Oridonin attenuates atherosclerosis by inhibiting foam macrophage formation and inflammation through FABP4/PPARγ signalling.

Both lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in lesion macrophages fuel the progression of atherosclerosis, leading to high mortality of cardiovascular disease. A therapeutic strategy concurrently targeting these two risk factors is promising, but still scarce. Oridonin, the bioactive medicinal compound, is known to protect against inflammatory response and lipid dysfunction. However, its effect on atherosclerosis and the underlying molecular mechanism remain elusive. Here, we showed that oridonin attenuated atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic ApoE knockout mice. Meanwhile, we confirmed the protective effect of oridonin on the oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced foam macrophage formation, resulting from increased cholesterol efflux, as well as reduced inflammatory response. Mechanistically, the network pharmacology prediction and further experiments revealed that oridonin dramatically facilitated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), thereby regulating liver X receptor-alpha (LXRα)-induced ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression and nuclear factor NF-kappa-B (NF-κB) translocation. Antagonist of PPARγ reversed the cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory response mediated by oridonin. Besides, RNA sequencing analysis revealed that fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) was altered responding to lipid modulation effect of oridonin. Overexpression of FABP4 inhibited PPARγ activation and blunted the benefit effect of oridonin on foam macrophages. Taken together, oridonin might have potential to protect against atherosclerosis by modulating the formation and inflammatory response in foam macrophages through FABP4/PPARγ signalling.

Development and global validation of a 1-week-old piglet head finite element model for impact simulations.

PURPOSE: Child head injury under impact scenarios (e.g. falls, vehicle crashes, etc.) is an important topic in the field of injury biomechanics. The head of piglet was commonly used as the surrogate to investigate the biomechanical response and mechanisms of pediatric head injuries because of the similar cellular structures and material properties. However, up to date, piglet head models with accurate geometry and material properties, which have been validated by impact experiments, are seldom. We aim to develop such a model for future research. METHODS: In this study, first, the detailed anatomical structures of the piglet head, including the skull, suture, brain, pia mater, dura mater, cerebrospinal fluid, scalp and soft tissue, were constructed based on CT scans. Then, a structured butterfly method was adopted to mesh the complex geometries of the piglet head to generate high-quality elements and each component was assigned corresponding constitutive material models. Finally, the guided drop tower tests were conducted and the force-time histories were ectracted to validate the piglet head finite element model. RESULTS: Simulations were conducted on the developed finite element model under impact conditions and the simulation results were compared with the experimental data from the guided drop tower tests and the published literature. The average peak force and duration of the guide drop tower test were similar to that of the simulation, with an error below 10%. The inaccuracy was below 20%. The average peak force and duration reported in the literature were comparable to those of the simulation, with the exception of the duration for an impact energy of 11 J. The results showed that the model was capable to capture the response of the pig head. CONCLUSION: This study can provide an effective tool for investigating child head injury mechanisms and protection strategies under impact loading conditions.

Risk factors and prognosis of spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality in children in China.

BACKGROUND: Compared to adults, spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is more common in children due to the congenital spinal soft tissue elasticity and immature vertebral bodies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors and prognosis associated with SCIWORA in China. METHOD: We retrospectively examined patient records at the First Hospital of Jilin University from January 2007 to December 2020. Patients diagnosed with SCIWORA were included in the study group (n=16). The age, gender, history of trauma, symptoms, injury level of the spinal cord, the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment score according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), as well as laboratory and imaging findings were analyzed. RESULT: The study group included 16 patients with SCIWORA with a mean age of 6.69±2.51 y. The ISNCSCI impairment scale was significantly different between the pre-school age patients (≤7 years old) and school age patients (>7 years old) before (P=0.044) and after therapy (P=0.002). Similarly, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a significant difference in the spinal injury level between pre-school age and school age patients (P=0.041). Further, the study group was subdivided into three subgroups according to the cause of trauma: Dance, Taekwondo, or Falls. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant differences among the three subgroups (P=0.041). CONCLUSION: Compared to school-age patients, pre-school-age patients were more vulnerable to SCIWORA with more severe ISNCSCI scores. Dance and Taekwondo are among the risk factors associated with SCIWORA in Chinese children.

