Morel (Morchella spp.) intake alters gut microbial community and short-chain fatty acid profiles in mice.

Morels (Morchella spp.) are highly nutritious and consumed as both edible mushrooms and traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with morel mushrooms on the gut bacterial microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) profiles in healthy mice. Healthy mice were randomly assigned to five groups: a control group (0% morel) and four intervention groups supplemented with different levels of morel mushrooms (5% for M5, 10% for M10, 15% for M15, and 20% for M20) over a period of 4 weeks. Fecal samples were collected at the end of the experiment to characterize the microbiota and assess the SCFAs levels. The morel intervention significantly altered the bacterial community composition, increasing Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group and Parabacteroides, while decreasing Staphylococcus and the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio). Moreover, increased morel intake was associated with weight loss. All SCFAs content was upregulated in the morel-intervention groups. Potential SCFAs-producing taxa identified by regression analysis were distributed in the families Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and in the genera Jeotgalicoccus, Gemella, Odoribacter, Tyzzerella 3 and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014. The functional categories involved with SCFAs-production or weight loss may contain enzymes such as beta-glucosidase (K05349), beta-galactosidase (K01190), and hexosaminidase (K12373) after morel intervention. The exploration of the impact of morel mushrooms on gut microbiota and metabolites contributes to the development of prebiotics for improving health and reducing obesity.

Handelin extends lifespan and healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans by reducing ROS generation and improving motor function.

Aging and aging-related disorders contribute to formidable socioeconomic and healthcare challenges. Several promising small molecules have been identified to target conserved genetic pathways delaying aging to extend lifespan and healthspan in many organisms. We previously found that extract from an edible and medicinal plant Chrysanthemum indicum L. (C. indicum L.) protect skin from UVB-induced photoaging, partially by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Thus, we hypothesized that C. indicum L. and its biological active compound may extend lifespan and health span in vivo. We find that both water and ethanol extracts from C. indicum L. extended lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans, with better biological effect on life extending for ethanol extracts. As one of the major biological active compounds, handelin extended lifespan of C. elegans too. RNA-seq analysis revealed overall gene expression change of C. elegans post stimulation of handelin focus on several antioxidative proteins. Handelin significantly reduced ROS level and maintained the number and morphology of mitochondria. Moreover, handelin improveed many C. elegans behaviors related to healthspan, including increased pharyngeal pumping and body movement. Muscle fiber imaging analyses revealed that handelin maintains muscle architecture by stabilizing myofilaments. In conclusion, our present study finds a novel compound handelin, from C. indicum L., which bring about biologically beneficial effects by mild stress response, termed as hormetin, that can extend both lifespan and healthspan in vivo on C. elegans. Further study on mammal animal model of natural aging or sarcopenia will verify the potential clinical value of handelin.

Plasticizer contamination in edible vegetable oil in a U.S. retail market.

With the wide application of plastics, the contamination of plasticizers migrating from plastic materials in the environment is becoming ubiquitous. The presence of phthalates, the major group of plasticizers, in edible items has gained increasingly more concern due to their endocrine disrupting property. In this study, 15 plasticizers in 21 edible vegetable oils purchased from a U.S. retail market were analyzed using gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) were detected in all oil samples. Benzylbutyl phthalate (BzBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP) were detected at a rate of 95.2, 90.5, and 90.5%, respectively. The detection rates for all other plasticizers ranged from 0 to 57.1%. The content of total plasticizers in oil samples was determined to be 210-7558 µg/kg, which was comparable to the content range in oil marketed in Italy. Although no significant difference (p = 0.05) in the total content of plasticizer was observed among oil species (soybean, canola, corn, and olive), the wider range and higher average of total content of plasticizers in olive oil than other oil species indicated the inconsistence of plasticizer contamination in olive oil and a possible priority for quality monitoring. No significant difference (p = 0.05) in the total content of plasticizers was found among glass-bottle (n = 4), plastic-bottle (n = 14), and metal-can (n = 3) packaging, implying that oil packaging is not the major cause of plasticizer contamination. The daily intake amount of plasticizers contained in edible oil on this U.S. retail market constituted only a minimum percentage of reference dose established by US EPA, thus no obvious toxicological effect might be caused. However, the fact that DEHP content in two olive oils exceeded relevant special migration limits (SMLs) of Europe and China might need attention.

Reduced adsorption of ametryn in clay, humic acid, and soil by interaction with ferric ion under Fenton treatment conditions.

Previous work in our laboratory indicated a weak interaction between ferric ion and several triazine/triazinone herbicides during a Fenton treatment process, and the intensity of the interaction was calculated. To further support the existence of this weak interaction, the adsorption of ametryn, a triazine herbicide, was investigated in kaolinite clay, humic acid, and soil under pseudo-Fenton conditions. At a low addition rate of ferric ion, the adsorption of ametryn in clay, humic acid, and soil was enhanced due to the decreased pH resulting from the hydrolysis of ferric ion. But the pH effect was totally neutralized and the adsorption of ametryn was significantly reduced by further addition of ferric ion, demonstrating the existence of the weak interaction between ametryn and ferric acid. Further study showed that the adsorption-reduction effect of ferric ion existed not only with ametryn but also with several other triazine/triazinone herbicides. This weak interaction may accelerate the desorption process during the remediation of triazine/triazinone herbicide-contaminated soil using a Fenton/Fenton-like treatment, but it may also impede the degradation of these herbicides.