Aumento de la frecuencia de escorbuto en niños con selectividad alimentaria: serie de casos / Increase in the frequency of scurvy in children with food selectivity: A case series

El escorbuto es una enfermedad producida por déficit de vitamina C. Aunque es poco frecuente, en los últimos años observamos un incremento de casos en niños con trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Sus manifestaciones son variadas, ya que esta vitamina actúa como cofactor en numerosos procesos, como la síntesis de colágeno. Las manifestaciones cutáneas características son las petequias, equimosis e hiperqueratosis. El compromiso mucoso se manifiesta como gingivitis con hipertrofia, hemorragias y pérdida de piezas dentarias. El diagnóstico es clínico y puede confirmarse mediante la determinación de la vitamina C plasmática. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir una cohorte de pacientes diagnosticados en los últimos años, manifestaciones clínicas y hallazgos en relación con su conducta alimentaria y trastornos del neurodesarrollo.

Scurvy is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Although rare, in recent years, the number of scurvy cases in children with eating disorders has increased. Its manifestations are varied because vitamin C is a cofactor in numerous processes, such as collagen synthesis. The typical skin manifestations include petechiae, bruising, and hyperkeratosis. Mucosal involvement manifests as gingivitis with hypertrophy, bleeding, and loss of teeth. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings and may be confirmed by measuring plasma vitamin C levels. The objective of this study was to describe a cohort of patients diagnosed with scurvy in recent years, its clinical manifestations, and findings in relation to their eating behavior and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Ionizing Radiation-Induced Oxidative Stress in Computed Tomography-Effect of Vitamin C on Prevention of DNA Damage: PREVIR-C Randomized Controlled Trial Study Protocol.

Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) is inevitable in various X-ray imaging examinations, with computed tomography (CT) being a major contributor to increased human radiation exposure. Ionizing radiation may cause structural damage to macromolecules, particularly DNA, mostly through an indirect pathway in diagnostic imaging. The indirect pathway primarily involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to water radiolysis induced by IR, leading to DNA damage, including double-strand breaks (DSB), which are highly cytotoxic. Antioxidants, substances that prevent oxidative damage, are proposed as potential radioprotective agents. This Study Protocol article presents the rationale for selecting vitamin C as a preventive measure against CT-associated IR-induced DNA damage, to be investigated in a randomized placebo-controlled trial, with a full in vivo design, using an oral easy-to-use schedule administration in the outpatient setting, for the single CT examination with the highest total global IR dose burden (contrast-enhanced abdomen and pelvis CT). The study also aims to explore the mediating role of oxidative stress, and it has been written in adherence to the Standard Protocol Items recommendations.

Pre-harvest application of sodium nitroprusside enhances storage root quality in red beet cultivated under normal and drought conditions.

BACKGROUND: The role of nitric oxide (NO) in plant stress tolerance, as well as in increasing post-harvest quality, has been extensively demonstrated in several fruits and vegetable crops; however, the effects of its pre-harvest application on post-harvest quality are still poorly documented. Therefore, the pre-harvest application of NO in red beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) plants cultivated under well-watered and drought conditions was evaluated to assess whether it improves the post-harvest quality of their storage roots. Red beet plants cultivated under well-watered (80% of water holding capacity) or drought condition (15% of water holding capacity) were sprayed weekly with water (control) or 100 µmol L-1 sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor. Sixty-six days after sowing, red beet roots were harvested, and root yield, total sugar yield, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, proteins, lipids, root ashes, root moisture, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, vitamin C, total phenolics, total betalains, betacyanins, betaxanthins and antioxidant capacity were determined. RESULTS: While drought led to a reduction in root yield, sugars, lipids and titratable acidity, it increased phenolic compounds, betalains and the antioxidant capacity of beets. SNP reversed the negative effects of drought on sugar, lipid and organic acid contents and increased antioxidant capacity independent of stress. CONCLUSION: Pre-harvest SNP treatment reversed drought-induced yield reductions in beets, while boosting bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. It also enhanced vitamin C content independently, indicating its dual role in stress mitigation and beet quality improvement. Future research should explore other crops and stress conditions. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ascorbic acid and ascorbyl palmitate-loaded liposomes: Development, characterization, stability evaluation, in vitro security profile, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

