Improving Blueberry Anthocyanins' Stability Using a Ferritin Nanocarrier.

Blueberries are fruits known for their high level of anthocyanins, which have high nutritional value and several biological properties. However, the chemical instability of anthocyanins is one of the major limitations of their application. The stability of blueberry anthocyanin extracts (BAEs) encapsulated in a ferritin nanocarrier was investigated in this study for several influencing parameters, including pH, temperature, UV-visible light, redox agents, and various metal ions. The outcomes supported the positive role of protein nanoparticles in enhancing the stability of blueberry anthocyanins by demonstrating that the stability of encapsulated BAE nanoparticles with ferritin carriers was significantly higher than that of free BAEs and a mixture of BAEs and ferritin carriers. This study provides an alternative approach for enhancing blueberry anthocyanin stability using ferritin nanocarrier encapsulation.

In vivo antioxidant activity of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei cv. 'Brightwell') anthocyanin extracts. / '灿烂'å“ç§å ”çœ¼è“èŽ“èŠ±é’ç´ æå–ç‰©åœ¨ä½“å† çš„æŠ—æ°§åŒ–æ´»æ€§.

Blueberries are rich in phenolic compounds including anthocyanins which are closely related to biological health functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of blueberry anthocyanins extracted from 'Brightwell' rabbiteye blueberries in mice. After one week of adaptation, C57BL/6J healthy male mice were divided into different groups that were administered with 100, 400, or 800 mg/kg blueberry anthocyanin extract (BAE), and sacrificed at different time points (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 h). The plasma, eyeball, intestine, liver, and adipose tissues were collected to compare their antioxidant activity, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX/GPX) content, and the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The results showed that blueberry anthocyanins had positive concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vivo. The greater the concentration of BAE, the higher the T-AOC value, but the lower the MDA level. The enzyme activity of SOD, the content of GSH-PX, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and GPX all confirmed that BAE played an antioxidant role after digestion in mice by improving their antioxidant defense. The in vivo antioxidant activity of BAE indicated that blueberry anthocyanins could be developed into functional foods or nutraceuticals with the aim of preventing or treating oxidative stress-related diseases.

Curcumin suppressed the proliferation and apoptosis of HPV-positive cervical cancer cells by directly targeting the E6 protein.

Most human papillomavirus (HPV) types, including HPV16 and HPV18, are closely related to the occurrence of cervical cancer, predominantly through the action of viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. Curcumin, the active ingredient of the turmeric plant, has been gaining attention over the past two decades as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer agent. In the present study, the HPV-positive cervical cancer cells HeLa and CaSki were treated with curcumin, and the results showed that curcumin has a dose-dependent and time-dependent inhibitory effect on cell viability. In addition, apoptosis induction was further quantitatively confirmed through flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, the influence of different concentrations of curcumin on the mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated through JC-1 staining and found to dramatically decrease the membrane potential in treated HeLa and CaSki cells, suggesting the critical role of the mitochondrial pathway in their apoptosis-inducing effect. This study also demonstrated the wound-healing potential of curcumin, and the results of transwell assays showed that curcumin treatment inhibited HeLa and CaSki cell invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner compared with the control treatment. Curcumin also downregulated the expression of Bcl-2, N-cadherin, and Vimentin and upregulated the expression of Bax, C-caspase-3, and E-cadherin in both cell lines. Further research showed that curcumin also selectively inhibited the expression of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7, as demonstrated by western blot analysis; moreover, the downregulation of E6 was more significant than that of E7. Our research also showed that coculture with cells infected with siE6 lentivirus (siE6 cells) can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HPV-positive cells. While the siE6 cells were also treated with curcumin, the effect of curcumin monotherapy was offset. In summary, our research shows that curcumin regulates the apoptosis, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells, and the mechanism may be related to its ability to downregulate E6. This study provides a foundation for future research on the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Selective synthesis of human milk fat-style structured triglycerides from microalgal oil in a microfluidic reactor packed with immobilized lipase.