Protective effect of daidzein against streptozotocin-induced Alzheimer's disease via improving cognitive dysfunction and oxidative stress in rat model.

Oxidative stress is performing an essential role in developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and age-related disorder and other neurodegenerative diseases. In existing research, we have aimed at investigating the daidzein (4',7-dihydroxyisoflavone) effect (10 and 20 mg/kg of body weight), as a free radical scavenger and antioxidant in streptozotocin (STZ) infused AD in rat model. Daidzein treatment led to significant improvement in intracerebroventricular-streptozotocin (ICV-STZ)-induced memory and learning impairments that was evaluated by Morris water maze test and spontaneous locomotor activity. It significantly restored the alterations in malondialdehyde, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione levels. In addition, histopathological observations in cerebral cortex and hippocampal areas confirmed the neuroprotective effect of daidzein. These outcomes provide experimental proof showing preventive effect of daidzein on memory, learning dysfunction and oxidative stress in case of ICV-STZ rats. In conclusion, daidzein offers a potential treatment module for various neurodegenerative disorders with regard to mental deficits like AD.

Sox9b is a mediator of retinoic acid signaling restricting endocrine progenitor differentiation.

Centroacinar cells (CACs) are ductal Notch-responsive progenitors that in the larval zebrafish pancreas differentiate to form new islets and ultimately contribute to the majority of the adult endocrine mass. Uncovering the mechanisms regulating CAC differentiation will facilitate understanding how insulin-producing ß cells are formed. Previously we reported retinoic acid (RA) signaling and Notch signaling both regulate larval CAC differentiation, suggesting a shared downstream intermediate. Sox9b is a transcription factor important for islet formation whose expression is upregulated by Notch signaling in larval CACs. Here we report that sox9b expression in larval CACs is also regulated by RA signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that Sox9b is an intermediate between both RA- and Notch-signaling pathways. In order to study the role of Sox9b in larval CACs, we generated two cre/lox based transgenic tools, which allowed us to express full-length or truncated Sox9b in larval CACs. In this way we were able to perform spatiotemporal-controlled Sox9b gain- and loss-of-function studies and observe the subsequent effect on progenitor differentiation. Our results are consistent with Sox9b regulating CAC differentiation by being a downstream intermediate of both RA- and Notch-signaling pathways. We also demonstrate that adult zebrafish with only one functional allele of sox9b undergo accelerated ß-cell regeneration, an observation consistent with sox9b regulating CAC differentiation in adults.

Retinoic acid plays an evolutionarily conserved and biphasic role in pancreas development.

As the developing zebrafish pancreas matures, hormone-producing endocrine cells differentiate from pancreatic Notch-responsive cells (PNCs) that reside within the ducts. These new endocrine cells form small clusters known as secondary (2°) islets. We use the formation of 2° islets in the pancreatic tail of the larval zebrafish as a model of ß-cell neogenesis. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch signaling leads to precocious endocrine differentiation and the early appearance of 2° islets in the tail of the pancreas. Following a chemical screen, we discovered that blocking the retinoic acid (RA)-signaling pathway also leads to the induction of 2° islets. Conversely, the addition of exogenous RA blocks the differentiation caused by Notch inhibition. In this report we characterize the interaction of these two pathways. We first verified that signaling via both RA and Notch ligands act together to regulate pancreatic progenitor differentiation. We produced a transgenic RA reporter, which demonstrated that PNCs directly respond to RA signaling through the canonical transcriptional pathway. Next, using a genetic lineage tracing approach, we demonstrated these progenitors produce endocrine cells following inhibition of RA signaling. Lastly, inhibition of RA signaling using a cell-type specific inducible cre/lox system revealed that RA signaling acts cell-autonomously in PNCs to regulate their differentiation. Importantly, the action of RA inhibition on endocrine formation is evolutionarily conserved, as shown by the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in a model of human pancreas development. Together, these results revealed a biphasic function for RA in pancreatogenesis. As previously shown by others, RA initially plays an essential role during embryogenesis as it patterns the endoderm and specifies the pancreatic field. We reveal here that later in development RA is involved in negatively regulating the further differentiation of pancreatic progenitors and expands upon the developmental mechanisms by which this occurs.

