Effects of three different polysaccharides on the sol gel-behavior, rheological, and structural properties of tapioca starch.

The sol-gel behavior of tapioca starch (TS) plays a crucial role in the processing and quality control of flour-based products. However, natural tapioca starch has low gel strength and poor viscosity, which tremendously limits its application. To solve this problem, this study investigated the effects of κ-carrageenan (KC), konjac gum (KGM), and Mesona chinensis Benth polysaccharide (MCP) on the pasting behavior, rheological, and structural properties of tapioca starch. KC, KGM, and MCP significantly increased the viscosity of TS. With the exception of high-concentration KGM (0.5 %), all other blending systems showed decrease in setback. This may be attributed to the stronger effect of the high-concentration KC (0.5 %) and MCP (0.5 %) functional groups interacting with starch. KC, KGM, and MCP effectively improved the dynamic modulus (G' and G") of TS gel and were effective in increasing the gel strength and hardness of TS. The FT-IR analysis indicated that the short-range order of TS was mainly influenced by polysaccharides through non-covalent bonding interactions. Furthermore, it was confirmed that three polysaccharides could form dense structures by hydrogen bonding with TS. Similarly, more stable structure and pore size were observed in the microstructure diagram.

Experimental demonstration of a free space optical wireless video transmission system based on image compression sensing algorithm.

The wireless transmission of video data mainly entails addressing the massive video stream data and ensuring the quality of image frame transmission. To reduce the amount of data and ensure an optimal data transmission rate and quality, we propose a free-space optical video transmission system that applies compressed sensing (CS) algorithms to wireless optical communication systems. Based on the Artix-7 series field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip, we completed the hardware design of the optical wireless video transceiver board; the CS image is transmitted online to the FPGA through Gigabit Ethernet, and the video data is encoded by gigabit transceiver with low power (GTP) and converted into an optical signal, which is relayed to the atmospheric turbulence simulation channel through an attenuator and a collimating mirror. After the optical signal is decoded by photoelectric conversion at the receiving end, the Camera-Link frame grabber is d; thus, the image is collected, and it is reconstructed offline. Herein, the link transmission conditions of different algorithm sampling rates, optical power at the receiving end, and atmospheric coherence length are measured. The experimental results indicate that the encrypt-then-compress (ETC) type algorithm exhibits a more optimal image compression transmission reconstruction performance, and that the 2D compressed sensing (2DCS) algorithm exhibits superior performance. Under the condition that the optical power satisfies the link connectivity, the PSNR value of the reconstructed image is 3-7 dB higher than that of the comparison algorithm. In a strong atmosphere turbulence environment, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the corresponding reconstructed image under different transmission rates at the receiving end can still exceed 30 dB, ensuring the complete reconstruction of the image.

[Clinical Comparison of the Efficacy of Systemic Thrombolysis,Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis,and AngioJet Percutaneous Mechanical Thrombectomy in Acute Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis].

Objective To compare the clinical effects of three treatment methods including systemic thrombolysis(ST),catheter-directed thrombolysis(CDT),and AngioJet percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy(PMT)in acute lower extremity deep venous thrombosis(LEDVT). Methods The data of 82 patients diagnosed with LEDVT in the Department of Vascular and Gland Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2017 to December 2020 were collected.The patients were assigned into a ST group(n=50),a CDT group(n=16),and a PMT group(n=16)according to different treatment methods.The efficacy and safety were compared among the three groups. Results Compared with that before treatment,the circumferential diameter difference of both lower limbs on days 1,2,and 3 of treatment in the ST,CDT,and PMT groups reduced(all P<0.001).The PMT group showed smaller circumferential diameter difference of lower limbs on days 1,2,and 3 of treatment than the ST group(all P<0.001)and smaller circumferential diameter difference of the lower patellar margin on day 1 of treatment than the CDT group(P<0.001).The PMT group showed higher diminution rate for swelling of the affected limb at the upper and lower edges of the patella than the ST group(P<0.001)and higher diminution rate for swelling at the upper edge of the patella than the CDT group(P=0.026).The incidence of complications after treatment showed no significant differences among the three groups(all P>0.05).The median of hospital stay in the PMT group was shorter than that in the ST and CDT groups(P=0.002,P=0.001).The PMT group had higher thrombus clearance rate than the ST group(P=0.002)and no significant difference in the thrombus clearance rate from the CDT group(P=0.361).The vascular recanalization rates in the PMT(all P<0.001)and CDT(P<0.001,P=0.002,P=0.009)groups 3,6,and 12 months after treatment were higher than those in ST group,and there were no significant differences between PMT and CDT groups(P=0.341,P=0.210,P=0.341). Conclusions ST,CDT,and PMT demonstrated significant efficacy in the treatment of LEDVT,and PMT was superior to ST and CDT in terms of circumferential diameter difference of the lower limbs,diminution rate for swelling of the affected limb,thrombus clearance rate,length of hospital stay,and long-term vascular recanalization.There was no obvious difference in safety among the three therapies.

