Selective oxidation reactions are critical steps in catalysis towards industrial-relevant compounds. Flavin-dependent enzymes of the VAO/PCMH and GMC families provide numerous candidates that can be applied in various formats and scales. Progresses in catalyst production, mechanistic understanding, structural information, and protein engineering enabled their successful applications. Hence, some candidates are already in use for large-scale chemical syntheses and biosensor applications such as vanillin production, biofuel cells, blood glucose sensing, and glucose monitoring in foods and beverages. The most recent advances related to these oxidases are summarized herein, highlighting recent developments beyond well-known applications that pave the way for novel developments.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides atomic-resolution structural information together with direct insight into nucleic acid dynamics across a wide range of timescales. Recent advances in instrumentation, isotope-labelling strategies, pulse sequence design, sensitivity enhancement and data acquisition have greatly expanded its applicability beyond small DNA and RNA systems. This review highlights how modern NMR enables the characterization of conformational ensembles, transient states and dynamic processes that are difficult to capture by other structural techniques. Particular attention is given to the integration of NMR with complementary structural and computational methods, as well as its growing application to non-canonical nucleic acid structures, large nucleic acid assemblies and studies in native cellular environments. Together, these developments have established NMR as a central tool in structural biology, bridging structure, dynamics and biological function while providing critical insights into the behaviour of nucleic acids and their interactions in health and disease.
Corn (Zea mays) is a widely used agricultural crop in various industries such as food, animal feed, biofuels, and cosmetics. However, corn processing often generates a large amount of agricultural waste, especially corn husks. This research aims to prepare a corn husk extract using ultrasonic extraction techniques to develop a multiple emulsion formulation. A high-energy method was employed to enhance the stability and efficacy of active compounds in the corn husk extract. Experiments showed that the extraction of corn husks using distilled water as a solvent for 1 h yielded an extraction rate of 2.43%. For antioxidant activity, the extract exhibited a FRAP value of 1.62 ± 0.01 mM Fe2+/mg, comparable to ascorbic acid. The ABTS free radical scavenging percentage was 99.24%, comparable to that of ascorbic acid, and the chelating activity was 25.61%. The extract was then incorporated into water-in-oil nanoemulsions. The most stable formulation consisted of a 20% (2.3 w/w%) corn husk extract solution, a surfactant mixture of Tween 80 and Span80 (24.9 w/w%), and olive oil (72.8 w/w%). The physical properties of the formulation showed a droplet size of 21.63 ± 1.04 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.31 ± 0.02, and an encapsulation efficiency of 94.20 ± 0.50%, confirming good encapsulation performance. The extract was then mixed into multiple emulsions. The most stable formulation consisted of a nanoemulsion containing a 20% (20 w/w%) solution of corn husk extract, a mixed surfactant of Tween 80 (1.25 w/w%), and water (78.75 w/w%). The physical properties of the formulation showed a droplet size of 169.97 ± 0.31 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.22 ± 0.01, and a zeta potential of −81.17 ± 0.25 mV; the release study showed a cumulative release of 72% after 12 h. This research highlights the potential of preparing corn husk extract for development into complex emulsion formulations for cosmetic applications.
This narrative review evaluates sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) leaves and pigmented roots as sources of cosmetic ingredients. The foliage, largely discarded after root harvest, is rich in caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), including 3,4,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid, and purple- and orange-fleshed roots supply acylated anthocyanins and β-carotene. We distinguish evidence by material and model. Purified CQAs, mostly obtained from other plant sources, reduce UV-induced collagen degradation and inflammatory signaling in skin cells, whereas direct evidence for sweetpotato extracts is limited to spectrophotometric sun protection factor estimates, the increased UV absorbance of creams, and inhibition of bacterial growth and biofilm formation at concentrations above those tolerated by keratinocytes. Translation is constrained by the molecular size and polarity (di- and tri-CQAs, 516–679 Da), acyl migration and oxidation at near-neutral pH, pH-dependent anthocyanin color, and reliance on surrogate enzymes such as mushroom tyrosinase. We propose a tiered workflow with mandatory and claim-dependent steps covering extract specification, human-target assays, skin models, permeation, stability, non-animal safety assessments, and claim substantiation under United States and European Union rules. Current evidence supports positioning these extracts as antioxidant and SPF-supporting ingredients, not as UV filters or antimicrobial actives.
Physalis angulata L. is a source of lipophilic bioactive metabolites of interest for cosmetic research, but the antifungal behavior of its fractions in nanoemulsions remains poorly characterized. This study evaluated the antioxidant, antifungal, irritant, and cytotoxic activity of a chloroform extract (E) and a hexane–ethyl acetate (6:4) fraction (F) from P. angulata, and their nanoemulsions (NE-E, NE-F), using HPLC-UV, DPPH, microdilution, HET-CAM and HaCaT assays. HPLC-UV showed major peaks at 39–41 min, predominant in F. E showed moderate antioxidant activity (EC50 = 415 µg/mL), while F showed limited activity. F was active against all six microorganisms tested (T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, M. canis, C. albicans, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis), most potently against M. canis (MIC = 0.07 mg/mL). NE-F retained reduced activity against the dermatophytes but not against Candida. Samples showed no HET-CAM irritant effect. In HaCaT cells, NE-F showed an IC50 of 173.1 µg/mL; its MIC against M. canis (310 µg/mL) exceeded this value, indicating a limited cellular safety margin. The nanoemulsions remained in the nanometric range over 30 days, although NE-F showed a transient increase in PDI on Day 7. These results demonstrate the antifungal potential of fraction F and show that nanoemulsification partially preserved dermatophyte activity, supporting further investigation of F as a candidate cosmetic ingredient.
