Search results for " pigments"
showing 10 items of 52 documents
Flashing light emitting diodes (LEDs) induce proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments in three microalgae
2020
As the periodic emission of light pulses by light emitting diodes (LEDs) is known to stimulate growth or induce high value biocompounds in microalgae, this flashing light regime was tested on growth and biochemical composition of the microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana, Koliella antarctica and Tetraselmis chui. At low flashing light frequencies (e.g., 5 and 50 Hz, Duty cycle = 0.05), a strain-dependent growth inhibition and an accumulation of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, chlorophyll or carotenoids (lutein, β-carotene, violaxanthin and neoxanthin) was observed. In addition, a 4-day application of low-frequency flashing light to concentrated cultures increased productivities of eicos…
Biological and physical modification of carbonate system parameters along the salinity gradient in shallow hypersaline solar salterns in Trapani, Ita…
2017
Abstract We investigated changes in the chemical characteristics of evaporating seawater under the influence of microbial activity by conducting geochemical analyses of the brines and evaporite sediments collected from solar salterns in Trapani, Italy. The microbial activity had a substantial effect on the carbonate system parameters. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was substantially removed from the brine during the course of evaporation from the seawater to the point where calcium carbonate precipitates, with an accompanying decrease in its carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C DIC ) to as low as −10.6‰. Although the removal of DIC was due to calcium carbonate precipitation, photosynthesis…
N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine adduct induces expression of chronic inflammation cytokines in retinal pigment epithelium cells
2021
Blindness due to photoreceptor degeneration is observed in both genetic and acquired eye disorders. Long blue light exposure can contribute to increase levels of oxidative compounds within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), enhancing risk of retinal damage. In retina, reactive oxygen species contribute to the activation of inflammatory cascade. If chronic, this inflammatory response can result in photoreceptor death. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the endogenous adduct N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) on RPE cells, in order to identify the most dysregulated cytokines and their related inflammatory pathways. RPE cells were exposed to A2E and blue light for 3h and 6h. …
The biology of color
2017
In living color Animals live in a colorful world, but we rarely stop to think about how this color is produced and perceived, or how it evolved. Cuthill et al. review how color is used for social signals between individual animals and how it affects interactions with parasites, predators, and the physical environment. New approaches are elucidating aspects of animal coloration, from the requirements for complex cognition and perception mechanisms to the evolutionary dynamics surrounding its development and diversification. Science , this issue p. eaan0221
Two Novel Deletions (Array CGH Findings) in Pigment Dispersion Syndrome
2007
Purpose: We report the first male with pigment dispersion syndrome and a balanced translocation t(10;15)(p11.1;q11.1). Methods: Cytogenetic analyses using Giemsa banding and FISH methods, and array CGH were performed. Results: Array CGH analyses did not show altered DNA sequences in the breakpoints of the translocation, but revealed two novel deletions in 2q22.1 and 18q22.1. Conclusion: We suppose that the coexistence of t(10;15) and pigment dispersion syndrome in our patient is a coincidence. The deletion in 2q22.1, where the gene LRP1B has been located, may play a major role in the dysembryogenesis of the eye and cause the disorder.
Differentiation in medulloblastomas: correlation between the immunocytochemical demonstration of photoreceptor markers (S-antigen, rod-opsin) and the…
1989
Biopsy specimens of 66 medulloblastomas were investigated by means of S-antigen and rod-opsin immunocytochemistry. The patients were operated between 1969 and 1988 and the medical records were retrospectively evaluated to correlate the immunocytochemical features of the tumors to the course of the disease. S-antigen- and rod-opsin-immunoreactive tumor cells were found in 19 out of 66 cases. Since in the normal non-neoplastic state immunoreactive S-antigen and rod-opsin are restricted to retinal photoreceptors and a class of pinealocytes derived from photoreceptor cells, the occurrence of these proteins in certain tumor cells of medulloblastomas suggests a differentiation of these cells alon…
Environmental drivers and abrupt changes of phytoplankton community in temperate lake Lielais Svētiņu, Eastern Latvia, over the last Post-Glacial per…
2021
Understanding the long-term dynamics of ecological communities on the centuries-to-millennia scale is important for explaining the emergence of present-day biodiversity patterns and for predicting possible future scenarios. Fossil pigments and ancient DNA present in various sedimentary deposits can be analysed to study long-term changes in ecological communities. We analysed recent compilations of data, including fossil pigments, microfossils, and molecular inventories from the sedimentary archives, to understand the impact of gradual versus abrupt climate changes on the ecosystem status of a regional model lake over the last ~14.5 kyr. Such long and complete paleo-archives are scarce in No…
Functional foods and nutraceuticals: a way to improve health, prevent disease, and delay aging. The case of cactus pear.
2007
Cactus pear fruits have recently been the object of scientific research aimed at revealing bioactive components. This short review summarizes results obtained by our group. The two characteristic betalain pigments, betanin and indicaxanthin, appear promising molecules to be considered nutraceutical compounds.
Indicaxanthin inhibits NADPH oxidase (NOX)-1 activation and NF-κB-dependent release of inflammatory mediators and prevents the increase of epithelial…
2014
Dietary redox-active/antioxidant phytochemicals may help control or mitigate the inflammatory response in chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the present study, the anti-inflammatory activity of indicaxanthin (Ind), a pigment from the edible fruit of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica, L.), was shown in an IBD model consisting of a human intestinal epithelial cell line (Caco-2 cells) stimulated by IL-1β, a cytokine known to play a major role in the initiation and amplification of inflammatory activity in IBD. The exposure of Caco-2 cells to IL-1β brought about the activation of NADPH oxidase (NOX-1) and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to activate intracellular signal…
Photocatalytic properties of cement-based plasters and paints, containing mineral pigments
2010
Innovative cement-based pre-mix products, for surface coating of buildings, possessing photocatalytic activity, arouse great interest due to achievable results in terms of reduction of the air pollution and in the maintenance of aesthetics.The photoactivity is induced by the presence of a photocatalyst, titanium dioxide, which can accelerate the oxidation processes of air pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mainly produced by incomplete combustion of fuel and present in urban environment through the exhaust gases of motor vehicles. The surfaces which are coated with these products acquire a self-cleaning characteristic (maintenance of origin…