Integrated Omics Approach: Revealing the Mechanism of Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa Protein Extract Replacing Fetal Bovine Serum for Fish Muscle Cell Culture.

The process of producing cell-cultured meat involves utilizing a significant amount of culture medium, including fetal bovine serum (FBS), which represents a considerable portion of production expense while also raising environmental and safety concerns. This study demonstrated that supplementation with Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa protein extract (APE) under low-serum conditions substantially increased Carassius auratus muscle (CAM) cell proliferation and heightened the expression of Myf5 compared to the absence of APE. An integrated intracellular metabolomics and proteomics analysis revealed a total of 13 and 67 differentially expressed metabolites and proteins, respectively, after supplementation with APE in the medium containing 5%FBS, modulating specific metabolism and signaling pathways, which explained the application of APE for passage cell culture under low-serum conditions. Further analysis revealed that the bioactive factors in the APE were protein components. Moreover, CAM cells cultured in reconstructed serum-free media containing APE, l-ascorbic acid, insulin, transferrin, selenium, and ethanolamine exhibited significantly accelerated growth in a scale-up culture. These findings suggest a promising alternative to FBS for fish muscle cell culture that can help reduce production costs and environmental impact in the production of cultured meat.

Sika deer velvet antler protein extract modulater bone metabolism and the structure of gut microbiota in ovariectomized mice.

Osteoporosis is a systemic osteopathy characterized by bone metabolism disorders that become more serious with age increases in postmenopausal women. Recent studies have found that antler protein is the main bioactive component of cervus pantotrichum, and it has a positive regulatory effect on bone metabolism and can improve estrogen level. This study aimed to investigate the effect of velvet antler extract (VAE) on the prevention of osteoporosis and the modulation of gut microbiota in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. OVX mice treated with 12 weeks of VAE exhibited higher levels of serum BGP, Ca2+, CT, and HyP (p < .05). Micro-CT scans showed that VAE significantly elevated bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular bone number (Tb.N), trabecular bone thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular bone connection density (Conn.D), decreased trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), and structural modality index (SMI) than untreated OVX mice. The right tibial retinaculum in the VAE group was clearer, with a clearer reticular structure, smaller gaps, a tighter distribution, and a more orderly arrangement. The gut microbiota of the cecal contents was analyzed by 16 s rDNA amplicon sequencing. The data indicated that VAE modulated the species, numbers, and diversity of the gut microbiota in OVX mice. Ovariectomy caused dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota by increasing the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes in mice, but the ratio decreased after treatment with VAE. These results suggest that VAE has a therapeutic effect on OVX mice via modulate bone-related biochemical markers in serum and structure of gut microbiota.

Chaperone Activity and Protective Effect against Aß-Induced Cytotoxicity of Artocarpus camansi Blanco and Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell Seed Protein Extracts.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is listed as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Recent findings have linked AD to the aggregation of amyloid beta peptides (Aß), a proteolytic fragment of 39-43 amino acid residues derived from the amyloid precursor protein. AD has no cure; thus, new therapies to stop the progression of this deadly disease are constantly being searched for. In recent years, chaperone-based medications from medicinal plants have gained significant interest as an anti-AD therapy. Chaperones are responsible for maintaining the three-dimensional shape of proteins and play an important role against neurotoxicity induced by the aggregation of misfolded proteins. Therefore, we hypothesized that proteins extracted from the seeds of Artocarpus camansi Blanco (A. camansi) and Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell (A. dubius) could possess chaperone activity and consequently may exhibit a protective effect against Aß1-40-induced cytotoxicity. To test this hypothesis, the chaperone activity of these protein extracts was measured using the enzymatic reaction of citrate synthase (CS) under stress conditions. Then, their ability to inhibit the aggregation of Aß1-40 using a thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay and DLS measurements was determined. Finally, the neuroprotective effect against Aß1-40 in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was evaluated. Our results demonstrated that A. camansi and A. dubius protein extracts exhibited chaperone activity and inhibited Aß1-40 fibril formation, with A. dubius showing the highest chaperone activity and inhibition at the concentration assessed. Additionally, both protein extracts showed neuroprotective effects against Aß1-40-induced toxicity. Overall, our data demonstrated that the plant-based proteins studied in this research work can effectively overcome one of the most important characteristics of AD.

