ABSTRACT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in the activity of pectinases (pectinesterase and polygalacturonase), dietary fiber content (alcohol-insoluble solids, pectin, and total fiber), and physicochemical indices related to the flavor (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, Brix/acid ratio, and reducing and nonreducing sugars) of cubiu fruits (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) at different stages of ripening (green, turning, ripe, and fully ripe). Alcohol-insoluble solids and pectin were very similar, with the highest levels detected at the green and turning stages, and the lowest levels occurring at the fully ripe stage. The amount of total fiber was consistent at the green, turning, and ripe stages, but declined at the fully ripe stage. These changes correlated with the pectinase activities, the profiles of which resembled those of other species of the Solanaceae family during fruit ripening. However, cubiu fruits were significant sources of dietary fiber at all stages. The reducing sugar content reached the highest level at the turning stage, with glucose as the major sugar. The content of nonreducing sugars, such as sucrose, remained low at all stages. The other physicochemical indices displayed increases during ripening, characterizing cubiu as a very acidic fruit with a small degree of sweetness.Keywords: Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal, fruit peel color, pectin concentration, medicinal plants.Mudanças nas pectinases, fibras dietéticas e índices físico-químicos relacionados ao sabor de frutos de cubiu durante a maturação RESUMO. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as mudanças na atividade de pectinases (pectinesterase e poligalacturonase), teor de fibras dietéticas (sólidos insolúveis em álcool, pectina e fibra total) e índices físico-químicos relacionados ao sabor (pH, acidez titulável, sólidos solúveis, relação Brix/acidez, açúcares redutores e não-redutores) de frutos de cubiu (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) em diferentes estádios de maturação (verde, de vez, maduro e muito maduro). Os sólidos insolúveis em álcool e pectina apresentaram perfis muito similares, com teores maiores nos estádios verde e de vez, e menores no estádio muito maduro. Teores de fibra total mostraram-se uniformes nos estádios verde, de vez e maduro, diminuindo no estádio muito maduro. Essas mudanças correlacionaram-se com a atividade das pectinases, cujos perfis assemelharam-se àqueles de outras espécies da família Solanaceae durante a maturação dos frutos. No entanto, os frutos de cubiu apresentaram teores significativos de fibras dietéticas em todos os estádios. O conteúdo de açúcares redutores atingiu teores maiores no estádio de vez, sendo a glicose o açúcar principal. O conteúdo de açúcares não-redutores, como a sacarose, permaneceu baixo em todos os estádios. Os demais índices físico-químicos apresentaram aumento durante a maturação, caracterizando o cubiu como um fruto muito ácido com pequeno grau de doçura.Palavras-chave: Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal, coloração da casca de frutos, concentração de pectina, pl...
Cubiu shrubs (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) have drawn the attention of researchers for their biological versatility (preferential heliophilous or facultative ombrophilous shrubs), their capacity to grow in upland or lowland areas, and the good technological quality of their fruits for the food industry. The aim of this study was to verify physicochemical changes in cubiu fruits during maturation. The fruits were harvested from the experimental station of olericulture of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Brazil. The analyses were performed in whole cubiu fruits (peel, pulp, and placenta) at four traditional ripening stages (green, turning, ripe, and fully ripe) for the determination of weight, moisture, total solids, total carotenoids, proteins, lipids, and ash. Cubiu fruits showed large weight variation, with amodal distribution. The ripe stage was critical to maintain moisture, and from that stage on, water loss became evident. The lipids increased steadily over the four ripening stages, maintaining, however, insignificant calorie content. Total carotenoids, proteins, and ash reached the maximum level at the fully ripe stage. With the exception of weight and moisture, all physicochemical changes exhibited the same general behavior, i.e. they increased as the fruits ripened at the four investigated stages.
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania . In endemic areas, only a portion of exposed subjects develops cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), suggesting that the genetic inheritance of the host plays a vital role in both resistance and susceptibility to the disease. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a cytokine that plays a central role in the regulation of the immune response in infection through the axis IL-2/IL-2R (receptor) complex, triggering a series of intracellular events, among which the signaling of Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT). The present study aimed at verifying the possible relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism (s) (SNP s) in the genes IL-2 , IL-2RB , and JAK3 in subjects with CL caused by Leishmania guyanensis in the city of Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil. 820 patients with CL and 850 healthy subjects (control group) coming from the same endemic areas as the patients were examined. The SNPs -2425G/A (rs4833248) and -330 T/G (rs2069762), located in the IL-2 gene promoter region, seem to influence the expression of the gene and the SNP +10558G/A (rs1003694) and +13295T/C (rs3212760) located in the 3rd intron of the IL-2RB gene and the 13th intron of the JAK3 gene, respectively, were studied by PCR-RFLP. Genotypes and alleles frequencies were obtained by direct counting. For the comparison between the two groups, the χ2 test with OR (odds ratio) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were used. Similar genotypes and alleles frequencies for the different SNPs were observed in both patients with CL and healthy controls. Comparison of genotypic and allelic frequency between patients with CL and healthy subjects did not show any difference. These polymorphisms do not predict susceptibility to, or protection against the development of CL caused by L . guyanensis in the Amazonas.
Carbohydrates (e.g., glucose) and lipids (e.g., free fatty acids or FFAs) are the most important sources of energy for most organisms, including humans. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an extracellular enzyme (EC 3.1.1.34) that is essential in lipoprotein metabolism. LPL is a glycoprotein that is synthesized and secreted in several tissues (e.g., adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and macrophages). At the luminal surface of the vascular endothelium (site of the enzyme action), LPL hydrolyzes triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (e.g., chylomicrons, very lowdensity lipoproteins), providing FFAs and glycerol for tissue use. Therefore, LPL plays a key metabolic role in providing substrates for lipogenesis and lipid storage, and in supplying immediate energy for different tissues. Knowledge about this enzyme has greatly increased over the past decade. A detailed understanding of the fascinating, although complex, apparatus by which LPL exerts its catalytic activity in the turbulent bloodstream is just one of the examples. Additionally, interest in LPL activity has been reinforced by its pathophysiological relevance in chronic degenerative diseases such as dyslipidemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer's disease, and in other contexts of disordered lipid metabolism such as severe hypertriglyceridemia and the (potentially) associated acute pancreatitis as well as in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This work aimed at critically reviewing the current knowledge of historical, terminological, biochemical, pathophysiological, and therapeutic aspects of human LPL activity.
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