Vegetables are widely consumed in Brazil and exported to several countries. This study was performed to evaluate the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of vegetables commonly consumed in Brazil using five different methods, namely DPPH and ABTS free radical, β-carotene bleaching, reduction of Fe(3+) (FRAP), oxidative stability in Rancimat, and the chemical composition using gas chromatog...

High levels of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner in diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.), (LC50 more than 280 ppm) was observed in a watercress greenhouse in Osaka Prefecture in 1988. Populations of egg, larva, pupa and adult of diamondback moth were monitored weekly throughout 1988. Population of the larva fluctuated from nearly 0 to 1,300,000. Three control methods were attem...

Although isothiocyanate and indole compounds derived from cruciferous vegetables appear to be structurally unrelated, they are both derived from glucosinolates. These sulfur-containing glycosides are found in the order Capparales, which includes the large family Brassicaceae. The glucosinolate molecule comprises a common glucone moiety and a variable aglucone side-chain, derived from one of sev...

A high dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a reduction in numerous human pathologies particularly cancer. In the current study, we examined the inhibitory effects of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and watercress (Rorripa nasturtium aquaticum) extracts on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cancer cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is growing evidence that cancer chemopreventive agents including isothiocyanates (ITCs) from cruciferous vegetables target epigenetic mechanisms. The present report will summarize novel findings of ITCs on histone deacetylase activity, DNA methylation, and short noncoding microRNAs, focusing on sulforaphane (SFN) from broccoli and phenethylisothiocyanate from watercress....

Chemoprevention may be one way to prevent lung cancer in smokers who are motivated to quit but cannot stop. The approach to chemoprevention of lung cancer described in this article is based on an understanding of the lung carcinogens present in tobacco smoke. The available data indicate that the compounds in cigarette smoke most likely involved in the induction of lung cancer in humans are the ...

Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer in humans. The continuous increase in the prevalence of cigarette smoking worldwide demands a practical means to circumvent this serious health problem. Our research has focused on the development of new chemopreventive agents against lung carcinogenicity of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone. Sever...

Cabbage contains the glucosinolate sinigrin, which is hydrolyzed by myrosinase to allyl isothiocyanate. Isothiocyanates are thought to inhibit the development of cancer cells by a number of mechanisms. The effect of cooking cabbage on isothiocyanate production from glucosinolates during and after their ingestion was examined in human subjects. Each of 12 healthy human volunteers consumed three ...

Myriophyllum aquaticum is a non-native aquatic plant that has invaded a range of habitats in the United States and Europe. Myriophyllum aquaticum reduces native species richness at local scales, water quality, habitat quality for fish and wildlife and impacts on human uses. Despite the submersed leaf form, M. aquaticum is not typically a weed problem as water level increases, although little da...

Investment in the small-scale enhancement of groundwater recharge through check dams and other structures rural India is on order USD 1 billion/year. However, for any catchment, optimal capacity unknown, impacts downstream flows are rarely determined. This paper describes a method that can be applied to plan augmentation catchments have at least one monitored dam. It was Dharta catchment Araval...