Preparation and Characterization of a Multicomponent Arthrospira platensis Biomass Hydrolysate with Superior Anti-Hypertensive, Anti-Hyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Activities via Selective Proteolysis.

Arthrospira platensis biomass is a sustainable source of bioactive products for the food, cosmetic, and medicine industries. As well as primary metabolites, different secondary metabolites can be obtained via distinct enzymatic degradation of biomass. In this work, different hydrophilic extracts were obtained after treating the biomass with: (i) a serine endo-peptidase (Alcalase®), (ii) a mixture of amino-, dipeptidyl-, and endo-peptidases (Flavourzyme®), (iii) a mixture of endo-1,3(4)-ß-glucanase and an endo-1,4-xylanase, and ß-glucanase (Ultraflo®), and (iv) an exo-1,3-glucanase (Vinoflow®) (all the enzymes from Novozymes A/S (bagsvaerd, Denmark)); with subsequent extraction of the biocomponents with an isopropanol/hexane mixture. The composition of each aqueous phase extract (in terms of amino acids, peptides, oligo-elements, carbohydrates, and phenols) and their in vitro functional properties were compared. The conditions described in this work using the enzyme Alcalase® permits the extraction of eight distinctive peptides. This extract is 7.3 times more anti-hypertensive, 106 times more anti-hypertriglyceridemic, 26 times more hypocholesterolemic, has 4.4 times more antioxidant activities, and has 2.3 times more phenols, than the extract obtained without any prior enzyme biomass digestion. Alcalase® extract is an advantageous product with potential application in functional food, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics.

Fortification of Crude Protein Extract from Sung Yod and Hom Rajinee Rice Brans in the Development of Functional Jelly Products.

Rice bran protein (RBP) has shown good nutritional and biological values. The present study aimed to determine the functional properties of rice bran crude protein (RBCP) and apply RBCP to a rice jelly recipe to improve the jelly quality and make it an acceptable product for consumers. The design used in the jelly formulation was a central composite design. The freeze-dried crude protein of Sung Yod (SY; 0.00-0.50%) and Hom Rajinee (HR; 0.00-0.50%) rice brans were applied to the rice jelly recipe. The crude protein extract significantly influenced the physicochemical, sensory, and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity of the developed jellies (p < 0.05). The optimized jelly contained 0.11% SY and 0.50% HR crude protein extract. The rice jelly fortified with lyophilized RBCP presented a high content of bioactive compounds (phenolic and flavonoids) with antioxidant activity and ACE-inhibitory activity. Therefore, the crude protein extract of rice brans is a potential raw material that can be used in jelly products as a cheap material to improve the jelly's nutritional quality without affecting consumer acceptability. The outcome of the present investigation confirms that rice bran extracts may have the potential to be further exploited as ingredients in foods.

Characterization of a lactic acid bacteria using branched-chain amino acid transaminase and protease from Jinhua Ham and application in myofibrillar protein model.

This study was to screen a strain with both branched-chain amino acid transaminase (BCAT) and protease activities for producing methyl-branched flavor compounds in a myofibrillar protein extract model. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was isolated from Jinhua ham and screened with BCAT activity by an electrochemical sensor and protease activity by the agar plate method. In the culture medium, strain L6 was selected with high utilization rate and characteristic metabolites content of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and identified as Lactobacillus fermentum YZU-06 (L. fermentum). Compared with the previously reported L. plantarum, L. fermentum exhibited an excellent capacity of hydrolyzing myofibrillar protein with the higher contents of free amino acids, peptides and small molecular weight proteins. Moreover, L. fermentum group presented more BCAAs metabolites of 2-methylbutanal and 3-methylbutanal than that of L. plantarum group. In conclusion, L. fermentum YZU-06 is a promising starter culture to improve the flavor of fermented meat products.

