Fucoxanthin extract ameliorates obesity associated with modulation of bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota in high-fat-diet fed mice.

PURPOSE: Fucoxanthin extract (FX) is a type of carotenoid with a beneficial effect against obesity. The purpose of this study was to explore its precise action mechanism of losing weight. METHODS: A high-fat diet induced obesity mouse model was established to study the effects of different doses of FX on C57BL/6J male mice for 12 weeks. Following intervention, serum indices, tissue sections, liver gene expression, and intestinal microorganisms were analyzed. RESULTS: FX at low, medium, and high dosages (80, 160, and 320 mg/kg/day, respectively) for 12 weeks was associated with the lower body weight of mice when compared to that of high-fat-diet fed mice. It also improved glucose tolerance as well as serum lipid levels, and reduced fat accumulation. Significant regulation of bile acid metabolism and intestinal microbiota may contribute to the above effects. The bile acids in the FXH group were significantly increased. A low-dose and a medium-dose FX increased the level of transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5); a low-dose and high-dose FX increased the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) expression, and a medium-dose had no effect. 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that the Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae contributed to the beneficial effects of FX. CONCLUSION: Our study sheds light on mechanisms behind the weight-lowering of FX, and manifested that bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota may be potential therapies. These results support that FX is a valuable candidate for promoting health and alleviating obesity.

An experimental study of indene pyrolysis with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry.

Pyrolytic kinetics of indene was studied in a flow reactor at 30 and 760 Torr. Indene and its decomposition products, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were measured with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS). Five literature models were selected to reproduce the experimental data and analyze the reaction kinetics of indene. The experimental and predicted results illustrate that an indenyl radical is the dominant decomposition intermediate and also the main contributor to the further growth of aromatic rings in the pyrolysis of indene. The indene consumption process needs further precise characterization, especially the subsequent dissociation reactions of indanyl and indenyl radicals. A self-recombination reaction of the indenyl radical and the combination reactions between indenyl and other radicals are found to be necessary for the efficient formation of large PAHs. The absence of these pathways leads to the underprediction of experimental measurements. In contrast, literature models adopting indenyl global reactions for PAH formation generally overestimate the system reactivity. Proper radical combination pathways proposed in a future model should consider not only the PAH formation efficiency but also its impact on system reactivity.

Identification of high iron-chelating peptides with unusual antioxidant effect from sea cucumbers and the possible binding mode.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common nutritional disease affecting 2 billion people. To develop a new iron-fortified food, we designed a novel type of iron-chelating peptide [Sea cucumbers peptides (SCP)-Fe] from sea cucumbers. SCP can chelate ferrous ions. The neutral protease hydrolysate have the highest iron chelating activity (117.17 ± 2.62 mg/g). Single factors including pH, material ratio, and molecular weight, had a significant effect on the iron chelating activity. The characterization of the SCP-Fe chelate revealed a loose and blocky structure with increased particle size. The amino acid composition, peptide identification and molecular docking indicated that Asp, Glu, Gly and Pro played an important role in binding to ferrous ions. After chelation, SCP-Fe chelate had dual nutrition effects of stronger radical scavenging ability and potential high-efficiency iron supplementation ability. These results might provide insights into the methods for developing functional foods such as iron-fortified seafood.

Phytochemicals, Pharmacological Effects and Molecular Mechanisms of Mulberry.

There are numerous varieties of mulberry, and each has high medicinal value and is regarded as a promising source of traditional medicines and functional foods. Nevertheless, the nutrients and uses of mulberry differ from species (Morus alba L., Morus nigra L. and Morus rubra L.). Phenolic compounds are prominent among the biologically active ingredients in mulberry, especially flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Epidemiologic studies suggest that mulberry contains a rich, effective chemical composition and a wide range of biological activity, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and so on. However, compared with other berries, there has been a lack of systematic research on mulberry, and this hinders its further expansion as a functional fruit. The main purpose of this review is to provide the latest data regarding the effective chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of mulberry to support its further therapeutic potential and health functions.

Hawthorn flavonoid ameliorates cognitive deficit in mice with Alzheimer's disease by increasing the levels of Bifidobacteriales in gut microbiota and docosapentaenoic acid in serum metabolites.

Hawthorn flavonoid (HF) exhibits potential benefits in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its mechanism of action remains elusive. In this study, we identified the main components of HF, demonstrating that the administration of HF at a dose of 200 mg per kg per day significantly improved cognitive deficits in mice with AD induced by D-galactose and aluminum chloride. HF also effectively ameliorated ß-amyloid (Aß) accumulation and abnormal activation of hippocampal microglia. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of HF on gut microbiota and serum metabolomics in AD mice by 16S rRNA sequencing and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Our results showed that HF reversed the gut microbiota disturbance and metabolic disorder in AD mice by increasing the proportions of Dubosiella, Alloprevotella, and Bifidobacterium and decreasing the proportions of Acinetobacter, as well as increasing the levels of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), sphingolipid (SM), and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Notably, a positive correlation between DPA and Bifidobacterium was observed for the first time. Therefore, HF may serve as a promising dietary supplement for improving the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Micronization using combined alkaline protease hydrolysis and high-speed shearing homogenization for improving the functional properties of soy protein isolates.

The present study aimed to investigate the functional properties of soybean protein isolate (SPI) treated with alkaline protease and high-speed shearing homogenization. Alkaline protease-hydrolyzed SPIs that were characterized by varying degrees of hydrolysis between 0 and 6% were treated with high-speed shearing homogenization to obtain different micro-particulate proteins. The results showed that this combined treatment could significantly reduce the particle size of SPI by markedly degrading the structure of both the 7S and 11S subunits, thereby resulting in a significantly reduced content of ß-sheet and ß-turn structures. The surface hydrophobicity increased considerably for samples with hydrolysis below the threshold of 2% and then declined gradually above this threshold. Furthermore, the combination of hydrolysis and homogenization significantly improved the emulsion stability of SPI hydrolysates. It also significantly improved the foaming properties of SPI. These results demonstrated that alkaline protease hydrolysis combined with high-speed shearing homogenization represents a promising approach for improving the functional and structural properties of SPI.

