Endogenous antioxidants are decreased in skin and blood during UV exposure. Combined supplementation of β-carotene, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid in addition to topical sunscreens may help to lower the risk of sunburning. Acute UV erythema with sunburn reaction are the most important factors in conjunction with the cumulative life-long UV dose for inducing skin damage resulting in photoageing and precancerous and cancerous lesions. Therefore, a clinical, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study was conducted in healthy young female volunteers (skin type II) investigating the preventive, photoprotective effect of supplementation with Seresis^®, an antioxidative combination containing both lipid and water-soluble compounds: carotenoids (β-carotene and lycopene), vitamins C and E, selenium and proanthocyanidins. In this study, the oral administration of Seresis appeared to be well tolerated. The preparation contains antioxidant compounds in quantities occurring at physiological levels and can therefore be used safely over a long period of time. Despite the fact that the assessment of the light sensitivity (minimal erythemal dose, chromametry) of the skin did not show any statistically significant differences between the Seresis and the placebo group, a clear statistical trend, however, could be demonstrated, i.e. Seresis was able to slow down the time of the development and grade of UVB-induced erythema. The primary efficacy parameter matrix metalloproteinases 1 (MMP-1) between treatment and placebo group following UV irradiation showed a significant difference (p < 0.05), which occurred due to the fact that after a 2-week UV irradiation, MMP-1 slightly increased (p < 0.03) in the placebo group and decreased (p < 0.044) in the treated group. The MMP-9 changes showed a clear tendency of decrease in the Seresis group (p < 1.393) and increase (p < 0.048) in the placebo group. These data emphasise that supplementation with Seresis decreases the UV-induced expression of MMP-1 and 9, which might be important in photoprotective processes. From our data, we thus finally draw the conclusion that by the combination of antioxidants, such as in the formulation of Seresis, a selective protection of the skin against irradiation can be achieved. This might be important for future recommendations for immediate suppression of the early phase of UV-induced erythema, that means pharmacological prevention of sunburn reaction as well as subsequent chronic skin damage.

Background: Two German sisters aged 14 and 17 y were admitted to the Tübingen eye hospital with a history of night blindness. In both siblings, plasma retinol binding protein (RBP) concentrations were below the limit of detection (< 0.6 mol/L) and plasma retinol concentrations were extremely low (0.19 mol/L). Interestingly, intestinal absorption of retinyl esters was normal. In addition, other factors associated with low retinol concentrations (eg, low plasma transthyretin or zinc concentrations or mutations in the transthyretin gene) were not present. Neither sibling had a history of systemic disease. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the cause of the retinol deficiency in these 2 siblings. Design: The 2 siblings and their mother were examined clinically, including administration of the relative-dose-response test, DNA sequencing of the RBP gene, and routine laboratory testing. Results: Genomic DNA sequence analysis revealed 2 point mutations in the RBP gene: a T-to-A substitution at nucleotide 1282 of exon 3 and a G-to-A substitution at nucleotide 1549 of exon 4. These mutations resulted in amino acid substitutions of asparagine for isoleucine at position 41 (Ile41→Asn) and of aspartate for glycine at position 74 (Gly74→Asp). Sequence analysis of cloned polymerase chain reaction products spanning exons 3 and 4 showed that these mutations were localized on different alleles. The genetic defect induced severe biochemical vitamin A deficiency but only mild clinical symptoms (night blindness and a modest retinal dystrophy without effects on growth). Conclusions: We conclude that the cellular supply of vitamin A to target tissues might be bypassed in these siblings via circulating retinyl esters, ␤-carotene, or retinoic acid, thereby maintaining the health of peripheral tissues.Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:931-6.

We describe an improved method for the measurement of retinol in dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper. Retinol in human DBS on filter paper was analyzed by normal phase HPLC after a simple extraction method. Retinol associated with its binding protein was eluted from the paper into aqueous solution facilitated by ultrasonic agitation. Retinol associated with retinol binding protein was denatured with acetonitrile, and then retinol was isolated in a single hexane extract and analyzed directly by HPLC. When analyzing DBS, the individual plasma volume of the spots was calculated by measuring the sodium content or by weighing the blood spots. The described method yielded low intra- and interassay variability (<6%), with sufficient sensitivity (detection limit, 0.1 micromol/L) and good recovery (97% spike). Compared with matching plasma samples, DBS retinol consistently decreased 18-23% during the 1st wk of storage. After 1 wk, retinol remained stable in the blood spots at 23 degrees C for >3 mo. In conclusion, the analysis of retinol in DBS by HPLC is comparable to retinol analysis in serum. The variability of the method was reduced by using sodium concentration to estimate sample volume. Collection of DBS for retinol analysis is appropriate under field conditions, where it is difficult to centrifuge or freeze blood samples.

Faba bean (Vicia faba) is a grain legume, which is globally grown for both human consumption as well as feed for livestock. Despite its agro-ecological importance the usage of Vicia faba is severely hampered by its anti-nutritive seed-compounds vicine and convicine (V+C). The genes responsible for a low V+C content have not yet been identified. In this study, we aim to computationally identify regulatory SNPs (rSNPs), i.e., SNPs in promoter regions of genes that are deemed to govern the V+C content of Vicia faba. For this purpose we first trained a deep learning model with the gene annotations of seven related species of the Leguminosae family. Applying our model, we predicted putative promoters in a partial genome of Vicia faba that we assembled from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data. Exploiting the synteny between Medicago truncatula and Vicia faba, we identified two rSNPs which are statistically significantly associated with V+C content. In particular, the allele substitutions regarding these rSNPs result in dramatic changes of the binding sites of the transcription factors (TFs) MYB4, MYB61, and SQUA. The knowledge about TFs and their rSNPs may enhance our understanding of the regulatory programs controlling V+C content of Vicia faba and could provide new hypotheses for future breeding programs.

African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a disease caused by pathogenic trypanosomes which affects millions of livestock every year causing huge economic losses in agricultural production especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is spread by the tsetse fly which carries the parasite in its saliva. During the disease progression, the cattle are prominently subjected to anaemia, weight loss, intermittent fever, chills, neuronal degeneration, congestive heart failure, and finally death. According to their different genetic programs governing the level of tolerance to AAT, cattle breeds are classified as either resistant or susceptible. In this study, we focus on the cattle breeds N’Dama and Boran which are known to be resistant and susceptible to trypanosomiasis, respectively. Despite the rich literature on both breeds, the gene regulatory mechanisms of the underlying biological processes for their resistance and susceptibility have not been extensively studied. To address the limited knowledge about the tissue-specific transcription factor (TF) cooperations associated with trypanosomiasis, we investigated gene expression data from these cattle breeds computationally. Consequently, we identified significant cooperative TF pairs (especially D B P − P P A R A and D B P − T H A P 1 in N’Dama and D B P − P A X 8 in Boran liver tissue) which could help understand the underlying AAT tolerance/susceptibility mechanism in both cattle breeds.