The objective of this work was to prepare and characterize liposomes containing co-encapsulated ascorbic acid (AA) and ascorbyl palmitate (AP), as well as to evaluate their stability, cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity. Through the pre-formulation studies, it was possible to improve the formulation, as leaving it more stable and with a greater antioxidant activity, resulting in a formulation designated LIP-AAP, with 161 nm vesicle size, 0.215 polydispersity index, -31.7 mV zeta potential, and pH of 3.34. Encapsulation efficiencies were 37% for AA and 79% for AP, and the content was 1 mg/mL for each compound. The optimized liposomes demonstrated stability under refrigeration for 60 days, significant antioxidant activity (31.4 µMol of TE/mL), and non-toxicity, but no antimicrobial effects against bacteria and fungi were observed. These findings confirm that the co-encapsulated liposomes are potent, stable antioxidants that maintain their physical and chemical properties under optimal storage conditions.

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Pulp, Peel and Seeds from Jeriva (Syagrus romanzoffiana).

Jeriva (Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a fruit from palm trees of the Arecaceae family, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of Latin America. It has low production costs and high productivity throughout the year; however, its consumption is very low, and the production goes almost entirely to feed animals or to waste. To improve its consumption, a good characterization of the whole fruit is necessary. The objective of this work was to evaluate the jeriva pulp, peel and seeds according to carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, tocopherols and antioxidant potential using HPLC, microplate readers and spectrophotometric methods. Every part of the fruit exhibited antioxidant capacity in the ORAC and TEAC tests, which can be attributed to its high concentration of polyphenols. Carotenoids were more present in the pulp and peel and almost absent in the seeds. Vitamin C ranged from 12 ± 1 for the seeds up to 92 ± 3 mg/100 g for the pulp. The total phenolic content was quantified between 473 ± 39 for the seeds and 1089 ± 32 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)/100 g for the pulp. These results demonstrate that all parts of this fruit have important bioactive nutrients, with promising perspectives for further scientific approaches and for composing formulations of food products to enhance functional properties.

Combined transcriptomics and proteomics unveil the impact of vitamin C in modulating specific protein abundance in the mouse liver.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin C (ascorbate) is a water-soluble antioxidant and an important cofactor for various biosynthetic and regulatory enzymes. Mice can synthesize vitamin C thanks to the key enzyme gulonolactone oxidase (Gulo) unlike humans. In the current investigation, we used Gulo-/- mice, which cannot synthesize their own ascorbate to determine the impact of this vitamin on both the transcriptomics and proteomics profiles in the whole liver. The study included Gulo-/- mouse groups treated with either sub-optimal or optimal ascorbate concentrations in drinking water. Liver tissues of females and males were collected at the age of four months and divided for transcriptomics and proteomics analysis. Immunoblotting, quantitative RT-PCR, and polysome profiling experiments were also conducted to complement our combined omics studies. RESULTS: Principal component analyses revealed distinctive differences in the mRNA and protein profiles as a function of sex between all the mouse cohorts. Despite such sexual dimorphism, Spearman analyses of transcriptomics data from females and males revealed correlations of hepatic ascorbate levels with transcripts encoding a wide array of biological processes involved in glucose and lipid metabolisms as well as in the acute-phase immune response. Moreover, integration of the proteomics data showed that ascorbate modulates the abundance of various enzymes involved in lipid, xenobiotic, organic acid, acetyl-CoA, and steroid metabolism mainly at the transcriptional level, especially in females. However, several proteins of the mitochondrial complex III significantly correlated with ascorbate concentrations in both males and females unlike their corresponding transcripts. Finally, poly(ribo)some profiling did not reveal significant enrichment difference for these mitochondrial complex III mRNAs between Gulo-/- mice treated with sub-optimal and optimal ascorbate levels. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the abundance of several subunits of the mitochondrial complex III are regulated by ascorbate at the post-transcriptional levels. Our extensive omics analyses provide a novel resource of altered gene expression patterns at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels under ascorbate deficiency.

Ascorbic acid as a modulator of inflammatory response against Candida albicans.

