Papers by Hamutal Borochov-neori
Color is an important determinant of pomegranate fruit quality and commercial value. To understan... more Color is an important determinant of pomegranate fruit quality and commercial value. To understand the genetic factors controlling color in pomegranate, chemical, molecular and genetic characterization of a "white " pomegranate was performed. This unique accession is lacking the typical pomegranate color rendered by anthocyanins in all tissues of the plant, including flowers, fruit (skin and arils) and leaves. Steady-state gene-expression analysis indicated that none of the analyzed "white " pomegranate tissues are able to synthesize mRNA corresponding to the PgLDOX gene (leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, also called ANS, anthocyanidin synthase), which is one of the central structural genes in the anthocya-nin-biosynthesis pathway. HPLC analysis revealed that none of the "white " pomegranate tissues accumulate anthocyanins, whereas other flavonoids, corresponding to biochemical reactions upstream of LDOX, were present. Molecular analysis of the "whit...
Journal of Functional Foods, 2016
Abstract Activated microglial cells release various mediators, which cause neuronal cell death an... more Abstract Activated microglial cells release various mediators, which cause neuronal cell death and have been implicated in different neurological disorders. The present study demonstrates that an infusion prepared from the plant Pulicaria incisa ( Pi ) inhibits microglial activation and down-regulates levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and of the toxic mediators nitric oxide and glutamate. The infusion was also shown to have antioxidant properties in cell-free assays (e.g., differential pulse voltammetry) and in a cellular assay, in which the infusion attenuated the induced accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). We found that Pi infusion is rich in polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acids and ferulic acids, which might be responsible for the observed activities. It is proposed that Pi infusion be further evaluated for use as a functional beverage for the prevention and/or treatment of chronic diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders in which microglial activation and oxidative stress play important roles.
II International Symposium on Pomegranate and Minor - including Mediterranean - Fruits: ISPMMF2009, 2011
ACS Symposium Series, 2013
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has recently become a commercially important crop due to multitu... more Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has recently become a commercially important crop due to multitude health promoting properties attributed to different parts of the fruit. Worldwide pomegranate production has expanded greatly in traditional and new locations of diverse climatic and water conditions. The pomegranate industry demands intensely red fruit with high antioxidant content. It is therefore especially important to investigate the effects of climate and water quality on pomegranate anthocyanin and phenolics accumulation. Our research has focused on the edible part of the fruit, specifically, the arils. A diverse selection of pomegranate cultivars was employed. To explore climate effect, fruit that developed and ripened under a wide range of temperature regimes were studied. To explore water quality effect, fruit from plants irrigated with a wide range of salinities, 0.5-9 dS m, were studied. Anthocyanins were analyzed by RP-HPLC and phenolics content was determined by the FolinCiocalteau assay. Both abiotic factors considerably affected arils’ composition. Cooler temperatures enhanced both pigment and antioxidant accumulation. Climate also affected anthocyanin composition. Increased salinity enhanced phenolics accumulation in both accessions but reduced that of anthocyanins in a cultivar dependent manner. Our results can benefit breeding and agricultural efforts to enhance pomegranate fruit quality, especially, in face of global warming and water quality deterioration.
International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation, 2014
Irrigation water salinity effects on colour and health ingredients in the pomegranate peel were s... more Irrigation water salinity effects on colour and health ingredients in the pomegranate peel were studied in two accessions, 'Wonderful' and 'SP-2', grown under a wide range of salinities, 1.2 to 9 dS m-1. Ripe fruit peels were analysed for phenolics and anthocyanins composition, and antioxidative capacity. Total phenolics concentration and antioxidative capacity were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteau and FRAP assays, respectively. Phenolics and anthocyanins composition was analysed by RP-HPLC. Increased salinity enhanced considerably the overall accumulation of phenolics and anthocyanins, and the antioxidative capacity in both cultivars; the magnitude of the effects was accession dependent. Mono-and di-glucosides of cyanidins, pelargonidins, and delphinidines were detected at proportions that varied with accession and salinity. Increased concentrations of gallotannins, flavonols and ellagic acid derivatives in 'Wonderful', and punicalagins, flavonols and ellagic acid derivatives in 'SP-2' accompanied elevated salinity levels. The results may benefit the pomegranate juice and byproduct valourisation industries, especially in the face of global water quality deterioration.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009
The well-established health beneficial value of pomegranate juice is leading to increased demand ... more The well-established health beneficial value of pomegranate juice is leading to increased demand for pomegranate products and to the expansion of pomegranate orchards worldwide. The current study describes differences in the chemical composition of major ingredients of the arils and peels of 11 accessions grown in Mediterranean and desert climates in Israel. In most of the accessions, the levels of antioxidant activity and content of total phenolics, total anthocyanins, total soluble solids, glucose, fructose, and acidity were higher in the aril juice of fruit grown in the Mediterranean climate compared to those grown in the desert climate. However, the peels of fruit grown in the desert climate exhibited higher antioxidant activity, and the levels of total phenolics, including the two hydrolyzable tannins, punicalagin and punicalin, were higher compared to those in the peels of fruit grown in the Mediterranean climate. The results indicate that environmental conditions significantly affect pomegranate fruit quality and health beneficial compounds.
