Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and cardiometabolic activities due to its high content of polyphenols. We characterized the chemical composition and assessed the antidiabetic effects of a novel polyphenol-rich extract (PESc) obtained from S. cumini leaf. Rats were injected with alloxan (150 mg/kg, ip, ALX group) and followed up for 7 days. Some were orally treated with PESc (50 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before and after diabetes induction (ALX-PP) or only for 7 days after alloxan injection (ALX-P). ALX-P and ALX-PP decreased fasting glycemia in 37 and 43%, respectively, as compared to ALX. Triglycerides and total cholesterol serum levels were also significantly reduced in comparison to ALX. PESc presented high polyphenol concentration (71.78 ± 8.57 GAE/100 g), with flavonoid content of 8.21 ± 0.42 QE/100 g. Upon HPLC-MS/MS and MS/MS studies, five main polyphenols—gallic acid, quercetin, myricetin, and its derivatives—were identified. Myricetin was predominant (192.70 ± 16.50 μg/mg PESc), followed by measurable amounts of gallic acid (11.15 ± 0.90 μg/mg PESc) and quercetin (4.72 ± 0.06 μg/mg PESc). Kinetic assessment of total antioxidant capacity revealed PESc high potency, since maximum response was reached within 5 min reaction time in a concentration-dependent manner. Specific antioxidant activity of PESc was assessed against both DPPH• and ABTS•+, showing strong activity (IC50: 3.88 ± 1.09 and 5.98 ± 1.19 μg/mL, resp.). PESc also inhibited lipoxygenase activity (IC50: 27.63 ± 8.47), confirming its antioxidant activity also on biologically relevant radicals. Finally, PESc induced insulin secretion by directly stimulating INS-1E β cells in the absence of any cytotoxic effect. Overall, our results support that PESc is a potent antioxidant phytocomplex with potential pharmacological use as a preventive antidiabetic natural product.

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The cleaning of water contaminated with organic dyes is a crucial problem nowadays. The search for good catalysts is intense, and bismuth tungstates have attracted a lot of attention because of their catalytic properties which are related to their crystal structure and morphology. In this study, we show that Bi 2 WO 6 (BWO) crystals synthesized by the surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method create a different morphology than non-assisted crystals. With the assistance of the PVP surfactant, even the BWO crystalline structure could change, crystallizing into a high-symmetry metastable phase. These changes in morphology imply a decrease in BWO catalytic activity, which shows that insightful control of BWO synthesis is necessary to improve the BWO properties. & 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [5,9] and other titanium doped oxides [15-18] being some of the most investigated. Bismuth oxides and derivatives show enormous potential in remediating environments contaminated by organic or inorganic pollutants [19-21]. In particular, tungstates, which constitute another class of metal oxides, are very promising for such applications [22-24]. In particular, bismuth tungstates have attracted attention in the research of nanostructured materials because of their applications as catalysts [25-29]. Bi 2 WO 6 (BWO) has an orthorhombic structure with P2 1 ab space group and belongs to the Aurivillius family of compounds. These compounds have a general formula of (Bi 2 O 2) 2 þ (A n À 1 B n O 3n À 1), where A represents a mono-, bi-, or trivalent ion; B denotes a tetra-, penta-, or hexavalent ion; and n is the BO 6 octahedra number in each pseudo-perovskite block [30]. Many papers have described structural change as a key factor in the enhancement of catalytic properties [19,20]. Therefore, various synthesis methods have been used to obtain new structured materials to enhance the BWO properties [31-33]. The template method, using templates such as ethylene glycol (EG) [34], cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) [35], and glycine (gly) [36], has been widely used to promote structural changes in BWO. The compounds obtained in the presence of Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) is a palm tree native to Brazil and the oil extracted from its fruit is used as a food and for medicinal purposes by the local population. The aim of this study was to analyze the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of buriti oil from fruits collected in the Cerrado of Maranhão. The physicochemical parameters were analyzed according to American Oil Chemists' Society standard methods. The lipid profile and the nutritional quality indexes were determined based on the fatty acid composition obtained by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The levels of bioactive compounds were determined by electronic spectroscopy, and the effects of free antiradicals and antidiabetics were evaluated in vitro using the superoxide radicals and enzymatic methods with α-amylase, respectively. The buriti oil showed good physicochemical and nutritional qualities; a high content of unsaturated fatty acids and total carotenoids; and antioxidant and antidiabetic effects at low oil concentrations. These biological results and the nutritional quality indexes are unpublished data for buriti oil. Therefore, this oil potentially can be identified and used as a food ingredient and for the development of new products.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial, antioxidant and toxicity activity of essential oils (EOs) of Hymenaea courbaril L. var. courbaril bark and Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels leaves. The EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation and chemically characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The ABTS and DPPH assay were used to evaluate antioxidant activity. For the toxicity assay, lethality was evaluated against Artemia salina Leach. For the antimicrobial assay, the method of Disc Diffusion and Dilution in Broth was applied to obtain the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal. The major constituent of the EO of H. courbaril was β-ocimene (23.33%) and the EO of S. cumini was isocaryophyllene (18.01%). Both OE showed relevant antioxidant activity and low toxicity against Artemia salina. The EOs showed bactericidal activity against E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella sp., B. cereus and P. mirabilis. The results obtained are encouraged by the potential use of the OE's studied in the control and fight of pathogenic microorganisms.

