Publications by authors named "Muhammad Zafarullah"

Mycotoxin contamination in cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and seafood has emerged as a significant global concern due to its substantial risks to food safety, public health, economic losses, and food security. The multisystem toxic effects of mycotoxins, including nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and hepatotoxicity, are life-threatening and result in considerable economic losses impacting food security. The toxicity of mycotoxins is influenced by the amount of mycotoxin, duration of exposure, and the subject's physiological state.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dual-physical modification is an eco-friendly and waste-free approach for enhancing the functionality of native starches compared with a single modification. In the present study, the individual and combined interrelating effects of hydrothermal (heat moisture (HM) with 15%, 20%, and 25% moisture) and non-thermal (ultrasonication (US) with 200, 400, and 600 power (W)) on the physical modification of (Chinese water chestnut (CWCS)) starch were studied. Furthermore, their effects on the morphology, FTIR, XRD, crystallinity, thermal, pasting, swelling power, solubility, rheological characteristics, and in vitro digestibility of native and modified starches were investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The study involves the modification of a non-conventional starch isolated from the under-utilized variety of Chinese water chestnut (CWC (Eleocharis tuberosa) and integrating it to fabricate stabilized and curcumin-enriched Pickering emulsions with enhanced bioavailability, thermal stability, and retention of encapsulated curcumin. A time-efficient, semi-dried esterification method was used to prepare modified amphiphilic starches using 3, 6, or 9 % (w/v) octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and characterized through degree of substitution (DS), contact angle, particle size, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and in-vitro digestibility. Moreover, Pickering emulsions were formulated using CWCS-OSA at 3 %, 6 %, or 9 % concentrations to serve as a carrier for curcumin to improve its water solubility and storage stability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Puerarin is a bioactive flavonoid isolated from Kudzu roots that possesses numerous health benefits. However, its poor bioavailability and existing complex delivery systems with safety issues are challenging tasks for its incorporation into functional foods. Preparing modified-starch-stabilized Pickering emulsions containing microencapsulated puerarin with improved bioaccessibility was the key objective of the present research work.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study was aimed at exploring the separate and combined anti-hyperlipidemic effect of Shatianyu ( L. Osbeck) flavonoids (SPFEs) and DF (SPDF) on HFD-fed mice after 14-week administration in diet, together with the possible microbiota-mediated mechanisms. SPFEs and SPDF were more effective together than separately in improving serum lipid profiles, decreasing hepatic lipid accumulation, and upregulating the expression of hepatic CPT1a, CYP7A1, ABCG5, and ABCG8.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous results indicated that the flavonoid profiles might have varietal differences in pomelo, but detailed information is unknown. We previously isolated 4 new flavonoids, cigranoside C, D, E, F, in Shatianyu pulp. However, their distribution in different pomelo cultivars remains to be explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lead (Pb) is a pestilent and relatively nonbiodegradable heavy metal, which causes severe health effects by inducing inflammation and oxidative stress in animal and human tissues. This is because of its significant tolerance and capability to bind Pb (430 mg/L) and thermodynamic fitness to sequester Pb in the Freundlich model ( = 0.98421) .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the current research, attempt is made to fabricate a nanoemulsion (NE) containing an antifungal agent. The prepared formulation has been expected to enhance skin penetration. It is also studied for in vitro drug release and toxicity assessment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We investigated the regulatory effects of citrus pectin oligosaccharides (POS) from an innovative, chemically controllable degradation process on cholesterol metabolism and the gut microbial composition. The modulatory role of the intestinal flora was explored. Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed either a standard diet; a high-fat (HF) diet; or a HF diet with 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The biosynthesis of penicillin G (PG) is compartmentalized, which forces penicillin and its intermediates to cross the membrane barriers. Although many aspects around the penicillin intermediates traffic system remain unclosed, the transmembrane transporter protein involvement has been only predicted. In the present work, detection of PG and isopenicillin N (IPN) in M7 was performed and functions of gene as a transporter were investigated by the combination of gene deletion (Δ) complementation (Δ::) and overexpression (M7::PtrpC-).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study was designed to assess the gradual increase in the use of insecticides on vegetables and to familiarize the consumers regarding the insecticide residues. The purpose of this research work was to highlight the detrimental effects of pyrethroids (bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fenvalerate, lambda-cyhalothrin, and permethrin) compare with dietary intake assessment of eggplant and okra grown in peri-urban environment. In this manner, a total of 180 (n = 60 × 3) samples of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) were procured from the peri-urban farming system of Faisalabad, Multan, and Gujranwala to assess the pyrethroid residues along with their dietary intake assessment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

are amongst the diversified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species which are being utilized abundantly in the food industry. Numerous strains have been reported to produce several antimicrobial compounds. Diacetyl, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, as well as bacteriocins can also be exemplified by a variable spectrum of actions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: The prebiotic regulation of the gut microbiota is a promising strategy to induce protective humoral and mucosal immune responses. The potential immune-improving effects of pectin oligosaccharides (POS) in healthy mice and the potential mechanism mediated by specific intestinal bacteria are investigated.

