Assessing the in vivo ameliorative effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus KLDS1.0901 for induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment.

Reputed as a significant metabolic disorder, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by high-fat deposits in the liver and causes substantial economic challenges to any country's workforce. Previous studies have indicated that some lactic acid bacteria may effectively prevent or treat NAFLD. Overall, L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 protected against HFD-induced NAFLD by improving liver characteristics and modulating microbiota composition, and thus could be a candidate for improving NAFLD. This study aimed to assess the protective effects of L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 on a high-fat diet(HFD)-induced NAFLD. First, hepatic lipid profile and histological alterations were determined to study whether L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 could ameliorate NAFLD. Then, the intestinal permeability and gut barrier were explored. Finally, gut microbiota was analyzed to elucidate the mechanism from the insights of the gut-liver axis. The results showed that Lactobacillus KLDS1.0901 administration significantly decreased body weight, Lee's index body, fat rate, and liver index. L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 administration significantly improved lipid profiles by decreasing the hepatic levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and by increasing the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. A conspicuous decrease of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum was observed after L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 administration. Meanwhile, the H&E and Oil Red O-stained staining showed that L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 significantly reduced liver lipid accumulation of HFD-fed mice by decreasing the NAS score and lipid area per total area. Our results showed that L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 administration decreased the interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations accompanied by the increase of interleukin-10 (IL-10). L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 administration could improve the intestinal barrier function by upregulating the mRNA levels of occludin, claudin-1, ZO-1, and Muc-2, which were coupled to the decreases of the concentration of LPS and D-lactic acid. Notably, L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 administration modulated the gut microbiota to a near-normal pattern. Hence, our results suggested that L. acidophilus KLDS1.0901 can be used as a candidate to ameliorate NAFLD.

Efficient imaging based on P - and N-codoped carbon dots for tracking division and viability assessment of lactic acid bacteria.

Assessment of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) activity plays a key role in the fermented food industry. Fluorescence imaging method based on dye is facile to detect LAB viability. However, it is difficult to obtain stable fluorescence, non-toxic and low-cost dyes. In this study, we prepare P- and N-doped carbon dots (PN-CDs) via microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis. The properties of high quantum yield (60.36%) and excitation dependence allowed for multicolor imaging of LAB (Lactobacillus plantarum [L.p] and Streptococcus thermophilus [S.t]). The abundant functional groups and positive charges (+2.34 mV) on the surface of PN-CDs facilitated their quickly integrated into cell wall of live LAB with obvious fluorescence or into dead cells. As a result, PN-CDs can not only be used to rapidly and efficiently monitor bacterial viability (one minute), but can also be used to visualize LAB division using fluorescence imaging. Importantly, the PN-CDs have potential to rapidly detect LAB activity in LAB-fermented juices.

Ultrasonic-microwave synergistic supramolecular solvent liquid-liquid microextraction of trace biogenic amines in fish and beer based on solidification of floating organic droplet.

It is important to detect the presence of biogenic amines (BAs) as indicators of food freshness. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel ultrasonic-microwave synergistic supramolecular solvent liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet (UMS-SUPRAS-SFO-LLME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of BAs. The physical properties and microstructure of SUPRAS based on 1-dodecanol and tetrahydrofuran were studied, and the extraction conditions such as the SUPRAS volume, the UMS process, and the centrifugal conditions were optimized. The results for the extraction kinetics and thermodynamics showed that UMS-SUPRAS-SFO-LLME is a spontaneous, endothermic diffusion process. The linear ranges of this method are 0.1-2.0 × 105 ng·mL-1 (R2 > 0.994), the limits of detection are 4.0 × 10-3-6.0 × 10-2 ng·mL-1, and the recoveries were 96.28-103.15%. Compared with existing analysis methods, UMS-SUPRAS-SFO-LLME is a sensitive, green and economical sample pretreatment method for analyzing the enrichment of BAs in beer and fish.

Hyperbranched polymer drug delivery treatment for lung metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma in nude mice.

Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is associated with a high rate of lung metastasis. When lung metastasis occurs, the effects of traditional chemotherapy on SACC are poor. Hyperbranched polymer drug delivery (degradable hyperbranched polyglycerols, dHPGs) can be used as a strategy to load several drugs, and obtain beneficial effects on SACC lung metastasis through enhanced permeability and retention. In the present study, hydroxycamptothecin (HPT)-conjugated dHPG (dHPG-HPT) was synthesized and its effects on SACC xenografts in the lungs of nude mice were evaluated. SACC cells with a high potential for pulmonary metastasis (SACC-LM cells) were injected into the tail vein of mice, establishing a nude mouse model. The mice were randomly divided into the three following groups: Control, HPT and dHPG-HPT. Saline (control), HPT or dHPG-HPT were injected into the mice. After two weeks, the mice were euthanized and their lungs were removed. The lungs were paraffin-embedded for hematoxylin and eosin, and immunohistochemical staining analyses. Primary antibodies directed against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) were used. Gross observation demonstrated that the volumes of SACC lung metastasis nodules were significantly decreased in the dHPG-HPT group compared with the control and HPT groups. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a lower expression of VEGF, CD34, PCNA and MMP9 in the dHPG-HPT group. The results of the current study suggest that dHPG-HPT can suppress the growth of SACC xenografts in nude mice, providing a theoretical basis for macromolecular drug delivery-based treatment of SACC.