Investigation of Isotopic Abundance Ratio of Biofield Treated Phenol Derivatives Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

What is it about?

Butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHT) and 4-methoxyphenol (4-MP) are phenol derivatives that are generally known for their antioxidant properties and depigmenting activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of biofield energy treatment on the isotopic abundance in BHT and 4-MP using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). BHT and 4-MP samples were divided into two parts: control and treated. The control group remained untreated while the treated group was subjected to Mr. Trivedi’s biofield treatment. Control and treated samples were characterized using GC-MS. The GC-MS data revealed that the isotopic abundance ratio of 13C/12C or 2H/1H (PM+1)/PM and 18O/16O (PM+2)/PM increased significantly in treated BHT and 4-MP (where PM- primary molecule, PM+1- isotopic molecule either for 13C or 2H and PM+2 is the isotopic molecule for 18O). The isotopic abundance ratio of (PM+1)/PM in the treated BHT and 4-MP was increased up to 181.27% and 380.73% respectively as compared to their respective control. Moreover, the isotopic abundance ratio of (PM+2)/PM in the treated BHT and 4-MP increased up to 185.99% and 355.33% respectively. GC-MS data suggests that the biofield treatment significantly increased the isotopic abundance of 2H, 13C and 18O in the treated BHT and 4-MP as compared to the control.

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Why is it important?

Butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHT) is a crystalline stable solid, but it is light-sensitive and reactive to acid chlorides, acid anhydrides, and oxidizing agents. BHT is used as an antioxidant in many products including food, pharmaceuticals, rubbers, paint, and petroleum products [1]. Its antioxidant mechanism was well studied and divided into two steps. In the first step, it forms a stable phenoxyl radical, which further forms the parent and a quinone methide (QM) [2]. QM is a reactive electrophilic species that easily forms adducts with nucleophiles or polymerize in the next step. Adduct formation between the nucleophilic groups of the active pharmaceutical ingredients with QM in pharmaceutical formulations is very much possible [3]. In food preservation, BHT reacts with atmospheric oxygen preferentially rather than oxidizing food materials, thereby protecting them from decomposition. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor [1]. 4-methoxyphenol (4-MP) is a common active pharmaceutical ingredient in topical drugs used for skin depigmentation. 4-hydroxyanisole and the retinoid tretinoin have been used individually as depigmenting agents. 4-MP is often mixed with tretinoin, a topical retinoid [4]. A common formulation for this drug is an ethanolic solution of 2% 4-MP and 0.01% tretinoin by mass. BHA is a commercial mixture of mono- and di-tert-butylated products of 4-MP, which is an effective anti-oxidant with maximum carry-through protection used in foodstuffs [5] and pharmaceuticals [6]. Many polymerization inhibitors (e.g., phenols) work best in the presence of oxygen because they intercept peroxyl radicals and decelerate oxygen consumption while stopping chain propagation. 4-MP is an inhibitor of this type. 4-MP has tremendous ability to quench peroxyl radicals and alkyl radicals via hydrogen abstraction mechanism, which leads to the formation of a phenoxyl radical [7,8]. The phenoxyl radical is less reactive because it is stabilized by the resonance effect. The antimicrobial activity of phenolic compounds is highly dependent upon the chemical structure of the molecules [9]. The bactericidal actions of substituted phenols and the normal alkyl derivatives of p-chlorophenols were examined against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria [10,11]. The antibacterial potential of essential oils of sweet basil Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) containing 1.8% 4-MP and methanol extracts was evaluated for controlling the growth range of food-borne pathogenic bacteria [12]. It was reported that BHT at high levels as well as at lower levels found in foods might have anti-cancer properties, possibly by damaging free radicals or by stimulating the production of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. On the other hand 4-MP is carcinogenic to the fore-stomach [13,14]. The rate of chemical reaction depends on the mass of the nucleus with different isotopic substitutions, which slightly affect the partitioning of energy within molecules. These deviations from perfect chemical equivalence are termed as isotope effects. The isotopic abundance ratio is commonly reported in terms of atom percent. Various applications of the isotopic abundance study includes (a) the distribution of contaminant sources of any molecule on a native, regional, and global scale, (b) the identification and quantification of alteration reactions, and (c) the characterization of elementary reaction mechanisms that govern product formation [15]. Both of the phenol derivatives taken for this study, work via the formation of free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable species. Due to their highly oxidative characteristics, these free radicals may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. Hence, the stability of phenol derivatives is important to show enhanced antioxidant properties. This could be enhanced by Mr. Trivedi’s unique biofield energy treatment which is already known to alter the physical and structural properties of various living and non-living substances [16]. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which is part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), has recommended the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM therapies in the healthcare sector and about 36% of Americans regularly use some form of CAM [17]. CAM includes numerous energy-healing therapies, in which biofield therapy is a form of putative energy medicine that is being widely used worldwide to improve the overall health and well-being of human beings. When an electrical signal passes through any material, a magnetic field is generated in the surrounding space [18]. Humans have the ability to harness energy from the environment/universe and can then transmit in to any object (living or non-living) around the globe. The object(s) always receive the energy and respond in a useful way. This process is called biofield energy treatment. Mr. Trivedi’s unique biofield energy treatment is also called The Trivedi Effect®, which is known to alter the physical, structural and atomic properties in various metals [19-21] and ceramics [22,23] in materials science. Additionally, the impact of biofield treatment has been studied in various fields like microbiology research [16,24], biotechnology research [25,26], and agriculture research [27,28]. Our group of scientists reported that the biofield treatment substantially altered the atomic, structural and physical properties in silicon carbides [29] and carbon allotropes [30]. Based on the outstanding results achieved by biofield treatments on metals and ceramics, an attempt was made to evaluate the effect of biofield treatment on the isotopic abundance ratio of 13C/12C or 2H/1H (PM+1)/PM and 18O/16O (PM+2)/PM in BHT and 4-MP.

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