The antidiabetic effects of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BL21 through regulating gut microbiota structure in type 2 diabetic mice.

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BL21 (BL21) possesses hypoglycemic activity, but its anti-diabetic mechanism has rarely been illustrated. In the present work, the effects of BL21 on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were investigated in diabetic mice induced via a high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin (STZ). Our data indicated that BL21 at a dose of 109 CFU per day significantly lowered the levels of fasting blood glucose and alleviated insulin resistance in diabetic mice. Meanwhile, BL21 enhanced the anti-oxidative capacity, increased the hepatic glycogen content, and significantly decreased the gene expression levels of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in the livers of diabetic mice. Endotoxemia-related inflammation and impaired intestinal barrier function in diabetic mice were also improved using BL21. More importantly, the disturbance of intestinal flora was regulated by BL21, including increased levels of the genera Akkermansia, Alloprevotella, Bacteroides, and Alistipes and decreased levels of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Mucispirillum, and Odoribacter. Collectively, the amelioration of T2DM via BL21 supplementation might be partially attributed to regulation of the parameters related to glucose metabolism and the modulation of gut microbiota. Therefore, BL21 could be a potential functional food for ameliorating T2DM.

Thickness measurement of insulation coating by NIR spectrometry based on boosting-KPLS.

A novel thickness measurement method for surface insulation coating of silicon steel based on NIR spectrometry is explored. The NIR spectra of insulation coating of silicon steel were collected by acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) NIR spectrometer. To make full use of the effective information of NIR spectral data, discrete binary particle swarm optimization (DBPSO) algorithm was used to select the optimal wavelength variates. The new spectral data, composed of absorbance at selected wavelengths, were used to create the thickness quantitative analysis model by kernel partial least squares (KPLS) algorithm coupled with Boosting. The results of contrast experiments showed that the Boosting-KPLS model could efficiently improve the analysis accuracy and speed. It indicates that Boosting-KPLS is a more accurate and robust analysis method than KPLS for NIR spectral analysis. The maximal and minimal absolute error of 30 testing samples is respectively--0.02 microm and 0.19 microm, and the maximal relative error is 14.23%. These analysis results completely meet the practical measurement need.

Yttrium stabilization and Pt addition to Pd/ZrO2 catalyst for the oxidation of methane in the presence of ethylene and water.

Catalytic oxidation is the most efficient method of minimizing the emissions of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases. In this study, ZrO2-supported Pd catalysts are investigated for the catalytic oxidation of methane and ethylene. Pd/Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (Pd/YSZ) catalysts show attractive catalytic activity for methane and ethylene oxidation. The ZrO2 support containing up to 8 mol% Y2O3 improves the water resistance and hydrothermal stability of the catalyst. All catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), O2-temperature-programmed desorption (O2-TPD), and CO-chemisorption techniques. It shows that high Pd dispersion and Pd-PdO reciprocation on the Pd/YSZ catalyst results in relatively high stability. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform (DRIFT) experiments are performed to study the reaction over the surface of the catalyst. Compared with bimetallic catalysts (Pd : Pt), the same amounts of Pd and Pt supported on ZrO2 and Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 catalysts show enhanced activity for methane and ethylene oxidation, respectively. A mixed hydrocarbon feed, containing methane and ethylene, lowers the CH4 light-off temperature by approximately 80 °C. This shows that ethylene addition has a promotional effect on the light-off temperature of methane.

Correction: Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway.

Correction for 'Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway' by Na Li et al., Food Funct., 2019, 10, 3430-3438, DOI.

Capsanthin extract prevents obesity, reduces serum TMAO levels and modulates the gut microbiota composition in high-fat-diet induced obese C57BL/6J mice.

The present study investigated the anti-obesity effects and its mechanism of capsanthin (CAP) in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. Compared with untreated mice on a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, CAP at 200 mg kg-1 reduced the body weight by 27.5%, significantly reversed glucose tolerance, effectively decreased the serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and trimethylamine N-oxide levels, markedly increased microbial diversity. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the cecal microbiota suggested that CAP increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, decreased the abundance of Ruminococcus and the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. Moreover, predicted functional domain analysis indicated that CAP increased the gene abundance of replication and repair, and decreased the gene abundance of membrane transports and carbohydrate metabolisms. Therefore, it seems CAP exhibit anti-obesity effect and might be used as a potential agent against obesity.

Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway.

With aging, there is an increasing risk for women to develop perimenopause syndrome, which is harmful to women's physical and mental health. The present study investigated the health benefits of bilberry anthocyanin (BA) on aging perimenopausal Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats that entered into perimenopause through natural aging were treated for 8 weeks with BA, and received either a low dose (LD, 35 mg per kg of bodyweight), medium dose (MD, 70 mg per kg of bodyweight), or high dose (HD, 140 mg per kg of bodyweight). The experimental results suggested that all three dosages of BA, especially the high dose, significantly reduced the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. In addition, BA supplementation markedly reduced the serum malondialdehyde (MDA), effectively increased the activity of hepatic total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), significantly raised the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), increased the number of estrogen receptors, and effectively up-regulated the expression levels of G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), protein kinase B (AKT), and extracellular regulated protein kinase 2 (ERK2). In summary, BA has a great effect on improving the serum cholesterol in natural aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway, and it may be used as a dietary supplement for perimenopause women to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.