Enzymatic acylation of lutein with a series of saturated fatty acid vinyl esters and the thermal stability and anti-lipid oxidation properties of the acylated derivatives

Enzymatic acylation improves the stability and bioactivity of lutein: Protective effects of acylated lutein derivatives on L-O2 cells upon H2O2-induced oxidative stress

The instability of lutein has limited its wide application especially in the food industry. In this study, enzymatic acylation of lutein with divinyl adipate was investigated. Three new acylated lutein derivatives, lutein-3-O-adipate (compound 1), lutein-3'-O-adipate (compound 2) and lutein-di-adipate (compound 3), were identified and their stabilities and bioactivates were evaluated. Notably, compounds 1-3 showed better thermal, light stability and stronger scavenging capacity to ABTS radical cation (ABTS⁺) and hydroxyl radical (OH). Most importantly, these acylated lutein derivatives exhibited excellent protective effects on L-O2 cells upon hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress. In particular, the acylated lutein derivative termed compound 3 prevented cellular oxidative stress via restraining the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby increasing related antioxidant enzymes activity and inhibiting apoptosis by mitochondria pathway. Our research provides important insights into the application of acylated lutein derivatives in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products.

A Comprehensive Investigation into the Crystallology, Molecule, and Quantum Chemistry Properties of Two New Hydrous Long-Chain Dibasic Ammonium Salts CnH2n+8N2O6 (n = 35 and 37)

Through the salification reaction of carboxylation, successful attachment of the long-chain alkanoic acid to the two ends of 1,3-propanediamine was realized, which enabled the doubling of the long-chain alkanoic acid carbon chain. Hydrous 1,3-propanediamine dihexadecanoate (abbreviated as 3C16) and 1,3-propanediamine diheptadecanoate (abbreviated as 3C17) were synthesized afterward, and their crystal structures were characterized by the X-ray single crystal diffraction technique. By analyzing their molecular and crystal structure, their composition, spatial structure, and coordination mode were determined. Two water molecules played important roles in stabilizing the framework of both compounds. Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed the intermolecular interactions between the two molecules. The 3D energy framework map presented the intermolecular interactions more intuitively and digitally, in which dispersion energy plays a dominant role. DFT calculations were performed to analyze the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO). The energy difference between the HOMO-LUMO is 0.2858 eV and 0.2855 eV for 3C16 and 3C17, respectively. DOS diagrams further confirmed the distribution of the frontier molecular orbitals of 3C16 and 3C17. The charge distributions in the compounds were visualized using a molecular electrostatic potential (ESP) surface. ESP maps indicated that the electrophilic sites are localized around the oxygen atom. The crystallographic data and parameters of quantum chemical calculation in this paper will provide data and theoretical support for the development and application of such materials.

Enzymatic lipophilization of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant activity: a review

Food products contain bioactive compounds such as phenolic and polyphenolic compounds and vitamins, resulting in a myriad of biological characteristics such as antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, and antioxidant activities. However, their application is often restricted because of their relatively low solubility and stability in emulsions and oil-based products. Therefore, chemical, enzymatic, or chemoenzymatic lipophilization of these compounds can be achieved by grafting a non-polar moiety onto their polar structures. Among different methods, enzymatic modification is considered environmentally friendly and may require only minor downstream processing and purification steps. In recent years, different systems have been suggested to design the synthetic reaction of these novel products. This review presents the new trends in this area by summarizing the essential enzymatic modifications in the last decade that led to the synthesis of bioactive compounds with attractive antioxidative properties for the food industry by emphasizing on optimization of the reaction conditions to maximize the production yields. Lastly, recent developments regarding characterization, potential applications, emerging research areas, and needs are highlighted.