Human milk fat-style structured triacylglycerols were produced from microalgal oil in a continuous microfluidic reactor packed with immobilized lipase for the first time. A remarkably high conversion efficiency was demonstrated in the microreactor with reaction time being reduced by 8 times, Michaelis constant decreased 10 times, the lipase reuse times increased 2.25-fold compared to those in a batch reactor. In addition, the content of palmitic acid at sn-2 position (89.0%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids at sn-1, 3 positions (81.3%) are slightly improved compared to the product in a batch reactor. The increase of melting points (1.7°C) and decrease of crystallizing point (3°C) implied higher quality product was produced using the microfluidic technology. The main cost can be reduced from $212.3 to $14.6 per batch with the microreactor. Overall, the microfluidic bioconversion technology is promising for modified functional lipids production allowing for cost-effective approach to produce high-value microalgal coproducts.

Soy isoflavones protect against H2O2-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of soy isoflavones on the injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by H2O2. EVC­304 cells were preincubated with soy isoflavones for 12 h, and then exposed to 100 µM H2O2 for 1 h. Cell viability was evaluated by a 3­(4,5­di­methylthiazol­2­yl) 2,5­diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The apoptosis of EVC­304 cells was detected by Hoechst 33258 and Annexin­V/propidium iodide staining. The oxidative stress­related biochemical parameters were detected and the expression of apoptosis­related proteins was examined by western blot analysis. The results showed that incubation with soy isoflavones caused a significant increase in the viability of EVC­304 cells and a decrease in cell apoptosis induced by H2O2. Soy isoflavones also markedly enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and reduced the level of malondialdehyde. Western blot analysis results show that soy isoflavones can modulate the activation of nuclear factor­κB and the mitochondria­mediated apoptosis signaling pathway. The results of this study indicated the potential biological relevance of soy isoflavones in the therapy of cardiovascular diseases.

Antioxidant properties of two gallotannins isolated from the leaves of Pistacia weinmannifolia.

Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Poisson ex Franch (Anacardiaceae) is a shrub or arbor widely found in Yunnan province of China and its leaves are used as traditional Chinese medicine by herbalists. The leaves of P. weinmannifolia are rich in phenolic compounds, among which two novel gallotannins, Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B, are identified. In the present investigation, the antioxidant efficiency of Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B in preventing lipid, protein and DNA from reactive oxygen species-mediated damage was studied. Both Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B inhibited the peroxyl-radical induced lipid peroxidation of l-alpha-phosphatidylcholine liposomes dose-dependently and prevented the bovine serum albumin from peroxyl-induced oxidative damage. Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B also inhibited copper (II)-1,10-phenanthroline complex-induced DNA oxidative damage. Both Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B scavenged the hydrophilic 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt-free radicals and the hydrophobic 1,1-dipheny-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals effectively, suggesting they may act as hydrogen donating antioxidants. The protective effects of the two gallotannins against oxidative damage of biomacromolecules were due to their strong free radical scavenging ability. Pistafolin A with three galloyl moieties showed stronger antioxidant ability than Pistafolin B with two galloyl moieties.

Scavenging of reactive oxygen species and prevention of oxidative neuronal cell damage by a novel gallotannin, pistafolia A.

Pistafolia A is a novel gallotannin isolated from the leaf extract of Pistacia weinmannifolia. In the present investigation, the ability of Pistafolia A to scavenge reactive oxygen species including hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion was measured by ESR spin trapping technique. The inhibition effect on iron-induced lipid peroxidaiton in liposomes was studied. The protective effects of Pistafolia A against oxidative neuronal cell damage and apoptosis induced by peroxynitrite were also assessed. The results showed that Pistafolia A could scavenge both hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion dose-dependently and inhibit lipid peroxidation effectively. In cerebellar granule cells pretreated with Pistafolia A, peroxynitrite-induced oxidative neuronal damage and apoptosis were prevented markedly. The antioxidant capacity of Pistafolia A was much more potent then that of the water-soluble analog of vitamin E, Trolox. The results suggested that Pistafolia A might be used as an effective natural antioxidant for the prevention and cure of neuronal diseases associated with the production of peroxynitrite and related reactive oxygen species.