內(nèi)容: Effect of ellagitannins gut microbiota metabolites ellagic acid (EA) and urolithin A-urolithin D (UroA-UroD) on human serum albumin (HSA) glycation were firstly evaluated in this research. The inhibition mechanisms were investigated by methylglyoxal (MGO) trapping and radical scavenging ability assays, docking studies and nano LC-orbitrap-MS/MS technology. Results indicated that the inhibition of urolithins on HSA glycation was highly positive correlated with the number of phenolic hydroxy groups. Addition of UroD and EA could effectively enhance the content of free amino group, suppress dicarbonyl compounds and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation, alleviated tryptophan and protein oxidation, inhibited HSA amyloid-like aggregation. They could also trap MGO and scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH·) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid free radical (ABTS+·). Molecular docking indicated that EA and UroA-UroD interact with HSA mainly through hydrogen bound and hydrophobic interaction, among which 2 or 3 hydrogen bonds were formed. The number of glycation sites were reduced from 11 to 10, 10, 7, and 10, respectively, when 90 μmol/L of EA, UroA, UroC and UroD were added. However, weak inhibition was observed on UroA and UroB. These findings can provide scientific evidence for the application of ellagitannins-rich foods in alleviating diabetic complications.

內(nèi)容: Highland barley tea (HBT) is made from roasted barley seeds and is abundant in β-glucan, amino acids, minerals, phenolics, and other natural active ingredients. These natural compounds found in whole grains have been shown to slow aging and positively affect skeletal muscle function. As a result, studying the effects of HBT on the skeletal muscle health of the elderly population is critical from a scientific and societal standpoint for improving their health status and reducing the medical burden on society. The antioxidant activity and the content of natural active substances were used as indicators to screen the optimal process of HBT brewing. The effects of long-term HBT consumption on aging in mice were investigated by using HBT as a substitute for drinking water in naturally aging mice for a 5-month intervention. Afterward, various factors were measured, such as basic physiological indices, inflammation, plasma metabolites, skeletal muscle function, and exercise capacity, to evaluate the effects of HBT on aging in mice. Long-term consumption of HBT reduced body and spleen weight, increased body weight percentage of skeletal muscle, and reduced plasma inflammation levels in aging mice. Metabolomic results showed increased plasma levels of the mitochondrial marker short-chain acylcarnitine and some amino acids. Additionally, there was a decrease in bile and long-chain acylcarnitine. The level of fibrosis in the gastrocnemius muscle of aging mice was suppressed, and the percentage of type I muscle fibers was increased, improving the endurance of the mice. Thus, long-term consumption of HBT may reduce body weight and increase skeletal muscle mitochondrial activity and exercise capacity in aging mice by reducing inflammation levels and alleviating mitochondrial damage.

內(nèi)容: Increasing evidence indicates that a healthy diet plays a protective role against ischemic stroke injury. As an antioxidant food, grape powder (GP) has been shown to have a neuroprotective function after ischemic injury. In the current research, we aimed to determine whether regular GP feeding before brain damage plays a protective role against ischemic damage and its potential mechanism. Mice had GP in drinking water (DW) for 4 weeks. Then, fecal samples were collected for 16S rRNA analysis and metabolite profiling. Ischemic stroke was triggered using GP prefeed mice by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) to compare the stroke-induced infarction size to the DW group. The data showed that 4 weeks of GP pretreatment significantly decreased the ischemic infarct size. Meanwhile, GP treatment altered the gut microbiota by enriching the population of Lachnospiraceae and enhancing a gut metabolite called fiestin, which belongs to the flavonoid group. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that fiestin could inhibit LPS-induced proinflammatory macrophage polarization in vitro. We also showed that regular GP feed could decrease stroke-induced neuroinflammation in vivo. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that 4 weeks of GP feeding attenuates experimental ischemic stroke via the gut-brain-immune axis.

