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The effects of the number of imidazoline ring and the length of alkyl group chain of imidazoline derivatives were investigated using quantum chemical calculation, molecular dynamics simulation and experimental techniques. Three corrosion inhibitors including Symmetrical lauric acid imidazoline (SAI), Tetracyclic lauric acid imidazoline (LAI), and Symmetric stearic acid imidazoline (SPI) were synthesized and their inhibition performance was evaluated using weight loss measurement, electrochemical techniques and surface characterization. The results show that SAI and LAI with the same length of alkyl group chain, LAI with more imidazoline rings could supply a better inhibition performance since the increase of active sites. The increase of active sites attached to the metal surface may also change the distribution of corrosion inhibitor, which could limit inhibition performance improvement. While, SAI and SPI with the same number of imidazoline rings, SPI with longer alkyl group chain shows a better inhibition efficiency due to the better hydrophobic performance of alkyl groups. Among the three inhibitors, SPI show the best inhibition performance, indicating that the alkyl group chain length affects the inhibition performance more obvious than the number of the imidazoline rings.

In this study, sunflower oil oleogels were developed with lauric acid, Span 60, and Pluronic F68 (10% poloxamer 188). Physicochemical, thermal, structural, and rheological properties of the oleogels were determined. The gel formation time of oleogels containing only LA (20%) was shorter than oleogels containing 15% LA and 5% emulsifiers, and an increase in LA concentration shortened the gel formation time. While there were differences in the color values of the oleogels depending on the LA concentration and emulsifier type, the oil binding capacity of all oleogel samples were quite high. The crystalline structures were observed under polarized light microscope, and the X-ray diffraction patterns proved the existence of β and β՛ polymorph crystals. Rheological analyses indicated that oleogels had good structural recovery ability. Further, addition of emulsifier allowed oleogel formation with lower concentrations of LA, and at the same time the gel stability was enhanced with emulsifier., Bu çalışmada laurik asit (LA) oleojelatörü Span 60 ve Pluronic F68 (%10 poloksamer 188) emülgatörleriyle birlikte kullanılarak ayçiçek yağı oleojelleri geliştirilmiştir. Geliştirilen oleojellerin fizikokimyasal, termal, yapısal ve reolojik özellikleri belirlenmiştir. Sadece LA içeren (%20) oleojellerin jel oluşum zamanının %15 LA ve %5 emülgatör içeren oleojellerden daha kısa olduğu, LA konsantrasyonundaki artışın jel yapı oluşum zamanını kısalttığı gözlenmiştir. LA konsantrasyonu ve emülgatör çeşidine bağlı olarak oleojellerin renk değerlerinde farklılıklar görülürken tüm oleojel örneklerinin yağ bağlama kapasitelerinin yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Polarize ışık mikroskobu görüntülerinde oleojellerin ince kristal yapılar oluşturduğu gözlenirken, X-ışını kırınım deseni β ve β՛ polimorf kristallerinin varlığını kanıtlamıştır. Reolojik analizlerle geliştirilen oleojellerinin yapısal geri dönüşüm yeteneğinin olduğu belirlenmiştir. Emülgatör ilavesinin daha düşük konsantrasyonlarda LA ile oleojel oluşumuna olanak sunduğu, aynı zamanda daha dayanıklı jel yapı oluşturabildiği reolojik testlerle tespit edilmiştir.

Hypothesis Actualization of the hydrogen (H2) economy and decarbonization goals can be achieved with feasible large-scale H2 geo-storage. Geological formations are heterogeneous, and their wetting characteristics play a crucial role in the presence of H2, which controls the pore-scale distribution of the fluids and sealing capacities of caprocks. Organic acids are readily available in geo-storage formations in minute quantities, but they highly tend to increase the hydrophobicity of storage formations. However, there is a paucity of data on the effects of organic acid concentrations and types on the H2-wettability of caprock-representative minerals and their attendant structural trapping capacities. Experiment Geological formations contain organic acids in minute concentrations, with the alkyl chain length ranging from C4 to C26. To fully understand the wetting characteristics of H2 in a natural geological picture, we aged mica mineral surfaces as a representative of the caprock in varying concentrations of organic molecules (with varying numbers of carbon atoms, lignoceric acid C24, lauric acid C12, and hexanoic acid C6) for 7 days. To comprehend the wettability of the mica/H2/brine system, we employed a contact-angle procedure similar to that in natural geo-storage environments (25, 15, and 0.1 MPa and 323 K). Findings At the highest investigated pressure (25 MPa) and the highest concentration of lignoceric acid (10−2 mol/L), the mica surface became completely H2 wet with advancing ( θ a = 106.2°) and receding ( θ r = 97.3°) contact angles. The order of increasing θ a and θ r with increasing organic acid contaminations is as follows: lignoceric acid > lauric acid > hexanoic acid. The results suggest that H2 gas leakage through the caprock is possible in the presence of organic acids at higher physio-thermal conditions. The influence of organic contamination inherent at realistic geo-storage conditions should be considered to avoid the overprediction of structural trapping capacities and H2 containment security.

This study reports the fabrication of a novel photothermal material formed via the physical blending of excess lauric acid (LA) and cupric acetate, followed by efficient ligand exchange. Surprising...

The lower viscosity character of fatty acid solution has been interested as in situ forming film (ISF) oral spray owing to its ease of spraying. Thus, the present experiment prepared ISF oral spray formula comprising different proportions of lauric acid (L) and palmitic acid (P) and their pH, density, viscosity, contact angle, surface tension and spray angle were determined. The higher L amount decreased density, pH, contact angle and spray angle as well as increased the gelation and matrix film formation. Although the increasing trend of viscosity was observed when L amount was increased, the viscosity in all prepared ISF was still apparently low. Clotrimazole-loaded ISF oral spray comprising 1: 1 L: P at 40% and 50% w/w exhibited a gelation at once upon contacted with phosphate buffer pH 6.8. The adhesion test proved the prominent adhesiveness on tongue tissue rather than on buccal tissue. Thus, these developed ISF oral spray solutions could be potential as ISF oral spray for treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.

