Correlation between SUA and prognosis in CHF patients after revascularization.

Background: To explore the correlation between serum uric acid (SUA) and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) after revascularization. Methods: A total of 126 patients with CHF undergoing revascularization [coronary artery intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)] in the hospital were enrolled as CHF group between December 2021 and October 2022, while 126 healthy controls during the same period were enrolled as healthy control group. The levels of SUA, inflammatory factors and cardiac function in the two groups were detected. The correlation between SUA level and inflammatory factors, cardiac function levels was analyzed. All patients in CHF group were followed up for 6 months to observe prognosis. The differences in the above indexes among patients with different prognosis were compared. The risk factors of prognosis were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis, and their predictive value for prognosis was evaluated by ROC curves analysis.

Lycopodium alkaloids from Huperzia serrata and their cholinesterase inhibitory activities.

Huperzia serrata, belonging to the Lycopodiaceae family, has been traditionally utilized for the management of treating rheumatic numbness, arthritic pain, dysmenorrhea, and contusions. This plant is a rich source of lycopodium alkaloids, some of which have demonstrated notable cholinesterase inhibitory activity. The objective of this study was to identify lycopodium alkaloids with cholinesterase inhibitory properties from H. serrata. The structures of these alkaloids were elucidated by HRESIMS, NMR (including a 1H-15N HMBC experiment), ECD methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were assessed using a modified Ellman's method. Consequently, sixteen lycopodium alkaloids (1-16), including ten previously undescribed ones named huperradines A-G and huperradines I-K (1-7 and 9-11), along with one previously undescribed naturally occurring compound, huperradine H (8), were isolated from H. serrata. Among these, compounds 7 and 1 exhibited potent and moderate AChE inhibition, with IC50 values of 0.876 ± 0.039 µM and 13.125 ± 0.521 µM, respectively. Our results suggest that huperradine G (7) may be a promising lead compound for the development of new AChE inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease.

Blood transfusion is correlated with elevated adult all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in the United States: NHANES 1999 to 2018 population-based matched propensity score study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The association of blood transfusion with an increase in medium- and short-term mortality in specific populations has been confirmed. However, the correlation between blood transfusion and long-term mortality in the general population remains unclear. This cohort study evaluated the correlation between blood transfusion and overall and cause-specific mortality in the general American adult population. METHODS: The authors utilized 10 sets of 2-year cycle data (1999-2018) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on the outcomes of adults who did and did not receive blood transfusions. Propensity score-matching (1:1) was performed based on age, sex, race, education level, marital status, poverty-income ratio, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia, hypertension, and diabetes status. After controlling for demographic characteristics and clinical risk factors, Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between blood transfusion and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. RESULTS: The study included 48,004 adult participants. The risk of all-cause mortality increased by 101 % with blood transfusion, and the risk of cardiovascular mortality increased by 165 %. After propensity score-matching, 6,116 pairs of cases were retained, and the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 84 % with blood transfusion, and the risk of cardiovascular mortality increased by 137 %. The sensitivity analysis results were robust. CONCLUSIONS: In the general American population, blood transfusion significantly impacts long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and may be an unacknowledged risk factor for death. Thus, the effective management of blood transfusion in the general population may be beneficial.

Sex-Specific Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic and Lead(II) Co-Exposure on the Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolome in C57BL/6 Mice.

The wide spread of microplastics has fueled growing public health concern globally. Due to their porous structure and large surface area, microplastics can serve as carriers for other environmental pollutants, including heavy metals. Although the toxic effects of microplastics or heavy metals have been reported previously, investigations into the sex-differential health effects of combined exposure to microplastics and heavy metals are lacking. In the present study, the effects of polystyrene microplastics and lead(II) co-exposure on the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability, and fecal metabolome were examined in both male and female mice. Combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and lead(II) increased intestinal permeability in both male and female mice. Sex-specific responses to the co-exposure were found in gut bacteria, fungi, microbial metabolic pathways, microbial genes encoding antibiotic resistance and virulence factors, as well as fecal metabolic profiles. In particular, Shannon and Simpson indices of gut bacteria were reduced by the co-exposure only in female mice. A total of 34 and 13 fecal metabolites were altered in the co-exposure group in female and male mice, respectively, among which only three metabolites were shared by both sexes. These sex-specific responses to the co-exposure need to be taken into consideration when investigating the combined toxic effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the gut microbiota.

