Betaine hydrochloride addition in Bama mini-pig's diets during gestation and lactation enhances immunity and alters intestine microbiota of suckling piglets.

BACKGROUND: Maternal nutrition during gestation and lactation is essential for offspring's health. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of betaine hydrochloride addition to sow diets during gestation and lactation on suckling piglet's immunity and intestine microbiota composition. Forty Bama mini-pigs were randomly allocated into two groups and fed a basal diet (control group) and a basal diet supplemented with 3.50 kg ton-1 betaine hydrochloride (betaine group) from day 3 after mating to day 21 of lactation. After 21 days of the delivery, 12 suckling piglets from each group with similar body weight were selected for sample collection. RESULTS: The results showed that maternal betaine hydrochloride addition decreased (P < 0.05) the plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in suckling piglets. Furthermore, dietary betaine hydrochloride addition in sow diets increased (P < 0.05) the villus height (VH) and VH to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum and ileum of suckling piglets. In the piglets' intestinal microbiota community, the relative abundances of Roseburia (P < 0.05) and Clostridium (P = 0.059) were lower in the betaine group compared to those in the control group. Moreover, betaine hydrochloride addition in sow diets decreased the colonic tyramine (P = 0.091) and skatole (P = 0.070) concentrations in suckling piglets. CONCLUSION: Betaine hydrochloride addition in sow diets enhanced the intestinal morphology, improved immunity, and altered intestinal microbiota of suckling piglets. These findings indicated that betaine hydrochloride addition in sow diets during gestation and lactation will impact suckling piglets' health. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Food, Acid Supplementation and Drug Absorption - a Complicated Gastric Mix: a Randomized Control Trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of food on gastric pH and the ability of over the counter betaine hydrochloride (BHCl) acid to reacidify gastric pH after food-induced elevations in gastric pH. METHODS: This open-label cross over clinical study (NCT02758015) included 9 subjects who were randomly assigned to one of 16 possible, 4-period cross-over sequences to determine the impact and relationship of food and gastric pH with acid supplementation. Subjects were administered various doses (1500 mg, 3000 mg and 4500 mg) of betaine hydrochloride (BHCl) to determine the ability of acid supplementation to reacidify gastric pH after the elevation of gastric pH caused by the ingestion of food. RESULTS: Following the administration of food and the resulting elevation in gastric pH, time to return to baseline gastric pH levels without acid supplementation was 49.7 ± 14.0 min. Administering 4500 mg of BHCl acid in capsules was able to reacidify gastric pH levels back to baseline following the administration of food in approximately 17.3 ± 5.9 min. AUCpH of each treatment were similar and not statistically different. Mean max pH following the administration of food was 3.20 ± 0.55. CONCLUSION: The ability of food to elevate and maintain gastric pH levels in the presence of acid supplementation was made evident throughout the study. A 4500 mg dose of BHCl was required to reacidify gastric pH after the administration of food. This study details the difficulty faced by clinicians in dosing a poorly soluble, weakly basic drug to patients receiving acid reducing agents where administration with food is recommended to avoid gastric side effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02758015.

Creating a Framework for Treating Autoimmune Gastritis-The Case for Replacing Lost Acid.

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is characterized by the destruction of gastric parietal cells, resulting in hypochlorhydria and eventual achlorhydria, as oxyntic glands in the corpus are destroyed and become atrophic. The permanent loss of gastric acid has many impacts-both theoretical and documented. The most concerning of these are hypergastrinemia and increased N-nitroso compounds, both of which increase the risk of gastric cancers. While known deficiencies of B12 and iron are often replaced in AIG, acid is not. Moreover, patients with AIG are often prescribed acid suppression for a stomach that is decidedly no longer acidic, worsening the sequelae of gastric atrophy. Betaine hydrochloride (BHCL) is a short-acting acidifying agent, available over the counter in capsule form. Mealtime acid supplementation has an historic basis and could ameliorate many AIG-related gastrointestinal symptoms. Theoretically, acidification could also reduce the potential for hypergastrinemia and the production of N-nitroso compounds, consequently reducing the risk of gastric cancers. Supplemental vitamin C may also help in preventing gastric N-nitroso formation, regardless of the gastric pH. This narrative review describes the functions of gastric acid in gastrointestinal and immune health, documents the effects of hypochlorhydria in AIG, and proposes potential options for safely re-establishing the acid milieu of the stomach for patients with AIG.

Engineering chitosan into fully bio-sourced, water-soluble and enhanced antibacterial poly(aprotic/protic ionic liquid)s packaging membrane.

The design and facile preparation of water-soluble and eco-friendly polymer packaging membrane materials is a fascinating research topic, particularly in terms of the increasing concerns on potential microplastics pollution in ecosystem. In this study, taking advantages of the structural features of chitosan (CS) and betaine hydrochloride (BHC), fully bio-sourced and water-soluble poly(aprotic/protic ionic liquid)s (PAPILs) were successfully designed and prepared through the reaction of the amino groups in CS and carboxyl groups in BHC. The structure and thermo-properties of the PAPILs were elucidated by a series of characteristic methods. The rheological properties of the PAPILs aqueous solutions were also investigated. Moreover, water-soluble PAPILs membrane with a smooth surface morphology and a tensile strength of 62.9 MPa was successfully prepared. The PAPILs membrane also exhibited satisfactory biocompatibility, excellent antibacterial activities and high oxygen barrier property. Together with these outstanding material performance and functionality, as a "proof of concept", the potential use of the PAPILs membrane as water-soluble packaging material for laundry detergent capsule and pesticide was preliminarily demonstrated. These findings provide significant insights for the design of sustainable and functional packaging materials by using natural resources.

