內容: With the ongoing COVID-19, a significant increase in global depression rates has placed a considerable strain on healthcare systems. Conventional pharmaceutical methods have shown limitations in treating this rise in depression. Therefore, identifying new potential treatments for depression is crucial. Maintaining a balanced gut microbiota is vital for human health and immune system function due to its complex bidirectional relationship with the brain. Numerous studies have established a robust correlation between anxiety and depression disorders, as well as the composition of microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract, providing a fresh perspective. Adjusting the balance of gut microbiota may help alleviate depression symptoms. Probiotics, live microorganisms in the human gut, can improve the microbial community, help maintain homeostasis and stress resilience to remission in patients with depression. It is essential to explore how probiotics affect gut microbiota since their impact can differ between animal experiments and clinical trials. The variation in results may be attributed to factors like the probiotic type, administered dosage, and treatment duration. The purpose of this review is to summarize the potential mechanisms by which probiotics affect gut microbiota, drawing from recent animal and clinical studies and observations on gut microbial ecology shifts. Additionally, this review will spotlight effective probiotic species for depression relief and discuss treatments centered on restoring gut microbial balance. Furthermore, it will also discuss the potential of probiotics on host microbiota in other organs to improve depressive symptoms and demonstrate the transient nature of the need for a more nuanced understanding of the safety and potential adverse effects of probiotics.

內容: Modern lifestyle and diet have increased the incidence rate of uric acid (UA) metabolism-related diseases like hyperuricemia (HUA) and gout, posing heavy economic burden to individual patients and their families and the society. UA metabolism is a complex physiological process involving the kidney, intestine, and other organs. A number of factors together regulate UA metabolism, including genetics, diet, hormones, and the gut microbiota. This review summaries the gut microbiota features in subjects with HUA and gout, and the therapeutic effects of implementing microecological therapies (probiotics, prebiotics, or fecal microbiota transplant) that target modulate the gut microbiota and its downstream metabolism on the disease. Current evidence shows that these strategies are safe and promising in alleviate inflammation, reduce UA, and restoring a healthy gut microbiota in subjects with UA metabolism-related diseases. However, most clinical data are generated by animal studies. Therefore, we propose that vigorous human intervention trials should be conducted in the future to evaluate the therapeutic effects of microecological therapies in managing HUA and gout.

內容: Fibrillization endows food proteins with anisotropic nanostructures, significantly enhancing their functional properties. The resultant food protein fibrils (FPFs) have garnered attention for their diverse applications across the food industry. However, the full potential of FPFs is hindered by inherent challenges, particularly their limited stability. This review critically examines the formation of FPFs in food processing, the new protein sources, and on the modification strategies of FPFs, thereby unlocking new avenues for FPF utilization in food processing. In particular, the strategies during and after fibrillization are highlighted. The first strategy is to modify the structure and function of protein fibrils by influencing fibrillization, such as through pretreatment, incubation conditions, nuclei induction, and ingredient interactions. The second strategy is to modify the mature FPFs by regulating their properties and interactions with other components. The review also discusses the potential applications and challenges of FPFs in food systems, such as food preservation, functional food design, and novel delivery carriers.

內容: Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), mainly including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, represent a major public health challenge with the steady increase of aging population worldwide. Emerging evidence has revealed the key role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis of NDs. Diet is one of the most important environmental factors shaping the structure and function of gut microbiota. Manipulating the gut microbiota through specific diet patterns may represent a promising approach for NDs prevention. In this review, we highlight gut microbiota variations in NDs, outline several crucial signaling pathways of the gut-brain communication, and discuss the interplay of nutrients-microbes and biological effect of diet-derived microbial metabolites on neural physiology. In particular, we summarized the current knowledge about the application of dietary patterns in NDs to prevent disease progression via the modulation of the gut microbiota. Our study provides novel insights on the diet-microbiota-gut-brain axis in neurodegenerative disorders and highlights the potential of developing microbiome-targeted personalized dietary intervention for NDs management.