Incidence and risk factors for potential drug-drug interactions in outpatients receiving opioid analgesics.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are the most frequently used drugs to treat pain in cancer patients. However opioid analgesics can cause adverse effects and potential drug-drug interaction. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional retrospective study analyzed pDDI in 1839 patients with opioid analgesics in a large comprehensive hospital in China from January 1 to 31 December 2022. Three drug interaction databases were used to screen for pDDI including Drugs (U.S.A.), Medscape (U.S.A.), and Drug Assistant of Dingxiangyuan (China). RESULTS: The prevalence of pDDIs among 1839 patients was around 41.27% of 759 patients, and 564 patients (74.31%) with pDDIs were diagnosed with tumor. Further, the total of 275 various pDDIs combinations were identified. The combination of oxycodone with morphine had the most frequent occurrence of 229 times, and its adverse effects mainly related to exacerbate central respiratory depression. While, gender, tumor, number of diagnoses, and the variety of opioid analgesics used were independent risk factors for pDDIs. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatients taking opioid analgesics had a higher incidence of pDDIs. As consequently, optimized monitoring and management of patients taking opioid analgesics is recommended in order to ensure patient medication safety.

Lycocasine A, a Lycopodium Alkaloid from Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides and Its Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1a Inhibitory Activity.

A novel Lycopodium alkaloid, lycocasine A (1), and seven known Lycopodium alkaloids (2-8), were isolated from Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides. Their structures were determined through NMR, HRESIMS, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 features an unprecedented 5/6/6 tricyclic skeleton, highlighted by a 5-aza-tricyclic[6,3,1,02,6]dodecane motif. In bioactivity assays, compound 1 demonstrated weak inhibitory activity against acid-sensing ion channel 1a.

Aldicarb disturbed bile acid, steroid hormone and oxylipin homeostasis in C57BL/6 J mice.

Mounting evidence has shown that the gut microbiota plays a key role in human health. The homeostasis of the gut microbiota could be affected by many factors, including environmental chemicals. Aldicarb is a carbamate insecticide used to control a variety of insects and nematode pests in agriculture. Aldicarb is highly toxic and its wide existence has become a global public health concern. In our previous study, we have demonstrated that aldicarb disturbed the gut microbial community structure and composition. However, the impacts of aldicarb on gut microbiota-derived metabolites, bile acids, remain elusive. In present study, we performed targeted metabolomics analysis to explore the effects of aldicarb exposure on bile acids, as well as steroid hormones and oxylipins in the serum, feces and liver of C57BL/6 J mice. Our results showed that aldicarb exposure disturbed the level of various bile acids, steroid hormones and oxylipins in the serum and feces of C57BL/6 J mice. In the liver, the level of cortisol was decreased, meanwhile 15,16-dihydroxyoctadeca-9,12-dienoic acid was increased in aldicarb-treated mice. Metagenomic sequencing analysis showed that the relative abundance of a bile salt hydrolase, choloylglycine hydrolase (EC:3.5.1.24) and a sulfatase enzyme involved in steroid hormone metabolism, arylsulfatase, was significantly increased by aldicarb exposure. Furthermore, correlations were found between gut microbiota and various serum metabolites. The results from this study are helpful to improve the understanding of the impact of carbamate insecticides on host and microbial metabolism.

Targeting Gut Microbiome With Prebiotic in Patients With CKD: The TarGut-CKD Study.

