An on-site extraction device is presented consisting of scotch tape modified with concentric domains of micrometric hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) particles surrounded by a ring of nanometric magnetic ones. On the one hand, HLB microparticles are readily available at the surface of the tape, exposed to interact with the target analytes, being responsible for the extraction capacity of the sorptive phase. On the other hand, the presence of magnetic nanoparticles enables the attachment of the modified tape onto a metallic screw via a magnet, which is then coupled to a wireless drill, enabling the stirring of the microextraction device. Both are simply fixed to the cost-effective, flexible, and versatile support, i.e., scotch tape, owing to their adhesive properties. The microextraction device has been applied to the determination of six benzophenones in swimming pool water samples. The variables that may affect the extraction process have been evaluated. Under the optimum conditions and using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as the instrumental technique, the method provided a limit of detection of 0.03 µg L-1. The intra-day precision, evaluated at three different concentration levels and expressed as relative standard deviation, was lower than 10%, which also comprises the variability within single-use sorptive tapes. The accuracy, calculated with spiked samples and expressed as relative recovery, ranged from 71 to 138%. The method was applied to the analysis of swimming pool water, revealing the presence of such compounds.

A novel 3D magnetic nanocomposite material based on covalent organic polymers was successfully synthesized and utilized as an efficient sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction. It exhibited a regular core-shell structure, large specific surface area, superior stability, and paramagnetism. To evaluate its extraction efficiency, six flavonoids were tested, demonstrating maximum adsorption capacities ranging from 90 to 218 mg/g. Additionally, the material exhibited remarkable reusability and mechanical stability, maintaining its original state over eight cycles with consistent recovery. An analytical strategy combining magnetic solid-phase extraction with high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of flavonoids in orange, honey, soybean, and Dioscorea bulbifera L. samples. The low limits of detection (0.01-0.1 ng/mL) and limits of quantification (0.05-0.5 ng/mL), as well as satisfactory recovery (80.4-114.8%), were obtained. The linear range started from the limits of quantification to 500 ng/mL with R2 ≥ 0.9929. These results suggest that the prepared adsorbent possesses excellent adsorption capabilities for flavonoids, highlighting its significant potential for detecting these compounds in complex sample matrices.

This study explores the physiological changes associated with aging that lead to frailty syndrome, characterized by reduced vitality and degeneration across multiple bodily systems, increasing susceptibility to various pathologies. While established scales like the Fried Phenotype and Frailty Trait Scale (FTS) are commonly used for assessing frailty, incorporating biomarkers is crucial for accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Our research examines plasma oxylipin levels in frail elderly individuals to identify novel biomarkers. Diagnostic criteria for frailty included assessments using the Fried Phenotype and FTS-5, with blood samples collected from 71 elderly participants (50 women and 21 men) with mean ages of 73.6 ± 5.9 and 76.2 ± 6.2 years, respectively. Women exhibited elevated platelet counts (p-value 0.0035). The significant differences in oxylipin concentrations associated with the Fried Phenotype were particularly noteworthy, predominantly observed in women. Specifically, in women, decreased grip strength (<15 kg) and slow gait speed (<0.8 m/s) correlated with increased levels of thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and 7-HDoHE (p-values 0.0404, 0.0300, 0.0033, and 0.0033, respectively). Additionally, elevated 7-HDoHE levels correlated with a BMI exceeding 28 kg/m2 (p-value 0.0123) and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) scores surpassing 5 points (p-value 0.0134) in women. In summary, our findings emphasize that frail older individuals, particularly women, exhibit higher levels of TxB2 and 7-HDoHE compared to their non-frail counterparts, aligning with established frailty classification and scale parameters, suggesting their potential as indicative biomarkers.

