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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic condition with multiple pathological features and it currently has no specific treatment or approved drug. Wonderful kolanut widely consumed fresh or cooked has been applied in the treatment of numerous diseases in folk medicine. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potentials of hydroethanolic extract of defatted Buccholzia coriacea seeds (HEBCS) in NAFLD model. HEBCS was subjected to liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry, and 30 male BALB/c mice (28 ± 2 g) were allocated to three (3) experimental groups (n = 10/group). Mice in group I were fed chow diet (CD); those in group II, high fat diet (HFD) and group III, HFD and 250 mg/kg HEBCS p.o. daily for six weeks. HEBCS alleviates HFD-induced insulin resistance and high plasma insulin and glucose levels. It further alleviates hepatic steatosis, and alters plasma lipid profile. HEBCS also protected against HFD-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and hepatocellular damage. In conclusion, HEBCS alleviated NAFLD in mice via suppression of insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, inflammation and oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Bioactive polyphenols and alkaloids were identified in hydroethanolic extract of defatted Buccholzia coriacea seeds (HEBCS). This study projects HEBCS as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of NAFLD. NAFLD is a multi-factorial condition and therefore, HEBCS is promising considering its multiple-target actions in the current model of NAFLD. HEBCS alleviates insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, steatosis, and inflammation in this model. There is a need to further investigate HEBCS in other models of NAFLD as a lead to future use in clinical studies., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Tamoxifen (TMX) has proven to be effective in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. However, long-term use of TMX is associated with hepatic steatosis, oxidative liver injury and hepatocarcinoma. Buchholzia coriacea seeds (BCS) have been widely applied in traditional medicine due to their nutritional and therapeutic potentials. This study investigates the protective effect of hydroethanolic extract of (defatted) B. coriacea seeds (HEBCS) against TMX-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Methods: Thirty-six (36) male albino rats were divided into six groups ( n = 6/group). Group I served as control. Group II received 50 mg/kg/day TMX orally (p.o.) (TMX) for 21 days, group III received TMX plus 125 mg/kg/d HEBCS p.o. (HEBCS 125) for 21 days, group IV received TMX plus 250 mg/kg/d HEBCS p.o. (HEBCS 250) for 21 days and rats in group V and VI received HEBCS 125 and HEBCS 250 respectively for 21 days. Results: Compared with the control, TMX caused a significant increase ( p < 0.05) in serum hepatic function biomarkers: alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase by 57%, 60% and 68% respectively. TMX also caused a significant increase in hepatic triglycerides level by 166% when compared with control and a significant decrease in serum HDL-cholesterol level by 37%. Compared with control, hepatic marker of inflammation, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) increased significantly by 220%, coupled with significant increase in expression of interleukin 6 and cyclooxygenase 2. There was also significant increase in levels of Biomarkers of oxidative stress, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls in the TMX group by 89%, 175% and 114% respectively when compared with the control. Hepatic antioxidants, reduced glutathione (GSH) level and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) decreased significantly in the TMX group by 35%, 67%, 41%, 59% and 53% respectively when compared with the control. However, HEBCS at 250 mg/kg significantly protected against TMX-induced hepatotoxicity by decreasing hepatic triglyceride content, serum hepatic function biomarkers, hepatic inflammation and oxidative stress with significant improvement in hepatic antioxidant system. Histopathological findings show that HEBCS alleviate TMX-induced hepatocyte ballooning. Conclusions: Current data suggest that HEBCS protected against TMX-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. HEBCS may be useful in managing TMX-induced toxicities in breast cancer patients. It may also be helpful against other forms of liver injury involving steatosis, inflammation, free radicals, and oxidative damage.

