Varios compuestos derivados de βcaroteno y de "-caroteno son considerados precursores de vitamina A (provitamina A) cumpliendo estos un rol importante en el organismo animal. Tanto la vitamina A como ...los compuestos provitaminicos tienen propiedades anticáncer, antienvejecimiento y antiúlceras. La investigación de la presencia de βcaroteno en semillas, tépalos o bien opérculos y plántulas de A. cruentus y A. montegazzianus se llevó a cabo conjuntamente con la determinación de Fe, Cu y Mo en las dos primeras. Las plántulas con 2 a 4 hojas más los cotiledones y parte del hipocótilo de ambos cultivares se secaron a la sombra, hasta peso constante y se molieron hasta pasar por malla N° 60 al igual que el resto del material. Se realizó una cromatografía en placa fina luego de una extracción etérea, para observar la presencia del pigmento. En el caso de las Semillas, los pixidios más tépalos de A. cruentus y en semillas y opérculos de A. montegazzianus no se visualizó la presencia del pigmento en cuestión. i se detectó la presencia de βcaroteno en plántulas de ambas especies. En este último caso se cuantificó dicho pigmento, incluyendo los extractos por columna cromatográfica y utilizando espectrofotómetro para leer las concentraciones de la fracción que contenía el pigmento. Se obtuvo un valor de 201.6 ppm b.s, en A. cruentus siendo un 44% superior que al hallado en A. montegazzianus, a pesar de que el color amarillento de este último parecía indicar lo contrario. Con respecto a los microelementos analizados son mayores los porcentajes obtenidos en pixidios más tépalos que en semillas. La posibilidad de utilizar los brotes de Amaranthus en alimentación tal como se aprovechan otras especies (soja, alfalfa, etc.) los convierten en excelentes aportadores de provitamina A. En cuento a los contenidos de microelementos en pixidios más tépalos (material "abundante durante la cosecha del grano) revelan que éstos pueden ser considerados para realizar análisis más completos con la finalidad de ser incluidos en la alimentación del ganado o aves de corral. Resumen de Articulo publicado en: “El Amaranto y su Potencial” Ofic. Ed. de Arch. Lat. de Nut, Guatemala CA Vol. N° 3, septiembre de 1988. p. 9·10.
•Diversity in fiber composition of amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa was recorded.•Fiber polysaccharides of pseudocereals are rich in pectins and xyloglucans.•Fiber polysaccharides have various claimed ...biological functions and health effects.•Fiber polysaccharides and fractions have formulated in food products such as breads.•Effects of polysaccharides and fractions also relate to impurities such as phenolics.
Seeds of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum and F. tataricum) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) become popular foods due to their attractive health effects. Cell wall polysaccharides are the major components of dietary fiber and significantly contribute to diverse health effects of the grains. This review summarizes chemical and physical structure, biological functions and food uses of the cell wall polysaccharides and fractions as fiber components from the 3 pseudocereals. The properties and uses of the polysaccharides and fractions are compared with those of fiber polysaccharides from common sources such as fruits and vegetables. Overall, the fiber polysaccharide composition of the pseudocereals is more similar to that of fruits and vegetables than to that of cereals. The fiber polysaccharides showed a range of biological functions such as antioxidation, anticancer and immunomodulation. The fiber polysaccharides of amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa have potential to be used in formulations of functional foods.
Since the exposure of fibroblasts to prolonged UVA radiation induces oxidative stress and apoptosis, there is a need for effective skin protection compounds with cytoprotective and antioxidant ...properties. One of their sources is
L. seed oil (AmO), which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, squalene, vitamin E derivatives and phytosterols. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether AmO evokes a protective effect on the apoptosis induced by UVA radiation in human skin fibroblasts. UVA radiation at an applied dose of 10 J/cm
caused a significant reduction in the survival of human skin fibroblasts and directed them into the apoptosis pathway. Increased expression of p53, caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP proteins in UVA-treated fibroblasts suggests the intrinsic mechanism of apoptosis. Application of the oil at 0.1% and 0.15% concentrations to UVA-treated cells decreased the expression of these proteins, which was accompanied by increased cell survival. Similarly, the UVA-dependent decrease in the expression of p-Akt and mTOR proteins was restored under the effect of the studied oil. The molecular mechanism of this phenomenon was related to the stimulation of antioxidant processes through the activation of Nrf2. This suggests that AmO stimulated the antioxidant system in fibroblasts, preventing the effects of UVA-induced oxidative stress, which may lead to pharmaceutical and cosmetological applications as a sun-protective substance.
