This study was performed to evaluate α-tocopherol and β-carotene contents of pasture milk under ordinary Sicilian farming conditions. Fourteen dairy farms were allocated into 2 balanced groups on the ...basis of cultivated (CULT) or spontaneous (SPO) pasture type feeding. Bulk milk per farm was collected 4 times from February through April at 3-wk intervals. Pasture botanical and diet composition, diet nutritional quality, milk yield and composition were estimated each time. Pasture intake levels were calculated based on feed analyses, hay and concentrate amounts fed, and milk yield and chemical composition. According to pasture intake, the farms were split into low pasture intake (LPI; <29.5% of dry matter) and high pasture intake (HPI; >29.5% of dry matter) groups. Milk samples per farm were analyzed for α-tocopherol and β-carotene contents by HPLC. The SPO group had higher levels of α-tocopherol and β-carotene in milk (0.7 and 0.3mg/L, respectively) and milk fat (19.0 and 7.5mg/kg fat, respectively) compared with the CULT group in milk (0.5 and 0.2mg/L, respectively) and milk fat (14.6 and 4.9mg/kg, respectively). High pasture intake compared with LPI increased α-tocopherol in milk fat (18.0 and 16.0mg/kg of fat, respectively). However, only in the SPO (not in CULT), HPI compared with LPI increased milk α-tocopherol (0.8 vs. 0.6mg/L, respectively), milk β-carotene (0.3 vs. 0.2mg/L, respectively), and milk fat β-carotene (8.4 vs. 6.6mg/kg, respectively). Results may be related to the different botanical composition of the respective pasture types and pasture intake. Spontaneous pasture compared with CULT contained a higher mass proportion of Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Cruciferae, Euphorbiaceae, and Malvaceae plants. Milk and milk fat α-tocopherol levels were higher on test-days (TD)-1, TD-2, and TD-4 compared with TD-3. For HPI farms, milk fat β-carotene content was higher on the first 2 TD compared with the last 2 TD. These differences could be related to plant biological stage. On Sicilian dairy farms, the highest milk α-tocopherol and β-carotene contents may be obtained feeding high levels of SPO pasture in the spring.
The porphin isomer tetra-n-propyl-porphycene (TPP) was incorporated into unilamellar liposomes of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and intravenously injected at a dose of 2 mg/kg to BALB/c mice bearing ...a MS-2 fibrosarcoma. Pharmacokinetic studies show that TPP is selectively transported by serum lipoproteins and delivered to the tumour tissue with good efficiency (approx. 1 microgram of the TPP per g of tissue at 24 h after injection) and selectivity (ratio of TPP concentration in the tumour to the peritumoural tissue 16.7 at 24 h). Large doses of TPP are also accumulated by the liver, in agreement with the elimination of the drug via the biliary route, while no TPP is recovered from the brain. Red light-irradiation (300 J/cm2) of the tumour area caused extensive necrosis, while only little cutaneous photosensitivity was observed. Since TPP has a large absorbance in the 630-640 nm region, can be synthesized with a high degree of purity and is an efficient generator of singlet oxygen, this drug represents a potential candidate as a phototherapeutic agent for tumours.
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