內容: In order to ensure food safety, controlling foodborne pathogen contamination is of utmost importance. Growing apprehensions regarding the safety of synthetic antimicrobials, due to their adverse health effects, have prompted a search for alternative options. Plant natural products (PNPs) with antimicrobial activity are being explored as a viable alternative. Among the various antimicrobial natural products studied, plant essential oils, plant flavonoids, plant polyphenols, plant polysaccharides, and plant antimicrobial peptides have been identified as potential candidates. PNPs demonstrate a diverse array of antimicrobial mechanisms, encompassing cell wall and membrane damage, interference with genetic replication, disruption of energy metabolism, and induction of oxidative stress at the single-cell level, as well as inhibition of biofilm formation and quorum sensing at the population level. Certain PNPs have been harnessed as natural antimicrobial agents for the food preservation. The utilization of encapsulation technology proves to be an effective strategy in protecting PNPs, thereby ensuring good antimicrobial efficacy, enhanced dispersibility, and controlled release within food products. The utilization of nanoemulsions, nanoliposomes, edible packaging, electrospun nanofibers, and microcapsules formed by encapsulation has enriched the ways in which PNPs can be applied in food preservation. Although PNPs have great potential in food preservation, their widespread application in the food industry is currently constrained by factors such as production costs, safety concerns, and legal considerations. Chemical synthesis and biosynthesis pathways offer viable strategies for reducing the cost of producing PNPs, and ongoing efforts to assess safety and improve regulatory frameworks are likely to facilitate the broader adoption of PNPs in food preservation practices. This article provides an overview of the main types of PNPs with antimicrobial activity and their properties, focusing on their mechanisms of action. Additionally, it summarizes the use of PNPs in food preservation and discusses the characteristics and applications of different encapsulation technologies. Lastly, the paper briefly analyzes current limitations and proposes potential future trends for this field.

內容: Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) via green method is an outstanding alternative to conventional/ regular methods; however, the safety or toxicity of the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs in vivo is not fully explored. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective efficiency of cinnamaldehyde-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Cin@CSNPs) against oxidative damage and genotoxicity of ZnO-NPs in mice. ZnO-NPs were biosynthesized using the extract of fresh leaves of Mentha pulegium L. Cin was extracted from cinnamon essential oil, and was loaded into chitosan nanoparticle (Cin@CSNPs). Both ZnO-NPs, Cin@CSNPs and CSNPs were characterized. The in vitro release of Cin@CSNPs was determined. In the biological study, 6 groups of male BALB/c mice were treated by gavage for 3 weeks as follows, control group, the group received ZnO-NPs (25 mg/kg b.w), the groups received Cin@CSNPs at low dose (50 mg/kg b.w) or high dose (100 mg/kg b.w), and the groups received ZnO-NPs plus Cin@CSNPs at the 2 tested doses. Blood and tissue samples were collected for different biochemical, genetical and histological studies. The particle size of ZnO-NPs, CSNPs, and Cin@CSNPs were (20.78 ± 2.60), (170.0 ± 3.7), and (218.23 ± 2.90) nm, and ξ-potential were (32.7 ± 4.6), (8.32 ± 0.27) and (4.80 ± 0.21) mV, respectively. ZnO-NPs disturbed the biochemical and oxidative stress indices, AFP, CEA, TNF-α, chromosomal aberrations in somatic and germ cells, and sperm abnormality along with severe pathological changes in the hepatic, renal, and testicular tissues. Cin@CSNPs improved significantly all the parameters tested and the histological picture in a dose-dependent. Therefore, the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs exhibit oxidative damage and genotoxicity, and Cin@CSNPs have potential protective effects against the risks of ZnO-NPs and may be a promising tool to overcome the challenges of using Cin in food and pharmaceuticals applications.

