The predominant route of administration of drugs with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is administration per os. The bioavailability of CoQ10 is about 2–3%. Prolonged use of CoQ10 to achieve pharmacological effects contributes to the creation of elevated concentrations of CoQ10 in the intestinal lumen. CoQ10 can have an effect on the gut microbiota and the levels of biomarkers it produces. CoQ10 at a dose of 30 mg/kg/day was administered per os to Wistar rats for 21 days. The levels of gut microbiota biomarkers (hydrogen, methane, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and trimethylamine (TMA)) and taxonomic composition were measured twice: before the administration of CoQ10 and at the end of the experiment. Hydrogen and methane levels were measured using the fasting lactulose breath test, fecal and blood SCFA and fecal TMA concentrations were determined by NMR, and 16S sequencing was used to analyze the taxonomic composition. Administration of CoQ10 for 21 days resulted in a 1.83-fold (p = 0.02) increase in hydrogen concentration in the total air sample (exhaled air + flatus), a 63% (p = 0.02) increase in the total concentration of SCFA (acetate, propionate, butyrate) in feces, a 126% increase in butyrate (p = 0.04), a 6.56-fold (p = 0.03) decrease in TMA levels, a 2.4-fold increase in relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Lachnospiraceae AC 2044 group by 7.5 times and a 2.8-fold decrease in relative representation of Helicobacter. The mechanism of antioxidant effect of orally administered CoQ10 can include modification of the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiota and increased generation of molecular hydrogen, which is antioxidant by itself. The evoked increase in the level of butyric acid can be followed by protection of the gut barrier function.

The papaya plant (Carica papaya L.) is tree-like fruit plant cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics. The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties, fatty acid, sterols, and triterpenic alcohols composition of Carica papaya L. seed oils grown in a typical geographical location and Carica papaya L. seed oils grown in an untypical geographical location in greenhouse conditions (Saratov Region, Russia). The oils were extracted from the seeds of Carica papaya L. fruits collected in Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Angola, Ghana, and Brazil, as well as from the seeds of fruit plants grown in a similar environment (Russian Federation, Saratov). Parameters such as the oil yield, refractive index, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, and acid value of the extracted Carica papaya L. seed oils were determined. The qualitative and quantitative chemical compositions of the seed oils were determined by a combination of mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The profiles as well as the content of fatty acids, sterols, triterpenic alcohols, and benzyl isothiocyanate were established. The saponifiable fraction of the oils is mainly represented by triglycerides (98.7–99.4%), while di-(0.4–1.1%) and monoglycerides (0.1–0.3%) are also present but in smaller amounts. The content of sterols and triterpene alcohols was (537.5–918.2) mg/100 g of oil (0.54–0.92%), and up to 75% of the fraction was represented by β-sitosterol (55.9–66.7%) and its saturated analogue-sitostanol (11.0–15.7%). The physicochemical properties and the fatty acid, sterol, and triterpenic alcohol composition of seed oils from Carica papaya L. fruits, cultivated in Russia, is in the quantitative range of other samples, which suggests that Carica papaya L. can be grown in Russia for obtaining the seed oil.

Autoimmune uveitis is a relapsing blind-causing ocular condition with complex pathogenesis that is not completely understood. There is a high demand for accurate animal models of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) suitable for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of the disease and testing new therapeutic approaches. Here, we demonstrated that photoreceptor Ca²⁺/Zn²⁺-sensor protein recoverin is a uveoretinal antigen in albino rabbits provoking typical autoimmune chorioretinitis 2–4 weeks after immunization. The pathologic process in recoverin-induced EAU shared features with human disease and included lymphocytic infiltration of the retina, Dalen–Fuchs nodules and foci of subtotal or total retinal atrophy, manifested as a decrease in amplitude of the a-wave of the electroretinogram. In some cases, changes in the retinal vascular pattern and subretinal hemorrhages were also observed. These signs were accompanied by a gradual accumulation of serum antibodies against recoverin. Biochemical examination of the aqueous humor (AH) revealed typical characteristics of inflammation and oxidative stress, including increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and decreased levels of IL-10, as well as decreased total antioxidant activity, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and increased zinc concentration. Consistently, metabolomic and targeted lipidomic analysis of AH showed high lactate and low ascorbic acid levels in early EAU; increased levels of key pro-inflammatory signaling lipids such as PGE2, TXB2, 11-HETE and Lyso-PAF; and reduced levels of the anti-inflammatory fatty acid DHA in advanced stages of the disease. Uveitic AH became enriched with recoverin, confirming disruption of the blood–ocular barrier and photoreceptor damage. Notably, the application of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant therapy impeded EAU progression by maintaining local antioxidant activity and suppressing TNF-α, IL-6 and PGE2 signaling. Overall, our results demonstrate that recoverin-induced EAU in rabbits represents an accurate model of human autoimmune posterior uveitis and suggest new directions for its therapy that can be trialed using the developed model.

