Anti-aging mechanism and effect of treatment with raw and wine-steamed Polygonatum sibiricum on D-galactose-induced aging in mice by inhibiting oxidative stress and modulating gut microbiota.

Background: Polygonatum sibiricum (PS) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) first recorded in Mingyi Bielu. The book documents that PS can nourish five internal organs, be taken for a long time, relax the body and prolong lifespan. Presently, PS is widely used in TCM to prevent premature graying of hair. Based on TCM theory and clinical trials, the wine steaming processed product from PS provides a better effect. However, no published study has elucidated the anti-aging mechanism. Purpose: The study aim was to investigate the anti-aging mechanism of PS and its wine steaming processed product in mice, specifically focusing on the effect of D-galactose (D-gal) surrounding the intestinal flora and the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2-antioxidant response elements (Keap1/Nrf2/ARE) pathway. Methods: The chemical components in Raw PS (RPS) and Wine-steamed PS (WPS) were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). An aging model using Kunming mice was established through intraperitoneally injected D-gal. Concentrations of RPS and WPS at 5, 10, or 15 g/kg/day levels were administered intragastrically, respectively. The body weight, liver and spleen indexes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and malondialdehyde (MDA) activities in serum and brain tissue were recorded. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained brain tissue was histopathologically examined. The expressions of Keap1, Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in the brain tissue at the mRNA and protein levels were respectively detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot (WB). Moreover, an Illumina Hiseq platform was used for 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the proportions of intestinal flora in aging mice. Results: The proportions of saccharides, flavonoids, and triterpene acids were different between RPS and WPS. In the aging model mice, WPS outperformed RPS in improving body weight and mental state by increasing the spleen index, SOD and GSH-PX activities, decreasing the liver index and MDA activities, and restoring the histopathological morphology in D-gal-induced aging mice. At the mRNA levels, RPS and WPS significantly reduced the expression of Keap1 and increased the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1. The trend in protein expressions was similar to that of the mRNA results, and WPS had a stronger effect than RPS. Fecal microbiota analysis showed that RPS and WPS restored intestinal microbiota proportions to normal levels. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that PS and its WPS had a positive effect in relieving oxidative stress in aging mice. WPS outperformed RPS, which might be related to the activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway and regulation of intestinal flora.

Photoreductive dissolution of schwertmannite loaded with Cr(VI) induced by tartaric acid.

Schwertmannite (SCH) as an adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal has been widely investigated. However, there are limited reports on photoreduction driven dissolution of SCH loaded with Cr(VI) (SCH-Cr(VI)) and the fate of Cr(VI) in the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, the effect of tartaric acid (TA) on the stability of SCH-Cr(VI) exposed to simulated solar radiation was examined. The results demonstrated that TA could greatly enhance the release of the dissolved total Fe (TFe) from SCH-Cr(VI). Conversely, the dissolved total Cr (TCr) obviously declined. Low pH promoted the liberation of TFe and TCr. The presence of ions including Al3+, Ca2+, K+ and CO32- exerted different impact on the photoreductive dissolution of SCH-Cr(VI) induced by TA. On the basis of the species distribution of iron and chromium and the characterization of the solid samples, the underlying mechanism is proposed for the transformation and the fate of Cr(VI). Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) by Fe(II) generated from Fe(III)-TAn via ligand to metal charge transfer. The produced Cr(III) was adsorbed by SCH or co-precipitates with Fe(III). Thus, this study helps us to gain an insight into the mobility and fate of Cr(VI) in acid mining drainage containing DOM, and will help design remediation strategies for Cr contamination.

The efficient degradation of sulfisoxazole by singlet oxygen (1O2) derived from activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC.

Co3O4-SnO2/rice straw biochar (RSBC) was prepared for the first time via calcining oxalate precipitation precursor dispersed on the surface of RSBC and used as a catalyst for activating PMS to degrade sulfisoxazole (SIZ). The results demonstrated that Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC possessed much better catalytic performance than Co3O4, Co3O4-SnO2, Co3O4/RSBC, and SnO2/RSBC, which is ascribed to the synergy of Co3O4, SnO2 and RSBC. Approximately 98% of SIZ (50 mg/L) was decomposed by PMS (1 mmol/L) activated with Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC (0.1 g/L) within 5 min. The optimal degradation efficiency of SIZ was realized at the initial pH 9. Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC also displayed remarkable stability and reusability, and the degradation rate of SIZ maintained over 90% even after the fifth recycle run. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique and quenching experiments proved singlet oxygen (1O2) to be the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for the SIZ decomposition in the Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC/PMS system. On the basis of the characterization analysis, the identification of the ROS and the SIZ degradation products, the possible mechanism and pathways of the SIZ degradation by a combination of PMS and Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC were further proposed. This study provides not only a new insight into non-radical mechanism for the heterogeneous activating PMS over Co3O4-SnO2/RSBC to degrade organic pollutants but also an eco-friendly synthetic route for exploring novel and efficient catalysts.

[Thinking and practice of study on material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines and their quality evaluation].

Though parched Chinese herbal medicines contain less effective or index components, their pharmacological actions do not reduce or even become improved to some extent. However, the current studies related to material basis could not explain the changes in property, flavour and efficacy of parched Chinese herbal medicines. Meanwhile, due to the lack of objective and specific evaluation indexes, the quality evaluation could not reflect features of parched Chinese herbal pieces. Therefore, how to break the bottleneck for the studies on parched Chinese herbal pieces, make further innovation and conduct in-depth studies on the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines are common problems that medical scholars are facing. According to the findings in the previous studies, the author proposed to explain the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines by studying Maillard reaction and establish specific quality evaluation indexes according to the features of parched Chinese herbal pieces, and conducted relevant studies.