Interactions of graphene with oxidants in a mixed atmosphere: synergistic effects of O2/H2O and O2/CO2 on gasification reactivity and kinetics.

The gasification of carbon with O2, CO2, and H2O oxidants plays an important role in several energy-based applications. As most of the industrial gasification processes are conducted under mixed-atmosphere conditions, the oxidation of carbon in binary oxidant mixtures becomes crucially important. Using reactive force-field (ReaxFF) potentials, extensive MD simulations were carried out on the oxidation behavior of graphene in mixed O2/H2O and O2/CO2 environments for a range of gas compositions and temperatures. A graphene sheet with a line defect comprising of eight and four-membered rings was used as the starting carbon structure. In addition to enhanced carbon gasification with oxygen additions, MD simulations showed synergistic interactions between different oxidants and their net influence on the overall reactivities. The gasification levels achieved under the binary system were higher than the linear combination of contributions from individual oxidants. The addition of ∼40% O2 in the binary mix was identified as the region with the highest reactivity during the initial stages of gasification. The oxidation reactions with oxygen were found to start instantaneously in the presence of H2O or CO2 instead of the usual initial delay. A very fast reaction kinetics was also observed in the initial stages in the presence of oxygen. Our results show that the gasification reactions under H2O and CO2 started at lower temperatures than O2 thereby creating a partially oxidized structure. Due to the presence of a large number of activation sites, very high rates of gasification were achieved with oxygen. These findings could help identify optimal oxidant compositions towards maximizing carbon gasification and minimizing CO2 emissions.

Adsorption and reaction mechanisms of single and double H2O molecules on graphene surfaces with defects: a density functional theory study.

More attention needs to be drawn to the high application value of the gasification reaction between carbonaceous materials and water in industry. In this study, density functional theory is used to investigate the adsorption and reaction mechanism of water molecules on graphene surfaces with various kinds of defects. The desorption mechanism of the reaction product is also analyzed. The optimal and stable physical adsorption configuration of water molecules on the pristine graphene and various defects graphene surface has been determined. Chemisorption configurations of a single water molecule and double water molecules on the graphene surface with single vacancy defects are discussed and used as reaction precursors to explore the reaction path of water molecules in the process of desorbing hydrogen at active sites. The whole process of the reaction is largely exothermic and the thermodynamic advantages of double water molecules participating in the reaction are determined. The two reaction mechanisms of two-steps or co-adsorption and desorption of double water molecules are compared, and the lowest energy barrier advantage of the latter is determined.

Effect of Fermented Milk Supplemented with Nisin or Plantaricin Q7 on Inflammatory Factors and Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Lactic-acid-bacteria-derived bacteriocins are used as food biological preservatives widely. Little information is available on the impact of bacteriocin intake with food on gut microbiota in vivo. In this study, the effects of fermented milk supplemented with nisin (FM-nisin) or plantaricin Q7 (FM-Q7) from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Q7 on inflammatory factors and the gut microbiota of mice were investigated. The results showed that FM-nisin or FM-Q7 up-regulated IFN-γ and down-regulated IL-17 and IL-12 in serum significantly. FM-nisin down-regulated TNF-α and IL-10 while FM-Q7 up-regulated them. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis suggested that the gut microbiome in mice was changed by FM-nisin or FM-Q7. The Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio was reduced significantly in both groups. It was observed that the volume of Akkermansia_Muciniphila was significantly reduced whereas those of Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae were increased. The total number of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the mouse feces of the FM-nisin group and FM-Q7 group was increased. The content of acetic acid was increased while the butyric acid content was decreased significantly. These findings indicated that FM-nisin or FM-Q7 could stimulate the inflammation response and alter gut microbiota and metabolic components in mice. Further in-depth study is needed to determine the impact of FM-nisin or FM-Q7 on the host's health.

Protective Effects of Bacteriocin-Producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on Intestinal Barrier of Mice.

