Preparation of novel magnetic ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-based molecularly imprinted polymer for rapid adsorption of phthalate esters from ethanol aqueous solution.

Phthalate esters (PAEs), as emerging pollutants, pose a serious threat to human health and have become a major concern in the fields of environmental protection and food safety. Selective adsorption using molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is feasible, but most MIPs use the potentially toxic methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, along with other crosslinking agents. In this study, MIP adsorbent was prepared using only ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as both the functional monomer and crosslinking agent, without the inclusion of MAA. The adsorbent was utilized for the adsorption of PAEs from an ethanol aqueous solution. The results showed that EGDMA-based MIP (EMIP) achieved better adsorption performance of PAEs than MAA-based MIP (MMIP) due to more interactions of EGDMA with PAEs than MAA with them. For the adsorption of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) using EMIP, 95% of the equilibrium adsorption capacity was achieved within the first 15 min. In the isotherm analysis, the theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of EMIP was obtained as high as 159.24 mg/g at 20 °C in an ethanol (10 v%) aqueous solution. Furthermore, the adsorption of EMIP was not affected by the pH of the solution. The adsorption process of EMIP followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model. Ethanol had a significant impact on the adsorption of DBP, and the results of molecular simulation could validate this. In addition, the regeneration experiments indicated that EMIP could be recycled 5 times without significant performance change and had a high recovery efficiency of 94.55%.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 Attenuated Lipopolysaccharide-Induced acute liver injury by suppressing bile acid-associated NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

The involvement of the inflammatory response has been linked to the development of liver illnesses. As medications with the potential to prevent and cure liver illness, probiotics have garnered an increasing amount of interest in recent years. The present study used a piglet model with acute liver injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06. Our findings indicated that SC06 mitigated the liver structural damage caused by LPS, as shown by the decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells and the enhanced structural integrity. In addition, After the administration of SC06, there was a reduction in the increased levels of the liver damage markers. In the LPS group, there was an increase in the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis cell rate, and genes associated with apoptosis, while these alterations were mitigated by SC06 administration. Furthermore, SC06 prevented pigs from suffering liver damage by preventing the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which was normally triggered by LPS. The examination of serum metabolic pathways found that ALI was related to several metabolic processes, including primary bile acid biosynthesis, pentose and glucuronate interconversions and the metabolism of phenylalanine. Significantly, our research revealed that the administration of SC06 effectively controlled the concentrations of bile acids in the serum. The correlation results also revealed clear relationships between bile acids and liver characteristics and NLRP3 inflammasome-related genes. However, in vitro experiments revealed that SC06 could not directly inhibit NLRP3 activation under ATP, monosodium urate, and nigericin stimulation, while taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA) activated NLRP3 inflammasome related genes. In conclusion, our study proved that the hepaprotective effect of SC06 on liver injury, which was closely associated with the restoration of bile acids homeostasis and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition.

Olfactory perceptual interactions of maltol with key food odorants in binary mixtures: Scatter matrix statistical analysis of odor intensity in heterogeneous perceptual situation.

To study the olfactory perceptual interaction of odorants (OPIO) in binary mixtures containing maltol, a simple and efficient analysis method was developed. This method correlated three variables of the binary mixture: two rates of change in perceived odor intensities of two odorants within the binary mixtures, and the degree of overall odor synergy exhibited by the binary mixtures. By creating a three-dimensional scatter matrix with the variables, the changes in odor intensity of the binary mixture due to OPIO were visualized. The results revealed that the proportions of mutual antagonism, opposite effect, mutual independence, and mutual synergy in the binary mixtures were 64.7%, 32.9%, 1.9%, and 0.5%, respectively. The odor of maltol was mainly masked, and those of esters (68%), aldehydes and ketones (33%) in the mixture were enhanced. In terms of overall odor intensity, 67% of cases involved partial addition, followed by 22.2% overshadowing, and 19.6% stronger component effect.

Spectrally Tunable Lead-Free Perovskite Rb2ZrCl6:Te for Information Encryption and X-ray Imaging.

