scholarly journals First Insight into Nutraceutical Properties of Local Salento Cichorium intybus Varieties: NMR-Based Metabolomic Approach

Author(s):  
Chiara Roberta Girelli ◽  
Francesca Serio ◽  
Rita Accogli ◽  
Federica Angilè ◽  
Antonella De Donno ◽  
...  

Background: Plants of genus Cichorium are known for their therapeutic and nutraceutical properties determined by a wealth of phytochemical substances contained in the whole plant. The aim of this paper was to characterize the metabolic profiles of local Salento chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) varieties (“Bianca”, “Galatina”, “Leccese”, and “Otranto”) in order to describe their metabolites composition together with possible bioactivity and health beneficial properties. Methods: The investigation was performed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis (MVA), by which the metabolic profiles of the samples were easily obtained and compared. Results: The supervised Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) analysis showed as “Bianca” and “Galatina” samples grouped together separated by “Leccese” and “Otranto” varieties. A different content of free amino acids and organic acids was observed among the varieties. In particular a high content of cichoric and monocaffeoyl tartaric acid was observed for the “Leccese” variety. The presence of secondary metabolites adds significant interest in the investigation of Cichorium inthybus, as this vegetable may benefit human health when incorporated into the diet. Conclusions: The 1H-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) based characterization of Salento chicory varieties allowed us to determine the potential usefulness and nutraceutical properties of the product, also providing a method to guarantee its authenticity on a molecular scale.

Author(s):  
G. Dayana Jeyaleela ◽  
S. Irudaya Monisha ◽  
J. Rosaline Vimala ◽  
A. Anitha Immaculate

Objective: Natural products from medicinal plants, either as isolated compounds or as standardized plant extracts exhibit promising source of medicinal activity against various diseases. The aim of the present work was to make an attempt of isolation of bioactive principle and characterization of the isolated compound, from the medicinal plant Melia dubaiMethods: The extraction was done by a cold percolation method and the compound was separated and isolated by chromatography technique such as a thin layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The isolated compound was crystallized and the structural characterization of the isolated compound was made using UV-Visible, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, GC-MS and MS techniques which confirmed the structure of the isolated compound.Results: The separated and isolated compound was characterized by both physical and spectral methods like Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Visible), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR), Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and Mass spectrometry(MS). Based on the studies, organizational characteristics of one bioactive principle were deciphered. The results revealed that the isolated species is 2-chlorobenzimidazole and it agreed well with the reported value and spectra for 2-chlorobenzimidazole.Conclusion: The above results obtained in this research work clearly indicated the promising occurrence of 2-chlorobenzimidazole in Media dubia plant leaves. The future scope of these studies may guide us to view the biological activity of the isolated compound.


Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6513) ◽  
pp. eabc2754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Xie ◽  
Tamjeed Saleh ◽  
Paolo Rossi ◽  
Charalampos G. Kalodimos

Protein kinases intrinsically sample a number of conformational states with distinct catalytic and binding activities. We used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to describe in atomic-level detail how Abl kinase interconverts between an active and two discrete inactive structures. Extensive differences in key structural elements between the conformational states give rise to multiple intrinsic regulatory mechanisms. The findings explain how oncogenic mutants can counteract inhibitory mechanisms to constitutively activate the kinase. Energetic dissection revealed the contributions of the activation loop, the Asp-Phe-Gly (DFG) motif, the regulatory spine, and the gatekeeper residue to kinase regulation. Characterization of the transient conformation to which the drug imatinib binds enabled the elucidation of drug-resistance mechanisms. Structural insight into inactive states highlights how they can be leveraged for the design of selective inhibitors.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e115561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangmang Liu ◽  
Liang Xiao ◽  
Tingting Fang ◽  
Yimin Cai ◽  
Gang Jia ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
D. F. Blake ◽  
L. F. Allard ◽  
D. R. Peacor

Echinodermata is a phylum of marine invertebrates which has been extant since Cambrian time (c.a. 500 m.y. before the present). Modern examples of echinoderms include sea urchins, sea stars, and sea lilies (crinoids). The endoskeletons of echinoderms are composed of plates or ossicles (Fig. 1) which are with few exceptions, porous, single crystals of high-magnesian calcite. Despite their single crystal nature, fracture surfaces do not exhibit the near-perfect {10.4} cleavage characteristic of inorganic calcite. This paradoxical mix of biogenic and inorganic features has prompted much recent work on echinoderm skeletal crystallography. Furthermore, fossil echinoderm hard parts comprise a volumetrically significant portion of some marine limestones sequences. The ultrastructural and microchemical characterization of modern skeletal material should lend insight into: 1). The nature of the biogenic processes involved, for example, the relationship of Mg heterogeneity to morphological and structural features in modern echinoderm material, and 2). The nature of the diagenetic changes undergone by their ancient, fossilized counterparts. In this study, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), high voltage TEM (HVTEM), and STEM microanalysis are used to characterize tha ultrastructural and microchemical composition of skeletal elements of the modern crinoid Neocrinus blakei.


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