The promoting effects of soil microplastics on alien plant invasion depend on microplastic shape and concentration.

Both alien plant invasions and soil microplastic pollution have become a concerning threat for terrestrial ecosystems, with consequences on the human well-being. However, our current knowledge of microplastic effects on the successful invasion of plants remains limited, despite numerous studies demonstrating the direct and indirect impacts of microplastics on plant performance. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a greenhouse experiment involving the mixtures of soil and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastic pellets and fragments at the concentrations of 0, 0.5 % and 2.0 %. Additionally, we included Solidago decurrens (native plant) and S. canadensis (alien invasive plant) as the target plants. Each pot contained an individual of either species, after six-month cultivation, plant biomass and antioxidant enzymes, as well as soil properties including soil moisture, pH, available nutrient, and microbial biomass were measured. Our results indicated that microplastic effects on soil properties and plant growth indices depended on the Solidago species, microplastic shapes and concentrations. For example, microplastics exerted positive effects on soil moisture of the soil with native species but negative effects with invasive species, which were impacted by microplastic shapes and concentrations, respectively. Microplastics significantly impacted catalase (P < 0.05) and superoxide dismutase (P < 0.01), aboveground biomass (P < 0.01), and belowground/aboveground biomass (P < 0.01) of the native species depending on microplastic shapes, but no significant effects on those of the invasive species. Furthermore, microplastics effects on soil properties, nutrient, nutrient ratio, and plant antioxidant enzyme activities contributed to plant biomass differently among these two species. These results suggested that the microplastics exerted a more pronounced impact on native Solidago plants than the invasive ones. This implies that the alien invasive species displays greater resistance to microplastic pollution, potentially promoting their invasion. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of the promoting effects of microplastic pollution on plant invasion.

Effect of Alpha-Linolenic Acid Supplementation on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profile in Individuals with Obesity or Overweight: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Overweight and obesity are highly prevalent worldwide and are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including systematic inflammation, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a plant-based essential polyunsaturated fatty acid associated with reduced CVD risks. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of supplementation with ALA compared with the placebo on CVD risk factors in people with obesity or overweight (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews Registration No. CRD42023429563). This review included studies with adults using oral supplementation or food or combined interventions containing vegetable sources of ALA. All studies were randomly assigned trials with parallel or crossover designs. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used for assessing the risk of bias (Version 1). PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library databases were searched from inception to April 2023. Nineteen eligible randomized controlled trials, including 1183 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, dietary ALA supplementation significantly reduced C-reactive protein concentration (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.38 mg/L; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.72, -0.04), tumor necrosis factor-α concentration (SMD = -0.45 pg/mL; 95% CI: -0.73, -0.17), triglyceride in serum (SMD = -4.41 mg/dL; 95% CI: -5.99, -2.82), and systolic blood pressure (SMD = -0.37 mm Hg; 95% CI: -0.66, -0.08); but led to a significant increase in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (SMD = 1.32 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.05, 2.59). ALA supplementation had no significant effect on interleukin-6, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P ≥ 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that ALA supplementation at a dose of ≥3 g/d from flaxseed and flaxseed oil had a more prominent effect on improving CVD risk profiles, particularly where the intervention duration was ≥12 wk and where the baseline CVD profile was poor.

Comparative effects of vitamin and mineral supplements in the management of type 2 diabetes in primary care: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Medical nutrition treatment can manage diabetes and slow or prevent its complications. The comparative effects of micronutrient supplements, however, have not yet been well established. We aimed at evaluating the comparative effects of vitamin and mineral supplements on managing glycemic control and lipid metabolism for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to inform clinical practice. Electronic and hand searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed until June 1, 2022. We selected RCTs enrolling patients with T2DM who were treated with vitamin supplements, mineral supplements, or placebo/no treatment. Data were pooled via frequentist random-effects network meta-analyses. A total of 170 eligible trials and 14223 participants were included. Low to very low certainty evidence established chromium supplements as the most effective in reducing fasting blood glucose levels and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (SUCRAs: 90.4% and 78.3%, respectively). Vitamin K supplements ranked best in reducing glycated hemoglobin A1c and fasting insulin levels (SUCRAs: 97.0% and 82.3%, respectively), with moderate to very low certainty evidence. Vanadium supplements ranked best in lowering total cholesterol levels with very low evidence certainty (SUCRAs:100%). Niacin supplements ranked best in triglyceride reductions and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels with low to very low evidence certainty (SUCRAs:93.7% and 94.6%, respectively). Vitamin E supplements ranked best in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels with very low evidence certainty (SUCRAs:80.0%). Our analyses indicated that micronutrient supplements, especially chromium, vitamin E, vitamin K, vanadium, and niacin supplements, may be more efficacious in managing T2DM than other micronutrients. Considering the clinical importance of these findings, new research is needed to get better insight into this issue.

