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We studied the effects of Aeroxide P25 titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) with a diameter of 21 nm on induction of DNA damage and long-term survival of three human cell lines: hepatocellular liver carcinoma HepG2, colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 and lung carcinoma A549. The endpoints examined were DNA breakage estimated by the comet assay and oxidative base damage recognized by formamide-pyrimidine glycosylase (FPG) estimated with the FPG+ comet assay, frequencies of histone γH2AX foci and micronuclei, apoptosis, cell metabolic activity measured by mitochondrial activity (MTT) assay and long-term survival measured by colony-forming ability. Each cell line had a different pattern of DNA breakage and base damage vs. nanoparticle (NP) concentration and treatment time. There was no increase in the frequencies of histone γH2AX foci and micronuclei as compared to those in the untreated cells. In parallel with these results, no induction of apoptosis has been found in none of the cell lines tested. The reported experiments provided no evidence of the long-term in vitro toxicity of Aeroxide P25 TiO2 NPs, despite a slight decrease in mitochondrial activity and cell survival during the first 72 h.

We studied the effects of Aeroxide P25 titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) with a diameter of 21 nm on induction of DNA damage and long-term survival of three human cell lines: hepatocellular liver carcinoma HepG2, colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 and lung carcinoma A549. The endpoints examined were DNA breakage estimated by the comet assay and oxidative base damage recognized by formamide-pyrimidine glycosylase (FPG) estimated with the FPG+ comet assay, frequencies of histone γH2AX foci and micronuclei, apoptosis, cell metabolic activity measured by mitochondrial activity (MTT) assay and long-term survival measured by colony-forming ability. Each cell line had a different pattern of DNA breakage and base damage vs. nanoparticle (NP) concentration and treatment time. There was no increase in the frequencies of histone γH2AX foci and micronuclei as compared to those in the untreated cells. In parallel with these results, no induction of apoptosis has been found in none of the cell lines tested. The reported experiments provided no evidence of the long-term in vitro toxicity of Aeroxide P25 TiO2 NPs, despite a slight decrease in mitochondrial activity and cell survival during the first 72 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argan oil is prepared from the fruits of endemic argan trees. Cold-pressed edible argan oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, which makes it particularly valued in nutraceutical domains. Its beneficial properties depend on the quality of the oil. This study was carried out on the quality of cold-pressed edible argan oil available on the European market. The content of fatty acids, acid and peroxide values were determined. The quality of argan oils was assessed using cluster analysis. This study showed the quality of all analyzed argan oils was within the recommended EU standards. Cluster analysis was used to classify oils with similar characteristics, which may be useful in the consumer's choice of oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the protective and/or mitigative properties of resveratrol (RSV) administered before or after irradiation of human lymphocytes in vitro. The isolated lymphocytes were incubated for 1 h with resveratrol, at doses of 0.1 (lowest), 0.5 (medium) or 1 (highest) mM/ml: 1 h before; immediately before; immediately after irradiation; and 1 h after irradiation with 0.5, 1 and 2 Gy. The degree of DNA damage was evaluated by Comet Assay. Treatment of human lymphocytes with resveratrol 1 h before or immediately after radiation exposure showed protection from radiation-induced DNA damage. However, 1 Gy irradiation + 1 mM/ml RSV, and 2 Gy irradiation + 0.5 and 1 mM/ml RSV 1 h before irradiation did not provide the same protection. Significant dose-dependent reduction of the level of DNA damage was observed after application of RSV immediately postirradiation or 1 h postirradiation. The reduction in DNA damage was the highest at the 0.1 dose of resveratrol. Our results lead to the conclusion that resveratrol may act both as a radioprotector as well as a radiomitigator. Resveratrol at the lowest (0.5 mM/ml) dose was more effective when combined with 0.5 and 1 Gy doses of radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cold-pressed camelina oil (Camelina sativa) is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and may have a beneficial effect on the reduction of cardiovascular risk.Material and Methods: In this study, we investigated the parameters contributing to the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as dietary intake, nutritional status, blood pressure, and lipid profile. Sixty postmenopausal women with dyslipidaemia were randomly assigned to two oil groups: camelina oil and canola oil. The subjects consumed daily 30 g of the test oils for 6 weeks. Before and after dietary intervention, the assessment of nutrition (4-day dietary recall), anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, and blood pressure were evaluated.Results: During the dietary intervention, decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration in both groups (15 mg/dl (0.4 mmol/l) reduction in the camelina oil group and 11 mg/dl (0.3 mmol/l) reduction in the canola oil group) was observed. In this study a decrease of waist circumference (approx. 1 cm) in the two groups was observed. In the group of women consuming camelina oil, a significant decrease of waist-to-hip ratio was seen. In the other anthropometric parameters no statistically significant changes were observed (body weight, body fat mass). After the intervention, no significant decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were noticed.Conclusions: The camelina and canola oil intake contributed to reduction of the consumption of saturated fatty acids in the diet, had a positive influence on the lipid profile parameters, and decreased the waist circumference, which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The berries of Barbary wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) are used in alternative medicine as a nutraceutical. However, it has been shown that specific therapeutic effects are observed only in the very high concentrations of defined active ingredients from strictly selected phytochemical species of Lycium. Therefore, this study was carried out to compare the antioxidant properties and the content of polyphenols and flavonoids in dried berries, juices, and capsules containing goji berry extract. To determine the antioxidative potential of the tested products, methanol extracts of DPPH radical were employed, while to determine the polyphenol content the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was used. The flavonoid content was determined using Dowd colorimetric method. This study showed that the dried goji berries were characterized by the highest content of polyphenols and flavonoids and having the highest antioxidant activity from all analyzed products. The significantly lower concentrations of studied components were observed in juices and the lowest in capsules. However, on a per-dose basis, the highest concentrations were observed for juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. According to the latest recommendation for patients with hyperuricemia and high cardiovascular risk, the serum uric acid (SUA) concentration should be lower than 5 mg/dL (<298 µmol/L). Additionally, studies have shown that SUA concentration in participants with hyperuricemia correlates with some dietary factors. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between SUA concentration and some cardiovascular risk factors. Material and methods. Fifty-six postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia and without hypertension were assigned to 2 groups based on SUA concentration. The first group consisted of women with a SUA concentration ≥5 mg/dL and without gout, and the second group comprised women with a SUA concentration <5 mg/dL. Anthropometric parameters, nutrition, structure of consumption, dietary potential renal acid load (PRAL), lipid profile parameters and blood pressure were evaluated. Results. Postmenopausal women with a SUA ≥5 mg/dL had statistically significant higher values of serum triglyceride (TG) concentration, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and diastolic blood pressure than women with a SUA concentration <5 mg/dL. Analysis of nutrition showed statistically significant differences between the groups in the intake of starch, saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol and vitamin E. Additionally, we observed a correlation between PRAL value and SUA. The structure of consumption between the groups was varied. Conclusion. SUA concentration ≥5 mg/dL may increase the cardiovascular risk. The association observed between PRAL and SUA can be used to evaluate diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]