Hepatoprotective effects and mechanisms of l-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate combined intervention in alcoholic fatty liver rats.

BACKGROUND: Chronic excessive alcohol consumption can lead to alcoholic fatty liver, posing substantial health risks. l-Theanine (LTA) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in tea exert antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. However, the combined effects of LTA and EGCG on rats with alcoholic fatty liver, and the underlying mechanisms of such effects, remain unclear. In this study, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed with alcohol for 6 weeks to induce alcoholic fatty liver. Subsequently, for another 6 weeks, the rats were administered LTA (200 mg kg-1 day-1), EGCG (200 mg kg-1 day-1), or a combination of LTA with EGCG (40 mg kg-1 day-1 l-Thea +160 mg kg-1 day-1 EGCG), respectively. RESULTS: The combined use of LTA and EGCG for alcoholic fatty liver disease had more significant effects than their individual administration. This combination reduced the activity of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as well as the levels of hepatic triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the rats. The combined intervention also increased hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase activity. Reductions in hepatic fat accumulation and inflammatory responses were observed. The mechanism underlying these effects primarily involved the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis and the alleviation of lipid peroxidation through the downregulation of the mRNA and protein expression of TNF-α, SREBP1c, and CYP2E1 and the upregulation of the mRNA and protein expression of ADH1, ALDH2, Lipin-1, PPARαPPARα, AMPK, and PGC-1α, thereby promoting the oxidative decomposition of fatty acids and reducing the synthesis of cholesterol and glucose. CONCLUSION: l-Theanine and EGCG appear to be able to alleviate alcoholic fatty liver by modulating lipid metabolism and ameliorating oxidative stress, indicating their potential as natural active ingredients in anti-alcoholic fatty liver food products. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Associations between dysbiosis gut microbiota and changes of neurotransmitters and short-chain fatty acids in valproic acid model rats.

Introduction: The microbiota-gut-brain axis plays an important role in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder, but its specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the associations of changes in neurotransmitters and short-chain fatty acids with alterations in gut microbiota in valproic acid model rats. Methods: The autism model rats were established by prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA). The Morris water maze test, open field test, and three-chamber test were conducted to assess the behaviors of rats. 16S rRNA gene sequences extracted from fecal samples were used to assess the gut microbial composition. Gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy was used to identify short-chain fatty acids in fecal samples and neurotransmitters in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: The results showed that 28 bacterial taxa between valproic acid model rats and control rats were identified, and the most differential bacterial taxa in valproic acid model rats and control rats belonged to metagenomic species and Lactobacillus intestinalis. Acetic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid were significantly decreased in the valproic acid model rats compared to those in control rats. Five neurotransmitters (threonine, kynurenine, tryptophan, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, denoted as 5-HIAA, and betaine aldehyde chloride, denoted as BAC) were significantly decreased, whereas betaine was increased in the prefrontal cortex of valproic acid model rats compared to control rats. A variety of neurotransmitters (≥4) were correlated with Pseudomonas, Collisella, and Streptococcus at the genus level, and they were also related to the decrease of short-chain fatty acids. Discussion: According to this study, we can preliminarily infer that gut microbiota or their metabolic productions (such as SCFAs) may influence central neurotransmitter metabolism through related pathways of the gut-brain axis. These results provide microbial and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) frameworks for understanding the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in autism spectrum disorder and shed new light on autism spectrum disorder treatment.

