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Fruit ripening: dynamics and integrated analysis of carotenoids and anthocyanins.
Kapoor, L, Simkin, AJ, George Priya Doss, C, Siva, R
BMC plant biology. 2022;(1):27
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fruits are vital food resources as they are loaded with bioactive compounds varying with different stages of ripening. As the fruit ripens, a dynamic color change is observed from green to yellow to red due to the biosynthesis of pigments like chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. Apart from making the fruit attractive and being a visual indicator of the ripening status, pigments add value to a ripened fruit by making them a source of nutraceuticals and industrial products. As the fruit matures, it undergoes biochemical changes which alter the pigment composition of fruits. RESULTS The synthesis, degradation and retention pathways of fruit pigments are mediated by hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors. Manipulation of the underlying regulatory mechanisms during fruit ripening suggests ways to enhance the desired pigments in fruits by biotechnological interventions. Here we report, in-depth insight into the dynamics of a pigment change in ripening and the regulatory mechanisms in action. CONCLUSIONS This review emphasizes the role of pigments as an asset to a ripened fruit as they augment the nutritive value, antioxidant levels and the net carbon gain of fruits; pigments are a source for fruit biofortification have tremendous industrial value along with being a tool to predict the harvest. This report will be of great utility to the harvesters, traders, consumers, and natural product divisions to extract the leading nutraceutical and industrial potential of preferred pigments biosynthesized at different fruit ripening stages.
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Inflammatory markers response to crocin supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial.
Behrouz, V, Sohrab, G, Hedayati, M, Sedaghat, M
Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2021;(7):4022-4031
Abstract
Inflammation and oxidative stress is a risk factor for the development of long-term consequences in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was designed to investigate the effects of crocin consumption on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in patients with T2DM. In this clinical trial with a parallel-group design, 50 patients with T2DM were randomly assigned to either the crocin or the placebo group. The crocin group received 15 mg crocin twice daily, whereas the placebo group received corresponding placebos. At baseline and the end of week 12, serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-ɑ (TNF-ɑ), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. Compared with placebo group, crocin reduced hs-CRP (-1.03 vs. 1.42, p = .007), TNF-ɑ (-0.8 vs. 0.28, p = .009), and NF-κB (-0.39 vs. 0.01, p = .047) after 12 weeks intervention; these improvements were also significant in comparison with the baseline values. Plasma IL-6 decreased significantly in the crocin group at the end of week 12 compared to baseline (p = .037), whereas no significant change was observed in the placebo group. Plasma concentration of MDA did not change within and between groups after intervention. This study indicates that daily administration of 30 mg crocin supplement to patients with T2DM reduces the concentrations of hs-CRP, TNF-ɑ, and NF-κB which are involved in the pathogenesis of complications of T2DM.
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Annatto hypersensitivity after oral ingestion confirmed by placebo-controlled oral challenge.
Sadowska, B, Sztormowska, M, Chełmińska, M
Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. 2021;(4):510-511
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Carotenoids from Cyanobacteria: Biotechnological Potential and Optimization Strategies.
Pagels, F, Vasconcelos, V, Guedes, AC
Biomolecules. 2021;(5)
Abstract
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoids molecules present in all photosynthetic organisms, responsible for better light-harvesting and energy dissipation in photosynthesis. In cyanobacteria, the biosynthetic pathway of carotenoids is well described, and apart from the more common compounds (e.g., β-carotene, zeaxanthin, and echinenone), specific carotenoids can also be found, such as myxoxanthophyll. Moreover, cyanobacteria have a protein complex called orange carotenoid protein (OCP) as a mechanism of photoprotection. Although cyanobacteria are not the organism of choice for the industrial production of carotenoids, the optimisation of their production and the evaluation of their bioactive capacity demonstrate that these organisms may indeed be a potential candidate for future pigment production in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable approach of biorefinery. Carotenoids-rich extracts are described as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumoral agents and are proposed for feed and cosmetical industries. Thus, several strategies for the optimisation of a cyanobacteria-based bioprocess for the obtention of pigments were described. This review aims to give an overview of carotenoids from cyanobacteria not only in terms of their chemistry but also in terms of their biotechnological applicability and the advances and the challenges in the production of such compounds.
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Rhodotorula toruloides: an ideal microbial cell factory to produce oleochemicals, carotenoids, and other products.