Bacteriocins are crucial metabolites of probiotics that display beneficial functions. The intestinal barrier is an important target on which probiotics exert their intestinal health activity. However, the impacts of bacteriocin-producing probiotics on the intestinal barrier are unclear. In this study, the effects of bacteriocin-producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Q7 and L. plantarum F3-2 on the intestinal barrier of mice were explored. It was shown that L. plantarum Q7 promoted the expression of mucin MUC2 to enhance the protection provided by the intestinal mucus layer. L. plantarum Q7 up-regulated the gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins ZO-1 and JAM-1 significantly, and L. plantarum F3-2 up-regulated ZO-1 and Claudin-1 markedly, which exhibited tight junction intestinal barrier function. The two strains promoted the release of IgA and IgG at varying degrees. The antimicrobial peptide gene RegIIIγ was up-regulated markedly, and the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines appeared to exhibit an upward trend with L. plantarum Q7 treatment, so as to enhance intestinal immune regulation function. Furthermore, L. plantarum Q7 and L. plantarum F3-2 increased the abundance of the beneficial bacteria Muribaculaceae, inhibited the growth of the harmful bacteria Parabacteroides, and facilitated the synthesis of total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which seemed to favor the prevention of metabolic diseases. Our results suggested that L. plantarum Q7 and L. plantarum F3-2 showed strain specificity in their protective effects on the intestinal chemical, physical, immunological and biological barriers of mice, which provided theoretical support for the selective utilization of bacteriocin-producing strains to regulate host health.

Bacteriocin-Producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YRL45 Enhances Intestinal Immunity and Regulates Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Bacteriocins production is one of important beneficial characteristics of probiotics, which has antibacterial property against intestinal pathogens and is helpful for regulating intestinal flora. To investigate the impact of bacteriocin-producing probiotics on gut microecology, bacteriocin-producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YRL45 was orally administered to mice. The results revealed that it promoted the release of cytokines and improved the phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages to activate the immune regulation system. L. plantarum YRL45 was conducive to maintaining the morphology of colon tissue without inflammation and increasing the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the ileum. The gene expression levels of Muc2, ZO-1 and JAM-1 were significantly up-regulated in the ileum and colon, and the gene expression of Cramp presented an upward trend with L. plantarum YRL45 intervention. Moreover, L. plantarum YRL45 remarkably enhanced the levels of immunoglobulins sIgA, IgA and IgG in the intestine of mice. The 16S rRNA gene analysis suggested that L. plantarum YRL45 administration up-regulated the relative abundance of the beneficial bacteria Muribaculaceae and Akkermansia, down-regulated the abundance of the pathogenic bacteria Lachnoclostridium, and promoted the production of acetic acid, propionic acid and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in mice feces. Our findings indicated that L. plantarum YRL45 had the potential to be developed as a novel probiotic to regulate the intestinal barrier by altering gut microbiota to enhance intestinal immunity and ameliorate intestinal flora balance.

The Dynamic Nature of Graphene Active Sites in the H2O Gasification process: A ReaxFF and DFT Study.

CONTEXT: A steam-rich environment is a more promising application scenario for future coal-fired processes, while active sites are the key factor that determines the reactivity of carbonaceous fuels. The steam gasification process of carbon surfaces with different numbers of active sites (0, 12, 24, 36) was simulated using reactive molecular dynamics in the present study. The temperature for the decomposition of H2O and the gasification of carbon is determined using temperature-increasing simulation. The decomposition of H2O was influenced by two driving forces, thermodynamics and active sites on the carbon surface, which dominated the different reaction stages, leading to the observed segmentation phenomenon of the H2 production rate. The existence and number of initial active sites have a positive correlation with both two stages of the reaction, greatly reducing the activation energy. Residual OH groups play an important role in the gasification of carbon surfaces. The supply of OH groups through the cleavage of OH bonds in H2O is the rate-limiting step in the carbon gasification reaction. The adsorption preference at carbon defect sites was calculated using density functional theory. Two stable configurations (ether & semiquinone groups) can be formed with O atoms adsorbed on the carbon surface according to the number of active sites. This study will provide further insights into the tuning of active sites for advanced carbonaceous fuels or materials. METHODS: The large-scale atomic/molecule massively parallel simulator (LAMMPS) code combined with the reaction force-field method was used to carry out the ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulation, where the ReaxFF potentials were taken from Castro-Marcano, Weismiller and William. The initial configuration was built using Packmol, and the visualization of the calculation results was realized through Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD). The timestep was set to 0.1 fs to detect the oxidation process with high precision. PWscf code in QUANTUM ESPRESSO (QE) package, was used to evaluate the relative stability of different possible intermediate configurations and the thermodynamic stability of gasification reactions. The projector augmented wave (PAW) and the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE-GGA) were adopted. Kinetic energy cutoffs of 50 Ry and 600 Ry, and a uniform mesh of 4 × 4 × 1 k-points were used.

