Kennedy Rice (nursellama5)

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a powerful health-promoting compound found in broccoli in the form of its inactive precursor, glucoraphanin (GFN). SFN formation occurs through the enzymatic hydrolysis of glucoraphanin by myrosinase under specific chemical conditions. Its incorporation in food formulations has been hindered by the thermal instability of SFN and low concentration in Brassicaceae. Then, extracting SFN from broccoli at a temperature below 40 °C appears as an option to recover and stabilize SFN, aiming at delivering it as a nutraceutical. We studied an eco-friendly extraction process to obtain an SFN-rich extract from broccoli. The effect of the broccoli mass/solvent ratio, ethanol concentration in the extractant solution, and extraction time on the recovery of SFN, GFN, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity were studied through a Box-Behnken design. The regression models explained more than 70% of the variability in the responses, adequately representing the system. The experimental factors differently affected the bioactive compound recovery and antioxidant activity of the extracts. The extraction conditions that allowed the highest recovery of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity were identified and experimentally validated. The results may provide the basis for the design of a process to produce a sulforaphane-rich food supplement or nutraceutical by using a GRAS extractant.The aim of the study is to evaluate oxidant-antioxidant balance as well as lysosomal and anti-protease activities in ovarian cancer since it has been emphasized that the crucial inducing factor of carcinogenesis may be reactive oxygen/nitrogen species or, more precisely, oxidative stress-induced inflammation. The study involved 15 women with ovarian cancer, aged 59.9 ± 7.8 years, and 9 healthy women aged 56.3 ± 4.3 years (controls). The study material was venous blood collected from fasting subjects. In erythrocytes, the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase, as well as concentrations of conjugated dienes (CDs) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), were investigated. CD, TBARS, and vitamins A and E plasma concentrations were also determined. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity and concentrations of 4-hydroxynonenal adducts and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, as well as activities of acid phosphatase, arylsulfatase, cathepsin D, and α1-antitrypsin, were studied in serum. The vitamin E and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α concentrations as well as arylsulfatase activity were lower in the women with cancer compared to the controls (p = 0.006, p = 0.03, p = 0.001, respectively). In contrast, cathepsin D activity was lower in the controls (p = 0.04). In the peripheral blood of the women with cancer, oxidant-antioxidant and lysosomal disturbances were observed.Laser radiation has been shown to be a promising approach for in situ amorphization, i.e., drug amorphization inside the final dosage form. Upon exposure to laser radiation, elevated temperatures in the compacts are obtained. At temperatures above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer, the drug dissolves into the mobile polymer. Hence, the dissolution kinetics are dependent on the viscosity of the polymer, indirectly determined by the molecular weight (Mw) of the polymer, the solubility of the drug in the polymer, the particle size of the drug and the molecular size of the drug. Using compacts containing 30 wt% of the drug celecoxib (CCX), 69.25 wt% of three different Mw of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP PVP12, PVP17 or PVP25), 0.25 wt% plasmonic nanoaggregates (PNs) and 0.5 wt% lubricant, the effect of the polymer Mw on the dissolution kinetics upon exposure to laser radiation was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the model drug on the dissolution kinetics was investigated using compacts containing 30 wt% of three different drugs (CCX, indomethacin (IND) and naproxen (NAP)), 69.25 wt% PVP12, 0.25 wt% PN and 0.5 wt% lubricant. In per