Discrimination of Euglena gracilis strains Z and bacillaris by MALDI-TOF MS.

AIMS: Euglena gracilis is used as model organism for various microbiological, molecular biological and biotechnological studies. Its most studied wild-type strains are Z and bacillaris, but their discrimination by standard molecular methods is difficult. Therefore, we decided to test the suitability of MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry) for identification of E. gracilis and for discrimination of these two strains possessing functional chloroplasts. MALDI-TOF MS profiling was also tested for two white (non-photosynthetic) stable E. gracilis mutant strains Wgm ZOflL and W10 BSmL. METHODS AND RESULTS: We have successfully obtained main spectrum profiles (MSPs) of E. gracilis strains Z, SAG 1224-5/25 and bacillaris, SAG 1224-5/15 using protein extraction procedure. Subsequent MALDI-TOF MS profiling of a number of tested samples and the comparison of the obtained protein profiles with our in-house database including MSPs of both strains have revealed that these two strains can be easily distinguished by MALDI-TOF MS based on score values over two in most cases. This method has also confirmed the ancestry of white mutant strains Wgm ZOflL and W10 BSmL, originally derived from strains Z and bacillaris, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MALDI-TOF MS is suitable, accurate and rapid method for discrimination of E. gracilis strains. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These results can have broad practical implications for laboratories cultivating various strains of euglenids, and they can be applied for their discrimination by MALDI-TOF MS.

Protein mapping of peanut extract with capillary electrophoresis.

Protein separation can be achieved with different modes of capillary electrophoresis, such as with capillary gel electroporesis (CGE) or with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). CZE protein mapping of peanut extract was approached in four different ways, combining neutral-coated or multilayer-coated capillaries with pHs well over or under the isoelectric point range of the proteins of interest. At acidic pHs, the mobility ranges of the major peanut allergens Ara h1, Ara h2, Ara h3, and Ara h6 were identified. Although the pH is a major factor in CZE separation, buffers with different compositions but with the same pH and ionic strength showed significantly different resolutions. Different components of the electrolyte were studied in a multifactorial design of experiment. CE-SDS and CZE proved to be suitable for protein mapping and we were able to distinguish different batches of peanut extract and burned peanut extract.

Biochemical characterization and phytotoxic activity of protein extract from Euphorbia tirucalli L.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Euphorbia tirucalli L., a tropical and subtropical plant, also known by the popular name avelós, has been used in folk medicine against many diseases as rheumatism, asthma, toothache, and cancer. Studies have shown that natural compounds contained in this plant species may be associated with these functions. However, little is known about its potential toxicity. AIM OF THE STUDY: Several proteins conduct biological functions, in particular, proteinases, play a crucial role in many mechanisms of living beings, including plants, animals and microorganisms. However, when poorly regulated, they can generate consequences, such as the non-production of certain substances, or even the abnormal multiplication of cells, which leads to tumors. On the other hand, by regulating these enzymes, proteinase inhibitors act by reducing the activity of proteinases, thus preventing their malfunction. The objective of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of the protein extract of E. tirucalli and to purify a protease inhibitor that may be associated with the biological medicinal functions of the plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxic and mutagenic properties of the protein extract produced from the stem of avelós was investigated using the Ames test. The protein extract was also submitted to a protease inhibitor purification process using the gel filtration chromatography technique and the purified protein was biochemically characterized. RESULTS: A protease inhibitor, called tirustatin, was isolated 1.84-fold by Biogel P100. The calculated molecular mass of the isolated protein is 25.97 kDa. The inhibitor was stable at pH 3-10, with pronounced activity at pH 6. Thermostability was observed even at elevated temperature (100 °C) with inhibitory activity increased by 1.14-fold compared to inhibitor activity at room temperature. Incubation at basic pH values for up to 60 min caused little reduction (0.25-fold) in the papain inhibitory activity of tirustatin. The stoichiometry of the papain-tirustatin interaction was 1.5: 1 and 28.8 pM of the inhibitor effected 50% inhibition. With an equilibrium dissociation constant of 8.74 x 10-8M for the papain enzyme, it is possible to evaluate the isolated protein as a non-competitive inhibitor. In addition, the protein extract of E. tirucalli even at the maximum concentration used (20 µg/mL), did not show a cytotoxic and mutagenic profile in a bacterial model. CONCLUSION: The results presented in this work provide data that reinforce the idea of the potential use of proteins produced in E. tirucalli as pharmacological and biotechnological agents that can be exploited for the development of efficient drugs.

