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Given the predominantly negative impact of heavy metals on living organisms, the present study proposed to evaluate the adsorption performances under static conditions of Cd (II) from aqueous solutions on unmodified Sarkanda grass lignin compared to the adsorption performances of polysaccharide polymers chemically functionalized, obtained by synthesis and in their native state, but which, although effective, have a cost price that does not allow for large-scale expansion. To improve the retention of Cd (II) on this aromatic component of the biomass resulting from the processing of lignocellulosic materials, different experimental conditions (pH, concentration, dose and contact time) were followed. The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were used to describe the equilibrium conditions. Adsorption kinetics were assessed using the Lagergren I and Ho and McKay II kinetic models, furnishing informative insights into the process mechanism. Lignin adsorption capacity was also analyzed by performing biological tests on tomato seeds (Lypercosium esculentum), since heavy metals are known to be a stress factor for seeds by disturbing the osmotic equilibrium. Through the prism of the investigated parameters and under precisely established experimental conditions, unmodified Sarkanda grass lignin-an aromatic biopolymer-can be recommended as a promising adsorbent for the retention of Cd (II) from aqueous solutions, successfully replacing polysaccharide, especially cellulose-based polymers.

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Marine macroalgae biomass is a valuable renewable resource that can be used for the development of bioeconomy through the valorisation of valuable compounds. The aim of the current study is separate macroalgal polysaccharides with bioactive properties from brown macroalgae Fucus spiralis based on a designed biocascading biorefinery approach. Thus, we applied an integrated processing method for the separation of fucoidan and alginate, in addition to characterization through IR spectroscopy and 1H NMR. The bioactivity potential (antioxidant activity using superoxide anion and DPPH radical scavenging analysis) of the two polysaccharides was evaluated, together with DNA binding studies performed though voltametric techniques and electronic spectroscopy titration. In terms of results, functional groups S=O (1226 cm-1), N=S=O (1136 cm-1) and C-O-SO3 (1024 cm-1), which are characteristic of fucoidan, were identified in the first polysaccharidic extract, whereas guluronic units (G) (1017 cm-1) and mannuronic units (M) (872 and 812 cm-1) confirmed the separation of alginate. The DNA binding studies of the isolated polysaccharides revealed an electrostatic and an intercalation interaction of DNA with fucoidan and alginate, respectively. Both antioxidant activity assays revealed improved antioxidant activity for both fucoidan and alginate compared to the standard α-tocopherol.

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Fruits and aerial parts of lingonberry could be better developed as dietary supplements if the composition in bioactive phenolic compounds and the best period for collection were known. UPLC/MS analysis revealed the predominant presence of arbutin in leaf and that of flavanols in stems harvested in May, July and September. Anthocyanins, flavanols and benzoic acid derivatives were equally present in fruits. Stem and leaf are highly homologous with (+)-catechin, A- and B-type dimers/trimers, and two quercetin glycosides as major contributors. No or only weak seasonal variations were highlighted for all phenolic classes. Additionally, flavanol oligomers showed a lower mDP for fruit (3-4) than for stem and leaf (4-6). The rate of A-type linkage was 3-5% with A-type subunits in extension mainly. Finally, the content in phenolic compounds (UPLC) correlated well with TPC and the DPPH radical scavenging activity although leaf and stem constituents reacted differently in both antioxidant tests.

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are common products of normal aerobic cellular metabolism, but high levels of ROS lead to oxidative stress and cellular damage. Therefore, effective antioxidant therapies are needed to prevent ROS overproduction. This study reports the development of poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) bicomponent fibers loaded with selected amounts of the natural polyphenolic antioxidant catechin. Thereby a novel route based on emulsion electrospinning is investigated to obtain tailored and sustained release rates for chatechin. The activity of the released catechin was assessed for its influence on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the human alveolar epithelial the cell line A549. Homogenous fiber morphologies were obtained at specified ranges of PLGA concentrations within the emulsions including the formation of a core - sheath structure localizing the drug within the fiber core. In vitro measurements of the delivery showed moderate burst release kinetics in a first phase followed by a linear and smooth release at long term. In combination with polymer degradation studies a mostly diffusion controlled release mechanism was revealed exhibiting only marginal degradation of the polymer during the time span of the drug delivery. As a proof of concept, the activity of released catechin in A549 cells stimulated with MWCNTs was determined and revealed a high reduction of ROS production in a dose dependent manner. This effect diminishes over time indicating a depletion of catechin.

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The seasonal variations of the content and diversity of phenolic compounds, as well as the antioxidant activity of leaves, stems and fruits of bilberry collected in May, July and September, were evaluated for two consecutive years. UPLC/MS(n) analyses showed the predominance of anthocyanins in fruits, caffeic acid derivatives in leaves whereas flavanol oligomers represented more than half of the phenolic compounds in stems. Thioacidolysis revealed degrees of polymerization between 2 and 4 and (-)-epicatechin as the main flavanol unit. The sum of the phenolic compounds by UPLC was highly correlated with the total polyphenol content and the antioxidant activity in the DPPH test for all the extracts except for May leaves. The latter were relatively rich in p-coumaric acid derivatives. Seasonal effects were more marked for leaves, which exhibited higher antioxidant activities and phenolic contents in July and September when these parameters were at their highest in July for stems.

