1. Synergistic effect of supercritical and ultrasound-assisted ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) extractsTaja Žitek Makoter, Nika Kučuk, Vesna Postružnik, Maja Leitgeb, Željko Knez, Mateja Primožič, Maša Knez Marevci, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Proper processing of natural material is crucial to obtain an extract with high content of
biologically active components. Dried, grinded ginger roots were extracted by ultrasonic method
and supercritical extraction with CO2
. The aim of the study was to determine if a mixture of the two
types of extracts attained by different methods and solvents exhibits better bioavailability than each
extract itself. Therefore, both extracts were analytically evaluated and then mixed in a ratio of 1:1.
The supercritical extract (SCG extract) and the mixed extract (mixG extract) had high antioxidant
activity (78% and 73%) and total phenols (827 mg/g ext. and 1455 mg/g ext.), which is also consistent
with the levels of gingerol (303 mg/g ext. and 271 g/g ext.) and shogaol (111 mg/g ext. and 100 g/g
ext.) in the extracts. In comparison to both pure extracts higher levels of total phenols were found
in the extract mixG. This could be the reason for the significant inhibition of melanoma cells and
antimicrobial potential (against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans). The
combination of the extracts resulted in a significant increase in the inhibition of selected microbial
and melanoma cells WM-266-4 compared to the control. Cell viability decreased below 60% when
mixG extract was applied. Antimicrobial activity has been confirmed.
Keywords: ginger, supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, antimicrobial activity
Published in DKUM: 09.05.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
 Full text (1,59 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
2. Optimisation of the green process of industrial hemp - preparation and its extract characterisationTaja Žitek Makoter, Petra Kotnik, Teo Makoter, Vesna Postružnik, Željko Knez, Maša Knez Marevci, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Natural medicines and products are becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical
and food industries. The most important step in obtaining a natural remedy is the processing of
the natural material. This study offers the separation of the industrial hemp plant into fractions by
mechanical treatment, which has a significant impact on the selectivity of the obtained fractions. This
study also offers a solution to reduce waste by fractionating industrial hemp, focusing on the fraction
with the highest cannabinoid content (49.5% of CBD). The study confirmed the anticancer potential
of the extract, which prevents further division of WM-266-4 melanoma cells at a concentration of
10−3 mg/mL. However, application of the extract (c = 10−3 mg/mL) to normal human epidermal
melanocytes proved to be insignificant, as the metabolic activity of the cells was the same as in the
control cell group.
Keywords: supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasonic extraction, melanoma cells, extraction, WM-266-4
Published in DKUM: 09.05.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
Full text (1,96 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
3. Supercritical fluid and conventional extractions of high value-added compounds from pomegranate peels waste: production, quantification and antimicrobial activity of bioactive constituentsKaja Kupnik, Maja Leitgeb, Mateja Primožič, Vesna Postružnik, Petra Kotnik, Nika Kučuk, Željko Knez, Maša Knez Marevci, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: This study is focused on different extractions (Cold Maceration (CM), Ultrasonic Extraction
(UE), Soxhlet Extraction (SE) and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)) of bioactive compounds from
pomegranate (Punica Granatum L.) fruit peels using methanol, ethanol, and acetone as solvents in
conventional extractions and changing operating pressure (10, 15, 20, 25 MPa) in SFE, respectively.
The extraction yields, total phenols (TP) and proanthocyanidins (PAC) contents, and antioxidant
activity of different extracts are revealed. TP and PAC recovered by extracts ranged from 24.22 to
42.92 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g and 2.01 to 5.82 mg PAC/g, respectively. The antioxidant
activity of extracts ranged from 84.70% to 94.35%. The phenolic compound identification and
quantification in selective extracts was done using the LC-MS/MS method. The contents of different
flavonoids and phenolic acids have been determined. SFE extract, obtained at 20 MPa, contained
the highest content (11,561.84 µg/g) of analyzed total polyphenols, with predominant ellagic acid
(7492.53 µg/g). For the first time, Microbial Growth Inhibition Rates (MGIRs) were determined at
five different concentrations of pomegranate SFE extract against seven microorganisms. Minimal
Inhibitory Concentration (MIC90) was determined as 2.7 mg/mL of SFE pomegranate peel extract in
the case of five different Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
Keywords: antimicrobial activity, antioxidants, bioactive compounds, extraction, LC-MS/MS, phenolics, phytochemistry, pomegranate, Punica Granatum L., secondary metabolites
Published in DKUM: 24.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
Full text (2,02 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
4. Comparison of conventional and supercritical isolation methods from bee pollen and their effects on the concentrations of bioactive compoundsTaja Žitek Makoter, Vesna Postružnik, Anastasia Kyriakoudi, Elli Pantazi, Natasa Kalogiouri, Ioannis Mourtzinos, Željko Knez, Maša Knez Marevci, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The present work represents a profound investigation of material pretreatment, comparison of different isolation methods (conventional and supercritical), and characterization of phenolic compounds and amino acids from bee pollen. The determination of amino acids was carried out after developing a novel hydrophilic interaction chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometric method (HILIC-QTOF-MS/MS) with limits of detection over the range 1 mg/kg -5 mg/kg and recoveries over the range 87.6% - 97.1%. The optimal conditions for the isolation of amino acids are in the range of temperatures between 25°C to 55°C and at pressures between 300 bar and 350 bar. It can be concluded that the extraction temperature and the pressure affect antioxidant activity. The favored conditions are lower temperatures and higher pressures.
