Plant disease recognition using residual convolutional enlightened Swin transformer networks.

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economic development of a nation, but, growth of agriculture is affected badly by the many factors one such is plant diseases. Early stage prediction of these disease is crucial role for global health and even for game changers the farmer's life. Recently, adoption of modern technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and deep learning concepts has given the brighter light of inventing the intelligent machines to predict the plant diseases before it is deep-rooted in the farmlands. But, precise prediction of plant diseases is a complex job due to the presence of noise, changes in the intensities, similar resemblance between healthy and diseased plants and finally dimension of plant leaves. To tackle this problem, high-accurate and intelligently tuned deep learning algorithms are mandatorily needed. In this research article, novel ensemble of Swin transformers and residual convolutional networks are proposed. Swin transformers (ST) are hierarchical structures with linearly scalable computing complexity that offer performance and flexibility at various scales. In order to extract the best deep key-point features, the Swin transformers and residual networks has been combined, followed by Feed forward networks for better prediction. Extended experimentation is conducted using Plant Village Kaggle datasets, and performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, and F1-rating, are evaluated and analysed. Existing structure along with FCN-8s, CED-Net, SegNet, DeepLabv3, Dense nets, and Central nets are used to demonstrate the superiority of the suggested version. The experimental results show that in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-rating, the introduced version shown better performances than the other state-of-art hybrid learning models.

COVID-19 outbreak data analysis and prediction.

Covid-19 is a novel pandemic disease with no potential vaccine treatment or medicine, the world is facing currently as of now. The death toll has increased to several lakhs and recovery rate is comparatively very less, was initially spotted in Wuhan (China). This spreads through close contact with people and socializing. The number of infected people varies with different parts of the world In our particular country India we are going through the lock down period which is the only vaccine to promote "social distancing" The hurdle arose due to the widespread of corona is major economy loss in combo with innocent lives. In this manuscript, we are visualizing the dataset which is publicly available to map, differentiate and separate the data in order to segregate the places that are most prone and perform basic regression to identify and predict the increasability of the counts from the dataset.

HE-DFNETS: A Novel Hybrid Deep Learning Architecture for the Prediction of Potential Fishing Zone Areas in Indian Ocean Using Remote Sensing Images.

The Indian subcontinent is known for its larger coastline spanning, over 8100 km and is considered the habitat for many millions of people. The livelihood of their habitat is purely dependent upon the fishing activities. Often, the search for fish requires more time for catching and more resources, thus increasing the operational cost leading to low profitability. With the advent of artificial intelligence algorithms, designing intelligent algorithms for an effective prediction of fishing areas has reached new heights in terms of high accuracy (A cy ) and less time. But still, predicting the location of potential fishing zones (PFZs) is always a daunting task. To reduce these issues, this work presented the novel hybrid prediction architecture of PFZs using remote sensing images. The proposed architecture integrates the deep convolutional layers and flitter bat optimized long short-term memory (FB-LSTM)-based recurrent neural networks (RNN). These convolutional layers are utilized to remove the various color features such as chlorophyll, sea surface temperature (SST), and GPS location from the satellite images, and FB-LTSM is utilized to predict the potential locations for fishing. The extensive experimentations are carried out utilizing the satellite data from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and implemented using TensorFlow 1.18 with Keras API. The performance metrics such as prediction A cy , precision (P scn ), recall (R cl ) or sensitivity (S ty ), specificity (S fy ), and F1-score and compared with other existing intelligent learning models. From our observations, the proposed architecture (99% prediction A cy ) has outperformed the other existing algorithms and finds its best place in designing an intelligent system for better predicting of PFZs.

Authentication of Two Bio-Active Fish Oils by Qualitative Lipid Profiling Using Semi-Targeted Approach: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Fish oils, which are rich in health-promoting polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), have emerged as promising functional foods in the global health and wellness food market. Their source regarding the fish type, season, and location of harvesting might influence the nutritional value of such bioactive oils and determine their market price. The differences in price among such oils often lead to economically motivated mislabeling and adulteration. OBJECTIVE: In this study, our objective was to demonstrate how a qualitative targeted shotgun lipid profile workflow using an electrospray ionization-quadrupole-linear ion trap MS (QTrap) could differentiate fish oils originating from two different species. METHODS: Five samples each of sardine (Sardinella longiceps) oil and shark (Echinorhinus brucus) liver oil were diluted to a concentration of 80 µg/mL in chloroform-methanol (1 + 2, v/v) with 5 mM ammonium acetate. These samples were directly infused into a QTrap MS. The data were acquired for 23 precursor ion and 4 neutral loss scan experiments in the positive ionization mode and compared. RESULTS: We identified the following major lipid classes: cholesteryl ester, diacyl glycerol, triacylglycerol, monoalkyldiacylglycerol, and phophatydyl choline. The relative peak areas of the identified lipid species, when subjected to supervised multivariate analysis, could effectively distinguish the sardine oil and shark liver oil. CONCLUSIONS: The approach will be useful in establishing authenticity of fish oil and to support the regulatory agencies in dispute resolution. It can also be extended to establish authenticity in other agricultural and food commodities. HIGHLIGHTS: This paper reports a proof of concept for authenticating PUFA-rich fish supplements. A shotgun targeted lipidomics profile and chemometrics modeling successfully discriminated sardine oil and shark liver oil.

