Fatty Acids of Spinach Chloroplasts

Quinoa as phytopharmaceutical? Urinary elimination of ecdysterone after consumption of quinoa alone and in combination with spinach

The phytosteroid ecdysterone is classified as an anabolic agent and has been included on the monitoring list of the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2020. Therefore, the consumption of food rich in ecdysterone, such as quinoa and spinach, is the focus of a lively debate. Thus, the urinary excretion of ecdysterone and its metabolites in humans was investigated following quinoa consumption alone and in combination with spinach. Eight participants (four male and four female) were included, and they ingested 368 ± 61 g cooked quinoa alone and in combination with 809 ± 115 g spinach after a washout. Post-administration urines were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. After intake of both preparations, ecdysterone and two metabolites were excreted in the urine. The maximum concentration of ecdysterone ranged from 0.44 to 5.5 µg/mL after quinoa and from 0.34 to 4.1 µg/mL after quinoa with spinach. The total urinary excreted amount as parent drug plus metabolites was 2.61 ± 1.1% following quinoa intake and 1.7 ± 0.9% in combination with spinach. Significant differences were found in the total urinary excreted amount of ecdysterone, 14-deoxy-ecdysterone, and 14-deoxy-poststerone. Only small portions of ecdysterone from quinoa and the combination with spinach were excreted in the urine, suggesting that both quinoa and spinach are poor sources of ecdysterone in terms of bioavailability.

Formation of Oleic Acid Chlorohydrins in Vegetables during Postharvest Chlorine Disinfection

High chlorine doses (50-200 mg/L) are used in postharvest washing facilities to control foodborne pathogen outbreaks. However, chlorine can react with biopolymers (e.g., lipids) within the produce to form chlorinated byproducts that remain in the food. During chlorination of micelles of oleic acid, an 18-carbon alkene fatty acid, chlorine added rapidly across the double bond to form the two 9,10-chlorohydrin isomers at a 100% yield. The molar conversion of lipid-bound oleic acid to 9,10-chlorohydrins in chlorine-treated glyceryl trioleate and produce was much lower, reflecting the restricted access of chlorine to lipids. Yields from spinach treated with 100 mg/L chlorine at 7.5 °C for 2 min increased from 0.05% (0.9 nmol/g-spinach) for whole leaf spinach to 0.11% (2 nmol/g) when shredding increased chlorine access. Increasing temperature (21 °C) and chlorine contact time (15 min) increased yields from shredded spinach to 0.83% (22 nmol/g) at 100 mg/L chlorine and to 1.8% (53 nmol/g) for 200 mg/L chlorine. Oleic acid 9,10-chlorohydrin concentrations were 2.4-2.7 nmol/g for chlorine-treated (100 mg/L chlorine at 7.5 °C for 2 min) broccoli, carrots, and butterhead lettuce, but 0.5-1 nmol/g for cabbage, kale, and red leaf lettuce. Protein-bound chlorotyrosine formation was higher in the same vegetables (5-32 nmol/g). The Chinese hamster ovary cell chronic cytotoxicity LC₅₀ value for oleic acid 9,10-chlorohydrins was 0.106 mM. The cytotoxicity associated with the chlorohydrins and chlorotyrosines in low masses (9-52 g) of chlorine-washed vegetables would be comparable to that associated with trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids at levels of regulatory concern in drinking water.

Spinacia oleracea Linn Considered as One of the Most Perfect Foods: A Pharmacological and Phytochemical Review

Background: :

Leaves of Spinacia oleracea have been widely used as vegetarian foods. Some studies on the chemical composition of spinach have shown that it contains a high content of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and has an important economic value with some agronomic advantages. S. oleracea in traditional medicine is reported to cure more than one health problem.

Objective: :

This review focuses on the ethnopharmacological uses and pharmacological and phytochemical studies of Spinacia oleracea.

Method: :

Information on S. oleracea was obtained via electronic search of scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scirus, Science Direct, Scielo, Web of Science, Medline, Springerlink, BioMed Central (BMC), and SciFinder for publications on this plant. In addition, books on medicinal herbs were also consulted.

