Progress on the mechanism of natural products alleviating androgenetic alopecia.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) has become a widespread problem that leads to considerable impairment of the psyche and daily life. The currently approved medications for the treatment of AGA are associated with significant adverse effects, high costs, and prolonged treatment duration. Therefore, natural products are being considered as possible complementary or alternative treatments. This review aims to enhance comprehension of the mechanisms by which natural products treat AGA. To achieve this, pertinent studies were gathered and subjected to analysis. In addition, the therapeutic mechanisms associated with these natural products were organized and summarized. These include the direct modulation of signaling pathways such as the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, the PI3K/AKT pathway, and the BMP pathway. Additionally, they exert effects on cytokine secretion, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant capabilities, as well as apoptosis and autophagy. Furthermore, the review briefly discusses the relationship between signaling pathways and autophagy and apoptosis in the context of AGA, systematically presents the mechanisms of action of existing natural products, and analyzes the potential therapeutic targets based on the active components of these products. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis for the development of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, or dietary supplements.

Scoparone from Artemisia capillaris Thunb. induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells via activation of both intracellular and extracellular pathways.

Six separated compounds were identified from Artemisia capillaris Thunb., and they were 7-methoxycoumarin (1), 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin (2), 7-hydroxy-6-methoxycoumarin (3), quercetin (4), chlorogenic acid (5) and caffeic acid (6). Among them, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, as known as scoparone, was the most effective on scavenging ABTS free radicals (IC50 = 0.97 µΜ) and was then tested by cytotoxic activity and pro-apoptotic activity against HepG2 cells. Scoparone dose-dependently and time-dependently inhibited the cell proliferation. Furthermore, scoparone induced the expression of Bax, concurrently suppressing the expression of Bcl-2, resulting in a noteworthy elevation in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio to up-regulate Caspase-3 activity, thus inducing cell apoptosis via the intracellular pathway. Meanwhile, scoparone promoted the expression of Fas, FasL, FADD, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3, indicating that scoparone also triggered apoptosis via the extracellular pathway. In a word, scoparone demonstrated remarkable antitumor capability to induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells through both intracellular and extracellular pathways.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SNAC9 mutants reveal the positive regulation of tomato ripening by SNAC9 and the mechanism of carotenoid metabolism regulation.

NAC transcriptional regulators are crucial for tomato ripening. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of SNAC9 (SlNAC19, Gene ID: 101248665) affects tomato ripening, and SNAC9 is involved in ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) metabolic pathways. However, the function of SNAC9 in pigment metabolism in tomatoes remains unclear. This work seeks to discover the mechanism of SNAC9 involvement in pigment metabolism during tomato ripening by establishing a SNAC9 knockout model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The results indicated that fruit ripening was delayed in knockout (KO) mutants, and SNAC9 mutation significantly affected carotenoid metabolism. The chlorophyll (Chl) degradation rate, total carotenoid content, and lycopene content decreased significantly in the mutants. The transformation rate of chloroplasts to chromoplasts in mutants was slower, which was related to the carotenoid content. Furthermore, SNAC9 changed the expression of critical genes (PSY1, PDS, CRTISO, Z-ISO, SGR1, DXS2, LCYE, LCYB, and CrtR-b2) involved in pigment metabolism in tomato ripening. SNAC9 knockout also altered the expression levels of critical genes involved in the biosynthesis of ethylene and ABA. Accordingly, SNAC9 regulated carotenoid metabolism by directly regulating PSY1, DXS2, SGR1, and CrtR-b2. This research provides a foundation for developing the tomato ripening network and precise tomato ripening regulation.

Low-temperature plasma modification, structural characterization and anti-diabetic activity of an apricot pectic polysaccharide.

To fully research the anti-diabetic activity of apricot polysaccharide, low temperature plasma (LTP) was used to modify apricot polysaccharide. The modified polysaccharide was isolated and purified using column chromatography. It was found that LTP modification can significantly improve the α-glucosidase glucosidase inhibition rate of apricot polysaccharides. The isolated fraction FAPP-2D with HG domain showed excellent anti-diabetic activity in insulin resistance model in L6 cell. We found that FAPP-2D increased the ADP/ATP ratio and inhibited PKA phosphorylation, activating the LKB1-AMPK pathway. Moreover, FAPP-2D activated AMPK-PGC1α pathway, which could stimulated mitochondrial production and regulate energy metabolism, promoting GLUT4 protein transport to achieve an anti-diabetic effect. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data showed that the LTP modification could increase the CH bond content while decreasing the C-O-C/C-O bond content, indicating that LTP destroyed the C-O-C/C-O bond, which enhanced the anti-diabetes activity of the modified apricot pectin polysaccharide. Our findings could pave the way for the molecular exploitation of apricot polysaccharides and the application of low-temperature plasma.

