We designed an intravitreal injection formulation containing lanosterol nanoparticles (LAN-NPs) via the bead mill method and evaluated the therapeutic effect of LAN-NPs on lens structure collapse and opacification using two rat cataract models (SCR-N, rats with slight lens structure collapse; SCR-C, rats with the combination of a remarkable lens structure collapse and opacification). The particle size of lanosterol in the LAN-NPs was around 50–400 nm. A single injection of LAN-NPs (0.5%) supplied lanosterol into the lens for 48 h, and no irritation or muddiness was observed following repeated injections of LAN-NPs for 6 weeks (once every 2 days). Moreover, LAN-NPs repaired the slight collapse of the lens structure in SCR-N. Although the remarkable changes in the lens structure of SCR-C were not repaired by LAN-NP, the onset of opacification was delayed. In addition, the increase of cataract-related factors (Ca2+ contents, nitric oxide levels, lipid peroxidation and calpain activity levels) in the lenses of SCR-C was attenuated by the repeated injection of LAN-NPs. It is possible that a deficiency of lanosterol promotes the production of oxidative stress. In conclusion, it is difficult to improve serious structural collapse with posterior movement of the lens nucleus with a supplement of lanosterol via LAN-NPs. However, the intravitreal injection of LAN-NPs was found to repair the space and structural collapse in the early stages in the lenses.

Racemic synephrine, which was transformed into diastereomers by derivatization with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-Dglucopyranosil isothiocyanate, was resolved by a reversed phase HPLC with UV detection at 254 nm. The total contents of synephrine enantiomers in citrus fruit samples were exocarp > mesocarp > endocarp > sarcocarp, suggesting that synephrine content of outer side of citrus fruits was higher than that of the inner side. (R)-Synephrine was detected in exocarp of eleven fresh citrus fruits, except for lemon, lime, and grapefruit samples. (S)-Synephrine was determined in the exocarp of four citrus fruits (mikan, orange, bitter orange, and ponkan samples) and the ratio of (S)-synephrine to total synephrine was 0.5 -0.9%. The racemization of (R)-synephrine in aqueous solution during heating at 100 C was also examined. An increase in the heating time brought about an increase in the (S)-synephrine content in a linear fashion. The racemization was found to be significantly reduced by the addition of D-fructose, D-maltose, D-glucose, D-mannose or D-galactose, but not D-sucrose or D-mannitol. It is suggested that the reducibility of sugars may result in the inhibition of racemization.

Maple syrup is a natural sweetener that is commonly consumed worldwide. While maple syrup mainly comprises sucrose, it also contains phytochemicals that present various biological effects. Maple syrup is made by boiling down sap, and its color and composition vary in accordance with the sap collection season. Typically, seasonal progression is associated with darker syrup color, and antioxidant activity is proportional to the increasingly dark color. The authors previously reported that maple syrup demonstrated inhibitory effects on colorectal cancer cell growth and invasion, which correlated with darker maple syrup color. In the present study, they examined the effects of two different grades of maple syrup on gastrointestinal cancer cell proliferation, to investigate whether the dark-color maple syrup was suitable as a phytomedicine for gastrointestinal cancer treatment. Administration of dark-color maple syrup significantly inhibited gastrointestinal cancer cell growth as compared to non-treated cancer cells. Moreover, administration of dark-color maple syrup clearly inhibited protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation and did not impact mitogen-associated protein kinase phosphorylation. These data suggested that dark-color maple syrup may inhibit cell proliferation through suppression of AKT activation and, thus, may be suitable as a phytomedicine for gastrointestinal cancer treatment.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing rapidly and is associated with changes in dietary habits. Although restrictions in the use of sweeteners may prevent the development of DM, this might reduce the quality of life of patients with DM. Therefore, there has been a great deal of research into alternative sweeteners. In the search for such sweeteners, we analyzed the carbohydrate content of maple syrup and identified a novel oligosaccharide composed of fructose and glucose, linked at the C-4 of glucose and the C-6 of fructose. This oligosaccharide inhibited the release of fructose from sucrose by invertase (IC50: 1.17 mmol/L) and the decomposition of maltose by α-(1-4) glucosidase (IC50: 1.72 mmol/L). In addition, when orally administered together with sucrose to rats with DM, the subsequent plasma glucose concentrations were significantly lower than if the rats had been administered sucrose alone, without having any effect on the insulin concentration. These findings suggest that this novel oligosaccharide might represent a useful alternative sweetener for inclusion in the diet of patients with DM and may also have therapeutic benefits.

Fructosyl oligosaccharides, including fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), are gaining popularity as functional oligosaccharides and have been found in various natural products. Our previous study suggested that maple syrup contains an unidentified fructosyl oligosaccharide. Because these saccharides cannot be detected with high sensitivity using derivatization methods, they must be detected directly. As a result, an analytical method based on charged aerosol detection (CAD) that can detect saccharides directly was optimized in order to avoid relying on these structures and physical properties to clarify the profile of fructosyl oligosaccharides in maple syrup. This analytical method is simple and can analyze up to hepta-saccharides in 30 min. This analytical method was also reliable and reproducible with high validation values. It was used to determine the content of saccharides in maple syrup, which revealed that it contained not only fructose, glucose, and sucrose but also FOS such as 1-kestose and nystose. Furthermore, we discovered a fructosyl oligosaccharide called neokestose in maple syrup, which has only been found in a few natural foods. These findings help to shed light on the saccharides profile of maple syrup.