BACKGROUND: Emblica officinalis, known as amla in Ayurveda, has been used as a folk medicine to treat numerous pathological conditions, including diabetes. However, the novel extract ofE. officinalisfruit extract (amla fruit extract, AFE, Saberry®) containing 100 g kg⁻¹β‐glucogallin along with hydrolyzable tannins has not yet been extensively studied for its antidiabetic potential.OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of AFE and its stability during gastric stress as well as its thermostability.METHODS: The effect of AFE on the inhibition of pancreaticα‐amylase and salivaryα‐amylase enzymes was studied using starch and yeastα‐glucosidase enzyme using 4‐nitrophenylα‐d‐glucopyranoside as substrate. Further, 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and reactive oxygen species inhibition assay was performed against AFE.RESULTS: AFE potently inhibited the activities ofα‐amylase andα‐glucosidase in a concentration‐dependent manner with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 135.70 μg mL⁻¹and 106.70 μg mL⁻¹respectively. Furthermore, it also showed inhibition ofα‐glucosidase (IC₅₀562.9 μg mL⁻¹) and dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4; IC₅₀3770 μg mL⁻¹) enzyme activities. AFE is a potent antioxidant showing a free radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀2.37 μg mL⁻¹) and protecting against cellular reactive oxygen species (IC₅₀1.77 μg mL⁻¹), and the effects elicited could be attributed to its phytoconstituents.CONCLUSION: AFE showed significant gastric acid resistance and was also found to be thermostable against wet heat. Excellentα‐amylase,α‐glucosidase, and DPP‐4 inhibitory activities of AFE, as well as antioxidant activities, strongly recommend its use for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. © 2019 The Authors.Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculturepublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Probiotics and their products are increasingly used in skincare in recent years. Postbiotics are defined as any substance derived through the metabolic activity of a probiotic microorganism, which exerts a direct or indirect beneficial effect on the host. The extracellular metabolites of probiotic bacteria have antimicrobial activities, protect against acne, and improve skin condition. We studied skin protective activities of the extracellular metabolite (LactoSporin) of a spore-forming probiotic Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 in vitro. Methods: LactoSporin was evaluated for antioxidant activity by free radical scavenging activity and reactive oxygen quenching activity in human dermal fibroblast cells. Protection of fibroblasts from UV-induced apoptosis and cell death was studied by flow cytometry and neutral red uptake assays. Enzyme inhibition assays were carried out for collagenase, Elastase, and Hyaluronidase. Gene expression studies were carried out using polymerase chain reaction. Results: LactoSporin showed antioxidant activity and was found to protect skin cells from UV-induced apoptosis and cell death. LactoSporin inhibited collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase activity and upregulated the expression of hyaluronan synthase, transforming growth factor and epidermal growth factor, which are associated with extracellular matrix integrity. Conclusions: These results suggest LactoSporin is a skin protective postbiotic with wide application in cosmetic formulations.

Calebin-A is a curcuminoid compound reported to be present in Curcuma longa rhizome. The current study was aimed to isolate and characterize calebin-A from Curcuma caesia rhizome and its production through biotransformation approach using endophytic fungus. C. caesia rhizomes of different ages were subjected to analysis in order to investigate the age at which maximum calebin-A content is present. HP-TLC profiles, HPLC retention times and mass spectrometry detector confirmed the occurrence of calebin-A in C. caesia rhizomes of 12 to 14 months of age but not in rhizomes younger to 12 months. Furthermore, an endophytic fungus strain, EPE-10 that was isolated from the medicinal plant C. caesia was identified as Ovatospora brasiliensis based on morphological and molecular characteristics. This strain O. brasiliensis was deposited to the culture collected centre, MTCC Chandigarh, India under the Budapest treaty and was designated with the Accession Number MTCC 25236. Biotransformation process was carried out at 37 ± 0.5 °C with shaking for 7 days after addition of 0.01% w/v curcumin. Extraction of biotransformed products was done by following partition method and the extracts obtained were analyzed using HPTLC, HPLC and LCMS. The data of the study suggested that O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 was found to convert curcumin to calebin-A in a time dependant manner with optimum conversion at 48 h. Furthermore, O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 was found to be positive for the Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase (BVMOs) enzyme activity which could possibly be the mechanism of this bioconversion. The results of this study for the first time indicated that the endophytic fungus identified as O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 isolated from the C. caesia rhizome could be a possible source for naturally producing calebin-A.