Aim: To evaluate the behavior of oral keratinocytes in the presence of Vitamin C (Vit C) and its anti-inflammatory potential. Materials & methods: Oral keratinocytes were initially exposed to 0.1-2.5 mM of Vit C and the metabolic activity and cell migration were evaluated using MTS assay and Ibidi culture inserts, respectively. After, the cells were challenged with Candida albicans and inflammatory markers were analyzed by qPCR. Results: The treatment was not cytotoxic, and the highest concentrations increased the metabolic activity at 24 h. Vit C delayed the cell migration at 48 and 72 h. Interestingly, it downregulated the genes IL-8 and IL-1ß. Conclusion: Vit C could be an interesting adjuvant to anti-fungal treatment due to its anti-inflammatory potential.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a vitamin commonly found in fruits and vegetables. It is popular for supporting our immune system, so is commonly taken as a supplement. We looked at the action of vitamin C on cells from the mouth and its potential to reduce inflammation in a fungal disease of the mouth ­ oral candidiasis. We showed that vitamin C is not toxic to cells of the mouth and may reduce inflammation in cells infected by the fungus. This suggests that vitamin C could be used as a complementary therapy for oral candidiasis.

Increase in the frequency of scurvy in children with food selectivity: A case series. / Aumento de la frecuencia de escorbuto en niños con selectividad alimentaria: serie de casos.

Scurvy is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Although rare, in recent years, the number of scurvy cases in children with eating disorders has increased. Its manifestations are varied because vitamin C is a cofactor in numerous processes, such as collagen synthesis. The typical skin manifestations include petechiae, bruising, and hyperkeratosis. Mucosal involvement manifests as gingivitis with hypertrophy, bleeding, and loss of teeth. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings and may be confirmed by measuring plasma vitamin C levels. The objective of this study was to describe a cohort of patients diagnosed with scurvy in recent years, its clinical manifestations, and findings in relation to their eating behavior and neurodevelopmental disorders.

El escorbuto es una enfermedad producida por déficit de vitamina C. Aunque es poco frecuente, en los últimos años observamos un incremento de casos en niños con trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Sus manifestaciones son variadas, ya que esta vitamina actúa como cofactor en numerosos procesos, como la síntesis de colágeno. Las manifestaciones cutáneas características son las petequias, equimosis e hiperqueratosis. El compromiso mucoso se manifiesta como gingivitis con hipertrofia, hemorragias y pérdida de piezas dentarias. El diagnóstico es clínico y puede confirmarse mediante la determinación de la vitamina C plasmática. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir una cohorte de pacientes diagnosticados en los últimos años, manifestaciones clínicas y hallazgos en relación con su conducta alimentaria y trastornos del neurodesarrollo.

Intravenous Vitamin C as an Add-on Therapy for the Treatment of Sepsis in an Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background and Objectives: According to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3), sepsis is defined as "life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection". The increased presence of free radicals causes an increase in oxidative stress. Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble vitamin with antioxidant activity and immunoregulatory effects that plays a potential role in the treatment of bacterial infections. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding vitamin C to the conventional treatment of sepsis to decrease its mortality rate. Materials and Methods: In a prospective cohort study, we included patients with a diagnosis of sepsis and a SOFA score ≥ 9 who were evaluated in an Intensive Care Unit at a secondary-care hospital. According to the intensive care specialist, they were treated using two different strategies: Group 1-patients with sepsis treated with conventional treatment without vitamin C; Group 2-patients with sepsis with the addition of vitamin C to conventional treatment. Results: We included 34 patients with sepsis. The incidence of mortality was 38%, and 47% of patients used vitamin C as an adjuvant to the basic treatment of sepsis. In the basal analyses, patients treated with use of vitamin C compared to patients treated without vitamin C required less use of glucocorticoids (75% vs. 100%, p = 0.039). At follow-up, patients treated without vitamin C had higher mortality than patients treated with vitamin C as an adjuvant for the treatment of sepsis (55.6% vs. 18.8%, p = 0.03). We observed that the use of vitamin C was a protective factor for mortality in patients with sepsis (RR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31-0.96, p = 0.03). Conclusions: The use of vitamin C as an adjuvant to treatment decreases the risk of mortality by 46% in patients with sepsis and SOFA ≥ 9 compared to patients treated without vitamin C as an adjuvant to sepsis.

Emerging therapeutic strategies in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: a focus on cognitive outcomes.