Envenoming resulting from snakebites is recognized as a priority neglected tropical disease by The World Health Organization. The Bothrops genus, consisting of different pitviper species, is considered the most medically significant taxa in Central and South America. Further research into Bothrops venom composition is important to aid in the development of safer and more effective snakebite treatments. In addition, the discovery of Bothrops toxins that could potentially be used for medical or diagnostic purposes is of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. This study aimed to employ high-throughput (HT) venomics to qualitatively analyze venom composition while utilizing coagulation bioassays for identifying coagulopathic toxins and characterizing coagulopathic activity in various Bothrops venoms. Using the recently demonstrated HT venomics workflow in combination with post-column coagulopathic bioassaying, focus was placed at anticoagulant toxins. Well-known procoagulant toxins were also investigated, taking into account that using the HT venomics workflow, procoagulant toxins are especially prone to denaturation during the reversed-phase chromatographic separations performed in the workflow. The findings revealed that the venoms of B. atrox and B. jararaca harbored procoagulant toxins, whereas those of B. alternatus and B. neuwiedi contained both procoagulant and anticoagulant toxins. In general, anticoagulation was associated with phospholipases A2s, while procoagulation was associated with snake venom metalloproteinases and snake venom serine proteases. These results showed the identification of coagulopathic venom toxins in the Bothrops venoms analyzed using multiple analytical methods that complement each other. Additionally, each venom underwent qualitative characterization of its composition.

Plant-based milks emerge as a healthy and vegan alternative for human diet, but these foodstuffs are susceptible to be contaminated by aflatoxins. A new method based on SPE and HPLC-MS/MS analysis was optimized and validated to test the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 analysis in almond, oat, rice and soy commercial milks. Moreover, aflatoxin bioaccessibility was evaluated through an in vitro digestion assay applied to each type of spiked milk. Aflatoxins B1, B2 and G1 were detected in one soy milk sample below the LOQ, fulfilling the limits stablished by the European Legislation. The final bioaccessibility percentages were highly dependent on the type of mycotoxin and sample matrix, the highest and the lowest values were obtained for AFB2 (82%-92%) and AFG1 (15%-30%), whereas AFB1 (28%-50%) and AFG2 (32%-76%) values resulted more influenced by the plant-based milk matrix.

Population exposure to endocrine disrupting chemical- bisphenols, which are used commonly in food containers and drinking water pipes in Europe, is above acceptable health and safety levels, according to updated research data. In order to evaluate the most abundant potential migrants in canned sweetened beverages marketed in Poland, we performed the HPLC-MS screening test of the migrants present in the can coating material. The analyzed samples represented the three top-ranked companies of the global soft drink market; it is reasonable to assume that the obtained data are of global validity. The tested can coatings and beverages contained bisphenols conjugates such as five butoxyethanol (BuOEtOH) adducts with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), one butoxyethanol adduct with bisphenol A monoglycidyl ether (BAMGE), and cyclo-di-BADGE. The performed HPLC-MS/MS analysis in the MRM mode enabled evaluation of the concentrations of the detected conjugates in canned beverages which were found to be very low, namely at the level of 1 µg/L. On the other hand, the high consumption of canned beverages may yield a risk associated with the presence of these compounds in the diet. The subsequent HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS experiments allowed, for the first time, a detailed determination of the fragmentation pathways of the detected migrants as well as detection of the isomers of the two migrants, namely BADGE + BuOEtOH and BADGE + BuOEtOH + HCl.

The Equisetaceae family, commonly known as horsetails, has been of scientific interest for decades due to its status as one of the most ancient extant vascular plant families. Notably, the corresponding species have found their place in traditional medicine, offering a wide array of applications. This study presents a comprehensive phytochemical analysis of polar secondary metabolites within the sterile stems of five distinct Equisetum species using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. For this purpose, fresh plant material was extracted with acetone/water, and the resulting crude extracts were fractionated using dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol, respectively. The results reveal a complex array of compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, flavonoids, and other phenolic compounds. In addition, total phenolic contents (Folin-Ciocalteu assay) and antioxidant activities (DPPH assay) of the plant extracts were evaluated using spectrophotometric methods. The present comparative analysis across the five species highlights both shared and species-specific metabolites, providing valuable insights into their chemical diversity and potential pharmacological properties.