A terephthalic acid-modified chitosan-magnetic nanocomposite (Cs-Tp@Fe 3 O 4 ) was synthesized and characterized. The synthesized Cs-Tp@Fe 3 O 4 was used in a batch process for the adsorptive removal of the acid blue 25 (AB-25) dye in aqueous solutions. The kinetic data were subjected to the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intra-particle diffusion models, while the equilibrium data were evaluated with the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The effects of the initial dye concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dosage, as well as their interactions, on the removal efficiency were investigated using the design of experiments based on a central composite design, and the resultant data were modeled with the response surface methodology (RSM), artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and multiple linear regression (MLR) approaches. The adsorption process followed pseudo-first-order with good agreement between the experimental Q e(exp) and calculated Q e(cal.) amounts of dye adsorbed, as well as the values of correlation coefficient, R 2 (0.999) and percentage of sum square error, % SSE (0.640). All the investigated adsorption isotherms fitted all models well in the order of Dubinin-Radushkevich > Langmuir > Freundlich > Temkin with R 2 > 0.9 with the monolayer maximum adsorption capacity of 440.24 mg/g obtained from the Langmuir isotherm. The RSM model predicted the maximum removal efficiency at an optimum initial dye concentration of 19.11 mg/L, a contact time of 95.3 min, and an adsorbent dosage of 0.18 g. Statistically, the models were fitted in the order of RSM > ANN > ANFIS > MLR. These results indicated that the prepared Cs-Tp@Fe 3 O 4 is an efficient adsorbent for the AB-25 dye removal with excellent stability for water treatment applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were used for modelling the electrocoagulation removal of pollutants from wastewater from pulping processes. The Design of Experiment based on central composite design was used to investigate the combine effects of pH (5.4-9.0), time (10-45 min) and current density (j) (9-39 mA/m 2 ), on the removal efficiency of the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolve Solids (TDS) as well as Turbidity while Energy consumption (EC) was estimated per kg [COD] removed. The kinetics of the process was modelled with pseudo first and second order models. The removability of the COD, TDS and Turbidity were found to be 76.4, 57.0 and 97.13% with Energy consumption of 2.72 kWh/kg [COD] at optimal pH 6.83, current density of 22.06 mA/m 2 , and reaction time of 45 min. The ANN model gave a better fitting of the electrocoagulation process than the RSM, considering the R 2 of 0.999 and MSE of 0.00753 obtained for the former. The pseudo first order model gave a better analysis of the kinetic data. The characterization of the sludge produced showed the potential of its use as adsorbent for organic or mineral contaminants and recovery of aluminium and other metals. Thus, electrocoagulation with monopolar aluminium electrodes displayed effective and a viable alternative for the pollutants removal from pulp processing wastewater., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the fermentation kinetics and thermodynamics of ascorbic acid production from Brewery Spent Grain (BSG) using Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus tamarii. Ascorbic acid fermentation of A. flavus and A. tamarii was performed at a temperature of 30 °C, agitation speed of 100 rpm and pH 5.0 at 96 h of fermentation. The thermodynamics, kinetics of the growth parameters and ascorbic acid production were studied using Monod, Contois and Teisser models. Teisser model gave the best fit as it obtained the highest maximum specific growth rate (µ max ) and correlation coefficient of 0.184 h -1 and 0.997, respectively, at 40 °C, pH 5.0 and 0.6 g of BSG. The result showed that Teisser model gave a better description of each growth parameter. Hence, the production of ascorbic acid by A. flavus and A. tamarii is growth-associated.

Background: Experimental diet models have proven to be vital to understanding the pathophysiology and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Lieber-DeCarli high-fat, liquid diet have been used to produce NAFLD in rat models. There is, however, currently no information on the effects of this diet in the mouse model., Methods: Ten (n = 10) male albino mice (27.7 ± 2.0 g) were divided into 2 diet groups (n = 5/group). Animals from group 1 were fed with standard chow diet (CD group) and those from group 2 were fed with Lieber-DeCarli high-fat, liquid diet (high-fat diet or HFD group) ad libitum for a period of 4 weeks., Results: Data obtained show insulin resistance in the HFD group with a significant increase in plasma lipid profile. Level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver and plasma increased significantly ( P   <  .05) in the HFD group compared with the CD group. Plasma level of tumor necrosis factor alpha increased significantly in the HFD group compared to control. Also, indicators of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls) increased significantly coupled with a significant reduction in reduced glutathione (GSH) level and activity of glutathione peroxidase in the liver of mice in the HFD group compared to CD group. Histopathological evaluation of liver sections reveals steatosis with ballooned hepatocytes., Conclusions: Data from the present study suggest that the Lieber-DeCarli high-fat, liquid diet may be vital in the study of fatty liver disease in albino mouse. This model may also produce the features of NAFLD in a shorter time in albino mice., Competing Interests: The author (s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of PBJ-Associação Porto Biomedical/Porto Biomedical Society. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the antimicrobial and scaffold of zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite, (Zn-HAp) synthesized via chemical co-precipitation technique was investigated. The structure of the synthesized Zn-HAp was investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-spectroscopy (EDAX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Bioactivity study was performed in simulated body fluid (SBF), while the antimicrobial activity was studied using disc diffusion method. The XRD structure revealed that Zn ion incorporation up to 10% led to the second phase hydroxyapatite (HAp) formation, while higher concentration diminished the apatite structure. The presence of phosphate ions, carbonates ions, and hydroxyl groups in the apatite powder was ascertained by the FT-IR evaluation. SEM evaluation showed that the apatite contains fine particles with nearly round shape with interconnected pores and decreasing Ca/P ratio with increasing Zn ion concentration. TEM results showed particulate polycrystalline apatite with crystallite size ranging from 68 nm in pure HAp to 41 nm in 20% Zn-doped HAp indicating a decrease in the crystal size with increasing Zn ion in the samples. The bioactivity study showed spherical deposition around the porous region of the scaffold HAp suggesting the growth of apatite in SBF media after 7 days of incubation, while antibacterial activity studies showed zones of inhibition with an increase in zinc ions concentrations.

