內(nèi)容: Dietary supplementation with plant-derived α-linolenic acid (ALA) has the potential to alleviate the insufficient intake of global n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs), but faces the bottleneck of high β-oxidation consumption, oxidative susceptibility, and low conversion efficiency. The current study investigated how flax lignans with different degrees of polymerization and glycosylation affect the conversion of ALA to n-3 LCPUFAs in mice over 35 days of administering sunflower phospholipid-stabilized flaxseed oil nanoemulsions. Results showed that flax lignan macromolecules (FLM) increased hepatic protein expression of elongase of very long chain fatty acid 5 (Elovl5, 24.2%) and fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2, 44.7%), thereby positively regulating ALA conversion pathways and raising serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels (52.7%) via liver lipid re-efflux. Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) enhanced ALA desaturation by upregulating hepatic protein expression of Fads1 (30.4%) and Fads2 (45.6%), increasing serum EPA levels (55.9%) and hepatic docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels (10%). Secoisolariciresinol (SECO) elevated hepatic protein expression of Elovl2 (30.7%), Elovl5 (11.7%), Fads1 (37.9%), and Fads2 (24.1%), but also increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (45.2%), leading to decreased ALA, EPA, and DHA levels in serum and liver. Therefore, in comparison, FLM and SDG emerge as the dominant structural units that positively regulate the conversion of ALA. These findings lay a groundwork for designing precise dietary delivery systems to enhance the conversion to n-3 LCPUFAs.

內(nèi)容: Ochratoxin A (OTA), a secondary fungal metabolite known for its nephrotoxic effects, is widespread in various foods and animal feeds. Our recent investigation suggests a correlation between OTA-induced nephrotoxicity and sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R)-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis in human proximal tubule epithelial-originated kidney-2 (HK-2) cells. However, the involvement of Sig-1R in OTA-induced nephrotoxicity, encompassing other forms of regulated cell death like ferroptosis, remains unexplored. In this research, cell viability, apoptotic rate, cholesterol levels, mitochondrial glutathione (mGSH) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and protein expressions in HK-2 cells treated with OTA and/or blarcamesine hydrochloride (Anavex 2-73) were evaluated. The results suggest that OTA induces mitochondrial apoptosis and ferroptosis by inhibiting Sig-1R, subsequently promoting sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, GRAM domain-containing protein 1B, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, mitochondrial, 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein, cyclophilin D, cleaved-caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein, and long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase 4, inhibiting tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1, mitochondrial 2-oxoglutarate/malate carrier protein, B-cell lymphoma-2-like protein 1, and glutathione peroxidase 4, reducing mGSH levels, and increasing total cholesterol, mitochondrial cholesterol, and ROS levels. In conclusion, OTA induces mitochondrial apoptosis and ferroptosis by inhibiting Sig-1R, thereby disrupting redox and cholesterol homeostasis in vitro. The regulation of cholesterol homeostasis by Sig-1R and its involvement in OTA-induced mitochondrial apoptosis and ferroptosis are reported here for the first time.

內(nèi)容: The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remains high in infants, resulting in growth retardation, neurodevelopmental impairment, immunodeficiency and other irreversible injuries. Efficient and safe iron supplementation for infants has been the goal of recent research. This study aims to investigate the effect of encapsulated ferric pyrophosphate (FePP) on intestinal inflammation and gut microbiota in IDA suckling rats. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged with low and high doses of FePP and FeSO4 (2 and 10 mg Fe/kg BW, respectively) during postnatal days 2–14, while the Ctrl group was gavaged with saline. Results showed that FePP supplementation was as effective as FeSO4 in promoting growth, alleviating anemia and restoring body iron levels. Both low and high doses of FePP could significantly down-regulate the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the colon to the level similar to that in the Ctrl group (P > 0.05). However, the high dose of FeSO4 did not show a down-regulation effect. Compared with the Ctrl group, IDA caused a disturbance of gut microbiota composition in suckling rats, and FePP could restore this dysbiosis. Besides, FePP was more beneficial than FeSO4 in increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides and Akkermansia. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a correlation between gut microbiota and biochemical indicators such as iron status, pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, and oxidative stress level. Overall, these findings suggested that FePP could effectively improve IDA, and is more effective than FeSO4 in alleviating intestinal inflammation and regulating gut microbiota, which provides a basis for the application of new iron fortificant in infant formula.

