Uptake, accumulation and metabolism of UV-320 in vegetables and its impact on growth and quality.

UV-320 is classified as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) by the European Chemicals Agency and has attracted significant attention due to its presence in the environment. Understanding the uptake, translocation and metabolic patterns of UV-320 in vegetables is essential for assessing their ability to bioaccumulate and potential risks to human health. In this study, we investigated the uptake and translocation of UV-320 in lettuce and radish by hydroponic experiments. The results showed that the root concentration factors (Croot/Csolution, RCF) of lettuce and radish were in the range of 47.9 to 464 mL/g and 194 to 787 mL/g, respectively. The transfer factors (Cshoot/Croot, TF) were observed to be 0.001-0.012 for lettuce and 0.02-0.05 for radish. Additionally, non-targeted screening identified twelve phase I and one phase II metabolites of UV-320 in vegetables, which were confirmed based on their molecular formulas and structures. The metabolic pathways involving oxidation, ketonylation and deamination were proposed in vegetables. Also, we have observed that UV-320 inhibits the growth of vegetables. Meanwhile, we evaluated the health risk of UV-320 in lettuce and radish and found that the consumption of lettuce is relatively safe, while the consumption of radish has a risk of HQ >1 for both adults and children, which should be seriously considered. This study provides valuable insights into the behavior and ecological risks of UV-320 in the environment.

Si-Ni-San Reduces Hepatic Lipid Deposition in Rats with Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease by AMPK/SIRT1 Pathway.

Background: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a chronic disease characterized by excessive lipid deposition in the liver without alcohol or other clear liver-damaging factors. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/silencing information regulator (SIRT)1 signaling pathway plays an important role in MAFLD development. Si-Ni-San (SNS), a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown reducing hepatic lipid deposition in MAFLD rats, however, the underlying mechanisms of SNS are barely understood. Purpose: The aim of this research was to investigate the mechanisms of SNS in reducing hepatic lipid deposition in MAFLD rats by regulating AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathways. Methods: The components of SNS were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis. MAFLD rats were induced by high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD), and treated by SNS. SNS-containing serum and Compound C (AMPK inhibitor) were used to treat palmitic acid (PA)-induced HepG2 cells. To elucidate the potential mechanism, lipid synthesis-related proteins (SREBP-1c and FAS), fatty acid oxidation (PPARα and CPT-1), and AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway (p-AMPK and SIRT1) were assessed by Western blot. Results: SNS improved serum lipid levels, liver function and reduced hepatic lipid deposition in MAFLD rats. SNS-containing serum reduced lipid deposition in PA-induced HepG2 cells. SNS could up-regulate protein expressions of PPARα, CPT-1, p-AMPK and SIRT1, and down-regulate protein expressions of SREBP-1c and FAS. Similar effects of SNS-containing serum were observed in PA-induced HepG2 cells. Meanwhile, Compound C weakened the therapeutic effects of SNS-containing serum on lipid deposition. Conclusion: SNS could reduce hepatic lipid deposition by inhibiting lipid synthesis and promoting fatty acid oxidation, which might be related with activating the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway. This study could provide a theoretical basis for the clinical use of SNS to treat MAFLD.

Gentianella acuta mitigates cardiovascular damage and inflammation in diet-induced hypercholesterolaemic rats.

Gentianella acuta (G. acuta) has been widely used as a traditional medicine by Chinese Mongolian populations for the treatment of heart diseases and has also been tested in modern pharmacological experiments. However, the effects of G. acuta on cardiovascular damage and inflammation under conditions of hypercholesterolaemia remain unclear. The present study investigated the effects and mechanisms of the water extract of G. acuta on cardiovascular damage and inflammation caused by a high-cholesterol diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 4 weeks to establish the hypercholesterolaemia rat model, and they were administered physiological saline or 1.2 g/kg of G. acuta by gavage starting from the 15th day. After the last administration, the blood, heart and thoracic aorta samples were collected and examined. It was revealed that G. acuta treatment could ameliorate cardiomyocyte disorder and thoracic aortic vessel wall damage, reduce serum lipid levels and inflammatory factors and improve heart function. Compared with the Model group, the serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and tumour necrosis factor-α were decreased, and the high-density lipoprotein and interleukin-10 levels were increased in the Model-G group. Moreover, in both the heart and thoracic aorta, G. acuta reduced the expression and phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase ß (IKKß), inhibitor of NF-κB-α (IκBα) and p-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). Therefore, G. acuta may exert an inhibitory effect on the IKK/IκB/NF-κB signalling pathway to protect the heart and thoracic aorta in hypercholesterolaemic rats.

Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) Injection Ameliorates Iron Overload-Associated Cardiac Dysfunction by Regulating the Expression of DMT1, TfR1, and FP1 in Rats.

Previous studies have found that Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) injection have a protective effect on the iron overloaded (IO) heart. However, the mechanisms are not completely known. In the present study, we investigated the underlying mechanisms based on the iron transport-related proteins. The rats were randomly divided into five groups: control, IO group, low-dose SM group, high-dose SM group, and deferoxamine control group. Iron dextran was injected to establish the IO model. After 14 days of treatment, cardiac histological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Iron uptake-related proteins divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT-1), transferrin receptor-1 (TfR-1), and iron export-related proteins ferroportin1 (FP1) in the heart were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that SM injection decreased cardiac iron deposition, ameliorated cardiac function, and inhibited cardiac oxidation. Most important of all, SM injection downregulated the expression of DMT-1 and TfR-1 and upregulated FP1 protein levels compared with the IO group. Our results indicated that reducing cardiac iron uptake and increasing iron excretion may be one of the important mechanisms of SM injection reducing cardiac iron deposition and improving cardiac function under the conditions of IO.

