Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2024 Nov 7;22:557-566. doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b5816441.

Immigrant Parents' Knowledge and Attitudes: Sociodemographic Variation Related 
to Restriction of Children's Sugar Intake.

Mustafa M, Nasir E, Sen A, Åstrøm AN.

PURPOSE: Focusing on immigrant parents with children aged 0-6 months, this study 
assessed whether awareness of and attitudes towards restricting children's sugar 
consumption vary according to family sociodemographic background and parents' 
oral-health-related behaviours.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted including immigrant 
parents attending child public health centers for vaccination of their children. 
The study included parents born in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America 
and Eastern Europe. Parents from Western Europe and North America were included 
if they were partners of the above-mentioned participants. Cross-tabulation and 
multiple variable logistic regression were used to assess associations of 
parental knowledge and attitudes with their child's sugar intake and 
sociodemographic characteristics.
RESULTS: Overall, response rate was 72.6%. A total of 345 parents completed 
personal, structured interviews during their visit to the health centers. 
Attitudes and knowledge, but not indulgence, related to children's sugar 
restriction were sociodemographically unequally distributed among immigrant 
parents. Employed mothers, mothers with immigrant background from North America 
or Western Europe as well as parents with less frequent own sugar intake were 
more likely to confirm positive attitudes towards restricting children's sugar 
snacking. The corresponding odds ratios were OR=1.8 (95% CI 1.1-3.1) and OR=6.6 
(95% CI 2.3-18.9). Employed mothers and parents having received dental care 
information were more likely than their counterparts to possess good 
oral-health-related knowledge.
CONCLUSION: Parents from sociodemographically disadvantaged backgrounds were 
less inclined to express positive attitudes and demonstrate sufficient knowledge 
regarding the limitation of their children's sugar snacking. Culturally adapted 
oral health intervention programs should be implemented for immigrants, with 
special reference to children's dietary habits.

DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b5816441
PMID: 39506923 [Indexed for MEDLINE]


2. Chemosphere. 2024 Nov 4:143682. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143682. Online
 ahead of print.

Biochar and nanoscale silicon synergistically alleviate arsenic toxicity and 
enhance productivity in chili peppers (Capsicum annuum L.).

Manzoor N(1), Ali L(2), Ahmad T(3), Muhammad Yahya K(2), Ali HM(4), Liu Y(1), 
Wang G(5).

Author information:
(1)Department of Soil and Water Sciences, National Black Soil and Agriculture 
Research, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
(2)University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub-Campus Burewala, 61100, Pakistan.
(3)Xianghu Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311231, China; Institute of Biotechnology, 
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Department of Life Sciences, Western 
Caspian University, Baku, Azerbaijan.
(4)Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud 
University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
(5)Department of Soil and Water Sciences, National Black Soil and Agriculture 
Research, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic 
address: gangwang@cau.edu.cn.

Arsenic (As) contamination in agricultural soils threatens crop productivity and 
food safety. In this study, we examined the efficacy of biochar (BC) and silicon 
nanoparticles (SiNPs) as environmentally sustainable soil amendments to 
alleviate As toxicity in chili (Capsicum annuum L.) plants. Our findings 
revealed that As stress severely inhibited the growth parameters of Capsicum 
annuum L., and subsequently reduced yield. However, the application of BC and 
SiNPs into the contaminated soil significantly reversed these negative effects, 
promoting plant length and biomass, particularly when applied together in a 
synergistic manner. Arsenic stress led to increased oxidative damage, as 
evidenced by a 29% increase in leaf malondialdehyde content as compared to the 
healthy plants. Nevertheless, the synergistic (BC + SiNPs) application 
effectively modulated antioxidant enzyme activity, resulting in a remarkable 55% 
and 66% enhancement in the superoxide dismutase and catalase levels, 
respectively, boosting chili's resistance against oxidative stress. Similarly, 
BC + SiNPs amendments improved photosynthesis by 52%, stomatal conductance by 
39%, soluble sugars by 42%, and proteins by 30% as compared with those of 
control treatment. Additionally, the combined BC + SiNPs application 
significantly reduced root As content by 61% and straw As by 37% as compared 
with the control one. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the 
synergistic use of BC and SiNPs preserved chili leaf ultrastructure, shielding 
against As-induced damage. Overall, the supplementation of contaminated soil 
with BC and SiNPs was proved to be a sustainable strategy for mitigating As 
toxicity in chili peppers, enhancing plant growth, physiology, and yield, and 
thereby food safety.

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143682
PMID: 39505074

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest ☒ The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.


3. Food Chem. 2024 Oct 30;464(Pt 3):141851. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141851. 
Online ahead of print.

4D DIA proteomic analysis of gender and age influences on meat quality and 
flavor in Hetian white sheep.

Wang J(1), Lin H(2), Wang Q(3), Wu Y(4), Zhang C(5).

Author information:
(1)College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 
830052, China; Xinjiang academy of animal science, Urumqi 830052, China.
(2)Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Affairs, Institute of Food Science and technology, Chinese Academy of 
Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
(3)Xinjiang Jinken Aoqun Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Ltd., 
848301,China.
(4)College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 
830052, China. Electronic address: wuyunster@sina.com.
(5)Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Affairs, Institute of Food Science and technology, Chinese Academy of 
Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; Institute of Western Agriculture, 
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji 831100, China. Electronic 
address: zhangchunhui@caas.cn.

