The aim of this study is to identify urinary metabolomic profile of benign and malign ovarian tumors patients. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and metabolomic tools to define biomarkers that cause differentiation between groups. 7 metabolites were found to be different in patients with ovarian cancer (OC) and benign tumors (BT). R2Y and Q2 values were found to be 0.670 and 0.459, respectively. L-tyrosine, glycine, stearic acid, turanose and L-threonine metabolites were defined as prominent biomarkers. The sensitivity of the model was calculated as 90.72% and the specificity as 82.09%. In the pathway analysis, glutathione metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, glycine serine and threonine metabolic pathway, primary bile acid biosynthesis pathways were found to be important. According to the t-test, 29 metabolites were found to be significant in urine samples of OC patients and healthy controls (HC). R2Y and Q2 values were found to be 0.8170 and 0.749, respectively. These results showed that the model has high compatibility and predictive power. Benzoic acid, L-threonine, L-pyroglutamic acid, creatinine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid metabolites were determined as prominent biomarkers. The sensitivity of the model was calculated as 93.81% and the specificity as 98.59%. Glycine serine and threonine metabolic pathway, glutathione metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways were determined important in OC patients and HC. The R2Y, Q2, sensitivity and specificity values in the urine samples of BT patients and HC were found to be 0.869, 0.794, 91.75, 97.01% and 97.18%, respectively. L-threonine, L-pyroglutamic acid, benzoic acid, creatinine and pentadecanol metabolites were determined as prominent biomarkers. Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were significant. In this study, thanks to the untargeted metabolomic approach and chemometric methods, every group was differentiated from the others and prominent biomarkers were determined.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) is a plant belonging to the Cactaceae family. Due to its high sugar content, fruits can be used as raw materials in many products from fresh or jam to alcoholic beverages by end consumers. This study aims to determine some phytochemical and physical properties of prickly pear collected at different harvest times in Turkey. The fruit characteristics evaluated are color, moisture, ash, some pomological properties, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugar composition, total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, total flavonoid, and total ascorbic acid content. August was preferred more than the others in terms of total soluble dry matter, TSS/acidity value and lightness, redness, and color intensity. However, fruits harvested early and late reached higher phytochemical content than August and September. Especially October was considered more remarkable in terms of total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, total flavonoid, and total ascorbic acid content.

This study aims to determine ovarian cancer (OC) patients with platinum resistance for alternative treatment protocols by using metabolomic methodologies. Urine and serum samples of platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive OC were analyzed using GC-MS. After data processing of GC-MS raw data, multivariate analyses were performed to interpret complex data for biologically meaningful information and to identify the biomarkers that cause differences between two groups. The biomarkers were verified after univariate, multivariate, and ROC analysis. Finally, metabolomic pathways related to group separations were specified. The results of biomarker analysis showed that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxybutyric acid, L-threonine, D- mannose, and sorbitol metabolites were potential biomarkers in urine samples. In serum samples, L-arginine, linoleic acid, L-glutamine, and hypoxanthine were identified as important biomarkers. R2Y, Q2, AUC, sensitivity and specificity values of platinum-resistant and sensitive OC patients’ urine and serum samples were 0.85, 0.545, 0.844, 91.30%, 81.08 and 0.570, 0.206, 0.743, 77.78%, 74.28%, respectively. In metabolic pathway analysis of urine samples, tyrosine metabolism and fructose and mannose metabolism were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) for the discrimination of the two groups. While 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, L-tyrosine, and fumaric acid metabolites were effective in tyrosine metabolism. D-sorbitol and D-mannose metabolites were significantly important in fructose and mannose metabolism. However, seven metabolomic pathways were significant (p < 0.05) in serum samples. In terms of p-value, L-glutamine in the nitrogen metabolic pathway from the first three pathways; L-glutamine and pyroglutamic acid metabolites in D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism. In the arginine and proline metabolic pathway, L-arginine, L-proline, and L-ornithine metabolites differed significantly between the two groups.

In recent years there is increasing interests on Microalgae as natural sources of bioactive compounds capable of addressing growing nutritional and health challenges. These bioactive constituents, often extracted through biotechnological approaches, have shown therapeutic potential against various diseases. In the present study, dried Spirulina platensissuspended in water was hydrolysed by using gastric (pepsin) and intestinal (trypsin) enzymes for two hours. Additionally, in model gastrointestinal digestion, the pepsin-treated hydrolysate underwent a second enzymatic treatment with trypsin under the same conditions. The obtained protein hydrolysates were evaluated for their angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and antioxidant capacity. The results showed that enzymatic hydrolysis significantly enhanced the bio-functional properties of Spirulina proteins. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) was measured as 2.65% for the untreated sample (PT0), 11.33% for the pepsin hydrolysate (P120), 11.13% for the trypsin hydrolysate (T120), and 13.18% for the sequential hydrolysate (PT240). ACE inhibition rates were determined as 92.40%, 89.96%, 94.81%, and 95.53% for PT0, P120, T120, and PT240, respectively. The IC50values, indicating the protein concentration required to inhibit 50% of ACE activity, were 2.92, 0.68, 0.79, and 0.51 mg protein/mL for PT0, P120, T120, and PT240, respectively. The lower IC₅₀ value of PT240 indicated a stronger ACE inhibitory effect. Antioxidant analyses further supported the enhanced bioactivity of sequential hydrolysates. PT240 exhibited the highest values in all antioxidant assays: DPPH (0.91 mg Trolox equivalents/g DW), ABTS (3.47 mg TE/g DW), FRAP (3.92 mg FeSO4·7H2O/g DW), and total phenolic content (2.87 mg GAE/g DW). In conclusion, enzymatic hydrolysis improved the ACE inhibitory and antioxidant properties of S. platensis protein, with sequential hydrolysis by pepsin and trypsin yielding the most pronounced bioactive effects.