The Rho kinase Rock2b establishes anteroposterior asymmetry of the ciliated Kupffer's vesicle in zebrafish.

The vertebrate body plan features a consistent left-right (LR) asymmetry of internal organs. In several vertebrate embryos, motile cilia generate an asymmetric fluid flow that is necessary for normal LR development. However, the mechanisms involved in orienting LR asymmetric flow with previously established anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes remain poorly understood. In zebrafish, asymmetric flow is generated in Kupffer's vesicle (KV). The cellular architecture of KV is asymmetric along the AP axis, with more ciliated cells densely packed into the anterior region. Here, we identify a Rho kinase gene, rock2b, which is required for normal AP patterning of KV and subsequent LR development in the embryo. Antisense depletion of rock2b in the whole embryo or specifically in the KV cell lineage perturbed asymmetric gene expression in lateral plate mesoderm and disrupted organ LR asymmetries. Analyses of KV architecture demonstrated that rock2b knockdown altered the AP placement of ciliated cells without affecting cilia number or length. In control embryos, leftward flow across the anterior pole of KV was stronger than rightward flow at the posterior end, correlating with the normal AP asymmetric distribution of ciliated cells. By contrast, rock2b knockdown embryos with AP patterning defects in KV exhibited randomized flow direction and equal flow velocities in the anterior and posterior regions. Live imaging of Tg(dusp6:memGFP)(pt19) transgenic embryos that express GFP in KV cells revealed that rock2b regulates KV cell morphology. Our results suggest a link between AP patterning of the ciliated Kupffer's vesicle and LR patterning of the zebrafish embryo.

NPHP4 variants are associated with pleiotropic heart malformations.

RATIONALE: Congenital heart malformations are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in young children. Failure to establish normal left-right (L-R) asymmetry often results in cardiovascular malformations and other laterality defects of visceral organs. OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic mutations causing cardiac laterality defects. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a genome-wide linkage analysis in patients with cardiac laterality defects from a consanguineous family. The patients had combinations of defects that included dextrocardia, transposition of great arteries, double-outlet right ventricle, atrioventricular septal defects, and caval vein abnormalities. Sequencing of positional candidate genes identified mutations in NPHP4. We performed mutation analysis of NPHP4 in 146 unrelated patients with similar cardiac laterality defects. Forty-one percent of these patients also had laterality defects of the abdominal organs. We identified 8 additional missense variants that were absent or very rare in control subjects. To study the role of nphp4 in establishing L-R asymmetry, we used antisense morpholinos to knockdown nphp4 expression in zebrafish. Depletion of nphp4 disrupted L-R patterning as well as cardiac and gut laterality. Cardiac laterality defects were partially rescued by human NPHP4 mRNA, whereas mutant NPHP4 containing genetic variants found in patients failed to rescue. We show that nphp4 is involved in the formation of motile cilia in Kupffer's vesicle, which generate asymmetrical fluid flow necessary for normal L-R asymmetry. CONCLUSIONS: NPHP4 mutations are associated with cardiac laterality defects and heterotaxy. In zebrafish, nphp4 is essential for the development and function of Kupffer's vesicle cilia and is required for global L-R patterning.

Therapeutic effect of the metaverse on mental health.

López del Hoyo et al collections reported the meta verse based on the virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence could be used in the therapy of mental health, although there were still some challenges. This manuscript reported that the meta verse is a prospective method to improve the prognosis of mental health problems.

Regional cell shape changes control form and function of Kupffer's vesicle in the zebrafish embryo.