Rheological properties, gel properties and 3D printing performance of soy protein isolate gel inks added with different types of apricot polysaccharides.

A soybean protein isolate (SPI)-apricot polysaccharide gel with hypolipidemic activity that can be used for 3D printing was prepared and the mechanism of its gel formation was studied in this work. The results demonstrated that adding apricot polysaccharide to SPI could effectively improve the bound water content, viscoelastic properties and rheological properties of the gels. Low-field NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy and surface hydrophobicity confirmed that the interactions between SPI and apricot polysaccharide were mainly realized by electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, adding modified polysaccharide treated by ultrasonic-assisted Fenton method to SPI on the basis of low-concentration apricot polysaccharide contributed to improving the 3D printing accuracy and stability of the gel. Consequently, the gel formed by adding apricot polysaccharide (0.5 %, m/v) and modified polysaccharide (0.1 %, m/v) to SPI had the best hypolipidemic activity (the binding rate of sodium taurocholate and sodium glycocholate were 75.33 % and 72.86 %, respectively) and 3D printing characteristics.

The characterization of antimicrobial nanocomposites based on chitosan, cinnamon essential oil, and TiO2 for fruits preservation.

The freshness and safety of fruits have always been crucial issues in the development of the industry. However, the existing fresh-keeping methods have limited effect, meanwhile, the preservation mechanism of different materials. In this study, Cinnamon essential oil (CEO), TiO2, and chitosan (CS) were compounded to prepare safe and renewable nanocomposites (CS-T-C) for fruit preservation. The results showed that CEO mainly destroyed the bacterial cell wall through penetration, while TiO2 is through destruction. The strawberry coated with CS-T-C showed better hardness, lower weight loss and mildew rate, and the shelf-life at 20℃ was extended for four days compared with the control. And all four nanocomposites were not cytotoxic. In summary, nanocomposites can deal with many problems through different mechanisms to maximize the fresh-keeping effect, and the nanocomposites developed in this work might be a good choice for fruit preservation.

Glycine betaine inhibits postharvest softening and quality decline of winter jujube fruit by regulating energy and antioxidant metabolism.

Winter jujube fruit easily softens after harvest. To investigate the effects of glycine betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine; GB) treatment on the quality of postharvest jujubes, fresh winter jujubes (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) were immersed in 20 mmol·L-1 GB for 20 min. The results showed that GB application can effectively maintain cell wall component content by restraining gene expression and enzyme activities, including PG, CX, PME and ß-Glu. Meanwhile, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (APX, CAT, SOD, POD) and the contents of nonenzymatic antioxidants (MDA, H2O2, ASA, GSH) were enhanced in treated jujubes, thereby reducing the content of ROS. In addition, energy metabolism enzyme activities (H+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, SDH and CCO) and gene expression were also significantly increased, thus maintaining higher energy levels (ATP, ADP, AMP and EC). In summary, GB enhances ATP biosynthesis by increasing energy metabolism. It offers essential energy for the antioxidant metabolism, thus retarding the softening of postharvest jujubes.

Investigation on the emulsification mechanism in aqueous enzymatic extraction of edible oil from Schizochytrium sp.

BACKGROUND: The interaction between emulsified substances and lipids generates an emulsification system during the extraction of microalgae edible oil by aqueous enzymatic method. This study aimed to resolve the dynamics of interfacial protein adsorption during the extraction of microalgae oil at different enzymatic times and the effect on the stability of the interfacial membrane formed by the proteins based on interfacial effects. RESULTS: At 1.5 h of enzymatic hydrolysis, the molecular weights of the proteins/peptides were all below 35 kD. In addition, the protein-peptide structure was loose, with the lowest number of disulfide bonds, peak surface hydrophobicity, the highest number of residues, and disordered lipid acyl arrangement. At the same time, the physical stability of the emulsion was the lowest, and the interfacial membrane rupture was distinct. On excessive enzymatic hydrolysis (at 3.0 h), a more uniform interfacial membrane was re-formed on the lipid surface. CONCLUSION: Protein is the main emulsifying substance in the emulsification system. The addition of protease affects the stability of the interfacial membrane formed by proteins. In addition, sufficient enzymatic hydrolysis (1.5 h) inhibited emulsification, while excessive enzymatic hydrolysis (3.0 h) promoted emulsification. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of nanopackaging on the quality of edible mushrooms and its action mechanism: A review.

