Exploring the antimicrobial activity of rare ginsenosides and the progress of their related pharmacological effects.

BACKGROUND: Panax ginseng C. A. Mey is a precious medicinal resource that could be used to treat a variety of diseases. Saponins are the most important bioactive components of, and rare ginsenosides (Rg3, Rh2, Rk1 and Rg5, etc.) refer to the chemical structure changes of primary ginsenosides through dehydration and desugarization reactions, to obtain triterpenoids that are easier to be absorbed by the human body and have higher activity. PURPOSE: At present, the research of P. ginseng. is widely focused on anticancer related aspects, and there are few studies on the antibacterial and skin protection effects of rare ginsenosides. This review summarizes the rare ginsenosides related to bacterial inhibition and skin protection and provides a new direction for P. ginseng research. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science were searched for English-language studies on P. ginseng published between January 2002 and March 2024. Selected manuscripts were evaluated manually for additional relevant references. This review includes basic scientific articles and related studies such as prospective and retrospective cohort studies. CONCLUSION: This paper summarizes the latest research progress of several rare ginsenosides, discusses the antibacterial effect of rare ginsenosides, and finds that ginsenosides can effectively protect the skin and promote wound healing during use, so as to play an efficient antibacterial effect, and further explore the other medicinal value of ginseng. It is expected that this review will provide a wider understanding and new ideas for further research and development of P. ginseng drugs.

Corrigendum to "Nutrient composition and functional constituents of daylily from different producing areas based on widely targeted metabolomics" [Food Chemistry: X Nutrient composition and functional constituents of daylily from different producing areas based on widely targeted metabolomics 21 (2024) 101239/FOCHX-D-23-01093].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101239.].

Bifidobacterium longum suppresses colorectal cancer through the modulation of intestinal microbes and immune function.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the most common malignancies in the world, urgently requires more treatment strategies. Although there has been much research on probiotics, limited research has been done in treating cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) in the prevention and treatment of CRC. Through Cell Counting Kit-8 and Colony Formation Assays, 8 h and a B. longum count of 1 × 108 CFU/ml were chosen as the best cocultivation conditions with CRC cells. The role of B. longum in inhibiting the progression of CRC cells was verified by a series of functional and immunofluorescence assays. For instance, in vivo assays have verified that B. longum could alleviate CRC progression. In addition, according to the results of in vivo assays and clinical statistical analysis, B. longum could reduce diarrhea symptoms. Mechanistically, by 16S and RNA sequencing, it was found that B. longum could affect the development of CRC by regulating the composition of gut microbes and enhancing immune function. The B. longum might inhibit the occurrence and development of CRC and relieve diarrhea symptoms by regulating intestinal microbes and immune function.

Revealing chemical release from plastic debris in animals' digestive systems using nontarget and suspect screening and simulating digestive fluids.

Plastic debris in the environment are not only pollutants but may also be important sources of a variety of contaminants. This work simulated kinetics and potential of chemical leaching from plastic debris in animals' digestive systems by incubating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cord particles in artificial digestive fluids combined with nontarget and suspect screening based on UHPLC-Orbitrap HRMS. Impacts of particle size, aging, and digestive fluid were investigated to elucidate mechanisms of chemical leaching. Thousands of chemical features were screened in the leachates of PVC cord particles in the artificial digestive fluids, among which >60% were unknown. Bisphenol A (BPA) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the dominant identified CL1 compounds. Finer size and aging of the PVC particles and prolonged incubation time enhanced chemical release, resulting in greater numbers, higher levels, and more complexity in components of the released chemicals. The gastrointestinal fluid was more favorable for chemical leaching than the gastric fluid, with greater numbers and higher levels. Hundreds to thousands of chemical features were screened and filtered in the leachates of consumer plastic products, including food contact products (FCPs) in the artificial bird gastrointestinal fluid. In addition to BPA and DEHP, several novel bisphenol analogues were identified in the leachate of at least one FCP. The results revealed that once plastic debris are ingested by animals, hundreds to thousands of chemicals may be released into animals' digestive tracts in hours, posing potential synergistic risks of plastic debris and chemicals to plastic-ingesting animals. Future research should pay more attentions to identification, ecotoxicities, and environmental fate of vast amounts of unknown chemicals potentially released from plastics in order to gain full pictures of plastic pollution in the environment.

Nutrient composition and functional constituents of daylily from different producing areas based on widely targeted metabolomics.