Upcycling Rocha do Oeste Pear Pomace as a Sustainable Food Ingredient: Composition, Rheological Behavior and Microstructure Alone and Combined with Yeast Protein Extract.

This work explores the potential of Rocha do Oeste pear pomace to be used as a sustainable and healthy food ingredient. Moreover, the enrichment with yeast protein extract (YPE) may be useful to design innovative food products. The main goals of this study were to assess pear pomace concerning: (i) chemical composition and antioxidant capacity; (ii) rheology, texture, and microstructure characterization (alone or enriched with YPE), before and after heating. The results showed that pear pomace was a rich source of dietary fibers (74.5% DW), with phenolic compounds (3.9 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents/g dry weight), also presenting antiradical activity (3.90 µmol Trolox equivalents/g DW). Pear pomace showed a shear thinning behavior and a typical soft-gel behavior, which was not affected by YPE enrichment, thus suggesting that YPE did not affect pear pomace technological properties. Thermal treatment also did not alter pear pomace rheological properties. YPE addition induced a decrease in the apparent viscosity and a destabilizing effect, compared to the samples that were subjected to thermal processing. These results highlight the importance of pear pomace and the use of YPE for protein enrichment, opening new opportunities for their exploitation.

Sensitive and Robust LC-MS/MS Assay to Quantify 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Leftover Protein Extract from Dried Blood Spots.

Neonatal dried blood spots (DBS) provide a remarkable resource for biobanks. These microsamples can provide information related to the genetic correlates of disease and can be used to quantify a range of analytes, such as proteins and small molecules. However, after routine neonatal screening, the amount of DBS sample available is limited. To optimize the use of these samples, there is a need for sensitive assays which are integrated across different analytic platforms. For example, after DNA extraction, protein extracts are available for additional analyses. We describe a sensitive and robust LC-MS/MS method for 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 optimized for leftover protein extracts from DBS, which has excellent recovery, precision, and accuracy.

In vitro biochemical characterization and genotoxicity assessment of Sapindus saponaria seed extract.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sapindus saponaria, also popularly known as soapberry, has been used in folk medicinal values because of its therapeutic properties and several compounds in its composition, which represent a target in potential for drug discovery. However, few data about its potential toxicity has been reported. AIM OF THE STUDY: Plant proteins can perform essential roles in survival, acting as defense mechanism, as well functioning as important molecular reserves for its natural metabolism. The aim of the current study was to investigate the in vitro toxicity profile of protein extract of S. saponaria and detect protein potentially involved in biological effects such as collagen hydrolysis and inhibition of viral proteases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Protein extract of soapberry seeds was investigated for its cytotoxic and genotoxic action using the Ames test. The protein extract was also subjected to a partial purification process of a protease and a protease inhibitor by gel chromatography filtration techniques and the partially isolated proteins were characterized biochemically. RESULTS: Seed proteins extract of S. saponaria was evaluated until 100 µg/mL concentration, presenting cytotoxicity and mutagenicity in bacterial model mostly when exposed to exogenous metabolic system and causing cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in HepG2 cells. The purification and partial characterization of a serine protease (43 kDa) and a cysteine protease inhibitor (32.8 kDa) from protein extract of S. Saponaria, corroborate the idea of ​​the biological use of the plant as an insecticide and larvicide. Although it shows cytotoxic, mutagenic and genotoxic effects. CONCLUSION: The overall results of the present study provide supportive data on the potential use of proteins produced in S. saponaria seeds as pharmacological and biotechnological agents that can be further explored for the development of new drugs.