In the present study, nanoparticles of MgO, TiO2, and Graphite with mass ratios of 3, 5, 7, and 10% were added to the structure of the synthesized Lauric acid (LA) microcapsules, and the effect of nanoparticles on the thermal properties of microencapsulated Lauric acid as non-toxic phase change material for energy storage applications was investigated. The microcapsules containing nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion polymerization of Styrene as the shell. The microencapsulation ratio (E.R) of LA increases with the amount of MgO and TiO2. However, the microencapsulation ratio was reduced by increasing the mass ratio of nano graphite. The highest microencapsulation ratio (69.90%) belonged to the microcapsules containing 10% of titanium oxide nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that microcapsules obtained containing TiO2 were spherical with a smooth surface and narrow particle size distribution. The thermal stability and thermal conductivity coefficient for the pure LA, microencapsulated LA with/without nanoparticles were examined. The thermal stability improved with the increasing mass ratio of the nanoparticles, no considerably. The microcapsules with 10% of TiO2 nanoparticles had higher thermal stability. The weight loss temperatures in the first and second steps are 287 °C and 435 °C, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the lauric acid was increased by microencapsulation from 0.146 W/m.K to 0.149 W/m.K. The thermal conductivity coefficient of microcapsules increased by adding nanoparticles. Finally, the thermal energy storage performance of the obtained samples was evaluated in a designed experimental setup. The decrement percentage of the onset of the melting process time for lauric acid microcapsules and the microcapsules containing graphite nanoparticles, titanium oxide, and magnesium oxide were 1.2, 4.7, 8.5, and 16.7%, respectively.

The development of plant-based milks for use as functional foods is relatively new and challenging. The objective of this work was to develop and characterize two coconut milk products fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri LR 92. The best proportion of gums to promote greater viscosity and absence of syneresis of the beverage was 0.15% xanthan gum (w/v) and 0.05% guar gum (w/v). Two products were formulated: fermented coconut milk (FC) and fermented coconut milk with strawberry pulp (FCS). After gastrointestinal simulation, a high survival rate of L. reuteri was found for the products, with 81.63 ± 0.58% for FC and 74.17 ± 1.65% for FCS. In the hedonic acceptance sensory test (total 9 points), the products obtained global scores above 7.5. In the attitude scale test (total 7 points), 5.10 ± 1.28 for FC and 5.48 ± 1.30 for FCS. Among the fatty acids detected, the products had a higher percentage of lauric acid, with values ranging from 37.89 ± 0.89% to 44.45 ± 3.16%. The FC and FCS products showed promising results, indicating that fermented coconut milk beverages are suitable for the development of new functional products with high acceptability by the consumer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05303-1.

Two new bisabolane derivatives, trichobisabolins M (1) and N (2), one new steroid derivative, 4-(p-hydroxyphenethoxy)demethylincisterol A3 (3), and one new lauric acid derivative, methyl 3,5-dihydroxydodecanoate (4), as well as (3R,5R)-3-hydroxy-5-dodecanolide (5) were isolated from the marine-alga-endophytic Trichoderma atroviride RR-dl-3−9. Their structures and relative configurations were assigned mainly by NMR and mass spectroscopic techniques, and their absolute configurations were confirmed on the basis of specific optical rotation, ECD, and X-ray crystallographic data. Compounds 1 and 2 represent the first occurrence of bisabolane derivatives from this species. The five isolates were assayed for inhibiting four marine phytoplankton and five marine-derived bacteria, and the two lauric acid derivatives showed antibacterial activities with MIC values ranging from 13 to 50 μg/mL.

Changes in the fatty acid (FA) composition of total lipids of Pinus sylvestris needles at different pollution levels caused by emissions from a large aluminum smelter (BrAS) have been studied. In the needles of trees from unpolluted (background) territories, the FA spectrum is represented by 24 acids with prevalence of unsaturated FAs (71.6%). The main unsaturated FA are represented by oleic (C18: 1ω9), linoleic (C18: 2ω6), and α-linolenic (C18: 3ω3) acids. Under the influence of BrAS emissions, the total amount of identified FAs in the needles and the proportion of unsaturated FAs decrease, while the fraction of saturated FAs, on the contrary, increases from 25.4% in unpolluted needles to 33.2% in polluted ones. The content of palmitic FA (C16:0) in the needles exceeds background values by 1.5 times, behenic acid (C22:0) – by 1.6–2.5 times, arachidic acid (C20:0) – by 1.5 times, palmitic margaric acid (C17:0) – by 1.5–2.3 times. These FAs play the important role in the protection of plant membranes from the effects of abiotic stress factors, making them less permeable. The sum of short-chain saturated FAs (C12:0, C14:0, C15:0) increase by 4.8 times in needles of trees that are highly polluted. Pentadecanoic (C15:0) acid is found in the needles only in the background areas and at the low pollution level. With a more severe pollution, C15:0 is not identified, but lauric acid with the cis-configuration of double bonds in the structure (izo-C12:0) appears. The presence of “relict” ∆5-polymethylene FAs in the composition of pine needle membrane lipids is determined. In the background areas, they account for 12.9% of the total FAs. With the industrial pollution intensification, their total content increases and reaches 14.1%. ∆5-polymethylene FAs are also able to protect membranes against negative influences. Thus, changes in the quantitative and qualitative FA composition of pine needle total lipids indicate the activation of the stabilization mechanisms of membrane lipids due to their tight packing in a bilayer. It is one of the adaptive reactions of Pinus sylvestris in response to the impact of the aluminum industry emissions.

The pristine attapulgite (Atta) was pretreated by thermal and acid activation process in order to improve the loading capacity of phase change material (PCM). A series of pretreated Atta-based composite PCM was prepared combined with different kind of fatty acids. The XRD, FT-IR and XRF results shown that the pretreated process increased the purity of Atta as well as the SEM micrographs and BET results indicated that the porosity of Atta slightly increased after pretreating. What`s more, XRD and FT-IR results of the composites PCMs shown good chemical compatibility. DSC results indicated that the composite PCMs of AH-Atta/Lauric acid (LA), AH-Atta/Palmitic acid (SA) and AH-Atta/Docosanoic acid (DA) melted at 42.8 °C, 1.4 °C and 75.2 °C with the latent heat of 94.6 J g−1, 107.5 J g−1 and 84.6 J g−1 at the maximum loading of 51.0%, 50.8% and 51.3%, respectively. In addition, TGA results and 200 thermal cycles test results proved the good thermal stability and reliability of the samples. Based all above results, the prepared composite PCMs have good potential application in energy conservation buildings at different function temperature.

