The preventative effects of Lactococcus Lactis metabolites against LPS-induced sepsis.

Introduction: Sepsis is a syndrome of organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and septic shock. Currently, antibiotic therapy is the standard treatment for sepsis, but it can lead to drug resistance. The disturbance of the gut microbiota which is affected by sepsis could lead to the development of organ failure. It is reported that probiotics could shape the gut microbiota, potentially controlling a variety of intestinal diseases and promoting whole-body health. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of intra- and extracellular products of probiotics on sepsis. The extracellular products of Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) were identified through the in vivo cell experiments. The preventive effect and mechanism of L. lactis extracellular products on mouse sepsis were further explored through HE staining, mouse survival rate measurement, chip analysis, etc. Results: L. lactis extracellular products increase cell survival and significantly reduce inflammatory factors secreted in a cellular sepsis model. In in vivo experiments in mice, our samples attenuated sepsis-induced pulmonary edema and inflammatory infiltrates in the lungs of mice, and reduced mortality and inflammatory factor levels within the serum of mice. Finally, the mechanism of sepsis prevention by lactic acid bacteria is suggested. Extracellular products of L. lactis could effectively prevent sepsis episodes. Discussion: In animal experiments, we reported that extracellular products of L. lactis can effectively prevent sepsis, and preliminarily discussed the pathological mechanism, which provides more ideas for the prevention of sepsis. In the future, probiotics may be considered a new way to prevent sepsis.

Evaluation of the Effects of e-Cigarette Aerosol Extracts and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Extracts on RAW264.7 Cells.

With the advancement of society, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have gained popularity among a growing number of individuals. While numerous toxicological studies have suggested that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, there is also a body of literature presenting contrasting findings. This in vitro study aimed to compare the effects of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes (t-cigarettes) on RAW264.7 cells by using four e-cigarette aerosol extracts (ECA) and cigarette smoking extracts (CS) containing different nicotine concentrations. The results revealed that low concentration of nicotine in CS as well as in ECA with grape, watermelon, and cola flavors could promote cell viability. Conversely, high nicotine concentration in CS and ECA with four flavors decreased cell viability. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that CS significantly reduced the phagocytic capability of RAW264.7 cells and increased the levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to ECA. Overall, our findings indicate all four e-cigarettes induced less cytotoxicity to RAW264.7 cells and might be safer than t-cigarettes.

Ionic COF Composite Membranes for Selective Perfluoroalkyl Substances Separation.

High-performance membranes are critical to membrane separation technology. In recent years, 2D covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) have attracted extensive attention in the field of membrane separation due to their high porosity, ordered channels, and fine-tuned pore sizes, which are considered as excellent candidate to solve the trade-off between membrane selectivity and permeability. Herein, two kinds of ionic 2D COFs with different charge properties (termed as iCOFs) are integrated into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) substrates to form two composite membranes (PAN@iCOFs) with excellent selective perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) separation performance with high solvent permeability and good mechanical properties. The as-prepared PAN@iCOFs composite membranes can selectively reject more than 99.0% of positively and negatively charged PFASs in wastewater while maintaining good stability and recyclability.

A comparative assessment of e-cigarette aerosol extracts and tobacco cigarette smoke extracts on in vitro endothelial cell inflammation response.

With the development of the times, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being received by more and more people. We compared the different effects of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with the typical e-cigarette aerosol extracts (ECA) and cigarette smoking extracts (CS) sourced from commercial retail stores. HUVECs were treated with different kinds of ECA or CS with different nicotinic concentrations (0.03125, 0.125, 0.5, 2, 8, or 32 µg/mL). Cell viability was examined by the MTT assay. The cell apoptosis was investigated by acridine orange (AO) and Hoechst 33258 staining. The RT-PCR and western blot assays were used to analyze the adhesion molecules and inflammation cytokines released by HUVECs. Furthermore, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Our data showed that the CS (nicotine concentration at 0.125 µg/mL could decrease the viability of HUVECs by 71%, but not the four kinds of ECA. The apoptotic ratio was about 32.5% in the CS group. No matter the levels of adhesion molecules, inflammation cytokines or ROS, they were higher in CS groups than in ECA groups. Overall, the four kinds of e-cigarettes induced significantly less cytotoxicity than the commercially available tobacco cigarettes in HUVECs. The CS showed the most severe impact on HUVECs. ECA might provide a harm reduction measure, especially in cardiovascular risk, after people switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes.