Little is known about the individual components of honey that are responsible for its antioxidant activity. The present study was carried out to characterize the phenolics and other antioxidants present in honeys from seven floral sources. Chromatograms of the phenolic nonpolar fraction of the honeys indicated that most honeys have similar but quantitatively different phenolic profiles. Many of the flavonoids and phenolic acids identified have been previously described as potent antioxidants. A linear correlation between phenolic content and ORAC activity was demonstrated (R(2) = 0.963, p < 0.0001). Honeys were separated by solid-phase extraction into four fractions for sugar removal and separation based on solubility to identify the relative contribution of each fraction to the antioxidant activity of honey. Antioxidant analysis of the different honey fractions suggested that the water-soluble fraction contained most of the antioxidant components. Specific water-soluble antioxidant components were quantified, including protein; gluconic acid; ascorbic acid; hydroxymethylfuraldehyde; and the combined activities of the enzymes glucose oxidase, catalase and peroxidase. Of these components, a significant correlation could be established only between protein content and ORAC activity (R(2) = 0.674, p = 0.024). In general, the antioxidant capacity of honey appeared to be a result of the combined activity of a wide range of compounds including phenolics, peptides, organic acids, enzymes, Maillard reaction products, and possibly other minor components. The phenolic compounds contributed significantly to the antioxidant capacity of honey but were not solely responsible for it.

Recent evidence suggests that long-range enhancers and gene promoters are in close proximity, which might reflect the formation of chromatin loops. Here, we examined the mechanism for DNA looping at the beta-globin locus. By using chromosome conformation capture (3C), we show that the hematopoietic transcription factor GATA-1 and its cofactor FOG-1 are required for the physical interaction between the beta-globin locus control region (LCR) and the beta-major globin promoter. Kinetic studies reveal that GATA-1-induced loop formation correlates with the onset of beta-globin transcription and occurs independently of new protein synthesis. GATA-1 occupies the beta-major globin promoter normally in fetal liver erythroblasts from mice lacking the LCR, suggesting that GATA-1 binding to the promoter and LCR are independent events that occur prior to loop formation. Together, these data demonstrate that GATA-1 and FOG-1 are essential anchors for a tissue-specific chromatin loop, providing general insights into long-range enhancer function.

Honeys from seven different floral sources were analyzed for in vitro antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. Antioxidant capacity was measured by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay and by monitoring the formation of conjugated dienes as an index of the inhibition of copper-catalyzed serum lipoprotein oxidation. ORAC values ranged from 3.1 to 16.3 micromol Trolox equivalent/g honey. The darkest colored honeys, such as buckwheat honey, had the highest ORAC values. A linear correlation was observed between phenolic content and ORAC activity of the investigated honeys (p < 0.0001, R (2) = 0.9497). The relationship between the ORAC activity and inhibition of lipoprotein oxidation by the honeys yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.6653 (p = 0.0136). This work shows that honey may be used as a healthy alternative to sugar in many products and thereby serve as a source of dietary antioxidants.

The worldwide burden of sickle cell disease is enormous, with over 200,000 infants born with the disease each year in Africa alone. Induction of fetal hemoglobin is a validated strategy to improve symptoms and complications of this disease. The development of targeted therapies has been limited by the absence of discrete druggable targets. We developed a unique bead-based strategy for the identification of inducers of fetal hemoglobin transcripts in primary human erythroid cells. A small-molecule screen of bioactive compounds identified remarkable class-associated activity among histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Using a chemical genetic strategy combining focused libraries of biased chemical probes and reverse genetics by RNA interference, we have identified HDAC1 and HDAC2 as molecular targets mediating fetal hemoglobin induction. Our findings suggest the potential of isoform-selective inhibitors of HDAC1 and HDAC2 for the treatment of sickle cell disease.histone | acetylation | hemoglobinopathies | chromatin