內(nèi)容: Recent research has indicated that sialic acid, such as free sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac) and bound sialic acid (3?-sialyllactose, 3?-SL), can ameliorate disorders associated with glycolipid metabolism, although the underlying mechanisms have yet to be determined. We examined the effects of 3?-SL on glycolipid metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet. Male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 6 groups: 2 model control groups (normal and high-fat diets) and 4 intervention groups (Neu5Ac, and low- , moderate- , and high-dose 3?-SL). After 8 weeks of continuous gavage intervention, mice in the 3?-SL intervention groups had lower body weight and total fat content; reduced fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins and oxidized-low-density lipoproteins; and increased high-density lipoproteins, but no dosage-dependent of 3?-SL intervention was found, moderate-dose 3?-SL intervention as optimal for further exploration. 3?-SL intervention could increase respiratory exchange ratio, energy expenditure, and amount of exercise performed. 3?-SL increased the colonic abundances of Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, and Bacteroides, and reduced those of Erysipelatoclostridium, Faecalibaculum, and Aldercreutzia. Changes were also observed in colonic metabolites, and liver gene transcript and metabolites, which were mainly enriched in bile secretion, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, and insulin resistance. Additionally, 3?-SL was observed to regulate genes associated with physiological rhythms, including Clock, Per2, Cry1, and Bhihe41. Collectively, our findings indicate that 3?-SL can contribute to the prevention and control of disorders associated with glucose and lipid metabolism caused by high-fat diets. Compared with Neu5Ac, 3?-SL intervention can more effectively ameliorate intestinal flora disorders, enhance bile acid circulation, increase tissue energy expenditure, and reduce lipid synthesis, thereby promoting lipid-lowering effects mediated via the gut-liver axis, and can also enhance energy metabolism and alleviate disorders of glucolipid metabolism by altering physiological rhythms in high fat-diet mice. ? 2025 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Tsinghua University Press.

內(nèi)容: Saxitoxin (STX) is a marine biotoxin produced by cyanobacteria and methanobacteria, which is harmful to humans and aquatic organisms. Therefore, it is urgent to establish an efficient, sensitive and selective method for the screening of STX. In this paper, based on the HAuCl4/H2O2 reaction system, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) decorated Fe3O4 magnetic beads (Fe3O4@Au NPs) and Pt/Au nanozymes (Pt/Au NZs), an improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor was proposed for sensitive and selective detection of STX. Firstly, SERS tag (4-mercaptobenzoic acid) and aptamer modified Fe3O4@Au NPs were hybridized with complementary DNA modified Pt/Au NZs (Pt/Au-cDNA) to form the specific complexes. Wherein, aptamer acted as capture agent to specifically recognize STX, Pt/Au NZs catalyzed HAuCl4/H2O2 reaction to enhance SERS signal, and Fe3O4 facilitated the magnetic separation and simple detection operations. The SERS aptasensor achieved sensitive detection of STX with a wide linear range from 0.02 to 0.8 μmol/L and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 13 nmol/L (signal-to-noise (S/N) = 3). To evaluate the performance of this method, STX were detected in the spiked seafood samples with recoveries from 78.75% to 150% with relative standard deviation below 6.52%. Besides, the SERS aptasensor behaved good stability and repeatability, revealing its promising potential in STX detection and food safety detection.

內(nèi)容: The study aimed to explore the efficacy and potential mechanisms of a naturally aromatic cyanogenic compoundamygdalin (AMY) in treating glucocorticoid (GC)-associated necrosis of the femoral head (GANFH). We demonstrated that GC exacerbates the oxidative stress (OS) microenvironment via promoting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression in human, rat, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) samples, thus generating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to increased apoptosis and unbalanced osteolipogenic differentiation. Furthermore, computational docking results revealed that AMY could bind specifically to the predicted binding sites of NOX4. Additionally, AMY ameliorated the OS microenvironment of MSCs via decreasing NOX4 expression and inhibiting NOX4/ROS/p38MAPK signaling, thereby reversing the GC-induced apoptosis and imbalanced osteolipogenic differentiation, and ultimately alleviating GANFH. In summary, we demonstrated for the first time that AMY attenuated apoptosis and maintained osteolipogenic differentiation balance in MSCs via specifically targeting NOX4, inhibiting NOX4/ROS/p38MAPK signaling, thereby treating GANFH.