With higher demands for food packaging and the development of nanotechnology, nanopackaging is becoming a research hotspot in the field of food packaging because of its superb preservation effect, and it can effectively resist oxidation and regulates energy metabolism to maintain the quality and prolong the shelf life of mushrooms. Furthermore, under the background of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, nanomaterials could be a potential tool to prevent virus transmission because of their excellent antiviral activities. However, the investigation and application of nanopackaging are facing many challenges including costs, environmental pollution, poor in-depth genetic research for mechanisms and so on. This article reviews the preservation effect and mechanisms of nanopackaging on the quality of mushrooms and discusses the trends and challenges of using these materials in food packaging technologies with the focus on nanotechnology and based on recent studies.

Mechanisms of Biochanin A Alleviating PM2.5 Organic Extracts-Induced EMT of A549 Cells through the PI3K/Akt Pathway.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important step in tumor progression, which enables tumor cells to acquire migration and invasion characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of biological biochanin A (BCA) in ameliorating fine particulate matter (PM2.5) lung injury. The results showed that PM2.5 could induce spindle-like changes in cell morphology, causing the ability of migration and invasion. However, they were significantly inhibited by BCA treatment (10/20/30 µm). After BCA treatment, the release and transcription of chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor gene CXCR4 were inhibited, and the release of growth inducer TGF-ß1 was significantly reduced. In addition, BCA promoted the transcription of E-cadherin and ß-catenin, inhibiting the expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, and fibronectin, and down-regulated the expression of MMP-2/9. We found that BCA effectively interfered with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activated by PM2.5. In conclusion, PM2.5 can induce EMT in lung cancer cells, and BCA may reverse this process by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Proteomic analysis reveals the mechanism of green regulation in garlic puree induced by purple light stress.

Greening is an undesirable appearance in garlic puree during processing. Our previous study indicated that purple light could induce the greening changes in garlic. In order to investigate the mechanism of green regulation in garlic puree, purple light-induced greening and nongreening garlic puree were used as materials to investigate the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) by sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and data-independent acquisition (DIA) technology. The results showed that a total of 186 DEPs were detected by DIA, with 73 DEPs were up-regulated in greening garlic puree and 113 of them were down-regulated in greening garlic puree. Most DEPs were belonged to 20 functional categories, and mainly participated in post-translational modification and transport of proteins, molecular chaperones (12.93%) and signal transduction mechanisms (10.20%), energy production and transformation (6.80%), carbohydrate transport and metabolism (5.44%) and amino acid transport and metabolism (4.08%), indicating that the biological metabolic pathway, metabolic direction, and metabolic strength efficiency significantly changed in garlic puree after greening. Besides, the physiological and biochemical experiments showed that purple light significantly induced the γ-glutathione transpeptidase activity and prompted the conversion of thiosulfinate into garlic green pigment. This study explained the general molecular mechanism of greening changes of garlic puree in response to purple light. Practical Application Greening is an undesirable appearance in garlic puree during processing, which deteriorate the qualities of garlic. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of green regulation in garlic puree based on proteomics analysis.

Synergistic Hypolipidemic Effects and Mechanisms of Phytochemicals: A Review.

Hyperlipidemia, a chronic disorder of abnormal lipid metabolism, can induce obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Increasing evidence indicates that phytochemicals may serve as a promising strategy for the prevention and management of hyperlipidemia and its complications. At the same time, the concept of synergistic hypolipidemic and its application in the food industry is rapidly increasing as a practical approach to preserve and improve the health-promoting effects of functional ingredients. The current review focuses on the effects of single phytochemicals on hyperlipidemia and its mechanisms. Due to the complexity of the lipid metabolism regulatory network, the synergistic regulation of different metabolic pathways or targets may be more effective than single pathways or targets in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. This review summarizes for the first time the synergistic hypolipidemic effects of different combinations of phytochemicals such as combinations of the same category of phytochemicals and combinations of different categories of phytochemicals. In addition, based on the different metabolic pathways or targets involved in synergistic effects, the possible mechanisms of synergistic hypolipidemic effects of the phytochemical combination are illustrated in this review. Hence, this review provides clues to boost more phytochemical synergistic hypolipidemic research and provides a theoretical basis for the development of phytochemicals with synergistic effects on hyperlipidemia and its complications.

Enhanced extraction of bioactive natural products using ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase system: Application to flavonoids extraction from jujube peels.

The ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction (UA-ATPE) was employed to develop an effective technique for the extraction of flavonoids from jujube peels (JPs). The extraction conditions were further optimized as K2HPO4 35% (w/w), ethanol 20% (w/w), solid-liquid ratio 1:30 g/mL (w/v), ultrasonic power 200 W, and extraction time 50 min. Moreover, rutin, quercetin 3-ß-d-glucoside, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinosid were identified as the main flavonoids by UPLC-MS/MS. Finally, the extraction mechanism of UA-ATPE was explored, which is salting out effect, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals force, and ultrasound promoted the mass transfer of solvent to cells of JPs, then extraction behavior occurred. The mechanical destruction of JPs cells by ultrasound also further accelerated the release of flavonoids. Flavonoids were captured by W/W emulsion in the bottom phase and distributed to the top phase. Overall, this study proposes a green and clean method, UA-ATPE, to extract flavonoids from JPs, while revealing the mechanism of UA-ATPE.

Mechanism of biochanin A alleviating PM2.5-induced oxidative damage based on an XRCC1 knockout BEAS-2B cell model.

PM2.5 induces oxidative/antioxidant system imbalance and excessive release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and produces toxic effects and irreversible damage to the genetic material including chromosomes and DNA. Biochanin A (BCA), an isoflavone with strong antioxidant activity, effectively intervenes against PM2.5-induced oxidative damage. The X-ray repair cross-complementary protein 1 (XRCC1)/BER pathway involves DNA damage repair caused by oxidative stress. This paper aims to explore the mechanism of BCA alleviating oxidative DNA damage caused by PM2.5 by establishing the in vitro cell model based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology and combining it with mechanism pathway research. The results showed that PM2.5 exposure inhibited the expression of BER and NER pathway proteins and induced the overexpression of ERCC1. BCA showed an effective intervention in the toxicity of PM2.5 in normal cells, rather than XRCC1 knock-out cells. This laid a foundation for further exploring the key role of XRCC1 in PM2.5-caused oxidative damage and the BER/DNA damage repair pathway.

Propyl Gallate Treatment Improves the Postharvest Quality of Winter Jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) by Regulating Antioxidant Metabolism and Maintaining the Structure of Peel.

The quality and color of winter jujube fruits are easy to change after harvest. We studied the regulation mechanism of propyl gallate (PG) on post-harvest physiological quality of winter jujube, from the perspective of antioxidant metabolism and peel structure. In our research, winter jujube fruits were treated with 0.001 mol L-1 PG solution for 20 min. Our results showed that PG delayed the development of peel color, and improved the firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), and titratable acid (TA) of winter jujube. Meanwhile, the PG treatment had higher content of total phenols, total flavonoids, ascorbic acid (AsA), and reduced glutathione (GSH), and kept the enzyme activity including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase (POD) at a higher level. PG treatment reduced membrane oxidative damage and maintained the integrity of pericarp structure by reducing electrolyte leakage (EL), lipoxygenase activity (LOX), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the peel. Accordingly, PG improved the postharvest quality of jujube fruits by regulating antioxidant metabolism and maintaining the structure of peel. The appropriate concentration of PG has good application potential in the storage and preservation of fresh fruits such as winter jujube.

Age-dependent alteration in metabolism of vitamin B6 , neurotransmitters, and amino acids after 4'-O-methylpyridoxine administration in rats.

4'-O-methylpyridoxine (MPN), a recognized antivitamin B6 compound, is a potentially poisonous substance found in Ginkgo biloba L. In this work, the effects of MPN on the metabolism of vitamin B6 , neurotransmitters, and amino acids were compared in the plasma and brain of young and adult rats under various administration times. Results showed that the contents of MPN residues in the plasma and brain of young rats were 12.72 and 14.76 µM higher than adult rats, respectively. Moreover, the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in the brain of young rats have decreased by 13.78% and 7.19%, respectively, compared with the control group, at 2 h after MPN administration. Furthermore, the principal component analysis revealed that MPN was an important contributor to the amino acid composition in the brain of young rats. These results suggest that age may lead to different toxic effects of MPN. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: 4'-O-methylpyridoxine is primarily responsible for poisoning due to overconsumption of Ginkgo biloba seeds. This study will provide an exploratory understanding of the age-dependent toxicity of 4'-O-methylpyridoxine.

Toxicology of respiratory system: Profiling chemicals in PM10 for molecular targets and adverse outcomes.

