Influence of substrate aggregation state on the enzymatic-induced crosslinking of soy protein isolate.

Transglutaminase (TGase) induced-crosslinking of soy protein isolate (SPI) was markedly influenced by the substrate aggregation state. Results showed that appropriate heating significantly accelerated the TGase crosslinking, and the 7S and 11S acidic subunits were more susceptible to the enzyme than the 11S basic proteins. The content of ε-(γ-glutamyl)-lysine isopeptide bonds increased from 4.74 to 8.61 µmol/g protein when the heating intensity was increased from 75 °C for 15 min to 95 °C for 30 min, due to sufficient unfolding of the protein structure. Rheological data indicated that the gel formed from the SPI heated at 95 °C for 30 min exhibited the best properties, with a 60 % increase in the storage modulus compared with the unheated sample. However, excessive heating (95 °C, 60-120 min) caused severe aggregation of SPI and formation of insoluble aggregates, resulting in poor crosslinking efficiency and weaker gel properties.

Allogeneic platelet gel therapy for refractory abdominal wound healing: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Refractory abdominal wounds are commonly complicated by surgical site infections, which prolong hospital stays and increase medical costs. There is little clinical data on the use of allogeneic platelet gel (PG) therapy for refractory infected wounds. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of allogeneic PGs in the treatment of refractory abdominal wounds. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective single-center study was performed in a national abdominal trauma referral center between June 2019 and June 2021. A total of 11 patients with refractory abdominal wounds were treated with allogeneic PGs after the failure of standard medical treatments. The PGs were derived from platelets collected from healthy donors using apheresis, and each PG was tested for platelet count, transfusion-related diseases, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and growth factor concentration. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by assessing the wound surface and observing the condition of the wound, including wound area and percentage of granulation. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 37 years (1st quartile, 3rd quartile (Q1, Q3): 31-55 years), median (Q1, Q3) hemoglobin level was 95 g/L (78-120 g/L) and median (Q1, Q3) serum albumin level was 39.9 g/L (34.9-42.7 g/L). The PG platelet count was 976.5 ±174.9×109/L. Results of transfusion-associated contagion tests for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were negative. Growth factor contents (pg/mL) were: for transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1); 2542.39 ±430.60, for platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB); 23230.03 ±4236.14 and FOR vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); 91.41 ±23.31. The rate of wound healing was 100%, and the median (Q1, Q3) healing time was 30 days (18-40 days). The follow-up period was 5-27 months, during which no recurrence of the wounds was found. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that allogeneic PGs are a safe and effective treatment for refractory abdominal wounds.

Effect of mulberry leaf or mulberry leaf extract on glycemic traits: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mulberry leaf (ML) and mulberry leaf extract (MLE) have numerous biological properties, such as regulating sugar and lipid metabolism, reducing blood glucose, and increasing insulin secretion. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials to examine the effect of ML/MLE supplementation on glycemic traits in adults, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting plasma insulin (FPI). Twelve clinical trials (615 participants) fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the present meta-analysis, which included sensitivity analysis and GRADE (grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation) certainty. Based on the heterogeneity between included studies, a random effects model was applied in the meta-analysis, and the results are expressed as WMD (weighted mean differences) with 95% CI (confidence intervals). Meta-analysis showed that ML/MLE supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in FBG by -0.47 mmol L-1, HbA1c by -2.92 mmol mol-1, and FPI by -0.58 µIU mL-1. In addition, subgroup analysis indicated that long-term supplementation of ML/MLE (≥8 weeks) was more effective for regulation of the glycemic traits in the non-healthy and baseline FPG >6.1 mmol L-1 subgroups. Glycemic regulation by ML/MLE may be attributed to the phytochemicals they contain, which are mainly 1-deoxynojirimycin, flavonoids, phenolics, and polysaccharides.