內(nèi)容: In this work, a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on Zn-doped copper gallium oxide@ordered mesoporous carbon (Zn-CuGaO2@CMK-3) for signal amplification was successfully developed for the simultaneous detection of sunset yellow (SY) and tartrazine (TZ) in foods. Compared with CuGaO2@CMK-3, Zn-CuGaO2@CMK-3 offered enhanced conductivity and catalytic properties owing to the improved carrier density, which was beneficial to the electrooxidation of SY and TZ. Under the optimal testing conditions, the constructed Zn-CuGaO2@CMK-3/GCE sensor offered a wide linear concentration range (0.25–100.00 μmol/L) for the detection of both SY and TZ. The limits of detection for SY and TZ were 0.044 and 0.059 μmol/L, respectively. Recovery experiments were performed in milk, white vinegar and biscuit samples, yielding satisfactory recoveries (82.70%–114.80%). Furthermore, the sensor was successfully applied to the determination of the SY and TZ residues in two kinds of carbonated drinks, and the results were nearly consistent with those detected by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method (P > 0.05).

內(nèi)容: Colonic mucus and gut microbiota closely linked through mutual regulatory effect. While their alterations during sepsis and whether glutamine can maintain the colonic mucus barrier and gut microbiota stability are unclear. Cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis in mice was utilized to observe changes in colonic mucus, gut microbiota, and their interaction with glutamine intervention. Our findings indicated that glutamine mitigated sepsis-induced intestinal damage and restores colonic mucus barrier function by augmenting mucin synthesis. Further analysis revealed that goblet cells were under oxidative stress after sepsis, resulting in anterior gradient-2 (AGR2), the key mucin-modifying enzyme, being dissynthesized, and inhibiting mucin 2 (MUC2) maturation. Glutamine could ameliorates this situation by promoting the key enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) glycosylation in the pentose phosphate pathway, increasing the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) synthesis, reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress, and accelerating AGR2 synthesis and MUC2 maturation. Additionally, glutamine aided in maintaining gut microbiota stability during sepsis, up-regulating mucin-associated bacteria such as Akkermansia and Alistipes. These bacteria, intimately linked to mucin synthesis and degradation, may impact intestinal mucus stability. In conclusion, glutamine can maintain goblet cell redox balance, promotes AGR2 synthesis and MUC2 maturation, shields the mucus barrier, and potentially maintains gut microbiota stability by regulating the interaction between bacteria and mucus, thus alleviating sepsis-induced intestinal damage.

內(nèi)容: Staphylococcus aureus infection is a global public health problem, searching and developing green alternatives for antibiotics are urgently required. In this study, the exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Lactobacillus helveticus WXD191 were extracted and purified. Structure analysis suggested that the EPS contained Ara, Man, Gal, GalN, Glc, GlcN, and GlcA, with a molecular of 84.2 kDa. Methylation combined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analysis revealed that the backbone of EPS was →3)- β-D-Galp-(1→3)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→4)-β-D-GlcpA-(1→3-Man-1→2-Man-1→2,6-Man-1→2,6-Man-1→. Congo red analysis and circular dichroism (CD) spectrum indicated the existence of α-helices. Crystalline characteristics, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that EPS formed thermally stable amorphous with a small amount of microcrystalline structure and a rough and porous surface. Meanwhile, the S. aureus bloodstream infection model was used to evaluate the protection efficiency for systemic infection induced by S. aureus and found that the EPS could enhance survival as well as reduce bacterial burden and proinflammatory chemokines. Collectively, these results suggested that EPS isolated from L. helveticus was a competitive candidate for defense against S. aureus infection.

內(nèi)容: Obesity is a major focus of researchers due to its increasing prevalence and relationship with other diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Probiotics are active microorganisms and have been proven to alleviate obesity by modulating the microbiota. In this study, we found that oral administration of Bifidobacterium adolescentis CCFM8630 to obese mice inhibited high-fat diet (HFD) -induced changes in body weight and adipose tissue and alleviated hepatic oxidative stress. Furthermore, B. adolescentis CCFM8630 treatment primarily affected the relative abundances of the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, and thereby decreased the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the occurrence of LPSrelated diseases. A high fiber intake increased the abundance of Lactobacillus and the concentrations of shortchain fatty acids in obese mice, but these changes were reversed by B. adolescentis CCFM8630 treatment. In addition, targeted metabolomic analysis and microbiota relationship analysis revealed that B. adolescentis CCFM8630 treatment modified the microbiota of obese mice by promoting the conversion of tryptophan (Trp) to xanthurenic acid, kynurenic acid, tryptamine, indole-3-acetic acid, and indole-3-carboxaldehyde; facilitated the expression of interleukin-17A and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor to generate interleukin-22 in the colon; and upregulated the expression of tight junction proteins, thereby strengthening intestinal barriers. In summary, our findings suggest that the intake of B. adolescentis CCFM8630 may alleviate obesity by modulating the gut microbiota and related Trp metabolism.