations and OGTT glucose and insulin levels were significantly lower, while the serum adiponectin concentration was significantly higher in the P group than in the C group. Pioglitazone administration increased fat accumulation in the various muscle types examined, perirenal adipose tissue, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), but decreased fat accumulation in the liver. Pioglitazone administration increased the SCD indices for the muscles, perirenal adipose tissue, and liver, but not those of BAT. The lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity of the BAT and perirenal adipose tissue, but not the muscles, was higher in the P group than in the C group. These results indicate that pioglitazone administration improved glucose tolerance and increased fat accumulation and SCD indices in the muscles and adipose tissues of rats. The increased fat accumulation was closely correlated with LPL activity in both adipose tissues, but not in the muscles.

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Aromatic components in the essential oil prepared from the leaves of cultivated Myrica gale var. tomentosa were compared with those from oil derived wild plants by using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). We found that essential oils from both the wild and cultivated plants contained similar aromatic components such as β-elemenone, selina 3,7(11)-diene, myrcene, limonene, cymene, 1,8-cineole, and β-pinene, but the content ratio of the oil was significantly different, which might yield differences in the aromatic properties. The aroma impact components of the essential oils were also determined using GC/MS-Olfactometry (GC/MS-O) and aroma extract dilution analysis. Eight aromatic compounds, including linalool, limonene, and 1,8-cineole, were shown to contribute to the aromatic properties of cultivated M. gale var. tomentosa. The strongest aromatic note was defined as linalool, followed by limonene, 1,8-cineole, and β-elemenone. The essential oil, ethanol (EtOH), 1,3-butylene glycol (BG), and 1,3-propanediol (PD) extracts prepared from the leaves of cultivated M. gale var. tomentosa also showed antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, that is, they demonstrated scavenger activity against hydroxyl and superoxide radicals in the aqueous phase, and showed inhibitory effects on lipid peroxidation. The essential oil extracts also exhibited antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration value against Bacillus subtilis. In conclusion, the essential oil and solvent extracts from cultivated M. gala var. tomentosa have a potential for utilization as food and cosmetic ingredients.

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