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Environment International Dec 20192,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), a predominant polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), has received extensive attention for its potential environmental impact....
2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), a predominant polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), has received extensive attention for its potential environmental impact. An integrated study of metabolomics and transcriptomics was conducted on two rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars, Lianjing-7 (LJ-7) and Yongyou-9 (YY-9), which have been identified as tolerant and sensitive cultivars to BDE-47, respectively. The objective was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of their different ability to tolerate BDE-47. Both rice plants were cultivated to maturity in soils containing three concentrations of BDE-47 (10, 20, and 50 mg/kg). Metabolomic analyses of rice grains identified 65 metabolites in LJ-7 and 45 metabolites in YY-9, including amino acids, saccharides, organic acids, fatty acids, and secondary metabolites. In the tolerant cultivar LJ-7 exposed to 50 mg/kg BDE-47, concentrations of most of the metabolites increased significantly, with α-ketoglutaric acid increased by 20-fold and stigmastanol increased by 12-fold. In the sensitive cultivar YY-9, the concentrations of most metabolites increased after the plant was exposed to 1 and 10 mg/kg BDE-47 but decreased after the plant was exposed to 50 mg/kg BDE-47. Transcriptomic data demonstrated that regulation of gene expressions was affected most in LJ-7 exposed to 50 mg/kg BDE-47 (966 genes up-regulated and 620 genes down-regulated) and in YY-9 exposed to 10 mg/kg BDE-47 (85 genes up-regulated and 291 genes down-regulated), in good accordance with the observed metabolic alternation in the two cultivars. Analyses of metabolic pathways and KEGG enrichment revealed that many biological processes, including energy consumption and biosynthesis, were perturbed in the two rice cultivars by BDE-47. A majority of metabolites and genes involved in dominating pathways of energy consumption (e.g., tricarboxylic acid cycle) and the biosynthesis (e.g., metabolism of saccharides and amino acids) were enhanced in LJ-7 by BDE-47. In contrast, energy consumption was increased while biosynthetic processes were inhibited in YY-9 by BDE-47, which could lead to the sensitivity of YY-9 to BDE-47. The combined results suggest that the different defensive abilities of these two rice cultivars in response to BDE-47 could be attributed to their differences in energy-consumption strategy and biosynthesis of nutritional components in grains. This study provides a useful reference for rice cultivation in PBDE-polluted areas.
Topics: Environmental Pollutants; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Metabolomics; Oryza; Seeds; Soil; Transcriptome
PubMed: 31521816
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105154 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Jun 2017The presented work describes the development and validation of a rapid UHPLC-UV/CAD method using a core-shell particle column for the separation and quantitative... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The presented work describes the development and validation of a rapid UHPLC-UV/CAD method using a core-shell particle column for the separation and quantitative analysis of seven plant sterols and stanols. The phytosterols (ergosterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, fucosterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol) and the phytostanol stigmastanol were separated and analyzed in 8.5min. The sample pre-treatment procedure was optimized to be less time-consuming than any other published method, especially due to no need of derivatization, evaporation and even reconstitution step. The chromatographic separation was performed on the Kinetex 1.7μ Phenyl-hexyl column (100×2.1mm) with a mobile phase acetonitrile/water according to the gradient program at a flow rate of 0.9mLmin and a temperature of 60°C. A tandem connection of PDA and CAD (Corona Charged Aerosol Detector) was used and both detection techniques were compared. The method was validated using saponification as a first step in sample pre-treatment and an universal CAD as the detector. Recoveries for all analyzed compounds were between 95.4% and 103.4% and relative standard deviation ranged from 1.0% to 5.8% for within-day and from 1.4% to 6.7% for between-day repeatability. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.4-0.6μgmL for standard solutions and 0.3-1.2μgmL for phytosterols in real samples. Although several gradient programs and different stationary phases were tested, two compounds, campesterol and campestanol, were not separated. Their peak was quantified as a sum of both analytes.
Topics: Aerosols; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Phytosterols; Sitosterols; Sterols
PubMed: 28384622
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2017.03.057 -
Analytical Chemistry Jul 2018There has been an increasing interest during recent years in the role of the gut microbiome on health and disease. Therefore, metabolites in human feces related to...