Nutritional composition of food fishes and their importance in providing food and nutritional security.

Fish is a healthy food, rich in quality animal proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids especially the (ω)-3 eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and micronutrients. In addition, fish are more available and affordable than other sources of animal proteins in tropical countries. Aquaculture, which is one of the fastest growing food production sectors, could play a big role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and nutrient-deprivation globally. However, nutritional information on fish is necessary for utilization of fish in achieving nutritional security and will be helpful in prioritizing species for aquaculture. In this context, we have studied the detailed nutritional composition of selected fishes from India and developed a database (http://www.cifri.res.in/nutrifishin/index.php) with the food data generated. This review explore the implications of such nutritional information in consumer guidance, dietary counselling, food-policy planning and prioritization of species for aquaculture to fight hunger, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency; ultimately contributing to food and nutritional security.

Chitosan - Whey protein as efficient delivery system for squalene: Characterization and functional food application.

Squalene, a triterpenoid compound possessing excellent bioactivities, is not being utilized as a functional food ingredient due to its high susceptibility to oxidation. In the present study, the feasibility of chitosan-whey protein as an efficient wall material for squalene encapsulation using spray drying technique was attempted for functional food applications. The encapsulation efficiency of the squalene powder was found to be 75.4 ±â€¯0.22% whereas other physico-chemical properties such as moisture content, flowability, solubility, peroxide value, etc. have shown satisfactory results. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that chitosan-whey protein was able to retain the thermal stability of squalene up to a temperature of 422 °C. Furthermore, the functional food application of the encapsulated squalene in a bakery product (cake) exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) better properties in terms of oxidative stability, sensory attributes than that of cake with pure squalene and control treatment. Hence, it can be concluded that emulsification of squalene in chitosan-whey protein and its subsequent encapsulation by spray drying can be a potential process to produce oxidatively stable encapsulates for the development of functional foods.

Medium optimization and characterization of cell culture system from Penaeus vannamei for adaptation of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).

The lack of shrimp cell lines and difficulty in establishing shrimp cell culture systems, with an appropriate medium is a major concern in the aquaculture sector. The present study attempts to address this issue by developing an in vitro cell culture system from various tissues (hemocytes, heart, lymphoid tissue, hepatopancreas, gill, eye stalk, and muscle) of Penaeus vannamei (P.vannamei) using commercially available L-15 medium. The cell culture medium was formulated using five different media such as HBSCM-1, HBSCM-2, HBSCM-3, HBSCM-4, and HBSCM-5 containing L-proline and glucose with fetal bovine serum (FBS) supplements. Among the different media used, the HBSCM-5 medium with supplements showed good attachment and proliferation of cells with fibroblast-like, epithelioid, round, and adherent cell morphology in hemocyte culture. The same medium was further screened using different tissues to enhance the cell growth. The hemocytes, heart, and lymphoid tissue cells were passaged five times and maintained up to 20 days. Hepatopancreas and gill cells initially showed good morphological features and survived for more than ten days following subculture cells. Eye stalks and muscle cells perished within five days and did not show any unique morphology. The primary hemocyte cells were subjected to species identification, using cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. To assess the primary hemocyte cell culture, cells were used for in vitro propagation of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and confirmed by the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Similarly, the primary cells were treated with bacterial extracellular products (ECPs) from Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi, to evaluate the cytotoxicity.

Antioxidant, functional properties and amino acid composition of pepsin-derived protein hydrolysates from whole tilapia waste as influenced by pre-processing ice storage.

