Fermented egg-milk beverage alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice through the modulation of intestinal flora and short-chain fatty acids.

Fermented egg-milk beverage (FEMB) can alleviate the symptoms of intestinal diseases by regulating intestinal flora and supplying nutrition. This study investigated the protective effect of FEMB on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. The results showed that FEMB relieved the UC mice's pathological abnormalities and colonic inflammation, and restructured the intestinal flora composition simultaneously. After FEMB treatment for 14 days, the body weight of the mice rose and the disease activity index (DAI) value decreased. Furthermore, the length and form of colons in the UC mice were notably restored. Inflammatory cells decreased or disappeared, and goblet cells and crypt were enriched and modified. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results demonstrated that FEMB treatment could increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the cecum content of mice, including unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillus. Moreover, probiotics that can increase the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) may contribute to inflammation alleviation. An increase in amino acids was observed in our experiment, which may benefit nutritional supplements. In conclusion, FEMB treatment can alleviate the damage of DSS-induced colitis in Balb/c mice. This study provides a theoretical basis for both the relief of inflammation and the application of FEMB.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the hepatoprotective mechanism of soybean meal peptides against alcohol-induced acute liver injury mice.

This study aimed was to explore the hepatoprotective potential of soybean meal peptides (SPs) against alcohol-induced liver injury and investigate the underlying mechanisms through transcriptome analysis. The chemical antioxidant analysis of SPs exhibited potent ABTS radical scavenging capacity (11.94 ± 0.41 mg TE/100 mg peptide), ferric reducing antioxidant power (6.42 ± 0.32 mmol Fe2+/100 mg peptide), and oxygen radical absorption capacity (14.78 ± 0.01 mg TE/100 mg peptide). Moreover, SPs increased cell viability and reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species levels in Caco-2 cells by H2O2-induced, and without cytotoxicity. In the mice model, preintervention with SPs reduced the levels of aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase, total cholesterol, triglyceride and malondialdehyde by alcohol-induced, meanwhile, increased the levels of total superoxide dismutase, glutathione and catalase by alcohol-induced. Histological analysis showed that SPs alleviated the liver injury by alcohol-induced and no toxic effects on the kidneys. According to transcriptome analysis, 1737 genes were significantly differentially expressed (1076 up-regulated and 661 down-regulated) after SPs pretreatment. The main functions of these genes were related to inflammation, lipid metabolism and oxidation. The findings from the present study suggested that SPs produced positive hepatoprotection and showed potential to be used as a dietary supplement or an ingredient of functional food.

Influence of refining processes on the bioactive composition, in vitro antioxidant capacity, and their correlation of perilla seed oil.

The effect of chemical refining process on the bioactive composition, in vitro antioxidant capacity, and their correlation of perilla seed oil (PSO) were investigated. In this paper, seven samples corresponding to each step of the refining process (degumming, neutralization, bleaching, deodorization, winterization, crude, and refined oils) were studied. The results showed that phenolic compounds and tocopherols were removed from PSO to a degree of 19.4% and 5.4%, respectively. In addition, the carotenoid content of PSO decreased during the refining process. The main carotenoid of PSO was found to be lutein, and the compound was lost completely during the bleaching step of the refining process. In this paper, we analyzed the variation of carotenoid content in PSO during the refining process for the first time. Neutralization affected the contents of phytosterols the most, followed by the effects of degumming and bleaching. The demonstrated results of Pearson product-moment correlation indicated that total tocopherols were significantly correlated with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) values, whereas carotenoids were significantly correlated with the DPPH value. However, phenolic compounds and phytosterols have no significant difference with DPPH, 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, ORAC, and ferric reducing antioxidant power values. The collected information can be applied to seeking out optimum factors needed to suffice the fundamental requirements for PSO production and minimize micronutrient losses to enhance its market value. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The present study aimed to determine influence of chemical refining in the bioactive composition of perilla seed oil (PSO) as well as its antioxidant capacity in vitro. Moreover, we also intend to find the correlation between them. Results indicated that this study supplies a good reference for the industrial parameters of the refining process to minimize micronutrient losses and further obtain high-quality PSO products for consumers.

Antidepressant-like effect of hyperoside isolated from Apocynum venetum leaves: possible cellular mechanisms.

In the present work, we studied the possible cellular mechanisms of hyperoside isolated from Apocynum venetum leaves in corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity, using PC12 cells as a suitable in vitro model of depression. Cell viability was quantitated by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The release amount of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration were measured using kit and transcript abundances of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) were determined by real-time RT-PCR. The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) assays showed that 2.5, 5 and 10 µg/ml hyperoside or 10 µM fluoxetine (FLU) protected PC12 cells from the lesion induced by a 48 h treatment with 10 µM corticosterone. Fura-2/AM (acetoxymethyl ester) assays showed that 2.5, 5 and 10 µg/ml hyperoside or 10 µM FLU attenuated the intracellular Ca(2+) overloading in PC12 cells induced by corticosterone. The transcript abundance of BDNF and CREB in PC12 cells was elevated upon hyperoside treatment. These results suggest that the possible cellular mechanisms of hyperoside antidepressant-like effect is a cytoprotective action related to elevation the expression of BDNF and CREB through the signal pathway AC-cAMP-CREB.

Protective effects of flavonoid extract from Apocynum venetum leaves against corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells.

Depression is a major psychiatric disorder affecting nearly 21% of the world population and imposes a substantial health burden on society. Although significant progress has been made in depression research, the common molecular mechanism of antidepressants is still far from clearly understood. The neuroprotective effect of antidepressants has been proposed as a possible mechanism. Although Apocynum venetum (AV) L. (Apocynaceae) was previously shown to produce an antidepressant-like effect in the tail suspension test, the mechanisms underlying such antidepressant-like effect are yet to be understood. In this work, we studied the neuroprotective effect of AV leaf flavonoid extract in corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity, using PC12 cells as a suitable in vitro model of depression. Cell viability was quantitated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The release amount of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration were measured using kit, cell period change was tested by flow cytometry, and transcript abundances of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) were determined by real-time RT-PCR. The results showed that AV extract (25, 50, and 100 µg/ml) increased the A490 nm values, but decreased LDH release and Ca(2+) concentration, suppressed the apoptosis of PC12 cells and up-regulated BDNF and MAP4 transcript abundances compared with the corresponding corticosterone-treated group. These results suggest that the AV extract could generate a neuroprotective effect on corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, pointing to a possible action pathway by decreasing the Ca(2+) concentration and up-regulating BDNF and MAP4 genes.