There has been an increasing interest during recent years in the role of the gut microbiome on health and disease. Therefore, metabolites in human feces related to microbial activity are attractive surrogate marker to track changes of microbiota induced by diet or disease. Such markers include 5α/β-stanols as microbiome-derived metabolites of sterols. Currently, reliable, robust, and fast methods to quantify fecal sterols and their related metabolites are missing. We developed a liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS/HRMS) method for the quantification of sterols and their 5α/β-stanols in human fecal samples. Fecal sterols were extracted and derivatized to N, N-dimethylglycine esters. The method includes cholesterol, coprostanol, cholestanol and sitosterol, 5α/β-sitostanol, campesterol and 5α/β-campestanol. Application of a biphenyl column permits separation of isomeric 5α- and 5β-stanols. Sterols are detected in parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mode and stanols in full scan mode. HRMS allows differentiation of isobaric β-stanols and the [M + 2] isotope peak of the coeluting sterol. Performance characteristics meet the criteria recommended by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines. Analysis of fecal samples from healthy volunteers revealed high interindividual variability of sterol and stanol fractions. Interestingly, cholesterol and sitosterol showed similar fractions of mainly 5β-stanols. In contrast, campesterol is substantially converted to 5α-campestanol and might be a poorer substrate for bacterial metabolism. Robust and fast quantification of fecal sterols and their related stanols by LC-MS/HRMS offers great potential to find novel microbiome-related biomarker in large-scale studies.
Topics: Cholesterol; Chromatography, Liquid; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Limit of Detection; Phytosterols; Sitosterols; Sterols; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
PubMed: 29920210
DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01278 -
Food Chemistry Sep 2018The esters of β-sitostanol and fatty acids are known for their effect as cholesterol-lowering agents. In this work, the efficiency of three lipases as biocatalysts of...
The esters of β-sitostanol and fatty acids are known for their effect as cholesterol-lowering agents. In this work, the efficiency of three lipases as biocatalysts of the esterification of β-sitostanol and C16 and C18 fatty acids was compared. The sterol esterase of Ophiostoma piceae (OPEr) yielded the highest esterification rates and was selected for further optimization of the reaction. The effects of four parameters (temperature, enzymatic dosage, acyl donor concentration, and reaction time) on ester synthesis were investigated and the process conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The best conditions for esterification for each fatty acid were predicted using a second-order model, and experimentally validated. Very high esterification efficiencies (86-97%) were observed using the predicted values for the four variables. This approach was shown to be suitable for optimizing the enzymatic production of β-sitostanol esters, which represents a green alternative to the chemical synthesis of these dietary complements.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; Esterification; Esters; Lipase; Ophiostoma; Sitosterols
PubMed: 29739574
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.04.031 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Apr 2018With the expansion of urban centres in the mid-twentieth century and the post-1970 decrease in pesticides, populations of double-crested cormorants () and ring-billed...
With the expansion of urban centres in the mid-twentieth century and the post-1970 decrease in pesticides, populations of double-crested cormorants () and ring-billed gulls () around Lake Ontario (Canada and USA) have rapidly rebounded, possibly to unprecedented numbers. Along with the use of traditional palaeolimnological methods (e.g. stable isotopes, biological proxies), we now have the capacity to develop specific markers for directly tracking the presence of waterbirds on nesting islands. Here, we apply the use of lipophilic sterols and stanols from both plant and animal-faecal origins as a reliable technique, independent of traditional isotopic methods, for pinpointing waterbird arrival and population growth over decadal timescales. Sterol and stanol concentrations measured in the guano samples of waterbird species were highly variable within a species and between the three species of waterbirds examined. However, cholesterol was the dominant sterol in guano, and phytosterols were also high in ring-billed gull guano. This variability highlights a specialist piscivorous diet for cormorants compared to a generalist, omnivorous diet for gulls, which may now often include grain and invertebrates from agricultural fields. A ratio that includes cholesterol and sitosterol plus their aerobically reduced products (cholestanol, stigmastanol) best explained the present range of bird abundance across the islands and was significantly correlated to sedimentary δN. Overall, we demonstrate the use of sterols and stanols as a direct means for tracking the spatial and temporal presence of waterbirds on islands across Lake Ontario, and probably elsewhere.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Birds; Charadriiformes; Diet; Environmental Biomarkers; Environmental Monitoring; Hydrogenation; New York; Ontario; Oxidation-Reduction; Population Dynamics; Sterols
PubMed: 29695442
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0631 -
Experimental & Applied Acarology May 2021The frequent use of acaricides against the tick Rhipicephalus microplus increases the risk of development of resistance. Recent studies have revealed that Neoglaziovia...