內(nèi)容: A novel low molecular weight compound polysaccharide (LMW-CPS) was identified from a specific combination of Chinese herb ingredients. The monosaccharide composition of LMW-CPS was consisted of single arabinose, which had an α-L-furanose configuration with an average molecular weight of 2.06 kDa. NMR spectra and monosaccharide constitution analyses revealed that it had a backbone of →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→ with α-L-Araf-(1→ as the terminal residue. In vitro experiments found that it could lead to apoptosis and inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation by arresting them in the S phase. In vivo experiments showed that it protected immune organs such as the thymus and spleen, enhanced immune cell activities, stimulated cytokine release, augmented the abundance of CD8, CD3, CD4, and CD19 positive lymphocytes, and markedly impeded solid hepatocellular carcinoma progression in mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and cell cycle examination also indicated that LMW-CPS arrested hepatocellular carcinoma cells at the S phase to induce apoptosis. These findings indicated its promising potential for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

內(nèi)容: Limosilactobacillus reuteri QS01 is potential probiotic isolated from the intestinal microbiota of healthy women in early pregnancy. In the current study, we examined whether QS01 can prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in an enhanced mouse model of the condition. Female C57BL/6J mouse offspring (F1 generation) born to dams fed a control (CON) or low-protein diet (GDM group) during gestation and lactation were used. Pregnant F1 mice fed a standard diet were randomly assigned to 5 groups: CON, GDM, and GDM mice treated with metformin, QS01 or Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed before sacrifice at gestational day 17. Glucose tolerance was significantly ameliorated by all 3 treatments. QS01 supplementation fortified the intestinal mucosal barrier and inhibited the escalation of plasma inflammatory cytokines. QS01 treatment altered the cecal microbiota composition and function. Plasma and cecal metabolite profiles were modulated by QS01, prominently demonstrating significant upregulation of indole lactate and L-tryptophan in plasma and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan in the cecum, positively correlated with gut Lactobacillus abundance. In summary, QS01 plays a role in preventing GDM by remodeling the intestinal microbiota, reinforcing the intestinal mucosal barrier and alleviating chronic inflammation.

內(nèi)容: Domoic acid (DA), a biotoxin, is produced by several species of marine dinoflagellate and diatom during harmful algal bloom events. DA is a neurotoxin, in humans and non-human primates, oral exposure to DA results in gastrointestinal effects, while DA at higher doses leads to neurological symptoms, seizures and memory deficiency. Exposure of humans to DA occurs mainly through consumption of contaminated seafoods containing an accumulation of the toxin. Previously, it was unclear if DA can have toxic effects on the retina. We assessed the toxicity of DA in human retinal cells (ARPE-19) and in zebrafish embryos. DA significantly lowered ARPE-19 cell viability dose-dependently, and decreased anti-oxidative capacity, increased inflammation, and promoted cell death, possibly through modulating the NRF2 and NF-κB signalling pathways. Zebrafish embryos exposed to DA for 4 days from 1 day post fertilization (dpf) had an increase in mortality and a decrease in both hatching and heartbeat rate and exhibited morphological abnormalities. DA treatment also significantly downregulated expression of antioxidant genes and upregulated expression of inflammation mediators, as well as causing photoreceptor death in zebrafish embryos. The results demonstrate that consuming seafood containing DA will have potential toxic effects in human retinas.

內(nèi)容: Acrylamide is classified as a Class 2A carcinogen and mainly metabolized to produce hepatotoxicity. Phosphatidylcholine is thought to protect the liver from damage, but the protective role of phosphatidylcholine on acrylamide-exposed metabolic disorders remains unclear. We investigated protective effect of phosphatidylcholine on the hepatic metabolism in rats exposed to acrylamide using metabolomics and molecular biology approaches. Overall, 32 endogenous effect biomarkers and 4 exposure biomarkers were identified as differential signature metabolites responsible for acrylamide exposure and phosphatidylcholine protection. Acrylamide exposure interferes with glutathione metabolism by consuming antioxidant glutathione, cysteine and L-ascorbic acid, and disrupts lipid and carbohydrate metabolism through reducing carnitine content and increasing lipid peroxidation. The phosphatidylcholine treatment reduces the expression of cytochrome P450 2E1, alleviates the oxidative stress and inflammation of the liver, and stabilizes the content of glutathione, and thus alleviates the disorder of glutathione. Meanwhile, phosphatidylcholine shifted acrylamide-induced phosphatidylcholine into lysophosphatidylcholine to storage from lysophosphatidylcholine to diacylglycerol, thereby maintaining metabolic homeostasis of glycerophospholipid. The results suggested that phosphatidylcholine supplementation alleviate the disorder of glutathione and lipid metabolism caused by acrylamide exposure, but not significantly change the levels of mercapturic acid adducts of acrylamide, providing the evidence for phosphatidylcholine protection against acrylamide-induced liver injury.