Rheology, Texture and Swallowing Characteristics of a Texture-Modified Dysphagia Food Prepared Using Common Supplementary Materials.

A dysphagia diet is a special eating plan. The development and design of dysphagia foods should consider both swallowing safety and food nutritional qualities. In this study, the effects of four food supplements, namely vitamins, minerals, salt and sugar, on swallowing characteristics, rheological and textural properties were investigated, and a sensory evaluation of dysphagia foods made with rice starch, perilla seed oil and whey isolate protein was carried out. The results showed that all the samples belonged to foods at level 4 (pureed) in The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) framework, and exhibited shear thinning behavior, which is favorable for dysphagia patients. Rheological tests showed that the viscosity of a food bolus was increased with salt and sugar (SS), while it decreased with vitamins and minerals (VM) at shear rates of 50 s-1. Both SS and VM strengthened the elastic gel system, and SS enhanced the storage modulus and loss modulus. VM increased the hardness, gumminess, chewiness and color richness, but left small residues on the spoon. SS provided better water-holding, chewiness and resilience by influencing the way molecules were connected, promoting swallowing safety. SS brought a better taste to the food bolus. Dysphagia foods with both VM and 0.5% SS had the best sensory evaluation score. This study may provide a theoretical foundation for the creation and design of new dysphagia nutritional food products.

Fibrillation modification to improve the viscosity, emulsifying, and foaming properties of rice protein.

Fibrillation of food proteins has attracted considerable attention as it can improve and broaden the functionality of proteins. In this study, we prepared three kinds of rice protein (RP) fibrils with different structural characteristics by the regulation of NaCl and explored the effect of protein structure on viscosity, emulsifying, and foaming properties. AFM results showed fibrils formed at 0 and 100 mM NaCl were mainly in the range of 50-150 nm and 150-250 nm, respectively. Fibrils formed at 200 mM NaCl were in the range of 50-500 nm and protein fibrils longer than 500 nm increased. There was no significant difference between their height and periodicity. Fibrils formed at 0 and 100 mM NaCl were more flexible and unordered than those formed at 200 mM NaCl. The viscosity consistency index K of native RP and fibrils formed at 0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl were determined. The K value of fibrils was higher than that of native RP. The emulsifying activity index, foam capacity and foam stability were enhanced by fibrillation, while longer fibrils exhibited lower emulsifying stability index, which may be because long fibrils resulted in difficulty of cover of emulsion droplets. In summary, our work provided a valuable reference for improving the functionality of rice protein and facilitated the development of protein-based foaming agents, thickeners, and emulsifiers.

The role of guar gum in improving the gel and structural characteristics of germinated highland barley starch.

Germinated highland barley has been shown to have many health benefits, but the weakening of the starch gel properties during the germination limits its further application. In this study, germinated highland barley starch (GBS) was obtained after germination treatment. Guar gum (GG) was added to explore the effects of gelatinization on the rheology, gel and structural characteristics of GBS, and the potential of preparing gel-based products was also evaluated. The results showed that the addition of GG significantly increased the viscosity, gel strength and viscoelasticity of GBS, which was beneficial to the formation of gel, and promoted its formation of an ordered and compact gel network structure. The study provides a theoretical reference for the preparation of gel-based food with highland barley starch, and increases the application range of highland barley.

High-Fat Diet Aggravates the Disorder of Glucose Metabolism Caused by Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Experimental Rats.

