Sodium butyrate alleviates lead-induced neuroinflammation and improves cognitive and memory impairment through the ACSS2/H3K9ac/BDNF pathway.

Lead is an environmentally widespread neurotoxic pollutant. Although the neurotoxicity of lead has been found to be closely associated with metabolic disorders, the effects of short-chain fatty acids on the neurotoxicity of lead and its mechanisms have not yet been explored. In this study, the results of open field tests and Morris water maze tests demonstrated that chronic lead exposure caused learning and memory deficits and anxiety-like symptoms in mice. The serum butyric acid content of lead-treated mice decreased in a dose-dependent manner, and oral administration of butyrate significantly improved cognitive memory impairment and anxiety symptoms in lead-exposed mice. Moreover, butyrate alleviated neuroinflammation caused by lead exposure by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling in microglia. Butyrate also promoted the expression of acetyl-CoA synthetase ACSS2 in hippocampal neurons, thereby increasing the content of acetyl-CoA and restoring the expression of both histone H3K9ac and the downstream BDNF. We also found that the median butyric acid concentration in high-lead exposure humans was remarkably lower than that in the low-lead exposure humans (45.16 µg/L vs. 60.92 µg/L, P < 0.01), and that butyric acid significantly mediated the relationship of lead exposure with the Montreal cognitive assessment scores, with a contribution rate of 27.57 %. In conclusion, our results suggest that butyrate supplementation is a possible therapeutic strategy for lead-induced neurotoxicity.

Effects of irrigation and nitrogen on chlorophyll content, dry matter and nitrogen accumulation in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).

A 2-year field experiment was conducted to analyze the growth conditions, physical features, yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of sugar-beet under limited irrigation conditions in northeast of China. A cultivar H003 was used as plant materials; six treatments (C1-C6) were included: C1, no nitrogen applied, rain-fed; C2, nitrogen (120.00 kg ha-1), rain-fed; C3, no nitrogen applied, hole irrigation for seeding; C4, nitrogen (120.00 kg ha-1), hole irrigation for seeding; C5, no nitrogen applied, hole irrigation for seeding; and C6, nitrogen (120.00 kg ha-1), hole irrigation for seeding, and irrigation at foliage rapid growth stage. The irrigation supply was only 500 mL/plant once. Results showed C6 showed the highest chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation, yield, etc. and had the best NUE among all the treatments. In conclusion, under the routine fertilization conditions of northeast of China, the cultivation measure of hole irrigation 500 mL/plant for seeding combined with irrigation 500 mL/plant at foliage rapid growth stage greatly improved sugar-beet yield and NUE.

Dietary nitrate attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injuries by modulation of immune responses and reduction of oxidative stress.

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury involves complex pathological processes in which reduction of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is suggested as a key factor. Inorganic nitrate can form NO in vivo via NO synthase-independent pathways and may thus provide beneficial effects during IR. Herein we evaluated the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation in a renal IR model. Male mice (C57BL/6J) were fed nitrate-supplemented chow (1.0mmol/kg/day) or standard chow for two weeks prior to 30min ischemia and during the reperfusion period. Unilateral renal IR caused profound tubular and glomerular damage in the ischemic kidney. Renal function, assessed by plasma creatinine levels, glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow, was also impaired after IR. All these pathologies were significantly improved by nitrate. Mechanistically, nitrate treatment reduced renal superoxide generation, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-12 p70) and macrophage infiltration in the kidney. Moreover, nitrate reduced mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemo attractors, while increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the injured kidney. In another cohort of mice, two weeks of nitrate supplementation lowered superoxide generation and IL-6 expression in bone marrow-derived macrophages. Our study demonstrates protective effect of dietary nitrate in renal IR injury that may be mediated via modulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. These novel findings suggest that nitrate supplementation deserve further exploration as a potential treatment in patients at high risk of renal IR injury.

[Isolation, expression analysis of a chilling induced cDNA from rice root with differential display: an evidence role for caffeine-sensitive calcium signal].

Chilling-sensitive rice varieties acquire chilling tolerance when their roots are exposed to water stress for short time. Caffeine-sensitive calcium signal was involved in this procedure. By using total RNA differential display, a chilling induced cDNA(ICT: induction of chilling treatment) was isolated from roots of chilling-sensitive rice variety. It was determined that it is a novel cDNA by homology searching. The transcript level of ict mRNA is up-regulated under chilling stress, it is decreased to low level when the samples were transferred to standard culture conditions. Pre-treated with mannitol for two hours is beneficial to inducing ICT level of expression. This chilling induction was inhibited by caffeine, suggesting that it may play a putative role in signal transduction of caffeine-sensitive calcium.