Association of the EPAS1 rs7557402 Polymorphism with Hemodynamically Significant Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure Failure in Premature Newborns under Pharmacological Treatment with Ibuprofen.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is frequent in preterm newborns, and its incidence is inversely associated with the degree of prematurity. The first choice of pharmacological treatment is ibuprofen. Several genes, including EPAS1, have been proposed as probable markers associated with a genetic predisposition for the development of PDA in preterm infants. EPAS 1 NG_016000.1:g.84131C>G or rs7557402 has been reported to be probably benign and associated with familial erythrocytosis by the Illumina Clinical Services Laboratory. Other variants of EPAS1 have been previously reported to be benign for familial erythrocytosis because they decrease gene function and are positive for familial erythrocytosis because the overexpression of EPAS1 is a key factor in uncontrolled erythrocyte proliferation. However, this could be inconvenient for ductal closure, since for this process to occur, cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation should take place, and a decrease in EPAS1 gene activity would negatively affect these processes. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in EPAS1 and TFAP2B genes were searched with high-resolution melting and Sanger sequencing in blood samples of preterm infants with hemodynamically significant PDA treated with ibuprofen at the National Institute of Perinatology. The variant rs7557402, present in the EPAS1 gene eighth intron, was associated with a decreased response to treatment (p = 0.007, OR = 3.53). The SNP rs7557402 was associated with an increased risk of pharmacological treatment failure. A probable mechanism involved could be the decreased activity of the product of the EPAS1 gene.

Microencapsulation of sacha inchi oil (Plukenetia volubilis L.) using complex coacervation: Formation and structural characterization.

In this study, sacha inchi oil (SIO) (Plukenetia volubilis L.) was microencapsulated via complex coacervation of ovalbumin (OVA) and sodium alginate (AL), and the microcapsule properties were characterized. The omega-3 content in the SIO was evaluated after in vitro gastric simulation and microencapsulation. The coacervate complex between OVA and AL was evaluated based on electrostatic interactions and developed for use as a wall material via the SIO microencapsulation process. The best mass ratio for the biopolymers (OVA:AL) was 4:1 at pH 3.8, and the complex exhibited a thermal resistance at 189.86 °C. The SIO microcapsules showed a high encapsulation efficiency of approximately 94.12% in the ratio (OVA:AL) of 1:1. Furthermore, microencapsulated SIO presented resistance under gastric conditions with a low release of acyl (ω-3) units. These results demonstrate that it is possible to use OVA:AL as encapsulating agents to protect bioactive compounds and to improve the thermal behavior of microcapsules.

Immobilization of ß-galactosidase by complexation: Effect of interaction on the properties of the enzyme.

In the present work, we aimed to explore the molecular binding between alginate and ß-galactosidase, as well as the effect of this interaction on the activity retention, thermal stability, and kinetic properties of the enzyme. The impact of pH and enzyme/alginate ratio on physicochemical properties (turbidity, morphology, particle size distribution, ζ-potential, FTIR, and isothermal titration calorimetry) was also evaluated. The ratio of biopolymers and pH of the system directly affected the critical pH of complex formation; however, a low alginate concentration (0.1 wt%) could achieve an electrical charge equivalence at pH 3.4 with 93.72% of yield. The binding between ß-galactosidase and alginate was an equilibrium between enthalpic and entropic contributions, which promoted changes in the structure of the enzyme. Nevertheless, this conformational modification was reversible after the dissociation of the complex, which allowed the enzyme to regain its activity. These findings will likely broaden functional applications of enzyme immobilization.

Effect of xanthan gum or pectin addition on Sacha Inchi oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by ovalbumin or tween 80: Droplet size distribution, rheological behavior and stability.

The aim of this work was to studied the formation, stability and characterization of oil-in-water emulsions formed by Sacha Inchi oil (SIO) 8% (w/w) with either ovalbumin (Ova) or Tween 80 (Tw80), as emulsifiers at 0.5%-2.0% (w/w) and stabilized with pectin (Pec) at 1.0%-3.0% (w/w) or xanthan gum (XG) at 0.25%-1.0% (w/w). The emulsions were evaluated at 0, 1, 7 and 14 days after preparation and kept at a temperature of 25 ±â€¯1 °C for the ζ-potential, particle size distribution, polydispersion, and emulsion stability index measurements. The emulsions were characterized by optical microscopy, viscosity and rheological behavior. It was observed that it is possible to form oil-in-water emulsions with SIO-Ova and Pec that are stable at 25 °C for at least 14 days with a polydispersion value between 0.2 and 0.5. However, the emulsions with SIO-Ova and XG are stable at several concentrations of XG but are more viscous and can form aggregates. The presence of a biopolymer is essential for the kinetic stability of the emulsions containing Ova as the emulsifier. For the emulsions containing Tw80, this conclusion applies only to emulsions with XG concentrations of 0.5% to 1.0%, in which the stability mechanism is distinct.

Microencapsulation of sacha inchi oil using emulsion-based delivery systems.

In this study, sacha inchi oil (SIO) was microencapsulated by emulsion-based systems using ovalbumin (Ova), pectin (Pec), and xanthan gum (XG), followed by freeze-drying. The microencapsulation was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The stability of omega-3 in SIO alone as well as in microencapsulated SIO was assessed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy after human gastric simulation (HGS). The SEM results revealed distinct structures for the two types of microcapsules. The thermograms showed that the thermal resistance was increased in the microencapsulated SIO, indicating that the emulsion-based system may be a way to protect the omega-3 in the SIO. In addition, the microencapsulation conferred an increased crystallinity degree, indicating a higher structural organization. Moreover, this method did not affect the stability of SIO, as confirmed by 1H NMR. The release of omega-3 acyl units from the SIO was correlated with the decrease of the methynic proton (sn, 2 position) of triacylglycerol (TAG). In contrast, the increase of 1,3-diglycerides was negatively correlated with the decrease of glyceryl groups (sn, 1,3 positions). The HGS conditions did not significantly alter the stability of the omega-3 of SIO over 180min. The SIO-Ova microcapsules had a similar behavior to the SIO, and the presence of Ova was not enough to prevent the decrease of omega-3 content over 180min. The SIO-Ova-Pec and SIO-Ova-XG microcapsules were shown to protect the omega-3 content effectively. In conclusion, the microcapsules developed in this study can be used to transport nutraceutical compounds because they are resistant to the human gastric conditions tested in vitro.

Fatty acids profile of Sacha Inchi oil and blends by 1H NMR and GC-FID.

This study aimed at the characterization of blends of Sacha Inchi oil (SIO) with different ratios of SO (soybean oil) and CO (corn oil) by nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), compared with the data obtained by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The (1)H NMR and GC-FID data from different ratios of SIO were adjusted by a second order polynomial equation. The two techniques were highly correlated (R(2) values ranged from 0.995 to 0.999), revealing that (1)H NMR is an efficient methodology for the quantification of omega-3 fatty acids in oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids or vice versa such as SO and CO and, on the other hand, can be used to quantify ω-6 in oils rich in ω-3, such as SIO.