Mixed probiotics reduce the severity of stress-induced depressive-like behaviors.

In recent years, the gut microbiome has gained significant attention in the spheres of research and public health. As a result, studies have increasingly explored the potential of probiotic dietary supplements as treatment interventions for conditions such as anxiety and depression. The present study examined the effect of mixed probiotics (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium) on inflammation, microbiome composition, and depressive-like behaviors in a macaque monkey model. The mixed probiotics effectively reduced the severity of depressive-like behaviors in macaque monkeys. Further, treatment with mixed probiotics gradually increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, improving the balance of the gut microbiota. Additionally, macaques treated with the mixed probiotics showed decreased serum levels of inflammatory factors (P < 0.05), an increased rate of L-tryptophan metabolism (P < 0.05), and the restoration of 5-HT and 5-HTP levels (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis confirmed that Lacticaseibacillus and other beneficial bacteria exhibited a negative correlation with inflammation in the body (P < 0.05), and a positive correlation with tryptophan metabolism (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the mixed probiotics effectively restored intestinal homeostasis in macaques and enhanced tryptophan metabolism, ultimately alleviating inflammation and depressive-like behaviors.

Lactobacillus Ameliorates SD-Induced Stress Responses and Gut Dysbiosis by Increasing the Absorption of Gut-Derived GABA in Rhesus Monkeys.

Sleep deprivation (SD) has become a health problem in the modern society. Although probiotics supplementation has been proven to improve SD-induced gut dysbiosis, the potential neuroendocrine mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, thirty rhesus monkeys (RMs) were recruited. Paradoxical sleep, bright light, and noise were used to build an RM SD model. We examined the plasma γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), stress hormones, and inflammatory cytokines using ELISAs. 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics sequencing were employed to detect gut microbial community and metabolites, respectively. The results of our study showed that RMs subjected to SD had elevated plasma stress hormones (such as cortisol and norepinephrine) and proinflammatory cytokines (such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8), and a decreased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 level. Additionally, SD could give rise to a significant change in gut microbiota and metabolites. The differential gut microbiota and metabolites caused by SD were enriched in the signaling pathways related to GABA metabolism. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that there is a significant correlation between plasma GABA and SD-induced stress responses and gut dysbiosis. The supplementation of GABA-producing probiotics could significantly increase the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and plasma GABA levels, and reverse SD-induced stress responses and gut dysbiosis. Therefore, we speculated that SD-induced stress response and gut dysbiosis might be an outcome of reduced gut-derived GABA absorption. The supplementation of GABA-producing Lactobacillus might be beneficial for the treatment of SD-induced intestinal dysfunction.

Prediction of the bioaccumulation of PAHs in surface sediments of Bohai Sea, China and quantitative assessment of the related toxicity and health risk to humans.

Assessing the health risk of PAHs in sediments was quite difficult because sediment occurred in sea floor, and it was very hard to contact with them directly for humans. This study was attempted to reveal the relationship between concentrations of PAHs in surface sediments and health risk of seafood consumers. The transfer (bioaccumulation) of PAHs from surface sediment into benthic organisms was predicted. Source contributions to PAHs and related toxicity and health risks (from intake of PAHs-contaminated benthic organisms) were studied based on PMF model and Monte Carlo simulation, respectively. Total concentrations of PAHs (TPAHs) ranged from 149.40 to 1211.97 ng g(-1) in sediments of Bohai Sea (BS), China. Petroleum and vehicular emission, coal combustion and coke oven constituted 40.0%, 32.2% and 27.8% of PAHs, respectively, but contributed 53.0%, 22.8% and 24.2% of toxicity posed by PAHs in sediment. For children, teens and adults, the 95th percentile carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were below the threshold values of 10(-6) and 1.0, respectively, suggesting no potential health risk. Sensitivity analysis suggested that exposure duration (ED) and PAH concentrations (CS) were the two most sensitive parameters in risk assessment. The results provided a method to evaluate the quality of sediments and the potential health risk related to PAHs in marine sediments.

An assessment of human influences on sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the estuarine and coastal sediments of China.

Sediments collected from the coastal area of China, embracing west coast of Bohai Sea, south coast of Shandong Peninsula, and the Changjiang estuary (listed in order of decreasing north latitude), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). ∑PAH (Sixteen US EPA priority PAHs) were 2.7-350.9ng/g. Petroleum residue was the major contributor of PAHs in the coastal sediments of China due to oil leakage from ships and offshore oil fields. The contribution of vehicular emissions in coast of North China was significantly lower than that in the Changjiang Estuary, and the reverse was true for coal combustion. PAH concentrations in the sediment core of the Changjiang estuary steadily increased upward and the variation was primarily due to economic development and severe floods. The impact on PAHs by vehicular emissions (37.2%) and petrogenic sources (45.8%) overwhelmed combustion sources (17.0%).

[Distribution of PAHs in surface seawater of Qingdao coast area and their preliminary apportionment].

The 15 parent PAHs in surface seawater from Qingdao coastal areas have been quantified by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detection. The results showed that the concentration of total PAHs ranged from 8.23 ng x L(-1) to 272.02 ng x L(-1), with highest concentration near estuary and lowest at rural location. As for PAHs composition, 2, 3 ring PAHs were dominant, with percentage ranged from 52.2% to 93.8%, while the remaining were 4 to 6 ring PAHs which were ranged from 6.2% to 47.8%. The concentration of total PAHs correlates strongly with dissolved organic carbon (R = 0.944 7) in surface seawater. There was no significant fluctuation in the concentration and composition of PAHs in surface seawater from Qingdao bay area in a one-month period. The two ratios of paired PAH isomeric compounds, fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene[ Fl/(Fl + Py)] and anthracene to phenanthrene plus anthracene [An/(An + Ph)], for source apportionment suggested that various petroleum related sources, such as oil spill and petroleum combustion, were the major origin at most sampling sites, except in clean areas where PAHs were predominantly derived from coal and wood combustion.

Ophiobolin O and 6-epi-ophiobolin O, two new cytotoxic sesterterpenes from the marine derived fungus Aspergillus sp.

Two new sesterterpenes, ophiobolin O (1) and 6-epi-ophiobolin O (2), together with the known ophiobolins G (3), H (4), and K (5), and 6-epi-ophiobolin K (6) were isolated from the marine derived fungus Aspergillus sp. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on chemical and physicochemical evidence, including MS, UV, IR and NMR spectra. T h e stereochemistry of 1 was further confirmed by catalytic reaction of 5 with p-TsOH as acatalyst. Compounds 1 to 6 showed cytotoxicity against mouse leukemia cell line P388, with IC50 values of 4.7, 9.3, 24.6, 105.7, 13.3 and 24.9 microM, respectively.