Epidemiological research has demonstrated that the increase in high fat consumption has promoted the morbidity of diabetes. Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides (such as chlorpyrifos) may also increase the risk of diabetes. Although chlorpyrifos is a frequently detected organophosphorus pesticide, the interaction effect between chlorpyrifos exposure and a high-fat diet on glucose metabolism is still unclear. Thus, the effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on glucose metabolism in rats eating a normal-fat diet or a high-fat diet were investigated. The results demonstrated that the glycogen content in the liver decreased and that the glucose content increased in chlorpyrifos-treated groups. Remarkably, the ATP consumption in the chlorpyrifos-treatment group was promoted in the rats eating a high-fat diet. However, chlorpyrifos treatment did not change the serum levels of insulin and glucagon. Notably, the contents of liver ALT and AST changed more significantly in the high-fat chlorpyrifos-exposed group than in the normal-fat chlorpyrifos-exposed group. Chlorpyrifos exposure caused an increase in the liver MDA level and a decrease in the enzyme activities of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD, and the changes were more significant in the high-fat chlorpyrifos-treatment group. The results indicated that chlorpyrifos exposure led to disordered glucose metabolism in all dietary patterns as a result of antioxidant damage in the liver, in which a high-fat diet may have aggravated its toxicity.

Microorganisms-An Effective Tool to Intensify the Utilization of Sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane (SFN) was generated by the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin under the action of myrosinase. However, due to the instability of SFN, the bioavailability of SFN was limited. Meanwhile, the gut flora obtained the ability to synthesize myrosinase and glucoraphanin, which could be converted into SFN in the intestine. However, the ability of microorganisms to synthesize myrosinase in the gut was limited. Therefore, microorganisms with myrosinase synthesis ability need to be supplemented. With the development of research, microorganisms with high levels of myrosinase synthesis could be obtained by artificial selection and gene modification. Researchers found the SFN production rate of the transformed microorganisms could be significantly improved. However, despite applying transformation technology and regulating nutrients to microorganisms, it still could not provide the best efficiency during generating SFN and could not accomplish colonization in the intestine. Due to the great effect of microencapsulation on improving the colonization ability of microorganisms, microencapsulation is currently an important way to deliver microorganisms into the gut. This article mainly analyzed the possibility of obtaining SFN-producing microorganisms through gene modification and delivering them to the gut via microencapsulation to improve the utilization rate of SFN. It could provide a theoretical basis for expanding the application scope of SFN.

Integrated proteomics and metabolomics analysis of rice leaves in response to rice straw return.

Straw return is crucial for the sustainable development of rice planting, but no consistent results were observed for the effect of straw return on rice growth. To investigate the response of rice leaves to rice straw return in Northeast China, two treatments were set, no straw return (S0) and rice straw return (SR). We analyzed the physiological index of rice leaves and measured differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) levels in rice leaves by the use of proteomics and metabolomics approaches. The results showed that, compared with the S0 treatment, the SR treatment significantly decreased the dry weight of rice plants and non-structural carbohydrate contents and destroyed the chloroplast ultrastructure. In rice leaves of SR treatment, 329 DEPs were upregulated, 303 DEPs were downregulated, 44 DEMs were upregulated, and 71 DEMs were downregulated. These DEPs were mainly involved in photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation, and DEMs were mainly involved in alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, galactose metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, pentose and gluconic acid metabolism, and other metabolic pathways. Rice straw return promoted the accumulation of scavenging substances of active oxygen and osmotic adjustment substances, such as glutathione, organic acids, amino acids, and other substances. The SR treatment reduced the photosynthetic capacity and energy production of carbon metabolism, inhibiting the growth of rice plants, while the increase of metabolites involved in defense against abiotic stress enhanced the adaptability of rice plants to straw return stress.

Mesona chinensis polysaccharide accelerates the short-term retrogradation of debranched waxy corn starch.

The effect of non-starch polysaccharides on the structural and functional properties of native starch have been extensively studied. However, the effect of non-starch polysaccharides on the structural characteristics of debranched starch, a kind of enzymatic modified starch, remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Mesona chinensis polysaccharide (MP) on starch retrogradation and structural properties of debranched waxy corn starch (DWS). The results showed that only appropriate addition of MP (0.5 or 1%) can effectively promote the short-term retrogradation of DWS, while excessive MP (3 or 5%) had a negative effect. Gel hardness results revealed that the short-term retrogradation (24 h) of DWS could be divided into two phases. The retrogradation of DWS-MP gels mainly occurred at first stage (0-4 h), which was demonstrated by the rapid increase of gel hardness and relative crystallinity in this stage. In the second stage (4-24 h), DWS-MP gels were more likely to undergo the aggregation of starch granules as proved by SEM and particle size results. The degree of short-range ordered decreased during the total retrogradation stage. Overall, this work aims to provide an insight into the effect of non-starch polysaccharides on the short-term retrogradation of DWS.

