Linseed Oil Attenuates Liver Inflammation, Fatty Acid Accumulation, and Lipid Distribution in Periportal and Perivenous Hepatocytes Induced by a High-Carbohydrate Diet in Mice

We evaluated whether linseed oil (LO) modulates the effects of a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD) on liver inflammation, fatty acid (FA) accumulation, and lipid distribution in periportal and perivenous hepatocytes. The control group (control high-carbohydrate diet [HCD-C]) received an HCD with lard and soybean oil as the lipid source. The L10 and L100 groups received the HCD with 10% and 100% of LO as the lipid source, respectively. The animals were killed by decapitation before (day 0) and after receiving the diets. Liver FA composition, inflammation, and fibrogenesis gene expression were evaluated. Also, the percentage of lipid-occupied area in periportal end perivenous hepatocytes were measured. The L100 group exhibited a higher (P < .05) liver amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated FA (n-3 PUFA) and lower (P < .05) amounts of saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), and omega-6 polyunsaturated FA (n-6 PUFA) compared with L10 or HCD-C mice. On day 56, interleukin 10 and type IV collagen gene expression were significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively in L100. Also, the L100 group showed lower (P < .05) FA accumulation (i.e., total FA, SFA, MUFA, and n-6 PUFA). Also, L10 and L100 presented lower (P < .05) percentage of high lipid-containing portion in periportal and perivenous hepatocytes. We concluded that LO attenuation of liver inflammation promoted by an HCD is associated with increased liver n-3 PUFA levels, so modulating FA composition, deposition, and distribution in periportal and perivenous hepatocytes.

Rapid determination of L-ascorbic acid content in vitamin C serums by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop and validate a rapid, simple, accurate, and precise analytical method for the quantification of L-AA in vitamin C serums. Moreover, the developed method was further applied to determine L-AA in eight different brands of vitamin C serums. A complementary study was also carried out to evaluate the stability of L-AA in the vitamin C serum samples after 15, 30, 45, and 60 days of storage at ambient temperature (15 ºC to 35 ºC).

METHODS

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was applied.

RESULTS

Quantitative analyses were performed with a total chromatographic run time of 1.5 min by matrix-matched calibration, and the analytical curve was linear over the range of 1-1700 μg L^-1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.3 and 1.0 μg L^-1 , respectively. Intra- and inter-assay precisions, expressed in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD), ranged from 0.3% and 2.2%, respectively, and recoveries in two concentration levels (1 and 5 µg L^-1 ) were 103.9% and 101.2%, respectively. The proposed analytical method was successfully applied to determine de L-AA content of eight commercial vitamin C serum samples. The stability of the target analyte in samples stored at ambient temperature (15 ºC to 35 ºC) was evaluated throughout 60 days with a 15-day interval between analyses. At 0 days, L-AA content in samples ranged from 1.05 - 169.91 mg L^-1 , decreasing over time.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method could be powerful in routine analyses to ensure the quality of L-AA vitamin C serums since it proved a simple, reliable, fast, precise, accurate, and sensitive analytical method.

Direct infusion electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry applied in the detection of adulteration of coconut oil with palm kernel oil

Coconut oil has properties that are beneficial to human health. It assists in reducing total cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), phospholipids, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol in serum and tissues. So its production, and consequently consumption, have increased in recent years. However, it has been a target for intentional adulteration with lower priced oils and fats, such as soybean oil and palm kernel oil (PKO). Coconut oil (CO) and PKO have similar chemical and physical characteristics that make it difficult to verify adulteration of CO with PKO. This study demonstrates a simple, sensitive, and fast technique that uses direct infusion electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA), in order to detect CO adulterated with PKO. Among the seven commercial coconut oil samples analysed, three were adulterated with PKO. Therefore, the suggested direct infusion ESI-MS method can be used in routine analysis to guarantee the quality of coconut oil.