內容: Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt., an edible flowering plant, belongs to the Chrysanthemum family and is mainly grown at high altitudes in Northwestern China. It is rich in polyphenolic compounds, particularly marein and flavomarein, and possesses multiple health-promoting properties, such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic and vasorelaxant effects. Previous bioactivity investigations majorly focused on C. tinctoria and its crude extract. The aim of the present study was to prepare marein-dominant C. tinctoria flavonoids (CF), further investigate the CF protective effects of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride and elucidate the associated molecular mechanisms. Results have demonstrated that CF effectively attenuated hepatofibrogenesis by increasing the activity of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD); suppressing the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, inhibiting transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) activation and the production of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), alleviating the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) and small mothers against decapentaplegic1/2 (Smad1/2), thus maintaining the collagen metabolic homeostasis in the liver. Our study revealed that CF possesses an efficacious protective effect against chronic hepatic fibrosis due to their strong inhibitory effects of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

內容: The prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing annually, while current non-targeted drugs for UC have limited effectiveness, easily relapsed, and serious side effects. Herein, curcumin (Cur)-loaded nanoparticle with conlon-targeted property based on Mesona chinensis polysaccharides (MCP) was developed for the synergistic and targeted improvement of UC. Results show that MCP-zein nanoparticles (ZmNPs) have good encapsulation of Cur, targeted delivery of Cur to the colon, and prolonged its retention time. In vivo safety assessments have shown that ZmNPs have good safety and biocompatibility. As expected, Cur-ZmNPs effectively alleviated the symptoms of Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC by decreasing colonic inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/MAPK pathway, regulating the levels of oxidative stress and immune homeostasis of UC mice. Oral administration of Cur-ZmNPs can reduce apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, alleviate colonic mucosal damage and repair intestinal barrier function. Cur-ZmNPs also had a positive effect on improving gut microbiota disorders and promoting the production of SCFAs. This study provides a novel strategy for synergistic alleviation of UC by MCP-based NPs loaded with food bioactives.

內容: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, recognized for its biofilm production and secretion of virulence factors, posing a severe threat in areas such as clinical infections, food contamination, and marine biofouling. To address this, a new type of zinc-binding peptide (CSSP-Zn) was prepared from crimson snapper scales peptides (CSSP) and goslarite, and its antibacterial and anti-quorum-sensing activities toward P. aeruginosa PAO1 were exploited. Results indicated that CSSP-Zn induced planktonic strain PAO1 membrane injury via inhibiting expression levels of cell integrity genes, targeting microbial-specific membrane constituents, disrupting proton motive force, and causing metabolic disturbances. Meanwhile, CSSP-Zn decreased virulence factors pyocyanin, protease and rhamnolipid secretion, while considerably inhibiting quorum sensing-related genes (las, pqs and rhl) expression and decreasing bacterial abundance and pathogenicity in fish models. Moreover, CSSP-Zn not only effectively hindered biofilm formation but also disassembled preformed ones, thus disrupting biofilm topology. Taken together, utilizing food byproducts to obtain CSSP-Zn could help recycle food resources and provide insight into controlling planktonic and biofilm strain PAO1 contamination.

內容: The naturally fermented Inner Mongolian cheese’s flavor and nutritional value make it a popular choice among customers. In this work, to create multi-functional peptides that have taste and biological activity, peptidomics and bioinformatics were used to screen flavor peptides from Inner Mongolian cheese and further assess their antioxidant and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory properties. According to sensory data, YH8 and IL7 had detectable bitter tastes with low thresholds of 0.03 and 0.06 mmol/L, respectively. With an umami threshold range of 0.24?0.81 mmol/L, VQ6, FK13, HP13 and QT14 exhibited a range of flavors dominated by umami, including sweet, bitter, salty, sour and kokumi. Antioxidant activitywise, YH8, VQ6, HP13 and QT14 were well represented. The above-mentioned peptides all had some ACE inhibitory effect. The bitter peptide IL7 (IC50 = 0.09 mmol/L) had the highest level of ACE inhibitory activity, followed by YH8 (IC50 = 0.33 mmol/L). These multi-functional peptides, which have been assessed for bioactive and taste features in Inner Mongolian cheese, may have positive impacts on health and harmonize the cheese’s overall flavor. These results suggest that some flavor peptides produced in fermented foods might be with bioactivities while providing a basis for the exploration and application of multi-functional peptides.