The production of long chain olefins from fatty acids via decarbonylation is limited by low olefins selectivity at high conversion. Here, we reported the direct acid-to-olefins conversion via the ketonization-hydrogenation-dehydration sequence at 400 °C and atmospheric 10 %H2/Ar. The oxygen vacancy defects (VO) were essential in acetic acid ketonization over the oxygen-deficient alkali hexatitanate A2Ti6O13-x (A K, Na and Li) catalysts, as evidenced from the activity of reduced vs non-reduced catalysts. The presence of VO was deduced spectroscopically with XPS and DRUV-VIS, and the ease of VO formation was ranked via the DFT calculations. The ketonization activity was proportionated to the square of the VO content (x2), consistent with the bimolecular reaction mechanism. The Pt-loaded K2Ti6O13-x enabled the direct acid-to-olefins transformation as shown by a complete conversion of two model compounds (heptanoic acid and lauric acid) with ∼30–40 % yield of long chain olefins. Heptanoic acid (C7) underwent ketonization to 7-tridecanone (a C13 ketone) prior to the hydrogenation-dehydration to 7-tridecene, a C13 olefin. The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Pt and K2Ti6O13-x inhibited further hydrogenation of the olefin to a low-value alkane. For lauric acid (C12), 12-tricosene (a C23 olefin) was produced analogously. The catalytic activity and products selectivity over Pt-loaded K2Ti6O13-x significantly depended on the Pt content (0–1.0 wt%). The simultaneous C C coupling and oxygen removal prior to the subsequent hydrogenation and dehydration is a potential approach toward the production of long chain olefins with the (2n-1) carbon atoms from Cn-fatty acids.

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is widely referred as the “tree of life” for its important role in the livelihoods of 10 million persons from over 90 countries globally. In Kenya, the coconut sub-sector is valued at KES 25 billion, yet only 65% is utilised, which is partly contributed by insufficient knowledge of the coconut’s physico-chemical features and investment in the sector. Physico-chemical analysis of four coconut varieties’ kernel grown in two counties (Kilifi and Kwale) of Kenya was carried out. Based on the de-husked coconut fruit, coconut kernel was the highest component (46.58 - 48.70%) in comparison to shell (25.93±0.72% - 28.46±0.29%) and water (23.75±1.07% - 27.11±1.49%) across the varieties. The colour of the coconut kernel was marked by generally high L* values (85.34 - 93.35) and low a* (0.51 - 0.81) and b* (1.53 - 2.20) values among the varieties confirming the milky- white colouration of the kernel. All the varieties contained high crude fat (35.01±1.0 - 38.28±1.09%) content. Fatty acid analysis profile revealed that lauric acid (45.91- 50.72%) was the predominant fatty acid. Most of the oil extract was saturated (91%) but comprising of middle chain fatty acids. This indicates stability for storage and suitability for use in ketogenic diets. Key words: coconut kernel, coconut variety, colour, proximate analysis, fatty acid profile.

The biocomposites were prepared from chitosan, carragenan and modified tapioca with lauric acid addition. The biocomposite were used as edible film material thus improving the mechanical characteristics. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of lauric acid addition that produced biocomposites with the best characteristics. This study used experimental method. The different concentration of lauric acid used as the treatment was 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% from total solid of hydrocolloids materials (w/w). Data were analyzed statistically using the F test (ANOVA test) with confidence level of 95%. The results showed more than 10% addition of lauric acid decreased the value of moisture content, tensile strenght, percent elongation and water vapor transmission but increase thickness, opacity and transparency value. The addition of 10% lauric acid produced biocomposite with the best characteristics according to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) which had the moisture content of 42.65%, thickness of 0.047 mm, tensile strength of 13.8 MPa, percent elongation of 29.2%, water vapor transmission rate of 8.5 g/m2/day, opacity 8.9% and transparency 7.5. This research used renewable and biodegradable materials that can be applied to produce edible packaging with the best characteristics and eco-friendly.

In this study, beeswax is studied as a phase change material (PCM) to store heat due to its high latent heat. The disadvantages of using beeswax were its low thermal conductivity and high melting point. To enhance the thermal conductivity of beeswax, nanoparticles (of Al2O3, ZnO, and FeO) and other phase change materials are used to decrease its melting point. In the present investigation, the melting point of beeswax was lowered by the addition of other organic PCMs like lauric acid, capric acid, and coconut oil. FeO nanoparticles (3 wt%) were found to give the best result for thermal conductivity enhancement of 112% compared to Al2O3 and ZnO with enhancements of 18.78% and 15.56%, respectively, at 5 mass%. Coconut oil was used to decrease the melting of the beeswax as it was the most stable and easily available one resulting in a melting point of 52 °C. An investigation was performed to study the effect of hot fluid flow rates (1 LPM and 2 LPM) and inlet temperatures (60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C) on the charging time of beeswax composite. The study showed that 50:50 mass% of beeswax and coconut oil and its composite with 1 mass% of FeO nanoparticle give us the best result out of all the other composites. The charging time of the material was found to be 15 min less than the composite without nanoparticles.

The efficiency of filtration membranes is substantially lowered by bacterial attachments and potential fouling processes, which reduce their durability and lifecycle. The antibacterial and antifouling properties exhibited by the added materials play a substantial role in their application. We tested a material poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PDVF-co-HFP) based on an electrospun copolymer, where an agent was incorporated with a small amount of ester of glycerol consecutively with caprylic, capric, and lauric acids. Each of these three materials differing in the esters (1-monoacylglycerol, 1-MAG) used was prepared with three weighted concentrations of 1-MAG (1, 2, and 3 wt %). The presence of 1-MAG with an amphiphilic structure resulted in the hydrophilic character of the prepared materials that contributed to the filtration performance. The tested materials (membranes) were characterized with rheological, optical (scanning electron microscopy, SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and other methods to evaluate antibacterial and antifouling activities. The pure water flux was 6 times higher than that of the neat PVDF-co-HFP membrane when the added 1-MAG attained only 1 wt %. It was experimentally shown that the PVDF-co-HFP/1-MAG membrane with high wettability improved antibacterial activity and antifouling ability. This membrane is highly promising for water treatment due to the safety of antibacterial 1-MAG additives.

This report is on a Thermal management system using air and PCM (Lauric acid) as an electric vehicle cooling module. Hybrid and electric vehicles are emerging with great technology in today’s world, a lot of challenges are being faced by all the manufactures, one of the main problems is the battery thermal management system. Battery thermal management system (BTMS) maintains a standard temperature for the battery to work efficiently. Cooling the battery using air and phase change material (PCM) is the latest and most efficient way of cooling the battery. This enhancement is possible by using CPU fans to direct the atmospheric air to focus and cool the width of the battery through the battery compartment’s air vents. PCM cooling is achieved by using 30/70 mixture of water and Lauric acid respectively, PCM is run around both sides of the battery’s length through copper tubes in which PCM is pumped using a submersible 12v DC pump. DC pump is turned ON and OFF by the Arduino Nano micro-controller and temperature sensor connected to the battery detects the temperature of the battery.

