This study proposes a review on hyaluronic acid (HA) known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate and its derivates and their application in cosmetic formulations. HA is a glycosaminoglycan constituted from two disaccharides (N-acetylglucosamine and D-glucuronic acid), isolated initially from the vitreous humour of the eye, and subsequently discovered in different tissues or fluids (especially in the articular cartilage and the synovial fluid). It is ubiquitous in vertebrates, including humans, and it is involved in diverse biological processes, such as cell differentiation, embryological development, inflammation, wound healing, etc. HA has many qualities that recommend it over other substances used in skin regeneration, with moisturizing and anti-ageing effects. HA molecular weight influences its penetration into the skin and its biological activity. Considering that, nowadays, hyaluronic acid has a wide use and a multitude of applications (in ophthalmology, arthrology, pneumology, rhinology, aesthetic medicine, oncology, nutrition, and cosmetics), the present study describes the main aspects related to its use in cosmetology. The biological effect of HA on the skin level and its potential adverse effects are discussed. Some available cosmetic products containing HA have been identified from the brand portfolio of most known manufacturers and their composition was evaluated. Further, additional biological effects due to the other active ingredients (plant extracts, vitamins, amino acids, peptides, proteins, saccharides, probiotics, etc.) are presented, as well as a description of their possible toxic effects.

Antioxidant dietary intervention is considered a potential strategy in delaying age-related dysfunctions. In this study of 56 days, we assessed the antioxidant effects of walnut kernel (WK) and walnut septum extract (WSE) in a D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging model and in a naturally aged rat model. Young Wistar rats, treated with D-gal (1200 mg/week), and old rats received daily WK or WSE added to the feed. After 8 weeks, blood, liver, and brain samples were collected and hematological, biochemical, oxidative stress biomarkers, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Moreover, acetylcholinesterase activity was investigated in brain homogenates. The outcomes demonstrated significant improvement in cellular antioxidant activity and/or decrease of reactive oxygen species, advanced glycation end products, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, or increase of glutathione after WK or WSE intake in both models. Additionally, WSE showed hypoglycemic effect, and both WK and WSE lowered acetylcholinesterase activity. Both diets could protect neurons against the induced senescence and could reverse the pathological conditions in the physiological aged brain. Thus, dietary supplementation with WK or WSE can maintain the liver and brain health and reduce the risk of age-related diseases, as well as delaying the onset of aging processes.

Acquired drug resistance represents a major clinical problem and one of the biggest limitations of chemotherapeutic regimens in colorectal cancer. Combination regimens using standard chemotherapeutic agents, together with bioactive natural compounds derived from diet or plants, may be one of the most valuable strategies to overcome drug resistance and re-sensitize chemoresistant cells. In this review, we highlight the effect of combined regimens based on conventional chemotherapeutics in conjunction with well-tolerated plant-derived bioactive compounds, mainly curcumin, resveratrol, and EGCG, with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms associated with the acquired drug resistance.

Tree nut by-products could contain a wide range of phytochemicals, natural antioxidants, which might be used as a natural source for dietary supplements. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the phenolic and sterolic composition, as well as the antioxidant and other biological activities, of hazelnut involucre (HI) extracts. Experimental designs were developed in order to select the optimum extraction conditions (solvent, temperature, time) using turbo-extraction by Ultra-Turrax for obtaining extracts rich in bioactive compounds. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS and they revealed important amounts of individual polyphenols and phytosterols, molecules with antioxidant potential. The richest polyphenolic HI extract with the highest antioxidant activity by TEAC assay was further evaluated by other in vitro antioxidant tests (DPPH, FRAP) and enzyme inhibitory assays. Additionally, the cytotoxic and antioxidant effects of this extract on two cancerous cell lines and on normal cells were tested. This is the first study to analyze the composition of both hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactive compounds in HI extracts. Our findings reveal that this plant by-product presents strong biological activities, justifying further research, and it could be considered an inexpensive source of natural antioxidants for food, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic industry.

We report the synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles (IOMNPs) using the polyol method performed at elevated temperature (300 °C) and high pressure. The ferromagnetic polyhedral IOMNPs exhibited high saturation magnetizations at room temperature (83 emu/g) and a maximum specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2400 W/g_Fe in water. The uniform dispersion of IOMNPs in solid matrix led to a monotonous increase of SAR maximum (3600 W/g_Fe) as the concentration decreased. Cytotoxicity studies on two cell lines (cancer and normal) using Alamar Blues and Neutral Red assays revealed insignificant toxicity of the IOMNPs on the cells up to a concentration of 1000 μg/mL. The cells internalized the IOMNPs inside lysosomes in a dose-dependent manner, with higher amounts of IOMNPs in cancer cells. Intracellular hyperthermia experiments revealed a significant increase in the macroscopic temperatures of the IOMNPs loaded cell suspensions, which depend on the amount of internalized IOMNPs and the alternating magnetic field amplitude. The cancer cells were found to be more sensitive to the intracellular hyperthermia compared to the normal ones. For both cell lines, cells heated at the same macroscopic temperature presented lower viability at higher amplitudes of the alternating magnetic field, indicating the occurrence of mechanical or nanoscale heating effects.

In this study, a total of 244 wheat and wheat-based products collected from Romania were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in order to evaluate the presence of four enniatins (ENs; i.e., ENA, ENA1, ENB, and ENB1) and beauvericin (BEA). For the wheat samples, the influence of agricultural practices was assessed, whereas the results for the wheat-based products were used to calculate the estimated daily intake of emerging mycotoxins through wheat consumption for the Romanian population. ENB presented the highest incidence (41% in wheat and 32% in wheat-based products), with its maximum levels of 815 μg kg⁻¹ and 170 μg kg⁻¹ in wheat and wheat-based products, respectively. The correlation between the concentrations of ENB and ENB1 in wheat grain samples and farm practices (organic or conventional) was confirmed statistically (p < 0.05). This is the first study that provides comprehensive information about the influence of agricultural practice on emerging Fusarium mycotoxin presence in Romanian wheat samples and the estimated daily intake of ENs and BEA present in wheat-based products for human consumption commercialized in Romania.