Effect of Serum and Oxygen on the In Vitro Culture of Hanwoo Korean Native Cattle-Derived Skeletal Myogenic Cells Used in Cellular Agriculture.

Skeletal muscle-derived myogenic cells (SKMCs) are novel protein sources capable of replacing animal meat. However, SKMCs have not been commercialized owing to poor productivity and the high cost of in vitro cell culture. Therefore, we cultured SKMCs in varying serum (5-20%) and oxygen concentrations (5-20%) to investigate the parameters that most impact cell productivity (serum, hypoxia, and culture medium) and examined cell proliferation ability and genes involved in myogenesis/proliferation/apoptosis/reactive oxygen species (ROS). In fetal bovine serum (FBS) groups, hypoxia induction doubled cell number, and the 20% FBS/normoxia group exhibited similar cell numbers as 5% FBS/5% hypoxia, confirming that 5% hypoxia reduced serum requirement by four-fold. The use of 20% FBS downregulated MTF5/MYOD1/MYOG/MYH1, whereas hypoxia induction with ≤10% FBS upregulated them. Although 20% FBS lowered TERT expression through rapid cell proliferation, NOX1, a major factor of ROS, was suppressed. DMEM/F12 demonstrated better differentiation potential than F10 by upregulating MYF3/MYOD1/MYOG/MYH1 and downregulating MSTN, particularly DMEM/F12 with 2% FBS/5% hypoxia. The myogenic fusion index was higher in DMEM/F12 without FBS than in DMEM/F12 with FBS (0.5-5%); however, the total nuclei number was reduced owing to apoptosis. Therefore, high serum levels are essential in influencing SKMC growth, followed by hypoxia as a synergistic component.

Critical Aspects of Various Techniques for Synthesizing Metal Oxides and Fabricating Their Composite-Based Supercapacitor Electrodes: A Review.

Supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted attention as an important energy source for various applications owing to their high power outputs and outstanding energy densities. The electrochemical performance of an SC device is predominantly determined by electrode materials, and thus, the selection and synthesis of the materials are crucial. Metal oxides (MOs) and their composites are the most widely used pseudocapacitive SC electrode materials. The basic requirements for fabricating high-performance SC electrodes include synthesizing and/or chemically modifying unique conducting nanostructures, optimizing a heterostructure morphology, and generating large-surface-area electroactive sites, all of which predominantly rely on various techniques used for synthesizing MO materials and fabricating MO- and MO-composite-based SC electrodes. Therefore, an SC's background and critical aspects, the challenges associated with the predominant synthesis techniques (including hydrothermal and microwave-assisted syntheses and chemical-bath and atomic-layer depositions), and resulting electrode electrochemical performances should be summarized in a convenient, accessible report to accelerate the development of materials for industrial SC applications. Therefore, we reviewed the most pertinent studies on these synthesis techniques to provide insight into the most recent advances in synthesizing MOs and fabricating their composite-based SC electrodes as well as to propose research directions for developing MO-based electrodes for applications to next-generation SCs.

Effect of black ginseng and silkworm supplementation on obesity, the transcriptome, and the gut microbiome of diet-induced overweight dogs.

Like humans, weight control in overweight dogs is associated with a longer life expectancy and a healthier life. Dietary supplements are one of the best strategies for controlling obesity and obesity-associated diseases. This study was conducted to assess the potential of black ginseng (BG) and silkworm (SW) as supplements for weight control in diet-induced overweight beagle dogs. To investigate the changes that occur in dogs administered the supplements, different obesity-related parameters, such as body condition score (BCS), blood fatty acid profile, transcriptome, and microbiome, were assessed in high energy diet (HD) and HD with BG + SW supplementation (HDT) groups of test animals. After 12 weeks of BG + SW supplementation, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were reduced in the HDT group. In the transcriptome analysis, nine genes (NUGGC, EFR3B, RTP4, ACAN, HOXC4, IL17RB, SOX13, SLC18A2, and SOX4) that are known to be associated with obesity were found to be differentially expressed between the ND (normal diet) and HD groups as well as the HD and HDT groups. Significant changes in some taxa were observed between the HD and ND groups. These data suggest that the BG + SW supplement could be developed as dietary interventions against diet-induced obesity, and obesity-related differential genes could be important candidates in the mechanism of the anti-obesity effects of the BG + SW supplement.