Introduction: Disruption of gut microbiota underpins some of the metabolic alterations observed in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: In a nonrandomized, open-label, 3-phase pilot trial, with repeated measures within each phase, we examined the efficacy of oligofructose-enriched inulin (p-inulin) in changing the gut microbiome and their metabolic products in 15 patients with CKD. The stability of microbiome and metabolome was studied during the pretreatment phase (8 weeks), a p-inulin treatment phase (12 weeks), and a post treatment phase (8 weeks) of the study. Results: Study participants completed 373 of the 420 expected study visits (88.8%). Adherence to p-inulin was 83.4%. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed in 368 stool samples. A total of 1085 stool, urine, and plasma samples were subjected to untargeted metabolomic studies. p-inulin administration altered the composition of the gut microbiota significantly, with an increase in abundance of Bifidobacterium and Anaerostipes. Intersubject variations in microbiome and metabolome were larger than intrasubject variation, indicating the stability of the gut microbiome within each phase of the study. Overall metabolite compositions assessed by beta diversity in urine and stool metabolic profiles were significantly different across study phases. Several specific metabolites in stool, urine, and plasma were significant at false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.1 over phase. Specifically, there was significant enrichment in microbial metabolites derived from saccharolysis. Conclusion: Results from our study highlight the stability of the gut microbiome and the expansive effect of p-inulin on microbiome and host cometabolism in patients with CKD. Findings from this study will enable rigorous design of microbiome-based intervention trials.

CRISPR/Cas9-based toolkit for rapid marker recycling and combinatorial libraries in Komagataella phaffii.

Komagataella phaffii, a nonconventional yeast, is increasingly attractive to researchers owing to its posttranslational modification ability, strict methanol regulatory mechanism, and lack of Crabtree effect. Although CRISPR-based gene editing systems have been established in K. phaffii, there are still some inadequacies compared to the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, a redesigned gRNA plasmid carrying red and green fluorescent proteins facilitated plasmid construction and marker recycling, respectively, making marker recycling more convenient and reliable. Subsequently, based on the knockdown of Ku70 and DNA ligase IV, we experimented with integrating multiple DNA fragments at a single locus. A 26.5-kb-long DNA fragment divided into 11 expression cassettes for lycopene synthesis could be successfully integrated into a single locus at one time with a success rate of 57%. A 27-kb-long DNA fragment could also be precisely knocked out with a 50% positive rate in K. phaffii by introducing two DSBs simultaneously. Finally, to explore the feasibility of rapidly balancing the expression intensity of multiple genes in a metabolic pathway, a yeast combinatorial library was successfully constructed in K. phaffii using lycopene as an indicator, and an optimal combination of the metabolic pathway was identified by screening, with a yield titer of up to 182.73 mg/L in shake flask fermentation. KEY POINTS: • Rapid marker recycling based on the visualization of a green fluorescent protein • One-step multifragment integration and large fragment knockout in the genome • A random assembly of multiple DNA elements to create yeast libraries in K. phaffii.

Lycopodium Alkaloids from Huperzia goebelii.

One new fawcettimine-type Lycopodium alkaloid, hupertimine F (1), together with five known (2-6) Lycopodium alkaloids were isolated from Huperzia goebelii. The structure of 1 was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra, HRESIMS, and X-ray diffraction. Structurally, 1 represents the fourth example of Lycopodium alkaloids characterized by a 5/5/5/5/6 pentacyclic ring system with a 1-aza-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane moiety. These known compounds 2, 3, 5, and 6 were isolated from H. goebelii for the first time. Compounds 1-6 were evaluated for acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase B inhibitory activities in vitro.

Chronic sucralose consumption inhibits farnesoid X receptor signaling and perturbs lipid and cholesterol homeostasis in the mouse livers, potentially by altering gut microbiota functions.