Results: :

Approximately 100 chemical compounds were isolated and characterized from S. oleracea. The major active components of the plant are flavones, flavanols, methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides, glucuronides, and carotenoids, which were extensively investigated. This review revealed potential pharmacological properties of these isolated compounds such as anti-obesity, anti-α-amylase, bileacid binding capacity, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, cognitive and mood effect, hypoglycemic, and anti-hypertriglyceridemia.

Conclusions::

S. oleracea is an important edible plant also used for ethnomedical therapy of obesity, inflammation of lungs, lumbago, flatulence, and treatment of urinary calculi. Pharmacological and phytochemical studies of this plant including bioactives, which have been adequately studied, support its uses in traditional medicine. Additionally, prospects and future trends of this plant are proposed.

Functional properties of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) phytochemicals and bioactives

Overwhelming evidence indicates that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are protective against common chronic diseases, such as cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Leafy green vegetables, in particular, are recognized as having substantial health-promoting activities that are attributed to the functional properties of their nutrients and non-essential chemical compounds. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is widely regarded as a functional food due to its diverse nutritional composition, which includes vitamins and minerals, and to its phytochemicals and bioactives that promote health beyond basic nutrition. Spinach-derived phytochemicals and bioactives are able to (i) scavenge reactive oxygen species and prevent macromolecular oxidative damage, (ii) modulate expression and activity of genes involved in metabolism, proliferation, inflammation, and antioxidant defence, and (iii) curb food intake by inducing secretion of satiety hormones. These biological activities contribute to the anti-cancer, anti-obesity, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic properties of spinach. Despite these valuable attributes, spinach consumption remains low in comparison to other leafy green vegetables. This review examines the functional properties of spinach in cell culture, animals and humans with a focus on the molecular mechanisms by which spinach-derived non-essential phytochemicals and bioactives, such as glycolipids and thylakoids, impart their health benefits.

The metabolic and biochemical impact of glucose 6-sulfonate (sulfoquinovose), a dietary sugar, on carbohydrate metabolism

Increased activity of the main carbohydrate pathways (glycolysis, pentose phosphate, and hexosamine biosynthetic pathways) is one of the hallmarks of metabolic diseases such as cancer. Sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol is a sulfoglycolipid found in the human diet that possesses anticancer activity that is absent when its carbohydrate moiety (glucose 6-sulfonate or sulfoquinovose) is removed. This work used bacterial systems to further understand the metabolism of this sugar through three main carbohydrate processing pathways and how this could influence its biological activity. Using (13)C NMR spectroscopy and enzyme assays, we showed that glucose 6-sulfonate cannot enter the pentose phosphate pathway, hence decreasing pentose and nucleotide biosyntheses. In glycolysis, glucose 6-sulfonate only provides one pyruvate per monosaccharide molecule, decreasing the flux of this pathway by half when compared to glucose 6-phosphate. Glucose 6-sulfonate can enter the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway by producing glucosamine 6-sulfonate, which is a reported antibacterial agent that competitively inhibits hexosamine production. All these interactions with carbohydrate routes might help explain the observed anticancer activity that glucose 6-sulfonate has in vitro. This adds to our knowledge of how vegetables rich in glucose 6-sulfonate can also act as metabolic inhibitors of pathways that are increased in metabolic diseases.

Alpha-linoleate and photosynthetic activity in Chlorella protothecoides

Green cells of Chlorella protothecoides grown in nitrogen-rich low glucose media may be reversibly transformed to entirely chlorophyll-less cells in low nitrogen high glucose media. Photosynthetic rates and fatty ester compositions were determined during light and dark bleaching and during greening. Linolenic acid content remained unchanged during greening or bleaching. During light greening chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity increased while oleic acid content decreased dramatically. As a result, the percent composition of linolenate appeared to parallel photosynthetic capability. Implication of alpha-linolenate in oxygen production, therefore, can not be based upon fatty acid percentage composition data alone.

Quantasome: Size and Composition

The quantasome as seen in a two-dimensional crystalline array is 185 A long, 155 A wide, and 100 A thick. The surface of the quantasome appears to contain four or more subunits. The molecular weight, determined from volume and density measurements, is 2 x 10(6) This is twice the minimum molecular weight calculated from the manganese content and corresponds to a chlorophyll content of 230 chlorophyll molecules per quantasome.