Synthesis of structured triacylglycerols enriched in n-3 fatty acids by immobilized microbial lipase

Abstract The search for new biocatalysts has aroused great interest due to the variety of micro-organisms and their role as enzyme producers. Native lipases from Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus javanicus were used to enrich the n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids content in the triacylglycerols of soybean oil by acidolysis with free fatty acids from sardine oil in solvent-free media. For the immobilization process, the best lipase/support ratios were 1:3 (w/w) for Aspergillus niger lipase and 1:5 (w/w) for Rhizopus javanicus lipase using Amberlite MB-1. Both lipases maintained constant activity for 6 months at 4 °C. Reaction time, sardine-free fatty acids:soybean oil mole ratio and initial water content of the lipase were investigated to determine their effects on n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids incorporation into soybean oil. Structured triacylglycerols with 11.7 and 7.2% of eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid were obtained using Aspergillus niger lipase and Rhizopus javanicus lipase, decreasing the n-6/n-3 fatty acids ratio of soybean oil (11:1 to 3.5:1 and 4.7:1, respectively). The best reaction conditions were: initial water content of lipase of 0.86% (w/w), sardine-free faty acids:soybean oil mole ratio of 3:1 and reaction time of 36 h, at 40 °C. The significant factors for the acidolysis reaction were the sardine-free fatty acids:soybean oil mole ratio and reaction time. The characterization of structured triacylglycerols was obtained using easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry. The enzymatic reaction led to the formation of many structured triacylglycerols containing eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid or both polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Metabolic effects of androgen deprivation therapy

The therapeutic effects and side effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which is a main treatment method for metastatic prostate cancer, are well known, but the metabolic effects have only recently been studied. This review describes the effects of ADT on body habitus, insulin resistance, lipid profiles, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The review was done by using KoreaMed and PubMed to search the medical literature related to prostate cancer, ADT, body habitus, lipid profile, diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. ADT increases fat mass and decreases lean body mass. Fat mostly accumulates in the subcutaneous area. ADT increases total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein, as well as the risk for insulin resistance and diabetes. ADT also increases the risk for cardiovascular events, but insufficient evidence is available for a correlation with mortality. ADT changes body habitus and lipid profiles and has different characteristics than those of classic metabolic syndrome, but it is related to insulin resistance and diabetes. ADT increases the risk for cardiovascular events. No consistent guidelines have been proposed for treating the metabolic effects of ADT, but the generally recommended treatment methods for lowering the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease should be fully understood. Additional studies are necessary.

Síndrome metabólica em pacientes atendidos em programa de reabilitação cardíaca / Metabolic syndrome among patients enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation program

Fundamentos: Síndrome metabólica (SM) constitui importante fator de risco para o desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares e, quando associada às cardiopatias, torna-se responsável por alto e crescente número de mortalidade. Objetivo: Estimar a frequência de SM em cardiopatas do Programa de Reabilitação Cardíaca de hospital universitário do Rio de Janeiro. Métodos: Estudo transversal, descritivo, com participantes do programa de Reabilitação Cardíaca,a partir de avaliação antropométrica e laboratorial,utilizando-se para diagnóstico de SM os critérios da International Diabetes Federation, 2005. Resultados: Foram avaliados 40 indivíduos, 26 homens e 14 mulheres, com média de idade 61,1±8,4 anos. De acordo com o índice de massa corporal, 77,5 % apresentavam sobrepeso e obesidade. Os valores médios de circunferência da cintura e relação cintura/altura encontravam-se, em ambos os sexos, superiores ao recomendado. A frequência de SM foi 83,0 %, sendo 77,0 % no sexo masculino e 93,0 % no sexo feminino. Entre os pacientes com diagnóstico de SM, as médias das medidas antropométricas foram significativamente maiores do que entre aqueles sem diagnóstico. Conclusões: Verificou-se elevada frequência de SM nos pacientes submetidos ao programa de RC, alertando para a importância da implementação de ações terapêuticas que visem à reversão da SM em pacientes já cardiopatas.

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, resulting in a high (and still rising) mortality rate when associated with cardiopathies. Objective: To estimate the frequency of metabolic syndrome in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at auniversity hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted with patients participating in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, grounded on anthropometric and laboratory assessments, with metabolic syndrome diagnosed through the criteria established by the International Diabetes Federation, 2005. Results: Forty subjects were assessed (26 men and14 women), with a mean age of 61.1±8.4 years. Based on the Body Mass Index, 77.5% were overweight and obese. The mean waist circumference and waist/height values were higher than recommended for both genders, with the overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome reaching 83.0% (77.0% males and 93.0%females). Among patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, the mean anthropometric measurements were significantly larger than among those without this diagnosis. Conclusions: A high frequency of metabolic syndrome was found among patients in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, underscoring the importance of implementing therapeutic actions aimed at reversing metabolic syndrome among patients with heart disease.