Zhao, Y, Song, B, Li, J, Zhang, J
World journal of microbiology & biotechnology. 2021;(1):13
Abstract
Requirement of clean energy sources urges us to find substitutes for fossil fuels. Microorganisms provide an option to produce feedstock for biofuel production by utilizing inexpensive, renewable biomass. Rhodotorula toruloides (Rhodosporidium toruloides), a non-conventional oleaginous yeast, can accumulate intracellular lipids (single cell oil, SCO) more than 70% of its cell dry weight. At present, the SCO-based biodiesel is not a price-competitive fuel to the petroleum diesel. Many efforts are made to cut the cost of SCO by strengthening the performance of genetically modified R. toruloides strains and by valorization of low-cost biomass, including crude glycerol, lignocellulosic hydrolysates, food and agro waste, wastewater, and volatile fatty acids. Besides, optimization of fermentation and SCO recovery processes are carefully studied as well. Recently, new R. toruloides strains are developed via metabolic engineering and synthetic biology methods to produce value-added chemicals, such as sesquiterpenes, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, carotenoids, and building block chemicals. This review summarizes recent advances in the main aspects of R. toruloides studies, namely, construction of strains with new traits, valorization of low-cost biomass, process detection and optimization, and product recovery. In general, R. toruloides is a promising microbial cell factory for production of biochemicals.
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6.
Carotenoid Biosynthesis and Plastid Development in Plants: The Role of Light.
Quian-Ulloa, R, Stange, C
International journal of molecular sciences. 2021;(3)
Abstract
Light is an important cue that stimulates both plastid development and biosynthesis of carotenoids in plants. During photomorphogenesis or de-etiolation, photoreceptors are activated and molecular factors for carotenoid and chlorophyll biosynthesis are induced thereof. In fruits, light is absorbed by chloroplasts in the early stages of ripening, which allows a gradual synthesis of carotenoids in the peel and pulp with the onset of chromoplasts' development. In roots, only a fraction of light reaches this tissue, which is not required for carotenoid synthesis, but it is essential for root development. When exposed to light, roots start greening due to chloroplast development. However, the colored taproot of carrot grown underground presents a high carotenoid accumulation together with chromoplast development, similar to citrus fruits during ripening. Interestingly, total carotenoid levels decrease in carrots roots when illuminated and develop chloroplasts, similar to normal roots exposed to light. The recent findings of the effect of light quality upon the induction of molecular factors involved in carotenoid synthesis in leaves, fruit, and roots are discussed, aiming to propose consensus mechanisms in order to contribute to the understanding of carotenoid synthesis regulation by light in plants.
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Plant apocarotenoids: from retrograde signaling to interspecific communication.
Moreno, JC, Mi, J, Alagoz, Y, Al-Babili, S
The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology. 2021;(2):351-375
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Abstract
Carotenoids are isoprenoid compounds synthesized by all photosynthetic and some non-photosynthetic organisms. They are essential for photosynthesis and contribute to many other aspects of a plant's life. The oxidative breakdown of carotenoids gives rise to the formation of a diverse family of essential metabolites called apocarotenoids. This metabolic process either takes place spontaneously through reactive oxygen species or is catalyzed by enzymes generally belonging to the CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE family. Apocarotenoids include the phytohormones abscisic acid and strigolactones (SLs), signaling molecules and growth regulators. Abscisic acid and SLs are vital in regulating plant growth, development and stress response. SLs are also an essential component in plants' rhizospheric communication with symbionts and parasites. Other apocarotenoid small molecules, such as blumenols, mycorradicins, zaxinone, anchorene, β-cyclocitral, β-cyclogeranic acid, β-ionone and loliolide, are involved in plant growth and development, and/or contribute to different processes, including arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis, abiotic stress response, plant-plant and plant-herbivore interactions and plastid retrograde signaling. There are also indications for the presence of structurally unidentified linear cis-carotene-derived apocarotenoids, which are presumed to modulate plastid biogenesis and leaf morphology, among other developmental processes. Here, we provide an overview on the biology of old, recently discovered and supposed plant apocarotenoid signaling molecules, describing their biosynthesis, developmental and physiological functions, and role as a messenger in plant communication.
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Amelioration of anxiety, depression, and chemotherapy related toxicity after crocin administration during chemotherapy of breast cancer: A double blind, randomized clinical trial.
