Epidemiological studies have proven an association between consumption of polyphenols and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia characterized by extracellular deposition of amyloid beta plaques. The aim of this study is pharmacological screening of the aqueous alcohol extract ofMarkhamia platycalyxleaves,Schotia brachypetalaleaves and stalks, and piceatannol compared to aqueous alcohol extract ofCamellia sinensisleaves as potential Alzheimer’s disease drugs. LC-HRESI(-ve)-MSⁿwas performed to identify phenolics’ profile ofSchotia brachypetalastalks aqueous alcohol extract and revealed ten phenolic compounds as first report: daidzein, naringin, procyanidin isomers, procyanidin dimer gallate, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, quercetin hexose gallic acid, quercetin hexose protocatechuic acid, and ellagic acid. Alzheimer’s disease was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS. Adult male Swiss albino mice were divided into groups of 8–10 mice each receiving treatment for six days.In vivobehavioral tests (Y maze and object recognition) andin vitroestimation of amyloid beta 42 by ELISA showed significant differences between results of treated and nontreated animals.

Hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclpropylglycine (MCPrG) are formed by some maple trees (Acer species) and have been associated with incidences of atypical myopathy among horses in pastures. In this work, a simple and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method without derivatization was developed for the quantification of HGA and MCPrG in maple samples and validated according to EU guidelines. The LOQ presented here for HGA (16.4 µg/kg) is considerably lower than the lowest published LOQ (500 µg/kg). This method confirms that sycamore and box elder maple contain considerable amounts of HGA and MCPrG. In addition, the presence of the dipeptides hypoglycin B and γ-glutamyl-MCPrG in these two maple species is shown using high-resolution MS. This is the first report on the presence of these dipeptides in maple since 1973. The presence of HGB and γ-glutamyl-MCPrG could change the way we understand animal intoxication following the ingestion of maple.

Milk is widely consumed across all ages and is essential for dairy production. Milk quality and safety are largely influenced by the animal’s diet, which may contain feedborne contaminants. This can lead to multi-toxin exposure, potentially transferring toxins to milk and posing health risks to consumers. Currently, only aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is regulated by the European Union in milk (maximum level (ML) = 0.05 µg/kg) but the (co-)occurrence of other toxins should also be investigated. In this work, a QuEChERS-based LC–MS/MS multi-method for the simultaneous determination of 72 mycotoxins and 38 plant toxins in raw cow milk was developed and validated according to the latest EU regulations. The method showed excellent recoveries (87% of the analytes have average recoveries within 70–120%) and precision (97% of the analytes have within-laboratory reproducibility ≤20%). Limit of quantification (LOQ) for AFM1 (0.0035 µg/kg) was ≤½ ML. The method was applied to 20 milk samples (15 conventional and 5 organic samples) from retail stores and local farms. The analysis of these milk samples showed the co-occurrence of the emerging mycotoxins beauvericin and enniatin B as well as the quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) lupanine and 13a-hydroxylupanine in the majority of samples. The pyrrolizidine alkaloid senkirkine was also detected in almost half of the samples. The results revealed generally trace levels of mycotoxins and plant toxins. However, QAs (especially lupanine) were detected at much higher concentration levels than other toxin groups (especially in organic milk samples). The findings showed the co-occurrence of multiple toxins in the range of 2–12 toxins in every sample. Graphical Abstract

Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous in the environment. Their mycotoxins can leach out of contaminated plants or crop debris into the soil entering the plant via the roots. We aim to evaluate the importance of this entry pathway and its contribution to the overall content of Alternaria toxins (ATs) in wheat plants to better understand the soil–plant-phytopathogen system. A hydroponic cultivation system was established and wheat plants were cultivated for up to two weeks under optimal climate conditions. One half of the plants was treated with a nutrient solution spiked with alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tenuazonic acid (TeA), whereas the other half of the plants was cultivated without mycotoxins. Plants were harvested after 1 and 2 weeks and analyzed using a QuEChERS-based extraction and an in-house validated LC–MS/MS method for quantification of the ATs in roots, crowns, and leaves separately. ATs were taken up by the roots and transported throughout the plant up to the leaves after 1 as well as 2 weeks of cultivation with the roots showing the highest ATs levels followed by the crowns and the leaves. In addition, numerous AOH and AME conjugates like glucosides, malonyl glucosides, sulfates, and di/trihexosides were detected in different plant compartments and identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry. This is the first study demonstrating the uptake of ATs in vivo using a hydroponic system and whole wheat plants examining both the distribution of ATs within the plant compartments and the modification of ATs by the wheat plants.