Potential mitigation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles against 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis through inhibiting the canonical NF-κB pathway.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have been widely employed in various industry fields, which makes consumers concerned about their health impact. Our previous work displayed that TiO2 NPs participated in the mitigation of TNBS-induced colitis, but the mechanism is still unknown. This work aimed to explore the role of oxidative stress and NF-κB pathway in the effect of TiO2 NPs on TNBS-induced colitis. The results showed that TiO2 NPs administration reduced the DAI score of colitis mice after TNBS enema. TiO2 NPs did not alter oxidative stress status (GSH/GSSG), but repaired the gut dysbacteriosis and inhibited the canonical NF-κB pathway activation in TNBS-induced colitis mice, manifested as a decrease in pathogenic bacteria and an increase in beneficial bacteria, as well as down-regulation of toll-like receptors (TLRs), IKKα, IKKß, p65 and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ) in mRNA level, and the increased transcription of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, TGF-ß, and IL-12), along with the declined protein level of TNF-α in TiO2 NPs treated colitis mice. The present study suggested that oral TiO2 NPs administration inhibited the canonical NF-κB pathway activation by repairing gut dysbacteriosis, which made a predominant role in alleviating colitis. These findings provided a new perspective for exploring the safety of TiO2 NPs.

Characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in confectionary products and estimation of dietary exposure level among the Chinese population.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used in the food industry. Recently, European Commission has banned TiO2 as a food additive, raising public concern about its health risk, especially the nanoparticles (NPs) contained therein. This study aimed to reveal the existence of TiO2 NPs in food and further estimate the dietary exposure level among Chinese population by characterizing particle size distribution, determining Ti content and micro-distribution in food products, and calculating food consumption from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The results showed that TiO2 particle size in food additives and chewing gums was 53.5-230.3 nm and 56.8-267.7 nm respectively, where NPs accounted for 34.7% and 55.6% respectively. TiO2 was firstly in situ presented on the surface of confectionary products with hard shells. The content of TiO2 ranged from 3.2 to 3409.3 µg/g product. Besides, the mean dietary intake was 71.31 µg/kgbw/day for TiO2 and 7.75 µg/kgbw/day for TiO2 NPs among Chinese population, affected by people's dietary habits of different regions. Children's exposure levels was the highest due to their love of sweets. More attention should be paid to risk assessment and management of TiO2 NPs for children in China.

Effects of A-type oligomer procyanidins on protein glycation using two glycation models coupled with spectroscopy, chromatography, and molecular docking.

Non-enzymatic glycation of proteins can produce advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and important intermediates (α-dicarbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal), which have potential health risks due to their association with diabetes complications. Therefore, it is of great significance to search for effective inhibitors on protein glycation. In this study, the anti-glycation potential of different kinds of A-type procyanidins was investigated by spectroscopy, chromatography and molecular docking. The results revealed that different kinds of A-type procyanidins could potently suppress the protein glycation in BSA-Glc and BSA-MGO models. Notably, these procyanidins exhibited the most potent AGEs inhibitory potential with IC50 values of 41.50, 37.00, 53.99, and 34.99 µg/mL in BSA-Glc models, respectively. A comparison analysis showed that these procyanidins with different structures have various inhibitory effects on the production of AGEs, which may be related to their spatial configuration, polymerization degree and bond connection mode. The inhibitory effect of A-type procyanidins on protein glycation may be attributed to their specific binding with some amino acid residues in BSA, inhibition on the formation of fructosamine and capture of MGO. Moreover, when 600 µg/mL of these procyanidins were incubated with MGO, 91.30%, 80.25%, 75.07%, and 70.82% MGO decrease were observed, respectively. And the formed three new types of A-type trimer procyanidin-MGO adducts adducts were verified by Orbitrap LC-MS/MS analysis. These results indicate that A-type procyanidins may be used as inhibitors of glycation and provide the theoretical basis for their application.

Comprehensive analysis of the anti-glycation effect of peanut skin extract.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are produced during protein glycation and associated with diabetic complications. Peanut skin is rich in procyanidins, which may be used as an inhibitor of glycation. This study evaluated the potential anti-glycation effect of peanut skin extract (PSE) and dissected the underlying mechanism. PSE could effectively inhibit the formation of AGEs in BSA-Glc and BSA-MGO/GO models, with 44%, 37% and 82% lower IC50 values than the positive control (AG), respectively. The inhibitory effect of PSE on BSA glycation might be ascribed to its binding interaction with BSA, attenuated formation of early glycation products and trapping of reactive dicarbonyl compounds. Notably, PSE showed a remarkably stronger inhibitory effect on Amadori products than AG. Furthermore, three new types of PSE-MGO adducts were formed as identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. These findings suggest that PSE may serve as an inhibitor of glycation and provide new insights into its application.