Journal of Agricultural …
Worldwide pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) production has expanded greatly due to recent evidence... more Worldwide pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) production has expanded greatly due to recent evidence on the fruit health attributes. The fruit's unique red color, conferred by anthocyanins, is an imperative sensory quality. Climate effects on the fruit's internal color were reported earlier. The present study investigated the influence of a wide range of temperature regimes (∼7-40 °C) on pomegranates' aril anthocyanins. The study included two deciduous and two evergreen accessions as well as desert and Mediterranean orchards. RP-HPLC analysis of the arils' anthocyanins revealed mono- and diglucosylated delphinidins and cyanidins as the major anthocyanins and pelargonidins as minor components. Anthocyanin accumulation changed inversely to the season's temperatures. Cyanidins were generally more abundant but delphinidin accumulation was enhanced in cooler season. Monoglucosylated anthocyanins prevailed at cooler temperatures and subsided during seasonal warming with a concomitant increase in diglucoside proportion. The findings can benefit breeding and agricultural efforts to enhance pomegranate quality, especially in the face of "global warming".
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 1, 1976
Membrane proteins of intact human erythrocytes were labeled with two fluorescent sulfh dyl reagen... more Membrane proteins of intact human erythrocytes were labeled with two fluorescent sulfh dyl reagents. The tagged cells were then subjected to simultaneous liposome treatments for either depletion or enrichment of membrane cholesterol content. Cholesterol depletion, which reduces membrane microviscosity, was followed by a series of fluorescence changes all indicating masking of the membrane proteins. Conversely, increasing the membrane microviscosity by cholesterol enrichment resulted in an appreciable increase of the protein exposure to the aqueous surrounding. These findings strongly suggest that membrane proteins may be vertically displaced upon changes in lipid fluidity, a mechanism that may play a significant role in modulation of antigens and receptors in vivo.
Frontiers in Plant Science
Anthocyanins are important dietary and health-promoting substances present in high quantities in ... more Anthocyanins are important dietary and health-promoting substances present in high quantities in the peel and arils of the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit. Yet, there is a high variation in the content of anthocyanin among different pomegranate varieties. The ‘Black’ pomegranate variety (P.G.127-28) found in Israel contains exceptionally high levels of anthocyanins in its fruit peel which can reach up to two orders of magnitude higher content as compared to that of other pomegranate varieties’ peel anthocyanins. Biochemical analysis reveals that delphinidin is highly abundant in the peel of ‘Black’ variety. The pattern of anthocyanin accumulation in the fruit peel during fruit development of ‘Black’ variety differs from that of other pomegranates. High anthocyanin levels are maintained during all developmental stages. Moreover, the accumulation of anthocyanin in the fruit peel of ‘Black’ variety is not dependent on light. Genetic analysis of an F2 population segregating for t...
Frontiers in Plant Science
Anthocyanins are important dietary and health-promoting substances present in high quantities in ... more Anthocyanins are important dietary and health-promoting substances present in high quantities in the peel and arils of the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit. Yet, there is a high variation in the content of anthocyanin among different pomegranate varieties. The ‘Black’ pomegranate variety (P.G.127-28) found in Israel contains exceptionally high levels of anthocyanins in its fruit peel which can reach up to two orders of magnitude higher content as compared to that of other pomegranate varieties’ peel anthocyanins. Biochemical analysis reveals that delphinidin is highly abundant in the peel of ‘Black’ variety. The pattern of anthocyanin accumulation in the fruit peel during fruit development of ‘Black’ variety differs from that of other pomegranates. High anthocyanin levels are maintained during all developmental stages. Moreover, the accumulation of anthocyanin in the fruit peel of ‘Black’ variety is not dependent on light. Genetic analysis of an F2 population segregating for t...