Efficient Bioflocculation of Chlorella vulgaris with a Chitosan and Walnut Protein Extract.

Bioflocculation represents an attractive technology for harvesting microalgae with the potential additive effect of flocculants on the production of added-value chemicals. Chitosan, as a cationic polyelectrolyte, is widely used as a non-toxic, biodegradable bioflocculant for many algal species. The high cost of chitosan makes its large-scale application economically challenging, which triggered research on reducing its amount using co-flocculation with other components. In our study, chitosan alone at a concentration 10 mg/L showed up to an 89% flocculation efficiency for Chlorella vulgaris. Walnut protein extract (WPE) alone showed a modest level (up to 40%) of flocculation efficiency. The presence of WPE increased chitosan's flocculation efficiency up to 98% at a reduced concentration of chitosan (6 mg/L). Assessment of co-flocculation efficiency at a broad region of pH showed the maximum harvesting efficiency at a neutral pH. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, floc size analysis, and microscopy suggested that the dual flocculation with chitosan and walnut protein is a result of the chemical interaction between the components that form a web-like structure, enhancing the bridging and sweeping ability of chitosan. Co-flocculation of chitosan with walnut protein extract, a low-value leftover from walnut oil production, represents an efficient and relatively cheap system for microalgal harvesting.

Antibacterial Activity of Tris NaCl and PBS Buffer Protein Extract of Cassia fistula, Saccharum officinarum, Albizia lebbeck and Cymbopogon citrates Against Bacterial Strains.

Medicinal plants are gaining popularity over synthetic medicines because antibiotic resistance demands the alternative source of medication. In the present research, the crude protein extraction of 4 medicinal plants Cassia fistula, Saccharum officinarum, Albizia lebbeck and Cymbopogon citrates was carried out. Crude protein extraction was done by 2 different buffers i.e. Tris NaCl buffer and PBS buffer. Protein confirmation was done by Bradford assay in the spectrophotometer. Antibacterial potential was checked and compared against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Neisseria gonorrhoea, Bacillus cereus and Proteus mirabilis. Antibacterial assay was performed by disc diffusion method, agar well method and zones of inhibition were calculated. The study results indicated that Tris NaCl extracts' antimicrobial potential is higher than that of the PBS buffer. On disc diffusion method the Tris NaCl buffer extracts of Cymbopogon citrates showed maximum zone of inhibition 11 mm and 9 mm against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus respectively and control chloramphenicol showed maximum zone of inhibition 26 mm against Bacillus subtilis. Cassia fistula showed maximum zone of inhibition of 7 mm against Bacillus cereus while Saccharum officinarum and Albizia lebbeck didn't show the any antibacterial activity. On the other hand, Protein extracts from PBS buffer didn't show zone of inhibition against any bacteria. Only Albizia lebbeck showed minute zone of inhibition against Neisseria gonorrhea. On well diffusion method, Cassia fistula Tris NaCl protein extract showed the maximum zone of inhibition 20 mm and 18 mm against Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus subtilis respectively. While Albizia lebbeck PBS protein extract showed the maximum zone of inhibition 19 mm and 17 mm against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus. The results revealed that the protein extract of Albizia lebbeck, Cymbopogon citrates and Cassia fistula can be used tosynthesize antimicrobial drugs to treat the bacterial infections.

Effect of conductive hydro-drying on physiochemical and functional properties of two pulse protein extracts: Green gram (Vigna radiata) and black gram (Vigna mungo).

