內容: Polygonati Rhizoma, a functional food and a traditional Chinese medicine broadly used in China and several Southeast Asia countries, possesses effective health-promoting activities. Prepared from 3 plants in Polygonatum genus (Polygonatum kingianum, Polygonatum sibiricum, and Polygonatum cyrtonema), Polygonati Rhizoma has drawn increasing attention due to its remarkable immune-enhancing and metabolic regulatory activities in recent years. In this review, we summarized the updated research of chemical constituents and biological activities of Polygonati Rhizoma, especially the metabolic regulation, immunomodulatory effects, and anti-fatigue activities, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding, broaden the usage and promote more in-depth exploration of Polygonati Rhizoma as a functional food.

內容: Cyclocarya paliurus (Batalin) Iljinskaja, as a unique and rare monocotyledonous plant in Southern China, is a promising and economical Chinese herbal medicine and functional food. People have conducted a number of research on C. paliurus because of its rich triterpenoids. However, no comprehensive review has illustrated the composition and pharmacological activity of triterpenoids from C. paliurus. This review summarizes 177 triterpenoids from different parts of C. paliurus. The structures of compounds were elucidated, and their biosynthesis was inferred. The biological activities of compounds and triterpenoid-rich extracts, including anti-diabetes, antihyperlipidemia, anti-inflammatory, anticancer or cytotoxicity, antioxidation, etc., were discussed. C. paliurus can be an important and valuable supplement to the food market. This review provides a reference for the further research and application of C. paliurus triterpenoids in the fields of foods and pharmaceuticals.

內容: Sustainability is a leading trend in the context of food production. Additionally, consumers increasingly demand safer and less-processed products. Among the different technologies used to maintain the quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh and minimally-processed food, natural antimicrobial agents offer a promising strategy to replace conventional compounds. In this regard, phage lytic proteins or lysins, such as endolysins and virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases (VAPGHs), have been proposed as a viable option for the avoidance and elimination of undesirable bacteria within the food production chain. Even when applied exogenously, these proteins can degrade the bacterial cell wall maintaining their lytic activity. This feature, alongside their modular structure, which can be exploited for bioengineering, provides significant biotechnological potential. However, despite the promising properties of lysins, the main obstacle for their commercialization is the limited legal information regulating their use. This challenge underscores the need to navigate complex regulatory pathways. The primary objective of this review is to address this crucial gap and summarize the many prospective applications of endolysins during the different stages of food production. By doing so, we aim to provide clarity and insight into the regulatory challenges that must be overcome for the successful utilization of lysins.

內容: Bacterial family Christensenellaceae performed high heritability and associated with human health status. Numerous studies observed that the abundance of Christensenellaceae could be significantly reduced in patients with intestinal diseases or metabolic disorders, inferred that it may be treated as an effective biomarker. Christensenella minuta was the first member of Christensenellaceae family isolated from human fecal samples. Accumulating evidences suggested that C. minuta may demonstrate a positive bio-therapeutic effects toward unhealthy status. Hence, this review aimed to systematically summarize the characterization of Christensenellaceae under specific health or diseases, and discover its promising application. Besides, the latest studies on the pharmacological research of C. minuta also summarized. Current important literatures grasped the potential health benefits of C. minuta in managing metabolic disorders, gut ecosystem, and inflammation. Whereas, several critical knowledge gaps about the safe and clinical application remain should be addressed in future verification. C. minuta is worthy to be elevated as the next prospective probiotic star in nutraceutical or medical field and should not be overlooked.

內容: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is capable of synthesizing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in vivo, but the conversion rate is hard to meet the body's need for rapid DHA supplementation. Studies have shown that fucoxanthin can increase DHA content in the liver of mice, but the mechanism is not clear. Moreover, the effect of fucoxanthin and its metabolite fucoxanthinol on the chain lengthening reaction of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is little studied. In this study, the effects of fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol on the chain elongation of n-3 and n-6 series PUFAs were investigated in mice. Results showed that fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol significantly increased the conversion of n-3 series ALA to DHA and n-6 series linolenic acid (LA) to arachidonic acid (AA) in the serum, liver, small intestine, and heart of mice. In addition, fucoxanthin accelerated the rate of DHA supplementation by ALA in the brain. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the role of fucoxanthin in promoting PUFAs conversion was not regulated at transcriptional level, but by increasing the activity of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), a key enzyme of chain elongation reaction of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs. This study fundamentally provided theoretical bases for a new strategy of dietary supplementation of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs.

內容: SARS-CoV-2, particularly the Omicron variant, often leads to flavor perception dysfunction in infected individuals, making a comprehensive understanding of its duration and recovery patterns a critical part of disease management. This study surveyed a cohort of 199 mildly-to-moderately affected SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-infected patients, focusing on the alterations in their olfaction, taste, and chemesthesis perception. Further, a subset of 36 participants (18 healthy and 18 infected) underwent sensory evaluations to check the variation of umami taste sensitivity. The results demonstrated that most of the infected cohort experienced chemosensory disorders, with the recovery period varying between one week and over a month. Intriguingly, the severity of flavor perception changes during infection significantly correlated with the length of the recovery period. Furthermore, this study explored the specific manifestations of flavor perception dysfunction, potential contributing factors, and potential mechanistic explanations for chemosensory disorders. These include local damage, inflammatory responses, and virus-induced neural damage. However, this study revealed no significant change (P > 0.05) in umami taste sensitivity among infected patients 55 days post-infection. While this research faces limitations related to its self-reported, cross-sectional design, and regional focus, it offers valuable insights into the multifaceted impact of COVID-19, particularly the Omicron variant, on chemosensory perception.