Aquaculture Research
Garlic (Allium sativum) has been shown to possess antimicrobial properties against a range of dis... more Garlic (Allium sativum) has been shown to possess antimicrobial properties against a range of disease-causing agents, including fish parasites. Our study aimed to investigate the potential use of garlic as a treatment against Cryptocaryon irritans infection, using guppies (Poecilia reticulata) as the fish model. Garlic was freeze-dried, powdered, and used as it is or as an aqueous extract. The content of allicin, its main active ingredient, was 1.25 mg/g in garlic powder and 0.82 mg/ml in the aqueous extract, as determined by HPLC analysis. Aqueous garlic extract fully immobilized C. irritans theronts and protomonts within 20 and 40 min, respectively, following exposure to 5 µl/ml. Treatment trials were performed, in which infected fish were fed with garlic powder-supplemented feeds (5%, 10%, or 20% supplementation), bathed in garlic aqueous extract (250 or 500 µl/L) and subjected to a combined treatment which included both feeding and bathing. Results revealed that the tested treatments failed to cure the infection, though reduction in infection intensity on the caudal fin, but not on the gills, was evident following dietary supplementation with 20% of powdered garlic in one of the trials.
Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2017
PLOS ONE, 2015
Color is an important determinant of pomegranate fruit quality and commercial value. To understan... more Color is an important determinant of pomegranate fruit quality and commercial value. To understand the genetic factors controlling color in pomegranate, chemical, molecular and genetic characterization of a "white" pomegranate was performed. This unique accession is lacking the typical pomegranate color rendered by anthocyanins in all tissues of the plant, including flowers, fruit (skin and arils) and leaves. Steady-state gene-expression analysis indicated that none of the analyzed "white" pomegranate tissues are able to synthesize mRNA corresponding to the PgLDOX gene (leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, also called ANS, anthocyanidin synthase), which is one of the central structural genes in the anthocyanin-biosynthesis pathway. HPLC analysis revealed that none of the "white" pomegranate tissues accumulate anthocyanins, whereas other flavonoids, corresponding to biochemical reactions upstream of LDOX, were present. Molecular analysis of the "white" pomegranate revealed the presence of an insertion and an SNP within the coding region of PgLDOX. It was found that the SNP does not change amino acid sequence and is not fully linked with the "white" phenotype in all pomegranate accessions from the collection. On the other hand, genotyping of pomegranate accessions from the collection and segregating populations for the "white" phenotype demonstrated its complete linkage with the insertion, inherited as a recessive single-gene trait. Taken together, the results indicate that the insertion in PgLDOX is responsible for the "white" anthocyanin-less phenotype. These data provide the first direct molecular, genetic and chemical evidence for the effect of a natural modification in the LDOX gene on color accumulation in a fruit-bearing woody perennial deciduous tree. This modification can be further utilized to elucidate the physiological role of anthocyanins in protecting the tree organs from harmful environmental conditions, such as temperature and UV radiation.