The Adsorption Mechanism of Hydrogen on FeO Crystal Surfaces: A Density Functional Theory Study.

The hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ores is a disruptive routine used to mitigate the large amount of CO2 emissions produced by the steel industry. The reduction of iron oxides by H2 involves a variety of physicochemical phenomena from macroscopic to atomistic scales. Particularly at the atomistic scale, the underlying mechanisms of the interaction of hydrogen and iron oxides is not yet fully understood. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the adsorption behavior of hydrogen atoms and H2 on different crystal FeO surfaces to gain a fundamental understanding of the associated interfacial adsorption mechanisms. It was found that H2 molecules tend to be physically adsorbed on the top site of Fe atoms, while Fe atoms on the FeO surface act as active sites to catalyze H2 dissociation. The dissociated H atoms were found to prefer to be chemically bonded with surface O atoms. These results provide a new insight into the catalytic effect of the studied FeO surfaces, by showing that both Fe (catalytic site) and O (binding site) atoms contribute to the interaction between H2 and FeO surfaces.

The evolution of atomistic structure and mechanical property of coke in the gasification process with CO2 and H2O at different temperatures: A ReaxFF molecular dynamics study.

CONTEXT: An atomistic coke carbon model was constructed to simulate the structural evolution in the gasification and stretching process. The coke model was placed in a box with different CO2/H2O content to investigate the evolution of the atomistic structure of coke during the gasification. It was found that different atmospheric concentrations had different effects on the structure and reaction sites of the coke model. The CO2 molecules tended to dissolve on the surface of coke and disrupt its surface structure, while H2O molecules were more likely to enter the coke model to disrupt the internal structure. For tensile simulation, it was found that CO2 and H2O had different effects on the tensile resistance of the coke model. Controlling the composition content of the reaction gas can effectively influence the tensile strength of the coke model. By revealing the behavior of coke model at the micro scale, it provides a theoretical basis for the industrial coke application process. METHODS: Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) was used to conduct the molecular dynamics using the reactive force field (ReaxFF). The atomistic model of coke carbon was constructed using the well-known annealing and quenching method, and its composition is determined according to the element analysis of industrial coke. The structural evolution in the gasification with CO2/H2O and the stretching process were analyzed in detail. Molecular dynamics simulations with reactive force field (ReaxFF-MD) were used to simulate the coke dissolution reaction under CO2/H2O atmosphere and the coke stretching process. The atmosphere ratio was modified to investigate the changes in coke structure under different atmosphere conditions. The Packmol software was used to place gas and coke models into the same box. During the reaction process, the Ovito software was used to perform corresponding visualization analysis on the changes in the atomic structure of coke.

Effect of Different sp2 Bond Contents on the Reactivity and Mechanical Properties of Coke Carbon: A ReaxFF Molecular Dynamics Study.

In this study, ReaxFF-MD was used to construct a large-molecule model of coke containing 3000 atoms, and the sp2 bond content of the model was controlled by changing the heating and cooling rates. The increase of the sp2 bond content led to a significant difference in the reactivity of coke. The presence of the sp2 bond caused the carbon atoms inside the coke to change into a circular structure, making it more difficult for the gaseous atoms to adsorb on the surface of the coke. It significantly reduced the gasification reaction rate of coke in the CO2 and H2O atmospheres. In the tensile simulation experiment, it was found that the stretching process of coke was mainly divided into three stages: an elastic stretching stage, a plastic stretching stage, and a model fracture stage. During the stretching process, the carbon ring structure would undergo a C-C bond fracture while generating carbon chains to resist stress. The results indicated that the presence of sp2 bonds can effectively reduce the phenomenon of excessive local stress on coke to improve its tensile resistance. The method developed in this paper may provide further ideas and platforms for the research on coke performance.