The frequent use of acaricides against the tick Rhipicephalus microplus increases the risk of development of resistance. Recent studies have revealed that Neoglaziovia variegata, an indigenous plant species known in Brazil as 'caroá', has a deleterious effect against R. microplus. In the current study, extracts of N. variegata were studied for their possible acaricidal properties. A hexane extract of N. variegata leaves was fractionated in a chromatography column and the fractions were tested in adult tick immersion tests in triplicate using three concentrations (5, 10 and 25 mg/ml). All the fractions had harmful effects on the ticks. However, three fractions were more efficaceous. Phytochemical analysis indicated that stigmast-5-en-3-ol and stigmastanol were most abundant; they might be responsible for the acaricidal effects, making them potentially useful as alternative agents to control the tick R. microplus.
Topics: Acaricides; Animals; Brazil; Bromeliaceae; Hexanes; Larva; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Rhipicephalus; Tick Infestations
PubMed: 33860415
DOI: 10.1007/s10493-021-00611-9 -
International Journal of Food Sciences... Sep 2017Sterols are components present in the fat fraction of infant formulas (IFs). Their characterization is therefore of interest, though there are no official reference...
UNLABELLED
Sterols are components present in the fat fraction of infant formulas (IFs). Their characterization is therefore of interest, though there are no official reference methods for their analysis in these matrices.
AIM
To validate a gas chromatographic method with flame ionization detection for the determination of animal (cholesterol and desmosterol) and plant sterols (brassicasterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol and sitostanol) found in IFs. All correlation coefficients obtained for the calibration curves of sterols studied were >0.99. Limits of detection (<1 μg/100 mL) and quantification (<4 μg/100 mL) are suitable for sterols determination in IFs. The within-assay precision ranged from 1.6% to 8.8%, while the between-assay precision was <10% for most of sterols. Accuracy was satisfactory and was calculated by recovery assays (ranging 93-108%). The analytical parameters obtained showed the suitability of the proposed method for the determination of sterols in IFs.
Topics: Calibration; Cholestadienols; Cholesterol; Chromatography, Gas; Desmosterol; Flame Ionization; Infant Formula; Limit of Detection; Phytosterols; Reproducibility of Results; Sitosterols; Stigmasterol
PubMed: 28276904
DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2017.1287883 -
PloS One 2017Steroids are used as faecal markers in environmental and in archaeological studies, because they provide insights into ancient agricultural practices and the former...
Steroids are used as faecal markers in environmental and in archaeological studies, because they provide insights into ancient agricultural practices and the former presence of animals. Up to now, steroid analyses could only identify and distinguish between herbivore, pig, and human faecal matter and their residues in soils and sediments. We hypothesized that a finer differentiation between faeces of different livestock animals could be achieved when the analyses of several steroids is combined (Δ5-sterols, 5α-stanols, 5β-stanols, epi-5β-stanols, stanones, and bile acids). We therefore reviewed the existing literature on various faecal steroids from livestock and humans and analysed faeces from old livestock breed (cattle, horse, donkey, sheep, goat, goose, and pig) and humans. Additionally, we performed steroid analyses on soil material of four different archaeological periods (sites located in the Lower Rhine Basin, Western Germany, dating to the Linearbandkeramik, Urnfield Period / Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Age) with known or supposed faecal inputs. By means of already established and newly applied steroid ratios of the analysed faeces together with results from the literature, all considered livestock faeces, except sheep and cattle, could be distinguished on the basis of their steroid signatures. Most remarkably was the identification of horse faeces (via the ratio: epi-5β-stigmastanol: 5β-stigmastanol + epicoprostanol: coprostanol; together with the presence of chenodeoxycholic acid) and a successful differentiation between goat (with chenodeoxycholic acid) and sheep/cattle faeces (without chenodeoxycholic acid). The steroid analysis of archaeological soil material confirmed the supposed faecal inputs, even if these inputs had occurred several thousand years ago.