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia represents a significant risk to CNS development, leading to high mortality rates, diverse damages, and persistent neurological deficits. Despite advances in neonatal medicine in recent decades, the incidence of HIE remains substantial. Motor deficits can manifest early, while cognitive impairments may be diagnosed later, emphasizing the need for extended follow-up. This review aims to explore potential candidates for therapeutic interventions for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), with a focus on cognitive deficits. We searched randomized clinical trials (RCT) that tested drug treatments for HIE and evaluated cognitive outcomes. The results included studies on erythropoietin, melatonin, magnesium sulfate, topiramate, and a combination of vitamin C and ibuprofen. Although there are several indications of the efficacy of these drugs among animal models, considering neuroprotective properties, the RCTs failed to provide complete effectiveness in the context of cognitive impairments derived from HIE. More robust RCTs are still needed to advance our knowledge and to establish standardized treatments for HIE.

Vitamin C Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Hyperinflammatory State of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells through Purinergic Signaling and Autophagy.

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by the overproduction of white blood cells, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, infections, and other complications. CML patients must take measures to prevent infections to mitigate the exacerbation of cancer cell proliferation and comorbidities. Methods: This study investigated whether vitamin C can suppress the hyperinflammatory activation of K-562 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and whether purinergic signaling (ATP and P2X7 receptor) and autophagy play a role in it. Two different doses of vitamin C (5 µg/mL and 10 µg/mL) were employed, along with the lysosome inhibitor chloroquine (CQ; 100 µM), administered 2 h prior to LPS stimulation (10 ng/mL) for a duration of 22 h in K-562 cells (3 × 105 cells/mL/well). Results: Both doses of vitamin C reduced the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (5 µg/mL, p < 0.01 and 10 µg/mL, p < 0.01) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (5 µg/mL, p < 0.01 and 10 µg/mL, p < 0.01) induced by LPS. Furthermore, in LPS + CQ-stimulated cells, vitamin C at a concentration of 10 µg/mL inhibited the expression of LC3-II (p < 0.05). Conversely, both doses of vitamin C led to the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) (5 µg/mL, p < 0.01 and 10 µg/mL, p < 0.01), while only the 10 µg/mL dose of vitamin C induced the release of Klotho (10 µg/mL, p < 0.01). In addition, both doses of vitamin C reduced the accumulation of ATP (5 µg/mL, p < 0.01 and 10 µg/mL, p < 0.01) and decreased the expression of the P2X7 receptor at the mRNA level. Conclusions: Vitamin C inhibits the hyperinflammatory state induced by LPS in K-562 cells, primarily by inhibiting the ATP accumulation, P2X7 receptor expression, and autophagy signaling.

Ascorbic acid and its transporter SVCT2, affect radial glia cells differentiation in postnatal stages.

Radial glia (RG) cells generate neurons and glial cells that make up the cerebral cortex. Both in rodents and humans, these stem cells remain for a specific time after birth, named late radial glia (lRG). The knowledge of lRG and molecules that may be involved in their differentiation is based on very limited data. We analyzed whether ascorbic acid (AA) and its transporter SVCT2, are involved in lRG cells differentiation. We demonstrated that lRG cells are highly present between the first and fourth postnatal days. Anatomical characterization of lRG cells, revealed that lRG cells maintained their bipolar morphology and stem-like character. When lRG cells were labeled with adenovirus-eGFP at 1 postnatal day, we detected that some cells display an obvious migratory neuronal phenotype, suggesting that lRG cells continue generating neurons postnatally. Moreover, we demonstrated that SVCT2 was apically polarized in lRG cells. In vitro studies using the transgenic mice SVCT2+/- and SVCT2tg (SVCT2-overexpressing mouse), showed that decreased SVCT2 levels led to accelerated differentiation into astrocytes, whereas both AA treatment and elevated SVCT2 expression maintain the lRG cells in an undifferentiated state. In vivo overexpression of SVCT2 in lRG cells generated cells with a rounded morphology that were migratory and positive for proliferation and neuronal markers. We also examined mediators that can be involved in AA/SVCT2-modulated signaling pathways, determining that GSK3-ß through AKT, mTORC2, and PDK1 is active in brains with high levels of SVCT2/AA. Our data provide new insights into the role of AA and SVCT2 in late RG cells.

Characterization and bioaccessibility assessment of bioactive compounds from camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) powders and their food applications.