BACKGROUND: Pueraria lobata is essential medicinal and edible homologous plants widely cultivated in Asian countries. Therefore, P. lobata is widely used in the food, health products and pharmaceutical industries and have significant domestic and international market potential and research value. P. lobata has remarkable biological activities in protecting liver, relieving alcoholism, antioxidation, anti-tumor and anti-inflammation in clinic. However, the potential mechanism of ethyl acetate extract of Pueraria lobata after 70% alcohol extraction (APL) ameliorating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been clarified.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of P. lobata extract on human hepatoma cells and injury in rats, and to evaluate its therapeutic potential for ameliorating NAFLD.
METHODS: Firstly, the effective part of P. lobata extract was determined as APL by measuring its total substances and antioxidant activity. And then the in vitro and in vivo models of NAFLD were adopted., HepG2 cells were incubated with palmitic acid (PA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In order to evaluate the effect of APL, Simvastatin and Vitamin C (VC) were used as positive control. Various parameters related to lipogenesis and fatty acid β-oxidation were studied, such as intracellular lipid accumulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), Western Blot, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, and the mechanism of APL improving NAFLD. The chemical components of APL were further determined by HPLC and UPLC-MS, and molecular docking was carried out with Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway related proteins.
RESULTS: APL significantly reduced lipid accumulation and levels of oxidative stress-related factors in vitro and in vivo. Immunohistochemical、Western Blot and PCR analysis showed that the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were up-regulated in APL treatment. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 can block the rescue by APL of cellular oxidative stress and lipid accumulation induced by H2O2 and PA, demonstrating its dependence on Nrf2. UPLC/MS analysis showed that there were 3\'-hydroxyl puerarin, puerarin, 3\'-methoxy puerarin, daidzein, genistin, ononin, daidzin and genistein.
CONCLUSIONS: This study further clarified the mechanism of P. lobata extract in improving NAFLD, which provided a scientific basis for developing new drugs to protect liver injury and laid a solid foundation for developing P. lobata Chinese herbal medicine resources.

Black carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus var. atrorubens Alef.) is widely recognized for its bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties. The black carrot of Cuevas Bajas (Málaga) is a local variety characterized by a black/purple core, which differs from other black carrot varieties. Therefore, this autochthonous variety was characterized according to the root size and the harvesting season by means of a study of its antioxidant capacity analyzed by three methods, its total carotenoids content, and its sugars and phenolic compounds profile by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). A total of 20 polyphenolic compounds were quantified in 144 samples analyzed. The anthocyanidins group was observed to be the most abundant, followed by the hydroxycinnamic acids group. Moreover, pelargonidin 3-sambubioside was observed in black carrot for the first time. The medium-sized carrots presented the highest content of phenolic compounds, largely due to their significantly higher anthocyanidins content. Comparatively, the small carrots showed a higher content of simple sugars than the large ones. Regarding the influence of season, significantly higher quantities of glucose and fructose were observed in the late-season carrots, while sucrose was the main sugar in early-season samples. No significant differences were observed in the total carotenoid content of black carrot.

Olive oil is a food of great importance in the Mediterranean diet and culture. However, during its production, the olive oil industry generates a large amount of waste by-products that can be an important source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and terpenes, revalorizing them in the context of the circular economy. Therefore, it is of great interest to study the distribution and abundance of these bioactive compounds in the different by-products. This research is a screening focused on phytochemical analysis, with particular emphasis on the identification and quantification of the phenolic and terpenic fractions. Both the main products of the olive industry (olives, olive paste and produced oil) and the by-products generated throughout the oil production process (leaf, \"alpeorujo\", liquid and solid residues generated during decanting commonly named \"borras\" and washing water) were analyzed. For this purpose, different optimized extraction procedures were performed for each matrix, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-TOF/MS) analysis. Although no phenolic alcohols were quantified in the leaf and the presence of secoiridoids was low, this by-product was notable for its flavonoid (720 ± 20 µg/g) and terpene (5000 ± 300 µg/g) contents. \"Alpeorujo\" presented a complete profile of compounds of interest, being abundant in phenolic alcohols (900 ± 100 µg/g), secoiridoids (4500 ± 500 µg/g) and terpenes (1200 ± 100 µg/g), among others. On the other hand, while the solid residue of the borras was the most abundant in phenolic alcohols (3700 ± 200 µg/g) and secoiridoids (680 ± 20 µg/g), the liquid fraction of this waste was notable for its content of elenolic acid derivatives (1700 ± 100 µg/mL) and phenolic alcohols (3000 ± 300 µg/mL). Furthermore, to our knowledge, this is the first time that the terpene content of this by-product has been monitored, demonstrating that it is an important source of these compounds, especially maslinic acid (120 ± 20 µg/g). Finally, the phytochemical content in wash water was lower than expected, and only elenolic acid derivatives were detected (6 ± 1 µg/mL). The results highlighted the potential of the olive by-products as possible alternative sources of a wide variety of olive bioactive compounds for their revalorization into value-added products.