Keywords: bee pollen, in vitro antioxidant activity, HILIC-LC-QTOF-MS.MS, amino acids, WM-266-4 cells
Published in DKUM: 20.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
Full text (1,27 MB) |
5. Extraction of active compounds from mixtures of hemp (Cannabis sativa) with Pants of the Zingiberaceae familyVesna Postružnik, Taja Žitek Makoter, Darko Goričanec, Petra Kotnik, Željko Knez, Maša Knez Marevci, 2023, original scientific article Keywords: supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, hemp, ginger, turmeric, cardamom
Published in DKUM: 08.05.2024; Views: 234; Downloads: 20
Full text (2,36 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
6. Arnica Montana L. supercritical extraction optimization for antibiotic and anticancer activityTaja Žitek Makoter, Vesna Postružnik, Željko Knez, Andrej Golle, Barbara Dariš, Maša Knez Marevci, 2022, original scientific article Keywords: mountain arnica, natural extract, gactive ingredients, antimicrobial activity, anticarcinogenic activity
Published in DKUM: 05.04.2024; Views: 169; Downloads: 5
Full text (1,38 MB) |
7. The extraction process, separation, and identification of curcuminoids from turmeric curcuma longaGal Slaček, Petra Kotnik, Azra Osmić, Vesna Postružnik, Željko Knez, Matjaž Finšgar, Maša Knez Marevci, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Turmeric Curcuma longa is a well-known spice with various health benefits, attributed primarily to curcumin. Soxhlet extraction, cold maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and supercritical fluid extraction were performed, and the content of total phenols, proanthocyanidins, and antioxidants was analysed by UV/VIS spectrophotometry. High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was employed to identify and quantify the curcumin content. Supercritical extracts had the highest total phenolic content (538.95 mg GA/100 g material), while the Soxhlet extracts had the highest content of proanthocyanidins (4.77 mg PAC/100 g of material). Extracts obtained by UAE and supercritical extraction have the highest antioxidant potential. Antioxidant activity measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH center dot) was 64.27% and 1750.32 mg Trolox per g dry weight by 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6 sulphonic acid) (ABTS(+center dot)) for the extract obtained by supercritical extraction. The UAE resulted in the highest amount of curcumin (1.91 mg curcumin/g material). A kinetic study showed that extraction yield in supercritical extracts decreased with increasing temperature and that the content of isolated curcumin was inversely proportional to solvent-to-feed ratio (S/F). The present study has confirmed that turmeric is an excellent source of antioxidants, such as curcumin, that play an important role in reducing cellular stress by neutralising free radicals.