Cilia-generated fluid flow in an 'organ of asymmetry' is critical for establishing the left-right body axis in several vertebrate embryos. However, the cell biology underlying how motile cilia produce coordinated flow and asymmetric signals is not well defined. In the zebrafish organ of asymmetry-called Kupffer's vesicle (KV)-ciliated cells are asymmetrically positioned along the anterior-posterior axis such that more cilia are placed in the anterior region. We previously demonstrated that Rho kinase 2b (Rock2b) is required for anteroposterior asymmetry and fluid flow in KV, but it remained unclear how the distribution of ciliated cells becomes asymmetric during KV development. Here, we identify a morphogenetic process we refer to as 'KV remodeling' that transforms initial symmetry in KV architecture into anteroposterior asymmetry. Live imaging of KV cells revealed region-specific cell shape changes that mediate tight packing of ciliated cells into the anterior pole. Mathematical modeling indicated that different interfacial tensions in anterior and posterior KV cells are involved in KV remodeling. Interfering with non-muscle myosin II (referred to as Myosin II) activity, which modulates cellular interfacial tensions and is regulated by Rock proteins, disrupted KV cell shape changes and the anteroposterior distribution of KV cilia. Similar defects were observed in Rock2b depleted embryos. Furthermore, inhibiting Myosin II at specific stages of KV development perturbed asymmetric flow and left-right asymmetry. These results indicate that regional cell shape changes control the development of anteroposterior asymmetry in KV, which is necessary to generate coordinated asymmetric fluid flow and left-right patterning of the embryo.

An insertion mutation of the MECP2 gene in severe neonatal encephalopathy and ocular and oropharyngeal dyskinesia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pathogenic variation of the MECP2 gene presents mostly as Rett syndrome in females and is extremely rare in males. Most male patients with MECP2 gene mutation show MECP2 duplication syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a rare case in a 10-month-old boy with a hemizygous insertion mutation in MECP2 as NM_001110792, c.799_c.800insAGGAAGC, which results in a frameshift mutation (p.R267fs*6). The patient presented with severe encephalopathy in the neonatal period, accompanied by severe development backwardness, hypotonia, and ocular and oropharyngeal dyskinesia. This is the first report of this mutation, which highlights the phenotype variability associated with MECP2 variants. CONCLUSIONS: This case helps to expand the clinical spectrum associated with MECP2 variants. Close attention should be paid to the growth and development of patients carrying a MECP2 variant or Xq28 duplication. Early interventions may help improve symptoms to some certain extent.

Rice hull insoluble dietary fiber alleviated experimental colitis induced by low dose of dextran sulfate sodium in cadmium-exposed mice.

Cadmium (Cd), an important toxic environmental pollutant, can invade the gastrointestinal tract and induce the occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of rice hull insoluble dietary fiber (RHF) on Cd-promoted colitis induced by low dose of dextran sulfate sodium. Administration of RHF attenuated inflammation by limiting Cd accumulation and regulating intestinal immune homeostasis in colitis mice with Cd exposure. RHF could maintain the structure of the gut barrier by increasing mucin secretion and intestinal tight connectivity in mice. Subsequently, RHF repressed the colonic inflammation mediated by the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, and inhibited the transcription regulation of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, RHF showed an enhancement of a variety of probiotics, such as Eubacterium and Faecalibaculum. RHF also inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria, including Erysipelatoclostridium, Helicobacter and Bacteroides. The growth of beneficial bacteria was also accompanied by reversing the decline in short-chain fatty acids, supporting the initial potentiality of RHF as a prebiotic in cases of damage by Cd exposure in colitis mice. Importantly, RHF also remained resistant to Cd toxicity in colitis mice when the gut microbiota was depleted by antibiotics. We suggest that RHF could be used as a novel dietary supplement strategy against Cd-exacerbated colitis.

Oda16/Wdr69 is essential for axonemal dynein assembly and ciliary motility during zebrafish embryogenesis.