A series of lead-free Rb2ZrCl6:xTe4+ (x = 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%) perovskite materials were synthesized through a hydrothermal method in this work. The substitution of Te4+ for Zr in Rb2ZrCl6 was investigated to examine the effect of Te4+ doping on the spectral properties of Rb2ZrCl6 and its potential applications. The incorporation of Te4+ induced yellow emission of triplet self-trapped emission (STE). Different luminescence wavelengths were regulated by Te4+ concentration and excitation wavelength, and under a low concentration of Te4+ doping (x ≤ 0.1%), different types of host STE emission and Te4+ triplet state emission could be achieved through various excitation energies. These luminescent properties made it suitable for applications in information encryption. When Te4+ was doped at high concentrations (x ≥ 1%), yellow triplet state emission of Te4+ predominated, resulting in intense yellow emission, which stemmed from strong exciton binding energy and intense electron-phonon coupling. In addition, a Rb2ZrCl6:2%Te4+@RTV scintillating film was fabricated and a spatial resolution of 3.7 lp/mm was achieved, demonstrating the potential applications of Rb2ZrCl6:xTe4+ in nondestructive detection and bioimaging.

Preparation of novel gallic acid-based dummy-template molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbents for rapid adsorption of dibutyl phthalate from water.

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are plasticizers widely used in the industry and easily released into the environment, posing a serious threat to human health. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are important as selective adsorbents for the removal of PAEs. In this study, three kinds of mussel-inspired MIPs for the removal of PAEs were first prepared with gallic acid (GA), hexanediamine (HD), tannic acid (TA), and dopamine (DA) under mild conditions. The adsorption results showed that the MIP with low cost derived from GA and HD (GAHD-MIP) obtained the highest adsorption capacity among these materials. Furthermore, 97.43% of equilibrium capacity could be reached within the first 5 min of adsorption. Especially, the dummy template of diallyl phthalate (DAP) with low toxicity was observed to be more suitable to prepare MIPs than dibutyl phthalate (DBP), although DBP was the target of adsorption. The adsorption process was in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. In the isotherm analysis, the adsorption behavior agreed with the Freundlich model. Additionally, the material maintained high adsorption performance after 7 cycles of regeneration tests. The GAHD-MIP adsorbents in this study, with low cost, rapid adsorption equilibrium, green raw materials, and low toxicity dummy template, provide a valuable reference for the design and development of new MIPs.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 Relieving Intestinal Inflammation by Modulating Intestinal Stem Cells Proliferation and Differentiation via AhR/STAT3 Pathway in LPS-Challenged Piglets.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a well-accepted probiotic, with many benefits for both humans and animals. The ability of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) to develop into several intestinal epithelial cell types helps accelerate intestinal epithelial regeneration. Limited knowledge exists on how bacteria regulated ISCs proliferation and regeneration. Our study investigated the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens supplementation on ISC proliferation and regeneration and intestinal mucosal barrier functions in piglets exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Eighteen piglets (male, 21 days old) were randomly split into 3 clusters: CON cluster, LPS cluster, and SC06+LPS cluster. On day 21, 100 µg/kg body weight of LPS was intraperitoneally administered to the SC06+LPS and LPS groups. We found SC06 supplementation maintained the intestinal barrier integrity, enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity, reduced generation of inflammatory response, and suppressed enterocyte apoptosis against the deleterious effects triggered by LPS. In addition, our research indicated that the SC06 supplementation not only improved the ISC regeneration, but also resulted in upregulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in LPS-challenge piglets. Further studies showed that SC06 also induced ISC differentiation toward goblet cells and inhibited their differentiation to intestinal absorptive cells and enterocytes. The coculture system of SC06 and ileum organoids revealed that SC06 increased the growth of ISCs and repaired LPS-induced organoid damage through activating the AhR/STAT3 signaling pathway. These findings showed that SC06, possibly through the AhR/STAT3 pathway, accelerated ISC proliferation and promoted epithelial barrier healing, providing a potential clinical treatment for IBD. Our research demonstrated that SC06 is effective in preventing intestinal epithelial damage after pathological injury, restoring intestinal homeostasis, and maintaining intestinal epithelial regeneration.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 alleviated intestinal damage induced by inflammatory via modulating intestinal microbiota and intestinal stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