Keywords: turmeric, curcumin, total phenols, proanthocyanidins, antioxidants
Published in DKUM: 09.02.2024; Views: 361; Downloads: 52
Full text (3,27 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
8. Vpliv postopka predobdelave materiala na vsebnost vitaminov v ekstraktih cvetnega prahu : diplomsko delo visokošolskega strokovnega študijskega programa I. stopnjeKarin Jakopič, 2023, undergraduate thesis Abstract: Namen diplomskega dela je optimizirati postopek predobdelave cvetnega prahu z namenom izolacije ekstraktov z visoko vsebnostjo antioksidantov ter vitaminov. Uporabili smo različne ekstrakcijske metode; ultrazvočno ekstrakcijo, hladno in vročo maceracijo ter ekstrakcijo po Soxhletu. Pri vseh ekstrakcijah smo kot topilo uporabili mešanico etanola in vode (70 % etanol). Z različnimi postopki predobdelave materiala (mletje v električnem mlinčku, trenje s terilnico in z dušikom pod tlakom) in omenjenimi postopki ekstrakcije smo dobili 16 različnih ekstraktov. Ekstraktom smo določevali izkoristek in spektorfotometrično določevali mikronutriente in sekundarne metabolite kot so vitamin C, fenolne spojine in proantocianidini ter antioksidativni učinek. Kromatografsko smo poskušali določiti še vitamine (A, D in E ). S predobdelavo cvetnega prahu smo pridobili različne strukture in velikosti materiala, kateremu smo s sejalno analizo določili najpogosteje zastopano zrno in izračunali koeficient enakomerne zrnatosti. Ekstrakte smo ovrednotili s kvalitativno in kvantitativno analizo vsebnosti želenih komponent. Rezultati kažejo da na kakovost ekstrakta vplivajo različni dejavniki, kot so izbira topila, postopki obdelave pred ekstrakcijo, čas in temperatura ekstrakcije ter ustrezna ekstrakcijska metoda. Postopek predobdelave bistveno vpliva na izkoristek ekstraktov, saj izzove spremembo v mikrostrukturi cvetnega prahu. Med določevanjem vsebnosti komponent v cvetnem prahu smo opazili vpliv temperature in časa. Za čimboljše vsebnosti antioksidativne aktivnosti, totalnih fenolov, proantocianidinov in izkoristka se je med ekstrakcijami potrebno izogibati visokim temperaturam.
Veliko nižje vsebnosti kot z ostalimi ekstrakcijskimi metodami dobimo ravno s Soxhletovo ekstrakcijo v primeru določevanja vsebnosti totalnih fenolov, proantocianidinov in izkoristka. Opazimo da je predobdelava z dušikom pod tlakom in kombinacija tlaka in mletja v večini primerov dala najboljše rezultate.
Keywords: cvetni prah, predobdelava, ekstrakcija, antioksidanti, fenolne spojine, proantocianidini, vitamini
Published in DKUM: 18.09.2023; Views: 351; Downloads: 0
Full text (7,01 MB) |
9. Retrospektivna analiza predpisovanja opioidnih zdravil v Sloveniji med leti 2011 in 2015Vesna Postružnik, 2020, master's thesis Abstract: Uvod: Zaradi višanja svetovne porabe opioidnih zdravil je spremljanje njihovih količin na nacionalni ravni pomembno za zagotavljanje njihove varne uporabe. Za Slovenijo še ni bilo objavljenih podatkov o potentnosti predpisanih opioidnih zdravil.
Metode: Pridobili smo podatke 2150046 receptov opioidnih zdravil, ki predstavljajo vse recepte, predpisane v Sloveniji med letoma 2011 in 2015. Pridobili smo podatke o količinah zdravilnih učinkovin za vsak recept in jih pretvorili v ekvivalentne miligrame morfina (MME).
Rezultati: V omenjenem obdobju je poraba opioidnih zdravil naraščala. V letu 2011 se je v Sloveniji porabilo 167 ekvivalentnih kilogramov morfina, v letu 2015 pa 193 ekvivalentnih kilogramov morfina. Statistično smo potrdili večjo porabo opioidnih zdravil v MME na manj razvitem vzhodu države (W=8342, p<0,001) . Pri osebah ženskega spola smo potrdili večjo porabo v MME (U=895, p<0,001), prav tako zdravnice ženskega spola na recept predpisujejo več opioidnih zdravil v primerjavi z zdravniki (U=854, p<0,001). Količine predpisanih opioidnih zdravil naraščajo s starostjo pacientov (r=0,931, p<0,001), zdravniki, starejši od 40 let, na recept predpisujejo večje količine opioidnih zdravil kot mlajši zdravniki (U=3600, p<0,001).
Razprava: Poraba opioidnih zdravil v Sloveniji je primerljiva s porabo v drugih evropskih državah. V okviru zaključnega dela smo potrdili, da dejavniki, kot so spol, starost in regionalne razlike, vplivajo na predpisovanje in uporabo opioidnih zdravil.
Keywords: opioidna zdravila, ekvivalenti miligramov morfina, trendi porabe, populacijski podatki
Published in DKUM: 10.02.2021; Views: 1523; Downloads: 163
Full text (2,19 MB) |
