The terms 'antioxidant', 'oxidative stress' and 'oxidative damage' are widely used but rarely defined. This brief review attempts to define them and to examine the ways in which oxidative stress and oxidative damage can affect cell behaviour both in vivo and in cell culture, using cancer as an example.

Biochemistry of oxidative stress

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is the most abundantly available bioresource amounting to about a global yield of up to 1.3 billion tons per year. The hydrolysis of LCB results in the release of various reducing sugars which are highly valued in the production of biofuels such as bioethanol and biogas, various organic acids, phenols, and aldehydes. The majority of LCB is composed of biological polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are strongly associated with each other by covalent and hydrogen bonds thus forming a highly recalcitrant structure. The presence of lignin renders the bio-polymeric structure highly resistant to solubilization thereby inhibiting the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose which presents a significant challenge for the isolation of the respective bio-polymeric components. This has led to extensive research in the development of various pretreatment techniques utilizing various physical, chemical, physicochemical and biological approaches which are specifically tailored towards the source biomaterial and its application. The objective of this review is to discuss the various pretreatment strategies currently in use and provide an overview of their utilization for the isolation of high-value bio-polymeric components. The article further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various pretreatment methodologies as well as addresses the role of various key factors that are likely to have a significant impact on the pretreatment and digestibility of LCB.

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Recent Trends in the Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Value-Added Products

Mushrooms have been consumed since earliest history; ancient Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle, and the Romans perceived them as the “Food of the Gods.” For centuries, the Chinese culture has treasured mushrooms as a health food, an “elixir of life.” They have been part of the human culture for thousands of years and have considerable interest in the most important civilizations in history because of their sensory characteristics; they have been recognized for their attractive culinary attributes. Nowadays, mushrooms are popular valuable foods because they are low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium: also, they are cholesterol-free. Besides, mushrooms provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, proteins, and fiber. All together with a long history as food source, mushrooms are important for their healing capacities and properties in traditional medicine. It has reported beneficial effects for health and treatment of some diseases. Many nutraceutical properties are described in mushrooms, such as prevention or treatment of Parkinson, Alzheimer, hypertension, and high risk of stroke. They are also utilized to reduce the likelihood of cancer invasion and metastasis due to antitumoral attributes. Mushrooms act as antibacterial, immune system enhancer and cholesterol lowering agents; additionally, they are important sources of bioactive compounds. As a result of these properties, some mushroom extracts are used to promote human health and are found as dietary supplements.

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Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life

Insight into progress in pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass

Liquid hot water pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production accompanying with high valuable products.

The antimicrobial activity of the metabolites produced by Fusarium oxysporum PR-33 in submerged culture was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. Metabolites were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. An extract was obtained following the removal of mycelium by centrifugation and lyophilisation of the supernatant. The compounds in this extract demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial action, with rates of inhibition between 60 and 80%, depending on the species and extract tested. The major compounds of the extracts were identified as fusarinolic acid and its isomer [56.9% flask extract (FE)] and 59.2% bioreactor extract (BE), dehydrofusaric acid (35.7% FE and 31.6% BE), and fusaric acid (6.5% FE and 1.1% BE). Fusaric acid has been shown to be responsible for antimicrobial activity. The cytotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated in culture of HEK-293 and SH-SY5Y animal cells and toxicity of these extracts was verified even in the lowest tested concentrations. Therefore, our results indicate that the compounds identified exhibit potential as antimicrobial agents.

Production of antimicrobial metabolites against pathogenic bacteria and yeasts by Fusarium oxysporum in submerged culture processes

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of diet supplementations on biochemical, hematological, and redox metabolism parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Healthy male Wistar rats and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were provided diets supplemented with 20% of Pinus sp. sawdust or Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium for 4 weeks. Diabetic rats treated with both Pinus sp. sawdust- and P. sanguineus mycelium-supplemented diets presented a significant decrease in non-HDL cholesterol of 38.43% and 33.53% and triglycerides of 70.03% and 69.81%, respectively, compared to diabetic control. As far as we know, this is the first report of a significant decrease in serum lipids attributed to these supplementations. Even though with the alterations in hematological and redox metabolism parameters related to these diet treatments, our data suggest that Pinus sp. sawdust and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium could be a useful a diet supplement to control diabetic dyslipidemia in animals. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pinus sp. sawdust is a residue from the wood industry that can be reused as a substrate to cultivate Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium. Both species have specific and rich natural compounds. The results of the present study surprisingly showed that diets supplemented with the isolated substrate (Pinus sp. sawdust) and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium significantly decrease non-HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in induced diabetic animal model. These new natural approaches can be interesting to develop a nutraceutical to treat dyslipidemia.

Lipid-lowering effect of Pinus sp. sawdust and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a vida de prateleira de cenouras minimamente processadas, verifi cando a infl uencia de diferentes tipos de cortes (cubos, ralada e inteira) e em diferentes embalagens (ar atmosferico e vacuo), armazenadas sob temperatura de refrigeracao. Apos as operacoes de higienizacao e processamento, amostras dos diferentes cortes de cenoura foram acondicionadas em embalagens com ar atmosferico e em embalagens a vacuo, e armazenadas a 7°C durante 14 dias. A composicao centesimal da cenoura in natura foi determinada, obtendose elevado teor de umidade. Durante o periodo de armazenamento, o teor de umidade aumentou, principalmente para as cenouras raladas, devido ao alto grau de injurias mecânicas deste tipo de corte. As cenouras minimamente processadas na forma ralada foram mais suscetiveis ao ataque microbiologico

Avaliação da vida de prateleira de cenouras minimamente processadas

Mycotechnology to remove of metals from tannery and galvanic effluents - Fungal species from the Amazon and Atlantic Forest show high efficiency.

Biological pretreatment was investigated to increase ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, like sugarcane bagasse. Enzyme secretion, changes in substrate composition, enzymatic hydrolysis, and ethanol yield after pretreatment by different basidiomycetes were evaluated. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that Pleurotus pulmonarius PS2001 and Trametes villosa 82I6 promoted more extensive selective modifications in the lignin content. Glucose release during enzymatic hydrolysis of samples pretreated with P. pulmonarius PS2001 for 35, 42, and 49 days and with T. villosa 82I6 for 21, 28, and 49 days were higher than the control (48.5 ± 2.38 mg/g), i.e., 68.4 ± 0.7, 76.3 ± 1.6, and 76.5 ± 2.1 mg/g and 70.9 ± 8.3, 77.8 ± 5.8, and 77.6 ± 4.2 mg/g, respectively. During the fermentation of hydrolysates of samples pretreated with T. villosa 82I6 for 14, 28, and 49 days, a maximum ethanol yield of 17.8 ± 1.9, 19.1 ± 2.8, and 20.2 ± 0.5 mg/g, respectively, was achieved. A positive effect of biological pretreatment on hydrolysis and fermentation was demonstrated.

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Roselei Claudete Fontana

Papers

Production of antimicrobial metabolites against pathogenic bacteria and yeasts by Fusarium oxysporum in submerged culture processes

Lipid-lowering effect of Pinus sp. sawdust and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Avaliação da vida de prateleira de cenouras minimamente processadas

Mycotechnology to remove of metals from tannery and galvanic effluents - Fungal species from the Amazon and Atlantic Forest show high efficiency.

Fungal pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse: a green pathway to improve saccharification and ethanol production