SONATA 19 for UPWr Scientists

Research by Dr. Monika Dymarska from the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis focuses on supporting gastrointestinal health using flavonoid derivatives.

Dr. Agnieszka Żak-Bochenek from the Department of Immunology, Pathophysiology, and Veterinary Prevention aims to help animals struggling with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Dr. Lisandra Meneses from the Department of Applied Bioeconomy will investigate the possibilities of recycling and reusing liquid L-HTC wastewater.

The SONATA 19 competition is targeted at scientists who obtained their Ph.D. between 2 and 7 years before applying for the grant. Additionally, applicants must have at least one published or accepted for publication work. In the case of scientific activities in the field of creativity and art, it can be at least one artistic or artistic-scientific achievement. In the latest edition of the competition, three grants, totaling over three million PLN, were awarded to UPWr scientists.

Flavonoid esters for gastrointestinal health

Dr. Monika Dymarska from the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis received over 750,000 PLN for the project "Flavonoids, their esters, and postbiotics as natural regulators of gastrointestinal homeostasis." Her research aims to create new dietary supplements and functional foods.

– For over a decade, scientists have been proving that an imbalance in the gut can lead to the development of seemingly unrelated diseases such as allergies, atopic dermatitis, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and even psychological disorders. The role of gut microbiota was marginalized for years. It was believed to be limited to ensuring the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. This has changed – says Dr. Monika Dymarska. She explains that our intestines are inhabited by 500-1000 different species of microorganisms, weighing between 1000 - 2000 grams, with the number of microbial cells in the gut at least equal to the number of human body cells. Thus, humans can be considered holobionts – "superorganisms" composed of eukaryotic cells and microorganisms forming their microbiota. All these cells co-create a dynamic, interdependent system functioning as a whole.

Unfavorable components of the microbiota can produce harmful metabolites, damage the intestinal mucosa, allowing allergens and toxins to penetrate the body. They can also trigger inflammatory processes in the intestines, which have serious consequences, as many diseases are proven to originate there. Therefore, the search for molecules that can prevent and treat gut dysbiosis is currently one of the leading topics in dietary supplement and food additive research.

– A known group of natural compounds has a high potential to restore microbial balance in the gut, alleviate inflammatory processes, and even prevent and treat cancers. These compounds are flavonoids – plant metabolites present in the human daily diet, including fruits, vegetables, and cocoa – says the UPWr scientist. She adds that largely, these flavonoid compounds are responsible for the health-promoting effects of plant foods. – Pure flavonoids would be ideal candidates for dietary supplements or food additives, if not for their low solubility and bioavailability – she emphasizes.

In the project financed by the National Science Center, Dr. Monika Dymarska plans to functionalize known natural flavonoids with proven high initial biological activity, available in Poland as dietary supplements, with recommended daily doses reaching several hundred milligrams.

– As a result, we will obtain ester derivatives in which the flavonoid molecule will be linked to a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA). SCFAs are produced in the intestines by proper microbiota and have high health potential for the gastrointestinal tract. We expect that the modifications will yield derivatives with high biological activity, stability, and good solubility, reducing the effective dose of the compound. Thus, the obtained derivatives have the potential to be used as prebiotic (stimulating the growth of health-beneficial microorganisms), anti-inflammatory, or anticancer agents. 

In her project, Dr. Dymarska will examine the bidirectional interactions between consumed flavonoids and gut microbiota. She will then identify postbiotics produced by probiotic strains from flavonoids and their esters and assess the potential of all flavonoids and their derivatives used in the project (esters and postbiotics) to restore gastrointestinal homeostasis. The evaluation will include prebiotic activity, antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms, and anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines.

– Our research will create and evaluate new derivatives of natural compounds, which, thanks to improved physicochemical parameters and proven high bioactivity, can be used as dietary supplements and functional foods. They will provide comprehensive protection of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby improving the overall well-being of the body – says the UPWr scientist.

Inflammatory bowel disease and abnormal gastrointestinal flora

Dr. Agnieszka Żak-Bochenek from the Department of Immunology, Pathophysiology, and Veterinary Prevention wants to help horses struggling with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and examine the impact of mucosal immunity disorders and abnormal gastrointestinal flora (dysbiosis) on the disease's course.