The aim of our research was to investigate the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 on growth performance, immune status, intestinal stem cells (ISC) proliferation and differentiation, and gut microbiota in weaned piglets. Twelve piglets (male, 21 days old, 6.11 ± 0.12 kg) were randomly allocated to CON and SC06 (1 × 108 cfu/kg to diet) groups. This experiment lasted three weeks. Our results showed that SC06 increased (P < 0.05) growth performance and reduced the diarrhea rate in weaned piglets. In addition, SC06 increased intestinal morphology and interleukin (IL)-10 levels, and decreased (P < 0.01) necrosis factor (TNF-α) levels in jejunum and serum. Moreover, weaning piglets fed SC06 had a better balance of colonic microbiota, with an increase in the abundance of Lactobacillus. Furthermore, SC06 enhanced ISCs proliferation and induced its differentiation to goblet cells via activating wnt/ß-catenin pathway in weaned piglets and intestinal organoid. Taken together, SC06 supplementation improved the growth performance and decreased inflammatory response of piglets by modulating intestinal microbiota, thereby accelerating ISC proliferation and differentiation and promoting epithelial barrier healing.

Compound Bacillus alleviates diarrhea by regulating gut microbes, metabolites, and inflammatory responses in pet cats.

BACKGROUND: Pet cats frequently have diarrhea in their daily life. Bacillus has a protective role that has crucial beneficial functions on intestinal homeostasis. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the compound Bacillus on the prevention of diarrhea, microbiota and metabolism in pet cats. A total of 20 pet cats (1-2 years old, 3.91 ± 0.92 kg) were randomly divided into two groups and fed with a basal diet (Control group), or a basal diet supplemented with 3 × 109 CFU/kg compound Bacillus (Probiotics group). The experiment lasted 33 days. RESULTS: Results showed that the compound Bacillus significantly reduced the rate of soft stools and diarrhea in pet cats compared with the control group (P < 0.05, n = 10). Meanwhile, compared with the control group, the probiotics group significantly decreased the content of IL-1ß and IL-6 and significantly increased IL-10 (P < 0.05, n = 6) in the serum. In addition, feeding probiotics significantly increased the abundance of p_Patescibacter and g_Plectosphaerella, decreased the abundance of p_Firmicutes, p_Gemmatimonadetes, g_Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, g_Ascochytahe and g_Saccharomyces in the feces of the pet cats (P < 0.05, n = 6). And it also can significantly increase the content of total SCFAs, acetic acid and butyric acid in the feces (P < 0.05, n = 6). The fecal and serum metabolomics analyses revealed that most fecal and serum compounds were involved in metabolism, particularly in chemical structure transformation maps and amino acid metabolism. Also, eugenitol and methyl sulfate were the most significantly increased serum metabolites, and log2FC were 38.73 and 37.12, respectively. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that changes in serum metabolism and fecal microbiota were closely related to immune factors. There was also a strong correlation between serum metabolites and microbiota composition. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research highlight the potential of the compound Bacillus as a dietary supplement to alleviate diarrhea in pet cats.

Deep learning enabled miniature mass spectrometer for rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of pesticides on vegetable surfaces.

Excessive pesticide use poses a significant threat to food safety. Rapid on-site detection of multi-target pesticide residues in vegetables is crucial due to their widespread distribution and limited shelf life. In this study, a rapid on-site screening method for pesticide residues on vegetable surfaces was developed by employing a miniature mass spectrometer. A direct pretreatment method involves placing vegetables and elution solution into a customized flexible ziplock bag, allowing thorough mixing, washing, and filtration. This process effectively removes pesticide residues from vegetable surfaces with minimal organic solvent usage and can be completed within 2 min. Moreover, this study introduced a deep learning algorithm based on a one-dimensional convolutional neural network, coupled with a feature database, to autonomously discriminate detection outcomes. By combining full scan MS and tandem MS analysis methods, the proposed method achieved a qualitative recognition accuracy of 99.62%. Following the qualitative discrimination stage, the target pesticide residue and internal standard can be simultaneously isolated and fragmented in the ion trap, thus enabling on-site quantitative analysis and warning. This method achieved a quantitative detection limit of 10 µg/kg for carbendazim in cowpea. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed analytical system and strategy in food safety applications.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Lac16 Attenuates Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection by Inhibiting Virulence Traits and Improving Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function.