A reactive molecular dynamics study of thermal pyrolysis behavior and mechanisms of lignin during the hydrothermal process: The function of the water molecules.

The lignin hydrothermal processing is an important option but a full understanding of the role played by the water molecules in the depolymerization of lignin is still lacking. In order to clarify the role of the water molecules in the depolymerization of lignin, the evolution of chemical bonds, microstructural changes, and possible mechanisms of product generation were compared during the pyrolysis process under vacuum and water conditions using Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Compared with vacuum conditions, the role of water changes with temperature, identifying three stages: promotion (1200-1800 K)-inhibition (2100-2400 K)-promotion (2700-3000 K). Also compared with vacuum conditions, hydrothermal processing can promote the cleavage of the ether bonds while inhibiting the destruction of carbocycles. Water molecules promote the depolymerization of lignin into more C4-molecules, thereby generating more combustible gas resources. Based on the research results, the pyrolysis conditions of lignin can be flexibly controlled to obtain solids, liquids or gases.

Screening and Probiotic Potential Evaluation of Bacteriocin-Producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum In Vitro.

Probiotics are gaining attention due to their functions of regulating the intestinal barrier and promoting human health. The production of bacteriocins is one of the important factors for probiotics to exert beneficial properties. This study aimed to screen bacteriocin-producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and evaluate the probiotic potential in vitro. It was found that L. plantarum Q7, L. plantarum F3-2 and L. plantarum YRL45 could produce bacteriocins and inhibit common intestinal pathogens. These three strains had probiotic potential with tolerance to the gastrointestinal environmental and colonization in the gut, and exhibited various degrees of anti-inflammatory activity and tight junction function in the intestinal barrier. Particularly, L. plantarum YRL45 could significantly (p < 0.05) reduce the increase in nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), thereby easing inflammatory response. L. plantarum F3-2 could remarkably (p < 0.05) up-regulate the expression levels of ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-1 in intestinal epithelial injured cells, which was conducive to protecting the intestinal barrier. These findings provided fundamental information about the probiotic properties of bacteriocin-producing L. plantarum, which suggested that L. plantarum Q7, L. plantarum F3-2 and L. plantarum YRL45 had the potential to be used as novel probiotic strains.

Effect and Potential Mechanism of Lactobacillus plantarum Q7 on Hyperuricemia in vitro and in vivo.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a disorder of purine metabolism resulting in abnormally elevated serum uric acid (UA) concentration. It is believed that there is an association between gut microbiota and HUA, and probiotics have the potential palliative effect. However, the underlying mechanism of probiotics in ameliorating HUA remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of Lactobacillus plantarum Q7 on HUA in Balb/c mice. The results showed that L. plantarum Q7 had an excellent capability to affect UA metabolism, which could degrade nucleotides by 99.97%, nucleosides by 99.15%, purine by 87.35%, and UA by 81.30%. It was observed that L. plantarum Q7 could downregulate serum UA, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) by 47.24%, 14.59%, 54.59%, and 40.80%, respectively. Oral administration of L. plantarum Q7 could restore the liver, kidney, and intestinal injury induced by HUA and the expression of metabolic enzymes and transporters to normal level. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis showed that L. plantarum Q7 treatment could restore the imbalance of species diversity, richness, and community evenness compared with the model group. The ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes was recovered nearly to the normal level by L. plantarum Q7 intervention. The dominant microorganisms of L. plantarum Q7 group contained more anti-inflammatory bacteria than those of the model group. These findings indicated that L. plantarum Q7 might regulate UA metabolism and repair the liver and kidney injury by reshaping the gut microbiota and could be used as a potential probiotic strain to ameliorate HUA.