In this study, the effect of two drying methods (conductive hydro-drying - CHD and freeze-drying - FD) on the physical and functional properties of green gram (GG) and black gram (BG) protein powders was investigated. CHD dried protein powder showed excellent powder characteristics with moisture contents ranging from 3 to 6%, water activity of ~0.4 and Carr index ≤10. The CHD samples were dried in 210 min; with higher drying rates, CHD samples showed no significant changes in powder characteristics, color value, and water and oil absorption indices. The solubility of both proteins were found to be lower at pH 4 to 7 and higher at pH 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10; at certain pH, the solubility of CHD protein was higher than that of the FD counterparts. No significant differences were observed in the oil absorption capacity, surface hydrophobicity, protein gel formation, pasting and thermal properties. XRD and FTIR analyses were used to explain changes in protein structure and the presence of both α-helix and ß-sheet was observed, with higher ß-sheet levels in both pulses dried using CHD. Results confirmed that CHD, a variant of the refractance window drying (RWD) offered protein quality in par with FD.

Regulation of gene expression encoding the digestive α-amylase in the larvae of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) in response to plant protein extracts.

Considering the relevance of insect α-amylases and natural α-amylase inhibitors present in plants to protect against insect damage, we investigated the effect of white bean and rapeseed protein extracts on digestive α-amylase gene expression of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). For this purpose, in vitro and in vivo trials were performed to determine the inhibitory activity of seed proteins on the third and fourth instar larvae. In both trials, the significant inhibitory effect of each extracts on the third and fourth instar larval α-amylase activity and considerable mortality in treatments were observed compared to control trials. In the RT-qPCR, expression ratio demonstrated that the α-amylase gene of two different larval stages grown on both proteins treated leaves had significantly differentiated expression and was up-regulated in third instar larvae and down-regulated in fourth instar larvae compared to control. Results suggest that the hyper-production of α-amylase in third instar larvae is elicited to compensate for the enzyme activity inhibition at an earlier stage and also down-regulation suggests the existence of a negative feedback of plant proteins on the last instar larvae via impaired food intake and digestive α-amylase activity in Colorado potato beetle. Therefore, disruption of the insect's digestive physiology by plant defensive proteins can be considered in the development of innovative controlling methods of this crucial potato pest.

In vitro and in vivo genotoxicity and cytotoxicity analysis of protein extract from Aplysina fulva sponges

This study evaluated the physicochemical and morphological properties of a marine sponge protein extract (PE) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), analysis of mass loss and pH and in vitro and in vivo. Scanning electron microscopy showed that PE fibers present a granular aspect and irregular structure and the element carbon followed by oxygen was detected in the EDS analysis. Moreover, a 29% of mass loss was observed after 14 days and the pH slightly modified after 14 days. Cell viability of fibroblast cells (L929) of control and PE at a concentration of 25% demonstrated higher values compared to the groups. Osteoblast cell viability of PE at 25 and 50% was significantly higher. Comet assay on day 1 showed higher values for PE at 25%. In addition, in vivo experiments demonstrated that in the treated animals, the bone defects were filled with biomaterial particles, granulation tissue and some areas of newly formed bone. Furthermore, similar immunoexpression of Runx-2 and Cox-2 was observed. Taken together, all results suggest that PE is biocompatible, present non-citotoxicity in the in vitro studies (at the lower concentration) and in the in vivo studies and it can be considered as an alternative source of collagen for tissue engineering proposals.

Evaluation of the phytoconstituents of Auricularia auricula-judae mushroom and antimicrobial activity of its protein extract.

INTRODUCTION: The growing resistance to antibiotics and the complexity of defeating multi-drug resistant bacteria have led to an increase in the search for novel and effective antimicrobials from various plants. This study aimed to determine the bioactive contents of Auricularia auricular-judae mushroom and evaluate the antimicrobial potential of its protein extract against some selected human bacterial and fungal pathogens which could serve as a lead to the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. METHODS: The constituents of the A. auricular-judae were evaluated by standard phytochemical analysis methods. The agar well diffusion, micro-broth dilution, and time-kill kinetic assays were used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, yeast (Candida albicans), and dermatophytic pathogens. RESULTS: The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of carbohydrate (43.15 %; 38.30 %) proteins (23.75 %; 23.75 %), flavonoids (1.20 %; 0.80 %), alkaloids (0.60 %; 1.00 %), saponin (6.00 %; 2.40 %), tannin (1.65 %; 1.57 %), cyanide (0.24 %; 0.40 %), ash (12.40 %; 10.40 %), moisture (6.00 %;6.00 %), lipids(6.00 %;6.00 %), and fiber (8.70 %; 6.45 %) for the Tris buffer and warm aqueous extracts, respectively. The Tris and warm aqueous protein extracts showed antimicrobial effects toward all the human bacterial pathogens and two fungal isolates. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the potential ability of A. auricula-judae for use as a herbal antimicrobial in the treatment of human bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Protein extracts from Momordica charantia var. charantia and M. charantia var. muricata show anti-lipidemic and antioxidant properties in experimental type 2 diabetic rats.