Biodiesel production from marine cyanobacteria cultured in plate and tubular photobioreactors.

Carbon (neutral) based renewable liquid biofuels are alternative to petroleum derived transport fuels that contribute to global warming and are of a limited availability. Microalgae based biofuels are considered as promising source of energy. Lyngbya sp. and Synechococcus sp. were studied for the possibility of biodiesel production in different media such as ASNIII, sea water enrichment medium and BG11. The sea water enrichment medium was found superior in enhancing the growth rate of these microalgae. Nitrogen depletion has less effect in total chlorophyll a content, at the same time the lipid content was increased in both Lyngbya sp. and Synechococcus sp. by 1.4 and 1.2 % respectively. Increase in salinity from 0.5-1.0 M also showed an increase in the lipid content to 2.0 and 0.8 % in these strains; but a salinity of 1.5 M has a total inhibitory effect in the growth. The total biomass yield was comparatively higher in tubular LED photobioreactor than the fluorescent flat plated photobioreactor. Lipid extraction was obtained maximum at 60 ºC in 1:10 sample: solvent ratio. GC-MS analysis of biodiesel showed high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; 4.86 %) than saturated fatty acid (SFA; 4.10 %). Biodiesel production was found maximum in Synechococcus sp. than Lyngbya sp. The viscosity of the biodiesel was closely related to conventional diesel. The results strongly suggest that marine microalgae could be used as a renewable energy source for biodiesel production.

Trigléciridos pospandriales y su relación con las enfermedades cardiovasculares / postpandrial triglyceride and their relation with the cardiovascular diseases

El estado pospandrial constituye la condición metabólica habitual en la que se encuentra el ser humani diariamente. Algunos sujetos presentan aumento de los triglicéridos totales y de las lipoproteíneas ricas en trigléceridos totales y de las lipoproteínas ricas en triglicéridos definiéndose como hiperlipemica pospandrial, generando incrementos del estrés oxidativo, inflamación y disfunción vascular, además está asociada con el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular, que en los últimos años se ha convertido en la principal causa de muerte en todo el mundo. El objetivo del esudio fue evaluar la relación entre los niveles de triglicéridos pospandriales de sujetos cardiópatas y accidente cerebrovascular (ACV) con sujetos aparentemente sanos. Se estudiaron 56 sujetos de los cuales 32 eran aparentemente sanos (clasificados según sus resultados de triglicéridos pospandriales en intolerantes a las grasas y tolerancia normal a las grasas), 11 con diagnóstico de cardiopatía y 13 con diagnóstico de ACV. A cada paciente se les realizó un extracción de sangre basal con 14 horas de ayuno, posteriormente se les suministró un desayuno de aproximadamente 24 gr de grasa (una empanada de queso y un café). Se tomó muestras para el estudio de los niveles de triglicéridos (basal y pospandrial 2 y 4 horas), colesterol total y sus fracciones, apolipoproteina A1 y B-100, fibrinógeno y proteína C reactiva ultrasensible. Se realizó TBARS para estimar los niveles de oxidación de las LDL y la prueba de afinidd de las LDL a proteoglicanos. Mediante ecodoppler se evaluó el complejo miointimal carotideo. Los pacientes cardiópatas e intolerantes a las grasas tuvieron niveles de triglicéridos por encima de los valores de referencia a las 2 y 4 horas después de comer (p<0,001). Las LDL del grupo de cardiópatas y ACV presentaron mayor afinidad a proteoglicanos y mayor oxidación que las LDL del grupo intolerante y normal (p<0,001)...

The postpandrial nonfasting state is the usual metabolic condition in the human. Some individuals had increased total triglycerides and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, defined as postprandial hyperlipidemia, generatin an increase in oxidative stress, inflammation and vascular dysfunction also is associated with cardiovascular disease risk, which in recent years has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Aim: Evaluate the realtionship between postpandrial triglyceride levels of subjects with heart disease and stroke with apparently halthy subjects. We studied 56 subjects of whom 32 were apparently healthy (classified according to their results of postprandial triglyceride in fat intolerant and normal tolerance to fat), 11 have diagnosis of heart disease and 13 with diagnosis of stroke. From every patient, we withdrew blood after 14 hours of fasting as baseline, then were given a breakfast of about 24gr of fat (a typical venezuelan breakfast, which consisted in a cheese emapana and coffe). Samples were taken at basal time and 2 and 4 hours postpandrial o measure levels of triglicerides and also measure total cholesterol and its fractions, apolipoprotein A1 and B-100, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein. TBARS was performed to estimate the levels of LDL oxidation and proof affinity of LDL to proteoglycans. To evaluate the myointimal carotid complex we used a duplex Doppler echo. Patients with hearth disease and intolerance to fat had triglyceride levels above baseline values at 2 and 4 hours after eating (p<0.001). The level of LDL in the group of heart disease and stroke had higher affinity for proteoglycans and increased LDL oxidation than intolerant and normal group (p<0.001). The ratio Chol / HDL and LDL / HDL was higher in the intolerant and heart disease, indicating a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The postprandial triclyceride measurement seems to be a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than measurement levels of triclyceride in...