Gallic acid and heat moisture treatment improve pasting, rheological, and microstructure properties of Chinese yam starch-chitosan gels: A comparative study.

Nowadays，It is difficult for the polysaccharide-starch system to meet demand of practical production owing to the poor gel properties. Therefore, aiming to further improve the practical application of polysaccharide-starch gel, the effects of gallic acid (GA) and heat moisture treatment (HMT) on the gel properties and microstructure of yam starch/chitosan (YS/CS) composite gels were investigated. Swell power (SP) results showed that GA and HMT treatment respectively reduced the SP of YS gel by 3.24 g/g and 6.03 g/g, given that GA and HMT decrease the rheology of the water phase inhibiting the entry of water into the swollen starch. In the pasting process, HMT reduced pasting viscosity of the HMT/YS system because only little amylose was leached in the medium for elevating its viscosity after HMT. The rheological properties suggested that high temperature treatment of HMT facilitated the disruption and disintegration of starch granules resulting dynamic modulus had a decline trend. The elastic properties of GA/YS gels were enhanced with the addition of GA, which could be supported by the thicken lamellar observed in its microstructure. In general, GA and HMT effectively alter the gel properties of YS/CS gel system, and facilitate its practical application in food industry.

Allicin Promoted Reducing Effect of Garlic Powder through Acrylamide Formation Stage.

BACKGROUND: Acrylamide is formed during food heating and is neurotoxic to animals and potentially carcinogenic to humans. It is important to reduce acrylamide content during food processing. Researchers have suggested that garlic powder could reduce acrylamide content, but the key substance and acrylamide reduction pathway of garlic powder was unclear. METHODS: The inhibitory effect of garlic powder on acrylamide in asparagine/glucose solution and a fried potato model system were firstly evaluated. Furthermore, the effect of allicin on the amount of produced acrylamide in the asparagine/glucose solution model system and fried potatoes was studied with kinetic analysis. RESULTS: The freeze-dried garlic powder had a higher inhibition rate (41.0%) than oven-dried garlic powder (maximum inhibition rate was 37.3%), and allicin had a 71.3% attribution to the reduction of acrylamide content. Moreover, the inhibition rate of allicin had a nonlinear relationship with the addition level increase. The kinetic analysis indicated that garlic powder and allicin could reduce acrylamide content through the AA formation stage, but not the decomposition stage. CONCLUSIONS: Allicin was the key component of garlic powder in reducing acrylamide content during acrylamide formation stage. This research could provide a new method to reduce acrylamide content during food processing and expand the application area of garlic.

Numerical solution for circular tunnel excavated in strain-softening rock masses considering damaged zone.

Despite the extensive investigation on the stress and displacement distributions in tunnels, few have considered the influences of the damaged zone around a tunnel on the strength and stiffness parameters of the surrounding rock, including the gradual variation in the damaged factor D and dimensionless damaged radius [Formula: see text], under the effect of excavation disturbance. In this paper, a numerical solution is presented for the stresses and displacement of a circular tunnel excavated in a Hoek-Brown rock mass considering the progressive destruction of the damaged zone. First, the results obtained using the proposed algorithm are compared with those obtained using other numerical solutions, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy through some examples. Second, the influences of the damaged factor [Formula: see text] and dimensionless damaged radius [Formula: see text] on the stresses, radial displacement, plastic radii, and ground response curve are investigated. The results show that, as the damaged factor D increases, the radial displacement and plastic radius increase, whereas the tangential stress decreases. Both the plastic radius and displacement decrease with decreasing [Formula: see text]. This shows that the damaged factor D has a significant effect on tunnel convergence.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 Enhances Fatty Acid ß-Oxidation of Adipose Tissue to Ameliorate the Development of Obesity in Mice.