Large-scale use of antimicrobials in agriculture and medicine contributes to antibiotic residues in raw foods, the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and drug pollution, which seriously threatens human health and imposes significant economic burdens on society, suggesting the need for novel therapeutic options that prevent or control zoonoses. In this study, four probiotics were selected to assess their capability to alleviate pathogen-induced damage. Results showed that a simulated gastrointestinal juice and bile tolerated L. plantarum Lac16 with high lactic acid secretion can significantly inhibit the growth of multiple zoonotic pathogens. Lac16 also significantly inhibited the biofilm formation and mRNA expression of virulence traits (genes related to virulence, toxins, flagella biogenesis and motility, antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation and AI-2 quorum sensing) of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 (EHEC). Furthermore, Lac16 and Lac26 significantly protected C. elegans against zoonotic pathogen-induced (EHEC, S. typhimurium, C. perfringens) deaths. Moreover, Lac16 significantly promoted epithelial repair and ameliorated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal epithelial apoptosis and barrier dysfunction by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, and markedly reduced LPS-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway. The present results indicate that Lac16 attenuates enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection-induced damage by inhibiting key virulence traits of E. coli, promoting epithelial repair and improving intestinal epithelial barrier function, which may be mediated by the activated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and the inhibited TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway of the intestinal epithelium.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 in the diet improves egg quality of hens by altering intestinal microbiota and the effect is diminished by antimicrobial peptide.

This experiment investigated the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 (BaSC06) and its combination with antimicrobial peptide (AMP) on the laying performance, egg quality, intestinal physical barrier, antioxidative status and immunity of commercial Jingbai strain laying hens. The results showed that BaSC06 significantly improved laying performance and egg quality of laying hens. However, there was a tendency to increase laying performance and decrease egg quality for the addition of AMP compared to the BaSC06 group. Also, both BaSC06 and its combination with AMP treatment increased length of microvilli and the content of tight junction protein in jejunum, and BaSC06 combination with AMP treatment is better than BaSC06 treatment alone. Compared to control, most of the serum antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly increased in the BaSC06+AMP group, the BaSC06 group only increased the activity of GSH-Px. Short-chain fatty acid analysis showed that BSC06 significantly increased the content of butyric, isobutyric and isovaleric acid in the cecum. However, the content of most of the short-chain fatty acids was even lower than that of the control group after the addition of AMP. Microbiota analysis showed that BaSC06 increased the absolute abundance of the butyrate-producing gut bacteria Ruminococaaoeae UCG-005, while the addition of AMP reduced the number of microorganisms detected and weakened the effect of BaSC06. BaSC06 acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by regulating the gut microbiota, and AMP further attenuates the immune response by reducing the number of gut microbes based on improved intestinal microbiota composition.

Dietary supplementation of Macleaya cordata extract and Bacillus in combination improve laying performance by regulating reproductive hormones, intestinal microbiota and barrier function of laying hens.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate whether the combination of Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) and Bacillus could improve the laying performance and health of laying hens better. METHODS: A total of 360 29-week-old Jingbai laying hens were randomly divided into 4 treatments: control group (basal diet), MCE group (basal diet + MCE), Probiotics Bacillus Compound (PBC) group (basal diet + compound Bacillus), MCE + PBC group (basal diet + MCE + compound Bacillus). The feeding experiment lasted for 42 d. RESULTS: The results showed that the laying rate and the average daily egg mass in the MCE + PBC group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05) and better than the MCE and PBC group. Combination of MCE and Bacillus significantly increased the content of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the serum and up-regulated the expression of related hormone receptor gene (estrogen receptor-ß, FSHR and luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor) in the ovary of laying hens (P < 0.05). In the MCE + PBC group, the mRNA expressions of zonula occluden-1, Occludin and mucin-2 in jejunum was increased and the intestinal epithelial barrier detected by transmission electron microscopy was enhanced compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with the control group, combination of MCE and Bacillus significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity and catalase activity (P < 0.05), and down-regulated the mRNA expressions of inflammation-related genes (interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α) as well as apoptosis-related genes (Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and P53) (P < 0.05). The concentration of acetic acid and butyric acid in the cecum content of laying hens in the MCE + PBC group was significantly increased compared with the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, dietary supplementation of 600 µg/kg MCE and 5 × 108 CFU/kg compound Bacillus can improve laying performance by improving microbiota to enhance antioxidant capacity and intestinal barrier, regulate reproductive hormones and the concentration of cecal short-chain fatty acids of laying hens, and the combined effect of MCE and Bacillus is better than that of single supplementation.