Sucralose has raised concerns regarding its safety and recent studies have demonstrated that sucralose consumption can disrupt the normal gut microbiome and alter metabolic profiles in mice. However, the extent to which this perturbation affects the functional interaction between the microbiota and the host, as well as its potential impact on host health, remains largely unexplored. Here, we aimed to investigate whether chronic sucralose consumption, at levels within the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), could disturb key gut microbial functions and lead to adverse health effects in mice. Following six-month sucralose consumption, several bacterial genera associated with bile acid metabolism were decreased, including Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus. Consequently, the richness of secondary bile acid biosynthetic pathway and bacterial bile salt hydrolase gene were decreased in the sucralose-treated gut microbiome. Compared to controls, sucralose-consuming mice exhibited significantly lower ratios of free bile acids and taurine-conjugated bile acids in their livers. Additionally, several farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists were decreased in sucralose-treated mice. This reduction in hepatic FXR activation was associated with altered expression of down-stream genes, in the liver. Moreover, the expression of key lipogenic genes was up-regulated in the livers of sucralose-treated mice. Changes in hepatic lipid profiles were also observed, characterized by lower ceramide levels, a decreased PC/PE ratio, and a mildly increase in lipid accumulation. Additionally, sucralose-consumed mice exhibited higher hepatic cholesterol level compared to control mice, with up-regulation of cholesterol efflux genes and down-regulation of genes associated with reverse cholesterol transport. In conclusion, chronic sucralose consumption disrupts FXR signaling activation and perturbs hepatic lipid and cholesterol homeostasis, potentially by diminishing the bile acid metabolic capacity of the gut microbiome. These findings shed light on the complex interplay between sucralose, the gut microbiota, and host metabolism, raising important questions about the safety of its long-term consumption.

Biosynthesis of eriodictyol in citrus waster by endowing P450BM3 activity of naringenin hydroxylation.

The flavonoid naringenin is abundantly present in pomelo peels, and the unprocessed naringenin in wastes is not friendly for the environment once discarded directly. Fortunately, the hydroxylated product of eriodictyol from naringenin exhibits remarkable antioxidant and anticancer properties. The P450s was suggested promising for the bioconversion of the flavonoids, but less naturally existed P450s show hydroxylation activity to C3' of the naringenin. By well analyzing the catalytic mechanism and the conformations of the naringenin in P450, we proposed that the intermediate Cmpd I ((porphyrin)Fe = O) is more reasonable as key conformation for the hydrolyzation, and the distance between C3'/C5' of naringenin to the O atom of CmpdI determines the hydroxylating activity for the naringenin. Thus, the "flying kite model" that gradually drags the C-H bond of the substrate to the O atom of CmpdI was put forward for rational design. With ab initio design, we successfully endowed the self-sufficient P450-BM3 hydroxylic activity to naringenin and obtained mutant M5-5, with kcat, Km, and kcat/Km values of 230.45 min-1, 310.48 µM, and 0.742 min-1 µM-1, respectively. Furthermore, the mutant M4186 was screened with kcat/Km of 4.28-fold highly improved than the reported M13. The M4186 also exhibited 62.57% yield of eriodictyol, more suitable for the industrial application. This study provided a theoretical guide for the rational design of P450s to the nonnative compounds. KEY POINTS: •The compound I is proposed as the starting point for the rational design of the P450BM3 •"Flying kite model" is proposed based on the distance between O of Cmpd I and C3'/C5' of naringenin •Mutant M15-5 with 1.6-fold of activity than M13 was obtained by ab initio modification.

Osimertinib Covalently Binds to CD34 and Eliminates Myeloid Leukemia Stem/Progenitor Cells.

Osimertinib is a third-generation covalent EGFR inhibitor that is used in treating non-small cell lung cancer. First-generation EGFR inhibitors were found to elicit pro-differentiation effect on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in preclinical studies, but clinical trials yielded mostly negative results. Here, we report that osimertinib selectively induced apoptosis of CD34+ leukemia stem/progenitor cells but not CD34- cells in EGFR-negative AML and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Covalent binding of osimertinib to CD34 at cysteines 199 and 177 and suppression of Src family kinases (SFK) and downstream STAT3 activation contributed to osimertinib-induced cell death. SFK and STAT3 inhibition induced synthetic lethality with osimertinib in primary CD34+ cells. CD34 expression was elevated in AML cells compared with their normal counterparts. Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiling identified mutation and gene expression signatures of patients with AML with high CD34 expression, and univariate and multivariate analyses indicated the adverse prognostic significance of high expression of CD34. Osimertinib treatment induced responses in AML patient-derived xenograft models that correlated with CD34 expression while sparing normal CD34+ cells. Clinical responses were observed in two patients with CD34high AML who were treated with osimertinib on a compassionate-use basis. These findings reveal the therapeutic potential of osimertinib for treating CD34high AML and CML and describe an EGFR-independent mechanism of osimertinib-induced cell death in myeloid leukemia. SIGNIFICANCE: Osimertinib binds CD34 and selectively kills CD34+ leukemia cells to induce remission in preclinical models and patients with AML with a high percentage of CD34+ blasts, providing therapeutic options for myeloid leukemia patients.