Polaron hopping in some biomolecular solids and their charge transfer complexes.

The solid state spectroscopy of charge transfer complexes of biomolecules such as fatty acids, tripalmitin, lysozyme. folic acid, beta-carotene, cytochrome c, valinomycin and gramicidin has been carried out. The absorption coefficient is related with electronic conductivity. A half-power beta density is found common among these macromolecular solids, indicating photon-induced polaron hopping or hopping of a charge carrier between two branches of a polariton. Band gap vs full width at half-maximum of the mid-IR peak also reveals a linear relation.

Pain on injection of propofol: propofol LCT vs propofol MCT/LCT with or without lidocaine pretreatment.

BACKGROUND: Pain on injection was a disadvantage of propofol long-chain triglyceride (LCT) and reduces patient satisfaction. Based on a systematic review, the recommended method to attenuate this pain was a previous administration of lidocaine under tourniquet for 30-120 seconds before injection of propofol (pretreatment of lidocaine). Recently, propofol medium-chain triglyceride/long-chain triglyceride (MCT/LCT) emulsion was proposed for its ability to decrease pain on injection. The authors conducted a double-blind randomized controlled trial to compare the incidence and severity of pain on injection between the new propofol MCT/LCT and the propofol LCT with and without lidocaine pretreatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 360 adult patients with ASA physical status I-III who underwent general anesthesia were assigned into 4 groups by computer-generated randomization; Group I - pretreatment of lidocaine 1% and propofol LCT Group I - pretreatment oflidocaine 1% and propofol MCT/LCT Group III - pretreatment of saline and propofol MCT/LCT and Group IV- pretreatment of saline and propofol LCT mixed with lidocaine 1%. All groups received pretreatment under tourniquet for 60 seconds. Evaluators who were blinded to the injected drugs recorded pain intensity (none, mild, moderate and severe) after the first 30% of total induction dose ofpropofol was injected at a rate of 1 ml/s by questioning patients. Data was analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis testfor ordinal data. Post hoc analysis was performed by using the Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni's correction on pairwise comparisons and was considered significant with p value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: Patients in an individual group had insignificant differences in their demographic data. The incidences of pain in Group I, II, III and IV were 61.1%, 46.7%, 62.2% and 55.6% respectively with an average incidence of 56% (p = 0.006). There were 15.6%, 5.6%, 23.3% and 24.4% of patients in Group I, II, III and IV who rated pain intensity as severe. Pain on injection of propofol MCT/LCT with lidocaine pretreatment was less than propofol MCT/LCT alone (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The incidence of pain on injection of propofol MCT/LCT was not different from that caused by propofol LCT with pretreatment of lidocaine and the intensity of pain on propofol MCT/LCT injection decreased significantly when using lidocaine pretreatment. Therefore, the authors could conclude that an injection of new propofol MCT/LCT solution was an alternative in reducing pain sensation to propofol LCT with pretreatment of lidocaine. Additionally, pain of propofol MCT/LCT injection could be alleviated by pretreatment of lidocaine with a 60 seconds tourniquet time before the injection ofpropofol.

Níveis lipídicos em uma série de casos do Rio de Janeiro / Lipid levels in a series of cases od Rio de Janeiro city

Fundamentos: Encontra-se bem definida na literatura a relação entre alterações lipídicas e eventos coronarianos, sendo escassos os dados sobre a distribuição lipídica na população do Rio de Janeiro.Objetivo: Analisar a distribuição dos níveis lipídicos e a prevalência de alterações lipídicas numa série de casos da cidade do Rio de Janeiro.Métodos: A população estudada foi proviniente de um banco de dados com 2535 indivíduos do Serviço Disciplina de Cardiologia da UERJ. Foram incluídos os 2057 indivíduos (1163 mulheres; idade entre 4-93 anos) que não estavam em uso de hipolipemiantes e que apresentavam dados relativos ás variáveis lipidicas: colesterol total (CT), HDL colesterol (HDL) e triglicerídeos (TG).O LDL colesterol (LDL) foi calculado pela fórmula de Friedwald nos 2029 indivíduos com TG <400mg/dl.O colesterol não HDL (CNDL) foi calculado pela subtração do HDL dos valores do CT. Os valores lipídicos considerados como referência foram os da III diretrizes Brasileiras de dislipidemias...