This study aimed to assess SFAs profiles in the maternal and cord blood, and the relationship of both SFAs levels with infant adiposity. As many as 99 mothers with singleton pregnancy and pre-pregnancy BMI .18.5 agreed to join the research and completed the data collection process. Maternal and cord blood erythrocyte SFAs profile was analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionized Detector. Infant birth weight was measured at birth, while infant skinfolds were at 5.7 days postpartum. We used Aris et al. (2013) equation to assess the infant fat mass. The average maternal age was 29.62}5.84 years old, while the pre-pregnancy BMI was 22.87}3.90 kg/m2. Infant birth weight was 3168.83}341.64 g, and fat mass was 9.39}3.52 %. Maternal total SFAs and palmitic acid (C16:0) concentration were higher than cord blood, while lignoceric acid (C24:0) was lower (p

IntroductionOur aim was to evaluate the extended lipid profile in ischemic stroke patients and the relationship with stroke type, severity and outcome.Material and methodsWe prospectively enrolled 124 ischemic stroke patients and 40 healthy controls; baseline plasma and erythrocyte membrane fatty acids concentrations and common lipid profile were analysed. Stroke severity was evaluated by NIHSS on admission, while the functional outcome was defined by mRS at discharge and after 3 months.ResultsTotal cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, DHA, adrenic, stearic and lauric acid were all lower in patients, taking into account that 87.7% of patients did not receive statins before admission. There was a different pattern in plasma and erythrocyte membrane of fatty acids between patients and controls, also omega-3 index was significantly lower in patients. Patients with poor outcome without statins had significantly lower triglyceride (p = 0.028), while the total cholesterol levels were significantly lower in patients with poor outcome (p = 0.03) but with treatment initiated after admission. Bivariate analysis revealed that patients with poor outcome had significantly lower triglyceride levels regardless the statins use, while the total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly lower in patients with poor outcome under statin treatment. The long-term outcome were positively influenced by age (β̂ = 0.22, p = 0.001), and NIHSS score at admission (β̂ = 0.55, p < 0.001), and negatively by cholesterol levels (β̂ = –0.17, p = 0.031).ConclusionsDHA, adrenic, stearic and lauric acid were lower in stroke patients; plasma adrenic acid was consumed during the acute phase. The most important predictors for long-term outcome was NIHSS at admission followed by age and total cholesterol.

Breastmilk (ASI) is the best food produced by the breast glands, containing all the nutritional elements needed by infants aged 0-6 months. Apart from nutrients, breast milk also has other non-nutritional components that act as immune factors for babies. Babies who are not exclusively breastfed will be more susceptible to chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes as adults and can suffer from malnutrition and obesity. Dietary intake significantly affects milk production. The mother's diet can affect the composition of her milk through several metabolic pathways, especially the concentration of fatty acids and vitamins that are soluble in fat and water, including vitamins A, C, B6, and B12. Lauric acid contained in breast milk can help your minor fight infection and increase immunity to protect from various diseases. Not only for the baby, but virgin coconut oil is also starting to be commonly used by dieters. Virgin coconut oil contains lauric acid CH3 (CH2) 10COOH 50% and caprylic acid CH3 (CH2) 6COOH 7%. Both of these acids are medium-chain saturated fatty acids that are quickly metabolized and have anti-microbial properties. The benefits of virgin coconut oil (VCO) are that it is beneficial for the health of the body, including being antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and natural anti-protozoa; helps relieve symptoms and reduces health risks associated with diabetes, helps protect against osteoporosis, helps prevent high blood pressure, helps prevent liver disease, keeps the heart and blood vessels healthy, helps prevent cancer, helps you lose weight, maintain stamina, maintain healthy skin and hair.Keywords: Breastmilk, Lauric Acid, VCO

In this paper, Sb2S3-sensitized TiO2 nanorod arrays are successfully prepared by the spin-coated and then pyrolysis (denoted as spin-pyrolysis) of Sb2S3 precursor solution in N-Butyldithiocarbamic acid-ethanol (Sb-BDCA complex solution). The influence of precursor solution content with different mole ratios of N-Butyldithiocarbamic acid to Sb3+ (6, 8 and 10, denoted as BDCA-6, BDCA-8 and BDCA-10, respectively) on the crystalline phase, optical absorption and microstructure of the Sb2S3-sensitized TiO2 nanorod arrays have been investigated systematically. By adjusting the BDCA to Sb3+ mole ratios, the superior preferred orientation of the (211) plane for Sb2S3 was obtained. The results revealed that the Sb2S3-sensitized TiO2 nanorod arrays for BDCA-8 showed the best conductivity and the corresponding solar cell achieved the best PCE of 5.43 % with the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.53 V, short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 17.19 mA cm−2 and fill factor (FF) of 59.21 %. After the Sb2S3 sensitized TiO2 nanorod array was modified by lauric acid, the PCE of the corresponding solar cells increased from 5.43 % to 5.77 %.

In this study, the structure and thermal behaviour of lauric acid (LA) confined in carbon nanotube (CNT) were analysed by the molecular dynamics (MD) method with filling ratios from 10% to 60%. The...

Understanding the interactions between cellular proteins and compounds from agarwood (Gyrinops versteegii) could lead to effective approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to identify the interaction between lauric acid, a compound derived from agarwood (G. versteegii) and its target proteins using String database analysis. String analysis showed that lauric acid affects cellular proliferation through interactions with the Androgen Receptor (AR) and binds to Aldo-Keto Reductase (AKR1C3). Lauric acid also interacted with mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) and other proteins such as matrix metalloprotein (MMP2), chemokine (CXCL8), B-cell lymphoma protein (BCL2). Retinoid Acid Receptor (RARG) and Androgen Receptor (AR) sub network are bridging system of regulation in breast cancer molecular process. These results show that lauric acid may interact with many proteins by AR sub network to increase apoptosis and reduce cancer cell proliferation. These results show that lauric acid may interact with many proteins to increase apoptosis and reduce cancer cell proliferation.

