Preparation and Investigation of Sustained-Release Nanocapsules Containing Cumin Essential Oil for Their Bacteriostatic Properties.

Cumin essential oil chitosan nanocapsules (CENPs) were prepared through the ionic gelation method by blending chitosan (CS) with cumin essential oil (CEO) in different proportions (1:0.8, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4). Subsequently, these nanocapsules were characterized and evaluated for their antibacterial properties to determine the optimal cumin essential oil encapsulation and antibacterial efficacy. The outcomes demonstrated that the highest encapsulation efficiency of CENPs was 52%, achieved with a 1:3 CS/CEO ratio. At this point, the nanoparticles had the smallest particle size (584.67 nm) and a regular spherical distribution in the emulsion. Moreover, the CENPs could release the encapsulated CEOs slowly, leading to efficient inhibition of E. coli and L. monocytogenes over a relatively extended period (24-36 h) compared to the CS and CEO. This research offers a promising approach for the use of nanocapsules in food preservation.

Dietary supplementation with short- and long-chain structured lipids alleviates obesity via regulating hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation and gut microbiota in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is closely associated with lipid accumulation, inflammation and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. Short- and long-chain type structured lipids (SLCTs) are kinds of low-calorie structured lipids and demonstrate anti-obesity and hypolipidemia bioactivity. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential effects of dietary supplementation of SLCTs rich in short-chain fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids on high-fat-diet-induced obesity and gut microbiota modulation in C57BL/6J mice. RESULTS: Results showed that SLCTs supplementation ameliorated body weight, dyslipidemia, liver lipid accumulation, liver injury and systemic inflammation in obese mice. As expected, immunohistochemical analysis showed that SLCTs significantly increased the expression of proliferator-activated receptor alpha and decreased the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 in liver tissue. Furthermore, SLCTs supplementation significantly downregulated the expression level of liver inflammation-related genes while upregulating the expression level of liver lipid metabolism-related genes. Additionally, SLCTs supplementation markedly enhanced the diversity of gut microbiota, reduced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increased the diversity and richness of beneficial intestinal microorganisms, such as Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, Alloprevotella and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014. CONCLUSION: Our work suggested that SLCTs may have the potential to reduce obesity associated with a high-fat diet by regulating liver metabolism, inflammation and gut microbiota. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Chemical Constituents from Caragana changduensis].

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of the red heartwood of the stems and roots of Caragana changduensis. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by means of several column chromatographic techniques,and their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. Results: Ten compounds were isolated and identified as kushenin( 1),( 6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-4,9-dimethoxy-pterocarpan( 2),(-)-4-methoxymaackiain( 3),(-)-homopterocarpin( 4),2,4-dimethoxybenzoic acid( 5),2-methoxy-4-ethoxybenzoic acid( 6),3-acetyl-oleanolic acid( 7),7-hydroxy-2,3-dimethylchromone( 8),liquiritigenin( 9),and ß-sitosterol( 10). Conclusion: Compounds 1,3,5,7,and 8 are obtained from this genus for the first time. All the compounds are obtained from this plant for the first time.

Aqueous germanate ion solution promoted synthesis of worm-like crystallized Ge nanostructures under ambient conditions.

This work demonstrates that it is possible to synthesize crystallized Ge nanostructures directly in an aqueous medium under ambient conditions by using widely available GeO2 (in the form of germanate ions) as a precursor. The reaction of germanate ions with NaBH4 in an aqueous medium resulted in highly hydrogenated Ge that could be transformed into crystallized Ge after an air-drying treatment. The NaBH4/GeO2 molar ratio, reaction time and drying temperature were optimized for the synthesis of crystallized Ge products. Furthermore, the reaction time has an influence on the size and shape of the final crystallized Ge products. A reaction time of 12 h could result in crystallized Ge powder samples that contain ultra-small (5-20 nm) particles and larger (50-100 nm) particles. By controlling the reaction time to 24 h, a Ge powder product consisting of worm-like crystallized Ge nanostructures with diameters of 10-80 nm and lengths up to 1000 nm was obtained. The possible reaction and growth mechanisms involved in this method were investigated. This new synthetic route may be a good candidate for synthesizing a wide variety of crystallized Ge nanomaterials and devices due to its low cost, low safety risk, facileness, high yield (above 70% and in gram scale) and convenience for adding other chemicals (i.e. dopants or morphology modifying agents) into the reaction system.

Fabrication and characteristics of porous germanium films.

Porous germanium films with good adhesion to the substrate were produced by annealing GeO2 ceramic films in H2 atmosphere. The reduction of GeO2 started at the top of a film and resulted in a Ge layer with a highly porous surface. TEM and Raman measurements reveal small Ge crystallites at the top layer and a higher degree of crystallinity at the bottom part of the Ge film; visible photoluminescence was detected from the small crystallites. Porous Ge films exhibit high density of holes (1020 cm-3) and a maximum of Hall mobility at ∼225 K. Their p-type conductivity is dominated by the defect scattering mechanism.