Modified Montmorillonite Improved Growth Performance of Broilers by Modulating Intestinal Microbiota and Enhancing Intestinal Barriers, Anti-Inflammatory Response, and Antioxidative Capacity.

This study aims to explore the effects of modified montmorillonite (MMT, copper loading) on the growth performance, gut microbiota, intestinal barrier, antioxidative capacity and immune function of broilers. Yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into control (CTR), modified montmorillonite (MMT), and antibiotic (ANTI) groups. Results revealed that MMT supplementation increased the BW and ADG and decreased the F/R during the 63-day experiment period. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that MMT modulated the cecal microbiota composition of broilers by increasing the relative abundance of two phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes) and two genera (Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium) and decreasing the abundance of genus Olsenella. MMT also improved the intestinal epithelial barrier indicated by the up-regulated mRNA expression of claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1 and the increased length of microvilli in jejunum and the decreased levels of DAO and D-LA in serum. In addition, MMT enhanced the immune function indicated by the increased levels of immunoglobulins, the decreased levels of MPO and NO, the down-regulated mRNA expression of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, and the up-regulated mRNA expression of IL-4 and IL-10. Moreover, MMT down-regulated the expression of jejunal TLRs/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway-related genes (TLR2, TLR4, Myd88, TRAF6, NF-κB, and iNOS) and related proteins (TRAF6, p38, ERK, NF-κB, and iNOS). In addition, MMT increased the antioxidant enzyme activities and the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway-related genes and thereby decreased the apoptosis-related genes expression. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, and Olsenella were related to the inflammatory index (MPO and NO), oxidative stress (T-AOC, T-SOD, and CAT) and intestinal integrity (D-LA and DAO). Taken together, MMT supplementation improved the growth performance of broilers by modulating intestinal microbiota, enhancing the intestinal barrier function, and improving inflammatory response, which might be mediated by inhibiting the TLRs/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway, and antioxidative capacity mediated by the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Photo-assisted reductive cleavage and catalytic hydrolysis-mediated persulfate activation by mixed redox-couple-involved CuFeS2 for efficient trichloroethylene oxidation in groundwater.

Persulfate (PS, S2O82-) activation through transition metal sulfides (TMS) has gained increasing attention since it can decompose a wide variety of refractory halogenated organic compounds in groundwater and wastewater. However, the processes of PS activation by TMS and particularly the formation of •OH radical under anoxic and acidic conditions (pH ∼2.8) remain elusive. Herein, by employing mixed redox-couple-involved chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) (150 mg/L) nanoparticles for PS (3.0 mM) activation, 96% of trichloroethylene was degraded within 120 min at pH 6.8 under visible light irradiation. The combination of experimental studies and theoretical calculations suggested that the Cu(I)/Fe(III) mixed redox-couple in CuFeS2 plays a crucial role to activate PS. Cu(I) acted as an electron donor to transfer electron to Fe(III), then Fe(III) served as an electron transfer bridge as well as a catalytic center to further donate this received electron to the O-O bond of PS, thus yielding SO4•- for trichloroethylene oxidation. Moreover, for the first time, •OH radicals were found to form from the catalytic hydrolysis of PS onto CuFeS2 surface, where S2O82- anion was hydrolyzed to yield H2O2 and these ensuing H2O2 were further transformed into •OH radicals via photoelectron-assisted O-O bond cleavage step. Our findings offer valuable insights for understanding the mechanisms of PS activation by redox-couple- involved TMS, which could promote the design of effective activators toward PS decomposition for environmental remediation.

Adsorption of Phthalate Acid Esters by Activated Carbon: The Overlooked Role of the Ethanol Content.

Ethanol has great effects on the adsorption of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) on activated carbon (AC), which are usually overlooked and hardly studied. This study investigated the overlooked effects of ethanol on the adsorption of PAEs in alcoholic solutions. The adsorption capacities of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on AC in solutions with ethanol contents of 30, 50, 70, and 100 v% were only 59%, 43%, 19%, and 10% of that (16.39 mg/g) in water, respectively. The ethanol content increase from 50 v% to 100 v% worsened the adsorption performances significantly with the formation of water-ethanol-DBP clusters (decreasing from 13.99 mg/g to 2.34 mg/g). The molecular dynamics simulation showed that the DBP tended to be distributed farther away from the AC when the ethanol content increased from 0 v% to 100 v% (the average distribution distance increased from 5.25 Å to 15.3 Å). The PAEs with shorter chains were more affected by the presence of ethanol than those with longer chains. Taking DBP as an example, the adsorption capacity of AC in ethanol (0.41 mg/g) is only 2.2% of that in water (18.21 mg/g). The application results in actual Baijiu samples showed that the adsorption of PAEs on AC had important effects on the Baijiu flavors.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 alleviates the obesity of ob/ob mice and improves their intestinal microbiota and bile acid metabolism.

