neochlorogenic acid, and rosmarinic acid (max. 724.2, 482.7, 154.7 mg/100 g DW, respectively). Of the examined materials, A. arbutifolia leaves were characterized by the highest total phenolics content (9148.2 mg gal. ac. Eq./100 g DW) and showed the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH and FRAP assays. The results demonstrate that fruits of A. arbutifolia and A. ×prunifolia are a rich source of antioxidants and can be used as plant raw materials, alternatively to A. melanocarpa berries. Leaves of the investigated species are of potential therapeutic and dietary interest because of their high flavonol and phenolic acid content.

The aim of the present study was to measure zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentration in human semen and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in seminal plasma and correlate the results with sperm quality. Semen samples were obtained from men (N = 168) undergoing routine infertility evaluation. The study design included two groups based on the ejaculate parameters. Group I (n = 39) consisted of males with normal ejaculate (normozoospermia), and group II (n = 129) consisted of males with pathological spermiogram. Seminal Zn and Fe were measured in 162 samples (group I, n = 38; group II, n = 124) and SOD activity in 149 samples (group I, n = 37; group II, n = 112). Correlations were found between SOD activity and Fe and Zn concentration, and between Fe and Zn concentration. SOD activity was negatively associated with volume of semen and positively associated with rapid progressive motility, nonprogressive motility, and concentration. Negative correlation was stated between Fe concentration and normal morphology. Mean SOD activity in seminal plasma of semen from men of group I was higher than in seminal plasma of semen from men of group II. Fe concentration was higher in teratozoospermic males than in males with normal morphology of spermatozoa in group II. Our results suggest that Fe may influence spermatozoa morphology.

Schisandra chinensis plant in vitro cultures were maintained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 3 mg/l 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 1 mg/l 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in an agar system and also in two different liquid systems: stationary and agitated. Liquid cultures were grown in batch (30 and 60 days) and fed-batch modes. In the methanolic extracts from lyophilized biomasses and in the media, quantification of fourteen dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans identified based on co-chromatography with authentic standards using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and/or liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS) methods. For comparison purposes, phytochemical analyses were performed of lignans in the leaves and fruits of the parent plant. The main lignans detected in the biomass extracts from all the tested systems were schisandrin (max. 65.62 mg/100 g dry weight (DW)), angeloyl-/tigloylgomisin Q (max. 49.73 mg/100 g DW), deoxyschisandrin (max. 43.65 mg/100 g DW), and gomisin A (max. 34.36 mg/100 g DW). The highest total amounts of lignans in the two tested stationary systems were found in extracts from the biomass harvested after 30 days of batch cultivation: 237.86 mg/100 g DW and 274.65 mg/100 g DW, respectively. In the agitated culture, the total content reached a maximum value of 244.80 mg/100 g DW after 60 days of the fed-batch mode of cultivation. The lignans were not detected in the media. This is the first report which documents the potential usefulness of S. chinensis shoot cultures cultivated in liquid systems for practical purposes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00253-015-7230-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Rosa canina L. (dog rose) is a rich source of phenolic compounds that offer great hope for the prevention of chronic human diseases. Herein, wild and commercial samples of dog rose were chemically characterized with respect to their phenolic composition by liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI/MS). Furthermore, in vitro antioxidant properties and antibacterial activity of dog rose fruits and leaves hydromethanolic extracts and infusions were also evaluated. The results revealed that wild and commercial fruits of dog rose are similar in terms of l(+)-ascorbic acid, total phenolics (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC) and total phenolic acids (TPAC) content, individual phenolic constituents and antioxidant activity. Moreover, the fruits had lower levels of phenolic compounds and also revealed lower biological activity than the leaves. On the other hands, the highest content of TPC, TFC, TPAC, individual phenolic constituents, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) were found in the leaf’s infusions. They were also the only ones to show antibacterial activity. Overall, these finding confirmed usefulness of R. canina L. leaves and fruits as a rich source of bioactive phenolic compounds with potential use in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

