Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Nov 4:137258. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137258. 
Online ahead of print.

Effect of electron beam irradiation pretreatment on the structural, 
physicochemical properties of potato starch-fatty acid complexes and the 
proliferation of Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

Tian M(1), Wang Y(2), Sun H(3), Cai J(4), Ma Y(1).

Author information:
(1)College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, 
Lanzhou 730070, China.
(2)College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, 
Lanzhou 730070, China. Electronic address: wangyue@gsau.edu.cn.
(3)Medical Laboratory Center, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University (The 
first school of clinical medicine), Lanzhou 730000, China.
(4)Lanzhou Pulmonary Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, China.

The effects of different electron beam irradiation doses (5 KGy, 10 KGy, 20 KGy) 
on the complexation of potato starch with four saturated fatty acids with 
different chain lengths, i.e., lauric acid (LA), myristic acid (MA), palmitic 
acid (PA), and stearic acid (SA), were investigated, including structural 
properties, physicochemical properties, digestive properties, and the effect of 
Bifidobacteria proliferation. The complexing index increased significantly with 
increasing irradiation dose and showed the following order: 20 KGy > 10 KGy > 5 
KGy > native starch. At irradiation dose of 20 KGy, PA (88.75 %) showed the 
highest complexing index, followed by MA (87.40 %), SA (82.95 %) and LA 
(72.33 %). The results of microstructure, relative crystallinity, gelatinization 
enthalpy, contact angle, and resistant starch content in starch-fatty acid 
complexes were consistent with the complexing index. In vitro digestion 
indicated that at irradiation dose of 20 KGy, the addition of PA yielded the 
highest content of resistant starch (50.35 %), followed by MA (49.25 %), SA 
(47.05 %) and LA (44.72 %). The four complexes were eventually assessed for 
their effects on Bifidobacteria's proliferation, with PA exerting the strongest 
proliferative effects, followed by MA, SA and LA. Overall, electron beam 
irradiation exhibited good application prospects in the field of starchy food 
processing and functional foods development.

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137258
PMID: 39505173

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
declare no conflict of interest.


2. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Nov 6. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-35409-w.
Online  ahead of print.

Improving the biodiesel production in the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana 
cultivated in nutrient deficiency and sewage water.

El-Sheekh MM(1), Galal HR(2), Mousa ASH(2), Farghl AAM(2).

Author information:
(1)Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt. 
mostafaelsheikh@science.tanta.edu.eg.
(2)Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley 
University, Qena, 83523, Egypt.

The use of microalgae as a feedstock in biofuel production is highly 
encouraging. The marine diatom in this study, Thalassiosira pseudonana, was used 
as a test organism to evaluate the impact of nitrogen or phosphorus limitation 
and sewage water on improving biodiesel production. The growth rate is more 
affected in cultures without phosphorus by 41.8% lower than in control and the 
highest dry weight estimated in control. The cellular dry weight significantly 
increased in cultures treated with mix1 and mix2 wastewater compared to the 
control cultures. Chlorophyll a content decreased in the absence of nitrogen and 
phosphorous and in sewage water cultures. Lipid content in algal cultures 
without nitrogen or phosphorus and in sewage water accumulated nearly twice as 
much lipid content in synthetic medium. T. pseudonana showed high FAME contents; 
the two most abundant fatty acids, stearic acid (C18:0) and palmitoleic acid 
(C16:1), in the algal extracts revealed that T. pseudonana was predominantly 
composed of these fatty acids. T. pseudonana grown in nitrogen or 
phosphorus-deficient conditions exhibited an extreme percentage of saturated 
fatty acids (SFAs) by 87.38% and 85.47%, respectively, of the total fatty acids 
(TFAs). More importantly, the low polyunsaturated fatty acid content in oils 
indicates a high cetane number, low iodine value, and low corrosion for 
biodiesel quality indicators. Producing biodiesel that closely meets worldwide 
biodiesel requirements (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214) is the goal of this work, which 
shows that growing T. pseudonana under nutrient limitations leads to algal 
metabolism in that direction.

© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, 
part of Springer Nature.

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35409-w
PMID: 39503935


3. Front Chem. 2024 Oct 21;12:1449380. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1449380.
eCollection  2024.

Formulation and characterization of cholesterol-based nanoparticles of 
gabapentin protecting from retinal injury.

Mokhtar HI(1), Khodeer DM(2), Alzahrani S(3), Qushawy M(4), Alshaman R(5), 
Elsherbiny NM(6), Ahmed ES(7), Abu El Wafa EG(7), El-Kherbetawy MK(8), Gardouh 
AR(9)(10), Zaitone SA(2)(5).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sinai 
University-Kantara Branch, Ismailia, Egypt.
(2)Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal 
University, Ismailia, Egypt.
(3)Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 
Saudi Arabia.
(4)Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 
Saudi Arabia.
(5)Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of 
Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
(6)Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of 
Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
(7)Department of Ophthalmology, Al-Azher Asyut Faculty of Medicine for Men, 
Asyut, Egypt.
(8)Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, 
Ismailia, Egypt.
(9)Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 
Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
(10)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jadara 
University, Irbid, Jordan.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to prepare cholesterol and stearic acid-based 
solid lipid nanoparticles of gabapentin (GAB-SLNs) for protection against 
streptozotocin (STZ)-induced retinal injury in rats.
METHODS: We prepared four preparations of GAB-SLNs using a hot high-shear 
homogenization ultrasonication process, and the best formulation was selected 
and tested for biological activity. The retinal injury was brought in male adult 
albino rats while gabapentin doses continued for 6 weeks. Six groups of rats 
were assigned as the vehicle, diabetic, diabetic + gabapentin (10-20 mg/kg), and 
diabetic + GAB-SLNs (10-20 mg/kg). GAB-SLN#2 was selected as the optimized 
formulation with high entrapment efficacy (EE%, 98.64% ± 1.97%), small particle 
size (185.65 ± 2.41 nm), high negative Zeta potential (-32.18 ± 0.98 mV), low 
polydispersity index (0.28 ± 0.02), and elevated drug release (99.27% ± 3.48%). 
The TEM image of GAB-SLN#2 revealed a smooth surface with a spherical shape.
RESULTS: GAB-SLNs provided greater protection against retinal injury than free 
gabapentin as indicated by the histopathology data which demonstrated more 
organization of retinal layers and less degeneration in ganglion cell layer in 
rats treated with GAB-SLN#2. Further, GAB-SLN#2 reduced the inflammatory 
proteins (IL-6/JAK2/STAT3) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
CONCLUSION: The preparation of GAB-SLNs enhanced the physical properties of 
gabapentin and improved its biological activity as a neuroprotectant. Further 
studies are warranted to validate this technique for the use of oral gabapentin 
in other neurological disorders.

