New insights into xanthine oxidase behavior upon heating using spectroscopy and in silico approach

The mechanisms of inactivation of polyphenol oxidase in fresh-cut Agaricus bisporus by dual-frequency ultrasound combined with electrolytic water

Fresh-cut mushrooms are gaining popularity worldwide. However, their shelf life is limited because of enzymatic browning catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which leads to quality loss. The effects of different treatments (dual-frequency ultrasound (DFU), electrolytic water (EW), dual-frequency ultrasound combined with electrolytic water (DFU-EW)) on the molecular structure (Fourier infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectroscopy, surface hydrophobicity, etc.), thermal properties, gene expression of PPO, and storage characteristics of mushrooms were investigated. The results showed that the DFU-EW decreased the relative contents of α-helix by 6.3 % and β-turns by 11.2 %, while increasing the contents of random coil and β-sheet by13.3 % and 4.7 %, respectively, compared to the control. The XRD analysis showed that the crystallinity of PPO was 7% higher than the control, while the fluorescence spectroscopy and surface hydrophobicity of PPO decreased from 921.7 (a.u) and 1154.5 to 393.5 (a.u) and 506.5, respectively. The DFU-EW treatment changed both the secondary and tertiary structures of PPO. The TGA analysis indicated that the thermal decomposition temperature decreased from the control 351.4 ℃ to 336.9 ℃. The gene expression level of AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 lowered. A 7-day storage period showed that DFU-EW inhibited the degree of browning, maintained the firmness of mushrooms, and stabilized the relative activity of PPO at 60% on average. Taken together, the DFU-EW treatment can effectively inactivate the PPO activity in fresh-cut mushrooms, thereby extending their shelf life, and this method provides a new insight to improve the quality of fresh-cut products.

Ferulic acid ameliorates hyperuricemia by regulating xanthine oxidase

Hyperuricemia is characterized by elevated uric acid (UA) level in the body. The xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory ability is an important way to evaluate the anti-hyperuricemia effect of natural products. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phenolic acid compound, and it is a free radical scavenger with many physiological functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure-activity relationship, potential mechanism and interaction of FA as XO's inhibitor. In the cell experiment, using 1.25 mM adenosine to incubate for 24 h under the optimal conditions (37 °C, pH = 7.2) can increase the UA production by 1.34 folds. PCR analysis showed that FA could reduce the mRNA expression level of XO. FA inhibited XO in a mixed mode (IC50 = 13.25 μM). The fluorescence quenching of XO by FA occurs through a static mechanism, with an inhibition constant of Ki = 9.527 × 10-5 mol L-1 and an apparent coefficient of α = 1.768. The enthalpy and entropy changes were found as -267.79 KJ mol-1 and - 860.85 KJ mol-1, indicating that both hydrogen binding and hydrophobic are involved in the interaction of this polyphenolic natural compound with XO. Thus, FA supplementation may be a potential therapeutic strategy to improve hyperuricemia by reducing UA production.

Unveiling the inhibitory mechanism of aureusidin targeting xanthine oxidase by multi-spectroscopic methods and molecular simulations

Xanthine oxidase (XO) is a key target for gout treatment. Great efforts have been made towards the discovery and development of new XO inhibitors. Aureusidin (AUR), a natural compound, emerges as the second reported XO inhibitor with an aurone skeleton with an IC₅₀ value of 7.617 ± 0.401 μM in vitro. The inhibitory mechanism of AUR against XO was explored through enzyme kinetic studies, multi-spectroscopic methods, computer simulation techniques, and ADME prediction. The results showed that AUR acts as a rapid reversible and mixed-type XO inhibitor and its binding to XO was driven by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. Moreover, AUR presented a strong fluorescence quenching effect through a static quenching process and induced a conformation change of XO. Its binding pattern with XO was revealed through molecular docking, and its affinity toward XO was enhanced through interactions with key amino acid residues in the active pocket of XO. Further, AUR demonstrated good stability and pharmacokinetic behavior properties in molecular dynamics simulation and ADME prediction. In short, the current work clarified in depth the inhibitory mechanism of AUR on XO firstly and then provided fresh insights into its further development as a natural potent XO inhibitor with aurone skeleton.

