Towards the Use of Adsorption Methods for the Removal of Purines from Beer

Efficient removal of purine compounds from solutions via biomass carbons derived from pomelo peel

The high purine diet could result in the increase of the level of blood uric acid, causing serious health problems such as hyperuricemia, gout, nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. To find out a safe, cheap and super adsorption material for removing purines in stomach or pretreating high-purine beverages, we used different tissues of pomelo peel to prepare biomass carbon by drying, chemical modification and carbonization and then applied it to remove purine compounds in strong acidic solution, beer and soybean milk. The characteristic analysis of pomelo-peel-derived carbons (PPCs) indicated that the preparation methods significantly affected the structures and adsorption capacities of PPCs. Compared with the biomass carbon derived from bamboo, PPCs exhibited higher adsorption capabilities for purine compounds in strong acidic solution (adsorption rates > 99% in 15 min) and soybean milk (adsorption rates > 56% in 30 min) but slightly lower adsorption capabilities in beer (adsorption rates > 52% in 30 min). In addition, the adsorption capabilities of PPCs for purine compounds in beer and soybean milk were not obviously affected by temperatures. Therefore, PPCs are promising absorbents for applications in removing purine compounds from beverages to produce low-purine, healthier products for treating hyperuricemia. The strong adsorption capabilities of PPCs on purine compounds in strong acidic environment also provides a possibility of using the PPCs as food additives for removing purines in stomach for healthcare applications such as gout prevention after confirming their biosafety.

Effect of Alcohol Consumption Habits on Early Arterial Aging in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome and Elevated Serum Uric Acid

BACKGROUND

Hyperuricemia is perceived as one of the risk factors for developing and progressing cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome through various pathological mechanisms. Endogenous synthesis and exogenous factors such as diet and beverages consumed play a major role in determining serum uric acid (sUA) levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alcohol consumption on early arterial aging in middle-aged patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hyperuricemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 661 middle-aged subjects (241 men and 420 women) from the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk (LitHiR) primary prevention program. Characteristics of subjects such as blood pressure, laboratory testing, and the specialized nutrition profile questionnaire were evaluated. As an early marker of arterial stiffness, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was assessed using a non-invasive applanation tonometry technique.

RESULTS

Hyperuricemia was present in 29% of men and 34% of women. Hyperuricemic men reported 1.6 times higher rates of alcohol drinking compared to men with normal sUA levels. After analyzing the correlation between alcohol consumption and cfPWV, no statistically significant relationships were found at a significance level of α = 0.05 but lowering the significance level to 0.06 revealed significant associations in men with normal sUA (ε2ordinal = 0.05, p = 0.06) and in women with increased sUA levels (ε2ordinal = 0.05, p = 0.08). Regression analysis showed that hyperuricemic men, consuming more than one unit of alcohol per week, had a significant impact on increasing cfPWV, while men with normal sUA levels, abstaining from alcohol entirely, resulted in a statistically significant decrease in cfPWV. Our results showed statistically significant relationships only among a group of men, although the women in the hyperuricemic group had a statistically higher cfPWV than women with normal sUA levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Drinking alcohol is associated with increased arterial stiffness among hyperuricemic middle-aged men with MetS.

Effects of high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) on frozen shrimp (Solenocera melantho) based on UPLC-MS untargeted metabolism

Shrimp meat is prone to autolysis and decay due to the abundance of endogenous enzymes and contamination from microorganisms. HVEF freezing can slow the spoilage of shrimp, producing small and uniform ice crystals, resulting in less damage to muscle tissue. In this study, HVEF technique was used to freeze the shrimp (Solenocera melantho), and the UPLC-MS metabolic technique was used to investigate the metabolites of frozen shrimp meat. Compared with the control group, 367 differential metabolites were identified in the HVEF group. Mapping them to the KEGG database, there were 108 with KEGG ID. Purine metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism were the most enriched pathways. In addition, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), inosine (HxR), and l-valine were identified as potential biomarkers associated with lipid, nucleotide, and organic acid metabolism, respectively. Overall, HVEF can improve freezing quality of shrimp meat by slowing down the metabolism of substances in the muscle of S. melantho.

A new specific method for isolation of tomentosin with a high yield from Inula viscosa (L.) and determination of its bioactivities

INTRODUCTION

Tomentosin, the characteristic component of Inula viscosa (L.) is an important sesquiterpene lactone with anticarcinogenic effects. Methods of obtaining pure tomentosin are not sufficient for anticancer drug research.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to develop a specific method to isolate tomentosin from I. viscosa with high yield. It also aims to investigate the inhibitory effects of tomentosin on human carbonic anhydrase I (hCAI), human carbonic anhydrase II (hCAII), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase enzymes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Tomentosin was purified by a specific column chromatography method. The content of tomentosin in dichloromethane, dichloromethane by Soxhlet method, ethanol and ethanol by Soxhlet method extracts of I. viscosa was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀ ) and inhibition constant (K_i ) values were calculated to determine in vitro enzyme inhibition effects.

RESULTS

Tomentosin was isolated in high yield (0.64%). The IC₅₀ and K_i values for tomentosin were calculated as 5.00 ± 0.19 (r = 0.9688) and 4.62 ± 0.10 μM for hCAI, 5.40 ± 0.26 (r = 0.9677) and 5.22 ± 0.31 μM for hCAII, 6.75 ± 0.208 (r = 0.9891) and 3.75 ± 0.27 μM for AChE, 6.67 ± 0.307 (r = 0.9820) and 0.51 ± 0.11 μM for BChE, 26.61 ± 0.236 (r = 0.9815) and 2.61 ± 0.71 μM for α-glucosidase and 26.89 ± 1.54 μM (r = 0.9670) for α-amylase, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Tomentosin was isolated in high yield from the paste-like extract of I. viscosa compared to the positive controls, it was determined that tomentosin was weakly effective against hCAI, hCAII, AChE and BChE, but thoroughly effective against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. These results suggested that tomentosin has α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor potential.