In the present study, we demonstrated the use of molecular docking as an efficient in silico screening tool for lipase–triglyceride interactions. Computational simulations using the crystal structures from Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL), Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL), and pancreatic porcine lipase (PPL) were performed to elucidate the catalytic behavior with the majority triglycerides present in Licuri oil, as follows: caprilyl–dilauryl–glycerol (CyLaLa), capryl–dilauryl–glycerol (CaLaLa), capryl–lauryl–myristoyl–glycerol (CaLaM), and dilauryl–myristoyl–glycerol (LaLaM). The computational simulation results showed that BCL has the potential to preferentially catalyze the major triglycerides present in Licuri oil, demonstrating that CyLaLa, (≈25.75% oil composition) interacts directly with two of the three amino acid residues in its catalytic triad (Ser87 and His286) with the lowest energy (–5.9 kcal/mol), while other triglycerides (CaLaLa, CaLaM, and LaLaM) interact with only one amino acid (His286). In one hard, TLL showed a preference for catalyzing the triglyceride CaLaLa also interacting with His286 residue, but, achieving higher binding energies (−5.3 kcal/mol) than found in BCL (–5.7 kcal/mol). On the other hand, PPL prefers to catalyze only with LaLaM triglyceride by His264 residue interaction. When comparing the computational simulations with the experimental results, it was possible to understand how BCL and TLL display more stable binding with the majority triglycerides present in the Licuri oil, achieving conversions of 50.86 and 49.01%, respectively. These results indicate the production of fatty acid concentrates from Licuri oil with high lauric acid content. Meanwhile, this study also demonstrates the application of molecular docking as an important tool for lipase screening to reach a more sustainable production of fatty acid concentrates from vegetable oils.

Virgin coconut oil is a useful substance in our daily life. It contains a high percentage of lauric acid which has many health benefits. The current industry has developed several methods to extract the oil out from the coconut fruit. This review paper aims to highlight several common extraction processes used in modern industries that includes cold extraction, hot extraction, low-pressure extraction, chilling, freezing and thawing method, fermentation, centrifugation, enzymatic extraction and supercritical fluid carbon dioxide. Different extraction methods will produce coconut oil with different yields and purities of lauric acid, thus having different uses and applications. Challenges that are faced by the industries in extracting the coconut oil using different methods of extraction are important to be explored so that advancement in the oil extraction technology can be done for efficient downstream processing. This study is vital as it provides insights that could enhance the production of coconut oil.

Organic phase change materials (PCMs) show much potential for thermal energy storage, but the liquid leakage tendency limits their practicality. This can be mitigated by encapsulation using a polym...

Vegetable oils are subjected to heat treatments during processing and changes during storage. Thus, it is required, for usage as a food source, the evaluation of their thermo-oxidative stability and physicochemical characteristics. In this context, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the oil of catole coconut (Syagrus cearensis), aiming to characterize its identity and quality, as well as its antioxidant capacity and thermo-oxidative stability. The catole coconut was collected in the city of Lagoa Seca-PB, Brazil, its almonds were dried in a stove and the catole oil was obtained by cold pressing. The results of the physicochemical parameters complied with the current legislation, with average values ​​of 2.48 mg KOH g−1 oil for acid value, 0.14 meq peroxide kg−1 oil for peroxide value and 253 mg KOH g−1 oil for saponification value. Catole oil presented the profile of saturated fatty acids (84.42%), with the predominance of lauric acid (45.06%), besides major phenolic compounds such as salicylic acid [12.324 mg (100 g−1) of oil] and myricetin [1.405 mg (100 g−1) of oil]. The thermogravimetric profile remained stable to decomposition at temperatures up to around 240 °C and oxidative stability withstood at 110 °C for more than 48 h. Therefore, it was possible to identify and characterize this unexplored oilseed species of the Brazilian semiarid, diversifying its use in the food industry.

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) is a sustainable protein and lipid source in the diets of terrestrial and aquatic animals. This is largely due to their ability to thrive on various waste products, but the food type greatly influences their productivity and nutritional value. In this study, BSFL (initial mean weight = 0.11 g) were fed sweet potato, spent coffee or dough for two weeks and the survival, growth, feed efficiency, and biochemical composition were assessed. The best bioconversion/material reduction was from dough. The dough also produced significantly larger/heavier BSF, but a significantly lower percentage of pre-pupae. Crude protein was significantly higher in BSFL fed spent coffee than either dough or sweet potato. Among the essential amino acids, leucine and valine in BSFL were significantly higher in the spent coffee or sweet potato compared to those fed dough. BSFL fed sweet potato had the highest percentage of lauric acid (C12), while both sweet potato and spent coffee elevated eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), which is beneficial to terrestrial and aquatic animals. Although each substrate was high in carbohydrates, these produced BSFL with a high-quality protein content comparable or even superior than some plant-based proteins. Overall, sweet potato produced BSFL with the best nutritional profile while supporting their growth.

The wound healing potential of a topical herbal formulation containing “buriti” oil (Mauritia flexuosa L.f., Arecaceae) in a liquid crystalline phase consisting of “murumuru” (Astrocaryum murumuru Mart., Arecaceae) butter was evaluated. The fatty acid composition of “buriti” oil and murumuru butter was determined by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection, which revealed that the major component of Mauritia flexuosa oil was oleic acid (70.4%), followed by palmitic acid (17.4%), whereas Astrocaryum murumuru butter contained lauric acid (40%) and myristic acid (29.3%). The ternary phase diagram was constructed from the mixture of the components (murumuru butter/Procetyl®/water) in order to obtain the Astrocaryum murumuru butter–based liquid crystal phase and two new herbal formulations containing 1% and 15% of Mauritia flexuosa oil. The phase behaviors were characterized by polarized light microscopy which showed that the analyzed formulations exhibited a hexagonal liquid crystalline phase. The designed formulations were subjected to physicochemical analysis and showed appropriate pH ranging from 5.90 to 6.45 and desirable rheological properties for skin application, such as pseudoplasticity. The wound healing potential of the topical herbal formulation was evaluated in Wistar rats over a period of 21 days. The formulations containing 15% of Mauritia flexuosa oil showed a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the epithelial regeneration process, causing early re-epithelialization of the injured tissue. The in silico prediction of skin sensitization showed that none of the identified compounds had any potential skin toxicity for humans.

