內(nèi)容: Fermentation substrates of rice with different milling degrees (MDs) were prepared and fermented with human feces to compare their fermentation properties and effects on gut microbiota. MD 0s, MD 5s and MD 60s represented brown rice, moderately-milled rice and white rice, respectively. After in vitro fermentation, the MD 5s group showed higher starch utilization, compared with the MD 0s and 60s groups evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and confocal laser scanning microscope. Effects of fermentation substrates of rice with different MDs on gut microbiota were evaluated by 16S rDNA sequencing. All the sample groups reduced the pH and produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and branched-chain fatty acids. The MD 5s group exhibited higher α-diversity than the MD 0s and 60s groups. Abundances of Phascolarctobacterium, Blautia and norank_f_Ruminococcaceae were higher in the MD 0s and 5s groups, compared with the MD 60s group. These bacteria were also positively correlated with the SCFAs production via Spearman correlation analysis. In vitro culture assay revealed that fermentation substrates of MD 0s and 5s promoted the growth of two probiotics (Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium adolescentis). Our results showed that moderate milling might be an appropriate way to produce rice products with richer nutrients and better fermentation properties.

內(nèi)容: Lactobacillus are considered promising therapeutic methods for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The effects of two strains of Limosilactobacillus mucosae on NAFLD were investigated in this study. Four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 groups (n = 8 per group, Control, Model, FZJTZ26M3, FGSYC17L3). L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 reduced the mice’s body weight, liver weight, and adipose tissue weight after 12 weeks of therapy. According to serum analysis, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased after L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 intervention. Liver pathology showed that L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 was effective to ameliorate lipid deposition in NAFLD mice. Additionally, the expression of the gene related to lipid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue was analyzed, and the results indicated that L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 could alleviate NAFLD by regulating lipid metabolism. Furthermore, the results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a drop in the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae, which is linked to inflammation, but the relative abundance of a potential probiotic Akkermansia significantly increased after L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 intervention. Generally, L. mucosae FZJTZ26M3 could be a candidate to prevent NAFLD.

內(nèi)容: As a widely used food preservative, methyl paraben was experimentally evidenced with serious hormone-like adverse effects. Herein, a high performance thin-layer chromatography platformed bioluminescent bioautography and image analysis for the selective quantification and confirmation of methyl paraben was proposed and validated in vinegar and coconut juice. First, the detectability of the bioautography to the analyte on different layer materials was estimated, revealing that normal silica gel was the best choice. After that, the liquid of sample extract and working solution were separated to overcome the background noises due to co-extracted matrices. The separation result was then coupled to the optimized bioautography, enabling instant and straightforward screening of the targeted compound. For accurate quantification, bioluminescent inhibition pattern caused by the analyte was processed by image analysis, giving useful sensitivity (LOD > 16 mg/kg), precision (RSD < 10.1%) and accuracy (spike-recovery rate 76.9%–112.2%). Finally, the suspected result was confirmed by determining its MS fingerprint, further strengthening the reliability of screening.

內(nèi)容: The prevalence of obesity has increased and is a health concern worldwide. Due to the concerns regarding synthetic anti-obesity treatments, nowadays natural products become a trend. Previous studies proved that there is a potential to use marine algae as anti-obesity agents. Therefore, in this study, the lipid inhibitory effect of crude polysaccharide of amyloglucosidase-assisted hydrolysate from Sargassum thunbergii (STAC) and its fucoidan fractions (STAFs) on 3T3-L1 cells and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice were investigated. According to the results, the STAF3, showed the highest xylose content and exhibited significant inhibitory effects on lipid accumulation by downregulating adipogenic and lipogenic proteins in 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, oral supplementation with STAC significantly declined gain in body weight and fat weight, and serum lipid contents in an HFD-induced obesity mouse model. Structural and chemical characterizations demonstrated that purified STAF3 has consistent surface morphology and small particle size, with similar structural characteristics as commercial fucoidan. Together, these results indicate that STAC and purified STAF3 from Sargassum thunbergia is a potent source to develop as ananti-obesity agents or functional food products to counter obesity.

內(nèi)容: The interplay between the host circadian clock and microbiota has significant influences on host metabolism processes, and circadian desynchrony triggered by high-fat diet (HFD) is closely related to metabolic disorders. In this study, the modulatory effects of piperine (PIP) on lipid metabolism homeostasis, gut microbiota community and circadian rhythm of hepatic clock gene expressions in obese rats were investigated. The Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed with normal diet (ND), HFD and HFD supplemented with PIP, respectively. After 9 weeks, rats were sacrificed with tissue and fecal samples collected for circadian analysis. Results showed that chronic PIP administration ameliorated the obesity-induced alterations in lipid metabolism and dysregulation of hepatic clock gene expressions in obese rats. The gut microbial communities studied through 16S rRNA sequencing showed that PIP ameliorated the imbalanced microbiota and recovered the circadian rhythm of Lactobacillaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, Paraprevotellaceae, and Lachnospiraceae. The fecal metabolic profiles indicated that 3-dehydroshikimate, cytidine and lithocholyltaurine were altered, which were involved in the amino acid and fatty acid metabolism process. These findings could provide theoretical basis for PIP to work as functional food to alleviate the lipid metabolism disorder, circadian rhythm misalignment, and gut microbiota dysbiosis with wide applications in the food and pharmaceutic industries.

