In vitro assessment of the pesticide bioaccessibility in Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo.

Bioaccessibility (BA) is a crucial factor for evaluating the absorption of pollutants in the human digestion system, which is of vital importance for risk assessment of pollutants via food intake. Multi-pesticides were detected in Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale), a popular dual-use plant with both botanical medicine and food applications. Nevertheless, the BA of pesticides in D. officinale remains unknown, restricting its market size. Herein, the BA of 19 pesticides with varying properties was evaluated by using an in vitro digestion model, showing BA values between 27.4 and 96.8%. The BA was controlled by the hydrophobicity and water solubility of pesticides, since the significant correlation between these two factors and BA values was observed. Moreover, co-ingested food ingredients could influence the BA, wherein the effect was significant for pesticides of logKow values no less than 3. Lipids enhanced the BA by 9-66%, whereas proteins or carbohydrates decreased BA values by 6-28%. In particular, considering the BA, the risk quotient values were reduced by 3-73%. Clearly, this work suggested that traditional risk assessment without considering the BA would seriously overestimate the actual risk of pesticides in food.

Protective effects of Bacteroides fragilis against lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation and their potential functional genes.

Bacteroides fragilis, one of the potential next-generation probiotics, has been demonstrated to alleviate inflammation-associated diseases. In this study, we compare the anti-inflammatory effects of six Bacteroides fragilis strains on systemic inflammation and link their strain-specific characteristics, both physiologically and genetically, to their function. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation model in mice was used as an in vivo model to compare the effects of different B. fragilis strains. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The in vitro immunomodulatory properties were evaluated in LPS-stimulating RAW264.7 cell lines. Orthologous gene clusters were compared using OrthoVenn2. The results indicate a strain-specific in vitro anti-inflammatory effect. Effective strains induce higher colon SCFAs in vivo and interleukin-10 (IL-10) production in vitro. Comparative genomic analysis showed that the SCFA-inducing strains possess three genes relating to carbohydrate metabolism (GH2, GH35 families) and binding and transportation (SusD), all of which are associated with niche fitness and expansion. IL-10-inducing strains share a highly similar gene, wbjE, which may result in a distinct O-antigen structure of LPS and influence their immunomodulatory properties. B. fragilis is strain-specific against LPS-induced systemic inflammation in mice. The beneficial effects of a specific strain may be attributed to its SCFA and IL-10 inducing abilities. Strain-specific potential genes can be excavated to link these differences.

Adsorption characteristics of assembled and unassembled Ni/Cr layered double hydroxides towards methyl orange.

The lamella aggregation state of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) may affect their sorption capacity for organic compounds. The dried LDH samples (Ni/Cr LDH-FA-D and Ni/Cr LDH-H2O-D) and the undried samples (Ni/Cr LDH-FA-W and Ni/Cr LDH-H2O-W) were flexibly prepared by a co-precipitation method in formamide (FA) and water, respectively. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that the undried LDHs were unassembled, which had no the stacking layers but had a pseudohexagonal nanosheet lamella structure. And the unassembled LDH layers can be assembled again during the dry process. Ni/Cr LDH-FA-W and Ni/Cr LDH-H2O-W showed much greater adsorption capacities towards methyl orange (MO) than Ni/Cr LDH-FA-D and Ni/Cr LDH-H2O-D, as well as shorter time to reach equilibrium. The maximum adsorption capacity of MO could be calculated to 806 mg/g and 740 mg/g for Ni/Cr LDH-FA-W and Ni/Cr LDH-H2O-W by Langmuir-type simulation. The greater adsorption capacities of unassembled LDH could be attributed to the loosen structure and much more exposed adsorption sites. It could be concluded that unassembled LDHs were an effective and conducive preparation pathway for the exploration of the adsorption sites of LDHs.

A potential species of next-generation probiotics? The dark and light sides of Bacteroides fragilis in health.

Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis) is a commensal Gram-negative obligate anaerobe that resides in the mammalian lower gut and can profoundly affect the susceptibility of the host to inflammatory diseases. Previous studies have identified B. fragilis as a common opportunistic pathogen in clinical infections and suggested that it may be responsible for a range of diseases involving a permeable intestinal barrier. However, recent studies of the relationship between nontoxigenic B. fragilis and the immune system have indicated that several B. fragilis strains may be potential probiotic. In the present review, we summarize the factors influencing the intestinal abundance of B. fragilis and discuss the biological interactions between this microbe and the host. Immune system development, age, individual dietary habits, physical condition, drug intake and personal lifestyle habits can all affect the abundance of B. fragilis in the human intestine. Polysaccharide A or outer membrane vesicles from nontoxigenic B. fragilis may mediate beneficial interactions with the host, whereas enterotoxigenic B. fragilis toxin or lipopolysaccharide may stimulate colitis or even systemic inflammation. Generally, this review summarizes the biological characteristics of B. fragilis and describes future application of probiotics.

Senkyunolide H protects against MPP+-induced apoptosis via the ROS-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in PC12 cells.

Senkyunolide H (SNH) is a phthalide isolated from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. that has been reported to have several pharmacological activities, including anti-atherosclerotic, antiproliferative, and cytoprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects and potential mechanisms of SNH against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced oxidative stress. We demonstrated that SNH pretreatment significantly attenuated MPP+-induced neurotoxicity and apoptosis in PC12 cells. In addition, SNH attenuated the effect of MPP+ on the expression of the pro-apoptotic factors Bax and caspase-3. Meanwhile, SNH prevented oxidative stress by reducing reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, cytochrome C release, and malondialdehyde levels while increasing antioxidant enzyme activity (e.g., superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase). In addition, SNH inhibited nuclear accumulation of nuclear factor-κB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase and phosphorylation p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Overall, this investigation provides novel evidence that SNH exerts neuroprotective effects via the ROS-mediated MAPK pathway and represents a potential preventive or therapeutic agent for neuronal disorders.

Enhanced cytotoxic and apoptotic potential in hepatic carcinoma cells of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with ginsenoside compound K.

Ginsenoside compound K (CK) has been shown to exhibit anticancer properties. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles loaded with ginsenoside compound K (CK-NPs) were prepared as a delivery system using a self-assembly technique with amphipathic deoxycholic acid-O carboxymethyl chitosan as the carrier, which improved the water solubility of CK. By evaluating drug loading, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro release behavior, the feasibility of CK-NPs as a drug carrier nanoparticle for the treatment of human hepatic carcinoma cells (HepG2) was investigated. Result revealed that CK and CK-NPs showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 23.33 and 16.58 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, fluorescence imaging demonstrated that CK-NPs promoted cellular uptake in vitro. Therefore, all results indicated that CK-NPs might be a novel drug delivery system to improve the solubility and enhance the cytotoxic and apoptotic potentials of CK for effective liver cancer chemotherapy.

Comprehensive expression analysis suggests functional overlapping of human FOX transcription factors in cancer.

Forkhead-box (FOX) transcription factors comprise a large gene family that contains more than 50 members in man. Extensive studies have revealed that they not only have functions in control of growth and development, but also play important roles in different diseases, especially in cancer. However, biological functions for most of the members in the FOX family remain unknown. In the present study, the expression of 39 FOX genes in 48 kinds of cancer was mined from the Gene Expression Atlas database of European Bioinformatics Institute. The analysis results showed that some FOX genes demonstrate overlapping expression in various cancers, which suggests particular biological functions. The pleiotropic features of the FOX genes make them excellent candidates in efforts aimed to give medical treatment for cancers at the genetic level. The results also indicated that different FOX genes may have the synergy or antagonistics effects in the same cancers. The study provides clues for further functional analysis of FOX genes, especially for the pleiotropic biological functions and crosstalk of FOX genes in human cancers.