Daylily is a functional food with high nutritional value in China. Datong (DT) in Shanxi Province is one of the four main production areas of daylily. Therefore, Linfen (LF), Lvliang (LL), and Yangquan (YQ) in Shanxi Province have also introduced daylily from DT. However, geographical and climatic conditions and producing patterns cause variations in the daylily quality. In the present study, we found that the nutrient composition of daylilies from different producing areas of Shanxi Province varied. The key environmental factors affecting the nutrition of daylily in different regions were altitude and temperature. The widely targeted metabolomics results showed that 1642 metabolites were found in daylily. The differential metabolites between DT and YQ, LL and LF were 557, 667, and 359, respectively. Notably, 9 metabolic pathways and 59 metabolite markers were associated with daylily from different areas. This study provides a theoretical basis for the quality maintenance and health efficacy research of daylily.

TMEM65 promotes gastric tumorigenesis by targeting YWHAZ to activate PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway and is a therapeutic target.

Copy number alterations are crucial for the development of gastric cancer (GC). Here, we identified Transmembrane Protein 65 (TMEM65) amplification by genomic hybridization microarray to profile copy-number variations in GC. TMEM65 mRNA level was significantly up-regulated in GC compared to adjacent normal tissues, and was positively associated with TMEM65 amplification. High TMEM65 expression or DNA copy number predicts poor prognosis (P < 0.05) in GC. Furtherly, GC patients with TMEM65 amplification (n = 129) or overexpression (n = 78) significantly associated with shortened survival. Ectopic expression of TMEM65 significantly promoted cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and cell migration/invasion ability, but inhibited apoptosis (all P < 0.05). Conversely, silencing of TMEM65 in GC cells showed opposite abilities on cell function in vitro and suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo (all P < 0.01). Moreover, TMEM65 depletion by VNP-encapsulated TMEM65-siRNA significantly suppressed tumor growth in subcutaneous xenograft model. Mechanistically, TMEM65 exerted oncogenic effects through activating PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, as evidenced of increased expression of key regulators (p-Akt, p-GSK-3ß, p-mTOR) by Western blot. YWHAZ (Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/Tryptophan 5-Monooxygenase) was identified as a direct downstream effector of TMEM65. Direct binding of TMEM65 with YWHAZ in the cytoplasm inhibited ubiquitin-mediated degradation of YWHAZ. Moreover, oncogenic effect of TMEM65 was partly dependent on YWHAZ. In conclusion, TMEM65 promotes gastric tumorigenesis by activating PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling via cooperating with YWHAZ. TMEM65 overexpression may serve as an independent new biomarker and is a therapeutic target in GC.

High Soluble Fiber Promotes Colorectal Tumorigenesis Through Modulating Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary fibers are mainly fermented by the gut microbiota, but their roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) are largely unclear. Here, we investigated the associations of different fibers with colorectal tumorigenesis in mice. METHODS: Apcmin/+ mice and C57BL/6 mice with azoxymethane (AOM) injection were used as CRC mouse models. Mice were fed with mixed high-fiber diet (20% soluble fiber and 20% insoluble fiber), high-inulin diet, high-guar gum diet, high-cellulose diet, or diets with different inulin dose. Germ-free mice were used for validation. Fecal microbiota and metabolites were profiled by shotgun metagenomic sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. RESULTS: Mixed high-fiber diet promoted colorectal tumorigenesis with increased tumor number and tumor load in AOM-treated and Apcmin/+ mice. Antibiotics use abolished the pro-tumorigenic effect of mixed high-fiber diet, while transplanting stools from mice fed with mixed high-fiber diet accelerated tumor growth in AOM-treated germ-free mice. We therefore characterized the contribution of soluble and insoluble fiber in CRC separately. Our results revealed that soluble fiber inulin or guar gum, but not insoluble fiber cellulose, promoted colorectal tumorigenesis in AOM-treated and Apcmin/+ mice. Soluble fiber induced gut dysbiosis with Bacteroides uniformis enrichment and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum depletion, accompanied by increased fecal butyrate and serum bile acids and decreased inosine. We also identified a positive correlation between inulin dosage and colorectal tumorigenesis. Moreover, transplanting stools from mice fed with high-inulin diet increased colonic cell proliferation and oncogene expressions in germ-free mice. CONCLUSION: High-dose soluble but not insoluble fiber potentiates colorectal tumorigenesis in a dose-dependent manner by dysregulating gut microbiota and metabolites in mice.

Comparative analysis of flavonoid metabolites from different parts of Hemerocallis citrina.