Extraction of precious metals from used lithium-ion batteries by a natural deep eutectic solvent with synergistic effects.

As the demand for lithium-ion batteries rises, the growing quantity of waste produced from lithium-ion battery electrode materials becomes an issue of concern. We propose a novel approach for effectively extracting precious metals from cathode materials that address the problem of secondary pollution and high energy consumption that arise from the conventional wet recovery process. The method employs a natural deep eutectic solvent (NDES) composed of betaine hydrochloride (BeCl) and citric acid (CA). The leaching rates of manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lithium (Li), and cobalt (Co) in cathode materials may reach 99.2 %, 99.1 %, 99.8 %, and 98.8 %, respectively, due to the synergy of strong coordination ability (Cl-) and reduction (CA) in NDES. This work avoids the use of hazardous chemicals while achieving total leaching in a short period (30 min) at a low temperature (80 °C), achieving an efficient and energy-saving aim. It reveals that NDES has a high potential for recovering precious metals from cathode materials and offers a viable, environmentally friendly method of recycling used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Highly effective synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from lignocellulosic biomass over a green and one-pot reaction in biphasic system.

In this study, different types of lignocellulosic biomas were used as substrates for the conversion to 5-HMF via biphasic reaction system that is composed of a reaction phase (aqueous phase) and an extraction phase (organic phase) under the catalysis of various metal salts. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl, aqueous choline chloride, aqueous betaine hydrochloride, and ethylamine hydrochloride were used as the reaction phase in the combination of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as organic solvents. The highest yields of 5-HMF obtained from pineapple stems in reactions with DES were 40.98%, 37.26%, and 23.44% for ChCl:Lac, ChCl:OA, and EaCl:Lac, respectively. Moreover, the combination of dimethyl sulfoxide, betaine hydrochloride aqueous solution, and AlCl3·6H2O with the pineapple stem conversion system resulted in a maximum yield of 61.04% ± 0.55% of 5-HMF. This study also demonstrated that AlCl3·6H2O and betaine hydrochloride could be effectively reused four times, which indicates a green and effective process.

Micro-/Nanofibrillated Cellulose-Based Coating Formulations: A Solution for Improving Paper Printing Quality.

The use of micro-/nanofibrillated celluloses (M/NFCs) is often considered for the enhancement of paper properties, while it is still challenging to use them in lower weight gain coatings. This work explores how they might be used on the paper surface to improve the printing quality. In this regard, M/NFCs were produced using different pre-treatment methods, including mechanical (m-MFC), enzymatic (e-MFC), TEMPO-mediated oxidation (t-NFC) and cationization (c-NFC), and uniform coating formulations were developed through the cooking of starch and M/NFCs simultaneously. The formulations, at 6-8% of total solid concentration, were applied to the paper surface by roll coating, resulting in a dry coating weight of 1.5 to 3 g/m2. Besides M/NFCs, other components such as starch betainate (a cationic starch ester; SB), Pluronics® (a triblock co-polymer), precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and betaine hydrochloride (BetHCl) were also used in the M/NFC-based coating formulations to observe their combined influence on the printing quality. The presence of M/NFCs improved the paper printing quality, which was further enhanced by the increase in cationic charge density due to the presence of BetHCl/SB, and also by Pluronics®. The cationic charge of c-NFC was also found to be effective for improving the gamut area and optical density of coated papers, whereas whiteness was often reduced due to the quenching of the brightening agent. BetHCl, on the other hand, improved the printing quality of the coated papers, even though it was more effective when combined with M/NFCs, PCC and Pluronics®, and also helped to retain paper whiteness.

A green approach to starch modification by solvent-free method with betaine hydrochloride.

In this study, a novel simple and eco-efficient, semi-dry method with a spray system for starch modification has been developed. Compared to conventional semi-dry methods, this method does not use solvents so that no slurry or semi-liquid mixture is obtained, the material is in a moisted/semi-moisted state. The modification of starch was performed using betaine hydrochloride (BHC) as the cationic reagent, and the characteristics of such starch derivates were compared with cationic starches obtained using glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC). Due to the instability, toxicity, and high cost of the most commonly used GTMAC, it should be replaced with more eco-friendly reagents, such as BHC, which is derived from betaine found in most green plants (e.g., spinach - Spinacia oleracea, beets - Beta vulgaris). The influence of processing conditions such as temperature, concentration of cationic reagents, presence and concentration of natural plasticizers/catalyst on physico-chemical and structural properties of cationic starches have also been studied. The cationic degree varied from 0.045-0.204 for the starch-BHC samples and within the range of 0.066-0.245 for the starch-GTMAC samples. The modification of starch with cationic reagents resulted in an increased solubility and swelling capacity, followed by decreased viscosity of the modified starches.