Micronanoparticled risedronate exhibits potent vaccine adjuvant effects.

Micro/Nano-scale particles are widely used as vaccine adjuvants to enhance immune response and improve antigen stability. While aluminum salt is one of the most common adjuvants approved for human use, its immunostimulatory capacity is suboptimal. In this study, we modified risedronate, an immunostimulant and anti-osteoporotic drug, to create zinc salt particle-based risedronate (Zn-RS), also termed particulate risedronate. Compared to soluble risedronate, micronanoparticled Zn-RS adjuvant demonstrated increased recruitment of innate cells, enhanced antigen uptake locally, and a similar antigen depot effect as aluminum salt. Furthermore, Zn-RS adjuvant directly and quickly stimulated immune cells, accelerated the formulation of germinal centers in lymph nodes, and facilitated the rapid production of antibodies. Importantly, Zn-RS adjuvant exhibited superior performance in both young and aged mice, effectively protecting against respiratory diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Consequently, particulate risedronate showed great potential as an immune-enhancing vaccine adjuvant, particularly beneficial for vaccines targeting the susceptible elderly.

Lycopene supplementation attenuates western diet-induced body weight gain through increasing the expressions of thermogenic/mitochondrial functional genes and improving insulin resistance in the adipose tissue of obese mice.

This passive overconsumption of western diet has precipitated a steep rise in obesity and its comorbidities, and obesity has become one of the main threats to health worldwide. Thus, deciphering the molecular mechanisms leading to obesity is therefore of utmost importance to guide the search for novel therapeutic and preventive strategies. Lycopene (LYC), a major carotenoid present in tomato, has been regarded as a nutraceutical that has powerful anti-oxidant and anti-obesity bioactivities. Even though substantial progress has been made in deciphering the mechanism of how LYC affects obesity in recent years, whether thermogenic genes, mitochondrial function and insulin resistance are involved in the anti-obesity effect of LYC is yet to be elucidated. In the current study, we demonstrated that LYC remarkably suppressed HFFD-elevated mice body weight gain. LYC blocked lipid accumulation in adipose tissue by decreasing the expressions of lipogenesis genes and increasing the expressions of lipidolysis related genes, including thermogenic and mitochondrial functional genes. Moreover, LYC improved HFFD-induced insulin resistance in WATs via inhibiting the inflammation responses in WATs, decreasing circulating proinflammatory cytokines, suppressing gut leak and intestinal inflammation. Our study indicating that the supplementation of LYC might be a nutritional preventive strategy to combat obesity.

Distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface soil of Baise, China.

To estimate the distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soils of Baise, in southwest China, soil sampling sites were selected from industry, traffic, rubbish, gas station, residential, and suburban areas for analysis of PAHs. The average concentrations of ∑16PAHs in the present study varied significantly, depending on the sampling location, and ranged from 16.8 to 6,437.0 µg/kg (dry weight basis), with a mean value of 565.8 µg/kg. PAH concentrations decreased significantly along the industry-traffic-rubbish-gas station-residential-suburban transect. The PAH profiles in the surface soil of the different areas imply that either source proximity to the sampling sites, or transport and deposition effects influenced PAH distributions. Two diagnostic ratios were selected and used to apportion PAH sources in the surface soil, and bivariate plots show general trends of covariation. Principal component analysis and multivariate linear regression were used to determine the primary sources and their contributions of PAHs to the soils. The model showed that factors 1 (coal and wood combustion) and 2 (petroleum combustion) contributed over 52.1 and 32.5% of the total source of soil PAHs, respectively. The remaining 15.4% came from evaporative and uncombusted petroleum.