[Effects of Different Treatment Methods on the Contents of Related Growth Factors Released by Platelet Rich Plasma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of sonication, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, calcium salt solution and their combination on the content of related growth factors (GFs) released by platelet rich plasma (PRP). METHODS: Twenty PRPs from healthy blood donors were divided into 9 groups, including sonication group, freeze-thaw group, calcium gluconate group, calcium chloride group, sonication + calcium gluconate group, sonication + calcium chloride group, freeze-thaw + calcium gluconate group, freeze-thaw + calcium chloride group, and sonication + freeze-thaw group. After PRP activated by above 9 methods, the content of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The platelet concentration of the samples was (966.7±202.6)×109/L. The content of TGF-ß1 in sonication + freeze-thaw group was the highest, while the lowest was in freeze-thaw group. The content of VEGF in freeze-thaw + calcium chloride group was the highest, while the lowest was in calcium gluconate group. The content of PDGF-BB in sonication + freeze-thaw group was the highest, while the lowest was in calcium gluconate group. There was no significant differences in the three GFs between calcium gluconate group and calcium chloride group. CONCLUSION: Among the 9 activated methods of PRP, there is no difference between two calcium salt solutions. And the combination of repeated freeze-thaw cycles and sonication may be the best treatment method to promote PRP to release GFs, while calcium gluconate is the weakest way.

Seroprevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections and Associated Risk Factors in Hospitalized Patients before Transfusion in Jinling Hospital Nanjing University: A Three-Year Retrospective Study.

Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs), such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and treponema pallidum (TP), must be detected before blood transfusion. However, few studies have been conducted on the prevalence and accuracy of positive results in hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the real seroprevalence of TTIs among patients before blood transfusion and analyze the characteristics of false-positive results in Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, China. TTI results were collected from medical records and analyzed retrospectively. Additionally, we also used confirmatory assays to verify the accuracy of positive results. The overall prevalence of TTI was 8.96%, which was related to gender and age. The real positive rates were 86.67% (HBV), 35.09% (HCV), 20.75% (HIV), and 100% (TP). Our results also showed that high-speed centrifugation can reduce the false-positive rate of HBsAg. In summary, the results demonstrated that the positive rates of TTIs in hospitalized patients are higher than those in the general population. We also confirmed the existence of false-positive results in serological screening for TTIs. The method of processing specimens through high-speed centrifugation could reduce the false-positive results of detecting antigens effectively.

Modulation of soy protein isolate gel properties by a novel "two-step" gelation process: Effects of pre-aggregation with different divalent sulfates.

A novel pre-aggregation process prior to gelation was applied to modulate the aggregation and gelation pathway of soy protein isolate (SPI). SPI dispersions were pre-aggregated with CaSO4, MgSO4 or ZnSO4 at 0-15 mM and then gelled by adding CaSO4 up to a final salt concentration of 35 mM. Compared with the sample without pre-aggregation, the storage modulus of SPI gels pre-aggregated with 10 mM CaSO4, 10 mM MgSO4, and 2.5 mM ZnSO4 were increased by 50.5%, 35.7%, and 63.6%, respectively. The fracture stress, texture profile analysis parameters, and water holding capacity were markedly improved by an appropriate level of pre-aggregation. To a certain extent, pre-aggregation could promote the formation of uniform structure with thicker strands, whereas over-aggregation resulted in a coarser network, which was correlated with the volume-mean diameter (D4,3) of pre-aggregated SPI particles. The results are of great value for further understanding of gelation mechanism of proteins.

Steam explosion enhances phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in mung beans.

Steam explosion (SE), as a physicochemical pretreatment process, has the dual effect of high temperature and high pressure. In this study, SE was applied to pretreat mung beans to increase phenolic extraction and their antioxidant activity. It can make the material loose and porous, which is beneficial to the release of phenolic compounds from mung beans. Insoluble-bound phenolics (IBPs) were the dominating fraction, followed by glycosidic phenolics (GPs) and esterified phenolics (EPs), and free phenolics (FPs) were the lowest in mung beans. After SE, the maximum contents of FPs, EPs, GPs, IBPs, and total phenolics were detected at 0.75 MPa for 30 s, which were 1.47-, 1.87-, 1.73-, 1.48-, and 1.58-fold compared with the untreated samples, respectively. On the whole, the effect of SE on phenolics in mung beans first increased and then decreased. SE increased the contents of protocatechuic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, catechin, and epicatechin; but there was a decrease in caffeic acid. Compared with the untreated samples, the antioxidant activity of FPs, GPAs, EPs, and IBPs was also improved by SE. The relationship between the phenolic content and antioxidant activity was very high with coefficients of 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonic acid) > 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl > ferric reducing antioxidant power. In conclusion, an appropriate SE can lead to a more efficient extraction of phenolics and improvement of antioxidant activity in mung beans.