Lactobacillus paracasei X11 Ameliorates Hyperuricemia and Modulates Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is the presence of excessive uric acid (UA) in blood, which leads to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease and gout. Probiotics have the potential effect of alleviating HUA. The purpose of this study was to screen probiotics with UA-lowering activity and explore the underlying mechanism. The UA-lowering activity of 20 lactic acid bacteria strains was investigated in vitro, and the effect of candidate probiotics on UA metabolism was evaluated using the HUA Balb/c mouse model. The results showed that Lactobacillus paracasei X11 had excellent UA-lowering activity in vitro, which could degrade nucleotides and nucleosides completely within 30 min, and the degradation rates of purine and trioxypurine could reach 83.25% and 80.42%, respectively. In addition, oral administration of L. paracasei X11 could reduce serum UA by 52.45% and inhibit renal proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß by 50.69%, regulating adenosine deaminase (ADA), xanthine oxidase (XOD), and transporter expression (GLUT9, NPT1, and URAT1) to a normal level. Moreover, it could restore the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes (Bac/Firm ratio) and showed a positive effect on the recovery of the intestinal microbiota. These findings provided fundamental information about the UA-lowering properties of probiotics, which suggested that L. paracasei X11 had the potential to be developed as a novel probiotic strain to ameliorate HUA.

Density Functional Studies on the Atomistic Structure and Properties of Iron Oxides: A Parametric Study.

With the aim to find the best simulation routine to accurately predict the ground-state structures and properties of iron oxides (hematite, magnetite, and wustite) using density functional theory (DFT) with Hubbard-U correction, a significant amount of DFT calculations were conducted to investigate the influence of various simulation parameters (energy cutoff, K-point, U value, magnetization setting, smearing value, etc.) and pseudopotentials on the structures and properties of iron oxides. With optimized simulation parameters, the obtained equation of state, lattice constant, bulk moduli, and band gap is much closer to the experimental values compared with previous studies. Due to the strong coupling between the 2p orbital of O and the 3d orbital of Fe, it was found that Hubbard-U correction obviously improved the results for all three kinds of iron oxides including magnetite which has not yet been tested with U correction before, but the U value should be different for different oxides (3 ev, 4 ev, 4 ev for hematite, magnetite, and wustite, respectively). Two kinds of spin magnetism settings for FeO are considered, which should be chosen according to different calculation purposes. The detailed relationship between the parameter settings and the atomic structures and properties were analyzed, and the general principles for future DFT calculation of iron oxides were provided.

Aroma classification and characterization of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus fermented milk.

The aroma of the fermented milk produced by twenty-eight Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains was evaluated via quantitative descriptive analysis. According to the sensory analysis results, the fermented milks were grouped into milky-type, cheesy-type, fermented-type and miscellaneous-type. The representative samples of cheese-type and fermented-type were analyzed by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and flavoromics. A total of 95 volatile compounds were identified and particularly, 12 aroma-active compounds were detected by using gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS). Among the different aroma types, 2,3-butanedione, δ-decalactone, acetaldehyde, butanoic acid, acetic acid and hexanoic acid were finally screened out as the key aroma-active compounds by quantitative and odor activity value (OAV) analysis combined with aroma recombination, omission and addition experiments. These findings were valuable in developing specific fermented milk products with different aroma profiles.

New Insights into the Traditional Charge Compensation Theory: Amphoteric Behavior of TiO2 under the Guidance of Supply-Demand Relationship.

Polymerization degree theory and traditional charge compensation theory are the most fundamental principles to understand the structure and properties of oxide melts. It can well explain the behavior characteristics of acidic oxides and basic oxides in a melt. However, the amphoteric behavior of oxides cannot be explained well by these two theories. Herein, the octahedral connection mode and the behavior of the amphoteric transition of TiO2 are analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation, and then, a calculation model which can quantitatively calculate the amphoteric transition of the oxide is established by analyzing a large number of data. On the basis of the model, a novel theory of supply and demand is put forward, which can explain the amphoteric transition behavior of oxides very well. To a great extent, the supply and demand theory makes up for the deficiency of the atomic structure theory of oxide melts and provides mechanism explanation and model prediction for the oxide amphoteric transformation behavior.

Establishment and Evaluation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of Pseudomonas fluorescens in Raw Milk.