Inhibitory mechanism of xanthine oxidase activity by caffeoylquinic acids in vitro

In this study, the inhibitory activities of eight caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) against xanthine oxidase (XOD) in vitro were investigated, and the interaction mechanisms between each compound and XOD were studied. HPLC and fluorescence spectra showed that the inhibitory activities of dicaffeoylquinic acids (diCQAs) were higher than that of monocaffeoylquinic acids (monoCQAs), due to the main roles of hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bond between XOD and diCQAs. Both the binding constant and the lowest binding energy data indicated that the affinities of diCQAs to XOD were stronger than that of monoCQAs. Circular dichroism showed that the structure of XOD was compacted with the increased of α-helix content, resulting in decreased enzyme catalytic activity. Molecular docking revealed that CQAs preferentially bind to the flavin adenine dinucleotide region in XOD. These results provided the mechanisms of CQAs on inhibiting XOD and the further utilization of CQAs as XOD inhibitors to prevent hyperuricemia.

The Interaction of Bovine β-Lactoglobulin with Caffeic Acid: From Binding Mechanisms to Functional Complexes

In this study, the interaction of native and transglutaminase (Tgase) cross-linked β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) with caffeic acid (CA) was examined, aiming to obtain functional composites. Knowledge on the binding affinity and interaction mechanism was provided by performing fluorescence spectroscopy measurements, after heating the native and cross-linked protein at temperatures ranging from 25 to 95 °C. Regardless of the protein aggregation state, a static quenching mechanism of intrinsic fluorescence of β-LG by CA was established. The decrease of the Stern–Volmer constants with the temperature increase indicating the facile dissociation of the weakly bound complexes. The thermodynamic analysis suggested the existence of multiple contact types, such as Van der Waals’ force and hydrogen bonds, between β-LG and CA. Further molecular docking tests indicated the existence of various CA binding sites on the β-LG surface heat-treated at different temperatures. Anyway, regardless of the simulated temperature, the CA-β-LG assemblies appeared to be unstable. Compared to native protein, the CA-β-LG and CA-β-LG_Tgase complexes (ratio 1:1) exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase, enzymes associated with metabolic syndrome. These findings might help the knowledge-based development of novel food ingredients with valuable biological properties.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Bacillus clausii and computational profiling of nitrate reductase enzyme involved in production

Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using microorganisms has found interest recently since last decade because of their prospect to synthesize nanoparticles of various size, shape and morphology which are eco-friendly. Here, an eco-friendly method for production of silver nanoparticles from Bacillus clausii cultured from Enterogermina is explored. Along with the biosynthesis and conformity test, in silico studies was done on NADPH dependent nitrate reductase enzymes from the view point of designing a rational enzymatic strategy for the synthesis. The detailed characterization of the nanoparticles was carried out using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) particle size analysis, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. Computational profiling and in silico characterization of NADH dependent enzymes was carried out based on literature and work done so far. Nitrate reductase sequence was retrieved from NCBI for characterization. Secondary structure was evaluated and verified by JPred as well as SOPMA Tool. Tertiary structure was also modeled by MODELLER and ITASSER parallel and the best structure was selected based on energy values. Structure validation was done by GROMACS and RMSD, RMSF, temperature variation plot were also plotted. Interactions graphs between nitrate reductase and ligand silver nitrate was done through molecular docking using Hex.

Screening inhibitors of xanthine oxidase from natural products using enzyme immobilized magnetic beads by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to assess the results of bioactive compound screening from natural products using immobilized enzyme magnetic beads. We compared three commercial magnetic beads with modified amino, carboxy, and N-hydroxysuccinimide groups, respectively. Amino magnetic beads performed best for immobilization and were selected for further experiments. Xanthine oxidase was immobilized on amino magnetic beads and applied to screen potential inhibitors in fresh Zingiber officinale Roscoe, extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, and Pueraria lobata Ohwi. In total, 12 potential xanthine oxidase ligands were identified from fresh Zingiber root and Scutellaria root extracts, of which eight were characterized and the concentration required for 50% inhibition was determined. Preliminary structure-function relationships were discussed based on these results. A convenient and effective method was therefore developed for the identification of active compounds from complex natural product mixtures.