Starch and ß-glucan in a whole-grain-like structural form improve hepatic insulin sensitivity in diet-induced obese mice.

Whole-grain food (WGF) is well known for its anti-diabetic effect, and alleviation of obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR) might be one of the underlying mechanisms. In the current study, the effects of starch, as the main component in WGF, and ß-glucan in a whole-grain-like structural form (WGLSF) on hepatic IR and glucose homeostasis were investigated using high-fat (HF)-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. After treatment for 8 weeks, the body weight gain and IR of the mice were significantly reduced. The hepatic Akt, the key component in insulin signaling, was activated, and the hepatic expression and protein levels of glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-P) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) were reduced. Moreover, WGLSF effectively reduced the hepatic levels of free fatty acids and the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and NF-κB. Additionally, the reduced level of the phosphorylated c-Jun-N-terminal kinases (JNK) indicated that WGLSF treatment might inactivate the JNK signaling, leading to improved hepatic IR. These results demonstrated that starch and ß-glucan in a whole grain-like structural form have the potential as a dietary strategy to combat obesity-induced hepatic IR for improved health.

The anti-obesity effect of starch in a whole grain-like structural form.

Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, and the anti-obesity effect of starch in a whole grain-like structural form (WGLSF) prepared through co-gelation with oat ß-glucan and alginate was studied using high-fat (HF) induced obese male C57BL/6J mice. In vitro human fecal fermentation of WGLSF-starch showed a slower rate of fermentation and a higher production of butyric acid (132.0 µmol per 50 mg sample) when compared to the physical mixture counterpart of starch, ß-glucan, and alginate (PM) (110.5 µmol per 50 mg) or ß-glucan itself (96.2 µmol per 50 mg). The body weight gain of obese mice fed with a HF-WGLSF diet was significantly reduced (42.0% lower than the HF group, 30.2% lower than the physical mixture) with decreased cell size in white adipose tissue and similar levels of serum lipid profiles to the control of the low-fat (LF) group. Western blotting experiments showed the down-regulated lipogenic transcription factor of SREBP-1c and fatty acid synthase (FAS), but the lipid-oxidation related transcription factors of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) and phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) were up-regulated. Energy metabolism analysis revealed increased lipid-sourced energy expenditure with higher heat production and respiratory exchange ratios. Consistently, the expression of hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), favoring energy expenditure, was increased significantly while the neuropeptide Y (NPY) was reduced. Thus, the increased energy expenditure stimulated by starch in a whole-grain-like structural form is responsible for the reduced body weight gain of obese mice fed with a high fat-based diet.

Effects of Different Simple Triglycerides on Cell Fatty Acid Compositions, Proliferation-Related Protein, and Gene Expressions Induced by Oxidized-LDL in HUVSMCs.

The proliferating effects of 3 different simple triglycerides (tristearin, triolein, and trilinolein) on the human umbilical vein smooth muscle cells (HUVSMCs) induced by oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL) were investigated in this study. The protein and mRNA gene expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), smooth muscle-α-actin (SM-α-actin), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in HUVSMCs were measured by Western blotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was shown that in tristearin (SSS) treated HUVSMCs, the saturated fatty acid content was increased, and the compositions of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid were decreased significantly. On the other hand, triolein (OOO) and trilinolein (LLL) significantly increased the levels of some typical PUFA such as arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Moreover, LLL and OOO could upregulate the protein and mRNA expressions of PCNA, MCP-1 as well as downregulate the expression of SM-α-actin. The results also showed that, SSS had significant promotion effects on the proliferation of HUVSMCs induced by ox-LDL. Although both LLL and OOO could inhibit the proliferation of HUVSMCs induced by ox-LDL, and might have certain inhibition of the atherosclerotic process.