內(nèi)容: In order to improve the bioavailability of lutein (LUT), a novel lutein-stevioside nanoparticle (LUT-STE) were prepared previously, but the information about LUT-STE on protecting of eye health was limited. This study investigated the effect of LUT-STE on antioxidant activity of H2O2-induced human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE) cells. LUT and LUT-STE (final concentration of 5 μg/mL) significantly enhanced cell viability from (74.84 ± 5.10)% to (81.92 ± 10.01)% (LUT) and (89.33 ± 4.34)% (LUT-STE), and inhibited the cell apoptosis (P < 0.05). After pretreatment with LUT-STE in ARPE cells, the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px) in ARPE cells were significantly increased (P < 0.05), the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were decreased. In addition, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were inhibited by 13.61% and 17.39%, respectively, pretreatment with LUT and LUT-STE. Western blotting results showed that the pretreatment with LUT-STE inhibited the expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and up-regulated Bcl-2/Bax pathway to inhibit H2O2-induced apoptosis. In summary, the novel delivery LUT-STE had more pronounced inhibitory effect on H2O2-induced damage in human ARPE cells.

內(nèi)容: Walnut dreg protein hydrolysates (WDPHs) exhibit a variety of biological activities, however, the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory peptide of WDPHs remain unclear. The aim of this study was to rapidly screen for such peptides in WDPHs through a combination of in silico and in vitro analysis. In total, 1 262 peptide sequences were observed by nano liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC-MS/MS) and 4 novel COX-2 inhibitory peptides (AGFP, FPGA, LFPD, and VGFP) were identified. Enzyme kinetic data indicated that AGFP, FPGA, and LFPD displayed mixed-type COX-2 inhibition, whereas VGFP was a non-competitive inhibitor. This is mainly because the peptides form hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with residues in the COX-2 active site. These results demonstrate that computer analysis combined with in vitro evaluation allows for rapid screening of COX-2 inhibitory peptides in walnut protein dregs.

內(nèi)容: White Hypsizygus marmoreus is a popular edible mushroom. Its mycelium is easy to be contaminated by Penicillium, which leads to a decrease in its quality and yield. Penicillium could compete for limited space and nutrients through rapid growth and produce a variety of harmful gases, such as benzene, aldehydes, phenols, etc., to inhibit the growth of H. marmoreus mycelium. A series of changes occurred in H. marmoreus proteome after contamination when detected by the label-free tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) technique. Some proteins with up-regulated expression worked together to participate in some processes, such as the non-toxic transformation of harmful gases, glutathione metabolism, histone modification, nucleotide excision repair, clearing misfolded proteins, and synthesizing glutamine, which were mainly used in response to biological stress. The proteins with down-regulated expression are mainly related to the processes of ribosome function, protein processing, spliceosome, carbon metabolism, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis. The reduction in the function of these proteins affected the production of the cell components, which might be an adjustment to adapt to growth retardation. This study further enhanced the understanding of the biological stress response and the growth restriction adaptation mechanisms in edible fungi. It also provided a theoretical basis for protein function exploration and edible mushroom food safety research.

內(nèi)容: Dry-fermented sausages are a good source of bioactive peptides, whose stability against gastrointestinal (GI) digestion determines their bioaccessibility. This study focused on evaluating the effect of peptide extracts from sausages fermented with Staphylococcus simulans QB7 during in vitro simulated GI digestion, including peptide profiles and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Peptides present in sausages were degraded during digestion, with molecular weight reduced from > 12 kDa to < 1.5 kDa. Besides, the content of amino acids increased from 381.15 to 527.07 mg/g, especially tyrosine being found only after GI digestion. The anti-inflammatory activities were increased after GI digestion, however, the changes in antioxidant activities were the opposite. A total number of 255, 252 and 386 peptide sequences were identified in undigested, peptic-digested and GI-digested samples, respectively. PeptideRanker, BIOPEP-UWM and admetSAR were used to further predict the functional properties and intestinal absorption of the identified peptide sequences from GI digestion. Finally, 18 peptides were discovered to possess either antioxidant or anti-inflammatory capacities.

內(nèi)容: Exercise training is critical for the early prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes mellitus. However, the mechanism with gut microbiota and fecal metabolites underlying the effects of voluntary wheel running on high-fat diet induced abnormal glucose metabolism has not been fully elaborated. C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups according to diets (fed with normal chow diet or high-fat diet) and running paradigm (housed in static cage or with voluntary running wheel). An integrative 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolites profiling was synchronously performed to characterize the effects of voluntary wheel running on gut microbiota and metabolites. It showed that voluntary wheel running prevented the detrimental effects of high-fat feeding on glucose metabolism. 16S rDNA sequencing showed remarkable changes in Rikenella and Marvinbryantia genera. Metabolic profiling indicated multiple altered metabolites, which were enriched in secondary bile acid biosynthesis signaling. In conclusion, our study indicated that voluntary wheel running significantly improved glucose metabolism and counteracted the deleterious effects of high-fat feeding on body weight and glucose intolerance. We further found that voluntary wheel running could integratively program gut microbiota composition and fecal metabolites changes, and may regulate muricholic acid metabolism and secondary bile acid biosynthesis in high-fat fed mice.