Effects of fish oil-derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on body composition, muscle strength and physical performance in older people: a secondary analysis of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: the effects regarding n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation on sarcopenia have been explored by several clinical trials. Nonetheless, the use of n-3 PUFA for improving body composition, muscle strength and physical performance in older people is conflicting. OBJECTIVES: our aim was to perform a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate the effects of 6-month n-3 PUFA supplementation on body composition, muscle strength and physical performance in older Chinese people. METHODS: in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 200 eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive 4 g/day fish oil capsules (1.34 g eicosapentaenoic [EPA] + 1.07 docosahexaenoic [DHA]) or 4 g/day corn oil capsules (EPA + DHA <0.05 g) for 6 months. The primary outcomes were the changes of body composition, muscle strength (hand grip strength) and physical performance (Timed Up and Go time). Secondary outcomes were the changes in serum lipid profiles. RESULTS: compared with control group, fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation resulted in significant increases in thigh circumference (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001), total skeletal muscle mass (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001); the differences were still significant even after height correction. Muscle strength and physical performance including hand grip strength (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) and Timed Up and Go time (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) were also improved after a 6-month fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA intervention. In terms of serum lipid profiles, fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation could significantly reduce serum level of triglyceride (interaction time × group effect P = 0.012) and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001); while no significant improvement was found in serum concentrations of total cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P = 0.413) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P = 0.089). CONCLUSIONS: our present trial demonstrated that a 6-month fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation could beneficially affect the body composition, muscle strength, physical performance and serum lipid profiles in older people, which could be into considerations when making strategies aiming to the primary prevention of sarcopenia.

[Role and mechanism of Cortex Moutan components in inhibiting production of toxic advanced glycation end products (AGEs)].

Advanced glycation end products(AGEs) can lead to many diseases such as diabetes and its complications. In this study, an in vitro non-enzymatic glycosylation reaction model-bovine serum albumin/methylglyoxal(BSA/MGO) reaction system was constructed and incubated with Cortex Moutan extract. High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) were used to detect and identify the active components that inhibited the formation of AGEs in the co-incubation solution of Cortex Moutan extract and MGO, and differential components such as salvianan, paeoniside, benzoylpaeoniflorin, mudanpioside J, galloyloxypaeoniflorin, benzoyloxy-paeoniflorin, 5-hydroxy-3 s-hydroxymethyl-6-methyl-2,3-dihydro benzofuran, and galloylpaeoniflorin were screened out, which were inferred to be the potential active components of Cortex Moutan extract to capture MGO. In addition, BSA-glucose reaction system was performed to investigate the influence of different concentrations of Cortex Moutan extract(decoction concentrations: 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 mg·mL~(-1)) on inhibiting the production of AGEs in vitro. The inhibitory effects of Cortex Moutan extract and the differential components galloylpaeoniflorin and benzoyl paeoniflorin on the production of AGEs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) induced by high glucose was further evaluated. Cell apoptosis was observed by acridine orange and ethidium bromide(AO/EB) double fluorescence staining. The results showed that Cortex Moutan Cortex extract and its differential components had certain inhibitory effects on the formation of AGEs, and could reduce cell apoptosis. This study provided reference for the treatment of diabetic vascular complications by Cortex Moutan inhibiting the toxic AGEs.

A derivant of ginsenoside CK and its inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Epidemiological studies have shown that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a main cause of tumor death worldwide. Accumulating data indicate that ginsenoside CK is an effective compound for preventing HCC growth and development. However, improvement of pharmaceutical effect of the ginsenoside CK is still needed. In our study, we performed acetylation of ginsenoside CK (CK-3) and investigated the antitumor effects of the derivative in vitro and in vivo. The cytotoxicity analysis revealed that compared with CK, CK-3 could inhibit the proliferation of multiple tumor cell lines at a lower concentration. Treating with CK-3 on HCC cells arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase and induced cell apoptosis through AO/EB staining, TUNEL analysis and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, CK-3 significantly inhibited tumor growth in an HCC xenograft model and showed no side effect on the function of the main organs. Mechanistically, whole transcriptome analysis revealed that the antitumor effect of CK-3 was involved in the Hippo signaling pathway. The immunoblotting and immunofluorescence results illustrated that CK-3 directly facilitated the phosphorylation of YAP1 and decreased the expression of the main transcription factor TEAD2 in HCC cell lines and tumor tissue sections. Collectively, our results demostrate the formation of a new derivative of ginsenoside CK and its regulatory mechanism in HCC, which could activate the Hippo-YAP1-TEAD2 signaling pathway to regulate HCC progression. This research could provide a new direction for traditional Chinese medicine in the therapy of tumors.

Microbial transformation of curcumol by Aspergillus niger.

Curcumol is a representative index component for the quality control of the essential oil of Curcuma wenyujin Y.H. Chen et C. Ling, an antivirus and anticancer drug in China. Microbial transformation of curcumol (1) by Aspergillus niger AS 3.739 yielded two products. Their structures were elucidated as 3alpha-hydroxycurcumol (2) and 3alpha-(4'-methoxy-succinyloxy)-curcumol (3) by extensive spectroscopic methods including 2D-NMR and HRESI-MS. Among them, 3 is a new compound. Esterification of the substrate with succinic acid is a novel reaction in the field of microbial transformation of natural products. Compound 2, the major transformation product of 1, was a high regio- and stereo-specific hydroxylation product and showed significant antiviral effects.

An improved system for the evaluation of antiviral compounds against herpes simplex virus type 2.

Infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) can result in lesions in reproductive organs, along with long-term latency. In this work, a non-lethal strain of HSV-2 which was isolated clinically was used to infect female mice intravaginally. Body weight, vulval lesions, histological examination of vaginal tissue, and viral load were monitored and used as indices for evaluating antiviral drugs against HSV-2 infection. The results indicated that mice infected with HSV-2 exhibited significant reduction in body weight, serious vulval lesions, massive lymphocyte invasion of vaginal tissue, and approximately 104 copies/µl of HSV-2 were found in vaginal and uterine tissues. Aciclovir (ACV) treatment inhibited loss in body weight, genital pathology and virus replication (reduced to 10°·³ copies/µl) effectively. The study provides a simple, reproducible and feasible animal model for anti-HSV-2 drugs evaluation and HSV-2 vaccine research.