This article presents results of the chemical composition study of the seeds oils lipid complex of Nigella Sativa L. grown under various geographic conditions. The task of the comprehensive study of the chemical composition of the plant and its individual parts remains relevant due to the wide spectrum of its pharmacological activity.The aim of this work is a comparative study of the fatty acid composition, a non-saponifiable fraction and the composition of essential oils of Nigella Sativa L. seeds grown in different regions of the world.Materials and methods. The combination of chromatography-mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR spectroscopy methods made it possible to study the qualitative and quantitative composition of Nigella Sativa L. lipid complex seeds. All the experiments were carried out in accordance with the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia, 14th Ed, given in the corresponding general pharmacopeial monographs.Results. Profiles have been established and the content of fatty acids, sterines, triterpene alcohols, essential oils and thymoquinone found out in the lipid complex, has been estimated. The saponifiable portion of the complex is represented by triglycerides (81.7–95.3%), di(3.9–15.2%) and monoglycerides (0.7–4.1%). They mainly contain linoleic (55.8–60.6%), oleic (21.8–24.6%), palmitic (10.0–12.8%), stearic (2.4–3.2 %) and cis-11.14-eicosadiene (2.3–2.6%) acids. In the lipid complex, the contents of sterines and triterpene alcohols were 0.4–0.7%; up to 70% of the fraction was represented by β-sitosterol (22.5–29.2%), cycloartenol (20.1–36.6%) and 24 methylenecycloartanol (9.5–19.9%). In the trace amounts (up to 1.0%), cholesterol has been detected in all the samples. In the lipid complexes, the content of thymoquinone ranged from 0.7 to 2.6%.Conclusion. A comparative study of the seeds lipid complex of Nigella Sativa L. grown under various geographic conditions, has been carried out. The marker compounds as well as their content standards for determining the authenticity of raw materials (thymoquinone, para-cimen, cis-11.14-eicosadienic acid), have been identified.

The structure, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties of lithium comenate (lithium 5-hydroxy-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-carboxylate) were studied. Lithium comenate was obtained by reacting comenic acid (H₂Com) with lithium hydroxide in an aqueous solution. The structure of lithium comenate was confirmed via thermal analysis, mass spectrometry, IR, NMR and UV spectroscopy. The crystal structure was studied in detail via X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallized in a non-centrosymmetric space group of symmetry of the orthorhombic system Pna2₁ in the form of a hydrate, with three water molecules entering the first coordination sphere of the cation Li⁺ and one molecule forming a second environment through non-valent contacts. The gross formula of the complex compound was established [Li(HCom)(H₂O)₃]·H₂O. It has been established that lithium comenate has a pronounced neuroprotective activity under the excitotoxic effect of glutamate, increasing the survival rate of cultured rat cerebellar neurons more than two-fold. It has also been found that the pre-stress use of lithium comenate at doses of 1 and 2 mg/kg has an antioxidant effect, which is manifested in a decrease in oxidative damage to the brain tissues of mice subjected to immobilization stress. Based on the data available in the literature, we believe that the high neuroprotective and antioxidant efficacy of lithium comenate is a consequence of the mutual potentiation of the pharmacological effects of lithium and comenic acid.

A series of hybrid compounds with triazole and thiazolidine nuclei connected by a linker has been synthesized and extensively studied. Various synthetic methods for the target compounds have been tested. A microbiological assessment of the obtained compounds was carried out on strains of pathogenic fungi C. albicans, C. non-albicans, multidrug-resistant C. auris, Rhizopus arrhizus, Aspergillus spp. and some dermatophytes and other yeasts. The lowest obtained MIC values for target compounds lie between 0.003 µg/mL and 0.5 µg/mL and therefore the compounds are not inferior or several times better than commercial azole drugs. The length of the acylpiperazine linker has a limited effect on antifungal activity. Some bioisosteric analogues were tested in microbiological analysis, but turned out to be weaker than the leader in activity. The highest activity was demonstrated by a compound with para-chlorobenzylidene substituent in the thiazolidine fragment. Molecular modelling was used to predict binding modes of synthesized molecules and rationalize experimentally observed SAR. The leader compound is twice more effective in inhibiting the formation of germ tubes by Candida albicans yeast cells compared to voriconazole. An increased level of Pdr5, an azoles drug efflux pump was observed, but the increase is lower than that caused by azoles. The results can be useful for further development of more powerful and safe antifungal agents.