Cell Biophysics, 1979
The dependence of membrane dynamics on the mole ratio of lecithin to sphingomyelin (L/S) was exam... more The dependence of membrane dynamics on the mole ratio of lecithin to sphingomyelin (L/S) was examined by the fluorescence depolarization of the fluidity probe DPH in membranes isolated from sheep and human erythrocytes. In these membranes L/S is the main variable of lipid composition (0.02 and 1.7, respectively). The sheep erythrocyte membrane, which is rich in sphingomyelin, displays a higher lipid microviscosity than the human erythrocyte membrane in addition to a broad gel/liquid-crystal phase transition in the range of 26-35~ Single-walled lipid vesicles of high sphingomyelin content, when studied by the same technique, exhibited dynamic characteristics similar to those found in the sheep erythrocyte membrane. Both the apparent microviscosity and the transition temperature decreased with increasing the L/S. Membrane proteins of human and sheep erythrocytes were fluorescently labeled with the sulfhydryl reagent N-dansylaziridine and the emission spectrum was recorded as a function of temperature. In the human erythrocyte membranes a gradual increase in the ratio of emission maxima at 520 and 490 nm was observed between 6 and 40~ At this temperature range the ratio of the above emission maxima in sheep erythrocyte membranes displayed a break between 20 and 28~ which partially overlapped the phase transition observed .for the lipid core. The effect of the lipid phase transition on membrane proteins 219
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1976
Membrane proteins of intact human erythrocytes were labeled with two fluorescent sulfh dyl reagen... more Membrane proteins of intact human erythrocytes were labeled with two fluorescent sulfh dyl reagents. The tagged cells were then subjected to simultaneous liposome treatments for either depletion or enrichment of membrane cholesterol content. Cholesterol depletion, which reduces membrane microviscosity, was followed by a series of fluorescence changes all indicating masking of the membrane proteins. Conversely, increasing the membrane microviscosity by cholesterol enrichment resulted in an appreciable increase of the protein exposure to the aqueous surrounding. These findings strongly suggest that membrane proteins may be vertically displaced upon changes in lipid fluidity, a mechanism that may play a significant role in modulation of antigens and receptors in vivo.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 1978
Tbe microviscosity of the plasn a of protoplasts isolated from rose (Rosa hyb. cv. Godea Wave) pe... more Tbe microviscosity of the plasn a of protoplasts isolated from rose (Rosa hyb. cv. Godea Wave) petals was measured by fluorescence depolarizatIo The plasmalenma's microviscosity was found to increase in petals whicb were allowed to age on cut flowers or after isolatio as weU as in isolated protoplasts aged In an aqueous medim. Increasing the temperature of the cut flowers or the isolated protoplasts enhced the increase of the microviscosity of the protoplast plasmakem. The mole ratio of free sterol to p i was greater In protoplasts isolated from old flowers or In protoplasts a after iolation tha In protoplasts bolated from younger flowers. Microviscosity was greatest when protoplasts were aged at pH 4.4 and In the presence of Ca". Artificial alterations of the sterol to phspIolpd ratio In the protoplasts, Induced by treatment with Hp_somes, caused simbr changes In their measured microviscosity. These f_inIs strongly suggest that the Increase In the petal plasmalemma microviscosity with age Is associated with an Increase In the sterol to ph ratio which results, at least partially, from the activity of endogenous phosphoUpases.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008
Antioxidant activity and composition of Israeli-grown marula ( Sclerocarrya birrea subsp. caffra)... more Antioxidant activity and composition of Israeli-grown marula ( Sclerocarrya birrea subsp. caffra) fruit juice and health-promoting aspects of juice consumption on serum lipids and lipoproteins pattern in healthy volunteers were studied. Marula juice was found to contain high vitamin C and potassium levels and low sugar concentration (267 mg dL (-1), 328 mg dL (-1), and 7.3 g dL (-1), respectively). The juice contains a significant level of phenolics (56 mg of pyrogallol equiv dL (-1)) and was found to be a potent antioxidant (382 mg of vitamin C equiv dL (-1)). The antioxidant activity was resistant to pasteurization regimens and long-term freezing and slowly decreased during refrigeration, losing up to 14% of its capacity after 4 weeks. Three-week administration of the juice as a food supplement to healthy subjects significantly reduced their serum total cholesterol (by 8%), LDL-cholesterol concentration (by 17%), and triglyceride level (by 7%), increased their serum HDL-cholesterol level (by 10%), and attenuated serum oxidative stress. Upon a 4 week "washout" period, most of these parameters returned toward baseline values. Separation of the juice soluble phenolics by HPLC produced potent antioxidant fractions, tentatively containing hydrolyzable tannins, catechins, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, which could be responsible for the observed protection against atherosclerosis risk factors following marula fruit juice consumption.
Biochemistry, 1979
Human erythrocyte membranes were enriched or depleted of cholesterol and effects on membrane prot... more Human erythrocyte membranes were enriched or depleted of cholesterol and effects on membrane proteins assessed with a membrane-impermeant sulfhydryl reagent, [35S]glutathione-maleimide. Reaction of the probe with intact cells quantifies exofacial sulfhydryl groups and reaction with leaky ghost membranes permits quantification of endofacial sulfhydryl groups. The mean endofacial sulfhydryl titer of cholesterol-enriched membranes exceeded that of cholesterol-depleted membranes by approximately 45 nmol/mg of protein, or 64%. The corresponding exofacial titer of cholesterol-enriched cells was less than that of cholesterol-depleted
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Papers by Hamutal Borochov-neori