Multiomic profiling reveals metabolic alterations mediating aberrant platelet activity and inflammation in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Platelets from patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) exhibit a hyperreactive phenotype. Here, we found elevated P-selectin exposure and platelet-leukocyte aggregates indicating activation of platelets from essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of primary samples revealed significant enrichment of transcripts related to platelet activation, mTOR, and oxidative phosphorylation in ET patient platelets. These observations were validated via proteomic profiling. Platelet metabolomics revealed distinct metabolic phenotypes consisting of elevated ATP generation accompanied by increases in the levels of multiple intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, but lower α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) in MPN patients. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling significantly reduced metabolic responses and hyperreactivity in MPN patient platelets, while α-KG supplementation markedly reduced oxygen consumption and ATP generation. Ex vivo incubation of platelets from both MPN patients and Jak2 V617F-knockin mice with α-KG supplementation significantly reduced platelet activation responses. Oral α-KG supplementation of Jak2 V617F mice decreased splenomegaly and reduced hematocrit, monocyte, and platelet counts. Finally, α-KG treatment significantly decreased proinflammatory cytokine secretion from MPN CD14+ monocytes. Our results reveal a previously unrecognized metabolic disorder in conjunction with aberrant PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling that contributes to platelet hyperreactivity in MPN patients.

Drying without dying: A genome database for desiccation-tolerant plants and evolution of desiccation tolerance.

Desiccation is typically fatal, but a small number of land plants have evolved vegetative desiccation tolerance (VDT), allowing them to dry without dying through a process called anhydrobiosis. Advances in sequencing technologies have enabled the investigation of genomes for desiccation-tolerant plants over the past decade. However, a dedicated and integrated database for these valuable genomic resources has been lacking. Our prolonged interest in VDT plant genomes motivated us to create the "Drying without Dying" database, which contains a total of 16 VDT-related plant genomes (including 10 mosses) and incorporates 10 genomes that are closely related to VDT plants. The database features bioinformatic tools, such as blast and homologous cluster search, sequence retrieval, Gene Ontology term and metabolic pathway enrichment statistics, expression profiling, co-expression network extraction, and JBrowser exploration for each genome. To demonstrate its utility, we conducted tailored PFAM family statistical analyses, and we discovered that the drought-responsive ABA transporter AWPM-19 family is significantly tandemly duplicated in all bryophytes but rarely so in tracheophytes. Transcriptomic investigations also revealed that response patterns following desiccation diverged between bryophytes and angiosperms. Combined, the analyses provided genomic and transcriptomic evidence supporting a possible divergence and lineage-specific evolution of VDT in plants. The database can be accessed at http://desiccation.novogene.com. We expect this initial release of the "Drying without Dying" plant genome database will facilitate future discovery of VDT genetic resources.

Casuattimines A-N, fourteen new Lycopodium alkaloids from Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides with Cav3.1 channel inhibitory activity.

Two new dimeric Lycopodium alkaloids, casuattimines A and B (1 and 2), along with twelve previously undescribed Lycopodium alkaloids, casuattimines C-N (3-14), and eight known Lycopodium alkaloids, were isolated from Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides. Casuattimines A and B (1 and 2) are the first two ether-linked Lycopodium alkaloid dimers. Casuattimines C and D (3 and 4) are unique Lycopodium alkaloids characterized by a long fatty acid chain. Structural elucidation was achieved through HRESIMS, NMR, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. In addition, the absolute configurations of compounds 7, 13, and 14 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 demonstrated notable Cav3.1 channel inhibitory activities presenting IC50 values of 10.75 ± 1.02 µM, 9.33 ± 0.79 µM, and 7.14 ± 0.86 µM, respectively. The dynamics of compound 4 against the Cav3.1 channel and preliminary structure-activity relationships of these active Lycopodium alkaloids were also discussed.