In recent years, hygienic handling of fishery waste is demanded owing to the fact that the fishery waste is an ideal raw material for the preparation of bioactive compounds. In the present study, the effect of pre-processing storage (at 4 ± 2 °C) of whole tilapia waste (WTW) on the properties of its protein hydrolysate derived using pepsin was evaluated. Fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) were prepared from 0, 24 and 48 h old ice stored WTW and designated as FPH-0, FPH-1, and FPH-2, respectively. Total amino acids, total essential amino acids and total hydrophobic amino acids of FPH samples increased with the storage period of raw material (WTW). Antioxidant activities such as DPPH (2, 2 diphynyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power of FPH samples were dose dependent. FPH-0 had better antioxidant properties including linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition activity than FPH-1 and FPH-2. The DNA nicking assay revealed the protective effect of FPH preparations against Fenton's reaction mediated oxidative damage. FPH-2 had better emulsifying properties and foaming stability whereas the FPH-0 had relatively good foaming capacity. SDS-PAGE indicated the presence of peptides ranging from 116 to < 14.4 kDa in FPH-0 and less than 18 kDa in FPH-1 and FPH-2. The present study, clearly demonstrated that whole tilapia waste can effectively be converted to FPH and could be a potential ingredient in functional food and as a rich source of high-quality protein in animal feed formulations.

Evaluation of chitosan as a wall material for microencapsulation of squalene by spray drying: Characterization and oxidative stability studies.

The present study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of chitosan as a wall material for microencapsulation of squalene by spray drying for functional food applications. Based on different core to wall material ratio (1:1, 0.5:1 and 0.3:1 on w/w basis), emulsions were prepared and evaluated in terms of emulsion stability, particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity Index (PDI), rheology and microstructure. The optimized emulsion combination was spray dried and characterized, physically and chemically. The encapsulation efficiency of the powder was found to be 26±0.6% whereas other properties such as particle size, zeta potential, water activity, hygroscopicity, Carr Index, Hausner ratio have shown satisfactory results. SEM analysis showed that the squalene microcapsules were smooth spherical particles free from dents and fissures. FTIR data further confirmed the encapsulation of squalene with chitosan. However, TGA, oxidative stability and accelerated Rancimat results showed that chitosan was not able to protect squalene from oxidation during storage. The results suggest that chitosan is not an appropriate wall material for microencapsulation of squalene and hence a combination of wall materials could be attempted for the encapsulation of squalene.

Dietary supplementation of thiamine and pyridoxine-loaded vanillic acid-grafted chitosan microspheres enhances growth performance, metabolic and immune responses in experimental rats.

In the present investigation, the effect of dietary supplementation of thiamine and pyridoxine loaded vanillic acid-grafted chitosan microspheres (TPVGC) on growth, metabolic and immune responses in Wistar strain albino rats was studied. Eight experimental groups, namely four groups each for male and female rats were fed with 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6% of TPVGC in the diet. At the end of 45days feeding trials, both male and female rats supplemented with TPVGC had higher weight gain% and specific growth rate than the control groups. Significantly (p<0.05) lower blood glucose level and higher respiratory burst activity were recorded in the treatment groups than the control groups of both male and female rats. Activity of metabolic enzymes (aspartate amino transferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione S-transferase) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the control groups and a decreasing trend in the same was observed with a gradual increase in the inclusion level of TPVGC in the diet of the treatment groups. However, a reverse trend was observed for acetylcholine esterase. It was inferred that dietary supplementation of thiamine and pyridoxine loaded vanillic acid-grafted chitosan enhanced the growth performance, metabolic and immune responses in the animal-model.

DHA and EPA Content and Fatty Acid Profile of 39 Food Fishes from India.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the principal constituent of a variety of cells especially the brain neurons and retinal cells and plays important role in fetal brain development, development of motor skills, and visual acuity in infants, lipid metabolism, and cognitive support and along with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) it plays important role in preventing atherosclerosis, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and so forth. Being an essential nutrient, it is to be obtained through diet and therefore searching for affordable sources of these ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is important for consumer guidance and dietary counseling. Fish is an important source of PUFA and has unique advantage that there are many food fish species available and consumers have a wide choice owing to availability and affordability. The Indian subcontinent harbors a rich fish biodiversity which markedly varies in their nutrient composition. Here we report the DHA and EPA content and fatty acid profile of 39 important food fishes (including finfishes, shellfishes, and edible molluscs from both marine water and freshwater) from India. The study showed that fishes Tenualosa ilisha, Sardinella longiceps, Nemipterus japonicus, and Anabas testudineus are rich sources of DHA and EPA. Promotion of these species as DHA rich species would enhance their utility in public health nutrition.

Micronutrient Composition of 35 Food Fishes from India and Their Significance in Human Nutrition.

The micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are required in small amounts but are essential for health, development, and growth. Micronutrient deficiencies, which affect over two billion people around the globe, are the leading cause of many ailments including mental retardation, preventable blindness, and death during childbirth. Fish is an important dietary source of micronutrients and plays important role in human nutrition. In the present investigation, micronutrient composition of 35 food fishes (includes both finfishes and shellfishes) was investigated from varying aquatic habitats. Macrominerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se) were determined by either atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)/atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Phosphorus content was determined either spectrophotometrically or by ICP-AES. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The analysis showed that, in general, the marine fishes were rich in sodium and potassium; small indigenous fishes (SIFs) in calcium, iron, and manganese; coldwater fishes in selenium; and the brackishwater fishes in phosphorous. The marine fishes Sardinella longiceps and Epinephelus spp. and the SIFs were rich in all fat-soluble vitamins. All these recommendations were made according to the potential contribution (daily value %) of the species to the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Information on the micronutrients generated would enhance the utility of fish in both community and clinical nutrition.

Antiaging effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on glutathione-dependent antioxidant system in young and aged rats.

Aging has been defined as the changes that occur in living organisms with the passage of time that lead to functional impairment and ultimately to death. Free radical-induced oxidative damage has long been thought to be the most important consequence of the aging process. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the salubrious effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan on glutathione-dependent antioxidant defense system in young and aged rats. The dietary supplementation of chitosan significantly reduced the age-associated dyslipidemic abnormalities noted in the levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol in plasma and heart tissue. Its administration significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the oxidative stress in the heart tissue of aged rats through the counteraction of free radical formation by maintaining the enzymatic [glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR)] and non-enzymatic [reduced glutathione (GSH)] status at levels comparable to that of normal young rats. Our results conclude that dietary intake of chitosan restores the depleted myocardial antioxidant status and suggest that it could be an effective therapeutic agent in treatment of age-associated disorders where hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress are the major causative factors.

Dietary chitosan supplementation attenuates isoprenaline-induced oxidative stress in rat myocardium.

Despite considerable advances in diagnosis and management over the last three decades, acute myocardial infarction continues to be a major public health problem. It is predicted that ischemic heart diseases will constitute the major disease-burden worldwide in the year 2020. In the present study, an attempt has been made to examine the effects of dietary chitosan supplementation on lipid peroxidation and cardiac antioxidant defense system in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats, an animal model of myocardial infarction in man. Dietary chitosan intake significantly attenuated the isoprenaline-induced lipid peroxidation and maintained the level of reduced glutathione at near normal. Its administration demonstrated an antioxidant effect by maintaining the activities of myocardial glutathione dependent antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase) and antiperoxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) at levels comparable to that of controls. The results of the present study indicate that the salubrious effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan is probably related to a counteraction of free radicals and/or to normal maintenance of the activities of free radical enzymes and the level of GSH, which protect myocardial membrane against oxidative damage by decreasing lipid peroxidation.

Antioxidant defense of betaine against isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats.

We investigated the antioxidant preventive effect of betaine on isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in male albino rats. Isoprenaline induced myocardial infarction was manifested by a moderate elevation in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase) and homocysteine in plasma of experimental rats. Significant rise in the level of lipid peroxidation with a concomitant decline in the levels of myocardial non-enzymic (reduced glutathione) and enzymic antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) was also observed. Oral pretreatment with betaine significantly prevented isoprenaline-induced alterations in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes and homocysteine in plasma of experimental groups of rats. It counteracted the isoprenaline-induced lipid peroxidation and maintained the myocardial antioxidant defense system at near normal. Histopathological observations also confirmed the protective effect of betaine against isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction. The results of the present investigation indicate that the protective effect of betaine is probably related to its ability to strengthen the myocardial membrane by its membrane stabilizing action or to a counteraction of free radicals by its antioxidant property.

Evaluation of Azadirachta indica leaf fractions for in vitro antioxidant potential and protective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative damage to pBR322 DNA and red blood cells.

We evaluated the protective effects of subfractions of the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and the methanolic fraction (MF) from the crude ethanolic extract (CEE) of Azadirachta indica A. Juss (neem) leaves against various free radicals and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage to red blood cells (RBCs) and pBR322 DNA. Neem leaf fractions reduced DPPH(*), ABTS(*+), superoxide (O(*-)), hydroxyl (OH(*)), and nitric oxide radicals to nonradical forms in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment with the benzene insoluble fraction from EAF (EBIF), the chloroform insoluble fraction from EAF (ECIF), the chloroform insoluble fraction from MF (MCIF), and the ethyl acetate insoluble fraction from MF (MEIF) significantly mitigated H2O2-induced oxidative damage to RBCs and pBR322 DNA. Although we found low in vitro free radical scavenging activity for the benzene insoluble fraction from EAF (EBSF), the chloroform soluble fraction from EAF (ECSF), the chloroform soluble fraction from MF (MCSF), and the ethyl acetate soluble fraction from MF (MESF), these fractions showed no effect on H2O2-induced lipid peroxidation and pBR322 DNA damage. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and TLC-Iatroscan analysis revealed that the greater efficacy of EBIF, ECIF, MCIF, and MEIF may be due to the presence of more polar compounds such as nimbolide and quercetin. Our studies suggest that the antioxidant and protective effects of active neem leaf fractions against H2O2-induced lipid peroxidation and pBR322 DNA damage can be attributed to their ability to inhibit various free radicals.