Numerous studies have shown that the increasing trend of respiratory diseases have been closely associated with the endogenous toxic chemicals (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metal ions, etc.) in PM10. In the present study, we aim to determine the strong correlations between the chemicals in PM10 and the adverse consequences. We used the ChemView DB, the ToxRef DB and a comprehensive literature analysis to collect, identify, and evaluate the chemicals in PM10 and their adverse effects on respiratory system, and then used the ToxCast DB to analyze their bioactivity and key targets through 1192 molecular targets and cell characteristic endpoints. Meanwhile, the bioinformatics analysis were carried out on the molecular targets to screen out prevention and treatment targets. A total of 310 chemicals related to the respiratory system were identified. An unsupervised two-directional heatmap was constructed based on hierarchical clustering of 227 chemicals by their effect scores. A subset of 253 chemicals with respiratory system toxicity had in vitro bioactivity on 318 molecular targets that could be described, clustered and annotated in the heatmap and bipartite network, which were analyzed based on the protein information in UniProt KB database and the software of GO, STRING, and KEGG. These results showed that the chemicals in PM10 have strong correlation with different types of respiratory system injury. The main pathways of respiratory system injury caused by PM10 are the Calcium signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and the core proteins in which are likely to be the molecular targets for the prevention and treatment of damage caused by PM10.

Nutritional constituent and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): A review.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an annual plant of the Fabaceae family, is mainly grown in temperate and semiarid regions. Its biological activity and beneficial contribution to human health have been scientifically confirmed as an essential source of nutritional components. The objective of this review was to summarize and update latest available scientific data and information, on bioactive components in chickpea, bio-activities, and molecular mechanisms, which has mainly focused on the detection of relevant biochemical indicators, the regulation of signaling pathways, essential genes and proteins. The studies have shown that chickpea have significant multifunctional activities, which are closely related to the functionally active small molecule peptides and phytochemicals of chickpea. Significantly, numerous studies have only addressed the functional activity and mechanisms of single active components of chickpea, however, overlooking the synergy and antagonism between chickpea components, changes of functional active components in different processing methods, as well as the active form of the substances after human digestion and metabolism. Additionally, due to limitations in research methods and techniques, the structure of most functional active substances have not been determined, which makes it difficult to conduct interaction mechanism studies. Consequently, the significant bio-activity of the functional components of chickpea, synergistic and antagonistic effects and activity differences between bioactive components should be further studied.

Investigation on the mechanisms of biochanin A alleviate PM10-induced acute pulmonary cell injury.

Epidemiological studies have shown that the elevated concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm (PM10) is closely related to the increased risk of heart and lung diseases in the population. Natural isoflavone compound biochanin A (BCA) has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and has efficacy in alleviating lung injury. The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of BCA on PM10 induced acute human bronchial epithelial cells injury. The results showed that PM10 decreased intracellular catalase level to 1.19 ± 0.01 nmol/min/mg prot and induce a surge of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It also increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity by 428.89% and caused the lipid peroxidation phenomenon. PM10 exposure also upregulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. However, BCA could interfere with the above changes caused by PM10, inhibit the LDH level to 8.22 ± 0.03 u/mL, and show anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In addition, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kimase (PI3K) /protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) is a key signal pathway in response to PM10 exposure. In this study, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is seriously affected by PM10 exposure. PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, PI3K, AKT, tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p53 protein were all inhibited by PM10 exposure, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was inactivated. BCA exert anti-damage function by regulating the activation process of PI3K protein, intervening the regulation process of PI3K/Akt by PTEN, and intervening the expression and phosphorylation of downstream Akt protein.

Different regulatory mechanisms of plant hormones in the ripening of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits: a review.

KEY MESSAGE: This review contains the regulatory mechanisms of plant hormones in the ripening process of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, interactions between plant hormones and future research directions. The fruit ripening process involves physiological and biochemical changes such as pigment accumulation, softening, aroma and flavor formation. There is a great difference in the ripening process between climacteric fruits and non-climacteric fruits. The ripening of these two types of fruits is affected by endogenous signals and exogenous environments. Endogenous signaling plant hormones play an important regulatory role in fruit ripening. This paper systematically reviews recent progress in the regulation of plant hormones in fruit ripening, including ethylene, abscisic acid, auxin, jasmonic acid (JA), gibberellin, brassinosteroid (BR), salicylic acid (SA) and melatonin. The role of plant hormones in both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits is discussed, with emphasis on the interaction between ethylene and other adjustment factors. Specifically, the research progress and future research directions of JA, SA and BR in fruit ripening are discussed, and the regulatory network between JA and other signaling molecules remains to be further revealed. This study is meant to expand the understanding of the importance of plant hormones, clarify the hormonal regulation network and provide a basis for targeted manipulation of fruit ripening.