Shotgun lipidomics reveals the changes in phospholipids of brown rice during accelerated aging.

Brown rice exhibits higher nutritional value and attracts more and more attentions; however, the change in phospholipid molecular species in brown rice during aging is poorly understood. In this study, shotgun lipidomics was employed to investigate the changes in phospholipid molecular species in four brown rice varieties (two japonica rice and two indica rice) during accelerated aging. A total of 64 phospholipid molecular species were identified, and most of them were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. For japonica rice, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) gradually decreased during accelerated aging. However, the content of PC, PE, and PG in indica rice showed no difference during accelerated aging. Significantly different phospholipid molecular species from four brown rice were screened during accelerated aging. Based on these significantly different phospholipids, the metabolic pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism during accelerated aging were depicted. The findings from this study could be helpful in explaining the impact of accelerated aging on phospholipids of brown rice, and offer an understanding on relationships between phospholipids degradation and brown rice deterioration.

Lipidomics and volatilomics reveal the changes in lipids and their volatile oxidative degradation products of brown rice during accelerated aging.

Brown rice exhibits higher nutritional value and attracts more and more attentions; however, lipid alteration in brown rice during aging is poorly understood. In this study, lipidomics and volatilomics were employed to investigate free fatty acids, triglycerides, and volatile oxidative degradation products of lipids in brown rice during accelerated aging for 70 days. The results showed that the total free fatty acids in brown rice increased significantly (2.90-4.14 times) while triglycerides decreased remarkably at the initial stage of aging. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated aldehydes, ketones, and acids increased obviously in brown rice during accelerated aging for 70 days. The screening of significantly different compounds indicated that the enzymatic hydrolysis of triglycerides (EHT) and enzymatic oxidation of lipids (EOL) were the main biochemical behaviors at the initial stage of aging (0-28 day) while automatic oxidation of lipids (AOL) was the primary chemical reaction for 28-70 days aging.

A dual-mode immunosensing strategy for prostate specific antigen detection: Integration of resonance Raman scattering and photoluminescence properties of ZnS:Mn2+ nanoprobes.

Luminescence-based methods are widely used for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA), for example during the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, the accuracy of these methods is sub-optimal. The aim of this study was to develop an accurate and sensitive dual-mode immunosensing technique using a combination of resonance Raman scattering (RRS) and photoluminescence (PL) signals for the detection of PSA. A ZnS:Mn2+ nanoprobe was used as the signal reporter, which exhibits both multi-phonon RRS and PL properties. The RRS signal intensity at 348 cm-1 and the PL signal intensity at 590 nm were used for the quantitative assay of PSA. The reproducibility, selectivity and specificity of this dual-mode immunosensing strategy demonstrated an improvement compared with commercial PSA ELISA kits in the analysis of serum samples. Therefore, the RRS-PL immunosensing technique developed in this study shows potential as a reliable technique to be used in the clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Upconversion luminescence-infrared absorption nanoprobes for the detection of prostate-specific antigen.

Aiming to the ongoing challenge of accurate and sensitive detection for cancer biomarkers, antibody-functionalized NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+@SiO2 nanorods were developed as upconversion luminescence (UCL)-infrared absorption (IRA) nanoprobes. Benefiting from the shielding effect of the SiO2 shell, an enhanced UCL was achieved. Additionally, an IRA detection signal was introduced by the Si-O-Si bonds of SiO2. Its mutual verification with UCL signal was favorable for ensuring the accuracy of the assay. A UCL-IRA sandwich detection method was established for the detection of the prostate-specific antigen. The UCL intensity at 542 nm and IRA at 1095 cm-1 were chosen for quantitative assay. The method has high sensitivity (0.05 pg mL-1) and selectivity. The range of detection (200 fg mL-1-200 ng mL-1) was singnificantly broadened compared with that of single-readout UCL or IRA detection. The assay performance of human serum samples demonstrated the practicability of the method in clinical cancer diagnosis. Graphical abstract.

Resonance Raman scattering-infrared absorption dual-mode immunosensing for carcinoembryonic antigen based on ZnO@SiO2 nanocomposites.

Detection of cancer biomarkers is crucial for the diagnosis and monitoring of malignant tumors. However, the accuracy and sensitivity still require sufficient improvement for practically clinical application. In this work, a reliable and sensitive dual-mode immunosensing method is described for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection using a biofunctional ZnO@SiO2 nanocomposite as a resonance Raman scattering (RRS)-infrared (IR) absorption nanoprobe. The multiphonon RRS signal originating from the ZnO and the characteristic IR fingerprint signal of the transverse optical and longitudinal optical phonon modes of the asymmetric stretching of Si-O-Si bonds showed no interference with each other. A CEA antibodies-immobilized substrate was fabricated to capture the analyte/nanoprobe complexes. The RRS intensity at 569 cm‒1 and the IR absorption at 1061 cm‒1 were used for quantitative analysis. Accurate CEA detection was performed as a result of the strong resistance of the dual-mode nanoprobe to surrounding interference. The limit of detection was 98.0 fg mL‒1. The detection range was 500 ng mL‒1 - 50 fg mL‒1, which is wider than those of single-mode RRS or IR absorption immunosensings. High reproducibility, selectivity and specificity were achieved. The assay performance of human serum samples demonstrated the practicability of the method in clinical cancer diagnosis.

Dual effects of [Tyr(6)]-gamma2-MSH(6-12) on pain perception and in vivo hyperalgesic activity of its analogues.

[Tyr(6)]-gamma2-MSH(6-12) with a short effecting time of about 20 min is one of the most potent rMrgC receptor agonists. To possibly increase its potency and metabolic stability, a series of analogues were prepared by replacing the Tyr(6) residue with the non-canonical amino acids 3-(1-naphtyl)-L-alanine, 4-fluoro-L-phenylalanine, 4-methoxy-L-phenylalanine and 3-nitro-L-tyrosine. Dose-dependent nociceptive assays performed in conscious rats by intrathecal injection of the MSH peptides showed [Tyr(6)]-gamma2-MSH(6-12) hyperalgesic effects at low doses (5-20 nmol) and analgesia at high doses (100-200 nmol). This analgesic activity is fully reversed by the kyotorphin receptor-specific antagonist Leu-Arg. For the two analogues containing in position 6, 4-fluoro-L-phenylalanine and 3-nitro-L-tyrosine, a hyperalgesic activity was not observed, while the 3-(1-naphtyl)-L-alanine analogue at 10 nmol dose was found to induce hyperalgesia at a potency very similar to gamma2-MSH(6-12), but with longer duration of the effect. Finally, the 4-methoxy-L-phenylalanine analogue (0.5 nmol) showed greatly improved hyperalgesic activity and prolonged effects compared to the parent [Tyr(6)]-gamma2-MSH(6-12) compound.