Konjac glucomannan-based highly antibacterial active films loaded with thyme essential oil through bacterial cellulose nanofibers/Ag nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsions.

The aim of this study was to develop novel konjac glucomannan (KGM)-based highly antibacterial active films, where five types of films were prepared and compared. The microstructure results showed that KGM-based films loaded with thyme essential oil (TEO) through bacterial cellulose nanofibers/Ag nanoparticles (BCNs/Ag nanoparticles) stabilized Pickering emulsions (Type V films) displayed the smoothest surface and the most evenly dispersed TEO droplets as compared with the other four types of films. Moreover, Type V films showed the highest contact angle value (86.28°), the best thermal stability and mechanical properties. Furthermore, Type V films presented the highest total phenol content (13.23 mg gallic acid equivalent/g film) and the best antioxidant activity (33.96 %) as well as the best sustained-release property, thus showing the best antibacterial activity, which was probably due to that BCNs/Ag nanoparticles and TEO displayed a synergistic effect to some extent. Consequently, Type V film-forming solutions were used as coatings for tangerines. The results showed that the tangerines treated with Type V coatings displayed excellent fresh-keeping properties. Therefore, the coatings, KGM-based film-forming solutions loaded with TEO through BCNs/Ag nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsions, have great potential for the preservation of fruits and vegetables.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis of probiotic jujube juice and its anti-obesity effects on high-fat-diet-induced obese mice.

BACKGROUND: Dietary intervention, including polyphenol consumption, is recognized as an effective strategy to prevent obesity. Although fermented jujube juice (FJJ) with lactic acid bacteria has been shown to be rich in polyphenols and have strong antioxidant properties, little is known about its anti-obesity properties. RESULTS: Untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify and analyze the differential metabolites between FJJ and raw jujube juice. A total of 431 metabolites belonging to diverse classes and with various functional active ingredients were quantitatively identified. The animal experiments results showed that FJJ administration for 13 weeks significantly inhibited high-fat-diet-induced body and epididymal adipose weight gain, and improved the serum lipid parameters in obese mice. Additionally, DNA-sequencing results revealed that FJJ treatment increased Akkermansia abundance in the gut and changed the composition of fecal microbiota by decreasing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and Helicobacter pylori abundance. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that FJJ contributes to regulating lipid accumulation and gut microbiota composition in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice, which helps to prevent obesity. Hence, FJJ has the potential to be a beneficial beverage for controlling obesity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comprehensive review of polyphenol oxidase in tea (Camellia sinensis): Physiological characteristics, oxidation manufacturing, and biosynthesis of functional constituents.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a metalloenzyme with a type III copper core that is abundant in nature. As one of the most essential enzymes in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), the further regulation of PPO is critical for enhancing defensive responses, cultivating high-quality germplasm resources of tea plants, and producing tea products that are both functional and sensory qualities. Due to their physiological and pharmacological values, the constituents from the oxidative polymerization of PPO in tea manufacturing may serve as functional foods to prevent and treat chronic non-communicable diseases. However, current knowledge of the utilization of PPO in the tea industry is only available from scattered sources, and a more comprehensive study is required to reveal the relationship between PPO and tea obviously. A more comprehensive review of the role of PPO in tea was reported for the first time, as its classification, catalytic mechanism, and utilization in modulating tea flavors, compositions, and nutrition, along with the relationships between PPO-mediated enzymatic reactions and the formation of functional constituents in tea, and the techniques for the modification and application of PPO based on modern enzymology and synthetic biology are summarized and suggested in this article.

Therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum JS19 on mice with dextran sulfate sodium induced acute and chronic ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis is associated with intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis. Previous studies have shown that probiotics are potential agents for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Jiang-shui is a traditional fermented vegetable that is rich in lactic acid bacteria (LABs), but the preventive effect of LABs in jiang-shui on IBD is not yet fully understood. RESULTS: We isolated 38 LAB strains from jiang-shui, and Lactobacillus plantarum JS19 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity among them. Our data indicate that oral administration of L. plantarum JS19 significantly inhibited body weight loss, colon shortening and damage, and reduced the disease activity index score in the mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. In addition, L. plantarum JS19 also alleviated inflammatory responses and oxidative stress through reducing lipid peroxidation, tumor necrosis factor-α expression, and myeloperoxidase activity and enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity. Importantly, L. plantarum JS19 significantly rebalanced DSS-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: L. plantarum JS19 may be used as a potential probiotic to prevent IBD, particularly ulcerative colitis. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

miR-30 inhibits the progression of osteosarcoma by targeting MTA1.

OBJECTIVES: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been considered as a new class of novel diagnostic and predictive biomarker in many diseases. However, there are few studies on miRNA in osteosarcoma (OS). This study aimed to investigate the roles of miR-30 on OS occurrence and development. METHODS: PCR was used to detect mRNA levels of miR-30 and MTA1 in cancer tissues, adjacent non-cancerous tissues from OS patients. Western blot was used to detect MTA1 protein expression in all tissues and cell lines (hFOb1.19,Saos-2, MG63, and U2OS). The correlation between miR-30 and MTA1 was predicted through bioinformatics software, and identified by a luciferase reporting experiment. In vitro, functional test detected the specific effects of miR-30 and MTA1 on the development of OS. RESULTS: miR-30 expression was significantly reduced, while the expression of MTA1 was increased in OS tissues and cells. Luciferase reporting experiment showed that miR-30 sponged MTA1 which was negatively correlated with miR-30 expression. Furthermore, rescue tests revealed that MTA1 restrained the functions of miR-30 on cell proliferation and migration of OS. CONCLUSION: Our finding showed that miR-30 modulated the proliferation and migration by targeting MTA1 in OS.

Overexpression of S100A1 in Osteosarcoma Inhibits Tumor Proliferation and Progression.

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone. Abnormal expression of S100A1 protein is closely related to the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. However, S100A1 in osteosarcoma has not been studied. Methods: All osteosarcoma tissues were collected from patients who received surgical therapy at the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, China in 2020. QRT-PCR and western blot assays were used to detect the expression of S100A1 in osteosarcoma tissues and cells. The negative effect of S100A1 on osteosarcoma cell growth was confirmed by vitro and vivo experiments. Results: S100A1 inhibited the growth of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Overexpression of S100A1 may inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells by preventing the activation of AKT signaling pathway by western blot assay. Finally, animal experiments confirmed that overexpression of S100A1 could inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells. Overexpression of S100A1 obtained better survival benefit in mice. Conclusion: Our findings provided a new insight to the treatment of osteosarcoma. It also raised the possibility that S100A1 could be used in targeted therapies for osteosarcoma.

Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts promote the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma by transferring exosomal LncRNA SNHG17.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) serve as a predominant regulator in the tumor microenvironment. However, the crosstalk between CAFs and OS cells remains mostly unclear. Recent studies explored that long non-coding RNA (LncRNAs) involved in regulating osteosarcoma (OS) formation and development, but their functions in CAFs are unknown. Here, we first investigated the SNHG17 was upregulated in OS tissues and correlated with the poor prognosis through the integrating clinical data. We then evaluated the function of SNHG17 in vitro using the stable SNHG17-depleted OS cells. HOS cells with SNHG17 knocked down were performed to generate the OS xenograft model. Through immunohistochemistry assay and TUNEL apoptosis assay, the role of SNHG17 on OS development was assessed in vivo. We then examined the SNHG17 expression in exosomes derived from CAFs, normal fibroblasts (NFs), and tumor tissues from the OS clinical samples. The interaction among SNHG17, miR-2861, and MMP2 was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and identified by RIP and luciferase assays. The cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of SJSA-1 and HOS cells co-cultured with CAFs-derived exosomes were assessed by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. We found that SNHG17 was upregulated in the tumor tissues and presented a pro-tumorigenic effect on OS both in vitro and in vivo. It also was an essential exosomal cargo of CAFs and could affect OS cell proliferation and migration in vitro. CAFs-released exosomal SNHG17 acted as an essential molecular sponge for miR-2861 in OS cells. Moreover, MMP2 was a direct target of miR-2861 and was regulated by SNHG17. Overall, our findings identified that SNHG17 was an essential exosomal cargo of OS-related CAFs that contributes to proliferation and metastasis of OS, supporting the therapeutic potency of targeting the crosstalk between cancer cells and CAFs.

lncRNA TUSC7 inhibits osteosarcoma progression through the miR­181a/RASSF6 axis.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most aggressive malignancies, accompanied by an elevated incidence and a decreased rate of healing. Recently, several long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in OS progression. Although tumor suppressor candidate 7 (TUSC7) was reported as a novel lncRNA, little is known about its biological functions in OS. The present study was designed to explore whether TUSC7 was involved in the pathological development of OS using various methods, including hematoxylin and eosin staining, Cell Counting Kit­8 assay, colony formation assay and Transwell assay. The present study revealed that TUSC7 expression was downregulated in OS tissues and cell lines compared with in normal tissues and cell lines. Functionally, the current results revealed that overexpression of TUSC7 inhibited OS cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while promoting apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Next, the subcellular distribution of TUSC7 was examined by nuclear/cytoplasmic RNA fractionation and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR. Mechanistic studies revealed that TUSC7 exerted its role by sponging microRNA (miR)­181a in OS cell lines. Ras association domain family member 6 (RASSF6) was confirmed as a target gene of miR­181a, and the expression levels of RASSF6 were negatively regulated by miR­181a. Additionally, the results of rescue experiments suggested that overexpression of miR­181a neutralized the inhibitory effects of TUSC7 overexpression on OS cells. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the tumor suppressor role of TUSC7 in OS progression was mediated through the miR­181a/RASSF6 axis, which may represent a new therapeutic target for OS.

Supplementation of Inulin with Various Degree of Polymerization Ameliorates Liver Injury and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in High Fat-Fed Obese Mice.