Various synthesis methods such as deep-deposition-ultrasonication (DPU), co-precipitation-ultrasonication (CPU), deposition-precipitation (DP), co-precipitation (CP) and wet-impregnation (IMP) have been reported for the preparation of lanthanum-modified zirconia (La/ZrO2) catalysts. The acoustic cavitational effect by the DPU method decreased the particles size and enlarged the pores of the La/ZrO2 catalysts. Besides, the La ions well-interacted with the ZrO2 in each catalyst, thus, all the La/ZrO2 catalysts have a great potential to be employed in ketonization reaction. It had found that both DP and DPU methods exhibited smaller catalyst particles than that of the CP, CPU and IMP methods, in which 15 – 20 nm for the La/ZrO2-DPU and 28 – 56 nm for the La/ZrO2-DP. Even though the ultrasonication helped to reduce the particle size notably, adversely the small particles tend to aggregated . Meanwhile, larger nanoparticles can be prevented particle aggregation leading to higher dispersion for the La/ZrO2-DP as compared to the La/ZrO2-DPU. All the catalysts were tested in ketonization of palmitic and lauric acids, showing the La/ZrO2-DP exhibited the best catalyst with free fatty acid (FFA) conversion ~80% and 51% of ketone selectivity. In addition, the 10 wt.% of La dosage gave the optimum concentration for the maximum ketonization activity. The La/ZrO2-DP catalyst also promising for the ketonization of real feedstocks such as palm kernel oil (PKO) and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) into their ketone species.

Monolaurin is a naturally occurring compound widely utilized in food and cosmetics. In this paper, we present a new method for the synthesis of monolaurin by esterification between lauric acid and glycerol catalyzed by Novozym® 435 using a microreactor. The conversion of lauric acid is 87.04% in 20 min, compared with 70.54% via the batch approach in 5 h. Using an optimized solvent system consisting of t-BuOH/ tert-amyl alcohol (1:1, v/v), the selectivity using the microreactor method is enhanced to 90.63% and the space–time yield of the process is 380.91 g/h/L. This newly devised method has the potential for application to other multiphase and enzymatic reactions.

While Alzheimer’s disease is correlated with the presence of Aβ fibrils in patient brains, the more likely agents are their precursors, soluble oligomers that may form pores or otherwise distort cell membranes. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation we study how presence of fatty acids such as lauric acid changes the stability of pore-forming oligomers built from three-stranded Aβ42 chains. Such a change would alter the distribution of amyloids in the fatty-acid rich brain environment, and therefore could explain the lower polymorphism observed in Aβ-fibrils derived from brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. We find that lauric acid stabilizes both ring-like and barrel-shaped models, with the effect being stronger for barrel-like models than for ring-like oligomers.

Persister cell formation and biofilms of pathogens are extensively involved in the development of chronic infectious diseases. Eradicating persister cells is challenging, owing to their tolerance to conventional antibiotics, which cannot kill cells in a metabolically dormant state. A high frequency of persisters in biofilms makes inactivating biofilm cells more difficult, because the biofilm matrix inhibits antibiotic penetration. Fatty acids may be promising candidates as antipersister or antibiofilm agents, because some fatty acids exhibit antimicrobial effects. We previously reported that fatty acid ethyl esters effectively inhibit Escherichia coli persister formation by regulating an antitoxin. In this study, we screened a fatty acid library consisting of 65 different fatty acid molecules for altered persister formation. We found that undecanoic acid, lauric acid, and N-tridecanoic acid inhibited E. coli BW25113 persister cell formation by 25-, 58-, and 44-fold, respectively. Similarly, these fatty acids repressed persisters of enterohemorrhagic E. coli EDL933. These fatty acids were all medium-chain saturated forms. Furthermore, the fatty acids repressed Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) biofilm formation (for example, by 8-fold for lauric acid) without having antimicrobial activity. This study demonstrates that medium-chain saturated fatty acids can serve as antipersister and antibiofilm agents that may be applied to treat bacterial infections.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are found in limited foods. In these medium-chain oil resources, the abundance of lauric acid (LA) is the highest among medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), and its effects on lipid metabolism in obese rats have not been well-studied. This study aimed to determine the anti-obesity effects and mechanisms of lauric triglyceride (LT) in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. LA and glycerin were used to synthesize LT, then LT was used to treat obese rats for 12 weeks. The results showed that LT significantly reduced the body weight, body mass index, and Lee's index in obese rats. The mRNA expression levels of the anorexic neuropeptide POMC in the hypothalamus between the LT group and the other groups were not different, while the gene expression levels of the orexigenic neuropeptides NPY and AGRP decreased significantly in the LT group. Except serum cholesterol, LT improved the serum triglyceride metabolism in the obese rats and reduced adipocyte and hepatic lipid deposition. Moreover, LT inhibited the expression of lipogenesis-related genes and proteins (SREBP-1c, ACC1, and FASN) and increased the expression of lipolysis (ATGL, HSL, and LPL) and β-oxidation (PPARα, CPT-1a, and PCG-1α) related genes and proteins in the white fat and liver. Furthermore, LT increased the mRNA expression of mitochondrial-biosynthesis-related genes (SIRT1, NRF1, and TFAM) in the liver. The results indicated that LT ameliorates diet-induced obesity in rats.

A 12 week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of palm oil (PO) supplementation at 0% (control), 3% or 5% levels on carcass yields and fatty acid composition of organs of growing rabbits. Results obtained showed that palm oil supplementation did not significantly affect (P> 0.05) carcass and organ yields. Percent analysis however showed that in the heart, myristic acid was highest in the control diet (78.58%), lauric acid in 3% PO (41.56%) and stearic acid in 5% PO (84.43%) groups. In the kidney, there was increased level of palmitic (1.30 - 57.06%) but decreased levels of myristic (43.41 - 0.51%) and oleic acids (9.26 - 8.08%). There were detectable levels of caprylic, linoleic and arachidonic acids in rabbits fed PO diets compared to none in the control group. On the other hand, there were detectable levels of stearic and lauric acids in the control group but none in the PO groups. In the liver, only laurie, stearic and myristic acids were detected, with the latter not detected in the liver of control group. Three rabbits on the control diet died as a result of speticaemia. It was concluded from this study that PO seemed to affect organ fatty acid composition but not on weight of organs. The effect on fatty acid composition was however, not consistent. Keywords: Rabbit, palm oil, carcass, organs, fatty acid.

Clove oil (CO) has been claimed for its efficient antimicrobial activities against many microbes especially in oral cavity and it is interesting for using as active component in the lauric acid-based solvent exchange-induced in situ forming gel (IFG). The present study investigated the physicochemical properties of lauric acid-based solvent exchange-induced IFG loading different amounts of CO dissolved in N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). The increasing amount of CO enhanced the density as well as viscosity, contact angle and surface tension. When administered into PBS pH 6.8 by injection, phase separation of lauric acid was evident with time. By comparison, the system containing the higher amount of CO demonstrated the slower phase separation, indicating that the increased viscosity hindered solvent exchange and subsequent phase separation. Similarly, the observation under stereoscope revealed more rapid gel formation of IFG containing lesser amount of CO. All systems showed the increased gel formation and decreased diffusion rate with time whereas the slower matrix formation and diffusion rate was evident in systems containing the higher amount of CO. Although the system with high viscosity led to increase in the force and work of injectability, all of the prepared IFGs showed the compressed force that was lower than 10 N, indicating ease of administration by injection. All of the prepared IFGs containing CO exhibited the inhibition zone against test microbes. Due to the antimicrobial activity of CO, the system containing the higher amount of CO contributed to the larger inhibition zone especially against C. albicans. It was noticed that the most sensitive system for tested microbes was those containing 20% CO (3:2:5 LCN). Thus, the system comprising 20% CO (3:2:5 LCN) could be offered as the potential use for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.