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In this paper, the kinetics of polyphenols extraction from spruce bark (Picea abies) under ultrasounds action was investigated. Studies were performed in order to express the effect of some specific parameters (as: ultrasounds, surface contact between solvent and solid, extraction time and temperature) on the total phenolic content (TPC). Experiments were performed in the presence and absence of ultrasounds, using different contact surfaces between solvent and solid, for times from 5 to 75min and temperatures of 318, 323 and 333K. All these factors have a positive influence on the process, enhancing the extraction rate by recovering higher amounts of polyphenols. The process takes place in two stages: a fast one in the first 20-30min (first stage), followed by a slow one approaching to an equilibrium concentration after 40min (second stage). In these conditions, the second-order kinetic model was successfully developed for describing the mechanism of ultrasound-assisted extraction of polyphenols from P. abies bark. Based on this model, values of second-order extraction rate constant (k), initial extraction rate (h), saturation concentration (Cs) and activation energy (Ea) could be predicted. Model validation was done by plotting experimental and predicted values of TPC's, revealing a very good correlation between the obtained data (R(2)>0.98).

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From all the valuable biomass extractives, polyphenols are a widespread group of secondary metabolites found in all plants, representing the most desirable phytochemicals due to their potential to be used as additives in food industry, cosmetics, medicine, and others fields. At present, there is an increased interest to recover them from plant of spontaneous flora, cultivated plant, and wastes resulted in agricultural and food industry. That is why many efforts have been made to provide a highly sensitive, efficiently, and eco-friendly methods, for the extraction of polyphenols, according to the green chemistry and sustainable development concepts. Many extraction procedures are known with advantages and disadvantages. From these reasons, the aim of this article is to provide a comparative analysis regarding technical and economical aspects related to the most innovative extraction techniques studied in the last time: microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE).

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This study reports on the development of electrospun poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) fibers loaded with synthetic and natural antioxidants in the form of selected types of polyphenols such as vanillic, gallic, syringic acids, catechin or natural spruce bark extract to investigate their release behavior in terms of antioxidant activities. Homogenous fiber morphologies were obtained at specified concentration ranges of pHEMA within the spinning solutions, exhibiting fiber diameters in the range from 0.5±0.1 µm to 1.9±0.5 µm. The addition of polyphenols resulted in an increase of fiber diameters with increasing concentration of additives. This is attributed to the effect of hydrogen bonding between the active ingredients and the polymeric matrix, increasing shear viscosities and thus hindering effective drawing processes during fiber formation. Polyphenol release measurement gave high release rates in a first phase followed by a smooth release at long term. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, used to monitor antioxidant activity, showed that polyphenols had retained their activity after incorporation into the pHEMA nanofibers. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the encapsulation of polyphenols in pHEMA nanofibers can delay to a high extent their degradation induced by environmental factors.

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Lignin, the main natural aromatic polymer was always aroused researchers interest. Currently around 90% of this biomaterial is burned for energy. It has a very complex and complicated structure which depends on the separation method and plant species, what determine difficulties to use as a raw material widely. This research presents a physical method to modify lignin by ultrasonic irradiation in order to obtain nanoparticles. The nanoparticles synthesized were dimensionally and morphologically characterized. At the same time the preoccupations were to determine the structural and compositional changes that occurred after sonication. To achieve this, two types of commercial lignins (wheat straw and Sarkanda grass) were used and the modifications were analyzed by FTIR-spectroscopy, GPC-chromatography, (31)P-NMR-spectroscopy and HSQC0. The results confirm that the compositional and structural changes of nanoparticles obtained are not significantly modified at the intensity applied but depend on the nature of lignin.

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Here we describe the ultrasound-assisted extraction of the phenolic compounds from spruce wood bark and present a straight-forward experimental planning method, allowing the optimisation of the process. The effect of ethanol concentration, temperature and extraction time were evaluated through a 3(2)·2 experimental planning. The efficiency of the extraction process was appreciated based on factorial ANOVA results. The maximum extraction yield of total polyphenols (13.232mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of spruce bark tested) was obtained using a process time of 60min, an extraction temperature of 54°C and a concentration of ethanol of 70% respectively. These results indicate that an important quantity of bioactive compounds can be extracted from spruce wood bark by ultrasound assisted extraction technology.

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Phenolic compounds, ubiquitous in plants, are of considerable interest and have received more and more attention in recent years due to their bioactive functions. Polyphenols are amongst the most desirable phytochemicals due to their antioxidant activity. These components are known as secondary plant metabolites and possess also antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties along with their high antioxidant capacity. Many efforts have been made to provide a highly sensitive and selective analytical method for the determination and characterisation of polyphenols. The aim of this paper is to provide information on the most recent developments in the chemical investigation of polyphenols emphasising the extraction, separation and analysis of these compounds by chromatographic and spectral techniques.