In the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Oda16 functions during ciliary assembly as an adaptor for intraflagellar transport of outer arm dynein. Oda16 orthologs only occur in genomes of organisms that use motile cilia; however, such cilia play multiple roles during vertebrate development and the contribution of Oda16 to their assembly remains unexplored. We demonstrate that the zebrafish Oda16 ortholog (Wdr69) is expressed in organs with motile cilia and retains a role in dynein assembly. Antisense morpholino knockdown of Wdr69 disrupts ciliary motility and results in multiple phenotypes associated with vertebrate ciliopathies. Affected cilia included those in Kupffer's vesicle, where Wdr69 plays a role in generation of asymmetric fluid flow and establishment of organ laterality, and otic vesicles, where Wdr69 is needed to develop normal numbers of otoliths. Analysis of cilium ultrastructure revealed loss of outer dynein arms in morphant embryos. These results support a remarkable level of functional conservation for Oda16/Wdr69.

Ostial lesion of the anterior descending coronary artery treated via Szabo technique supported by stent boost imaging: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Stenosis at the opening and bifurcation of the anterior descending branch and circumflex branch around the end of the left main trunk is difficult to repair. Accurate positioning of a stent is the key problem. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Here we report the case of a 61-year-old man who suffered from paroxysmal chest pain for 1 year, without history of diabetes or hypertension. The coronary computed tomography showed mixed plaques in the proximal part of the anterior descending artery, with stenosis severe at 80-90%. The emergency coronary angiography showed occlusion of the anterior descending artery. During percutaneous coronary intervention, a drug-eluting stent was implanted into the anterior descending artery using the Szabo technique, supported by stent boost (StentBoost) imaging to pinpoint the location of the lesion. The patient's paroxysmal chest pain was relieved after the procedure. CONCLUSION: We used StentBoost to verify the accuracy of stent placement and the Szabo technique to rectify long-term coronary stenosis, which achieved satisfactory results. Combining the Szabo technique with StentBoost imaging was helpful to accurately evaluate the area and locate the stent when treating this ostial lesion of the anterior descending coronary artery.

The potential antiepileptogenic effect of neuronal Cx36 gap junction channel blockage.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders and can result in neuronal injury and degeneration. Consequently, research into new antiepileptic drugs capable of providing protection against neuronal injury and degeneration is extremely important. Neuronal Cx36 gap junction channels have been found to play an important role in epilepsy; thus, pharmacological interference using Cx36 gap junction channel blockers may be a promising strategy for disrupting the synchronization of neurons during seizure activity and protecting neurons. Based on these promising findings, several in vivo and in vitro studies are ongoing and the first encouraging results have been published. The results bring hope that neurons can be protected from injury and degeneration in patients with epilepsy, which is currently impossible.

Late-onset Leigh syndrome without delayed development in China: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Leigh syndrome (LS) is one of the most common mitochondrial diseases in infants and children. LS often manifests as early-onset with delayed phenotypic development. However, late-onset LS with normal development and white matter lesions in the brain is rarely reported, thereby highlighting the phenotypic variability of LS expression. CASE SUMMARY: We report a 12-year-old boy who presented with an unusual late-onset and fulminant form of LS that is maternally inherited without developmental delay. The patient was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of ptosis and somnolence, and died within 2 mo. Analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes showed a homoplasmic m.9176T>C mutation in the patient. Magnetic resonance imaging also revealed lesions in bilateral white matter as well as symmetrical lesions in the basal ganglia and brain stem. The patient was diagnosed with LS. The patient was treated with vitamin C, vitamin D, and adenosine-triphosphate. The patient died within 2 mo of hospital admission. CONCLUSION: LS can present in both infants and older children with different phenotypes.

Case Report: m.13513 G>A Mutation in a Chinese Patient With Both Leigh Syndrome and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

A number of causative mutations in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA have been identified for Leigh syndrome, a neurodegenerative encephalopathy, including m. 8993 T>G, m.8993 T>C, and m.3243A>G mutations in the MTATP6, MTATP6, and MT-TL1 genes, respectively, which have been reported in Leigh syndrome patients in China. The m.13513 G>A mutation has been described only a few times in the literature and not previously reported in China. Here we report the case of a 15-month-old boy who presented with ptosis and developmental delay and was diagnosed with Leigh syndrome and well as Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. The m.13513 G>A mutation was found in DNA from blood. He was intubated due to respiratory failure and died at 23 months of age. The m.13513 G>A mutation in the ND5 gene of mitochondrial DNA is associated with Leigh syndrome and WPW syndrome; however, this is the first report of this mutation in a patient in China, highlighting the geographical and racial variability of Leigh syndrome.