The quest for sustainable development and green chemistry had led to the design and synthesis of advanced adsorbent materials for efficient removal of pollutants in industrial effluents. Magnetic halloysite nanotubes with chitosan nanocomposite sponges were prepared by combining solution-mixing and freeze-drying. Magnetic@chitosan/halloysite (Fe 3 O 4 -HNT/CS) and spongelike chitosan/halloysite (HNT/CS) were used as adsorbents for the removal of Congo red dye in aqueous solution in a batch process. The as-prepared composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, vibrating-sample magnetometry, thermal gravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Data from kinetic study were analyzed with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, whereas the mechanism was analyzed using Bangham's, Elovich's, intraparticle, and double-exponential diffusion models. The equilibrium data were evaluated using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The adsorption kinetics of dye removal followed the pseudo-first-order model with average rate constants of 0.260 and 0.196 min -1 for Fe 3 O 4 -HNT/CS and HNT/CS, respectively. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm best fitted the equilibrium data with R 2 > 0.9 with maximum adsorption capacities of 41.54 and 54.49 mg g -1 obtained for HNT/CS and Fe 3 O 4 -HNT/CS, respectively. Negative values of Δ G ° obtained from thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous. The values of Δ H ° and Δ S ° obtained for Congo red dye removal were 69.46 and 39.54 kJ mol -1 and 240.5 and 145.1 J mol -1 K -1 for HNT/CS and Fe 3 O 4 -HNT/CS, respectively. The results indicated that CS-HNT is an excellent adsorbent; however, its magnetic modification further improved its recyclability and enhanced the performance for the removal of Congo red dye from aqueous solution., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

This study examines the application of poultry eggshell (PES) as a source of calcium for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HA) via annealation. The synthesized powder (poultry eggshell hydroxyapatite (PESHA)) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDAX, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analytical techniques. This powder was used for adsorptive removal of the Reactive Yellow 4 (RY4) dye in a batch process. Results from morphological analysis by SEM and TEM revealed that the microstructure of the apatite is made up of needle-rod-like particles with the length of 15-60 nm, breadth of 4-6 nm, and crystallite size of 86.32 nm. EDAX revealed that HA has Ca/P ratio of 1.63, indicating a nonstoichiometric apatite, whereas XRD analysis presented it as a pure monophasic hydroxyapatite powder. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the adsorption is due to the electrostatic interaction between the functional groups of the dye and those on the apatite surface. The maximum adsorption capacity ( Q max ) of 127.9 mg g -1 was obtained for the adsorption process, whereas the pseudo-first-order model with R 2 > 0.99 best described the adsorption mechanism. Furthermore, the thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous in nature with Δ H and Δ S values of 120.79 kJ mol -1 and 0.395 kJ mol -1 K -1 , respectively. Thus, hydroxyapatite fabricated from the poultry waste of eggshell can be effectively utilized as an excellent nontoxic and cheap adsorbent for the removal of RY4 dye from aqueous medium., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

The role of enzyme engineering in biotechnology, biological and pharmaceutical process cannot be over emphasized. This study compared the adsorption of digestives enzymes; amylase, protease and lipase on to Zn-ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ). The metal ferrite was synthesized via a sol-gel technique and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption was studied in a batch process and the data were subjected to kinetics and isotherm models. Characterization shows that the particle has a nanoporous structure, with pore sizes of about 5.4 nm and good magnetic properties. The FTIR data showed the presence of M-O bond, which is a characteristic of metal ferrites. The adsorption of the amylase, lipase and protease on ZnFe 2 O 4 follow first-order kinetic model with rate constants increasing with concentration. The maximum adsorption capacities as revealed by the generalized adsorption isotherms are 7.20, 42.90 and 22.24 mg g -1 for amylase, lipase and protease, respectively, with cooperative binding. The Dubinin-Radushkevich model gave the maximum adsorption energies, E of 3.74 kJ mol -1 for amylase, 2.01 kJ mol -1 for lipase and 1.51 kJ mol -1 for the protease adsorption, showing that the process is physisorption dominated. The isotherms fit the adsorption data in the order of Freundlinch > Generalized > Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer > Tempkin isotherm > Dubinin-Radushkevich. Thermodynamic study revealed a spontaneous adsorption process with increased entropy. ZnFe 2 O 4, therefore, is a very good adsorbent for the purification of enzymes and can be used as a supporter for enzymatic process that required immobilization of the enzymes.