Herein, the formation of starch-lipid complexes in steamed bread (SBr) free from and supplemented with fatty acids of varying chain lengths, including lauric acid (LA), glycerol monolaurate (GML), stearic acid (SA), and glycerol monostearate (GMS) and their effects on in vitro enzymatic digestibility were investigated. The enthalpy value of SBr samples (1.86-3.46 J/g) was significantly decreased (P 0.05) compared to wheat starch samples (5.64-7.17 J/g) fortified with fatty acids. The relative crystallinity (16.5%-32.8%) of SBr corresponds to the content of starch-lipid complexes. SBr supplemented with fatty acids exhibited softer texture than lipid-free SBr stored at 4 °C for 0, 1, 4, and 7 days. Higher enzyme resistance was observed in SBr samples supplemented with fatty acids and the content of resistant starch (RS) was increased from 7.54% to 23.13% in SBr supplemented with LA. As demonstrated by microscopic computed tomography (mCT), the crystalline structure of SBr samples supplemented with LA and GML have a higher density than SBr fortified with SA and GMS; the findings which are in line with thermal properties and X-ray diffraction analysis. In sum, the formation of starch-lipid complexes could be considered as a new way to improve the SBr textural features during storage.

Since there is a high demand for the virgin coconut oil (VCO) in Iraqi markets due to having consumers recently recognized that VCO has unique nutrition benefits, this study aims to recover the virgin coconut oil (VCO) using four extraction techniques; fermentation VCO (FVCO), dry VCO (DVCO), enzymatic VCO (EVCO), and the chilling and thawing VCO (CVCO) techniques. The fatty acid composition, physicochemical properties and the antioxidant activities of the VCOs were determined and compared to the commercial refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil (RBD-CO). Physicochemical properties of extracted VCOs were yield, 54–72%; moisture contents, 0.12–0.16%; refractive index 1.45; viscosity, 48–51 cP; free fatty acid, 0.16–0.2 g/100 g; iodine value, 4.17–7,13 g I2/100 g oil; peroxide value 147–259 meq O2/kg oil, and saponification value 254.10–264.04 mg of KOH/g of oil. Fatty acid composition demonstrated that lauric acid had the highest content for all the VCOs with the range of 47.95–48.08%. The DPPH radical-scavenging activity (IC50) for the VCOs were 205.15–248.16 mg/mL and the total phenolic content (TPC) were37.42–68.12 mg GAE/100 mL.

The objective of the present study was to determine the synergistic effect of lauric acid and probiotic on the performance of broiler chicken. A total of 250-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly distributed into five dietary treatment groups each having ten replicates with five chicks in each and were raised for a period of 42 days. Diets contained T1 - control diet, T2 - 0.05% antibiotic (AB), T3 - 0.05% lauric acid (LA), T4- 0.1% probiotic in the form of Bacillus subtilis PB6 (BS), and T5-0.05% organic acid +0.1% probiotic. The results revealed significantly (P 0.05) effect was observed on cutaneous basophilic hypersensitivity response among different treatments. Therefore, it can be concluded that supplementation of lauric acid (0.05%) + probiotic (0.1%) combination could be safely included as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter in broilers.

Synthesis of 2-dodecanoyl furan is a crucial step in the formulation of oleo-furan sulfonates as bio-surfactants from biomass-derived furans and vegetable-oil-derived molecules. Herein, cross-ketonization of 2-furoic acid and lauric acid is proposed to produce the bio-surfactant precursor. Among the commonly reported metal oxide ketonization catalysts, the inexpensive and abundant iron oxides are demonstrated as effective and recyclable catalysts, enabling up to 77% selectivity to 2-dodecanoyl furan at 56% lauric acid conversion. Catalyst characterization by X-ray diffraction, H2 temperature-programmed reduction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that Fe3O4 is the catalytically active and stable phase. 13C isotopic tracing experiments suggest that cross-ketonization on Fe3O4 proceeds via a β-keto acid intermediate.

Fatty acids and their derivatives are interesting cosmetic ingredients because they show the selective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). However, the antibacterial activity in mixed systems containing several active ingredients is unclear because previous studies focused antibacterial systems containing one kind of fatty acid. In the present study, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) were evaluated for myristic acid/lauric acid, myristic acid/palmitoleic acid, and myristic acid/lactic acid mixed systems to show the effect of the coexisting components on the selective antibacterial activity of myristic acid. In the myristic acid/palmitoleic acid mixed system, the antibacterial activity against S. aureus was enhanced by additive effect, whereas the antibacterial activity was not observed against S. epidermidis. On the other hand, the myristic acid/lauric acid mixed system showed antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis: Lauric acid impaired the selectivity of antibacterial activity of myristic acid. These results suggest that the selective activity of myristic acid varies with the additives. The present findings are useful for designing formulations of cosmetics and body cleansers containing myristic acid.

Background and Aim: Flushing with the manipulation of fatty acids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids, like linoleic and α-linolenic acids in the ration, is a strategy to raise the nutritional status of the female mammals to improve ovarian function and follicle development. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of flushing supplementation with different types of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids in stimulating follicle growth and development during estrus in Ettawa Grade does with a low initial body condition score (BCS ≤2). Materials and Methods: Eighteen Ettawa Grade does in the second parity, with an average body weight of 32.11±2.19 kg, were divided into three groups according to the fatty acid supplemented to their ration: (i) About 2.8% lauric acid flushing (group); (ii) 2.8% linoleic acid flushing (LA group); and (iii) 2.8% a-linolenic acid flushing (ALA group). The ration was formulated to be isocaloric (total digestible nutrient = 77%) and isonitrogenous (crude protein = 15%). The experiment was conducted for 35 days; that is, 14 days for acclimatization and synchronization of the estrous cycle and 21 days for fatty acid flushing until the appearance of the next estrus. A completely randomized design was applied. Results: According to the results, none of the different fatty acids in the ration affected the nutrient intakes, BCSs, average daily gains, and plasma glucose, cholesterol, and progesterone concentrations of the three groups of does. However, the BCSs (by 0.8-0.9) and the plasma cholesterol concentrations were higher after fatty acid flushing for 21 days than before the flushing period. The ALA group had the highest number of large-sized preovulatory follicles, whereas the LAURIC group had the highest plasma estradiol concentration during estrus. All three groups had similar plasma progesterone concentrations during estrus after fatty acid flushing. Conclusion: Flushing supplementation with 2.8% ALA from flaxseed oil gave the best results in terms of stimulating the highest number of large-sized preovulatory follicles in Ettawa Grade does.