Topics: Animals; Archaeology; Bile Acids and Salts; Biomarkers; Breeding; Feces; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Humans; Livestock; Soil; Steroids; Sterols
PubMed: 28060808
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164882 -
Food & Function Jan 2016The bioaccessibility (BA) of total and individual plant sterols (PS) of four commercial PS-enriched fermented milk beverages (designated as A to D) was evaluated using...
The bioaccessibility (BA) of total and individual plant sterols (PS) of four commercial PS-enriched fermented milk beverages (designated as A to D) was evaluated using in vitro gastrointestinal digestion including the formation of mixed micelles. The fat content of the samples ranged from 1.1 to 2.2% (w/w), and PS enrichment was between 1.5 and 2.9% (w/w). β-Sitosterol, contained in all samples, was higher in samples A and B (around 80% of total PS). The campesterol content was C (22%) > A (7%) > B (5%). Sitostanol was the most abundant in sample D (85%). Stigmasterol was only present in sample C (33%). The greatest BA percentage for total PS corresponded to samples A and B (16-17%), followed by sample D (11%) and sample C (9%). The total BA was not related to the protein, lipid or PS content of the beverages, whereas samples with higher carbohydrates and fiber contents showed lower BA. The BA of the individual PS differed according to the sample considered, and was not related to the PS profile of the sample, thus indicating strong dependency upon the matrix (PS ingredient and other components). Although in vivo studies should be carried out to better assess the functionality of PS in functional foods such as enriched fermented milk beverages, our in vitro study is a useful preliminary contribution to evaluation of the efficacy of these products.
Topics: Biological Availability; Cholesterol; Cultured Milk Products; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fiber; Digestion; Food, Fortified; Functional Food; Gastrointestinal Tract; Micelles; Models, Biological; Phytosterols; Sitosterols; Stigmasterol
PubMed: 26447847
DOI: 10.1039/c5fo00458f -
Microorganisms Mar 2024The process of soil genesis unfolds as pioneering microbial communities colonize mineral substrates, enriching them with biomolecules released from bedrock. The...
The process of soil genesis unfolds as pioneering microbial communities colonize mineral substrates, enriching them with biomolecules released from bedrock. The resultant intricate surface units emerge from a complex interplay among microbiota and plant communities. Under these conditions, host rocks undergo initial weathering through microbial activity, rendering them far from pristine and challenging the quest for biomarkers in ancient sedimentary rocks. In addressing this challenge, a comprehensive analysis utilizing Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was conducted on a 520-Ma-old Cambrian rock. This investigation revealed a diverse molecular assemblage with comprising alkanols, sterols, fatty acids, glycerolipids, wax esters, and nitrogen-bearing compounds. Notably, elevated levels of bacterial C, C and C fatty acids, iso and anteiso methyl-branched fatty acids, as well as fungal sterols, long-chained fatty acids, and alcohols, consistently align with a consortium of bacteria and fungi accessing complex organic matter within a soil-type ecosystem. The prominence of bacterial and fungal lipids alongside maturity indicators denotes derivation from heterotrophic activity rather than ancient preservation or marine sources. Moreover, the identification of long-chain (>C22) n-alkanols, even-carbon-numbered long chain (>C20) fatty acids, and campesterol, as well as stigmastanol, provides confirmation of plant residue inputs. Furthermore, findings highlight the ability of contemporary soil microbiota to inhabit rocky substrates actively, requiring strict contamination controls when evaluating ancient molecular biosignatures or extraterrestrial materials collected.
PubMed: 38543564
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12030513