Pectin, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, has in recent years gained increasingly in importance. The benefits of natural pectin are also more and more appreciated by scientists and consumer due to its biodegradability. Pectin is the methylated ester of polygalacturonic acid. It is commercially extracted from citrus peels and apple pomace under mildly acidic conditions. Pectins are divided i...

background: development of biodegradable and biocompatible films based on protein polymer with strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities has gradually obtained extensive concern in the world. in this study, the improvement of gelatin film properties incorporated with ferula assa-foetida essential oil (fao) as a potential antioxidant/antibacterial wound dressing film was investigated. mate...

Nifedipine (NIF), a 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, undergoes photo-degradation to dehydro-nifedipine (DNIF) upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and to the nitroso analogue of dehydro-nifedipine (NDNIF) when exposed to sunlight or some kinds of artificial lights. NIF photo-degradation products do not contribute to clinical activity, thus prevention of photo-degradation of NI...

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important bioactive molecule involved in cell wall metabolism, which has been recognized as a major target of aluminium (Al) toxicity. We have investigated the effects of Al-induced NO production on cell wall composition and the subsequent Al-binding capacity in roots of an Al-sensitive cultivar of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yang-5). We found that Al exposure induce...

We investigated the hypothesis that a discrepancy of Al binding in cell wall constituents determines Al mobility in root border cells (RBCs) of pea (Pisum sativum), which provides protection for RBCs and root apices under Al toxicity. Plants of pea (P. sativum L. 'Zhongwan no. 6') were subjected to Al treatments under mist culture. The concentration of Al in RBCs was much higher than that in th...

Ralstonia (Pseudomonas) solanacearum causes bacterial wilt, a serious disease of many crop plants. The pathogen produces several extracellular plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, including polygalacturonases (PGs) and pectin methylesterase (Pme). Pme removes methyl groups from pectin, thereby facilitating subsequent breakdown of this cell wall component by PGs, which are known bacterial wilt vir...

Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and finding new treatments remains a major challenge. Previous studies showed that modified forms of pectin, a complex polysaccharide present in the primary plant cell wall, possess anticancer properties. Nevertheless, the mechanism of action of modified pectin and the pathways involved are unclear. Here, we show that citrus pectin m...

Introduction Pectin is a naturally occurring biopolymer that is finding increasing applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. It has been used successfully for many years in the food and beverage industry as a thickening agent, a gelling agent and a colloidal stabilizer. Pectin has been widely studied and published but is difficult to characterize as a model system due to th...