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) is a tropical fruit known for its content of bioactive compounds. This study aimed to evaluate physicochemically, morphologically, andsensorialpowders from camu-camu obtained by spray-drying at two inlet temperatures (150 °C and 180 °C) with three encapsulating agents (maltodextrin, whey protein and a 50:50 mixture of both) and by freeze-drying of whole fruit. The use of maltodextrin protected bet anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) and delphinidin-3-glucoside (D3G)), but whey protein showed a better protective effect on ascorbic and malic acids. These facts were confirmed during the storage stability test, finding that relative humidity is a critical variable in preserving the bioactive compounds of camu-camu powders. The powders with the highest content of bioactive compounds were added to a yogurt and a white grape juice, and then sensory evaluated. The bioaccessibility studies in gastric and intestinal phases showed better recovery percentages of bioactive compounds in camu-camu powders (up to 60.8 %) and beverages (up to 90 %) for C3G, D3G, ascorbic acid, and malic acid than in the fruit juice. Dehydration of camu-camu (M. dubia) is a strategy to increase the bioactive compounds stability, modulate the fruit sensory properties, and improve their bioavailability after incorporation in food matrices.

Structural insights into the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway for vitamin C production in the Amazon fruit camu-camu.

l-Ascorbic acid (AsA, vitamin C) is a pivotal dietary nutrient with multifaceted importance in living organisms. In plants, the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway is the primary route for AsA biosynthesis, and understanding the mechanistic details behind its component enzymes has implications for plant biology, nutritional science, and biotechnology. As part of an initiative to determine the structures of all six core enzymes of the pathway, the present study focuses on three of them in the model species Myrciaria dubia (camu-camu): GDP-d-mannose 3',5'-epimerase (GME), l-galactose dehydrogenase (l-GalDH), and l-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (l-GalLDH). We provide insights into substrate and cofactor binding and the conformational changes they induce. The MdGME structure reveals a distorted substrate in the active site, pertinent to the catalytic mechanism. Mdl-GalDH shows that the way in which NAD+ association affects loop structure over the active site is not conserved when compared with its homologue in spinach. Finally, the structure of Mdl-GalLDH is described for the first time. This allows for the rationalization of previously identified residues which play important roles in the active site or in the formation of the covalent bond with FAD. In conclusion, this study enhances our understanding of AsA biosynthesis in plants, and the information provided should prove useful for biotechnological applications.

Protective effect of selenium and vitamin C on the fertility of male rats given penconazole.

OBJECTIVE: Penconazole is used in agriculture and human and veterinary medicine applications. It has been included in the acute toxicity hazard category by the WHO. This study examines the protective effect of selenium and vitamin C on the fertility of male rats given penconazole. METHODS: Nine groups of rats were given penconazole at concentrations of 50 and 75 mg/ml and selenium and vitamin C at concentrations of 0.5 and 100 mg/ml, respectively. Serum levels of LH and FSH were measured with ELISA kits; ß-actin, GPX4, AQP7, PRM2, and BAX gene expression was evaluated with real-time PCR performed on the left testis of each rat. RESULTS: LH, FSH, and testosterone levels were lower in the groups given penconazole (50 and 75 mg/kg). Histopathology showed that the groups given penconazole had the lowest number of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes; these numbers were greater in the groups receiving penconazole together with selenium or vitamin C; and the highest counts were observed in separate groups given Se and vitamin C. GPX4, AQP7, PRM2 and BAX gene expression in the groups receiving penconazole was different from controls and was modulated by treatment with selenium or vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that antioxidant compounds have a strengthening effect on the reproductive system and can mitigate the destructive effects of chemical fungicides.

Combined transcriptomics and proteomics unveil the impact of vitamin C in modulating specific protein abundance in the mouse liver

Background Vitamin C (ascorbate) is a water-soluble antioxidant and an important cofactor for various biosynthetic and regulatory enzymes. Mice can synthesize vitamin C thanks to the key enzyme gulonolactone oxidase (Gulo) unlike humans. In the current investigation, we used Gulo-/- mice, which cannot synthesize their own ascorbate to determine the impact of this vitamin on both the transcriptomics and proteomics profiles in the whole liver. The study included Gulo-/- mouse groups treated with either sub-optimal or optimal ascorbate concentrations in drinking water. Liver tissues of females and males were collected at the age of four months and divided for transcriptomics and proteomics analysis. Immunoblotting, quantitative RT-PCR, and polysome profiling experiments were also conducted to complement our combined omics studies. Results Principal component analyses revealed distinctive differences in the mRNA and protein profiles as a function of sex between all the mouse cohorts. Despite such sexual dimorphism, Spearman analyses of transcriptomics data from females and males revealed correlations of hepatic ascorbate levels with transcripts encoding a wide array of biological processes involved in glucose and lipid metabolisms as well as in the acute-phase immune response. Moreover, integration of the proteomics data showed that ascorbate modulates the abundance of various enzymes involved in lipid, xenobiotic, organic acid, acetyl-CoA, and steroid metabolism mainly at the transcriptional level, especially in females. However, several proteins of the mitochondrial complex III significantly correlated with ascorbate concentrations in both males and females unlike their corresponding transcripts. Finally, poly(ribo)some profiling did not reveal significant enrichment difference for these mitochondrial complex III mRNAs between Gulo-/- mice treated with sub-optimal and optimal ascorbate levels. Conclusions Thus, the abundance of several subunits of the mitochondrial complex III are regulated by ascorbate at the post-transcriptional levels. Our extensive omics analyses provide a novel resource of altered gene expression patterns at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels under ascorbate deficiency.

