Selenium maintains intestinal epithelial cells to activate M2 macrophages against deoxynivalenol injury.

Selenium (Se) is indispensable in alleviating various types of intestinal injuries. Here, we thoroughly investigated the protective effect of Se on the regulation of the epithelial cell-M2 macrophages pathway in deoxynivalenol (DON)-induced intestinal damage. In the present study, Se has positive impacts on gut health by improving gut barrier function and reducing the levels of serum DON in vivo. Furthermore, our study revealed that Se supplementation increased the abundances of GPX4, p-PI3K, and AKT, decreased the levels of 4-HNE and inhibited ferroptosis. Moreover, when mice were treated with DON and Fer-1(ferroptosis inhibitor), ferroptosis was suppressed and PI3K/AKT pathway was activated. These results indicated that GPX4-PI3K/AKT-ferroptosis was a predominant pathway in DON-induced intestinal inflammation. Interestingly, we discovered that both the number of M2 anti-inflammatory macrophages and the levels of CSF-1 decreased while the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 increased in the intestine and MODE-K cells supernatant. Therefore, Se supplementation activated the CSF-1-M2 macrophages axis, resulting in a decrease in IL-6 expression and an enhancement of the intestinal anti-inflammatory capacity. This study provides novel insights into how intestinal epithelial cells regulate the CSF-1-M2 macrophage pathway, which is essential in maintaining intestinal homeostasis confer to environmental hazardous stimuli.

Expression profiles of genes involved in fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis in developing seeds of Paeonia ostii.

BACKGROUND: Paeonia ostii seeds were identified as novel sources of edible plant oil with a high proportion of α-linolenic acid, a type of n-3 fatty acid with many health benefits. Due to the unreliability of seed oil content and quality, it is necessary to discover the mechanism underlying lipid biosynthesis in Paeonia ostii seeds. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the key genes involved in lipid biosynthesis in Paeonia ostii seeds by analyzing the relationship among the seed characteristics and the expression patterns of lipid genes in Paeonia ostii during seed development. METHODS: Preliminary research on Paeonia ostii seed development was carried out from 10 days after pollination until maturity, focusing on phenology, oil content and lipid profiles. In addition, we investigated the spatiotemporal expression of 36 lipid biosynthetic genes in Paeonia ostii by using quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: The results suggested that the development of Paeonia ostii seeds from pollination to maturity could be divided into three periods. The 36 lipid genes showed various spatiotemporal expression patterns and five gene groups with distinct temporal patterns during seed development were identified by clustering analysis of expression data. Furthermore, the relationships between gene expression and lipid/fatty acid accumulation and some candidate key lipid genes were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided the global patterns of fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis-related gene expression, which are critical to understanding the molecular basis of lipid biosynthesis and identifying the lipid accumulation rate-limiting genes during seed development.

Theanine from tea and its semi-synthetic derivative TBrC suppress human cervical cancer growth and migration by inhibiting EGFR/Met-Akt/NF-κB signaling.

Cervical cancer is the third most prevalent cancer among women worldwide. Theanine from tea and its derivatives show some anticancer activities. However, the role of theanine and its derivatives against human cervical cancer and the molecular mechanisms of action remain unclear. Thus, in this study, we aim to investigate the anticancer activities and underlying mechanisms of theanine and a theanine derivative, ethyl 6-bromocoumarin-3- carboxylyl L-theanine (TBrC), against human cervical cancer. In vitro and in vivo assays for cancer cell growth and migration have confirmed the inhibition of the cell growth and migration by TBrC and theanine in highly-metastatic human cervical cancer. TBrC displays much stronger activity than theanine on inhibition of the cell growth and migration as well as induction of apoptosis and regulation of related protein expressions in the human cervical cancer cells. TBrC and theanine greatly reduced endogenous and exogenous factors-stimulated cell migration and completely repressed HGF- and EGF+HGF-activated EGFR/Met-Akt/NF-κB signaling by reducing the phosphorylation and expressions of EGFR, Met, Akt, and NF-κB in cervical cancer cells. The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) knockdown decreased the cancer cell migration and NF-κB expression. The NF-κB knockdown reduced the cancer cell migration. TBrC and theanine reduced the EZH2 expression by more than 80%. In addition, TBrC and theanine significantly suppressed human cervical tumor growth in tumor-bearing nude mice without toxicity to the mice. Our results suggest that TBrC and theanine may have the potentials of the therapeutic and/or adjuvant therapeutic application in the treatment of human cervical cancer.