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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Effects Of Berberine On Development In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Zhuojia Qian Dec 2020

Effects Of Berberine On Development In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Zhuojia Qian

Masters Theses

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid found in some plants and has many bioactivities including anti-microbial, lipid- and glucose-lowering, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, etc. However, there is limited knowledge about berberine’s effects on development and locomotive activity. Herein, in vivo studies were conducted to determine these effects of berberine using Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo model. Treatment of berberine at 50 μM starting at L1 stage significantly retarded the growth rate of nematodes, and reduced the length, width and moving speed of worms by 19%, 12% and 29%, respectively, compared to the control. In addition, triglycerides (TG) and protein content in worms …


Effect Of Jackfruit-Derived Extract Consumption On Colitis-Associated Colon Tumorigenesis In Mice, Jingwen Lin Dec 2020

Effect Of Jackfruit-Derived Extract Consumption On Colitis-Associated Colon Tumorigenesis In Mice, Jingwen Lin

Masters Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The global burden of colorectal cancer is also expected to increase by 60%, to over 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million annual deaths, by the year 2030. Jackfruit is known for its packed nutrition including many antioxidants: vitamin C, carotenoids and flavanones. It has also been used in traditional medicine due to its potential protection against many chronic diseases. However, there is limited research studying the potential effect of jackfruit on colorectal cancer. Here, we used a well-established AOM/DSS …


New England’S Underutilized Seafood Species: Defining And Exploring Marketplace Potential In A Changing Climate, Amanda Davis Dec 2020

New England’S Underutilized Seafood Species: Defining And Exploring Marketplace Potential In A Changing Climate, Amanda Davis

Masters Theses

New England’s seafood industry has been searching for opportunities to diversify their landings and build resilience as it faces socio-economic challenges from a changing climate. Developing markets for underutilized species is one way the New England community could help their seafood industry build resilience. This thesis identified New England’s underutilized fish species and explored their marketplace potential by examining their availability in a changing climate, current availability to consumers, and consumers’ responses. In Chapter I, I account how New England’s seafood preferences have changed over time. In Chapter II, I identify New England’s seven underutilized seafood species: 1) Acadian redfish …


Coffee Bioactives Regulate Lipid Metabolism In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Renalison Farias Pereira Dec 2020

Coffee Bioactives Regulate Lipid Metabolism In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Renalison Farias Pereira

Doctoral Dissertations

Coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. Although the mechanisms of action are not yet elucidated, the effects of coffee and its bioactive components on lipid metabolism may account for the overall coffee effects on human health. Therefore, this study investigated the molecular mechanisms of coffee and its bioactive components on lipid metabolism using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. Green coffee bean extract (GCBE), the chlorogenic acid 5-O-caffeyolquinic acid (5-CQA), and the coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol reduced fat accumulation via distinct lipid metabolism pathways and/or behavior changes in C. elegans …


Effects Of Tempeh Fermentation On Soy Free And Bound Phenolics: Release, Transformation, And Stimulated Production, Amadeus Driando Ahnan Dec 2020

Effects Of Tempeh Fermentation On Soy Free And Bound Phenolics: Release, Transformation, And Stimulated Production, Amadeus Driando Ahnan

Doctoral Dissertations

The fermentation of tempeh, a traditional source of protein originated in Indonesia, has been reported to enhance the health-promoting potentials of various grains, legumes, and beans. Tempeh fermentation on soybeans can modulate the bioavailability of phenolic compounds, particularly isoflavones, bioactive compounds that have been found to be protective against lung, prostrate, and colon cancers. However, the mechanism of the protective benefits was unknown. Using whole-food and in vitro models, this study addressed this research gap by investigating the effects of tempeh fermentation using various cultures on the compositions of soy free, bound, and minor phenolics, as well as their antioxidative, …


Analysis Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles In Foods Using Raman Spectroscopic Techniques, Janamkumar Pandya Dec 2020

Analysis Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles In Foods Using Raman Spectroscopic Techniques, Janamkumar Pandya

Doctoral Dissertations

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and its nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in various applications. Recently, the presence of TiO2 NPs in food and consumer products raised safety concerns to human health and the environment. The goal of this project is to explore the capability of Raman Spectroscopy in the analysis of TiO2-NPs and apply this technique for the analysis of TiO2-NPs in food and environmental samples. Two approaches, i.e. the ligand-based and the mapping-based, were evaluated. The ligand-based approach utilized the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) property of the TiO2 NPs as a substrate to enhance the signal of a surface …


Micro-Physiological Models To Mimic Mucosal Barrier Complexity Of The Human Intestine In Vitro, Abhinav Sharma Dec 2020

Micro-Physiological Models To Mimic Mucosal Barrier Complexity Of The Human Intestine In Vitro, Abhinav Sharma

Doctoral Dissertations

The mucosal barrier in the intestine is vital to maintain selective absorption of nutrients while protecting internal tissues and maintaining symbiotic relationship with luminal microbiota. This bio-barrier consists of a cellular epithelial barrier and an acellular mucus barrier. Secreted mucus regulates barrier function via in situ biochemical and biophysical interaction with luminal content that continually evolves during digestion and absorption. Increasing evidence suggests that a mucus barrier is indispensable to maintain homeostasis in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the importance of mucus barrier is largely underrated for in vitro mucosal tissue modeling. The major gap is the lack of experimental material …


Dietary Oligosaccharides Modulate Bifidobacterial Production Of The Neurotransmitter Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Michelle Rozycki Sep 2020

Dietary Oligosaccharides Modulate Bifidobacterial Production Of The Neurotransmitter Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Michelle Rozycki