內容: Dexamethasone is a common glucocorticoid medication with adverse effects that can cause muscle atrophy, but no drug intervention has been approved or recommended for this condition. KF-8 is a rice bran-derived anti-oxidant peptide that extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. We established a C. elegans model of dexamethasone-induced myopathy to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of KF-8 in this model. C. elegans muscle function was assessed in terms of locomotory behaviors including crawling, swimming, burrowing, pharyngeal pumping, and head swing. Muscle actin filament integrity was evaluated using fluorescence imaging. The molecular mechanisms of KF-8 were investigated using transcriptome sequencing, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), RNA interference, and Western blot analysis. Dexamethasone disrupted actin filaments in the striated muscles of the body wall and inhibited C. elegans crawling, swimming, burrowing, pharyngeal pumping, and head swing. KF-8 reversed the actin filament disruption and locomotor dysfunction induced by dexamethasone. Transcriptome sequencing, pathway enrichment, and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that KF-8 regulated the locomotion-related genes W04G5.10, vha-12, and ddr-1, as well as age-1 (the catalytic subunit ortholog of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)), and akt1. RNA interference, conducted using a genetically engineered Escherichia coli HT115 strain as a food source, confirmed age-1 as a key regulator of locomotor function of C. elegans. Further mechanistic studies with C2C12 myotubes showed that KF-8 regulated the IRS-PI3K-Akt pathway, the master regulator of protein synthesis and degradation. Together, these findings suggest that KF-8 protects against dexamethasone-induced myopathy in C. elegans by regulating locomotion-related genes and the IRS-PI3K-Akt pathway.

內容: Digestive health is important for overall well-being, but gut health problems are common in the Chinese population. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of oat β-glucan-based prebiotic blended formulas in humans on digestive health by assessing defecation frequency, defecation symptoms, stool quality, self-reported digestive feelings, defecation satisfaction, and gut bacteria. A parallel, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted in 168 eligible adults randomized to 3 groups for 14 days: Intervention groups A and B received 2 different doses of oat β-glucan-based prebiotic blended formulas and a Control group received oat β-glucan mixed with hydroxypropylmethyl-cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose. Participants completed a defecation diary and Bristol stool chart daily and digestive system questionnaires weekly. Fecal samples were collected on day 0 and day 14 to evaluate gut bacteria using 16S rDNA analysis. Both formulas improved defecation frequency, stool quality, defecation symptoms, defecation satisfaction, and on digestive health of human, compared with baseline (P < 0.05). Both formulas led to increased quantities of Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia bacteria, compared to control, on day 14. This study therefore demonstrated the beneficial effects of oat β-glucan-based prebiotic blended formulas on gut health in generally healthy Chinese adults. These formulas are a feasible nutritional strategy for digestive health.

內容: The association between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake and hair loss condition might give scientific support for better dietary practices to prevent hair loss. We aimed to explore the association of SSBs intake with the hair loss condition in women. This online cross-sectional study, conducted from January 2022 to April 2022, recruited 1169 women aged 18?45 years from 31 provinces on mainland of China. We used the updated version of the 15-item Beverage Intake Questionnaire (BEVQ-15) to evaluate the usual beverage consumption over the past month and the Hair-Shedding Visual Scale for Asian Women (HSVS-A) to evaluate the extent of hair shedding. We utilized binary logistic regression to assess the association between SSBs intake and hair loss. Among 1169 female participants with an average age of 27.2, there were 211 (18.0%) participants with hair loss. Compared with participants who never drank SSBs, those who drank more than 7 times/week or 1000 mL/week were more likely to have hair loss, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32, 3.83) or 2.22 (95% CI = 1.28, 3.85). Furthermore, the mediation effect of anxiety status on the association between SSBs and female hair loss was observed, with a significant indirect effect (βindirect = 0.019 9, 95% CI = 0.003 2, 0.041 8). In conclusion, our study showed that women who consumed higher amounts of SSBs had an increased risk of hair loss, which might attract more attention from young women and benefit from reducing SSBs consumption. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are still needed to confirm the current association and provide evidenced-based health education.

內容: Autophagy directly regulates the amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ) clearance, and its dysfunction occurs in the early pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We previously reported that docosahexaenoic acid-acylated astaxanthin monoester (AST-DHA) showed neuroprotection against AD pathology. However, its in-depth mechanism and autophagic responses in AD brains are poorly understood. Herein, SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing the Swedish mutation (K595N/M596L) of APP gene were established to preliminarily evaluate the actions of AST-DHA on reducing Aβ1-42 levels and regulating autophagy. In microglial BV2 cells, AST-DHA and free astaxanthin (F-AST) recovered p62 and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ levels, and restored autophagy flux by rescuing the late phase of microglial autophagy. Notably, autophagic inhibitor bafilomycin A1 blunted the abilities of AST-DHA to reduce Aβ1-42 and fibral Aβ, suggesting that AST-DHA probably promoted Aβ clearance in a microglial autophagy-dependent manner. Further studies in APP/PS1 mice verified that dietary AST-DHA and F-AST promoted Aβ phagocytosis via microglial autophagy. Significant decreases of Iba1 and p62 were observed around Aβ plaque in the hippocampus and cortex using triple fluorescence staining. Furthermore, AST-DHA exhibited superior performance over F-AST in restoring autophagic dysfunction, ameliorating Aβ burden and cognitive deficit. Our findings suggest a possible mechanism of AST-DHA in improving AD by which it restores microglial autophagy to facilitate cerebral Aβ clearance. It supports the future application of AST-DHA as an autophagic regulator in maintaining brain function.