Molecular and biochemical investigations of the anti-fatigue effects of tea polyphenols and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. on mice with exercise-induced fatigue.

Background: The molecular mechanisms regulating the therapeutic effects of plant-based ingredients on the exercise-induced fatigue (EIF) remain unclear. The therapeutic effects of both tea polyphenols (TP) and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum (LR) on mouse model of EIF were investigated. Methods: The variations in the fatigue-related biochemical factors, i.e., lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in mouse models of EIF treated with TP and LR were determined. The microRNAs involved in the therapeutic effects of TP and LR on the treatment of mice with EIF were identified using the next-generation sequencing technology. Results: Our results revealed that both TP and LR showed evident anti-inflammatory effect and reduced oxidative stress. In comparison with the control groups, the contents of LDH, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and IL-2 were significantly decreased and the contents of SOD were significantly increased in the experimental groups treated with either TP or LR. A total of 23 microRNAs (21 upregulated and 2 downregulated) identified for the first time by the high-throughput RNA sequencing were involved in the molecular response to EIF in mice treated with TP and LR. The regulatory functions of these microRNAs in the pathogenesis of EIF in mice were further explored based on Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses with a total of over 20,000-30,000 target genes annotated and 44 metabolic pathways enriched in the experimental groups based on GO and KEGG databases, respectively. Conclusion: Our study revealed the therapeutic effects of TP and LR and identified the microRNAs involved in the molecular mechanisms regulating the EIF in mice, providing strong experimental evidence to support further agricultural development of LR as well as the investigations and applications of TP and LR in the treatment of EIF in humans, including the professional athletes.

Development and application of a field knowledge graph and search engine for pavement engineering.

Integrated, timely data about pavement structures, materials and performance information are crucial for the continuous improvement and optimization of pavement design by the engineering research community. However, at present, pavement structures, materials and performance information in China are relatively isolated and cannot be integrated and managed. This results in a waste of a large amount of effective information. One of the significant development trends of pavement engineering is to collect, analyze, and manage the knowledge assets of pavement information to realize intelligent decision-making. To address these challenges, a knowledge graph (KG) is adopted, which is a novel and effective knowledge management technology and provides an ideal technical method to realize the integration of information in pavement engineering. First, a neural network model is used based on the principle of deep learning to obtain knowledge. On this basis, the relationship between knowledge is built from siloed databases, data in textual format and networks, and the knowledge base. Second, KG-Pavement is presented, which is a flexible framework that can integrate and ingest heterogeneous pavement engineering data to generate knowledge graphs. Furthermore, the index and unique constraints on attributes for knowledge entities are proposed in KG-Pavement, which can improve the efficiency of internal retrieval in the system. Finally, a pavement information search engine based on a knowledge graph is constructed to realize information interaction and target information matching between a webpage server and graph database. This is the first successful application of knowledge graphs in pavement engineering. This will greatly promote knowledge integration and intelligent decision-making in the domain of pavement engineering.

Microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis of chlorella vulgaris and polypropylene: Characteristic and product distribution analyses.

The co-pyrolysis characteristics and product yield of Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and polypropylene (PP) under different mixing ratios (10:0, 8:2, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, 2:8 and 0:10) were studied by microwave oven. Then the effects of different graphite (GP) additions (10%, 20%, 30% and 40%) on the optimum mixing ratio of CV and PP were investigated. The composition of bio-oil was analyzed by GC-MS. The results indicated that the C8P2 (CV/PP = 8:2) group had the best pyrolysis characteristics. The maximum weight loss rate (Rm) and average weight loss rate (Rv) of the C8P2 with 30% GP addition achieved the peak value. In the absence of GP, compared with C10P0 group, the contents of nitrogen compounds in bio-oil of the C8P2 group decreased by 21.58%. After adding GP to the C8P2 group, the nitrogen compounds in bio-oil of 30% GP group was 1.93% lower than that in 0% GP group.