We analyzed cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) concentrations in human semen and catalase CAT activity in seminal plasma and the effects of their relations on the sperm quality. We obtained semen samples from men (n = 168) undergoing routine infertility evaluation. Studies included two groups based on the ejaculate parameters: I (n = 39; normal ejaculate; normozoospermia); II (n = 129; pathological spermiogram). We examined relationships and differences between Co, Cr, and Pb concentrations in seminal plasma, CAT activity, and semen parameters. We did not establish differences in Co, Cr, and Pb concentrations and CAT activity from men between normozoospermic and those with pathological spermiogram. We found a significantly lower Co concentration and CAT activity in males with normal sperm motility than in asthenozoospermic males. We found significantly lower Co and a higher Pb concentration in males with normal morphology of spermatozoa than in teratozoospermic males. We found a significantly higher Pb concentration in the individuals with consumption of alcohol than in those without consumption. There were significant correlations between Co and Pb concentrations, sperm progressive motility (A + B, i.e., fast and slow progressive motility; Co-negatively; Pb-positively), and normal morphology of spermatozoa (Co-negatively; Pb-positively). We found a significant negative correlation between Cr concentration and slow progressive motility, and between CAT activity and volume of ejaculate. Co, Cr, and Pb levels and CAT activity were related to sperm characteristics and male fertility. The impact of alcohol may be manifested by a disturbance in Pb equilibrium in the body. Co and Pb influence progressive motility and normal morphology of human spermatozoa. Thus, Co and Pb levels in semen may be a useful diagnostic in male infertility. Most of the results of this study are in contrast to expectations. Namely, Pb is a toxic element and its harmful effects (poor semen quality) may be expected already at relatively low level of Pb exposure and are particularly visible with increasing of Pb. Co and Cr(III) are essential elements and harmful effects may be expected at their deficiency and/or overexposure.

The content of certain ingredients of human milk, such as flavonoids, depend on the types and amounts of plant products consumed and may vary from woman to woman. The aim of the study was to determine to what extent consumption of an average amount of grapefruit juice (250 ml) affected naringenin content in human milk. A total of 14 breastfeeding mothers were included in the study. The subjects remained on a diet with restricted intake of naringenin for a total of five days except on the third day, when they drank a single serving of 250 ml of grapefruit juice. A considerable subject-to-subject variability in naringenin content was observed in both initial and subsequent determinations. Baseline concentration values, which may reflect naringenin content in the milk produced by the breastfeeding mother who eat an everyday (unmodified) diet, ranged from 420.86 nmol/l to 1568.89 nmol/l, with a mean of 823.24 nmol/l. Switching to the modified diet resulted in a decrease in naringenin concentrations to the mean value of 673.89 nmol/l measured 48 hours after the switch. The highest mean values were observed four and 12 hours after consumption of the juice, equalling 908.25 nmol/l (SD ± 676.84 nmol/l) and 868.96 nmol/l (SD ± 665.54 nmol/l), respectively. Naringenin is commonly found in human milk in quantities expressed in nmol/l, and its concentrations vary from woman to woman. Consumption of 250 ml of red grapefruit juice by breastfeeding mothers does not significantly alter naringenin concentrations in their milk.

The aim of the present study was to measure lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd) concentrations in human semen and correlate the results with sperm quality. The median semen content of La was 19.5 µg kg−1 dry weight (dw) (range 2.27–269), of Ce was 41.9 µg kg−1 dw (range 4.52 to 167), of Eu was 0.68 µg kg−1 dw (range 0.06–1.95), of Gd was 3.19 µg kg−1 dw (range 0.38–12.0), and of calcium (Ca) was 4063 mg kg−1 dw (range 484–17,191). Concentrations of La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca were significantly lower in nondrinkers’ semen than in semen from drinkers. Significant differences were detected between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen from nondrinkers and moderate drinkers. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd in semen of short-term smokers were significantly lower than those in extremely long-term smokers. Significant differences were also detected between La concentration in semen from a group of short-term smokers and that of a group of long-term smokers. Positive correlations were found between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen. La, Ce, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen were positively associated with progressive motility and percentage of normal spermatozoa. Positive correlations were found between Ca and sperm concentration. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd were negatively associated with sperm concentration, whilst Ca concentration was negatively associated with volume of ejaculate. At the examined level, La, Ce, Eu, and Gd did not affect sperm quality, whereas alcohol consumption and smoking might have increased the level of rare earth elements in semen.

Examination of semen characteristics is routinely performed for fertility status investigation of the male partner of an infertile couple as well as for evaluation of the sperm donor candidate. A useful tool for preliminary assessment of semen characteristics might be an artificial neural network. Thus, the aim of the present study was to construct an artificial neural network, which could be used for predicting the result of semen analysis based on the basic questionnaire data.On the basis of eleven survey questions two models of artificial neural networks to predict semen parameters were developed. The first model aims to predict the overall performance and profile of semen. The second network was developed to predict the concentration of sperm.The network to evaluate sperm concentration proved to be the most efficient. 92.93% of the patients in the learning process were properly qualified for the group with a correct or incorrect result, while the result for the test set was 85.71%. This study suggests that an artificial neural network based on eleven survey questions might be a valuable tool for preliminary evaluation and prediction of the semen profile. Highlights:• We build two models of ANNs to predict (1) the overall performance and quality of semen, and (2) the concentration of sperm. • Evaluation of semen quality and sperm parameters might be performed on the basis of eleven survey questions. • Both models of ANNs are characterized by high values of evaluation indicators of effectiveness of the method.Original research article oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (WHO, 2010). Seminal characteristics might be affected by several factors, including age, weight, psychological stress, environmental and occupational factors (e.g. air pollution, heavy metals), or a certain lifestyle (e.g. recreational and prescription substances, exercise)