Amaranth has become increasingly popular due to its highly nutritious grains and ability to tolerate environmental stress. The mechanism underlying defense and adaptation to environmental stress is a ...complicated process involving DNA methylation and demethylation. These epigenetic features have been well documented to play an important role in plant stress response, including heavy metal-induced stress. This study was aimed at the identification and analysis of cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (
) and demethylase (
) genes in
. Eight
and two
genes were identified and described in response to individual heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Mn) and their combination (Cd/Pb, Cd/Zn, Pb/Zn) in root and leaf tissues. Studied heavy metals, individually and in combinations, differentially regulated
and
gene expression. Interestingly, most of the genes were transcriptionally altered under Zn exposure. Our results suggest that identified amaranth
and
genes are involved in heavy metal stress responses through regulating DNA methylation and demethylation level in amaranth plants.
Abstract New insights on the use of peptides as therapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer have emerged with reports showing anti-tumour activity of peptides, predominantly derived from animals or ...microorganisms. Amaranth is a pseudocereal traditionally acknowledged to possess pharmacotherapeutic properties. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the in vitro anti-cancer effect of amaranth protein hydrolysates (alcalase, trypsin, and pepsin). Protein hydrolysates were tested for their antioxidant activity together with the anticancer and apoptotic potential. Antioxidants results revealed hydrolysates to have a greater antioxidant effect than un-hydrolysed protein, with results exceeding that of controls. The MTT cytotoxicity assay conducted on MCF-7, A549 and HEK 293 cell lines showed the trypsin hydrolysate to exhibit a preeminent anti-cancer effect. Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry showed an increased number of early apoptotic and late necrotic cells compared to untreated cells, further validated by caspase 3/7 activity. These assays confirmed the induction of apoptosis of the trypsin hydrolysate thereby demonstrating that the hydrolysate can be used as a potential therapeutic against selected cancers.
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•Molecular phylogeny and genome size measurements of 35 species of the Amaranthus genus.•Robust inference of phylogeny using GBS-derived markers.•Influence of hybridization, gene flow ...and geographic origin on taxonomic relationship.•Little variation in genome-size with the exception of two polyploidization and one genome reduction.•Identification of the closest wild relatives of cultivated grain amaranths.
The genus Amaranthus consists of 50–70 species and harbors several cultivated and weedy species of great economic importance. A small number of suitable traits, phenotypic plasticity, gene flow and hybridization made it difficult to establish the taxonomy and phylogeny of the whole genus despite various studies using molecular markers. We inferred the phylogeny of the Amaranthus genus using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) of 94 genebank accessions representing 35 Amaranthus species and measured their genome sizes. SNPs were called by de novo and reference-based methods, for which we used the distant sugarbeet Beta vulgaris and the closely related Amaranthus hypochondriacus as references. SNP counts and proportions of missing data differed between methods, but the resulting phylogenetic trees were highly similar. A distance-based neighbor joining tree of individual accessions and a species tree calculated with the multispecies coalescent supported a previous taxonomic classification into three subgenera although the subgenus A. Acnida consists of two highly differentiated clades. The analysis of the Hybridus complex within the A. Amaranthus subgenus revealed insights on the history of cultivated grain amaranths. The complex includes the three cultivated grain amaranths and their wild relatives and was well separated from other species in the subgenus. Wild and cultivated amaranth accessions did not differentiate according to the species assignment but clustered by their geographic origin from South and Central America. Different geographically separated populations of Amaranthus hybridus appear to be the common ancestors of the three cultivated grain species and A. quitensis might be additionally be involved in the evolution of South American grain amaranth (A. caudatus). We also measured genome sizes of the species and observed little variation with the exception of two lineages that showed evidence for a recent polyploidization. With the exception of two lineages, genome sizes are quite similar and indicate that polyploidization did not play a major role in the history of the genus.