Effects of an antioxidants cocktail on glucose metabolism at rest, during exercise, and during a glucose load in healthy young subjects

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate glucose metabolism (GM) in skeletal muscle by improving the translocation of GLUT4. Antioxidant supplementation could block this physiological effect, altering glucose signaling during exercise. However, there is limited evidence in humans on whether antioxidant intake affects GM. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effect of an antioxidant cocktail (AOC) on GM at rest and during metabolic challenges. Methods: Ten healthy male subjects received AOC supplementation (1000 mg of Vitamin C, 600 IU of Vitamin E, and 600 mg of α-lipoic acid) or placebo (2.000 mg of talc) before two trials conducted 7 days apart. Trial 1: AOC 120 and 90 minutes before an endurance exercise (EEX) bout at 60 % of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max); Trial 2: AOC 120 and 90 minutes before an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; 75 g glucose). Measurements of gas exchange and capillary blood samples were collected every 15 minutes during both trials. Results: AOC supplementation increased resting glucose levels (p<0.05). During Trial 1 (EEX), the AOC increased carbohydrate oxidation (CHOox) (p= 0.03), without effect in glucose blood levels. During Trial 2 (OGTT), the AOC supplementation had no significant effect on GM parameters. Conclusion: Acute supplementation with AOC increased resting glucose levels and CHOox during EEX in healthy subjects, with no effect on GM during the OGTT.

Antecedentes: Las especies reactivas de oxígeno (ROS) regulan el metabolismo de la glucosa (GM) en el músculo esquelético al mejorar la translocación de GLUT4. La suplementación con antioxidantes podría bloquear este efecto fisiológico, alterando la señalización de la glucosa durante el ejercicio. Sin embargo, existe evidencia limitada en humanos sobre si la ingesta de antioxidantes afecta el GM. Por lo tanto, nuestro objetivo fue determinar el efecto de un cóctel de antioxidantes (AOC) en el GM en reposo y durante desafíos metabólicos. Métodos: Sujetos sanos (sexo masculino; n= 10) recibieron suplementos de AOC (1.000 mg de vitamina C, 600 UI de vitamina E y 600 mg de ácido α-lipoico) o placebo (2.000 mg de talco) previo a dos pruebas realizadas con 7 días de diferencia. Prueba 1: AOC 120 y 90 minutos antes de una serie de ejercicio de resistencia (EEX) al 60% del consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2max); prueba 2: AOC 120 y 90 minutos antes de una prueba de tolerancia oral a la glucosa (OGTT; 75 g de glucosa). Se obtuvieron datos de intercambio de gaseoso y muestras de sangre capilar cada 15 minutos durante ambas pruebas. Resultados: la suplementación con AOC aumentó los niveles de glucosa en reposo (p<0,05). Durante la prueba 1 (EEX), el AOC aumentó la oxidación de carbohidratos (CHOox) (p= 0,03), sin efecto en los niveles de glucosa en sangre. Durante la prueba 2 (OGTT), la suplementación con AOC no tuvo un efecto significativo en los parámetros de GM. Conclusión: Una suplementación aguda con AOC aumentó los niveles de glucosa en reposo y la CHOox durante EEX en sujetos sanos, sin efecto sobre el GM durante la OGTT.

Functional and Antioxidant Evaluation of Two Ecotypes of Control and Grafted Tree Tomato (Solanum betaceum) at Different Altitudes.

Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum) is susceptible to nematode attack; for this reason, grafting is used as an alternative to reduce this impact. In this study, the bioactive compounds of the fruit (shell, pulp, and seed jelly) of two tree tomato ecotypes ('giant orange' and 'giant purple') were evaluated in both control and grafted plants grown at different altitudes (2010-2250, 2260-2500, 2510-2750 and 2760-3000 masl). Commercial quality, vitamin C, organic acids, phenolics, carotenoids and antioxidant activity were determined by microextraction and quantified by liquid chromatography (RRLC) or spectrophotometry (microplate reader). The results showed high concentrations of vitamin C, organic acids and antioxidant activity in the seed jelly, organic acids in the pulp and phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity in the shell. The main phenolics were ferulic acid, caffeic acid and luteolin, while the main carotenoids were lutein, B-cryptoxanthin and B-carotene. Multivariate analysis showed that tree tomato quality was mainly influenced by altitude and fruit part and that grafting positively affected soluble solids for both ecotypes and all altitudes.

Role of vitamin C and SVCT2 in neurogenesis.

Different studies have established the fundamental role of vitamin C in proliferation, differentiation, and neurogenesis in embryonic and adult brains, as well as in in vitro cell models. To fulfill these functions, the cells of the nervous system regulate the expression and sorting of sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter 2 (SVCT2), as well as the recycling of vitamin C between ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) via a bystander effect. SVCT2 is a transporter preferentially expressed in neurons and in neural precursor cells. In developmental stages, it is concentrated in the apical region of the radial glia, and in adult life, it is expressed preferentially in motor neurons of the cerebral cortex, starting on postnatal day 1. In neurogenic niches, SVCT2 is preferentially expressed in precursors with intermediate proliferation, where a scorbutic condition reduces neuronal differentiation. Vitamin C is a potent epigenetic regulator in stem cells; thus, it can induce the demethylation of DNA and histone H3K27m3 in the promoter region of genes involved in neurogenesis and differentiation, an effect mediated by Tet1 and Jmjd3 demethylases, respectively. In parallel, it has been shown that vitamin C induces the expression of stem cell-specific microRNA, including the Dlk1-Dio3 imprinting region and miR-143, which promotes stem cell self-renewal and suppresses de novo expression of the methyltransferase gene Dnmt3a. The epigenetic action of vitamin C has also been evaluated during gene reprogramming of human fibroblasts to induced pluripotent cells, where it has been shown that vitamin C substantially improves the efficiency and quality of reprogrammed cells. Thus, for a proper effect of vitamin C on neurogenesis and differentiation, its function as an enzymatic cofactor, modulator of gene expression and antioxidant is essential, as is proper recycling from DHA to AA by various supporting cells in the CNS.

Use of coconut sugar as an alternative agent in osmotic dehydration of strawberries.

This study aimed to evaluate coconut sugar (CS) as an alternative osmotic agent to sucrose for the osmotic dehydration (OD) of strawberries. OD was performed by immersing strawberries cut into 13.6 ± 0.4 mm edge cubes in osmotic solutions of CS or sucrose, at two different concentrations (40% and 60%, w/w), with and without application of vacuum (AV) in the first 20 min of the process. The total OD time was 300 min. Evaluations of the kinetics of solid gain (SG), water loss (WL), and weight reduction (WR) were performed at 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 min. SG, WL, and WR increased over the OD time and showed values of up to 7.94%, 63.40%, and 55.94%, respectively. AV increased WL, WR, shrinkage, pH, and total color difference and decreased anthocyanin, ascorbic acid (AA), phenolic, and antioxidant contents. The higher concentration led to higher SG, WL, WR, shrinkage, hardness, and lower moisture content, water activity, anthocyanin, AA, phenolic, and antioxidant contents. The use of CS instead of sucrose had little influence on strawberry properties, except pH and color responses. The optimal treatment was using a 60% CS solution without AV, showing a very distinct color change, hardness increased by approximately 4.5 times and maintenance of acidity, anthocyanins, AA, total phenolics, and antioxidants of 38.0%, 39.6%, 11.8%, 30.0%, 31.1%, and 30.3%, respectively, compared to fresh strawberries. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Osmotic dehydration of fruit is a process traditionally carried out using sucrose. However, increasing health concerns have made consumers seek alternative sugars to sucrose. The use of coconut sugar made it possible to produce osmo-dehydrated strawberries different from the traditional one, maintaining product quality and process efficiency.