內(nèi)容: The SiO2 inverse opal photonic crystals (PC) with a three-dimensional macroporous structure were fabricated by the sacrificial template method, followed by infiltration of a pyrene derivative, 1-(pyren-8-yl)but-3-en-1-amine (PEA), to achieve a formaldehyde (FA)-sensitive and fluorescence-enhanced sensing film. Utilizing the specific Aza-Cope rearrangement reaction of allylamine of PEA and FA to generate a strong fluorescent product emitted at approximately 480 nm, we chose a PC whose blue band edge of stopband overlapped with the fluorescence emission wavelength. In virtue of the fluorescence enhancement property derived from slow photon effect of PC, FA was detected highly selectively and sensitively. The limit of detection (LoD) was calculated to be 1.38 nmol/L. Furthermore, the fast detection of FA (within 1 min) is realized due to the interconnected three-dimensional macroporous structure of the inverse opal PC and its high specific surface area. The prepared sensing film can be used for the detection of FA in air, aquatic products and living cells. The very close FA content in indoor air to the result from FA detector, the recovery rate of 101.5% for detecting FA in aquatic products and fast fluorescence imaging in 2 min for living cells demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of our method in practical applications.

內(nèi)容: Food allergy (FA) is an aberrant immune response triggered by the ingestion of a food antigen. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and challenged BALB/c mice were orally administered heat-killed (HK)-Lactobacillus paracasei JY56. In this work, HK-L. paracasei JY56 alleviated the FA-induced decrease in body weight and rectal temperature and reduced the allergy score. Serum analysis showed that HK-L. paracasei JY56 reduced the levels of specific antibodies (OVA-specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE) and OVA-specific Immunoglobulin G (sIgG)) and allergic mediators (histamine and mast cell protease) in FA mice. In addition, HK-L. paracasei JY56 also could alleviate OVA-induced FA by suppressing T helper (Th)2 and Th17-type immune responses, which was evidenced by the regulation of splenic lymphocyte subpopulations and associated cytokine secretion. Moreover, jejunal histological analysis and intestinal barrier function related gene expression measurement were performed to verify the intestinal barrier repair of HK-L. paracasei JY56. Meanwhile, the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway activation was inhibited by HK-L. paracasei JY56 at gene and protein levels. Finally, HK-L. paracasei JY56 was performed to modulate the gut microbiota structure and increase the levels of short-chain fatty acids. In conclusion, HK-L. paracasei JY56 could alleviate OVA-induced FA in multiple ways, and this study provides a theoretical basis for the application of inactivated probiotics in functional foods for FA.

內(nèi)容: The mechanisms of mushroom polysaccharides on immune functions and lipid metabolism of aged mammals have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, after assessing the impacts of one type of Lentinula edodes-derived polysaccharides, named L2, on immune functions and blood lipid profiles, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based proteomic profiling of the small intestinal tissues from aged mice treated with L2 was performed. L2 reversed immune function declines and modulated the lipid metabolism of aged mice evidenced by increased levels of serum TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C, and reduced levels of serum TG. Moreover, a total of 95 differentially regulated proteins (DRPs) were identified, of which 75 were up-regulated and 20 were down-regulated. Most of the DRPs were involved in intracellular and extracellular structure organization, and cellular and metabolic regulation. Particularly, approximately 16 and 9 DRPs participated in the regulation of immune functions and lipid metabolism, respectively. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction analysis highlighted that cadherin-1, plectin, cadherin-17, Ras GTPase-activating-like protein IQGAP2, and ezrin might be key proteins in response to L2 treatment. These findings provide new insights into the biological mechanisms of mushroom polysaccharides in anti-aging from a proteomic perspective.