Microwave catalytic co-pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris and high density polyethylene over activated carbon supported monometallic: Characteristics and bio-oil analysis.

Activated carbon (AC) has attracted much attention owing to its low cost and abundant sources. In this paper, three monometallic supported catalysts were prepared using AC as support (Ce/AC, Fe/AC, Ni/AC), and the effects of three catalysts on the microwave co-pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) with high density polyethylene (HDPE) were studied. The results showed that the co-pyrolysis characteristics of C. vulgaris/HDPE = 1:1 (C1HP1) were significantly improved by three catalysts at high additions (>20 %). Among them, the C1HP1 group with 50 % Fe/AC addition had the shortest co-pyrolysis reaction time (2901 s). Besides, Ce/AC and Fe/AC have a promoting effect on bio-oil yields, while Ni/AC has an inhibiting effect. The maximum bio-oil yield (25.6 %) was obtained under 40 % addition of Fe/AC. Moreover, Ce/AC obtained the highest hydrocarbons content (66.68 %), while Fe/AC obtained the highest aromatic hydrocarbons content (36.64 %). Additionally, Ce/AC had the highest deoxygenation efficiency (47.33 %) and denitrification efficiency (42.28 %).

Sauchinone alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis via NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1/NF-kB pathway and gut microbiota.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of sauchinone on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice model and investigated the underlying mechanisms of the downstream pathway and gut microbiota. Methods: The UC mice model was induced by DSS. The disease phenotypes were determined through pathological symptoms (body weight and disease activity index score), inflammation markers (histological and inflammatory factor detections), and colonic mucosal barrier damage (detection of tight junction proteins). The level of the NF-κB pathway was detected through marker proteins. Database and bioinformatics analyses were used to predict sauchinone-mediated downstream molecules that were previously identified by expression analysis. Mouse feces were collected to detect the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: In DSS-induced UC mice, sauchinone alleviated pathological symptoms, inhibited inflammation, and prevented mucosal barrier damage. Sauchinone further inhibited the NF-κB pathway by upregulating NAD (P) H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 (NQO1) in DSS-induced UC mice. Moreover, sauchinone regulated the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota in mice, stimulating the growth of Firmicutes and inhibiting the growth of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Conclusion: Therefore, sauchinone exerted therapeutic effects on UC in mice by regulating the NQO1/NF-κB pathway and altering the gut microbiota. This provides a theoretical basis for developing sauchinone as a therapeutic agent and extends our understanding of its bioactivity.

MicroRNAs Involved in the Therapeutic Functions of Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Fruit Juice in the Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis in Mice Induced with Monosodium Urate.

We investigated the functions of microRNAs in the therapeutic effects of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit juice on mouse models of acute gouty arthritis induced with monosodium urate (MSU). Compared with the model group (treated with MSU), mice in both the positive control group (treated with both MSU and colchicine) and noni fruit juice group (treated with MSU and noni fruit juice) showed a significantly decreased degree of paw swelling in 5 days, as well as the contents of two types of proinflammatory cytokines (i.e., NALP3 and TNF-α). Based on the next-generation sequencing technology, a total of 3896 microRNAs (234 known and 3662 novel) were identified in mice treated with noni fruit juice. A large amount of differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the noni fruit juice group, suggesting the significant effects of noni fruit juice on the mice with acute gouty arthritis, while the different patterns of change in the numbers of both upregulated and downregulated miRNAs in both noni fruit juice and positive control groups indicated that the mice of acute gouty arthritis may be regulated by differential mechanisms between the treatments of noni fruit juice and colchicine. The target genes of microRNAs involved in the pathogenesis and pathology of acute gouty arthritis in mice were identified and further annotated by both Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Our results revealed the therapeutic effects of noni fruit juice on acute gouty arthritis in mice with a group of microRNAs involved in the pharmacological mechanisms of noni fruit juice, providing scientific evidence to support both the agricultural cultivation and pharmacological significance of noni plants.