Methods And Results: POS is prepared using a hydrogen-peroxide-assisted degradation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) causes the browning reaction in fruits and vegetables and deteriorates the quality. Thermal treatment for enzyme inactivation may result in defects as opposed to high pressure CO₂ (HPCD) processing. In this study, the changes in activity, dissociation, aggregation and conformation of purified PPO from thermal and HPCD treated juice were investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lead (Pb) is a well-recognized and potent heavy metal with non-biodegradable nature and can induce the oxidative stress, degenerative damages in tissues, and neural disorders. Certain lactic acid bacterial strains retain the potential to mitigate the lethal effects of Pb. The present work was carried out to assess the Pb bio-sorption and tolerance capabilities of spp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigated the effects of heat treatment after purification on dissociation, aggregation, and structural modification of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity from apple () juice. PPO activity at the 70°C for 10 min was still activated and drastically decreased since 20-60 min with catechol and pyrogallol as substrate. Moreover, spectral results of fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) indicated that increasing temperature for shorter and longer durations can cause reorganization of the secondary structure of PPO and demolished the native configuration of PPO respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lead (Pb) is a toxic contaminating heavy metal that can cause a variety of hazardous effects to both humans and animals. In the present study, subsp. KLDS1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Frozen dairy products have characteristics of both yogurt and ice cream and could be the persuasive carriers of probiotics. Functions of the frozen yogurt containing viable bifidobacterial cells are recognized and favored by the people of all ages. We developed a kind of yogurt supplemented by species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lactobacillus helveticus, an obligatory hetero-fermentative LAB, is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and is gaining popularity for application in dairy products. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a remarkable role in inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria in food products, without disturbing the sensory attributes of the food. In this study, the screening of the antimicrobial potential of Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Articular cartilage defects are commonly associated with trauma, inflammation and osteoarthritis. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy is a promising novel approach for repairing articular cartilage. Direct intra-articular injection of uncommitted MSCs does not regenerate high-quality cartilage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, in which cartilage is irreversibly degraded, causing severe pain and disability. Current therapeutic strategies cannot repair damaged cartilage. We evaluated the repair potential of selected chondrogenic clonal MSCs (sC-MSCs) by delivering them into the injured cartilage site in a collagenase-induced OA model in Cynomolgus monkeys.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aims: We investigated the unknown molecular mechanisms of Interleukin-1 (IL-1β)-induced cartilage aggrecan degeneration by aggrecanase (ADAMTS-A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs) in human articular chondrocytes, a model mimicking human arthritis.

Methods: Chondrocytes were pretreated with various pharmacological inhibitors and then stimulated with IL-1β for 24 h. ADAMTS-4 expression or activity was studied by RT-PCR or ELISA and other proteins measured by Western blotting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are multi-functional proteins with matrix metalloproteinases-inhibiting activities. We studied expression of anti-inflammatory, TIMP-4 gene in human joint tissues and its regulation by arthritis-associated cytokines.

Results: TIMP-4 RNA expression originating from synovial fibroblasts was significantly (2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) stimulate cartilage extracellular matrix aggrecan degradation by aggrecanases or ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif) during the pathogenesis of arthritis. Human aggrecanase-1 (ADAMTS-4) gene promoter contains at least one specificity protein-1 (Sp1)-transcription factor-binding site. We investigated the previously unknown role of Sp1 in the regulation of ADAMTS-4 gene expression in human articular chondrocytes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) consume 'natural health products' (NHPs) whose therapeutic efficacy, toxicity and mechanisms of action are poorly understood. In a previous issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy, Haqqi and colleagues characterized IL-1-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3) and p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoforms in human OA chondrocytes. The cartilageprotective mechanisms of pomegranate extract involve diminishing MKK3-activated p38α, JNK, NF-κB and Runx2 pathways, which regulate inflammatory proteins and cartilage-destroying proteases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF