The Relationships between Dyeing Methods and Dyeability in Hair Colouring by Utilising Enzymatic Oxidation of (+)-Catechin

The enzymatic oxidation of (+)-catechin (Cat) with copper-containing oxidase, tyrosinase, was applied to hair colouring in the study. The Cat is oxidised to be o-benzoquinone form, the catechinone, which works as the hair dyestuff. Four kinds of hair colouring techniques using Cat were examined and each of their dyeability was compared in order to improve it. The first dyeing method is dyeing hair by the redissolved catechinone, which is preliminarily obtained by the oxidation of Cat (Redissolution Dyeing Method). The second one is dyeing hair in the dye solution just after the dye being formed by the enzymatic reaction (Sequential Dyeing Method). The third one is dyeing hair in solution containing Cat and the dyeing process is accompanied by the oxidation of Cat (Simultaneous Oxidation Dyeing Method). The fourth one is two-step dyeing that the hair immersed in Cat solution at the first step and then it is oxidised enzymatically to colour at the second step (Post-Oxidation Dyeing Method). The hair is dyed pale yellow by Redissolution Method, deeper yellowish brown by Sequential and Simultaneous Oxidation Dyeing Method and slightly reddish brown by Post-Oxidation Method with Cat. The order of their dyeability is the Simultaneous Oxidation ≈ Post-Oxidation > Sequential > Redissolution Dyeing Method at 30°C. The dyeability of Redissolution Method increases with an increase in dyeing temperature (T) between 20°C - 60°C. In Simultaneous Oxidation Method, the T increment also provides higher dyeability, and the colour of dyed hair becomes duller over 50°C. The Post-Oxidation Method shows higher dyeability at the lower oxidation temperature (20 °C - 40°C).

Physicochemical properties and antibacterial mechanism of theabrownins prepared from different catechins catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase

Theabrownins(TBs)are the characteristic functional and quality components of dark teas such as Pu’er tea and Chin-brick tea.TBs are a class of water-soluble brown polymers with multi-molecular weight distribution produced by the oxidative polymerisation of tea polyphenols during the fermentation process of dark tea,both enzymatically and non-enzymatically.TBs have been extracted and purified from dark tea all the time,but the obtained TBs contain heterogeneous components such as polysaccharides and caffeine in the bound state,which are difficult to remove.The isolation and purification process was tedious and required the use of organic solvents,which made it difficult to industrialise TBs.In this study,epigallocatechin(EGC),epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG),epigallocatechin gallate(ECG),EGC/EGCG(mass ratio 1:1),EGCG/ECG(mass ratio 1:1),EGC/ECG(mass ratio 1:1)and EGC/EGCG/ECG(mass ratio 1:1:1)as substrates and catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase(PPO)and peroxidase(POD)in turn to produce TBs,named TBs-dE-1,TBs-dE-2,TBs-dE-3,TBs-dE-4,TBs-dE-5,TBs-dE-6 and TBs-dE-7.The physicochemical properties and the antibacterial activity and mechanism of TBs-dE-1–7 were investigated.Sensory and colour difference measurements showed that all seven tea browning samples showed varying degrees of brownish hue.Zeta potential in aqueous solutions at pH 3.0–9.0 indicated that TBs-dE-1–7 was negatively charged and the potential increased with increasing pH.The characteristic absorption peaks of TBs-dE-1–7 were observed at 208 and 274 nm by UV-visible(UV-vis)scanning spectroscopy.Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)spectra indicated that they were phenolic compounds.TBs-dE-1–7 showed significant inhibition of Escherichia coli DH5α(E.coli DH5α).TBs-dE-3 showed the strongest inhibitory effect with minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of 1.25 mg mL–1 and MBC of 10 mg mL–1,followed by TBs-dE-5 and TBs-dE-6.These three TBs-dEs were selected to further investigate their inhibition mechanism.The TBs-dE was found to damage the extracellular membrane of E.coli DH5α,causing leakage of contents,and increase intracellular reactive oxygen content,resulting in abnormal cell metabolism due to oxidative stress.The results of the study provide a theoretical basis for the industrial preparation and product development of TBs.

Evaluation of In Vitro Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Properites of Leaf Extract from Alpinia Purpurata(Vieill.) K. Schum.

Objective： To evaluate the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants of leaf extract from Alpinia purpurata. Methods： One gram of fresh leaf of Alpinia purpurata was grinded in 2 mL of 50% ethanol and centrifuged at 10,000×g at 4 ℃ for 10 min. The supernatant obtained was used within 4 h for various enzymatic antioxidants assays like superoxide dismutase（SOD）, catalase（CAT）, glutathione peroxidase（GPx）, glutathione S-transferase（GST）, ascorbate oxidase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase（PPO） and non-enzymatic antioxidants such as vitamin C, total reduced glutathione（TRG） and lipid peroxidation（LPO）. Results： The leaf extract of Alpinia purpurata possess antioxidants like vitamin C 472.92±6.80 μg/mg protein, GST 372.11±5.70 μmol of 1-chloro 2,4 dinitrobenzene（CDNB）-reduced glutathione（GSH） conjugate formed/min/mg protein, GPx 281.69±6.43 μg of glutathione oxidized/min/mg protein, peroxidases 173.12±9.40 μmol/g tissue, TRG 75.27±3.55 μg/mg protein, SOD 58.03±2.11 U/mg protein, CAT 46.70±2.35 μmol of H_2O_2 consumed/min/mg protein in high amount whereas ascorbate oxidase 17.41±2.46 U/g tissue, LPO 2.71±0.14 nmol/L of malondialdehyde formed/min/mg protein and PPO 1.14±0.11 μmol/g tissue in moderate amount. Conclusion： Alpinia purpurata has the potential to scavenge the free radicals and protect against oxidative stress causing diseases. In future, Alpinia purpurata may serve as a good pharmacotherapeutic agent.