This paper aims to determine the types and c ontents of protein, fatty acids, amino acids and protein in the gonads of Arbacia lixula, Colobocentrotus atratus, Heterocentrotus trigonarius and Echinotrix diadema from the waters of Drini, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta. Kjedal method was used to analyze the protein content, while GC and HPLC methods were employed to analyze amino acids in this study. The results showed that the protein c ontents of each sample, consequently from highest to lowest, were Heterocentrotus trigonarius (13.3 %), Echinotrix diadema (10.86), Colobocentrotus atratus (10.41) and Arbacia lixula (9.90%). Amino acids analysis from all identified both saturated fatty acids, consisting of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidonic acid, lignoceric acid, as well as non-saturated fatty acids, consisting of palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, erucic acid, EPA, and DHA. The highest contents of non-saturated fatty acids were identified in Colobocentrotus atratus (434.14 mg/100g) and the lowest content in Arbacia lixula (197.71 mg/100g). The highest percentage of essential fatty acids was found in Heterocentrotus trigonarius (0.29%), whereas the lowest was found in Echinotrix diadema (0.19 %). It is concluded that the gonad of Heterocentrotus trigonarius showed the highest protein and essential fatty acids contents. This study also found that Colobocentrotus atratus sea urchin gonads possess the highest content of non-saturated fatty acids (434.14 mg/100g). Keywords : amino acid, fatty acid, protein, sea urchin gonad.

Background: Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has antioxidant properties and is being increasingly used as nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. It also has a long history of ethnopharmacological use. Anticancer effect of VCO has been reported in several articles. The main bottleneck of exploring the anticancer efficacy of VCO is the difficulty in identification and validation of target proteins and their regulated pathways. Aim: The work plan was in-silico analysis using Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and STRING. CTD curated and integrated data for more than 5700 gene-disease and 2000 chemical-disease relationship. Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) from VCO like Lauric acid, Caprylic Acid, Capric Acid, and Myristic acid can target almost 17 cancer-associated proteins. Method: Using in silico and in vitro approach, an attempt was made to identify the target proteins and their pathways regulated by VCO. Result: We analyze curated and inferred VCO-gene expression data and illustrate the impact of VCO exposure on cancer-related gene network and molecular function. In enriched pathway analysis, it has been evident that all of them are the part of different cancer-associated pathways (Neoplasms, Digestive System Neoplasms, Urogenital Neoplasms, Liver Neoplasms). This response may mimic the biological response to VCO. In silico result was tested by in vitro study and VCO kill the Human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (hepG2). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study and several published studies it is proposed that a VCO may have immense potential as a botanical product against cancer.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the central pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Macrophages play important roles in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Lauric acid is a 12-carbon medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) found abundantly in coconut oil or palm kernel oil and it comes with multiple beneficial effects. This research objective was to uncover the effects of the lauric acid on glucose uptake, mitochondrial function and mitochondrial biogenesis in insulin-resistant macrophages. THP-1 monocytes were differentiated into macrophages and induce insulin resistance, before they were treated with increasing doses of lauric acid (5 μM, 10 μM, 20 μM, and 50 μM). Glucose uptake assay, cellular ROS and ATP production assays, mitochondrial content and membrane potential assay were carried out to analyse the effects of lauric acid on insulin resistance and mitochondrial biogenesis in the macrophages. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis were also performed to determine the expression of the key regulators. Insulin-resistant macrophages showed lower glucose uptake, GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 expression, and increased hallmarks of mitochondrial dysfunction. Interestingly, lauric acid treatment upregulated glucose uptake, GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 expressions. The treatment also restored the mitochondrial biogenesis in the insulin-resistant macrophages by improving ATP production, oxygen consumption, mitochondrial content and potential, while it promoted the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis regulator genes such as TFAM, PGC-1α and PPAR-γ. We show here that lauric acid has the potential to improve insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial dysregulation in insulin-resistant macrophages.

Stimuli-responsive materials with the controllable oil-water separation and water further purification abilities show great potential in practical applications. In this paper, a highly effective and eco-friendly smart pH-responsive melamine sponge with switchable wettability and photocatalytic activity was prepared via anchoring three-dimensional cell-like BiOCl microspheres into sponge skeletons and being modified by dodecanedioic acid and lauric acid. The obtained sponge shows rapidly switchable wettability and can separate various oil/water mixtures with high efficiency up to 99%. Moreover, the as-prepared smart sponge also demonstrates reliable photocatalytic ability and could remove the soluble pollutants (such as methylene blue and Sudan III) under visible light as well as UV light (degradation efficiency around 100%). Besides, the smart pH-responsive material showed satisfactory reusability and stability. This smart multifunctional material has outstanding potential in water resource purification.

Kinetic models were developed to describe the esterification reaction of lauric acid and ethanol over heterogeneous catalysts, which is a reaction of special interest in the biodiesel production. Vanadium Keggin heteropolyacid was included on a silica framework by sol–gel procedure, using different loadings. The synthesized materials were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, and potentiometric titration, and tested as solid catalysts in the esterification of lauric acid. Best performance was achieved with SiO2@20PMoV, which was used in the esterification of others fatty acid and alcohols. The reuse was successfully tested in five consecutive runs. Kinetic data using SiO2@20PMoV were obtained at different temperatures (48–78 °C), fatty acid:alcohol molar ratios (4 mmol of lauric acid and 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 mL of ethanol), and catalyst amounts (12.5, 25 and 50 mg). The best heterogeneous models were LH3 (surface reaction as rate-limiting step) and ER3 (desorption of ethyl laurate as rate-limiting step when the adsorbed reactant is lauric acid). The activation energies were 56.1 kJ mol−1 and 64.8 kJ mol−1, and the reaction rate constants at 78 °C were 0.2791 mol g−1 h−1 and 0.0768 mol g−1 h−1 for LH3 and ER3, respectively.