Plant-derived compounds are used to manage dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic condition. In this study, anti-lipidemic and antioxidant properties of the protein extracts from "Charantia" (PEC) and "Muricata" (PEM) varieties of Momordica charantia were analyzed by quantifying lipids, hepatic, renal, and oxidative stress markers, and histopathological examination of liver and kidney tissues. Protein extracts were orally administered at 10 (PEC10, PEM10) or 20 mg/kg body weight (PEC20, PEM20). Levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides decreased but high-density lipoprotein increased significantly in treated rats as compared to untreated diabetic rats (p < .01), and attained normal physiological range in both doses. Levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione increased but thiobarbituric acid reactive substances decreased significantly in treated rats as compared to untreated diabetic rats (p < .01), and attained normal physiological range in PEM20 only. Histopathological examinations supported a protective role for the protein extracts against oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Momordica charantia, a well-known medicinal plant is traditionally used for treating diabetes in India as well as other countries. The whole plant was shown to have medicinal importance. Anti-diabetic potential of this plant was scientifically established largely using organic extracts and water extract mainly from the fruits of this plant. However, protein extracts from the seeds and fruit pulp of this plant were also proven to have anti-diabetic activity. The present study illustrates the anti-lipidemic and antioxidant effect of protein extracts from the fruit pulp of two varieties of M. charantia (Charantia and Muricata) in Streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats. This study provides experimental evidence in support of its use in the management of type 2 diabetes-related complications.

Pupae protein extracts exert anticancer effects by downregulating the expression of IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α through biomolecular changes in human breast cancer cells.

The Pupae of Bombyx mori and Samia ricini are a source of high-quality proteins and essential nutrient elements for human. Recent studies revealed that protein extracted from pupae possessed therapeutic benefits for the treatment of many diseases. However, the anticancer activity of protein extracts from the pupae of B. mori and S. ricini has been rarely reported. Our objective was to study the effect of protein extracts from the pupae of B. mori and S. ricini on cytotoxicity and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines; IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α, in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Additionally, anticancer action of protein extracted from the pupae was further investigated through biomolecular changes in MCF-7 cells using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Pupae protein extracts of B. mori exhibited cytotoxic effects with an IC50 value of 15.23 + 0.4 µg/mL with higher selectivity than doxorubicin on MCF-7 cells. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that lipid contents in MCF-7 cells treated with pupae protein extracts of B. mori were higher than untreated cells. Treatment with protein extracts from pupae of B. mori or S. ricini caused significantly reduced protein and nucleic acid contents of MCF-7 cells. The expression of IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in MCF-7 treated cells was investigated using RT-qPCR and ELISA. Our results revealed that protein extracts from the pupae of B. mori or S. ricini significantly decreased IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in MCF-7 cells both at mRNA and protein levels. Expression of IL-6 and IL-1ß in MCF-7 treated cells, especially IL-6, was strongly reduced compared to untreated cells, while TNF-α expression was slightly decreased. These findings suggest that pupae protein extracted from B. mori or S. ricini may play a role in breast cancer through a down-regulatory action on the expression of IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α, and may also exert anticancer effects by causing biochemical changes of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. These findings indicate that pupae protein extracted from B. mori or S. ricini may provide a potential novel therapeutic target for breast cancer.