We describe an electrochemical immunosensor for zearalenone (ZEA) determination in Amaranthus cruentus seeds by an enzyme immunoassay sandwich type. The device is based on a screen-printed carbon ...electrode (SPCE) modified with amino mesoporous silica (MCM-41) synthetized with Fe2O3in situ. Mesoporous material enlarges the surface available for anti-ZEA antibodies immobilization. SPCE/MCM-41-Fe2O3 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry.
ZEA in the sample previously pretreated was recognized and captured by anti-ZEA on SPCE/MCM-41-Fe2O3. Then, the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-ZEA-antibody was added, and the substrate solution (H2O2 + 4-terbutylcatechol (4-TBC)) reacted with the HRP that catalyzed the oxidation of 4-TBC to 4-terbutylbenzoquinone (TBQ). Finally, the enzymatic product was detected at −100 mV, and the current was proportional to the ZEA present in the sample.
The calibration plot exhibited a linear range from 1.88 to 45 ng mL−1, and the limit of detection was 0.57 ng mL−1 (r2 = 0.998). The coefficient of variation inter- and intra assay was below 6%. Our method achieved a good selectivity, stability and reproducibility for ZEA detection in A. cruentus seeds.
•We describe the first electrochemical immunosensor for ZEA determination in Amaranthus cruentus seeds.•The device is based on a SPCE modified with amino mesoporous silica synthetized with Fe2O3in situ.•Mesoporous material enlarges the surface available for anti-ZEA antibodies immobilization.•The method exhibits good selectivity, stability and reproducibility for ZEA detection to ensure food safety.
Trials are currently being conducted in South Africa to establish Amaranthus cruentus as a new pseudocereal crop. During recent surveys, Fusarium species were associated with weevil damage in A. ...cruentus fields. Preliminary studies showed that some of these Fusarium species grouped into two distinct clades within the F. fujikuroi species complex. The aim of this study was to characterize these isolates based on the morphology and phylogeny of the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1α) gene region, ß-tubulin 2 (ßT) gene region and RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2), and to determine if these isolates are pathogenic to A. cruentus. Phylogenetic and morphological studies showed that these two clades represent two novel species described here as F. casha and F. curculicola. Both species were shown to have the potential to be pathogenic to A. cruentus during routine greenhouse inoculation tests. While isolations indicate a possible association between these two species and weevils, further research is needed to understand this association and the role of weevils in disease development involving F. casha and F. curculicola in A. cruentus.
Shelf-life of five horticultural produce were studied. These include three leafy vegetables: Telfairia occidental, Celosia argentea and Amaranthus cruentus and two fruit vegetables: Lycopersicum ...esculentum and Abelmuschus esculentus. The layout plan of the experiment was a 3x2 factorial in a completely randomized design and each treatment replicated three times. The two factors examined were moisture barrier at three levels namely: thick lining, thin lining and non-lining. The other factor included initial moisture content of the produce, namely, turgid and partially wilted. Partial wilting of the produce was achieved by exposing freshly harvested materials at ambient temperature to dry for 45 mm. During this period, about 20% of the moisture content was lost. Eighteen (18) vegetable baskets which work on the principle of evaporative cooling system were used. Each type of produce was stored at a time inside the vegetable basket. Some quantity of each produce were kept on the laboratory benches to serve as controls. Data recorded includes length of storage of produce, severity of disease infection, visual quality, disease incidence, ambient temperature and relative humidity of the storage baskets. The result indicates that there was a significantly higher relative humidity (P < 0.05) in the lined baskets than in the non?lined baskets. Consequently, the shelf?life of produce in lined basket was prolonged. Turgid produce had better quality retention and stored much longer than partially wilted produce. Generally, the evaporative coolant baskets provided an average temperature of 3degreesC lower than the ambient condition. The shelf?life of leaf vegetables T. occidentalis, C. argentea and A. cruentus was extended appreciably for 78 days compared to the controls.
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