Salek, R, Dehghani, M, Mohajeri, SA, Talaei, A, Fanipakdel, A, Javadinia, SA
Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2021;(9):5143-5153
Abstract
The effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on mood disorders have already been established. More recently, its anti-neoplastic effects have provoked a great attention. This study aims to assess the effects of crocin administration during doxorubicin-based chemotherapy of breast cancer on anxiety, depression, and chemotherapy toxicity profile. Seventy-two patients with non-metastatic Her2/neu positive or triple negative breast cancer were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg/day of crocin or placebo during chemotherapy [2:2]. Beck's Depression and Anxiety Inventories were used at baseline and end of the trial. In addition, the ECOG Common Toxicity Criteria were applied to assess chemotherapy side-effects. After the intervention, the degree of anxiety and depression decreased significantly in the crocin group (p = .001 for both) and increased significantly in the placebo-group (p = .006 and p = .036, respectively). There were significantly higher grade II-IV leukopenia (47.2% vs. 19.4%, p = .012) in the crocin group, and grade II-IV hypersensitivity-reaction (30.6% vs. 5.6%, p = .006) in addition to neurological disorders (66.7% vs. 41.7%, p = .03) in the placebo-group. The results indicate that using crocin during chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer has ameliorated anxiety and depression. Moreover, leucopenia increased whereas hypersensitivity reaction and neurological disorders decreased in the crocin group. In addition, a trend toward survival improvement was observed, which is going to be investigated on longer follow up.
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Changes in Parent and Child Skin Carotenoids, Weight, and Dietary Behaviors over Parental Weight Management.
Pratt, KJ, Hill, EB, Kiser, HM, VanFossen, CE, Braun, A, Taylor, CA, Spees, C
Nutrients. 2021;(7)
Abstract
(1) The objective was to determine changes in parent-child (ages 7-18) dyad skin carotenoids spanning parental participation in a medical weight management program (WMP), and associations with parent BMI, child BMIz, fruit/vegetable intake, and family meals and patterns. (2) The study design was a longitudinal dyadic observational study with assessment at WMP initiation, mid-point (3-months), and conclusion (6-months). Twenty-three dyads initiated the study, 16 provided assessments at 3 months, and 11 at program conclusion. Associations between parent and child carotenoids (dependent variables) and parent BMI, child BMIz, increases in fruit/vegetable intake, and family meals and patterns were analyzed using Pearson's correlations and independent samples t-tests. Repeated measures ANOVA assessed changes in weight status and carotenoids. (3) Parents experienced significant declines in BMI and skin carotenoid levels over 6 months. Parent and child carotenoids were correlated at each assessment. At initiation, parent BMI and carotenoids were inversely correlated, child carotenoids were associated with increased family meals, and never consuming an evening fast food or restaurant meal were associated with increased parent and child carotenoids. (4) Results demonstrate skin carotenoids are strongly correlated within dyads and may be associated with lower parental BMI and positive family meal practices.
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Total carotenoid intake is associated with reduced loss of grip strength and gait speed over time in adults: The Framingham Offspring Study.
Sahni, S, Dufour, AB, Fielding, RA, Newman, AB, Kiel, DP, Hannan, MT, Jacques, PF
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2021;(2):437-445
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Lower antioxidant serum concentrations have been linked to declines in lean mass and physical function in older adults. Yet population data on the effect of dietary antioxidants on loss of muscle strength and physical function are lacking. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the association of antioxidant intake [vitamin C, vitamin E, and total and individual carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin)] with annualized change in grip strength and gait speed in adults from the Framingham Offspring study. METHODS This prospective cohort study included participants with a valid FFQ at the index examination and up to 2 prior examinations and at ≥2 measures of primary outcomes: grip strength (n = 2452) and/or gait speed (n = 2422) measured over 3 subsequent examinations. Annualized change in grip strength (kg/y) and change in gait speed (m/s/y) over the follow-up period were used. Linear regression was used to calculate β coefficients and P values, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS Mean ± SD age of participants was 61 ± 9 y (range: 33-88 y). Median intakes (IQR, mg/d) of vitamin C, vitamin E, and total carotenoid across available examinations were 209.2 (133.1-394.2), 27.1 (7.4-199.0), and 15.3 (10.4-21.3), respectively. The mean follow-up time was ∼12 ± 2 y (range: 4.5-15.4 y). In the sex-combined sample, higher intakes of total carotenoids, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin were associated with increased annualized change in grip strength [β (SE) per 10-mg higher intake/d, range: 0.0316 (0.0146) to 0.1223 (0.0603) kg/y)]. All antioxidants except for vitamin C were associated with faster gait speed [β (SE) per 10-mg higher intake/d, range: 0.00008 (0.00004) to 0.0187 (0.0081) m/s/y]. CONCLUSIONS Higher antioxidant intake was associated with increase in grip strength and faster gait speed in this cohort of adults. This finding highlights the need for a randomized controlled trial of dietary antioxidants and their effect on muscle strength and physical function.