The chain length of fructan determines its different physiological effects. This study is to explore the effects of low-performance inulin [LPI, degree of polymerization (DP) ≤ 9] and high-performance inulin (HPI, DP ≥ 23) on obesity-associated liver injury of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding mice and its underlying mechanism. Eight weeks of supplementation of C57BL/6J mice with HPI, relative to LPI (p < 0.05), caused the more efficient improvement against the HFD-induced liver insulin resistance through activating IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and reduced protein expressions of inflammatory factors nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the liver. HPI exhibited the more positive effects on liver steatosis by inhibiting acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) in comparison with LPI (p < 0.05). HPI also increased acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels in the colon of HFD-fed mice (p < 0.05). Compared to LPI, HPI feeding of HFD-fed mice led to the more effective decrease in the Firmicutes abundance from 72.1% to 34.5%, but a more significant increase in the Bacteroidetes population from 19.8 to 57.1% at the phyla level, and increased the abundance of Barnesiella, Bacteroides, and Parabacteroides at the genus level (p < 0.05). Depending on DP, HPI exerts the more positive regulation on liver injury and gut microbiota dysfunction than LPI.

Porous reduced graphene oxide/nickel foam for highly efficient solar steam generation.

Solar-driven water evaporation is considered to be an effective method for seawater desalination and wastewater purification. Here, we report a novel solar steam generation (SSG) system based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/nickel foam. Porous rGO foam acting as a photothermal conversion layer is fabricated by coating the rGO microsheets on the metallic nickel foam. The porous structure shows a rough surface, which can improve the harvest of light by scattering effect. On the other hand, the porous structure ensures the rapid flow of steam in the evaporation process. This SSG system based on rGO/nickel foam converts the absorbed solar energy into heat energy at the water-air interface and can effectively evaporate (∼83.4%) under low irradiation of 1 sun (1 kw m-2). The system shows great potential for the practical applications of water treatment at large-scale because of the high efficiency, simple preparation method and low cost.

Soybean soluble polysaccharides enhance bioavailability of genistein and its prevention against obesity and metabolic syndrome of mice with chronic high fat consumption.

This study aimed to explore a novel strategy for the simultaneous consumption of soluble soybean polysaccharides (SSPS) and insoluble genistein to improve the bioavailability of genistein and its prevention against obesity and metabolic syndrome in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet and HFD supplemented or not (n = 8) with SSPS (2.5%), genistein (0.5%) and their mixture (S + G) for 12 weeks. The UPLC-qTOP/MS assay showed that SSPS observably enhanced the urinary concentration of genistein and its metabolites compared to that of single genistein in mice. Supplementation of SSPS, genistein or their combination prevented HFD-induced gain weight, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and inflammation in obese mice. Interestingly, the combined S + G ingestion exhibited more effective alleviation of dyslipidemia by modulating hepatic FAS, ACC, SREBP-1C and ADRP expressions relative to that of individual SSPS or genistein. Furthermore, S + G activated the energy metabolism pathway AMPK in the liver, and the hepatic PPAR-α/PPAR-γ pathways were doubly activated to alleviate lipogenesis, inflammation, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, S + G supplementation dramatically modified the gut microbial species at the phylum level with a decrease in Firmicutes and increase in Bacteroidetes. These findings support that the combined supplementation of SSPS and genistein is a novel couple to prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Optimized Extraction of Phenolics from Jujube Peel and Their Anti-inflammatory Effects in LPS-Stimulated Murine Macrophages.

The extraction of phenolics from jujube peel (PJP) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). A Box-Behnken design was utilized to analyze the effects of NaOH concentration, temperature, and extraction time on the total phenolic content (TPC). The results showed that RSM could be an adequate approach for modeling the extraction of PJP. The optimal extraction condition for the highest TPC was obtained with 3.4 M NaOH concentration for 67 min at 50 °C. Not only PJP but also phenolics from the jujube seed (PJS) contain considerable amounts of phenolics, particularly flavonoids. Quercetin and galangin were found to be the predominant phenolics. PJP markedly down-regulated the levels iNOS and COX-2 proteins in macrophages by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB through interfering with the MAPK signaling pathways. Compared to PJS, PJP presented higher anti-inflammatory activities, reflecting increased amounts of TPC and total flavonoid content (TFC). These findings suggest that PJP could be a potential source of anti-inflammatory agents.

Quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of goat milk yogurt with added jujube pulp.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the added jujube pulp on the quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of goat milk yogurt (GMY) during 28 days of refrigerated storage. Four GMY formulations were prepared, each varying in the added jujube pulp amount (Y0: not containing jujube pulp; YJ3, YJ6, YJ9: containing 3, 6, 9 g of jujube pulp per 100 g GMY, respectively). There was no significant differences in the viable counts, pH values and titratable acidities of all formulations during the storage. All formulations showed the viable counts all above 106 CFU/mL over the assessed storage period. However, YJ3 exhibited the desirable hardness, adhesiveness and water holding capacity. Moreover, the addition of jujube pulp weakened greatly the goaty flavor, improving the sensory acceptance, and increased the antioxidant activities of GMY. Therefore, GMY containing jujube pulp is optional for developing a novel goat dairy product with high added values.