Bibliometric study of neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Neuroinflammation is closely associated with the occurrence and development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to describe the global development history and current status of neuroinflammation in ASD from 2004 to 2021 and reveal the research hotspots and frontiers to provide a reference for scholars in related fields to carry out further research. Methods: Journal articles on ASD and neuroinflammation-related research were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database from its inception to 2021. Literature was analyzed visually by VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R language, including publication analysis, author, institution, national/regional cooperative network analysis, and keyword analysis. We screened the most accumulatively cited 10 experimental papers in the field and the most cited 10 experimental papers in the last 2 years (2020 and 2021) for combing. Results: A total of 620 publications were included in this study, and the number of publications has increased in recent years. The United States (256, 41.29%) was the country with the largest number of publications. King Saud University (40, 6.45%) was the most published institution; Laila Al-Ayadhi Yousef was the most published researcher; the Brain Behavior and Immunity was the main journal for the study of neuroinflammation in autism, having published 22 related articles. Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that short chain fatty acid, mast cells, and glial cells have been the focus of recent attention. Burst keywords show that gut microbiota and immune system are the future research trends. Conclusion: This bibliometric study describes the basic framework for the development in the field of neuroinflammation and ASD through an exploration of key indicators (countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords). We found that the key role of neuroinflammation in the development of ASD is attracting more and more researchers' attention. Future studies can investigate the changes in cytokines and glial cells and their related pathways in ASD neuroinflammation. Immunotherapy to inhibit neuroinflammation may be intensively studied as a direction for ASD treatment or intervention.

[Effects of drought stress and nitrogen fertilization rate on the accumulation of osmolytes in Jatropha curcas seedlings].

A pot experiment with controlled water supply was conducted to study the effects of different drought stress degree (80% FC, 60% FC, 40% FC, and 20% FC) and nitrogen fertilization rate (0 g x pot(-1), 1.2 g x pot(-1), 3.6 g x pot(-1), and 6.0 g x pot(-1)) on the accumulation of osmolytes in different organs of Jatropha curcas seedlings. Under drought stress, the soluble protei and free proline in seedling shoots and roots and the soluble sugar in seedling shoots had a great accumulation, and the free proline content in seedling leaves had a great increase with increasing drought stress degree. Also under drought stress, the Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ all highly accumulated in seedling various organs, while K only accumulated greatly in shoots but slightly in leaves and roots. The effects of nitrogen fertilization on the accumulation of osmolytes in seedlings depended on drought stress degree and nitrogen fertilization rate. At 80% FC and 60% FC, increasing nitrogen fertilization rate could markedly promote the accumulation of osmolytes in the organs of J. curcas seedlings; at 40% FC, applying 6.0 g x pot(-1) weakened the promotion effect on the osmolytes accumulation; whereas at 20%, applying 1.2 g x pot(-1) made the plants have a higher capability in osmoregulation, but applying 3.6 g x pot(-1) and 6.0 g x pot(-1) had less promotion effect, and even, inhibited osmolytes accumulation.

Bis[4-(2-hydr-oxy-3-methoxy-benzyl-ideneamino)phen-yl] ether.

The title compound, C(28)H(24)N(2)O(5), a flexible Schiff base ligand, was prepared in high yield by a Schiff base condensation of 3-methoxy-salicylaldehyde and bis-(4-amino-phen-yl) ether in methanol. The mol-ecule lies on a twofold rotation axis, and each half exhibits an imine E configuration and an O-H⋯N hydrogen bond. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings attached to the central O atom is 69.22 (6)°, and that between each of these rings and the other benzene ring in the same half of the mol-ecule is 24.29 (11)°, illustrating the degree of twisting of the flexible mol-ecule.

Liquid chromatographic enantiomer resolution of N-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl alpha-amino acids and their ester derivatives on polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phases.

The liquid chromatographic enantiomer separation of N-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (FMOC) protected alpha-amino acids and their ethyl ester derivatives was performed on polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phases, Chiralcel OD, Chiralpak AD, and Chiralpak AS. In general, Chiralcel OD and Chiralpak AD showed good performance for resolution of N-FMOC alpha-amino acids and their ethyl esters, respectively. All investigated N-FMOC alpha-amino acid enantiomers were baseline separated on Chiralcel OD or Chiralpak AD, whereas N-FMOC alpha-amino acid ethyl ester enantiomers were baseline resolved (alpha = 1.15-3.03) on Chiralpak AD, except for two analytes. The L-enantiomers of all examined FMOC alpha-amino acid ethyl ester derivatives are preferentially retained on Chiralpak AD, while the elution orders of the other enantiomer separations are not consistent.