Masters Theses

Bifidobacteria are the predominant members of the infant gut, colonize adults to a lesser extent, and are recognized as beneficial microbes. Various bifidobacterial species produce ��-aminobutryic acid (GABA), the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It is postulated that in order to produce GABA, the bifidobacterial genome must contain the gadB and gadC genes which encode a glutamate decarboxylase and a glutamate/GABA antiporter, respectively. Once exported by GadC, GABA is absorbed and transported systemically throughout the host. We hypothesize that specific dietary oligosaccharides will modulate bifidobacterial production of GABA due to varying intracellular concentrations of glutamate. To …


The Comparison Of Functional And Physical Properties Of Commercial Pulse Proteins To Soy Protein, Kai Kai Ma Sep 2020

The Comparison Of Functional And Physical Properties Of Commercial Pulse Proteins To Soy Protein, Kai Kai Ma

Masters Theses

There has been growing interest in the utilization of plant-derived proteins as functional ingredients in many food and beverage applications because they are perceived as being more sustainable, healthy, and ethical than animal-derived proteins by many consumers. Traditionally, soy proteins have been the most widely employed plant protein in the food industry. However, a number of alternative plant-based protein sources have recently become available, with pulse proteins being one of the most popular. In this study, the physicochemical properties and functional attributes of various commercially available pulse protein isolates were compared with those of soy protein isolate to evaluate their …


Anti-Inflammatory Effect Of Red Seaweed Extracts, Yingying Yang Sep 2020

Anti-Inflammatory Effect Of Red Seaweed Extracts, Yingying Yang

Masters Theses

Red seaweeds are reported to represent the largest group of algae, with more species accounted for than the combination of brown and green seaweeds. Due to the high amount of polysaccharides in red seaweeds, they are mainly utilized for commercial agar and carrageenan production in industry. However, increasing studies indicate other valuable compounds such as lipids and polyphenols could be potential utilized for multiple human needs (e.g., drug development) (1, 2). With increasing studies demonstrating the potential health benefits of seaweed components, two red seaweed species commonly consumed in Asia, hong qı´ lı´n c a`i (HQL), Eucheuma sp and zhe` …


Design And Fabrication Of Colloidal Delivery Systems To Encapsulate And Protect Curcumin: An Important Hydrophobic Nutraceutical, Mahesh Kharat Jul 2020

Design And Fabrication Of Colloidal Delivery Systems To Encapsulate And Protect Curcumin: An Important Hydrophobic Nutraceutical, Mahesh Kharat

Doctoral Dissertations

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound found in Turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome that has excellent biological benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties to name a few. However, its incorporation in food and pharmaceuticals is difficult due to low water solubility and chemical instability. This study focuses on developing colloidal delivery systems for efficient encapsulation and increased protection of curcumin for maximizing the proposed health benefits of curcumin. It was found that the physical and chemical stability of pure curcumin is impacted by pH, storage temperature, and molecular environment both in aqueous solutions and in oil-in-water emulsions. Pure …


Development Of Headspace Analysis Of Living And Postharvest Fresh Produce Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (Sers), Xinyi Du Jul 2020

Development Of Headspace Analysis Of Living And Postharvest Fresh Produce Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (Sers), Xinyi Du

Masters Theses

The increasing market demand for fresh produce promotes a keen interest in developing a rapid, sensitive and reliable method for monitoring plant health and determining the shelf-life of postharvest produce. The objective of this study is to explore the capability of Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in these applications. SERS integrates Raman spectroscopy which measures molecular vibrations and nanotechnology which enhances the weak Raman signals. Herein, we developed two SERS methods based on a surface detection approach using nanoparticles solution and a headspace detection approach using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) fibers, to detect biochemical changes during postharvest storage of arugula leaves. Compared …


Green Coffee Bean Extract Reduces Fat Accumulation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lynnea Young Jul 2020

Green Coffee Bean Extract Reduces Fat Accumulation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lynnea Young

Masters Theses

With obesity on the rise, there has been great interest in identifying functional foods that can alter metabolism to mitigate obesity. One nutraceutical that has gained attention is green coffee bean extract (GCBE), sourced from raw coffee beans. Research has shown that it has a variety of biological effects including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism. It has been reported that the main polyphenolic compound in GCBE, chlorogenic acid (CGA), is likely responsible for these effects. However, GCBE had not yet been studied in Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly. Drosophila are a noted model organism …


Utilization Of Emulsion Chemistries For Delivery And Antiviral Application Of Carvacrol, Hao-Yuan Hsu Apr 2020

Utilization Of Emulsion Chemistries For Delivery And Antiviral Application Of Carvacrol, Hao-Yuan Hsu

Masters Theses

Human norovirus (HuNoVs) are the most common enteric pathogen around the world that cause ~50% of foodborne illness of disease outbreaks annually. HuNoVs are the member of the Caliciviridae family, which consist of small (38 nm), unenveloped, single stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses. Norovirus are divided into 5 genogroup (GI, GII, GIII, GIV, GV, GVI and GVII). The GI, GII, and GIV cause human illness, in addition, GII.4 genotype cause the most human disease. Due to HuNoVs are difficult cultured in vitro, the cultivable HuNoVs surrogates have been widely studied. Recently, some studies have been conducted with HuNoVs surrogates, for …


Promotion Of Colon Health By Strawberry And Cranberry, Yanhui Han Mar 2020

Promotion Of Colon Health By Strawberry And Cranberry, Yanhui Han

Doctoral Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has posed serious threats to the human health, which lead to chronic malabsorption of nutrients, abnormal pain and rectal bleeding. Both genetic predisposition and environmental factors contribute to the onset of IBD. Multiple studies suggested that dysbiosis in colon plays an important role in the development of colitis, and gut microbiota composition are different between patients with IBD and healthy individuals. Intake of whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, may confer health benefits to the host. The beneficial effects of fruits and vegetables mainly attribute to their richness of polyphenols and microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs). Components …