Purslane (Portulacae oleracea L.) attenuates cadmium-induced hepatorenal and colonic damage in mice: Role of chelation, antioxidant and intestinal microecological regulation.

BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) is a representative pernicious metal, which has high biological toxicity. Its precaution through dietary administration is considered an important strategy. Considering that Portulaca oleracea L. (Por.L) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other high medicinal value, and purslane insoluble dietary fiber (PIDF) has good binding property to metal ions, they could be good methods for Cd-induced biotoxicity therapy. PURPOSE: To investigate the beneficial effects of Por.L or PIDF against Cd-induced subchronic toxicity and identify its underlying mechanisms. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: C57BL/6 male mice (n = 12) were received 100 mg l-1 CdCl2 in water for 8 weeks. Mice were divided into four groups: Control, Cd-treated, 8% Por.L + Cd, and 8% PIDF + Cd. Histological evaluation, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, western blotting analysis, quantitative real time-PCR, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and 16S rDNA analysis were used in the study. RESULTS: Por.L treatment was able to inhibit inflammation and accumulation of Cd, enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes, increase beneficial bacterial species of Akkermansia and Faecalibaculum and suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines in the colon, such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and IFN-γ. PIDF mainly relieved the toxicity of Cd by increasing the production of short chain fatty acids with anti-inflammatory functions and repressing the liver and kidney inflammation mediated by the TLR4/ MyD88/NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSION: Our study has demonstrated that the antagonistic-Cd effects of Por.L might be mediated via chelation, antioxidation, regulation of intestinal microecology. Thus, our study provides a novel insight into Por.L as a promising function food for the anti-Cd biotoxicity. Por.L supplement could be considered as a potential coping strategy to alleviate hazardous effects in Cd-exposed humans.

Inflammatory response in epilepsy is mediated by glial cell gap junction pathway (Review).

Epilepsy is a common neurological disease that affects more than 50 million people worldwide. Neuro-inflammation plays an important role in epilepsy. Activation of the immune system and an excessive inflammatory response can increase the frequency of seizures and increase the susceptibility to epilepsy. Therefore, anti-inflammatory therapies may have antiepileptic effects. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is a major component of astroglial hemichannels and gap junctions. Gap junctions are important for the direct exchange of substances and information between cells, as well as regulating the neuroinflammatory response, changing neuronal excitability, neuronal apoptosis, and synaptic remodeling. Cx43-mediated gap junction pathway can be crucial in epilepsy-induced neuroinflammatory cascades. Further, pro-inflammatory cytokines may in turn directly affect the expression of the Cx43 protein in astrocytes. Therefore, examining the association between neuroinflammation and epilepsy can be instrumental in uncovering the pathogenesis of epilepsy, which can lead to the development of novel and more effective antiepileptic drugs.

Comparative Study on the Protective Effect of Chlorogenic Acid and 3-(3-Hydroxyphenyl) Propionic Acid against Cadmium-Induced Erythrocyte Cytotoxicity: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation.

The metabolism of chlorogenic acid (CGA) through the intestinal tract was studied. As cadmium is a well-known toxic heavy metal, this study was carried out to investigate the comparative protective effect of CGA and its representative intestinal metabolite (3-(3-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid, HPPA) against Cd-induced erythrocyte cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. We found that CGA and its intestinal metabolite appreciably prevented erythrocyte hemolysis, osmotic fragility, and oxidative stress induced by Cd. Also, we found that HPPA had a stronger protective ability than CGA against Cd-induced erythrocyte injury in vivo, such as increasing the ratio of protein kinase C from 7.7% (CGA) to 12.0% (HPPA). Therefore, we hypothesized that CGA and its microbial metabolite had protective effects against Cd-induced erythrocyte damage via multiple actions including antioxidation and chelation. For humans, CGA supplementation may be favorable for avoiding Cd-induced biotoxicity.