Polar and nonpolar lipids and their fatty acid composition of a fewFusarium species

Studies on the Effect of Oil and Surfactant on the Formation of Alginate-Based O/W Lidocaine Nanocarriers Using Nanoemulsion Template

The application of various nanocarrier systems was widely explored in the field of pharmaceuticals to achieve better drug encapsulation and delivery. The aim of this study was to encapsulate lidocaine in alginate-based o/w nanocarriers based on the type of oil (i.e., solid or liquid), using a nanoemulsion template prepared by ultrasound-assisted phase inversion temperature (PIT) approach. The nanoemulsion template was initially prepared by dissolving lidocaine in the oil phase and surfactant and alginate in the aqueous phase, and keeping the PIT at around 85 °C, accompanied by gradual water dilution at 25 °C, to initiate the formation of nanoparticles (o/w) with the aid of low frequency ultrasound. The composition and concentration of the oil phase had a major impact on the particle size and led to an increase in the size of the droplet. The lipids that showed a higher drug solubility also showed higher particle size. On the other hand, increasing the concentration of surfactant decreases the size of the droplet before the concentration of the surfactant exceeds the limit, after which the size of the particle increases due to the aggregates that could be produced from the excess surfactant. The method used produced nanoemulsions that maintained nano-sized droplets < 50 nm, over long-term storage. Our findings are important for the design of nanocarrier systems for the encapsulation of lipophilic molecules.

Comparison of Conventional and Sustainable Lipid Extraction Methods for the Production of Oil and Protein Isolate from Edible Insect Meal

Edible insects represent an interesting alternative source of protein for human consumption but the main hurdle facing the edible insect sector is low consumer acceptance. However, increased acceptance is anticipated when insects are incorporated as a processed ingredient, such as protein-rich powder, rather than presented whole. To produce edible insect fractions with high protein content, a defatting step is necessary. This study investigated the effects of six defatting methods (conventional solvents, three-phase partitioning, and supercritical CO₂) on lipid extraction yield, fatty profiles, and protein extraction and purification of house cricket (Acheta domesticus) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) meals. Ethanol increased the lipid extraction yield (22.7%–28.8%), irrespective of the insect meal used or the extraction method applied. Supercritical CO₂ gave similar lipid extraction yields as conventional methods for Tenebrio molitor (T. molitor) (22.1%) but was less efficient for Acheta domesticus (A. domesticus) (11.9%). The protein extraction yield ranged from 12.4% to 38.9% for A.domesticus, and from 11.9% to 39.3% for T. molitor, whereas purification rates ranged from 58.3% to 78.5% for A. domesticus and from 48.7% to 75.4% for T. molitor.

Optimization of lipid extraction from the oleaginous yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis and Lipomyces kononenkoae

The constant growing demand for vegetable oil for biodiesel and food is raising many environmental concerns about the sustainability of its production based on crops. Oleaginous yeasts show great potential to end with those concerns due to their high lipid productivity in small areas. To evaluate their productivity in lipids, an efficient and reproducible extraction process should be used. As no standard extraction process is available for the extraction of yeast lipids, an optimized extraction process is presented. In this work, the lipids extraction process for the yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis and Lipomyces kononenkoae is optimized using bead beating for cell rupture and introducing adaptations of the two most used extraction methods (Bligh and Dyer and Folch). For Rhodotorula g. the optimum extraction conditions are obtained by the Bligh and Dyer method applying 4.8 cycles of 47 s with 0.7 g of glass beads. For Lipomyces k. the optimum extraction conditions make use of the Folch method applying seven cycles of 42 s with 0.54 g of glass beads. These results reinforce the idea that, for each yeast, different extraction processes may be needed to correctly determine the lipid yield. The extraction procedure was further evaluated with less harmful solvents. Toluene was tested as a possible substitute of chloroform, and ethanol as a possible substitute of methanol. With the optimized extraction process, better results for Lipomyces k. were obtained using toluene and ethanol, while for Rhodotorula g. toluene proved to be a valid substitute of chloroform but ethanol is far less effective than methanol.

Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Rhus coriaria Extract in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Modulating oxidative stresses and inflammation can potentially prevent or alleviate the pathological conditions of diseases associated with the nervous system, including ischemic optic neuropathy. In this study we evaluated the anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective activities of Rhus coriaria (R. coriaria) extract in vivo. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) for DPPH, ABTS and &beta;⁻carotene were 6.79 &plusmn; 0.009 &micro;g/mL, 10.94 &plusmn; 0.09 &micro;g/mL, and 6.25 &plusmn; 0.06 &micro;g/mL, respectively. Retinal ischemia was induced by optic nerve crush injury in albino Balb/c mice. The anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of R. coriaria (ERC) and linoleic acid (LA) on ocular ischemia was monitored using Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (FMT). Following optic nerve crush injury, the mice treated with 400 mg/kg of ERC and LA exhibited an 84.87% and 86.71% reduction of fluorescent signal (cathepsin activity) respectively. The results of this study provide strong scientific evidence for the neuroprotective activity of the ERC, identifying LA as one of the main components responsible for the effect. ERC may be useful and worthy of further development for its adjunctive utilization in the treatment of optic neuropathy.