In this study, the STEROL contents of almond kernel oils collected from naturally growing almond trees in Mersin province were determined. Generally, the STEROL contents of almond oil samples varied depending on almond types. The major STEROLs in almond oils wereß-sitoSTEROL, 5-avenaSTEROL and campeSTEROL, followed by 5, 24-stigmastadienol, stigmaSTEROL, sitostanol, and choleSTEROL. While β-sitoSTEROL contents of almond oils varied between 1986 mg/kg (T26) and 3908 mg/kg (T16), 5-avenaSTEROL contents of almond oils samples were in the range between 215. 9 mg/kg (T31) and 581. 7 mg/kg (T16). In addition, campeSTEROL contents of oils were found from 75. 8 mg/kg (T31) to 172. 3 mg/kg (T16). Interestingly, all STEROL contents (except choleSTEROL, brassicaSTEROL and 7-campeSTEROL) of T16 almond oil were found higher than those of the other almond types. The current study showed that almond kernels of the investigated almond types from Turkey are potential sources of valuable oil which might be used as edible oil or industrial applications.

Background: The marine environment is a unique source of bioactive natural products, of which Nizamuddinia zanardinii is an important brown algae distributed in Oman Sea. Literature revealed that there is no report on phytochemistry and pharmacology of this valuable algae.Methods: Bioguided fractionation of the methanolic extract of Nizamuddinia zanardinii, collected from Oman Sea, led to the isolation of a hydroperoxy STEROL. Its structure was determined by analysis of the spectroscopic data as 24-hydroperoxy-24-vinyl choleSTEROL (HVC). In vitro cytotoxic activity of this compound was evaluated against HT29, MCF7, A549, HepG2 and MDBK cell lines.Results: Although 24 (R) -hydroproxy-24-vinylcholeSTEROL has been previously reported from Sargassum and Padina species, it is the first report on the presence of this compound from N. zanardinii. This compound exhibited cytotoxicity in all cell lines (IC50, 3.62, 9.09, 17.96, 32.31 and 37.31 mg/mL respectively). HVC was also evaluated for apoptotic activity and demonstrated positive results in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick End labeling (TUNEL) assay suggesting it a candidate for further apoptotic studies.Conclusions: Nizamuddinia zanardinii, a remarkable brown algae of Oman Sea, is a good source of hydroproxy STEROLs with promising cytotoxic on various cell lines particularly human colon adenocarcinoma.

STEROL glucosides were biosynthesised in Momordica charantia L. and used as markers for the standardization of M. charantia extracts. The STEROL glucoside, charantin, used as a marker consisted of equal amounts of two STEROL glucosides, namely, 5, 25-stigmastadienol glucoside (1) and β,-sitoSTEROL glucoside (2). Most quantitation methods either mixed up both isomers, namely (1) and stigmaSTEROL glucoside (3) or both the STEROL glucosides (1) and (2) were not separated in the quantitation methods. The labelling of individual STEROL glucosides needs to be clearly stated in nutraceutical products. This study aimed to resolve the separation of the commonly mixed-up STEROL glucosides and further validate a high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) method for the quantification of individual STEROL glucosides in M. charantia. The HPLC-PDA instrument was used for method development as it is a universal instrument available in most nutraceutical companies. STEROL glucosides (1)-(3) were separated with a Zorbax SB-C18 column and an isocratic HPLC mobile phase system of 88% methanol in deionized water. The wavelength of the PDA detector was set at 200 to 500 nm with a linearity range of 90 to 300 μ, g/mL and a good correlation coefficient of r2 > 0. 99. The validated method was applied to fresh fruits and nutraceutical products. The STEROL glucoside (1) is the major constituent in charantin. Hybrid fruits biosynthesised higher content of STEROL glucosides compared to non-hybrid fruits. The content of (1)-(3) in the final nutraceutical products fluctuates and dependent on the source of raw material. Thus, standardization of extracts is essential in nutraceutical production to ensure uniform content of secondary metabolites and reproducible therapeutic effect.

The oil contents of linseeds were determined between 39.9% (Antares) and 43.3% (Railinus). The oleic acid contents of seed oils varied between 0.8% (Maroc) and 24.8 (Railinus). The linoleic acid contents of linseed oil change between 10.2% (Avangard) and 48.2% (Maroc), while the palmitic acid of oils ranged from 4.8% (Antares) to 6.1% (Maroc), stearic acid contents ranged between 4.7% (Avangard) to 23.5% (Maroc). Also, linolenic acid contents of Avangard oil was higher (59.9%) than those of results of other linseed oils. The P8 contents of linseed oil change between 1.1 mg/kg (Railinus) and 16.4 mg/kg (Avangard). Also, the d-tocopherol content of Railinus oil was also higher (262.7 mg/kg) than those of other linseed oils (0.3-0.4 mg/kg). The total tocopherol in Railinus seed oil was higher (437.4 mg/100 g) (p<0.05) than that of Maroc seed oil (30.3 mg/100 g).