Fatty acid spectrum of mediterranean wild cruciferae

Phytochemical and Biological Profile of Moricandia arvensis (L.) DC.: An Inhibitor of Pancreatic Lipase

Pancreatic lipase, a key enzyme for lipid absorption, is one of the most important targets for the treatment of obesity, while natural compounds have recently attracted much interest as potential inhibitors of this enzyme. Here, in an attempt to find new effective agents, the methanolic extract from Moricandia arvensis (L.) DC. and its sub-extracts were investigated for their potential inhibitory activity. The ability to inhibit pancreatic lipase was verified through the in vitro evaluation of the prevention of p-nitrophenyl caprylate hydrolysis. The antioxidant activity was also verified by means of DPPH and β-carotene bleaching tests. Compositional profiling revealed that flavonoid glycosides were the main specialized metabolites present in the methanolic extract from the aerial parts of the plant with kaempferol and quercetin representing the two O-glycosylated aglycones. Kaempferol-3-O-β-(2″-O-glucosyl)-rutinoside and kaempferol-3-O-a-arabinosyl-7-O-rhamnoside were the most abundant flavonols. The crude methanolic extract and the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate sub-extracts showed a strong lipase inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 2.06 ± 0.02, 1.52 ± 0.02 and 1.31 ± 0.02 mg/mL, respectively. The best capacity to scavenge DPPH radical was detected for the ethyl acetate sub-extract (IC50 = 171.9 ± 1.0 µg/mL), which was also effective in protecting linoleic acid from peroxidation (IC50 = 35.69 ± 2.30 µg/mL). Obtained results support the hypothesis that M. arvensis can be a source of bioactive phytochemicals for the pharmacological inhibition of dietary lipids absorption.

Some rape/canola seed oils: fatty acid composition and tocopherols

Seed samples of some rape and canola cultivars were analysed for oil content, fatty acid and tocopherol profiles. Gas liquid chromotography and high performance liquid chromotography were used for fatty acid and tocopherol analysis, respectively. The oil contents of rape and canola seeds varied between 30.6% and 48.3% of the dry weight (p<0.05). The oil contents of rapeseeds were found to be high compared with canola seed oils. The main fatty acids in the oils are oleic (56.80–64.92%), linoleic (17.11–20.92%) and palmitic (4.18–5.01%) acids. A few types of tocopherols were found in rape and canola oils in various amounts: α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, δ-tocopherol, β-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol. The major tocopherol in the seed oils of rape and canola cultivars were α-tocopherol (13.22–40.01%) and γ-tocopherol (33.64–51.53%) accompanied by α-T3 (0.0–1.34%) and δ-tocopherol (0.25–1.86%) (p<0.05). As a result, the present study shows that oil, fatty acid and tocopherol contents differ significantly among the cultivars.

Evolutionary pattern of the FAE1 gene in brassicaceae and its correlation with the erucic acid trait

The fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) gene catalyzes the initial condensation step in the elongation pathway of VLCFA (very long chain fatty acid) biosynthesis and is thus a key gene in erucic acid biosynthesis. Based on a worldwide collection of 62 accessions representing 14 tribes, 31 genera, 51 species, 4 subspecies and 7 varieties, we conducted a phylogenetic reconstruction and correlation analysis between genetic variations in the FAE1 gene and the erucic acid trait, attempting to gain insight into the evolutionary patterns and the correlations between genetic variations in FAE1 and trait variations. The five clear, deeply diverged clades detected in the phylogenetic reconstruction are largely congruent with a previous multiple gene-derived phylogeny. The Ka/Ks ratio (<1) and overall low level of nucleotide diversity in the FAE1 gene suggest that purifying selection is the major evolutionary force acting on this gene. Sequence variations in FAE1 show a strong correlation with the content of erucic acid in seeds, suggesting a causal link between the two. Furthermore, we detected 16 mutations that were fixed between the low and high phenotypes of the FAE1 gene, which constitute candidate active sites in this gene for altering the content of erucic acid in seeds. Our findings begin to shed light on the evolutionary pattern of this important gene and represent the first step in elucidating how the sequence variations impact the production of erucic acid in plants.

Antioxidant phenolic glycosides from Moricandia arvensis

The new phenolic glycosides quercetin 3,4'-di-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside (moricandin) (1), beta-d-glucopyranosyl 4-O-beta-d-glucopyranosylcaffeate (2), methyl 3-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-5-hydroxycinnamate (3), and beta-d-glucopyranosyl 4-O-beta-d-glucopyranosylbenzoate (4), together with the previously known beta-d-glucopyranosyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (5), methyl 4-O-beta-d-glucopyranosylcaffeate (6), 1-O-caffeoyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (7), and 2-phenylethyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (8), were isolated from the flowers of Moricandia arvensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Compounds 1-8 were evaluated for antioxidant activity using DPPH, TEAC, and reducing power assays, where the caffeic acid derivative 7 and the quercetin triglycoside 2 proved to possess the most potent scavenging activity.

Lipid components of mustard seeds (Brassica juncea L.) as influenced by cadmium levels

In a pot experiment the soil application of different levels of Cd2+ (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 micrograms g-1 soil) affected the lipid components of mustard seeds (Brassica juncea L. Cv. RH-30) markedly. Total lipids declined with the Cd2+ levels regularly while phospho and glycolipids increased only at higher levels. Fatty acids profile of total, neutral and polar lipid fractions were affected considerably. Erucic acid in total and neutral lipids was observed to increase while it decreased in polar lipids with Cd2+ as compared to control. On the other hand palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids had reverse trend. Cadmium concentration increased consistently with increasing levels of Cd2+. Plant dry weight was also decreased significantly with Cd2+ levels.