Copyright © 2024 Mokhtar, Khodeer, Alzahrani, Qushawy, Alshaman, Elsherbiny, 
Ahmed, Abu El Wafa, El-Kherbetawy, Gardouh and Zaitone.

DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1449380
PMCID: PMC11537204
PMID: 39502139

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the research was 
conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could 
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


4. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2024 Nov 5;25(8):262. doi: 10.1208/s12249-024-02980-x.

Magnesium Stearate Fatty Acid Composition, Lubrication Performance and Tablet 
Properties.

Veronica N(1), Heng PWS(1)(2), Liew CV(3).

Author information:
(1)GEA-NUS Pharmaceutical Processing Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy 
and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 
4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
(2)Airlangga University, Kampus C Mulyorejo, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia.
(3)School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar 
Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia. celine.liew@monash.edu.

Magnesium stearate (MgSt) is a common tablet lubricant. As variations in MgSt 
properties are known to influence tablet attributes, the impact of MgSt fatty 
acid composition, particularly the significance of the stearate and palmitate 
contents, and its effects on tablet properties warrant further investigation. 
This study investigated the effect of MgSt with different stearate and palmitate 
contents but comparable physical properties (e.g. particle size, crystallinity, 
specific surface area and morphology) on lubrication performance and resulting 
tablet quality attributes, including mechanical strength, disintegratability and 
drug release. The influence of MgSt concentration and blending duration on the 
resulting tablet properties was also examined. Tablets produced using the lower 
stearate content MgSt had slightly higher tensile strength. The effect of MgSt 
stearate content was more apparent in the disintegration time and drug release, 
whereby MgSt of lower stearate content resulted in tablets with longer 
disintegration time and slower drug release. The lower stearate content also 
resulted in a lower lubrication performance, leading to a lesser reduction in 
tablet ejection force. As expected, a longer blending time of the tablet 
formulation blend with MgSt yielded tablets with reduced tensile strength, 
shorter disintegration time and slower drug release. Tablets with higher MgSt 
concentration showed a greater reduction in tensile strength, longer 
disintegration time and faster drug release. The study findings reinforced 
observations by other researchers and provided a better understanding of the 
fatty acid composition effects of MgSt on lubrication performance and the 
resulting tablet properties.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1208/s12249-024-02980-x
PMID: 39500792 [Indexed for MEDLINE]


5. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Nov 5:e2408631. doi: 10.1002/advs.202408631. Online
ahead  of print.

Injectable Genetic Engineering Hydrogel for Promoting Spatial Tolerance of 
Transplanted Kidney in Situ.

Lin J(1), Liu S(1), Xue X(2), Lv J(1), Zhao L(1), Yu L(1), Wang H(1), Chen J(1).

Author information:
(1)Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University 
School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control 
Technology, National Key Clinical Department of Kidney Diseases, Institute of 
Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and 
Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, P. R. China.
(2)Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University 
School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, P. R. China.

The establishment of a tolerant space to realize the co-stimulation of cytokines 
and contact-dependent molecules remain challenging in allotransplant. Here, an 
injectable genetically engineered hydrogel (iGE-Gel) is reported, which 
developed with a multivalent network of FOXP3 engineered extracellular vesicles 
(Foe-EVs) through the hydrophobic interaction between stearic acid modified 
hyaluronic acid (HASA) and the membrane phospholipids of extracellular vesicles 
(EVs). The iGE-Gel exhibited self-healing properties, injectability and 
biocompatibility. It is revealed that iGE-Gel displayed with abundant regulatory 
cytokines and coinhibitory contact molecules, promoting the formation of immune 
tolerance in situ. The multiplex immunohistofluorescence confirmed tolerant 
niches is dominated by FOXP3+ Tregs and PDL1+ cells in the allograft, which 
reduced the drainage of alloantigens to subcapsular sinus of lymph nodes, and 
suppressed the formation of germinal centers. Remarkably, the proportion of 
alloreactive T cells (IFN-γ/IL-2) and B cells (IgG1/IgG2a/IgG3) as well as the 
serum titers of donor specific antibody (DSA) is decreased by iGE-Gel. In murine 
allogeneic transplantation, the injection of iGE-Gel significantly alleviated 
immune cell infiltration and complement damage in the graft, preserved the 
structure and function of renal cells and prolonged recipient survival period 
from 30.8 to 79.3 days, highlighting the potential of iGE-Gel as a 
transformative treatment in allotransplant.

© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202408631
PMID: 39498870