Antinociceptive and anti-pyretic activity of Benincasa hispida (thunb.) cogn. in Wistar albino rats.

The seeds of Benincasa hispida (Thunb) COGN. (Family: Cucurbitaceae) was extracted with ethanol and was used to study acute toxicity, antinociceptive and anti-pyretic effects. Brewer's yeast (15%) was used to induce pyrexia in rats. The extract was non lethal to the rats up to the dose of 5000 mg/kg b.w. At doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w, the extract significantly (P<0.05) increased the antinociceptive effective in a dose dependent manner in rats. Similarly, at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w the extract significantly (P<0.05) decreased yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. These results indicate that ethanolic extract of Benincasa hispida possesses potent antinociceptive and antipyretic effects and thus pharmacologically justifying its folkloric use in the management of fever and pain conditions.

Chemoprevention of rat mammary carcinogenesis by Azadirachta indica leaf fractions: modulation of hormone status, xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, oxidative stress, cell proliferation and apoptosis.

We evaluated the chemopreventive potential of the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and methanolic fraction (MF) of Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis. Estradiol and estrogen receptor status, xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme activities, redox status, DNA and protein modifications, and the expression of cell proliferation, and apoptosis related proteins in the mammary gland and liver were used as biomarkers of chemoprevention. Administration of both EAF and MF at a dose of 10mg/kg bw effectively suppressed tumour incidence. Chemoprevention by neem leaf fractions was associated with modulation of hormone and receptor status, xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes, and lipid and protein oxidation, with upregulation of antioxidants, inhibition of oxidative DNA damage, protein modification, and cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis. However EAF rich in constituent phytochemicals was more effective than MF in modulating multiple molecular targets. These results provide evidence for the chemopreventive efficacy of neem leaf fractions in the rat mammary tumour model.

Anti-bacterial activity of ethanolic extract of Indoneesiella echioides (L) nees. evaluated by the filter paper disc method.

The study was carried out to investigate the antibacterial activity of the ethanolic extracts of Indoneesiella echioides (L) Nees. was evaluated by the filter paper disc method. This method is based on the diffusion of an antibiotic from a filter paper disc through the solidified culture media of a Petri dish used for study. The growth of inoculated is inhibited entirely in a circular area "Zone around the filter" paper disc containing a solution of antibiotic and the plant extract. The microorganisms used were: 1. Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive 2. Escherichia coli (Gram negative). The organisms were maintained on nutrient agar slants. These were tested using nutrient broth. One loop full of the respective cultures was taken in slants which were maintained below 40 degrees C were taken and inoculated in the broth and incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 hrs and were observed for the growth of the organism with naked eye for their turbid nature. It was compared with that of sterile broth. The presence of turbidity indicated growth and suitability of the culture for further work.

Protective effect of dietary squalene supplementation on mitochondrial function in liver of aged rats.

Mitochondria are an important intracellular source and target of reactive oxygen species. The life span of a species is thought to be determined, in part, by the rate of mitochondrial damage inflicted by oxygen free radicals during the course of normal cellular metabolism. In the present study, we have investigated the protective effect of squalene supplementation for 15 days and 30 days on energy status and antioxidant defense system in liver mitochondria of 18 young and 18 aged rats. The dietary supplementation of 2% squalene significantly minimized aging associated alterations in mitochondrial energy status by maintaining the activities of TCA cycle enzymes (isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase) and respiratory marker enzymes (NADH dehydrogenase and cytochrome-c-oxidase) at higher level in the liver mitochondria of aged rats compared with unsupplemented controls. It exerted an antioxidant effect by inhibiting mitochondrial lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) in liver of young and aged rats. Supplementation with squalene also maintained the mitochondrial antioxidant defense system at higher rate by increasing the level of reduced glutathione and the activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase) and antiperoxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) in the liver of young and aged rats. The results of this study provide evidence that dietary supplementation with squalene can improve liver mitochondrial function during aging and minimize the age-associated disorders in which reactive oxygen species are a major cause.