BACKGROUND: Hemerocallis citrina Baroni is a traditional medical and edible plant. It is rich in flavonoid compounds, which are a kind of important bioactive components with various health benefits and pharmaceutical value. However, the flavonoid metabolomics profile and the comparison of flavonoid compounds from different parts of H. citrina is scarce. RESULTS: In this study, flavonoid metabolites were investigated from roots, stems, leaves and flowers of H. citrina. A total of 364 flavonoid metabolites were identified by UPLC-MS/MS based widely targeted metabolomics, and the four plant parts showed huge differences at flavonoid metabolic level. Compared to roots, 185, 234, and 119 metabolites accounted for upregulated differential flavonoid metabolites (DFMs) in stems, leaves, and flowers, respectively. Compared to stems, 168 and 29 flavonoid metabolites accounted for upregulated DFMs in leaves and flowers, respectively. Compared to leaves, only 29 flavonoid metabolites accounted for upregulated DFMs in flowers. A number of 35 common flavonoid metabolites were observed among six comparison groups, and each comparison group had its unique differential metabolites. The most abundant flavonoid metabolites in the four parts are flavonols and flavones, followed by flavanones, chalcones, flavanols, flavanonols, anthocyanidins, tannin, and proanthocyanidins. 6,7,8-Tetrahydroxy-5-methoxyflavone, 7,8,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone, 1-Hydroxy-2,3,8-trimethoxyxanthone, Farrerol-7-O-glucoside, 3',7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone, 3,3'-O-Dimethylellagic Acid, 5-Hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone, Nepetin (5,7,3',4'-Tetrahydroxy-6-methoxyflavone), (2s)-4,8,10-trihydroxy-2-methoxy-1 h,2 h-furo[3,2-a]xanthen-11-one are dominant in roots. Isorhamnetin-3-O-(6''-malonyl)glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, 7-Benzyloxy-5-hydroxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavonoid, 3-Hydroxyphloretin-4'-O-glucoside are dominant in stems. Chrysoeriol-7-O-glucoside, Epicatechin glucoside, Kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside (Afzelin)(Kaempferin)*, Azaleatin (5-O-Methylquercetin), Chrysoeriol-5-O-glucoside, Nepetin-7-O-glucoside(Nepitrin), 3,5,7,2'-Tetrahydroxyflavone; Datiscetin, Procyanidin B2*, Procyanidin B3*, Procyanidin B1, Isorhamnetin-3-O-(6''-acetylglucoside) are dominant in leaves. kaempferol-3-p-coumaroyldiglucoside, Delphinidin-3-O-sophoroside-5-O-glucoside, Limocitrin-3-O-sophoroside, Kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside(Nicotiflorin), Luteolin-7-O-(6''-malonyl)glucoside-5-O-rhamnoside are dominant in flowers. CONCLUSION: There was significant difference in flavonoid metabolites among different parts of H. citrina. Leaves had relative higher metabolites contents than other parts. This study provided biological and chemical evidence for the different uses of various plant parts of H. citrina, and these informations are important theoretical basis for the food industry, and medical treatment.

Inhibitory activity of flavonoids fraction from Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge stems and leaves on Bacillus cereus and its separation and purification.

Introduction: Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge is a traditional botanical drug with antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, and other biological activities. In the process of industrialization of A. membranaceus, most of the aboveground stems and leaves are discarded without resource utilization except for a small amount of low-value applications such as composting. This study explored the antibacterial activity of A. membranaceus stem and leaf extracts to evaluate its potential as a feed antibiotic substitute. Materials and methods: The antibacterial activity of the flavonoid, saponin, and polysaccharide fractions in A. membranaceus stems and leaves was evaluated by the disk diffusion method. The inhibitory activity of the flavonoid fraction from A. membranaceus stems and leaves on B. cereus was explored from the aspects of the growth curve, cell wall, cell membrane, biofilm, bacterial protein, and virulence factors. On this basis, the flavonoid fraction in A. membranaceus stems and leaves were isolated and purified by column chromatography to determine the main antibacterial components. Results: The flavonoid fraction in A. membranaceus stems and leaves had significant inhibitory activity against B. cereus, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were 1.5625 and 6.25 mg/mL, respectively. A. membranaceus stem and leaf flavonoid fraction can induce death of B. cereus in many ways, such as inhibiting growth, destroying cell wall and cell membrane integrity, inhibiting biofilm formation, inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, and downregulating virulence factor expression. In addition, it was clear that the main flavonoid with antibacterial activity in A. membranaceus stems and leaves was isoliquiritigenin. Molecular docking showed that isoliquiritigenin could form a hydrogen bonding force with FtsZ. Conclusion: A. membranaceus stem and leaf flavonoid fractions had significant inhibitory activity against B. cereus, and the main chemical composition was isoliquiritigenin.