Hypolipidemic effect of methanolic extract of Dolichos biflorus Linn. in high fat diet fed rats.

High fat diet fed rats showed significant increased levels of plasma and tissue total cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, plasma LDL cholesterol and decreased level of plasma HDL cholesterol. Methanolic extract of D. biflorus administration to high fat diet fed rats showed near to normal levels of the above lipids in plasma and tissues. Higher dose of the extract (400 mg/kg body weight) showed comparable results with standard drug atorvastatin. It is concluded that the methanolic extract of D. biflorus possesses hypolipidemic activity in high fat diet fed rats.

El uso de lípidos estructurados en la nutrición: una tecnología que abre nuevas perpectivas en el desarrollo de productos innovadores / Structured lipids in nutrition: a technology for the development of novelty products

Los lípidos, junto con carbohidratos y las proteínas son los principales componentes de la nutrición humana, y los triglicéricos son los principales lípidos presentes en los alimentos. Por lo tanto, toda modificación en el patrón de consumo de lípidos debe estar orientada a la modificación de la composición y estructura de los triglicéricos. L digestión de los triglicéricos por la lipasas bucal, gástrica e intestinal es altamente estereoespecífica en términos del reconocimiento por parte de estas enzimas del tipo de ácido graso que está unido al glicerol. La lipasa ligual-gástrica, la lipasa pancreática, y la lipasa láctea pueden liberar ácidos grasos desde diferentes posiciones de los triglicéridos (sn-1, sn-2 o sn-3), permitiendo la formación de ácidos grasos libres, monoglicéridos y glicerol. Los ácidos grasos de cadenas superiores a C16 pueden formar jabones insolubles de calcio que precipitan en la cavidad intestinal facilitando la formación de deposiciones de mucha consistencia, las que con frecuencia causan transtornos intestinales en niños y adultos. La fórmulas que se han desarrollado para reemplazar a la leche materna, contienen lípidos de origen vegetal o animal que no simulan exactamente la estereoquímica de la leche materna, con lo cual la biodisponibilidad de los ácidos grasos disminuyen y se facilita la formación a partir de estos jabones de calcio insolubles. Esta es una causa común de estreñimiento en lactantes que no reciben lactancia materna y que solo son alimentados con fórmulas. La tecnología enzimática permite la síntesis de triglicéridos con una composición y estereoquímica de ácidos grasos definida. Estos lípidos se conocen como lípidos estructurados y están ahora disponibles para modificar la composición de las fórmulas con el propósito de lograr una estereoquímica similar a la de la leche humana. La adicción de lípidos estructurados a las fórmulas permiten proveer un perfíl nutricional similar al de la leche materna, evitando la formación de jabones isolubles y disminuyendo considerablemente el estreñimiento en los lactantes

Determinación de puntos atípicos en estudios longitudinales: mediante el análisis biplot de datos sin transformaciones previas / Determination atypicals points in longitudinal studies: using biplot analysis to non transformed

En este trabajo se propone un procedimiento basado en la aplicación de la técnica Biplot a datos sin transformaciones previas, el cual se complementa con un índice que permite detectar puntos atípicos en un estudio longitudinal, y simultáneamente explicar su comportamiento. El método es aplicado al estudio de los valores de triglicéridos séricos en una submuestra del Estudio Longitudinal de Caracas, formada por varones adolescentes entre 12 y 16 años. Los resultados permitieron distinguir individuos cuyos valores de triglicéridos estaban muy por encima, o por debajo, del valor promedio de su grupo a lo largo de casi todos los períodos. Además, fue posible identificar individuos cuyos perfiles no guardan paralelismo con respecto al patrón promedio de subgrupo, lográndose también una aproximación a la forma de evolución temporal del fenómeno

Oxidative stress and metabolic control in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate conjugated dienes in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and its metabolic control. To achieve good metabolic control in addition to dietary management oral hypoglycemic agents such as glibenclamide, gliclazide and metformin were given to patients. Human plasma low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were delipidised and triglycerides (LDL-TG) and cholesterol esters (LDL-CE) were separated. Conjugated dienes in LDL-TG and LDL-CE of subjects with NIDDM (n = 90) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 30) were measured using second derivative of uv absorption spectrum. Hypoglycemic agents lowered substantially concentration of cis, trans (c, t) and trans, trans (t, t) conjugated dienes in LDL-CE and LDL-TG. The duration of NIDDM has shown significant correlation (p < 0.001) with conjugated dienes in LDL-TG. Concentration of c, t and t, t-conjugated dienes in LDL-CE and LDL-TG were found significantly higher in subjects with NIDDM than NGT (p < 0.001). In conclusion, NIDDM, status of metabolic control and duration of diabetes have strong positive relation with oxidative stress.