Inhibition of astroglial hemichannels ameliorates infrasonic noise induced short-term learning and memory impairment.

As a kind of environmental noise, infrasonic noise has negative effects on various human organs. To date, research has shown that infrasound impairs cognitive function, especially the ability for learning and memory. Previously, we demonstrated that impaired learning and memory induced by infrasound was closely related with glia activation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Connexin 43 hemichannels (Cx43 HCs), which are mainly expressed in hippocampal astrocytes, are activated under pathological conditions, lending support to the hypothesis that Cx43 HCs might function in the impaired learning and memory induced by infrasound. This study revealed that that blocking hippocampal Cx43 HCs or downregulating hippocampal Cx43 expression significantly alleviated impaired learning and memory induced by infrasound. We also observed that infrasound exposure led to the abundant release of glutamate and ATP through Cx43 HCs. In addition, the abundant release of glutamate and ATP depended on proinflammatory cytokines. Our finds suggested that the enhanced release of ATP and glutamate by astroglial Cx43 HCs may be involved in the learning and memory deficits caused by infrasound exposure.

Corrigendum: Hydroxychloroquine attenuates autoimmune hepatitis by suppressing the interaction of GRK2 with PI3K in T lymphocytes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.972397.].

Sarcopenia Transitions and Influencing Factors Among Chinese Older Adults With Multistate Markov Model.

Background and Objectives: Little is known about the sarcopenia transition process across different stages among Chinese community-dwelling older adults. We aimed to explore dynamic transitions of sarcopenia and its influencing factors in Chinese older adults. Research Design and Methods: Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A total of 2856 older adults with complete data in the 2011, 2013, and 2015 waves were included in our study. Participants were categorized into 3 states: no sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia, and sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS 2019) criteria. Continuous-time multistate Markov model was performed to estimate the 1-year transition probabilities and the associated factors of sarcopenia transitions. The association strength was expressed as hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval. Results: The progression and reversion rates between no sarcopenia and sarcopenia state were 6.01 and 9.20 per 100 person-years, respectively. The 1-year progression probability to possible sarcopenia was higher compared with the likelihood of moving to the sarcopenia state (0.127 vs 0.034). The reversion probability to no sarcopenia was also higher among those with possible sarcopenia (0.281 vs 0.157). Older age, rural living, worse cognition status, higher chronic disease numbers, and lower nutrition status measured by body mass index accelerated the sarcopenia progression. Cognition status and body mass index level were related to higher chances of reverting. Discussion and Implications: Possible sarcopenia might be a critical time window to promote sarcopenia reversion. Timely interventions aimed at delaying the progression and facilitating sarcopenia recovery should focus on improving cognitive function and nutrition levels.

Lutein-Rich Beverage Alleviates Visual Fatigue in the Hyperglycemia Model of Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Asthenopia is a syndrome based on the symptoms of eye discomfort that has become a chronic disease that interferes with and harms people's physical and mental health. Lutein is an internationally recognized "eye nutrient", and studies have shown that it can protect the retina and relieve visual fatigue. In this study, lutein was extracted from marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) and saponified. The purified lutein concentration measured by HPLC was 50.12 mg/100 g. Then, purified lutein was modified to be water-soluble by nanoscale modification and microencapsulation technology. Water-soluble lutein was then mixed with a leaching solution of Chinese wolfberry and chrysanthemum to make a functional beverage. The effects of this beverage on hepatic antioxidant enzymes and the alleviation of visual fatigue in a rat model of diabetes were investigated for 4 weeks. Lutein intake of 0.72 (medium-lutein beverage group) and 1.44 mg/mL (high-lutein beverage group) relieved visual fatigue, ameliorated turbidity symptoms of impaired crystalline lenses, reduced hepatic MDA concentration, increased hepatic GSH concentration, and significantly increased the activities of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, and GR in rats. These data suggest that a lutein-rich beverage is an effective and harmless way to increase the total anti-oxidation capacity of lenses and alleviate visual fatigue.