Paeoniflorin alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats: Involvement with the ROCK/NF-κB pathway.

Paeoniflorin (PF) is one of the major active ingredients of Paeonia lactiflora and has been suggested as a dietary therapy for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, the involved mechanism remains obscure. The present work investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of PF and explores the possible mechanisms in a rat model of NASH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-cholesterol and high-fat (HCF) diet for 12weeks to induce the NASH model, and PF (20mg/kg/d) was orally administered to the NASH rats during the last four weeks of the study. Our results showed that PF significantly decreased serum alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST) activities and also significantly decreased total levels of cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (all P<0.05). Moreover, PF ameliorated the hepatic steatosis and inflammation and inhibited CD68 and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß)-1 expression (both P<0.05). PF also down-regulated the activity of Rho kinase (ROCK) and suppressed the activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway in liver tissue. PF has liver protective and anti-inflammatory effects in HCF diet-induced NASH rats. The possible mechanisms may be associated with inhibition of the ROCK/NF-κB signaling pathway in the NASH liver.

[Reason analysis of inadaptability and its correction research on the authenticity identification model of West Lake Longjing tea based on LVF micro-NIR spectrometer].

In the present paper, the micro-NIR spectrometer with the splitter of linear variable filter was used to develop the recognition models of the West Lake Longjing tea and the ordinary flat tea of the year 2012 and 2013. The NIR spectral data of different years and different storage times were decomposed by PCA algorithm. The PLS-DA models were developed by the representative samples selected by the mathematical characteristics of PCA-scores' distribution in order to analyze the reason for the inadaptability of the models according to mathematical principles and find out the solution for its correction. Being examined by the external validation set, the adaptability of the authenticity identification model was enhanced effectively. The result of this research indicated that, for the West Lake Longjing tea and the ordinary flat tea, the correct recognition rate of the model developed by all different-year samples' NIR spectral data would be enhanced effectively. The model developed by the NIR spectral data of different storage time samples indicated that the physicochemical properties of the ordinary flat tea have changed remarkably after cryopreservation for 3 months, while the physicochemical properties of the West Lake Longjing tea are relatively stable. The model adaptabilities for different years and different storage times were studied according to the mathematical perspective of the principal component characteristics of spectral data. After the authenticity identification model of West Lake Longjing tea was developed, the prediction accuracy was enhanced effectively. This research would provide reference for not only the application of NIR spectroscopy in quality grading and safety of agricultural products, but also the enhancement of the prediction accuracy of the NIR grading models for agricultural products.

Mechanism of protective effects of Danshen against iron overload-induced injury in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) has been widely prescribed in traditional folk medicine for treatment of hepatic and cardiovascular diseases in China and other Asian countries for several hundred years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male mice were randomly divided into five groups: control, iron overload, low-dose Danshen (L-Danshen, 3g/kg/day), high-dose Danshen (H-Danshen, 6g/kg/day) and deferoxamine (DFO) groups (n=12 per group). Iron dextran was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 50mg/kg body weight/day to establish the iron overload model. While control mice received saline, mice of the treated groups simultaneously received (i.p.) injections of L-Danshen, H-Danshen or DFO daily for 2 weeks. At the end of the experiment, changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide desmutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured, and histological changes were observed by Prussian blue or hematoxylin and eosin staining of the liver. Apoptosis was detected by terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling. RESULTS: Treatment of iron overloaded mice with either low or high doses of Danshen not only significantly attenuated the hepatic dysfunction (ALT/AST levels), decreased the content of MDA and increased the activities of GSH-Px and SOD, it also suppressed apoptosis in hepatocytes. Histopathological examination showed that treatment with Danshen reduced iron deposition and ameliorated pathological changes in the liver of iron overloaded mice. CONCLUSIONS: Danshen demonstrated significant protective effects in the liver of iron overloaded mice, which were at least partly due to the decrease of iron deposition and inhibition of lipid peroxidation and hepatocyte apoptosis.

Rho kinase inhibition by fasudil exerts antioxidant effects in hypercholesterolemic rats.

1. The inhibition of Rho kinase (ROCK) ameliorates many cardiovascular dysfunctions, but the role of ROCK in oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemic rats has not been explored. The aim of the current study was to investigate the antioxidant effects and the potential related mechanisms of fasudil, a selective ROCK inhibitor, in high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hypercholesterolemic rats. 2. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in rats by feeding with a HCD for 4 weeks. Starting from day 15, physiological saline (1 mL/100 g) or ROCK inhibitor, fasudil (10 or 30 mg/kg), was injected intraperitoneally for another 14 days. 3. The results showed that fasudil significantly suppressed ROCK activity, potently elevated the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, as well as the concentration of nitric oxide in the serum and cardiac tissue. In addition, fasudil notably suppressed the extent of lipid peroxidation and attenuated the histopathological changes in the heart and liver of hypercholesterolemic rats. 4. These antioxidant effects of fasudil suggest that ROCK activation is involved in oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemic rats.