To investigate the impact of age and gender on mutton flavor and quality, we 
analyzed mutton from 12-month-old and 6-month-old rams and ewes. The results 
indicated that 12 months Hetian white sheep exhibited higher levels of amino 
acids, protein, free fatty acids, and reducing sugars compared to 6-months. 
Additionally, amino acid, protein, and reducing sugar levels were higher in ewes 
than 12 months rams. Proteomic analysis revealed that proteins related to fatty 
acid metabolism, intramuscular fat (IMF), and mitochondrial function were more 
abundant in ram. The upregulation proteins involved in amino acid metabolism in 
ewes highlights its richer flavor profile compared to ram. Proteins associated 
with muscle development and mitochondrial activity were more highly expressed in 
the 12-month-old samples compared to those from 6-month-old sheep. ECI1, highly 
expressed in rams, is linked to IMF content. We hypothesize that ECI1 may serve 
as a potential protein marker for mutton quality.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141851
PMID: 39504902

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.


4. ChemSusChem. 2024 Nov 6:e202400639. doi: 10.1002/cssc.202400639. Online ahead
of  print.

Sustainable Hydrogen Production by Glycerol and Monosaccharides Catalytic 
Acceptorless Dehydrogenation (AD) in Homogeneous Phase.

Kostera S(1), Gonsalvi L(2).

Author information:
(1)National Research Council, Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici 
(ICCOM), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino (FI), ITALY.
(2)National Research Council, Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici 
(ICCOM), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, ITALY.

In the quest for sustainable hydrogen production, the use of biomass-derived 
feedstock is gaining importance. Acceptorless Dehydrogenation (AD) in the 
presence of efficient and selective catalysts has been explored worldwide as a 
suitable method to produce hydrogen from hydrogen-rich simple organic molecules. 
Among these, glycerol and sugars have the advantage of being cheap, abundant, 
and obtainable from fatty acid basic hydrolysis (biodiesel industry) and from 
biomass by biochemical and thermochemical processing, respectively. Although 
heterogeneous catalysts are more widely used for hydrogen production from 
biomass-based feedstock, the harsh reaction conditions applied limit 
applicability due to deactivation of active sites due to coking  of carbonaceous 
materials. Moreover, heterogeneous catalyst are more difficult to fine-tune than 
homogeneous counterparts, and the latter also allow for high process 
selectivities under milder conditions. The present Concept article summarizes 
the main features of the most active homogeneous catalysts reported for glycerol 
and monosaccharides AD. In order to directly compare  hydrogen production 
efficiencies, the choice of literature works was limited to reports where 
hydrogen was clearly quantified by yields and turnover numbers (TONs). The types 
of transition metals and ligands is discussed, together with a perspective view 
on future challenges of homogeneous AD reactions for practical applications.

© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.

DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202400639
PMID: 39503242


5. Food Chem. 2024 Oct 18;464(Pt 2):141661. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141661. 
Online ahead of print.

Melatonin treatment maintains the quality properties and storability of 
carambola fruit by modulating energy metabolism.

Hu T(1), Zheng S(1), Liu Q(1), Li M(1), Chen J(1), Zhang H(1), Lin M(2), Lin 
H(3), Chen Y(4).

Author information:
(1)Institute of Postharvest Technology of Agricultural Products, College of Food 
Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, 
China; Key Laboratory of Postharvest Biology of Subtropical Special Agricultural 
Products, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
(2)Food Science Program, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences, 
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
(3)Institute of Postharvest Technology of Agricultural Products, College of Food 
Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, 
China; Key Laboratory of Postharvest Biology of Subtropical Special Agricultural 
Products, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China. Electronic 
address: hetonglin@163.com.
(4)Institute of Postharvest Technology of Agricultural Products, College of Food 
Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, 
China; Key Laboratory of Postharvest Biology of Subtropical Special Agricultural 
Products, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China. Electronic 
address: harris2197395@163.com.

The influences of 150 μmol/L melatonin treatment on the quality properties, 
storability, and energy metabolism in carambola fruit were explored. The results 
showed that, compared to the control, melatonin treatment significantly retained 
higher rate of commercially acceptable fruit, and retarded the development of 
fruit browning and yellowing. Additionally, melatonin treatment displayed higher 
levels of chromaticity L⁎ and h° values, titratable acid, total soluble solids, 
total soluble sugars, sucrose, and vitamin C, but lower respiration rate, 
chromaticity a⁎ and b⁎ values, and reducing sugar content. Moreover, melatonin 
treatment presented higher levels of ATP, ADP, and energy charge, as well as 
higher activities of H+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, and Ca2+-ATPase in the membranes of 
vacuole, mitochondria, and plasma, thereby reducing the damage to cell 
membranes. These results will provide a scientific basis and practical guidance 
for melatonin to maintain the quality properties and storability, and to prolong 
the shelf life of postharvest carambola fruit.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141661
PMID: 39503091

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.