Resumo O estudo das condições higiênico sanitárias de alimentos cárneos consumidos crus, como o sashimi, é necessário para definir sua qualidade e possíveis consequências para a saúde humana. Foram coletadas 60 amostras de sashimi de salmão (Salmo salar), de dez restaurantes na cidade de São Luís, Maranhão - Brasil, sendo seis de cada local. As amostras foram analisadas para contagem de coliformes a 35 °C, coliformes a 45 °C e Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e negativa, identificação da presença de Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus e Aeromonas spp, teste de suscetibilidade a antimicrobianos dos isolados e quantificação de histamina nas amostras. Os resultados mostraram elevadas contagens de coliformes a 35 °C e 12 amostras com >102 NMP/g de coliformes a 45 °C, presença de E. coli e de Salmonella sp. em 3 amostras cada, ausência de V. parahaemolyticus e Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase negativa entre <20 e 5,0x104 UFC/g, presença de Aeromonas spp. em 95% das amostras, sendo 60 isolados A. hydrophila e 6 A. caviae. Para suscetibilidade aos antimicrobianos, os isolados de E. coli foram sensíveis a CPM, CTX, LVX, PPT e SUT, dois resistentes a AMP; um resistente a GEN, um a AMI e um a AMC. Os isolados de Salmonella foram sensíveis a AMC, CPM, CFO, CRX, GEN, LVX e PPT, um resistente a AMI e um a AMP e SUT. Os isolados de Aeromonas foram resistentes em média a cinco dos antimicrobianos, sendo a AMP (97%), a CRX (90,9%) e a AMC (77,3%), e 81,8% foram sensíveis ao CPM. Os níveis de histamina variaram de 44,06 ± 0,74 a 505,46 ± 8,83 mg/kg, sendo 21 das amostras com níveis superiores a 100 mg/kg. As amostras apresentaram condições higiênicos sanitárias insatisfatórias e riscos para a saúde pública, por identificação de bactérias patogênicas e elevadas concentrações de histamina capazes de causar intoxicação escombróide, e ainda, isolados com multirresistência aos antimicrobianos testados.

Extractive desulfurization with ionic liquids has attracted significant attention from a growing number of scientists due to the current environmental restrictions on fuel. Protic ionic liquids (PILs) were synthesized via equimolar neutralization of morpholine and formic-based compounds. The obtained PILs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and 1 H NMR spectroscopy and used as a promoter for the room temperature deep desulfurization of model oil and commercial B0S500 diesel. Extractive desulfurization of the model oil in n-octane showed that the alkyl chain length of the ionic liquid [Nmorph] + [HCOO]does not enhance the efficiency of dibenzothiophene (DBT) removal. Regardless, the [Morph] + [HCOO]-IL is the most promising candidate for extractive desulfurization. The best results were obtained using multistage extraction (n = 3) and a 1:1 volume ratio, resulting in a 99.44% removal rate of sulfur compounds. For commercial B0S500 diesel, extraction time significantly influenced the removal of sulfur species. For samples with multistage extraction and a 1:1 volume ratio, [Morph] + [HCOO]removed approximately 47.48% of the sulfur-containing compounds. The recycling study of [Morph] + [HCOO]suggests that the IL remains active for up to three operating cycles without losing efficiency.