Fatty acid ß-oxidation (FAO) is confirmed to be impaired in obesity, especially in adipose tissues. We previously proved that Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 (BAA6) had protective effects against diet-induced obesity. However, whether BAA6 enhances FAO to ameliorate the development of obesity has not been explored. After being fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for 9 weeks, male C57BL/6J mice were fed HFD or BAA6 for 8 weeks. In vitro study was carried out using 3T3-L1 adipocytes to determine the effect of BAA6 culture supernatant (BAA6-CM). Here, we showed that administration of BAA6 to mice fed with HFD decreased body weight gain (by 5.03 g) and significantly up-regulated FAO in epididymal adipose tissues. In parallel, FAO in 3T3-L1 cells was increased after BAA6-CM treatment. Acetate was identified as a constituent of BAA6-CM that showed a similar effect to BAA6-CM. Furthermore, acetate treatment activated the GPR43-PPARα signaling, thereby promoting FAO in 3T3-L1 cells. The levels of acetate were also elevated in serum and feces (by 1.92- and 2.27-fold) of HFD-fed mice following BAA6 administration. The expression levels of GPR43 and PPARα were increased by 55.45% and 69.84% after BAA6 supplement in the epididymal fat of mice. Together, these data reveal that BAA6 promotes FAO of adipose tissues through the GPR43-PPARα signaling, mainly by increasing acetate levels, leading to alleviating the development of obesity.

Synergetic Photo-Thermo Catalytic Hydrogen Production by Carbon Materials.

Photo-thermo catalytic hydrogen production represents one of the most promising routes for channeling solar energy but typically suffers from high reaction temperatures. In this work, we develop photo-thermo catalytic hydrogen production at low temperatures by cost-effective, nonplasmonic, and metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon materials (CNO1-x). We demonstrate that due to the photothermal conversion of CNO1-x, carrier generation is improved and electron migration is enhanced to suppress the recombination of electron-hole pairs, both of which promote hydrogen production by photocatalysis, while generated hydrogen radicals facilitate the regeneration of active sites for hydrogen production by thermocatalysis. Such synergy greatly promotes photo-thermo catalytic hydrogen production at low temperatures. These results demonstrate the great promise of photo-thermo catalytic hydrogen production over carbon materials at low temperatures.

Dry heat treatment induced the gelatinization, rheology and gel properties changes of chestnut starch.

The effects of continuous dry heat treatment (CT) and repeated dry heat treatment (RT) on gel and structural properties of chestnut starch (CS) were investigated. CT and RT both reduced the swelling degree of starch and showed significant variations in pasting viscosity, viscoelasticity, gel strength and hardness varying from high to low after dry heat treatment, and CT was lower than that of RT. Neither dry heat treatment nor gelatinization produced new functional groups, and both reduced short-range ordered degree. There were significant decrease in spin-spin relaxation time (T2) with dry heat treatment (CT and RT), which made the starch in the samples closely combine with water. These results are helpful to better understand the changes of physicochemical properties of starch gel products during dry heat treatment and provide some theoretical references for the application of CS in food industry.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol causes spermatogenesis failure in male rats via Sertoli cell dysfunction but not testosterone reduction.

3-Monochloropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), a common food contaminant, has been confirmed to impair male fertility, but the mechanism has not been fully clarified. This study systematically explored the spermatogenesis impairment induced by 3-MCPD in vivo and in vitro with a focus on Sertoli cells (SCs) and spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). After adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered 36 and 72 mg/kg b.w./day 3-MCPD daily for 4 weeks, the total sperm concentration dramatically decreased by 28.9 % and 57.7 %, respectively, and obvious testicular seminiferous tubule atrophy was observed. 3-MPCD exposure decreased serum testosterone levels but not intratesticular testosterone levels and upregulated the expression of steroidogenesis enzymes in both rat testes and primary Leydig cells. 3-MCPD did not reduce the number and self-renewal marker PLZF+ of SSCs; however, it downregulated the key meiotic genes Stra8 and Rec8 in the rat testis but not in primary germ cells. Although SC counts were not affected, 3-MCPD downregulated androgen receptor (AR) in rat testes and primary SCs. In addition, 3-MCPD downregulated p-CREB (transcription factor of AR), paracrine meiosis regulators Nrg1 and Nrg3 and retinoic acid synthetase Aldh1a1 in primary SCs. In summary, 3-MCPD caused impairment of spermatogenesis by inhibiting secretion of meiosis regulators and disturbing testosterone signalling in SCs.

Spermiogenesis toxicity of imidacloprid in rats, possible role of CYP3A4.