Dietary interventions with probiotics have been widely reported to be effective in regulating obesity, and the intestinal microbiota is considered to be an important environmental factor. However, few reports focus on the interactions of microbiota-metabolites-phenotypic variables in ob/ob mice, and they have not been characterized in great detail. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 on obesity, the intestinal microbiota and the bile acid metabolism of ob/ob mice using biochemical testing, histochemical staining, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, LC-MS/MS analysis and qRT-PCR. The results showed that SC06 ameliorated the fat mass percentage, hepatic steatosis and liver lipid metabolism disorders and reshaped the gut microbiota and metabolites in male ob/ob mice, specifically deceasing f_S24-7, p_TM7, s_Alistipes massiliensis, f_Rikenellaceae, f_Prevotellaceae, f_Lactobacillaceae, g_Alistipes, g_Flexispira, g_Lactobacillus, g_Odoribacter, g_AF12 and g_Prevotella and increasing f_Bacteroidaceae, g_Bacteroides and f_Desulfovibrionaceae. Meanwhile, SC06 treatment groups had lower ibuprofen and higher glycodeoxycholic acid and 7-dehydrocholesterol. Correlation analysis further clarified the relationships between compositional changes in the microbiota and alterations in the metabolites and phenotypes of ob/ob mice. Moreover, SC06 downregulated bile acid synthesis, export and re-absorption in the liver and increased ileum re-absorption into the blood in ob/ob mice, which may be mediated by the FXR-SHP/FGF15 signaling pathway. These results suggest that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SC06 can ameliorate obesity in male ob/ob mice by reshaping the intestinal microbial composition, changing metabolites and regulating bile acid metabolism via the FXR signaling pathway.

Probiotic Bacillus Alleviates Oxidative Stress-Induced Liver Injury by Modulating Gut-Liver Axis in a Rat Model.

Emerging evidence suggests a key role of gut microbiota in maintaining liver functions through modulating the gut-liver axis. In this study, we investigated whether microbiota alteration mediated by probiotic Bacillus was involved in alleviating oxidative stress- induced liver injury. Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered Bacillus SC06 or SC08 for a 24-day period and thereafter intraperitoneally injected diquat (DQ) to induce oxidative stress. Results showed that Bacillus, particularly SC06 significantly inhibited hepatic injuries, as evidenced by the alleviated damaged liver structure, the decreased levels of ALT, AST, ALP and LDH, and the suppressed mitochondrial dysfunction. SC06 pretreatment markedly enhanced the liver antioxidant capacity by decreasing MDA and p47, and increasing T-AOC, SOD and HO-1.16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that DQ significantly changed the diversities and composition of gut microbiota, whereas Bacillus pretreatments could attenuate gut dysbiosis. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that AST and MDA exerted a positive correlation with the opportunistic pathogenic genera and species (Escherichia and Shigella), and negatively correlated with the potential probiotics (Lactobacillus), while SOD exerted a reverse trend. The microbial metagenomic analysis demonstrated that Bacillus, particularly SC06 markedly suppress the metabolic pathways such as carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. Furthermore, SC06 decreased the gene abundance of the pathways mediating bacterial replication, secretion and pathogenicity. Taken together, Bacillus SC06 alleviates oxidative stress-induced liver injuries via optimizing the composition, metabolic pathways and pathogenic replication and secretion of gut microbiota. These findings elucidate the mechanisms of probiotics in alleviating oxidative stress and provide a promising strategy for preventing liver diseases by targeting gut microbiota.

Interfacial engineering of CuFeS2 quantum dots via platinum decoration with enhanced Cr(VI) reduction dynamics under UV-Vis-NIR radiation.