For the project "Research on the expression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) in the intestinal epithelial cells of horses in the context of inflammatory bowel disease," Dr. Żak-Bochenek received over 670,000 PLN.

–Mucosal immunity of the gastrointestinal tract plays the most crucial role in preventing and combating potential pathogens, and disruptions in the mucosal barrier can lead to severe infections in both humans and animals. They can also cause autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), increasingly diagnosed in humans and companion animals – says the UPWr scientist. She explains that disorders similar to Crohn's disease in humans can also occur in horses.

IBD in horses leads to chronic, nonspecific symptoms such as weight loss, diarrhea, or colic (abdominal pain), ultimately causing the organism's depletion. Severe intestinal inflammation can also cause obstruction, requiring surgical intervention.

– To date, a clear answer to the question concerning the pathophysiology of IBD development in horses has not been found. The hypothesis, based on existing knowledge from human and veterinary medicine, suggests that both mucosal immunity disorders and dysbiosis are involved in the course of IBD in horses – explains Dr. Agnieszka Żak-Bochenek.

The second goal of the study will be the cultivation of organoids – cell cultures that can differentiate into adult cells during growth and mimic an organ. In this specific case, these will be equine enteroids, allowing for the reflection of the horse's small intestine, including the pseudo-lumen and the basal part of the cells. This setup will enable microscopic evaluation of immunoglobulin A transport through the cells and stimulate them both "externally" and "internally" to assess the impact of different environments on mucosal immunity. Ultimately, the prepared model could serve as the basis for non-invasive in vitro research.

Recycling wastewater from thermochemical technology

Dr. Lisandra Meneses from the Department of Applied Bioeconomy will investigate the possibilities of recycling and reusing L-HTC – liquid wastewater produced during thermochemical technology used to convert high-moisture organic matter into solid biofuels (e.g., hydrocarbon), liquid or gaseous fuels.

For the project "Utilization of liquid by-products of hydrothermal carbonization for the production of value-added products: a combined process using purple phototrophic bacteria and anaerobic fermentation," the UPWr scientist received over 1.6 million PLN.

As Dr. Lisandra Meneses explains, the main energy sources used to meet our energy needs are natural gas, oil, and coal, which exacerbate environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change. Therefore, governments worldwide are developing strategies to combat climate change and reduce fossil fuel consumption. In this regard, significant emphasis has been placed on renewable energy sources: solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and wave energy, and bioenergy, used for biofuel production.

The UPWr scientist will focus on biofuels produced through the thermochemical process, specifically HTC technology. It is particularly attractive because it successfully converts high-moisture organic matter into solid (e.g., hydrocarbon), liquid, or gaseous biofuels.

– Furthermore, it does not require drying the biomass before use, handles diverse raw material compositions, and can produce high-quality products. However, studies have shown that large amounts of liquid wastewater (known as L-HTC) are generated at the end of the HTC process. Studies have shown that they can contain dissolved nutrients and organic compounds, making them harmful to the environment if directly discharged into water bodies – says Dr. Lisandra Meneses. "But L-HTC can be processed sustainably, for example, through anaerobic fermentation processes to produce valuable and commercial products such as liquid biofuels (e.g., bioethanol) and gaseous biofuels (e.g., biogas and biomethane)."

In the project, which received a grant from the National Science Center, Dr. Lisandra Meneses aims to explore the possibilities of recycling and reusing L-HTC. To this end, the liquid wastewater produced in HTC will be used in a two-stage anaerobic fermentation process to examine the quality, composition, and quantity of compounds produced in L-HTC; assess the quality of L-HTC produced from various organic materials, such as forest residues, agricultural residues, industrial and municipal waste, and energy crops; produce value-added and commercially valuable products such as biomethane and biogas, and finally, apply mathematical models to investigate the impact of several operational parameters, such as reaction temperature, pressure, and retention time, on the proposed L-HTC management scenario.

– The scenario proposed in this project will identify optimal operating parameters to improve the quality of the generated gas and reduce the production of inhibitory products. Moreover, it will also contribute to the implementation of renewable energy – concludes the UPWr scientist.

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