This study evaluated the adverse effects of low-dose imidacloprid (IMI) on the characteristics of sperm from male Wistar rats. Thirty mature male rats were equally divided into three groups and orally administered vehicle (Control Group), acceptable daily intake (ADI) concentration of IMI (Group 1), and IMI at a dose 10-fold that of the ADI (Group 2) for 90 days. The findings revealed that IMI caused abnormalities in sperm concentrations and morphologies, accompanied by an imbalance of the gonadal hormone testosterone. Histopathological damage and decrease of testosterone levels were observed in testes from rats treated with IMI. However, estradiol and gonadotropin levels were unchanged after IMI treatment. IMI inhibited the activity of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and left itself existed in the organism of rats. The indicators relating to sperms and CYP3A4 activity were recovered when rats were co-treated with IMI and CYP3A4 inducer rifampicin together. These results indicated that low-dose IMI exposure caused sperm abnormalities through affecting on the spermiogenesis in testis. Inhibition of CYP3A4 activity by IMI largely contributed to its sperm toxicity. Thus, IMI exposure at doses close to real-world settings resulted in sperm toxicity on rats, which might be a potential risk factor for human reproductive diseases.

3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol intensifies the effect of chlorpyrifos on the paracrine function of Sertoli cells by preventing binding of testosterone and the androgen receptor.

3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) is an important biomarker and one of the final metabolites of chlorpyrifos (CPF). TCP inhibits secretion of sex hormones. Similar to CPF, TCP can bind to sex steroid hormone receptors and decrease the secretion of sex hormones. However, little attention has been paid to the ability of TCP and CPF to interfere with androgen receptor (AR) in Sertoli cells. This study aimed to explain how TCP promotes the inhibitory effect of CPF on the paracrine function of Sertoli cells. Western blotting indicated that after 20 weeks of exposure, expression of AR in testes was significantly reduced by CPF. An in vitro assay measured the cytotoxicity of CPF, TCP and diethylphosphate (DEP) on viability of Sertoli cells by Cell Counting Kit-8. CPF cytotoxicity was greater than that of TCP, and TCP cytotoxicity was greater than that of DEP at concentrations of 1000 µmol/L. Western blotting indicated that TCP and CPF both decreased expression of AR and cAMP-response element binding protein phosphorylation, while DEP had no effect in Sertoli cells, which are important in regulating paracrine function of Sertoli cells. The fluorescence measurements and docking studies revealed that testosterone, CPF and TCP showed four types of intermolecular interactions with AR, highlighting alkyl bonds with some of the same amino acids. Compared with testosterone, CPF and TCP also showed significant synergistic interaction with AR. CPF interacted with more amino acids and interaction energy than TCP did. This research elucidates TCP in the antiandrogenic effect of CPF on the paracrine function and suggests that TCP or chemicals with a trichloropyridine structure must be considered during reproductive toxicity assessment of potential environmental pollutants.

Imidacloprid increases intestinal permeability by disrupting tight junctions.

The neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid (IMI), is frequently detected in the environment and in foods. It is absorbed and metabolized by the intestine; however, its effects on intestinal barrier integrity are not well studied. We investigated whether IMI disrupts the permeability of the intestinal epithelial barrier via in vivo tests on male Wistar rats, in vitro assays using the human intestinal epithelial cell line, Caco-2, and in silico analyses. A repeated oral dose 90-day toxicity study was performed (0.06 mg/kg body weight/day). IMI exposure significantly increased intestinal permeability, which led to significantly elevated serum levels of endotoxin and inflammatory biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta) without any variation in body weight. Decreased transepithelial electrical resistance with increased permeability was also observed in 100 nM and 100 µM IMI-treated Caco-2 cell monolayers. Amounts of tight junction proteins in IMI-treated colon tissues and between IMI-treated Caco-2 cells were significantly lower than those of controls. Increased levels of myosin light chain phosphorylation, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and p65 subunit of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB p65) phosphorylation were found in IMI-exposed cells compared with control cells. Furthermore, the barrier loss caused by IMI was rescued by the MLCK inhibitor, ML-7, and cycloheximide. Pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) was inhibited by low-dose IMI treatment. In silico analysis indicated potent binding sites between PXR and IMI. Together, these data illustrate that IMI induces intestinal epithelial barrier disruption and produces an inflammatory response, involving the down-regulation of tight junctions and disturbance of the PXR-NF-κB p65-MLCK signaling pathway. The intestinal barrier disruption caused by IMI deserves attention in assessing the safety of this neonicotinoid pesticide.