Configuring reactive and stable catalytic interfaces is crucial to design efficient photocatalysts for Cr(VI) reduction. Herein, via the platinum decoration approach based on interfacial engineering, we developed an effective catalytic interface within novel semiconducting chalcopyrite quantum dots (Pt/CuFeS2 QDs). Benefiting from the catalytic merits of the Pt modulated interfacial structure and electronic structure, Pt/CuFeS2 QDs show a broader light absorption capability extending to near-infrared radiation (NIR) range with superior carriers separation performance and faster charge transfer efficiency, which delivers a three-folder faster photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction efficiency comparing to the original CuFeS2 QDs. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations unravel that Pt atoms prefer to be anchored with the surface S atoms to form a stable interfacial structure with faster electron transfer and Cr(VI) reduction dynamics. This work demonstrates that platinum decoration based on interfacial engineering is an effective strategy to simultaneously modulate the band structure and accelerate the interfacial reaction dynamics for semiconductor photocatalysts, which paves the way for designing highly efficient photocatalysts for light-driven environmental and energy engineering applications.

Protective Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum Lac16 on Clostridium perfringens Infection-Associated Injury in IPEC-J2 Cells.

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) causes intestinal injury through overgrowth and the secretion of multiple toxins, leading to diarrhea and necrotic enteritis in animals, including pigs, chickens, and sheep. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) Lac16 on C. perfringens infection-associated injury in intestinal porcine epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). The results showed that L. plantarum Lac16 significantly inhibited the growth of C. perfringens, which was accompanied by a decrease in pH levels. In addition, L. plantarum Lac16 significantly elevated the mRNA expression levels of host defense peptides (HDPs) in IPEC-J2 cells, decreased the adhesion of C. perfringens to IPEC-J2 cells, and attenuated C. perfringens-induced cellular cytotoxicity and intestinal barrier damage. Furthermore, L. plantarum Lac16 significantly suppressed C. perfringens-induced gene expressions of proinflammatory cytokines and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in IPEC-J2 cells. Moreover, L. plantarum Lac16 preincubation effectively inhibited the phosphorylation of p65 caused by C. perfringens infection. Collectively, probiotic L. plantarum Lac16 exerts protective effects against C. perfringens infection-associated injury in IPEC-J2 cells.

Dietary Supplementation With Lactobacillus plantarum Ameliorates Compromise of Growth Performance by Modulating Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Intestinal Dysbiosis in Broilers Under Clostridium perfringens Challenge.

Clostridium perfringens is an important zoonotic pathogen associated with food contamination and poisoning, gas gangrene, necrotizing enterocolitis or necrotic enteritis in humans and animals. Dysbacteriosis is supposedly associated with the development of C. perfringens infection induced necrotic enteritis, but the detailed relationship between intestinal health, microbiome, and C. perfringens infection-induced necrotic enteritis remains poorly understood. This research investigated the effect of probiotics on the growth performance and intestinal health of broilers, and the involved roles of intestinal microbiota and microbial metabolic functions under C. perfringens infection. Results showed that subclinical necrotic enteritis was successfully induced as evidenced by the significant lower body weight (BW), suppressed feed conversion ratio (FCR), decreased ileal villus height and mucosal barrier function, and increased ileal histopathological score and bursal weight index. Lactobacillus plantarum or Paenibacillus polymyxa significantly attenuated C. perfringens-induced compromise of growth performance (BW, FCR) and ileal mucosa damage as illustrated by the increased ileal villus height and villus/crypt ratio, the decreased ileal histopathological score and the enhanced ileal mucosal barrier function. L. plantarum also significantly alleviated C. perfringens-induced enlarged bursa of fabricius and the decreased levels of ileal total SCFAs, acetate, lactate, and butyrate. Furthermore, dietary L. plantarum improved C. perfringens infection-induced intestinal dysbiosis as evidenced by significantly enriched short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria (Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Oscillospira, Faecalibacterium, Blautia), reduced drug-resistant bacteria (Bacteroides, Alistipes) and enteric pathogens (Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis) and bacterial metabolic dysfunctions as illustrated by significantly increased bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, decreased bacterial lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and antibiotic biosynthesis (streptomycin and vancomycin). Additionally, the BW and intestinal SCFAs were the principal factors affecting the bacterial communities and microbial metabolic functions. The above findings indicate that dietary with L. plantarum attenuates C. perfringens-induced compromise of growth performance and intestinal dysbiosis by increasing SCFAs and improving intestinal health in broilers.