Raw milk is susceptible to microbial contamination during transportation and storage. Pseudomonas fluorescens producing heat-resistant enzymes have become the most common and harmful psychrophilic microorganisms in the cold chain logistics of raw milk. To rapidly detect P. fluorescens in raw milk, the protease gene aprX was selected as a detection target to construct a set of primers with strong specificity, and a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was established. The detection thresholds of the LAMP assay for pure cultured P. fluorescens and pasteurized milk were 2.57 × 102 and 3 × 102 CFU/mL, respectively. It had the advantages over conventional method of low detection threshold, strong specificity, rapid detection, and simple operation. This LAMP assay can be used for online monitoring and on-site detection of P. fluorescens in raw milk to guarantee the quality and safety of dairy products.

Comparative Metabolomics Analyses of Plantaricin Q7 Production by Lactobacillus plantarum Q7.

Plantaricin Q7 is a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum Q7 with food preservation potential. Low yield is one of the bottlenecks of the wide application of plantaricin Q7. Nontargeted metabolomics was performed to reveal the mechanism of plantaricin Q7 biosynthesis. The results showed that the composition and abundance of intracellular metabolites varied significantly at key time points of plantaricin Q7 synthesis. Differential metabolic pathways were purine metabolism; pyrimidine metabolism; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; amino acid biosynthesis; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and ABC transporters. Differential metabolites were xanthine, deoxyadenosine, uracil, 5-methylcytosine, α-ketoglutarate, γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, glutamine, and tryptophan. Based on metabolomics information, the putative metabolic synthesis pathway of plantaricin Q7 was proposed. Glutamine, glutamate, and 5-methylcytosine could be critical metabolites and simulate plantaricin Q7 biosynthesis significantly (P < 0.05). Bacteriocin production was investigated by comparative metabolomics in this report, which could help to achieve higher plantaricin Q7 yield by metabolic regulation.

Effect of Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Lactobacillus plantarum Q7 on Gut Microbiota and Ulcerative Colitis in Mice.

Probiotics plays an important role in regulating gut microbiota and maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from probiotics have emerged as potential mediators of host immune response and anti-inflammatory effect. However, the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of probiotics derived EVs on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear. In this study, the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum Q7-derived extracellular vesicles (Q7-EVs) on gut microbiota and intestinal inflammation was investigated in C57BL/6J mice. The results showed that Q7-EVs alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms, including colon shortening, bleeding, and body weight loss. Consumption of Q7-EVs reduced the degree of histological damage. DSS-upregulated proinflammatory cytokine levels including IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-2 and TNF-α were reduced significantly by Q7-EVs (p < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that Q7-EVs improved the dysregulation of gut microbiota and promoted the diversity of gut microbiota. It was observed that the pro-inflammatory bacteria (Proteobacteria) were reduced and the anti-inflammatory bacteria (Bifidobacteria and Muribaculaceae) were increased. These findings indicated that Q7-EVs might alleviate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis by regulating the gut microbiota.

Development of a Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Culture Medium for Bacteriocin Lac-B23 Production by Lactobacillus plantarum J23.

At present, De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) broth is the medium of choice for promoting bacteriocin production. However, this medium is expensive and not applicable for large-scale production. Therefore, a low-cost and high-efficiency culture medium for bacteriocin Lac-B23 production by Lactobacillus plantarum J23 was developed. First, the effects of the composition of MRS broth on bacteriocin Lac-B23 production and bacterial growth were researched by a one variable at a time approach. Then, a Plackett-Burman design was used to screen significant components for production. Finally, the steepest ascent and central composite designs were used to obtain an optimum medium. The final composition of the modified MRS was much simpler than MRS broth, and the modified MRS contained only glucose, yeast extract, dipotassium phosphate, manganese sulfate monohydrate, Tween 80 and sodium acetate anhydrous. The highest bacteriocin Lac-B23 production reached 2560 activity units (AU)/mL in the modified MRS, which is nine times higher than that in MRS broth (280 AU/mL). Meanwhile, the cost per liter of the modified MRS (8.56 Ren Min Bi (RMB)/L) is 34.70% the cost of MRS broth (13.11 RMB/L), and the cost per arbitrary units of bacteriocin Lac-B23 in the modified MRS is approximately fourteen times more convenient (3.34 RMB/106 AU) than in the MRS broth (46.82 RMB/106 AU).